2026 DETROIT TIGERS REGULAR SEASON THREAD

[chasfh]

I can't see anybody taking Tork, especially a contender. If FanGraphs is to be believed, having Tork there makes us the 23rd-ranked team in first base WAR. The only out-of-division possible contender who's worse is Seattle, and they're not so much worse that Tork will make any difference.

Funnily enough, the 28th-, 29th-, and 30th-ranked teams in WAR at first base are the Guardians, Royals, and Twins.

Tork is probably ours until through least 2028, unless we release him in the interim.

[monkeytargets39]

9 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I can't see anybody taking Tork, especially a contender. If FanGraphs is to be believed, having Tork there makes us the 23rd-ranked team in first base WAR. The only out-of-division possible contender who's worse is Seattle, and they're not so much worse that Tork will make any difference.

Funnily enough, the 28th-, 29th-, and 30th-ranked teams in WAR at first base are the Guardians, Royals, and Twins.

Tork is probably ours until through least 2028, unless we release him in the interim.

If he doesn’t produce between now and September, I think you have to just demote him to Toledo or DFA him and release.  Can’t have a 1B with below average defense who can’t hit a middle-middle fastball.  The ability to move on from guys who don’t produce or who don’t fit the team philosophy is why the Guardians and Rays keep finding success while we sit back and give 1000 ABs to Jacoby Jones and Victor Reyes.

Edited 5 hours ago by monkeytargets39

[4hzglory]

6 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

If he doesn’t produce between now and September, I think you have to just demote him to Toledo or DFA him and release.  Can’t have a 1B with below average defense who can’t hit a middle-middle fastball.  The ability to move on from guys who don’t produce or who don’t fit the team philosophy is why the Guardians and Rays keep finding success while we sit back and give 1000 ABs to Jacoby Jones and Victor Reyes.

One thing Tork can do is hit high velocity fastballs.  His slug against 95+ mph is in the upper part of the league.

[chasfh]

5 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

If he doesn’t produce between now and September, I think you have to just demote him to Toledo or DFA him and release.  Can’t have a 1B with below average defense who can’t hit a middle-middle fastball.  The ability to move on from guys who don’t produce or who don’t fit the team philosophy is why the Guardians and Rays keep finding success while we sit back and give 1000 ABs to Jacoby Jones and Victor Reyes.

I don't disagree with the gist of this, but it's not as though Tork is blocking someone better. It's entire possible we'd end up with something worse at first.

[gehringer_2]

38 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I can't see anybody taking Tork, especially a contender. If FanGraphs is to be believed, having Tork there makes us the 23rd-ranked team in first base WAR. The only out-of-division possible contender who's worse is Seattle, and they're not so much worse that Tork will make any difference.

Funnily enough, the 28th-, 29th-, and 30th-ranked teams in WAR at first base are the Guardians, Royals, and Twins.

Tork is probably ours until through least 2028, unless we release him in the interim.

It would be nice if he'd stay on track for a while - 920 OPS in his last dozen games.

[chasfh]

There are 255 teams in major league history through 2025 that have started the season 22-38 or worse, sixty-four of them starting exactly 22-38. Not only did none of them make the postseason, but also, not a single one of them even finished as high as .500.

The highest such a team finished was .493, by the 1899 Louisville Colonels, who'd started out 20-40 and finished 75-77. The highest a team finished after starting out exactly 22-38 was the 1927 Cincinnati Reds, which finished 75-78 for a .490 winning percentage.

The average final winning percentage achieved by a team starting out exactly 22-38 is .399, which is roughly the equivalent of 65-97. Even the 1914 Miracle Braves, considered the gold standard anecdote of a team starting out terrible and still winning the pennant, started out 25-35, albeit in last place.

Bottom line: according to history, the Tigers' season is done right now. Selling our greatest assets that seem destined to walk during the offseason anyway is a defensible, even preferable option at this point. This is where we see whether Scott Harris has the big boy pants to pull off such a trade and get a favorable return. It can be fairly said that the fate of his entire tenure is riding on how he handles this.

[gehringer_2]

15 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Bottom line: according to history, the Tigers' season is done right now. Selling our greatest assets that seem destined to walk during the offseason anyway is a defensible, even preferable option at this point. This is where we see whether Scott Harris has the big boy pants to pull off such a trade and get a favorable return. It can be fairly said that the fate of his entire tenure is riding on how he handles this.

Reality bites, but it always gets the last word. 

[gehringer_2]

And it only adds insult to injury that given Mize's inability to stay on the field no-one is going to want to give up a bag of balls for him.  

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

I don't disagree with the gist of this, but it's not as though Tork is blocking someone better. It's entire possible we'd end up with something worse at first.

Given the recent callups, I wouldn't want to test it out.  

[gehringer_2]

16 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Given the recent callups, I wouldn't want to test it out.  

there isn't a single bat at Toledo I'm even interested in seeing. Earlier this year it would have been Anderson, but he's tailed off, Maglieri is just an old AAA player on a decent AAA run. Julks ran out of gas in ST as soon as the pitching got serious. Clarkisn't doing anything much. They need to get Skubal on the mound pitching well and then move him for at least one major league ready can't miss position prospect - something along the line of an Austin Jackson (but that  could stay healthy!)

Then you hope you can cobble together next years pitching staff from Valdez, Melton, Maddon, Jobe, a fixed Flaherty and/or a Mize you're able to resign cheap because of his injury history.

Edited 4 hours ago by gehringer_2

[monkeytargets39]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

I don't disagree with the gist of this, but it's not as though Tork is blocking someone better. It's entire possible we'd end up with something worse at first.

You’d have to address it either via trade or with a signing.

[NorthWoods]

12 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

there isn't a single bat at Toledo I'm even interested in seeing. Earlier this year it would have been Anderson, but he's tailed off, Maglieri is just an old AAA player on a decent AAA run. Julks ran out of gas in ST as soon as the pitching got serious. Clarkisn't doing anything much. They need to get Skubal on the mound pitching well and then move him for at least one major league ready can't miss position prospect - something along the line of an Austin Jackson (but that  could stay healthy!)

Then you hope you can cobble together next years pitching staff from Valdez, Melton, Maddon, Jobe, a fixed Flaherty and/or a Mize you're able to resign cheap because of his injury history.

Montero.   Hopefully Olson.    

[SoCalTiger]

For 2027 we need a number 1 starter, shutdown closer, shutdown 8th inning pitcher, shortstop or third baseman and one real power threat if not two. That's quite a bit. 

[chasfh]

21 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

You’d have to address it either via trade or with a signing.

Not this year, we won't. Not in the state we find ourselves in, anyway. This year's what we're talking about, right?

[monkeytargets39]

3 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Not this year, we won't. Not in the state we find ourselves in, anyway. This year's what we're talking about, right?

I meant after this season with that statement.  Sorry I didn’t clarify

[Shelton]

2 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Given the recent callups, I wouldn't want to test it out.  

I want to see the actual prospects. The fools gold one-month AAA warriors like malgieri and julks and workman can stay away. But guys like Clark and Anderson have actual skills and I don’t necessarily agree that a specific level needs to be achieved before advancement.

[Tigermojo]

5 minutes ago, Shelton said:

I want to see the actual prospects. The fools gold one-month AAA warriors like malgieri and julks and workman can stay away. But guys like Clark and Anderson have actual skills and I don’t necessarily agree that a specific level needs to be achieved before advancement.

Roster crunch could still be an issue. Especially if they trade for guys who need roster spots.

[Edman85]

May as well hang onto rookie eligibility for Clark at this point...

[Tiger337]

16 minutes ago, Shelton said:

I want to see the actual prospects. The fools gold one-month AAA warriors like malgieri and julks and workman can stay away. But guys like Clark and Anderson have actual skills and I don’t necessarily agree that a specific level needs to be achieved before advancement.

As long as it doesn't interfere with his progress, I am fine either way.  

[4hzglory]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

May as well hang onto rookie eligibility for Clark at this point...

Exactly.  Especially since he isn’t forcing his way up by his play.

[NorthWoods]

20 minutes ago, 4hzglory said:

Exactly.  Especially since he isn’t forcing his way up by his play.

I understand the logic of it, but if I were Clark and feeling that was holding me down I'd hate it.