2026 DETROIT TIGERS REGULAR SEASON THREAD

[casimir]

23 minutes ago, NorthWoods said:

Perhaps, though so far I've not hated what he's tried to do other than the Jansen signing.

I don’t mind the Jansen signing as much.  The SO% has been better than last season, but the BB% has risen by too much.  He might not have been the best solution for the end of the bullpen, but I can see the madness behind the method to signing him.

In a more macro sense, I do wonder if Harris & Co are less worried about swing and miss stuff than others are.  The problem is the defense isn’t as lock tight as would be needed behind a put it in play pitcher.  How much of that is worse without Baez and Meadows is a reasonable question.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, casimir said:

I don’t mind the Jansen signing as much.  The SO% has been better than last season, but the BB% has risen by too much.  He might not have been the best solution for the end of the bullpen, but I can see the madness behind the method to signing him.

It’s been a mixed bag with Kenley. Elevated walk rate and four bombs in 15 innings gives him a bad ERA and even worse FIP, but he was on a bit of a heater before he blew that last save: six innings in six games, no runs two walks, 10 Ks, 0.78 FIP. He had also gotten two guys out on nine pitches during the game before he got hurt. He seemed to find himself and now that he’s thrown a bullpen session yesterday he might be back within a week, and I think he’ll be welcome.

[RedRamage]

There's a thread on Reddit about a supposed mock trade that someone seems to think is doable.

 

 

[Tiger337]

It's doable if you're a Padre fan.  Tatis and Machado are both having bad years and they have huge long-term expensive contracts.  

[SoCalTiger]

Suicide for Detroit.

[Sports_Freak]

8 hours ago, RedRamage said:

There's a thread on Reddit about a supposed mock trade that someone seems to think is doable.

 

 

There is absolutely no way Harris makes this trade. It's 100% against everything he stands for.

[tiger2022]

The fact that a 21 year old player, who probably wasn't even going to make the roster except for an amazing spring training, is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games (and the team is still 12 games under .500), shows how awful a job Harris has done constructing this roster.

He is super lucky he inherited the talent he did because other than Torres and McGonigle, he has done nothing to improve the roster.  Valdez certainly hasn't pitched like a $38 million pitcher.

 

[tiger2022]

11 hours ago, RedRamage said:

There's a thread on Reddit about a supposed mock trade that someone seems to think is doable.

 

 

Why would any team trade for those guys?  Who would trade their top prospect along with 3 other guys for a couple washed up vets with huge contracts.

Would you make the trade sending Clark and the other guys for Colt Keith and Wenceel Pérez?  That's basically the production that Tatis amd Machado provide.

Edited Monday at 01:14 PM by tiger2022

[RedRamage]

15 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

Why would any team trade for those guys?  Who would trade their top prospect along with 3 other guys for a couple washed up vets with huge contracts.

Would you make the trade sending Clark and the other guys for Colt Keith and Wenceel Pérez?  That's basically the production that Tatis amd Machado provide.

I really should have looked more before posting that... it was obviously a proposed trade by someone, as I indicated. But I thought it was a legit somebody proposing it. In hindsight it looks like some sort of content farm that is trying to generate clicks, possible linked to some gambling or gambling adjacent site. It other words it isn't someone actually thinking that this is a trade that had even a remote shot in the dark but just content designed to generate clicks no matter how stupid it might be.

I'm okay with people posting stupid trade ideas that they think might legit happen. Every fan based tends to overvalue their own players and expect a huge return in any trade. But if you're just throwing AI slop at the wall to get people to click... that's garbage in my humble opinion.

[Edman85]

25 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

The fact that a 21 year old player, who probably wasn't even going to make the roster except for an amazing spring training, is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games (and the team is still 12 games under .500), shows how awful a job Harris has done constructing this roster.

He is super lucky he inherited the talent he did because other than Torres and McGonigle, he has done nothing to improve the roster.  Valdez certainly hasn't pitched like a $38 million pitcher.

 

Oh so that is how you are going to spin this against Harris. Good one...

[tiger2022]

12 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Oh so that is how you are going to spin this against Harris. Good one...

Can you articulate what he has done to improve the major league roster?  

Not even the biggest Harris jock hugger can make a case he has done a decent job.  Double good job defending him.

Edited Monday at 01:38 PM by tiger2022

[romad1]

The mind reels at the speed in which i am in love with this team again.  Keep doing that, boys.  

Al Ackerman's famous epitaph applies. 

[chasfh]

12 hours ago, RedRamage said:

There's a thread on Reddit about a supposed mock trade that someone seems to think is doable.

 

 

What, no McGonigle? Unserious.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, tiger2022 said:

The fact that a 21 year old player, who probably wasn't even going to make the roster except for an amazing spring training, is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games (and the team is still 12 games under .500), shows how awful a job Harris has done constructing this roster.

He is super lucky he inherited the talent he did because other than Torres and McGonigle, he has done nothing to improve the roster.  Valdez certainly hasn't pitched like a $38 million pitcher.

If you're telling us that the guy Harris drafted is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games, that must mean the talent he inherited, which includes a former 1-1 pick and former 1-5 pick, was so meh that he wasn't so super lucky to inherit it after all.

[NorthWoods]

41 minutes ago, chasfh said:

If you're telling us that the guy Harris drafted is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games, that must mean the talent he inherited, which includes a former 1-1 pick and former 1-5 pick, was so meh that he wasn't so super lucky to inherit it after all.

It's really unfair to attempt to discern any logic in that post.     I've been told that's a symptom of HarrisJockHugging.

[Tiger337]

Lackey and Jock Hugger are considered offensive.  The politically correct term is Harris Slappy.  

[SoCalTiger]

Harris isn't perfect but I am still supportive of him and think overall he has done a very good job. I also think he will improve to our, the fans, benefit. We have suffered lots of injuries, not only at the major league level but also in the minors ( both this year and last year) that left us very thin in May. We still have almost four months to go in Detroit and on the farm. I'm curious to see where it takes us. Hopefully the last six games is the trailer of the movie to come. 

[Edman85]

2 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

Can you articulate what he has done to improve the major league roster?  

Not even the biggest Harris jock hugger can make a case he has done a decent job.  Double good job defending him.

Drafting McGonigle? Developing McGonigle? Putting McGonigle on thr opening day roster?

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

Why would any team trade for those guys? 

 

They will have to pay someone a lot to take Machado's contract. Tatis? I don't know enough about his medicals but at least theoretically there may still be a great player there if he got fully healthy. A dice roll though.

Edited Monday at 04:06 PM by gehringer_2

[Tigermojo]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

Lackey and Jock Hugger are considered offensive.  The politically correct term is Harris Slappy.  

Quarter zip launderer?

[Tenacious D]

I would be on board with Tatis.  Still young and amazing tools.  Think he’s just having a weird season.  If they were looking to dump his contract and didn’t require Clark in return, I’d bet on him bouncing back.  

[4hzglory]

2 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

I would be on board with Tatis.  Still young and amazing tools.  Think he’s just having a weird season.  If they were looking to dump his contract and didn’t require Clark in return, I’d bet on him bouncing back.  

The Tigers aren't taking on any extra significant salary for 2026 as it would cost them significant draft picks - They'd lose the competitive balance pick, and any FA's that signed elsewhere (Skubal/Mize) they would drop from a 1st to a 4th if they even increase a couple million from where they are now - Edman has the spreadsheet, but they currently are over until guys come back from injury.

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, 4hzglory said:

The Tigers aren't taking on any extra significant salary for 2026 as it would cost them significant draft picks - They'd lose the competitive balance pick, and any FA's that signed elsewhere (Skubal/Mize) they would drop from a 1st to a 4th if they even increase a couple million from where they are now - Edman has the spreadsheet, but they currently are over until guys come back from injury.

You’re correct—I was only evaluating the player.  Realize we’re at a point where we have little wiggle room salary-wise.

Only a few months ago the narrative was how cheap Ilitch was.

 

[Edman85]

2 hours ago, 4hzglory said:

The Tigers aren't taking on any extra significant salary for 2026 as it would cost them significant draft picks - They'd lose the competitive balance pick, and any FA's that signed elsewhere (Skubal/Mize) they would drop from a 1st to a 4th if they even increase a couple million from where they are now - Edman has the spreadsheet, but they currently are over until guys come back from injury.

If they took those guys on, they would also likely hit the second tax and their first round pick would move back 10 spots.

[Sports_Freak]

11 hours ago, chasfh said:

If you're telling us that the guy Harris drafted is by far the team's best offensive player and single handedly is responsible for winning multiple games, that must mean the talent he inherited, which includes a former 1-1 pick and former 1-5 pick, was so meh that he wasn't so super lucky to inherit it after all.

The Tigers made the playoffs in '24 and '25 without much help from any Harris acquisitions. He didn't draft any of the key players from those teams. His biggest contribution was McKinstry and Vierling, hardly household names. More like journeymen. The key players on those teams were drafted by Al Avila. Whether you like it or not, it's a fact. As for this season, yes, Kevin has helped us win a few games. But we're more than 10 games under .500. And there's another issue many people are ignoring. Meadows was injured. And then Javy went down. At that point, we had no centerfielder. Harris should have contacted every team to get a player that could play center. Its his JOB. And his responsibility. Major fail, his inability to do a very basic GM job cost out team a dozen games, or more. Our May nosedive is 100% on Harris.