1984Echoes

I am NOT criticizing Harris... AT ALL. Is that how you are taking it? Maybe some others are criticizing him... I am NOT. I'm just saying that in order to build a contending team, he will have to make trades or sign FA's to fill holes. I have, personally, said nothing more than that. No criticism whatsoever. It's simply a part of his job description. Why are you taking that as some sort of criticism of Harris? Also... I do NOT think Alex is criticizing him either. He is just saying that that is part of the job. Which is a true statement. I see nothing inflammatory or critical in that statement whatsoever.

Or maybe some possible trades are... Yet to come?

Trump started declining in 1984. When he opened his mouth.

"LOCK HIM UP!!!"

Matt Manning for Leo Jimenez.

Yeah... we KNOW trades aren't easy and it takes two to tango. That does NOT NEGATE the point that in order to build a contending team, Harris will have to have the ability to make trades/ FA signings that fill in holes. Unless you are disputing that?

I'll give a couple potential trade targets (I'm taking this info from another post I made in the May 14th game thread): Toronto - has a SS that they like a lot in Bo Bichette, 2021-23 WAR 14.4 although he's struggling a bit this year. They ALSO have a 23 y.o. SS Leo Jimenez in AAA with a .780 minors OPS and a .837 OPS this year in AAA. He would be a nice target... do we match up with Toronto in any way...? I hope Harris is at least looking into someone like this... whether or not he can actually get him... gotta take a shot, IMO. Houston - has 26 y.o. SS Jeremy Pena with 2022-24 WAR of 10.2. They ALSO have TWO 25 y.o. AAA SS's with a .790 minors OPS: Shay Whitcomb and a .720 minors OPS: Jesus Bastidas. Wouldn't at least one of these guys be available in trade? If Harris looks around, and tries to swing a deal... I would guess that he could land SOMEONE that might be an option at SS... even if they aren't an All-Star SS... who cares. A 2 WAR SS is a vast improvement over Javier Baez. I'm just sayin'...

In other words... You want me to construct a trade for you just so you can shoot it down. No thanks.

It does not have to be an unknown gem. It can be straight up talent for talent. Ore one Org has needs in one area while we have needs in a different area that matches up. There's no need to "Win" the trade or show up another Org. Ideally both teams win (getting what they need) but that doesn't always work hence the media fixation with "winning a trade". I'll give a different example: John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander. We got what we wanted, what we needed... and Atlanta got what they wanted. Whether there was some winner in there (Atlanta wins on WAR... but Smoltz may have not developed in Detroit to that level...); or Detroit is simply satisfied with what Alexander provided that (and subsequent) seasons in 1987 and nothing else matters... We do not have to "WIN" a trade... we just need to get a player that we need or like and give up something else that the other team needs. That's it.

I'm getting really tired of everyone saying "You CAN'T do this and you CAN'T do that..." Seriously? Alex is 100% right. Harris needs to make trades where he sees it as appropriate for the Org. Otherwise, you're telling us we're NOT ALLOWED to trade for Malloy and NOT ALLOWED to trade for Lee. Seriously? Bull****. You guys are being contrarian just for the ****-sake of being contrarian. It's beyond annoying. Where we have holes... Harris has to have the ability to make a trade or sign a FA. That's it. That's the bottom line. To put together a contending team... Harris has to be able to put together a contending team. Being contrarian to that is simply being asinine. IMO.

So what you're telling us is Detroit is not allowed to make trades?

You trade Austin Meadows for Isaac Paredes.

Stealing this from another thread... I think this is the most important thing for Tork: And I think that goes for his fielding too... not just the bat.

Beware of something called Pyrite. Fool's Gold. Tork...?

Beautiful! Well said and I'm in 100% agreement.

WTF is WRONG with these ****ing deuchebags? Are you ****ing kidding me?!?!

Lots & lots of tears to me eyes...

Which is why I absolutely would prefer Sennecke or MBN ahead of him. Even if he falls to us and those two are gone... I think I'd look at Chernyshov as the next best option... and he's in Russia. If it's the top two gone and Eiserman staring at us... Actually, I hope Stevie can engineer a trade-down...

I don't trust Tork. If he has taken so little interest in his career as to regress this badly, in the field, at the plate... and REFUSES to even look at his swing mechanics... I don't trust him. Even if he makes some miraculous improvements in Toledo... Would I want to make a long term commitment to him? No. So as long as he's cheap... fine. But to me, before he becomes a FA or an expensive arbitration player... I'm fine with moving on... whenever that time comes. And maybe, hopefully, there's already an internal option at least like Briceno moving up the ladder and showing skill at 1B to be an option, or moving Jung or Keith or whomever to there. Tork is a huge disappointment to me... and that specifically includes his professionalism/ attitude towards being an MLB player.

He never had the power profile that Carpenter had so I never really thought of him as a true prospect. More like a backup OF'er if his bat played all the up to MLB but there's lots of guys ahead of him so it's not an easy path. And since his bat isn't playing well currently at AAA... that's one more hurdle.

And Holton would be the only lefty in the bullpen so both Harris & Hinch would want some other lefty (possibly two) as a replacement... Narrowing the possibilities.

I'm really encouraged by Campos and Dingler seemingly finding their way this year...

Yes... this. Also... Harris wants to populate the minors with "his type" of player. Even if a guy never makes it to MLB... having rosters filled with players that "control the strike zone" per Harris's description... influences every player coming up through the Org, IMO.

Lee is providing a little bit more than I thought he would... But I don't know what that means for his MLB chances... At this point I'm still looking at Erie players Workman, Lee, and Trei Cruz as backup or utility guys at best, unless told otherwise. Maybe there's some starting potential somewhere in there amongst the 3... But I wouldn't call it that... just yet.

PS: I almost started a 2024 NHL Draft and then found this thread down in the dungeon...