1984Echoes

Incomprehensible.

There will be no agreement... Whatsoever... That makes teams reluctant to bid for free agents. Skubal is a free agent next year. There is no possible way that a new CBA comes out with... Sorry.

PS: If you're talking this year only... Between losses at Green Bay and KC... They won 4 in a row. Is that too far into the Lions' history that winning the last 3 is now an impossibility? That seems to be the point you're making... But I'm just guessing...

Dude... they were 15-2 last year.

... and Hinch, Fetter and Skubal.

PS: I know you were being just a little bit smart aleck there... Kudos! 😉 But I just wanted to answer it straight.

No, those would be Harris guys. If Harris trades Tork to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera (just for example), Cabrera is a Harris guy. All new and/or incoming guys are Harris guys, no matter what he used to obtain them. IMO.

There are going to be some Avila leftover players. Harris just has to choose the correct ones, and let the others work their way out the Org. By trade, free agency, or otherwise. Quite a few of Avila's players have some team control left too so it's not going to be a fast process. But I could see Harris wanting to build around Dingler, Briceno, Liranzo, McGonigle, Rainer, Keith, Clark, Jobe, Melton... Those guys are easier to see than the rest. Anderson if he's good just as a DH. He and the others above fit his "mold". Whoever else has staying power will have to impress Harris to get it... showing that they deserve it. A mix of sourced guys I've listed. That's just the way it's going to be. Which is perfectly fine. I expect Harris to find or keep the right players, and Hinch & Fetter to turn them into perennial playoff contenders. It's Harris that I trust will make the right decisions. But wasn't it Harris that said "calculated risks"...? I'd like to see some of those calculated risks. Or at least MORE calculated than what we've seen so far.

Hinch gets a WHOLE lot more of that credit (the winning) than anybody else. More than Harris. More than Avila. Oh wait!!! Who hired Hinch?

So everybody would have drafted Dingler where the Tigers took him in the 2nd round? BS. IMO. Everyone would have drafted Keith in the 5th round? BS. IMO. Do you want me to keep going? There's more... (Skubal 9th, Carpenter 19th...) Etc.

Hoerner would be a 1 year stopgap at SS, and then resolved once McGonigle and/or Rainer make their way to MLB. I approve.

I have a specific metric for Harris and it's not the last two post seasons, which were GREAT!!! No... The metric (gotta make this the short version as I am headed to Sarasota for a few days vacation...) I want to assign the highest value to Harris is: Sustainable Competitiveness. So... draft and develop, ability to get major leaguers in multiple rounds per draft (1st, 2nd, plus a few more_), and always in a pennant race, every year. Also a part of this is for Harris to never leave a stone unturned. I think he's already demonstrated that. Also is the ability to make key trades as needed, or sign key free agents as needed to plug any holes or add depth. I think this is undetermined at the moment... And the last component, to me... is the ability to identify WHICH players to offer second contracts to and which ones should be moved on from. If Harris offers second contracts to McGonigle, Clark, and Jobe (just for example) I would get it, and understand why. If he decides to NOT offer second contracts to Skubal, Carpenter and Tork... I would UNDERSTAND why, and not complain. Make good decisions on second contracts, in order to maintain Playoff Sustainability. The sustainability, to me, overrides ALL ELSE. And I'm glad we have Harris because I think he's the right guy for that. My 2 cents.

I would go with 99.9%. Maybe there's 1 or 2 holdouts. And I'm not one of them. I was probably his biggest supporter and last holdout... But I was also ready to dump him, just as much as everyone else, when he got the ax. I just think it's so ridiculous to go through all the pretzel logic and gymnastics trying to discredit him for anything and everything. No one wants Avila back. We're all glad he's gone. And I think mostly happy with Harris. Harris may need a couple more years to re-fashion this team into the exact mold that he wants. So give him his chance. I think most people are thinking along this vein, except a few who are a little more demanding of Harris, at this point in time. But it's still asinine all the pretzel logic trying to discredit Avila (Avila hired Hinch and Fetter... "NO he didn't, pretzel logic pretzel logic pretzel logic...", These are mostly Avila players "THEN 2006 WAS ALL Randy Smith!!! Pretzel logic pretzel logic pretzel logic...").

Sure thing... Like... Goalie.

I don't think King will go for a 1-year. If he is not happy with the long term offers he gets (or doesn't); I think some team will be happy to give him a shorter contract (3-year) at a high AAV with opt outs. Plus he costs a draft pick. Who would want to sign him to a 1-year and also lose a draft pick?

I think they can find a way to sign Simon. Also, if Hughes is too expensive after extending Simon then.... I just hope ASP and Buium develop enough that we can see a Buium-Seider top pair and a Simon-ASP 2nd pair... That actually turn into dangerous two-way D-pairings (all 4 players, not just Mo & Simon).

No, too much and I'd rather take the chance that Hughes makes it to free agency and we could get him for just... money.

DING DING DING DING!!! Winner winner, chicken dinner.

By this metric (2025)... Skubal, 6.6, Avila. Olson, 1.7, Avila. Vest, 1.7, Avila. Mize, 1.7, Avila. Melton, 1.0, Avila. Dingler, 3.1, Avila. Torres, 2.9, Harris. McKinstry, 2.7, Harris. Torkelson, 2.3, Avila. Greene, 2.1, Avila. Baez, 1.9, Avila. Carpenter, 1.8, Avila. Keith, 1.5, Avila. Jahmai Jones, 0.9, Harris Wenceel Perez, 0.7, Avila.

Only inside your own mind.

Is that it? I'm being lazy here...

Agree with this. This is still not yet Harris's team. A small part yes, but mostly Hinch/ Fetter and Avila's team. But I anticipate some swift turnover this year and over the next few years that shift it sharply towards being a Harris team. If Skubal isn't signed for us, after the 2026 season, then that's a big change pending... Who will survive from Avila's regime? Who of his will be here in 2028/29/30? Just on a guess: I would start with Dingler and Keith. Jackson Jobe. Troy Melton. Gone soon (after 2026) on a guess: Jake Rogers, Mize, Skubal. Javier Baez gone after next year (2027). I don't want to hazard a guess on how much longer key Avila players last under Harris... they all have their warts. And that goes for Mize, Tork, Kerry Carpenter, and even Riley Greene. Easily Parker Meadows. They'll need to change their ways or make some key improvements to stick long-term... IMO. Otherwise, Harris is going to have an itch to upgrade as soon as he can. I think first option is for those guys to make improvements. But that's not a guaranteed thing, so... Maybe a few pitchers can stick for a while as long as they are effective (and inexpensive)... Like Will Vest, if he can make it that far... Can SGL get back on track after all the injuries? Can Reese Olson stay healthy? I'm not certain if Harris holds on to Mize. 50/50? Can Brant Hurter be effective for a few more years? Ty Madden? He needs to show something in MLB that we haven't seen yet... Can Dylan Smith stick as a reliever? International Avila signees (not much here): Josue Briceno may have a chance. How long will Wenceel last under Harris/Hinch? Can the "light bulb" turn on for Roberto Campos or Cristian Santana (looking HIGHLY doubtful...). Dark Horse candidate: Jake Miller maybe? Trei Cruz as a utility guy...? Not much there. Not zero... but not much staying power there either. Too many flaws. That, if they can be fixed, will give just a little more staying power (Greene/ Tork/ Mize at the top of that list IMO)... But... we'll see. Harris is going to have the opportunity of a LOT of turnover the next few years...

Receipts please. Which exact Randy Smith players were a component of the 2006 team?

What a (KH) Flop.

I would really like to establish a "Japanese Midwest" connection for the Tigers. Where they could actually be considered a possible destination. I don't like getting shut out of this pipeline. We have a selling point in that Michigan has far superior weather than the west coast. . . . . No earthquakes. And a winter wonderland (Offer FREE Snowmobile rides!!!)