Yeah, if you look beyond ERA, he ranks in the top 30 of MLB starters on every predictive stat. He has been really frustrating, but he seems like a good candidate to turn it around next year.
I agree with Rosenthal. They have a window of opportunity with Skubal. Hopefully, there will be new opportunities if he leaves, but we don't know that.
Obviously, if they can't get anything better than a comp pick for Skubal at the deadline, they should not trade him. But your argument sounds like an argument for being more aggressive in trying to win while he's still in Detroit which is something you have seemingly been against.
Regardless of whether it's fear or desire, I think there is almost no chance of that happening. If they are out the race at the deadline next year, then they will move Skubal and Mize, but I don't see them trading their core hitters at that time.
He'll probably stick to his conservative plan, but I think becoming more aggressive is more likely than starting a new re-build as a couple of posters fear.
The MLB is not the NBA. The NBA's regular season doesn't matter because so many teams make the playoffs. What matters is being in peak shape for the playoffs. They are not going to hurt their chances of winning games that matter by getting injured in games that don't matter. That's going to happen in baseball soon too, but right now you still have to be good to make the MLB playoffs.
I believe they care a lot. Competitive people (and pro athletes are some of the most competitive people in the world) want to win and they get upset when they don't. If they somehow care less than us, then maybe there is something wrong with us. 😃
I think any year you are in first place with the best pitcher in baseball is a year when you really want to try to win. I agree with your point that they will likely have more opportunities to win over the next several years.
I think criticism of Harris being too cautious could be more defensible than criticism of Hinch. I wished that they pushed harder during the off-season and the deadline, but I acknowledge that I don't know what or who they would have had to give up. The Tigers as a whole are pretty much what I thought they'd be - a team with a chance to contend but not dominant The move I really wanted to see was Bregman . Bregman was a perfect fit and I think he would have made a big difference. I think they came close to getting him, but we'll never know.
I think you are confusing two different posters. Monkeytargets wants the f-bombs. Tigers202 says they are aren't trying and want to go home. I'd like to see the f-bombs just for entertaiment purposes.