Tiger337

They might have offered longer term for less money annually. Or maybe, he just didn't like the overall money and wanted a shorter deal, so he could become a free agent sooner. Anyway, it's harder to project contracts for foreign players because there is not much data and too much uncertainty. How often does a 26-year old slugging corner infielder who strikes out too much try to come to the US? He might be the only one who fits that exact profile.

Unless he could get a better offer which he apparently didn't

I don't know what kind of offer, if any, the Tigers made to Fairbanks, but I would have preferred him to Jansen. He got 1/13 from thre Marlins.

Hittin Harold.

Let's get this thread back on track:

You sound like a Red Sox fan. Please don't take that as a slur! They used to be that way, but they have won more championships than any team this century.

Deer was better. They both spent their age 30-32 seasons with the Tigers. Deer accumulated 6.1 WAR during that time. Palmer accumulated 3.6. I was always amused at how fans praised Palmer and ridiculed Deer when they were basically the same player offensively. Deer was a little better defensively.

Dean Palmer

Maybe the guys who made the projection just overestimated his value. The article said that he got some longer term offers, but hde settled on a short-term deal so he could prove himself in the Marors and do better after free agency.

I liked Malloy's ability to get on base vs LHP, but I don't think he'll ever hit enough to compensate for his lack of defense. Somebody will give him a shot.

Beat writers can regularly get quotes from players and managers which is something I don't think anybody here can do. Most quotes are manufactured and uninteresting, but it is still good to have that access.

Hope he doesn't hurt himself throwing tee shirts.

Right, if she was a random blogger, there would be no problem. Baseball America giving a job to someone with no qualifications just seems odd to me. I had a subscription to BA for a long time, but dropped it when she became the Tigers minor league writer. I am not going to pay for that when I can get better analysis for free.

Michael King signs with Padres - 3/75 with opt outs. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/padres-to-re-sign-michael-king.html

I get a kick out of Beck because he's been around for three decades and still looks like he's in college. It's amazing how long he's been around without pissing people off too. He doesn't really do anything except calmly confirm any important Tigers news. When he talks, you know it's true.

I would argue that a lot of people are nice to Waldon because she's a woman which makes some posters push back. They rail on Lynn Henning and Chris McCosky (Hackosky) all the time. There is a whole thread here dedicated to making fun of McCosky. Jerry Green was another one.

I guess I am fortunate not to have Emily Waldon living in my subconscious. Fans of all teams pump up their prospects way too much. In reality, the Tigers have had ****ty prospects for most of the last 40 years. I am glad they finally have some legitimate ones.

I think most people here know that Emily doesn't really know anything about the potential of prospects.

So, was he a bad draft pick by Avila or not developed properly by Harris?

I am always skeptical of prospects, but none of those guys were regarded to be in the same class as McGonigle and Clark.

Most of them probably will be that or worse...But I am hoping a couple will become above average major leaguers. I am also hoping for a steady flow of new prospects for several years.

I am really hoping this is a joke.

There is no comparison. The question is not who is better but how much Harris has contributed to last season's success.

I do agree that Avila was terrible, but I don't think Harris deserves much credit for them making the playoffs the last two years. I give that credit to players plus Hinch and Fetter who were already in place before Harris took over. I don't see any remarkable contributions from Harris to those teams. And that's not really a knock against Harris since I know he's trying to develop from within which takes time. I think we'll see big contributions from Harris in coming years. Even if Harris turns out to be a cookie cutter analytic GM, he'll still be a lot better than Avila and most of the other GMs they have had in my lifetime.

Development is very important, but players can players can develop in different ways. Sometimes, they improve organically through experience or by watching or listening to teammates or even players on other teams. Some people have an innate ability to self teach and are able to learn from mistakes. Then there is the scientific or analytical development which I think is what people are talking about when they stress organizational development. And some players can't develop because their potential is too limited. I think it's impossible to accurtately divide the credit between organic and organizational development especially with young players and I think just looking at the final win/loss record is as lazy as stopping at player acquisition.