Jason_R

Yes, if he demands a trade, they will not block him, but I suspect they are already talking to him about their plan to increase his usage next year. I doubt they are relying on him to address their cab situation. But I have a hard time seeing Taylor Decker returning. Unless he has had a miraculous recovery, I think they have to cut him and use the dollars to sign someone like Zeitler to shore up one of the OG spots if they shift Ratledge to C, or to sign a C. Then draft a potential replacement for Decker and have him compete with Manu.

I still think moving on from Montgomery is a terrible idea. It was a terrible idea last season to phase him out of the offense as well. He is a gritty runner but he is also an explosive runner. The bigger issue behind all this is that he was probably underused less because they were trying to phase him out and more because the running game was so inefficient that they didn’t have as many carries to go around. Petzing will fix this and should pound the table to keep him.

Look at Sergei Fedorov. He has regretted leaving for 30 years. There probably isn’t a day of his life where he doesn’t wonder what if he had stayed.

Man, this just felt great to hear. Welcome home, brother.

Tim Twentyman with a piece published today, about recent #17 picks. Seems like TT has been living under a rock.

That miserable game was a fitting end to a miserable season.

Seattle 37 NE 23

Who says the Tigers didn’t offer him a contract? Based on everything I have read, they did and he declined it. Also, based on the salary committed to Valdez, it would be very hard to believe that the Tigers offered anything less to Skubal, and they almost certainly offered him something more. But Boras seems to have pegged Skubal’s value around 10/$400 million, which is a long way from the neighborhood that Detroit was probably playing in. If 10/$400 million is the price, I don’t want Detroit to pay it, especially having witnessed the last few years of Cabrera’s contract.

If some guy is following some other guy’s mother around a bar calling her a whore, well, a punch in the mouth is on the table. Don’t know if that is what happened, of course, but if that is what happened, it wouldn't result in any new concerns for me about having a guy like that on my hockey team.

If true, McKenna is a good boy.

God bless him but he’s going to need a medical miracle to avoid getting cut. I think they have to draft someone to replace him and use the cost savings to sign a center.

It has already seemed likely that this would be Skubal’s last year in Detroit. I don’t think this signing changes things one way or the other. And I think Harris has set the team up as well as possible for whatever scenario. He has secured a top of the rotation starter who will help the team remain competitive this season with Skubal, and in the future if Skubal leaves. He has demonstrated to Skubal and everyone else that the franchise is not afraid to spend money (even if they are wary of spending term). The team can still negotiate with Skubal. If they happen to come to an agreement, Valdez is eminently tradeable, not for the haul they are seeking for Skubal but for a solid return. Skubal was going to market one way or another. As far as I can tell, Harris is playing this hand as well as possible.

Boras is doing his job. I don't begrudge Skubal trying to get the bag. It does seem pretty clear that Skubal likes it in Detroit, and it seems pretty clear Detroit likes Skubal. Ilitch has demonstrated he will pay a pitcher ~$40 million a year. He hasn't demonstrated he will do it for ten years. Maybe a new CBA would change his calculations. But I understand not wanting to issue a contract that breaks records for dollars or term in the last year of the CBA when the owners are banging the drum for a salary cap.

Nobody knows what is happening with the CBA. The Tigers demonstrated they are willing to pay a pitcher $38 million a year. But he is not going to get caught with six or eight or ten years of term, at $38 million a year, under a new CBA ten months from now that may totally reset the league's payroll structure. I think it is safe to assume that if they were willing to pay Valdez 3/$115 million, they would have paid Skubal that or more. 3/$120? Probably. 4/$155? Possibly. 5/$200? Hmmm... there might be a chance. 10/$400? No, sorry. And I get that. It doesn't mean that Ilitch is cheap because he doesn't want to play by the rules set by the Dodgers and Scott Boras... rules that will change in some way, and maybe in some major way, at the end of the season.

Also available: their GM.