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2024 - 2025 Detroit Tigers Offseason


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Harris has gotten much better at the press conference thing.  He sounded more open and relaxed in this one that he had been in past press conferences.  He answered questions really well for the most part. 

I have to admit though that I never heard the expression "covering shapes" before.  

Edited by Tiger337
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I thought it was interesting how they noted that any external acquisitions, either through free agency or trades, had to be guys who would blend into the Tigers’ existing clubhouse chemistry, which is a polite way of saying they’re not looking for mercenaries or big stars with attitude.

They believe in what they’re doing and how they’re doing it and that is not going to change. 

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I’m also curious about what it means for Torkelson to demonstrate that he’s improving during the off-season. Does this mean winter ball? I’m not sure how reliable non-game related training regimens are in providing tangible clues as to his advancement as a hitter. 

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8 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

I’m also curious about what it means for Torkelson to demonstrate that he’s improving during the off-season. Does this mean winter ball? I’m not sure how reliable non-game related training regimens are in providing tangible clues as to his advancement as a hitter. 

Perhaps, it means how he responds to the plans they have for him this off-season.  Does he he want to just keep doing what he's been doing or will he show a strong committment to trying something different?  

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4 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Perhaps, it means how he responds to the plans they have for him this off-season.  Does he he want to just keep doing what he's been doing or will he show a strong committment to trying something different?  

I would add the training and nutrition aspect as well to be physically and mentally ready for the grind of the season.

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24 minutes ago, Tigermojo said:

I would add the training and nutrition aspect as well to be physically and mentally ready for the grind of the season.

Yes, but I think that would appy to all players.  Torkelon has been one of their healhiest players physically, so my guess is there is something they want him to do with his mental approach to the season.  It's just a guess though.  I had the same immediate reaction as Bert.   

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On 10/13/2024 at 1:41 PM, Tiger337 said:

The way Hinch likes to platoon and pinch hit frequently, Malloy could actually have a role batting mostly against left-handers and not playing in the field much.  He would have to hit LHP like Carpenter hits RHP though.    

I believe the key reason Hinch platooned and pinch-hit frequently this year was because of the nature of his roster. He didn't have guys he could comfortably throw out there game after game for all nine innings, and also, he had bench players who did happen to match up really well in platooning, which may have been more of a Harris result than a Hinch result. When Hinch did have everyday guys in Houston, he was among the least likely to use pinch hitters, and when he didn't have decent bench pieces his first couple years here, he hardly used pinch hitters here as well.

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7 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

STL is apparently doing a reset, letting Goldschmidt go and probably trading Nolan Arenado. he's due 3/64. the years are reasonable and the dollars not really relevant. makes more sense than 6 or 7 years for Bregman.

Arenado looks like he's been giving up swinging for power to keep up his OBP, HR's are on a 3 yr decline along with his OPS. It's 'only' $64M but if his decline continues along the same line you will be paying it to a <90 OPS+. Older guys are such a crap shoot. Bregman is 3 yrs younger but his OPS+ has also declined in each of the last 3 yrs though by less.

In fairness hitting was down across the league this season.

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On 10/13/2024 at 12:29 PM, gehringer_2 said:

Torkelson was 348 OBP/781 OPS after his return and played solid D, improving his Rdrs from -10 last season to +3 this season.  I don't think the Tigers are as down on him as many fans who only see his season stats that include his terrible early trouble.

I think that makes Tork a better trade prospect. He doesn't want to be in a system where he has to study hard like he's at school. He needs a system that will let him grip it and rip it. Reds, Pirates, Rockies, Nationals, Marlins are all good candidate systems for him, and they could all use a first baseman.

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22 hours ago, monkeytargets39 said:

It’s also important to consider that this is a tight knit group right now who will run through walls for each other.  They cheer for each other when they get pinch hit for.  A massive part of the success the second half of the season was guys being willing to take on any role in any situation and have a good attitude about it when it was their turn to take a seat.

Is bringing in some high priced free agents going to shift that attitude back more toward selfish individualism?  We are at a point in the rebuild where Tiger Culture is a thing and is an important immeasurable to consider when we add outside help to the team.

A great point that has also crossed my mind. I am giving Harris the benefit of the doubt that any top-tier player they sign will be vetted for clubhouse character, and I'll let him prove me wrong about that.

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9 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I believe the key reason Hinch platooned and pinch-hit frequently this year was because of the nature of his roster. He didn't have guys he could comfortably throw out there game after game for all nine innings, and also, he had bench players who did happen to match up really well in platooning, which may have been more of a Harris result than a Hinch result. When Hinch did have everyday guys in Houston, he was among the least likely to use pinch hitters, and when he didn't have decent bench pieces his first couple years here, he hardly used pinch hitters here as well.

are players not currently in the game allowed to use clubhouse facilities like the indoor cage?

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21 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I have a feeling some team will get burned by Adames.  I don't know which types of players age well (other than heavy players usually don't) but I have a feeling a guy that strikes out as much as he does won't have the skills to compensate for his decreasing bat speed as he ages.  Bregman, on the other hand, seems to be a disciplined and skilled batsman who may be able to make some adjustments.  

Yeah, we already have recent data point about signing 29-year-old shortstops to six-year deals.

Bregman, I don't think I would want to see us commit to six years for him, either. All the tea leaves tell me he's staying in Houston, anyway. Not for nothing, he's from that part of the country and has played nowhere else since 2016.

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20 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

They definitely seemed to have the right attitude this year, but chemistry can be fleeting.  What happens when the young players get older and they no longer want to be so flexible?  What happens when they get a couple of years under their belts and start thinking about arbitration and free agency?  What happens when they they go into a slump next April or May and start to get on each other's nerves?  This is why they send young experienced kids into war.  It's easier to mold them.  I am not saying that chemistry doesn't matter, but I don't think it lasts indefinitely.  It's an evolving thing. Talent wins out long term and winning contributes to chemistry.  I will agree that they don't need to bring any known attitude problems onto the team, but if they can get the right player/personality at a reasonable price, they should not hesitate to do so.     

This may be an ingredient into Tampa Bay's secret sauce: they win with talented young kids and the chemistry of per-arbitration camaraderie. Perhaps once they get to the point where they start thinking about themselves and their careers, it's adios, amigo.

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3 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

are players not currently in the game allowed to use clubhouse facilities like the indoor cage?

the question bears on whether pinch-hitting is any easier than it used to be as more stadium have more facilities available for players to prep.

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4 hours ago, kdog said:

It's up to Harris to figure out which young players/prospects can be moved to help fill more immediate needs. They're not all going to develop and they all can't play at the same time.

Given how Harris picked through the garbage Avila left him and found some parts that were still usable, I have a good deal of confidence that he will figure this out quite well.

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4 hours ago, 1776 said:

In addressing the Casey Mize situation Harris stressed the offseason has to be a commitment from him in a number of areas. It would be huge if he could regain his stuff and be back in the rotation at some point. 
Spring Training is going to be a big test for some of these guys regarding their future in Detroit.

So is this winter.

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1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

Perhaps, it means how he responds to the plans they have for him this off-season.  Does he he want to just keep doing what he's been doing or will he show a strong committment to trying something different?  

There are enough professional training operations out there with spin capable hitting machines that I imagine a guy can get in a lot of off season hitting work today without going to winter ball. Whether it's as useful as live pitching with sequencing under game stress is always debatable - though players probably don't take winter ball outcomes all that seriously anyway.

A lot has been made of Torkelson's supposed resistance to coaching, but he looked to me to be swinging at a lot more pitches early after his return than before he was sent down, not to mention that the Tigers would never have brought him back up if he not gotten with the program. Hinch and Co. have been very clear that promotions are rewards for doing what you have been tasked.

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4 hours ago, kdog said:

 

A couple things I see in there:

"Casey Mize has best fastball he's had in career. Needs to make adjustments with secondaries, believe he still has a high ceiling". Sounds like they might be talking him up for a trade.

"Tork needs to have a good off-season. Still needs to work on becoming a 'complete hitter'. They have confidence in Tork." This reads to me like they might be a little less likely to trade Tork, even though I think it would be a good move given acceptable return.

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