2024 - 2025 Detroit Tigers Offseason

[CMRivdogs]

12 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Don't follow that. Why would a 2B move to LF because a team resigns their current 3B?

 

One bit of speculation I saw was with Bregman staying at third and Altuve in left would have Paredes moving to second. Doesn't really sound great to me. Seems like the Astros have a lot of aging DH's. 

[gehringer_2]

Quote

Seems like the Astros have a lot of aging DH's. 

right. Paredes isn't much an IF either but at least he is younger and might get worse less fast than Altuve. 🤷‍♂️

Edited Monday at 04:48 PM by gehringer_2

[mtutiger]

I just wonder if the Astros are being used as leverage by Boras.... 

[gehringer_2]

4 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

I just wonder if the Astros are being used as leverage by Boras.... 

I'm sure he's trying, but I wonder how effective the old ploys are? I think teams are coming around to realize that with expanded playoffs, you only need to get into the 85 win range to have a competitive season and reasonable playoff hopes for your fans, and once in the playoffs, anything can happen. OTOH, you only have a very few teams like the Dodgers that are so stacked they are looking for that last increment to improve their odds once in the playoffs and make a WS win more than a crapshoot. Those are the teams more willing to ante up for the one player they think might get them to the top of the mountain. So with two tiers operating like that,  if you are a FA and you don't happen to fit that the Dodgers (or maybe Yankees etc.) are looking for, then suddenly it's a big drop to what the rest of the league is willing spend.

[Tiger337]

49 minutes ago, chasfh said:

How do I know what, exactly? I can answer when I know what you're asking.

The part about Bregman not getting any decent offers at all.  

[Tenacious D]

I think Old Friend, Jack Flaherty, is suffering from some Jordan Montgomery PTSD with teams. Some red flags in his profile that give teams pause to commit beyond a few seasons.  Plus, not suggesting there is collusion, but I think teams probably revel in Boras squirming to discredit him.  With obvious players like Soto, Burnes and Fried, there will always be a bidding frenzy, but the next tier (Bregman, Flaherty and Alonzo), might be collateral damage.

[Motor City Sonics]

1 hour ago, Tenacious D said:

Speculation is that Paredes would move to 2B to free up 3B for Bregman.  Altuve to LF.  Again, only speculation.

Or his buddies in Houston are trying to pump up his value to the Tigers, who are the only team actually considering Bregman now and the Tigers aren't biting. 

[Motor City Sonics]

1 hour ago, mtutiger said:

I just wonder if the Astros are being used as leverage by Boras.... 

I think that is exactly what's going on because nobody is coughing up the money Bregman and Boras are seeking.   Looking more desperate.  

[gehringer_2]

44 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

I think that is exactly what's going on because nobody is coughing up the money Bregman and Boras are seeking.   Looking more desperate.  

And at three years older, Bregman isn't really as good a fit for taking a reset deal and trying again like Correa did.

Edited Monday at 06:54 PM by gehringer_2

[Archie]

I would rather see Flaherty signed by the Tigers than Bregman. There are a couple choices to play 3rd that aren't as good as Bregman but they aren't bad either. I don't have a lot of confidence in their pitching staff past Skubal. I'm sure a couple guys will do OK but there is a place for Flaherty in the rotation that will make the Tigers a better team as long as they can get him on a shorter deal.

Edited Monday at 07:14 PM by Archie

[Tiger337]

4 minutes ago, Archie said:

I would rather see Flaherty signed by the Tigers than Bregman. There are a couple choices to play 3rd that aren't as good as Bregman but they aren't bad either. I don't have a lot of confidence in their pitching staff past Skubal. I'm sure a couple guys will do OK but there is a place for Flaherty in the rotation that will make the Tigers a better team as long as they can get him on a shorter deal.

I think the Tigers have shown that they can improve their pitching without giving out long-term contracts.  So, if I have to choose between the two, I'd rather they spend big on a position player.   

[gehringer_2]

10 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I think the Tigers have shown that they can improve their pitching without giving out long-term contracts.  So, if I have to choose between the two, I'd rather they spend big on a position player.   

sure - in the end it becomes a tactical decision. Earlier in this off season it was looking like the value proposition on pitchers was going to be better than on position players, if Bregman ends up not scoring all that big that may turn out not to be true.

[Tenacious D]

I’m more interested in Bregman the influence than the player.  But I wouldn’t shell out $150M for that.

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, chasfh said:

lol slamming Harris for manipulating the fan base into thinking we actually wanted to trade for Pressly when all Harris really wants to do is work with Baby Doc to drive the payroll down to zero and destroy the franchise for good. 😉

I've read multiple stories about this and I see nothing indicating the Pressly wanted to go to only the Cubs and not to any of the other 29 teams. I saw where the Blue Jays had interest but a lot of players don't want to go to Toronto, either. So yeah, I agree we're not being singled out, but the fact is he didn't want to come to Detroit, and that's all the headline says.

 

The article YOU linked says just that;

"Pressly is happy where he is. He does not want to be traded. His family lives in Houston and he wants to stay there. He has a no-trade clause in his contract and he has been opting to exercise it. The only possible trade partner remaining for Pressly is the Chicago Cubs."

 

[Sports_Freak]

19 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Skubal wants the Tigers to sign Bregman:

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/01/26/detroit-tigers-alex-bregman-rumors-tarik-skubal-jack-flaherty/77957308007/

 

Skubal wants to win, he had fun last season and wants more of that. Hit Witt Jr in the knee, take him out!! 🤣🤣

[Tigermojo]

I'm sure Pressly wants all the save opportunities he can get before free agency. Maybe he looked at Foley's numbers and preferred Chicago.

[Sports_Freak]

6 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

I agree.  This will likely be a regrettable contract for some team.  

Jeezzz...it's not like signing him would hurt this team. Sign him or let a different team sign him. Then stash the money away. It's not like we'll spend it on a different player...Harris hasn't signed, or been allowed to sign, any position player to long term contract. I don't know why fans act like it's their money, ticket prices won't be cheaper if we cut payroll. I'm old enough to remember when fans couldn't wait until Miggys contract came off the books so we could sign better players. Fans are still waiting. Here comes Bregman, almost a perfect fit for Detroit. A position of need, a proven winner as well as a history with our manager. If the Tigers were serious, we would have signed him a long time ago. But sure, let's wait until Houston dumps salaries and re-signs him. We can all say how Harris was busy working on a trade for players with no trade clauses in their contract. 

[Sports_Freak]

5 hours ago, oblong said:

The fact that Bregman hasn't signed yet, with anyone, and it's almost February tells me the Tigers are not being stupid. 

 

Or serious.

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, chasfh said:

So does Altuve, who has said he will move to left field specifically if the Astros sign Bregman, and now that the Astros have traded both Tucker and Pressly, they have the payroll flexibility to sign him. My not-so-bold prediction now is that Bregman ends up back in Houston.

Agreed. Tigers had their chance but decided Chris needed the money stashed away instead of putting a winning team together. Maybe we'll get lucky and contend in spite of him. Like we did last season, that was fun.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

I think the Tigers have shown that they can improve their pitching without giving out long-term contracts.  So, if I have to choose between the two, I'd rather they spend big on a position player.   

Correct. A player who can contribute for 162 possible games over a 6 inning pitcher who pitches about 30 games a season.

[gehringer_2]

11 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Correct. A player who can contribute for 162 possible games over a 6 inning pitcher who pitches about 30 games a season.

But a starting pitcher has a lot more impact in the games he is in than any position players does in any single game. I think the WAR guys probably have hit it fairly close. By WAR, Skubal was the most valuable player for the Tigers in 2024 (6.3) and Riley was behind him (5.4) despite having appeared in 4.5x more games.

I would judge reluctance to offer  pitchers the same kinds of contracts a position players  related more to the injury risk than to belief they don't have as much impact.

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

The part about Bregman not getting any decent offers at all.  

That was speculative specific to the question you had ask, not a declarative statement by me.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

The article YOU linked says just that;

"Pressly is happy where he is. He does not want to be traded. His family lives in Houston and he wants to stay there. He has a no-trade clause in his contract and he has been opting to exercise it. The only possible trade partner remaining for Pressly is the Chicago Cubs."

 

This is not the same as Presley would block a trade to 29 other teams and accept a trade only to the Cubs. I read this as meaning that of the three teams named that showed interest—Cubs, Tigers, or Blue Jays—the only possible trade partner remaining would be the Cubs.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

I'm old enough to remember when fans couldn't wait until Miggys contract came off the books so we could sign better players. 

I wanted Miggy‘s contract to come off the books so we could put a better bat in his slot.

[Motor City Sonics]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

Or serious.

Tigers have a number and a length they are willing to give and I am sure there is a little wiggle room on the number, but they are sticking to it and so we wait for who caves first.