2024 - 2025 Detroit Tigers Offseason

[Edman85]

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

I don't understand why otherwise knowledgeable fans are salivating over the idea of Verlander and/or Scherzer coming back here for 2025. Do they think it's still 2013 and they're still 29?

I can name one important person who almost certainly is not doing that.

Because they've heard of them.

[Tiger337]

5 hours ago, 1776 said:

Did we even try?

I would guess yes.  They were linked to him and he got a one year deal which I think Harris wants for free agent pitchers.

[Tenacious D]

7 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I would guess yes.  They were linked to him and he got a one year deal which I think Harris wants for free agent pitchers.

We might have dodged a bullet there.  Don’t need another Maeda.  One reclamation project a season should suffice, and we already have two.

[casimir]

6 hours ago, 1776 said:

Did we even try?

Well, I was gonna text him, but I don’t have his number. 

[mtutiger]

I'm probably alone on this, but not sure why we were living and dying on Walker Buehler signing here...

It would be nice to have another free agent starter, but if they are adding in free agency, really they need bats... 

Edited December 24, 2024 by mtutiger

[chasfh]

Unlike pitching, I really do think bats won’t choose to come here unless they are out of other options. Comerica is regarded as a tough place to hit homers, especially for right-handers, the exact hander we happen to need. And we are not known to have a hitter whisperer in the way we have a pitcher whisperer. So I think a top RHB was always a tall order, and if Bregman ends up coming here, it’s because he has run out of other options.

We would have better luck getting a really good RHB if we were to liquidate prospects for someone who can’t block coming here.

 

Edited December 24, 2024 by chasfh

[monkeytargets39]

Or maybe Tork and Baez could just play to their potential and we wouldn’t have to sign anyone

[chasfh]

33 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Unlike pitching, I really do think bats won’t choose to come here unless they are out of other options. Comerica is regarded as a tough place to hit homers, especially for right-handers, the exact hander we happen to need. And we are not known to have a hitter whisperer in the way we have a pitcher whisperer. So I think a top RHB was always a tall order, and if Bregman ends up coming here, it’s because he has run out of other options.

We would have better luck getting a really good RHB if we were to liquidate prospects for someone who can’t block coming here.

 

Well, well, whaddya know ... just after I do this post, I see this:

Walker signs 3-year, $60M deal with Astros: 'Everything we were looking for'

In which Walker is quoted:

“I try not to change who I am at the plate, but very excited about that short porch,” he said. “Playing at Chase [Field] so long, it’s a big park. This can be at times, too, but the atmosphere on the field as an opposing player, it’s fun to play. It’s a challenge.”

So he is very excited about the "short porch" in Houston. He is done with "big parks".

So the Tigers and Comerica Park never had a real chance for him.

Now multiply that by every other right-handed free agent slugger.

[Tenacious D]

4 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Well, well, whaddya know ... just after I do this post, I see this:

Walker signs 3-year, $60M deal with Astros: 'Everything we were looking for'

In which Walker is quoted:

“I try not to change who I am at the plate, but very excited about that short porch,” he said. “Playing at Chase [Field] so long, it’s a big park. This can be at times, too, but the atmosphere on the field as an opposing player, it’s fun to play. It’s a challenge.”

So he is very excited about the "short porch" in Houston. He is done with "big parks".

So the Tigers and Comerica Park never had a real chance for him.

Now multiply that by every other right-handed free agent slugger.

Everything you said was correct, except for your last sentence.  Some players might also put a premium on winning environment, team composition, coaching staff, ownership, and, probably most importantly, who will pay me the most?

[chasfh]

12 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

Everything you said was correct, except for your last sentence.  Some players might also put a premium on winning environment, team composition, coaching staff, ownership, and, probably most importantly, who will pay me the most?

Over their own stats? Right-handed sluggers would give up on maximizing home runs, batting average, all that, to sign with a team that has made one playoff in the last ten years?

I don't know. Maybe.

On the other hand, Papa Doc is no longer in control of the purse strings. I'd be surprised to see the Chris Ilitch/Scott Harris team commit to a strategy overpaying aging free agents just to get them to agree to live in Detroit for even half a year.

[Hongbit]

It appears that we along with the Red Sox and possibly the Mets are the only suitors left for Bregman.  

The contract will most likely look terrible in 4 or 5 years but he’d look great in our lineup everyday for the next 3+ seasons.   

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, monkeytargets39 said:

Or maybe Tork and Baez could just play to their potential and we wouldn’t have to sign anyone

the first is conceivable, the 2nd a bridge too far. 👳‍♀️

Edited December 24, 2024 by gehringer_2

[1776]

35 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

It appears that we along with the Red Sox and possibly the Mets are the only suitors left for Bregman.  

The contract will most likely look terrible in 4 or 5 years but he’d look great in our lineup everyday for the next 3+ seasons.   

"I suspect that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, are aiming higher — specifically, at a deal closer to the 11-year, $350 million extension Manny Machado signed with the San Diego Padres in February 2023," he wrote.
 

I believe the above quote was by Ken Rosenthal. Doesn’t matter, it’s going to be close to this asking wise. I wouldn’t touch the guy. 

A year ago Chapman signed a six year $151 million deal with the Giants. The contract pays $25 million annually. I knew Detroit wouldn’t entertain signing him. With what he brings to the game, he looks like a bargain now. 

Edited December 24, 2024 by 1776

[Tiger337]

1 minute ago, 1776 said:

"I suspect that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, are aiming higher — specifically, at a deal closer to the 11-year, $350 million extension Manny Machado signed with the San Diego Padres in February 2023," he wrote.
 

I believe the above quite was by Ken Rosenthal. Doesn’t matter, it’s going to be close to this asking wise. I wouldn’t touch the guy. 

 

He won't get that from anyone.  

[TigerNation]

3 minutes ago, 1776 said:

"I suspect that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, are aiming higher — specifically, at a deal closer to the 11-year, $350 million extension Manny Machado signed with the San Diego Padres in February 2023," he wrote.
 

I believe the above quote was by Ken Rosenthal. Doesn’t matter, it’s going to be close to this asking wise. I wouldn’t touch the guy. 

A year ago Chapman signed a six year $151 million deal with the Giants. The contract pays $25 million annually. I knew Detroit wouldn’t entertain signing him. With what he brings to the game, he looks like a bargain now. 

Hes not going to get anywhere near that deal.

[1776]

19 minutes ago, TigerNation said:

Hes not going to get anywhere near that deal.

I absolutely agree. My primary point was that Chapman looks like a bargain now, one year removed from the asking price of somebody like Bregman. 
It’ll be interesting to see where he and Burnes end up. 
I know the Giants want Burnes bad but I don’t know if ownership is going to pony up for the $$$.

[gehringer_2]

14 minutes ago, 1776 said:

I absolutely agree. My primary point was that Chapman looks like a bargain now, one year removed from the asking price of somebody like Bregman. 
It’ll be interesting to see where he and Burnes end up. 
I know the Giants want Burnes bad but I don’t know if ownership is going to pony up for the $$$.

that's why the whole idea of "ready to contend" is a bad one. Maybe they weren't 'ready to win', but if they had pursued Chapman in '22 and signed him to the same deal the Giants did they would be sitting pretty now. Maybe he had some kind of bad rep tailing in with GMs because I never understood how Toronto got him so cheap then. When you can good a good player at a fair price, you have to do it.

Edited December 24, 2024 by gehringer_2

[SoCalTiger]

I am thinking Breman ends up in Toronto a franchise as desperate to sign somebody as Bregman is to get a big contract. I think that his only shot for 200,000,000+ is Toronto.

[monkeytargets39]

If he wants anything even sniffing that type of deal then just let him F off and let’s stick with a Jung/Vierling platoon.

[1776]

20 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

If he wants anything even sniffing that type of deal then just let him F off and let’s stick with a Jung/Vierling platoon.

I’m fine with that. However, if Cobb is the big signing this off-season, my expectations for 2025 won’t be very high. 
I don’t expect Skubal to duplicate 2024. He’ll still be ace but not the 2024 ace. 
Lightening in a bottle the last six weeks of 2024 isn’t going to happen again either. That storyline is a classic but won’t repeat this coming year. It’s early yet, but I’m not optimistic that things will be much different at this point. I don’t believe Tork will move the needle much. I am cautiously optimistic Baez might surprise to the upside. Enough to make a difference, who knows…
I am suspecting Harris is quietly looking for a trade he likes. That’s about the only avenue left at this point for this team’s budget. 
That and a good bit of fortune from the minors. 

[IdahoBert]

I was interested in this off-season for a change in the hopes the club would do something major and I’m losing faith this will happen.

Scott Harris may get tired of operating under these restrictions. He’s already proved he can re-construct a system from the ground up. He deserves to be hungry to do this where he can also run with the big dogs which is apparently difficult to do here for a lot of reasons, not pertaining solely to the ownership group. 

[mtutiger]

2 hours ago, 1776 said:

That’s about the only avenue left at this point for this team’s budget. 

The reporting I've seen suggests that they are in the thick of the Bregman sweepstakes.

I don't think that's the case if your above statement is true

[Tigermojo]

Didn't the big four sign at the end of February and March last offseason? Plenty of time left. 

I would prefer they use that money to find and develop future star players instead of guys on the wrong side of 30. Harris has been creative so far, I look forward to what he can accomplish.

[Motor City Sonics]

Wow, Bregman really thinks he's better than he is.   Now I get it, you ask for more than you want so you can appear like you are "coming down" to match an offer.   But 11 years and $350? .    Even if the nutso Mets and Dodgers wanted a 3rd baseman, with the way they throw money around, wouldn't bite on that.  

[gehringer_2]

22 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Wow, Bregman really thinks he's better than he is.   Now I get it, you ask for more than you want so you can appear like you are "coming down" to match an offer.   But 11 years and $350? .    Even if the nutso Mets and Dodgers wanted a 3rd baseman, with the way they throw money around, wouldn't bite on that.  

the problem with that approach is that a team that might make an offer you would take may not even bother calling.