Motor City Sonics Posted January 3 Posted January 3 If they sign Bregman, it probably means the end for Baez in Detroit. We all know that AJ likes having guys on the bench that can play multiple positions. If he's got 4 bench spots (assuming Tork is DH), and one of them is going to a Catcher, then I think the other 3 spots are going to have to be multiple position guys, since Bregman and Torres would both be (mostly) one-position guys. Having Baez on the bench limits the moves AJ can make. I think Baez will either be SS #1 or not on the team in 2025. And sure, they could start Sweeney at AAA, but if Baez has another Spring Training like last year, I don't think they keep him. Not too sure about Tork being on this team either. They wouldn't get much in a trade. They start him at Toledo and tell him "prove you belong here". Malloy is the wild card at first base. We have no idea if he'll be any better there than he has been anywhere else. Plus Ibanez and Vierling can be your RH first baseman too. A lot of pressure on Tork. Quote
gehringer_2 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) 57 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said: Malloy is the wild card at first base. "Anybody can play 1st base" but not many guys actually play it well and a guy that can't save throws will cost your team more outs than any bad middle infielder's glove errors. If Keith gets the footwork down I think his hands are probably fine and he should be OK, but I'm guessing it's 50/50 at best for Malloy. But Malloy has a bigger problem, which is getting his bat on more strikes. If 781 OPS didn't sell them on Tork at 1B (his numbers after his return), 544 (Malloy's last two months) sure isn't going to either. Edited January 3 by gehringer_2 1 Quote
Tenacious D Posted January 3 Posted January 3 1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said: "Anybody can play 1st base" but not many guys actually play it well and a guy that can't save throws will cost your team more outs than any bad middle infielder's glove errors. If Keith gets the footwork down I think his hands are probably fine and he should be OK, but I'm guessing it's 50/50 at best for Malloy. But Malloy has a bigger problem, which is getting his bat on more strikes. If 781 OPS didn't sell them on Tork at 1B (his numbers after his return), 544 (Malloy's last two months) sure isn't going to either. Do we think the Tigers made the call on Keith at 1B without somebody seeing him there this winter? I hope not. 1 Quote
gehringer_2 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Just now, Tenacious D said: Do we think the Tigers made the call on Keith at 1B without somebody seeing him there this winter? I hope not. There is 'seeing a guy' and then there is "Seeing a Guy." None of these guys went to winter ball or played in any live game competitive situations with those new position assignments. They could have seen him work out or scrimmage at 1b, but nobody is going to see him actually play 1st until ST. Quote
1984Echoes Posted January 3 Posted January 3 3 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said: ... Having Baez on the bench limits the moves AJ can make... Baez has played: 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, RF in MLB... Not limited. It's Ibanez that is most superfluous and he doesn't have money invested in him as does Baez. Bench is Dingler, Baez, McKinstry, and one of Perez, Malloy, or Tork... depending on ST... IMHO. Quote
chasfh Posted January 3 Posted January 3 19 hours ago, TheWordIsBird said: I love Ken Rosenthal’s work, but this sounds to me like he is concluding the Tigers will never ever spend ever because (1) Harris has had two whole years on the job and never once threw a big big contract at a prime free agent, and (2) Chris is not Mike, so he will never spend, and in fact, Harris is the perfect PBO to help Chris keep his money in his pocket, which is all he really wants Forget that Baby Doc committed a quarter billion dollars to just two guys a mere three years ago. Never once does Ken contemplate the idea that this simply might not be the right time for the Tigers to sign some big free agent any big free agent. Nope, Ken’s seen enough. I think that’s a lazy take for a guy who promotes himself as being the most plugged in writer in the game. 2 Quote
chasfh Posted January 3 Posted January 3 8 hours ago, Tenacious D said: Do we think the Tigers made the call on Keith at 1B without somebody seeing him there this winter? I hope not. My reply would be of course not. This is not a seat-of-the-pants operation. That was the previous regime. Some will disagree. Quote
HeyAbbott Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) 12 hours ago, Sports_Freak said: I know people say Spring Training results don't matter, but I say if Tork is crushing the ball, he'll come north. At least, if he's still a Tiger. Why bring him back at all? Unless there is an injury to Keith that sidelines him for an extended period of time, I see no value whatsoever in Tork being back in Detroit. Ever. It is time to move on. Edited January 3 by HeyAbbott spelling Quote
gehringer_2 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) I find it somewhat amusing that our usually quantitative fanbase here is throwing Spenser to the trash heap in favor of guys who didn't come close to his performance over the last two months of the season. He was 150pts OPS points better than Keith and 250pts better than Malloy. I understand (and share) the frustration that he hasn't been better than he is, but folks seem really ready to cut off their noses to spite their faces on this one. I hope the team isn't where there board is though I tend to think they are. Edited January 3 by gehringer_2 1 Quote
Nate7474 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said: I find it somewhat amusing that our usually quantitative fanbase here is throwing Spenser to the trash heap in favor of guys who didn't come close to his performance over the last two months of the season. He was 150pts OPS points better than Keith and 250pts better than Malloy. I understand (and share) the frustration that he hasn't been better than he is, but folks seem really ready to cut off their noses to spite their faces on this one. I hope the team isn't where there board is. I agree here. Tork is really the only guy on our roster who has a power game. It would be malpractice to give up on him while he’s still relatively cheap. Getting him off of first full time and away from his defensive shortcomings potentially helps get his mind straight for hitting and it’s worth seeing if that happens or not. I strongly believe it’s mental with him and not talent when he’s in the batters box. Quote
Tigermojo Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Harris won't give up talent. He keeps trying to make the roster better. That means some guys will end up in Toledo to start the season. It's not 26 guys, it takes most of the 40 man roster to get through a season. 1 1 Quote
mtutiger Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) 16 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: I find it somewhat amusing that our usually quantitative fanbase here is throwing Spenser to the trash heap in favor of guys who didn't come close to his performance over the last two months of the season. He was 150pts OPS points better than Keith and 250pts better than Malloy. I understand (and share) the frustration that he hasn't been better than he is, but folks seem really ready to cut off their noses to spite their faces on this one. I hope the team isn't where there board is though I tend to think they are. The challenge for Tork is that the team and organization raised the bar in 2024.... whether it was purely a heater or whether it the run was a true testament to the talent they had on the roster, they made the playoffs. And because they made the playoffs, the goals going into 2025 are simply different than they were going into 2024. I think he has talent and that they shouldn't necessarily trade him (and they don't have to right now), but the Tigers situation is different to the point that they cannot just carry guys if they aren't going to produce on the MLB roster. I think he can (and probably will) make it back at some point, but he's going to have to truly earn it, the team isn't just going to give it away.... Edited January 3 by mtutiger Quote
Longgone Posted January 3 Posted January 3 1 hour ago, HeyAbbott said: Why bring him back at all? Unless there is an injury to Keith that sidelines him for an extended period of time, I see no value whatsoever in Tork being back in Detroit. Ever. It is time to move on. It gives them options; if Tork kills it, he can still get 400 abs at dh/1b with Carpenter in rf a lot, if not they are covered. Next year they can always move Keith back to second. 1 Quote
papalawrence Posted January 3 Posted January 3 They have an option left with Tork. Unless a decent trade offer appears (not gonna happen) I don't see him going anywhere (except Toledo). I think it's good to put pressure on him to see how he handles it. I'm not confident that he will. I think his struggles are more mental - he overthinks. This pressure to perform will test that. If he struggles mightily again, I suspect he'll be moved. But as Harris said, perform and you have a spot on the team. I do think this will be Tork's last season in Detroit. I hope I'm wrong and a light flips on and Tork produces Quote
chasfh Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) 42 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: I find it somewhat amusing that our usually quantitative fanbase here is throwing Spenser to the trash heap in favor of guys who didn't come close to his performance over the last two months of the season. He was 150pts OPS points better than Keith and 250pts better than Malloy. I understand (and share) the frustration that he hasn't been better than he is, but folks seem really ready to cut off their noses to spite their faces on this one. I hope the team isn't where there board is though I tend to think they are. Who's Spenser? EDIT: NM, I now see you meant Tork. Edited January 3 by chasfh Quote
gehringer_2 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 (edited) 3 minutes ago, chasfh said: Who's Spenser? I take licence with mi spelleng Edited January 3 by gehringer_2 Quote
Longgone Posted January 3 Posted January 3 9 minutes ago, chasfh said: Who's Spenser? English poet 1 Quote
Motor City Sonics Posted January 3 Posted January 3 8 minutes ago, Longgone said: English poet He's also For Hire ! (R.I.P. Bob Urich, one of the nicest guys ever) 1 Quote
Edman85 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Spenser Watkins was thrown to the trash heap during the 2020 shutdown. He bounced around and ate some innings for the Orioles and A's, and is off to China for this season. Quote
Sports_Freak Posted January 3 Posted January 3 2 hours ago, chasfh said: Who's Spenser? EDIT: NM, I now see you meant Tork. Spencer P.I.? He was a very good Robert Parker character in a series of mystery books. And from what I remember, Susan was a hottie. 😆 Quote
HeyAbbott Posted January 3 Posted January 3 2 hours ago, Longgone said: It gives them options; if Tork kills it, he can still get 400 abs at dh/1b with Carpenter in rf a lot, if not they are covered. Next year they can always move Keith back to second. I'd be somewhat hopeful that after 1,400 at bats, he could hit a major league middle, middle fastball, but he cannot. Add to that he cannot field or run, what is there left? This team is no longer a AAAA team. It needs to shed AAAA players. Quote
chasfh Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Also, I’d never heard Tork referred to as Spenser, or even as Spencer, which his why it didn’t land with me right away. Quote
Tiger337 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 29 minutes ago, chasfh said: Also, I’d never heard Tork referred to as Spenser, or even as Spencer, which his why it didn’t land with me right away. SpennyT Quote
gehringer_2 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 1 hour ago, chasfh said: Also, I’d never heard Tork referred to as Spenser, or even as Spencer, which his why it didn’t land with me right away. I'm just here to make sure everyone stays sharp. Quote
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