5/29/25 9:10PM Tigers @ Dodgers

[casimir]

While everyone is complaining about the Dodgers operating within the rules, some of said behavior which was also enacted by a previous Tiger owner, I will say the salary deferrals irritate me.  I think it’s been pointed out that they count in the luxury tax equation, which is one thing.  But it seems like bad practice to me, kind of like giving a 15 year old a credit card.

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Maybe the Pirates and Marlins owners should sell their teams if they can't compete.  If you have no chance of ever making a post-season with 12 teams, then you are a big part of the problem.  

It's the market they're in. Those areas can't support a $300 million payroll. Those billionaires became billionaires by not losing money on their businesses. And baseball, like other sports, is a money making business. But this is my point, if teams can't compete, they start losing fans and money. Of course, some people have been complaining about players salaries for 100 years or so. A famous Baba Ruth story says he was asked if he knew he made more money the the president. His reply was he had a better year.  😁

[Sports_Freak]

42 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Did I miss something.  Is Torres hurt?      Hitting .429 and he's being rested today?    2 games in with an off day tomorrow and he's being rested?     That is odd.  

It looked like he pulled a muscle in his side last night. Hopefully it's not too serious. A week off now is better than losing a month or 6 weeks.

[Motor City Sonics]

Just now, Sports_Freak said:

It looked like he pulled a muscle in his side last night. Hopefully it's not too serious. A week off now is better than losing a month or 6 weeks.

and it starts already.   Ugh.  

Who are we going to get to replace him to stand at the plate and watch pitches outside the strike zone get called strikes tonight?  

[Sports_Freak]

44 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

counter point to the counter point: the NFL

Football has been eating baseball'slunch for decades. Is it because there is so much parity almost all fans have recent memories of championships/near championships and rebuilds are 2 or 3 seasons instead of 8 or 9? Is parity the reason? I don't know - but it's the first argument to make.

Evening the playing field would make for a more competitive game. Which would make for more fan interest. I mean, I'm sure Florida or Pittsburgh run ads telling fans to come out and see the World Champion Dodgers instead of promoting their own team of lesser talented players.

[Sports_Freak]

Just now, Motor City Sonics said:

and it starts already.   Ugh.  

Who are we going to get to replace him to stand at the plate and watch pitches outside the strike zone get called strikes tonight?  

Hinch has several players who can play at just about every position. 😅

[Sports_Freak]

19 minutes ago, casimir said:

While everyone is complaining about the Dodgers operating within the rules, some of said behavior which was also enacted by a previous Tiger owner, I will say the salary deferrals irritate me.  I think it’s been pointed out that they count in the luxury tax equation, which is one thing.  But it seems like bad practice to me, kind of like giving a 15 year old a credit card.

Wasn't it Max who got a huge contract with years of deferrals? Or maybe it was Ohtani?

[kdog]

 

[gehringer_2]

23 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Wasn't it Max who got a huge contract with years of deferrals? Or maybe it was Ohtani?

The Tiger front office complained that once you discounted the present value of Max's deferrals their offer was just as good, but if that was the case they should have structured their offer with the deferrals too. There is a lot of ego at play and those numbers reported with the deferrals undiscounted are what make the news and how players see themselves in the pecking order, and any player likes that kind of reporting.

I guess teams count on a lot of inflation driving the eventual real cost of those deferrals down. And you get a sort of double whammy if you are above the (non)cap,  a team like the Dodgers has to play lux tax on Ohtani's deferrals now and then still has to actually pay them later after he's done playing.

[TigerNation]

54 minutes ago, casimir said:

While everyone is complaining about the Dodgers operating within the rules, some of said behavior which was also enacted by a previous Tiger owner, I will say the salary deferrals irritate me.  I think it’s been pointed out that they count in the luxury tax equation, which is one thing.  But it seems like bad practice to me, kind of like giving a 15 year old a credit card.

The Ohtani situation is just obnoxious. Being able to add a player like him for $2 million a year because he's 1. willing to do that, and 2. able to do that because he's the one player in baseball who earns $50+ mill a year in endorsements.

It's a lot like the situation where the NBA had a huge jump in salary cap just when Durant was a free agent allowing Golden State to sign a top 2 player to the team that just set the record for wins in a season.

[4hzglory]

1 hour ago, casimir said:

While everyone is complaining about the Dodgers operating within the rules, some of said behavior which was also enacted by a previous Tiger owner, I will say the salary deferrals irritate me.  I think it’s been pointed out that they count in the luxury tax equation, which is one thing.  But it seems like bad practice to me, kind of like giving a 15 year old a credit card.

The thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t appear signing bonuses have any effect on current salary cap numbers.  If deferrals reduce to present value why don’t signing bonuses add to it -Snell got a huge signing bonus but his salary cap number is reduced because of the deferrals

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

oh, sure, the MLB radio overlay is perfectly synched tonight but Dan is on TV anyway. haha

[gehringer_2]

12 minutes ago, 4hzglory said:

The thing I don’t like is that it doesn’t appear signing bonuses have any effect on current salary cap numbers.  If deferrals reduce to present value why don’t signing bonuses add to it -Snell got a huge signing bonus but his salary cap number is reduced because of the deferrals

As far as I understand it, the total value of the contract - as everything, has to be amortized over the playing years of the contract for lux tax purposes. Deferrals are discounted at some percentage that represents somebody's guess about future inflation (MLBPA and owners negotiate this number I assume.....?). I don't know what the forumula is for dividing up a front bonus but I'd bet it's in there.

Looking at Snells deal, the both the deferred money and the bonus are in the total, which is then divided into the 6 playing years of the deal for an annual lux tax charge of 31.3 M. So they get to spread out the charge on the bonus but all the dollars in the contract end up in the tax charge somewhere.

[TigerNation]

Tork just keeps putting together good ABs.

[monkeytargets39]

I love 2025 Torkelson

[monkeytargets39]

Making Sasaki work.  Gonna be a 30 pitch first inning

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

Margot "hits" an IF dribbler for the RBI.

[Toddwert]

I havent been too impressed by Sasaki so far

[CMU97]

We will see how the season plays out of course, but I think a big difference between the Harris/Hinch regime compared to anything else since Sparky, is that players are being told exactly what they need to do to play/stay in the big leagues. If they put in the work and show results, they will stay. If not, they are gone pretty quickly. None of this lets give them a huge leash and see what happens anymore. It is very refreshing from what we've had the past 7 years or so. And they are preforming. Battling. Getting better. So much better to watch. We can poo-poo Chris ilitch as much as we want, but he gets credit for hiring Harris and letting him do his thing. 

[monkeytargets39]

Great AB Sweeney

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

Sweeney takes the bases-loaded BB. 2-0

[Sports_Freak]

Jason said it best last night, everyone is rooting for Tork. We all want him to do well. This Tiger team is better with his dangerous RH bat in the lineup.

[CMU97]

Really, Really good inning. Only 2 runs, but fantastic approaches and quality at bats.

[Crazy Cat Gentleman]

frickin' Freeman

[TigerNation]

UMP giving us some favorable calls for a change.