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Instead of going for a FA this offseason, could Ryan Kreidler be the answer at SS?


Motor City Sonics

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Okay, its a small sample size, but he is killing it at Toledo.    But how good is he defensively,  I have never seen him play. 

 

Would they be better off to spend on a starting pitcher and corner OF with power?       

The AJ Hinch player is one who can play multiple spots and be competent.   I know they called up E-Sock again.  Are they going to sample him at SS?    Next year there will be a bench battle between E-Sock, The Castros, Kody Clemens, Niko Goodrum and maybe Kreidler.     Yes, the SS list looks good for free agents, but the biggest ones are going to be very expensive and probably would want a long term deal to play here and that means in 4 years in we'd be dealing with a Miggy situation.    The second tier looks a little more realistic but that has some downside too.   They aren't getting Carlos Correa.  He'll want 30 million a year.   He's probably going to Yankees or Angels because they are crazy enough to do it.  Trevor Storey concerns me a bit too.......How much of his numbers is from playing at Coors?    Do they bide their time and wait for someone to step up and claim it.  Do they wait in the hopes that Turner doesn't stick with the Dodgers?    Will we even have a season in 2022?    Who invented liquid soap and why?  Where's the happy little tire swing?  

 

Anyway, who has seen Ryan play SS ?   

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I'm not sure if he is or not but personally if we can't get Correa or Seager than I'm not interested in signing any SS long term this year. Those are the two who I think will be stars going forward, the others will just be over payed guys with plenty of flaws. Not interested, so if we can't get those two I'd have no problem rolling the dice with current guys including Kriedler and see what we got.  

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I haven't seen him play personally, but the reports from those who have day that he's a natural SS and should stick there in spite of his size.

 

I don't know if he's the answer at SS, but I think it'd be a mistake to not increase the team's talent via FA, with or without Kreidler.  In the unlikely event that we end up with 2 good SSs, I'm sure we'd be able to figure it out.

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2 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

I'm not sure if he is or not but personally if we can't get Correa or Seager than I'm not interested in signing any SS long term this year. Those are the two who I think will be stars going forward, the others will just be over payed guys with plenty of flaws. Not interested, so if we can't get those two I'd have no problem rolling the dice with current guys including Kriedler and see what we got.  

I mostly agree with this, but also think a guy like Chris Taylor would be good to add if we don't go long term at SS

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How short/ inexpensive of a contract does Story get this year?

He had a bad year.

But what if that means we could get him for 2 or 3 years? Let's say 3/$60?

I would do that on the same basis as having Schoop for the next 2 years... 

A pretty good stopgap that makes the young kids actually "push" the starter out of their job, without just handing a spot to them.

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21 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

How short/ inexpensive of a contract does Story get this year?

He had a bad year.

But what if that means we could get him for 2 or 3 years? Let's say 3/$60?

I would do that on the same basis as having Schoop for the next 2 years... 

A pretty good stopgap that makes the young kids actually "push" the starter out of their job, without just handing a spot to them.

If we could get Story for 3/60 or even 3/75 then I would gladly take him.  I just dont want to commit 8 years or 200million to him. 

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9 hours ago, mtutiger said:

I mostly agree with this, but also think a guy like Chris Taylor would be good to add if we don't go long term at SS

Taylor is really flying under the radar in the mentions of the upcoming free agency.  He has a pretty not, not great, track record.  Hinch likes flexibility on his roster.

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10 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

If it's a big contract... Correa is the only guy I'm interested in. Not Seager or Semien.

Story on a shorter contract.

If that doesn't work, then I guess we do Plan C and squeeze Kreidler in there...

I say go big or stay home. If they can't get Correa or even Seager they work on other areas with FA. Story and Semien don't look like what Tigers need to move to next level of competition.  

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3 hours ago, Archie said:

I say go big or stay home. If they can't get Correa or even Seager they work on other areas with FA. Story and Semien don't look like what Tigers need to move to next level of competition.  

to review the in house options: 

Niki Groodrum: good arm, mediocre hands, plays back on balls too much to key many DPs. Has power but bat has become black hole, esp from left side. Under control until 2024, Also has options left but only for next season as he would be a 5 yr vet at the end of 22.

Isaac Paredes: Can play SS, decent arm,  but probably doesn't have the range to be any kind of good there. Hitting as a major leaguer is still total unknown but skepticism is high in many quarters despite his progress in raising his AAA OPS.

Zach Short: pretty uniform opinion that he is an above average defender. Close to zero chance he can hit enough to be viable.

Ryan Kreilder: Toledo staff say his glove is ML quality. He is currently hitting well beyond expectations for his projections. Can he do it at ML? Again - skepticism remains high but he is doing his best to go out and refute it.

Willi Castro: No, No, and No. Unreliable arm, slow pivot, low baseball IQ and general situational awareness. And a bat that flashed in the short season but has also now disappeared-- though at least in his case he is young enough that he could find it again, as opposed to Niko who looks like he is just already on the downside of his career as a hitter. I won't say there is NO hope for Willi, but he needs a lot of work *in the minors* to figure out how to play competent ML middle IF. 

Harold Castro: Harold is a nice utility level guy, which is where he needs to stay. 

Bottom line is that I would rate the chances as still being greater than even money that none of those guys pan out so I'm good with pursuing a FA. You can always find a place for a bat if one of the other guys forces himself into playing time.

 

 

 

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The red flags about Kreidler’s number in Toledo are (1) .394 BABIP, and (2) 21.7% HR/FB rate, both of which are almost certainly not sustainable for entrie seasons, let alone careers.

Kreidler hit .256/.327/.426 at AA just this year with a .341 BABIP and 14.6 HR/FB, both of which are themselves probably higher than he can sustain. Hey, I’m all about giving him a shot during spring, and a stint this fall in Arizona will probably crystallize his potential as a major league option next year. I just don’t think he has necessarily positioned himself as our third can’t-miss guy in Toledo just yet.

I think we go get a guy we can install at short for two or three years, whether in trade or as a sign. 

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1 hour ago, chasfh said:

The red flags about Kreidler’s number in Toledo are (1) .394 BABIP

OTOH, he has nearly a 1000 OPS off that 394 BaBIP. Let that come down to a more reasonable 325 and you *may* still have a reasonably productive bat for a defense first position. A SS that is also a #3 hitter is a wonderful luxury, and I'm not going to complain one bit if Ilitch ponies up the cash to get one, but OTOH, I think you can certainly win a division with a 700-750 OPS shortstop if he is giving you solid defense. My take is that none of the guys in my list above can even do that  - with the possible exception of Kreidler and even that possibility isn't proven by any means. Agreed there is not much chance Kreidler is that #3 hitting SS, but for now he's making a case to get a chance to prove he may at least be that 700 OPS guy you can live with, as opposed to the current cast I am tired of living with! :classic_angry:

Of course if he crashes to earth next ST then end of story.

Edited by gehringer_2
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One thing to keep in mind is that Seager's defensive stats suck, and Correa typically sports a nice DRS but a shaky UZR....they can have their cake and eat it too by signing one of these guys for their bat, and still give Kreidler (it sounds like he's got the plus glove) the opportunity to compete for the SS position in the next couple of years if he keeps hitting well.

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