A Murphy’s Law season in 2022 led to a period of transition for the Tigers. The club parted ways with general manager Al Avila in August, and now-former Giants GM Scott Harris was hired as president of baseball operations about six weeks later. Many expected the first offseason of the Harris tenure to be modest as he took time to get to know the organizations and its personnel. That largely proved to be true, with just a pair of major league deals, though there were also a couple of significant trades and the club was active in using the waiver wire to add depth.
Major League Signings
- LHP Matthew Boyd: one-year, $10MM
- RHP Michael Lorenzen: one-year, $8.5MM
2022 spending: $18.5MM
Total spending: $18.5MM
Option Decisions
- LHP Andrew Chafin declined $6.5MM player option
Trades and claims
- Claimed RHP Jermaine Palacios off waivers from Twins (later outrighted and re-signed to minor league deal)
- Claimed C Michael Papierski off waivers from Reds (later non-tendered and re-signed to minor league deal)
- Claimed LHP Sean Guenther off waivers from Marlins (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Claimed IF Andy Ibáñez off waivers from Rangers (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Claimed OF Bligh Madris off waivers from Rays (later traded to Astros for cash considerations)
- Selected RHP Mason Englert from Rangers in Rule 5 draft
- Traded RHP Joe Jiménez to Atlanta for IF/OF Justyn-Henry Malloy and LHP Jake Higginbotham
- Claimed C Mario Feliciano from Brewers (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Claimed LHP Zach Logue off waivers from Athletics (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Acquired IF Tyler Nevin from Orioles for cash considerations
- Acquired IF/OF Nick Maton, OF Matt Vierling and C Donny Sands from Phillies for LHP Gregory Soto and IF/OF Kody Clemens
- Claimed RHP Edwin Uceta off waivers from Diamondbacks
- Claimed LHP Tyler Holton off waivers from Diamondbacks
Extensions
- None
Notable Minor League Signees
- Miguel Del Pozo, Palacios, Papierski, Miguel Díaz, Brendon Davis, Kervin Castro, Andrew Knapp, Chasen Shreve, Trey Wingenter, César Hernández, Jonathan Davis, Matt Wisler
Notable Losses
- Chafin, Jimenez, Soto, Clemens, Tucker Barnhart, Daniel Norris, Dustin Garneau (retired), Drew Hutchison, Ali Sánchez, Daz Cameron, Willi Castro, Kyle Funkhouser, Harold Castro, Jeimer Candelario
The Tigers have been rebuilding for some time, with the nadir coming in a 114-loss season in 2019. Some signs of optimism appeared in 2021 with a strong second half and a final record just under .500. The club decided to push chips in with an aggressive offseason, signing Javier Báez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Andrew Chafin. Unfortunately, just about everything went wrong, with most of the pitching staff and many lineup regulars missing significant chunks of time or falling short of expectations. It was decided drastic change was needed, which resulted in a change in the front office as Harris replaced Avila.
Given the optimism surrounding the 2022 club, perhaps there could have been an argument for continued in aggression in building around the existing core. The problem is that some of the setbacks from last year will rolling into this year. Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal are set to miss significant chunks of the upcoming season due to Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon surgery, respectively. Then there were many players who were expected to be core performers that disappointed enough in 2022 to raise question marks about their future trajectories and perhaps alter projections. With those factors, and the fact that most new front office hires generally take some time to get acquainted with their new organizations before making bold moves, the offseason tended towards the modest side.
As part of that modesty, only two free agent were given major league deals this winter. Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen were each given one-year deals to fill the rotation spots vacated by Mize and Skubal. Each player is coming off a somewhat encouraging season. Boyd missed close to a year due to flexor tendon surgery but returned to toss 13 1/3 innings of relief with a 1.35 ERA. He’ll be looking to return to a starting role this year now that he was able to have a normal and healthy offseason. Lorenzen attempted to returning to starting last year after many years as a reliever. He posted a solid 4.24 ERA but missed time due to injury and only made 18 starts. Ideally, he’ll be able to build off that larger workload and push himself even farther this year.
Other than those rotation swaps, the area of the roster that will be the most changed will be the bullpen. Michael Fulmer was traded at the deadline last year, Andrew Chafin hit free agency and signed with the Diamondbacks, while Joe Jiménez and Gregory Soto were traded to Atlanta and Philadelphia, respectively. The relief corps was the one bright spot from the dismal 2022 season, but with the volatility of relievers, there’s some sense to selling high from that group. That will leave the club with a bullpen lacking experience, with José Cisnero and Tyler Alexander the only relievers on the 40-man into their arbitration years. Some non-roster invitees like Matt Wisler or Chasen Shreve could join them, but it will likely be a greener group on the whole. There will be opportunities for younger players to take steps forward, with Alex Lange, Jason Foley and Will Vest some of the candidates. Lange, in particular, seems set for a high-leverage role.
But subtracting from the bullpen has allowed the Tigers to add to their position player mix, a group that severely disappointed last year. The Soto deal brought in some major league-ready talent in Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands. All three have made their major league debuts but without truly establishing themselves. Vierling had a nice debut in 2021 but hit at a subpar level last year. Maton had a nice showing in 2022, but in just 35 games due to his part-time role. Sands only got into three MLB games last year but hit very well in the minors. All three of them probably deserved a longer audition but would have struggled to find it on a win-now Phillies team. With Detroit team in evaluation mode, their chances of a lengthy opportunity are greater.
Maton could replace the non-tendered Jeimer Candelario as the club’s everyday third baseman, though he’ll have competition from Ryan Kreidler and other offseason acquisitions like Tyler Nevin or Andy Ibáñez. Vierling will be in the mix for outfield duty alongside Akil Baddoo, Riley Greene and Austin Meadows, all of whom are coming off frustrating seasons to varying degrees. Kerry Carpenter figures to be in there as well after his strong debut last year. Notably, Vierling’s right-handed bat pairs quite well with that all-left-handed group, and can play all three outfield spots.
The Jimenez trade was more of a long-term play, as neither Justyn-Henry Malloy nor Jake Higginbotham have reached the majors yet. Malloy could vault himself into either the third base or corner outfield competition, though he’s likely behind the aforementioned names. He reached Triple-A last year, but it was merely an eight-game cameo in September. Since he’s not on the 40-man, he’ll likely head back to that level, at least to start the season.
In addition to those two signings and two significant bullpen trades, the club was quite active on the waiver wire. Harris seems to have brought over that tactic from the Giants, where he was previously employed, as San Francisco has shown a tendency to make numerous claims and subsequently attempt to pass players through waivers later. The Tigers have followed this path in recent months, grabbing many players off the wire and subsequently squeezing them off the roster in order to improve depth.
All of these new faces will likely be part of a large wait-and-see season that includes the incumbent players, most of whom will be looking to return to form after a down season. Boyd and Lorenzen will have rotation jobs alongside Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Turnbull and Matt Manning. Rodriguez missed significant time last year due to a personal absence and a ribcage strain. He was only able to make 17 starts. Shoulder and forearm injuries limited Manning to just 12 starts. Turnbull missed the entire season due to 2021 Tommy John surgery.
On the position player side of things, Meadows, Baddoo, Javier Baez, Jonathan Schoop, Spencer Torkelson and others will be looking to recover after their respective 2022 seasons saw them either miss significant time and/or play poorly. There’s plenty of talent in this group but many question marks after so many things went wrong a season ago. Things would look great if they could all turn things around, but the odds of everyone simultaneously rebounding are quite long.
As the months roll along, the club’s future plans will hopefully become clearer, based on who performs well this season and who doesn’t. In addition to all the performance uncertainty, Baez and Rodriguez both have opt-outs after this year. It doesn’t feel especially likely that either one would be in a position to trigger those, but a return to form could change that calculus. In addition to those two, Boyd, Lorenzen, Schoop and Cisnero are impending free agents after this year. Unless the club is a surprise contender this summer, they will likely be looking to make more deals at the deadline. Those players headed to free agency would be logical candidates if they are playing well, as would Turnbull or Meadows, who are free agents after 2024.
There’s also the matter of Miguel Cabrera, who will be turning 40 in April. He’s entering the final guaranteed season of the extension he and the club signed in 2014. There are $30MM club/vesting options for 2024 and 2025, though those won’t come to pass. He needs to finish in the top 10 in MVP voting this year to vest the option, whereas the team would much rather pay the $8MM buyout at this point. Though he’s one of the greatest hitters of this century, Cabrera hasn’t been above average at the plate over a full season since 2016, with chronic right knee pain and a ruptured biceps tendon among the injuries that have dragged him down with the passage of time.
It remains to be seen how much playing time Cabrera will get. He admits this is likely to be his last season, but the club will surely want to give significant at-bats to all the aforementioned younger players. If he does stay healthy and in the lineup, there will be some attention paid to his place on all-time milestone lists. His 3,088 hits place him 25th on the all-time list with nine players less than 100 ahead of him. His 507 home runs are 27th all-time and just six more long balls would allow him to jump up four more spots. One of the spots on the Detroit roster will seemingly be evoking memories of the past, but the majority of the remaining spots are dedicated to the future.
How would you grade the Tigers’ offseason? (Link to poll)
In conjunction with the Tigers’ offseason review, we held a Tigers-focused chat on Feb. 28. You can click here to read the transcript.
Can people please stop voting D or F on these polls just because the team didn’t make any moves to make their immediate team a legit contender when the team in question is rebuilding? Thanks.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion…. But, if you are a casual fan with little-to-no understanding of the business side of baseball, you’d be pretty disappointed in their offseason acquisitions. Those that do know about the business side of things understand the factors that made this offseason so very slow. Harris had to trade from his surplus of pitching to get some position players. He also didn’t block the up and coming position players by signing free agents. In my opinion, he needs, at the very least, one more year to let the position player depth catch up to the pitchers.
Two other very important moves that were made was the dismissal of the hitting instruction staff and the trainers. With the dismissal of the training staff, it seems that the blame for the implosion of the starting staff was placed squarely on their shoulders.
I gave them a B for their offseason.
I also gave them a B for the same reasons. This team should have contended last year, but because of very, very off seasons of play, these players could show up & play as they should have last year & surprise a lot of people. The potential is there & and; Harris is right to wait &; see how they perform as a team to find the week link/links & fix them
The D’s and F’s are ridiculous and either from people being overdramatic or just clueless. This team is not a big signing or 2 from contending. Also many of their positions are being held by young players who need to develop. The only issue I had, I feel Harris could ve rounded out roster with one or two more one year prove it deals. Potentially giving them trade chips to continue to replenish farm system at the deadline. Overall this off season and the rebuild truly should not even b graded at this point(inc). This is a development and evaluation season.
No.
@thelegendaryharambe
What’s wrong with rating the rebuild of the offseason a D or F? Did they really do much to help with that rebuild? Not really. Couldn’t even improve upon the weakest offence in all of MLB.
If you don’t think they did much to advance the rebuild this offseason then fine. Rate them a D or F. But rating them a D or F because they didn’t go out and sign/trade for a bunch of proven players when they are rebuilding is, for lack of a better word, just stupid.
No
I gave them an F because they had an opportunity to add some major league players and all they did is add the Phillies bench and some players other teams gave up on and Boyd and Lorenzen. They are counting on Boyd and Lorenzen to anchor the rotation. Boyd pitched 13 innings last year. Lorenzen hasn’t thrown 100 innings since the Obama administration.
This off season was a waste.
this rebuild is like a C-, but this can absolutely be salvaged.
C- is a bit kind for grading the rebuild (and not just the offseason). It’s at least a D, and considering that the GM was fired for failing to rebuild the franchise, I’d say an F would be the appropriate grade for the rebuild.
Sure, it can be salvaged, but the biggest problem is that there are virtually no position players (except Greene) that the organization developed. Hopefully Carpenter isn’t just a flash in the pan, and hopefully Tork can pull himself off the path of becoming a draft bust.
What was learned is that this game demands a more balanced approach to drafting. Avila drafted far too heavy in the pitching department. Now, there is a 3 year gap between the development of pitchers versus position players.
The unrealistic Tigers fan in me thinks this team will surprise a lot of people. The realistic me sees a complete lack of quality position players in both the majors and farm system and knows this isn’t going to be a one season re-tool.
Pitchers get paid way more money and are much more easily traded than position players. I think Poor Al was pretty smart in that regards.
You could probably get 26 position players for Max “two-tone” Scherzer.
Ya shouldn’t let candelario go
Possibly. Only time will tell. He was pretty bad last year tho. But, he has obviously demonstrated the ability to hit (by leading the league in doubles). Maybe there was some type of personality issue that made them decline to tender a contract.
Candy, Victor and the Castros all had the same warts which was typical of Leyland inspired Avila signings. All 4 lack plate discipline, are chasers and have zero ideas how to walk. of the 16 faces Harris took off his 40 man only 2 got an MLB contract with the Nationals. Case in point, Tigers lost their second exhibition game and only had 5 hits worth 6 runs but they had 9 walks. welcome to the Harris era.
Candelario led the team in WAR in 2020 and 2021. He was bad in 2022, but so was everyone else. I could see dumping him, but at least find someone better that will replace him. Why make the team worse?
Why not? He wasn’t worth $7 mill. for a .215 avg., 15 HRs, and sub-par 3B. Either 2021 was a fluke or 2022 was a fluke. The truth is likely somewhere in between, but three of his four full MLB seasons were closer to 2022. 2021 seems like an outlier.
Possibly so, but he should have been worth more than simply discarding for nothing. Worse players have been traded for lottery ticket prospects in the past. Their GM should have been pitching him as a bounce back candidate and a definite starter at third. I had him ranked as the 23rd best third baseman in the league last year. I find it hard to believe that there will be 30 third baseman that will outproduce his 2022 season in 2023.
Candelario wasn’t the terrible 3B he seems to be portrayed as. He was average defensively and was Tiger of the Year two seasons in a row, before last year. Harris wanted him to sign for $6MM when the expected was $7MM. They got nothing for who had been their best player so recently, over $1 MM. Jaimer got his $7MM from the Nationals. Harold also should not have been cut. He was excellent off the bench as a PH, could play any position, and being LH, was a great fit for a prominently RH IF. He was batting third for them last year, at times, because he was one of the best hitters on the team. I like the trades Harris made, even though no sure thing came back. I hate the cuts he made (before any evaluation in person) because they were simply cost cutting. They still don’t know if they have a 3B, and they traded their closer in order to try to replace the players they cut. I gave a C, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Candelario signed a one year contract for $5,000,000 not $7M.
So if Harris offered him $6M, he left $1M on the table to play somewhere else.
baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/washington-nation…
I put the over/under on the number of wins at 65 and their total attendance at 1.2M. Hard to believe anyone willing to pay MLB prices for a team that would have a hard time competing in AAA. I get it’s a rebuild and Harris wants to give at bats and innings to prospects to see what he has, but if the Tigers are doing this, then don’t charge $12 a beer and $7 for a hot dog at Comerica. Alternatively, I’ll be playing golf, riding my bike or doing something else vs. wasting my time and money on this sorry excuse of a team.
They had attendance of 1.5 million last season with many still being cautious over Covid. With this being Miggy’s swan song and another year further removed from Covid attendance likely to b around 1.7-1.8 million. Basically league avg.
Innings and at bats should be earned by playing AAA, not at the major league level. Major leagues are meant for major league players. This team is a disgrace. I watched the Tigers in 2003 and 1975… I think those teams had more talent than this one.
Missed Noah Song
Strike one Mr. Harris
Missed Alex Reyes
Strike two Mr. Harris
Time clock ran out.
Strike three Mr. Harris….
And you could.have hired the Superfife instead of.letting him be lied about.
I AM SO GLAD he did not make any big signing. I don’t know why people.keep saying that. No one was asking for a big signing. That’s the one thing he did right!
But these guy could surprise everyone and I hope they do!
Not hiring Saber-toothed SuperDufus makes up for it ALL!!!
Gee, thanks for the insult. The guys at Gigi’s must be impressed.
Time has expired
The good news for the Tigers is it is theoretically impossible for the offense to be that horrendously bad two years in a row. That said though, the injuries to Mize and Skubal hurts their further development at the big league level and so having to rely on Boyd and Lorenzon for meaningful innings is not ideal.
I don’t think the Tigers will be worse than last season but they don’t seem much better either
That’s absolutely no comfort.
I voted a hard D for the poll 🙂
I voted and old english D…
No fun to be a Tigers fan this winter, but it’s good that they didn’t do what they did last year. MLB is getting to be much more of a haves and have-nots, and the middle class is a no-man’s land. The Tigers may as well wait their turn.
The new President has to do something about the worst (furthest away from the field seats) in baseball and the unscrupulous team scalping policy. 1. For seats simply build five to ten rows on the infield and outfield allowing fans to actually see the game. It makes for a horrible fan experience as seats are set up now.. 2. Plus fans pay twice as much as other fans at different stadiums for second hand tickets. The tigers unethically use a syndicate of ticket sellers on the streets that uses phones to keep unsuspecting buyers forced to pay artificially high price, all controlled. No one can buy a cheap ticket because they keep the prices of all scalped tickets high and the same. This carnival practice has to be stopped by the new President ASAP
The Tigers hire scalpers so people “have to” pay inflated prices for same-day tickets. That’s rich. Plus, only morons would buy on the street as those paper tickets are superseded by digital tickets!
I’m a Tiger fan…I know…thanks for the sympathy. Scott Harris has done exactly what he was hired to do, and has done a great job this offseason. Really. He got an absolute steal for one year of Jimenez whom they almost didn’t tender the year before. I think the Soto deal is going to help restock the team. A couple things go right and the baseball will be watchable again. Give the kids a chance to play and see what work needs to be done. There is a lot more talent than the record would indicate. Still, I had to give the offseason a C because the moves won’t likely help the 2023 team; it is all a hunch on my part that the future (post-2023) will be better because of this offseason.
For love, Yeah keep telling yourself that….life goes on.
A year later and deeper in debt. Furthest away seats in majors and a cast of second rate talent Another year of finishing near the bottom.
They should just start Miggy at DH since he can have stretches of success. Then all the other guys can develop on the field and Miggy goes on the bench when one of them needs to DH. He’s the main attractor for going to their games so make the fans happy
The ONLY thing good coming out of the Motor City is Mopar. But that will end when the last Challenger rolls off the assembly line later this year. Then it’s gasp gasp..electric Daytonas.
You seem bored. Why not go irritate Yankees fans? There’s tons of posts on the articles about them for you to attach your negative comments to.
This Tigers rotation is starting to look like the next version of the early 2000s Cubs with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. All the talent in the world, but it is meaningless if they can’t stay healthy.
I gave them a B. Like a few of you pointed out it is time to see what we have not splurge on things that won’t help us. Absolutely loved the trade for Justyn Henry-Malloy. I am also happy with them shipping out Soto and the players they got back. I loved the move to bring Matt Boyd back and think he will have a great year. That is the epitomy of a team player right there. I’m looking forward to Baddoo, Greene and Tork taking a step forward and Schoop, Meadows and Baez bouncing back. No way the offence is that bad again…last year our offence was really…”offensive”. As a fan hope springs eternal. I think we will know what we need after this year and that Harris will go get it next off season. I want to win too but i like what he has done this offseason. Go Tigers!
Motor City Beach Bum-I feel sorry for you when you wake up and there’s Hunk,Hickory,Zeke and Auntie Em standing over you lying in your bed. take off the rose colored glass’s my friend.
You seem to have an opinion only on our opinions but don’t have any of your own. I am highly doubting you are a Tigers fan dude. Go steal some kids lunch or something 😉
I know the truth hurts. better days ahead.
Cheers to that last part!
Why would I comment about the Yankees on a the about Tigers ?
Well…they’ve had a more accurate assessment and opinion for several years now
……
Motor City Beach Bum, that’s because he’s a Leach.
I gave Harris a B for this off season. Only a major signing would have netted an A from me, but I full understand why he did not. Harris’s focus is not just getting to know the team but to improve the player development system. Avila made some changes here that are positive, but far too late to save his job. Harris has hired quite a few people in this area and these hires have been well received. He has worked to elevate the floor of this team and largely has. Harris has done a ton of work this off season. Do I still have doubts? Yes, most GM’s fail so the odds are against him. But also have liked what he has done so far to be optimistic that he will beat those odds.
Avila had no clue and lived and died by his corral of cronies who had zero idea of how to implant the analytics he started.
I would have given a higher grade if he had signed a solid LH arm for the bullpen. Still a couple out there so he could surprise.
@Stymeedone should ve absolutely went to bolster bullpen. Position players are mostly in an evaluation stage and need playing time. They have some young talented arms. They sold off the bullpen as was the right thing to do. That would have been a prime spot to add other players such as Boyd who could become valuable trade chips at the deadline.
I hope Kreidler gets some at bats…..
I think Harris ran into a lot of Sticker Shock as players salaries increased. I am glad he did not spend on some of them. Wait for the deadline & make a deal or two if possible.
Most of the sticker shock probably occurred when he realized how much money he owed Javy Baez.
I think they did pretty well in the trade with Philly to add depth around the diamond. OK in the trade with Atlanta.
Thing is if you’re going to spend on Javy Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez one winter, then trade to raise the floor around them this winter, you can do a tad bit more IMO.
Long winded way of saying C. Could end up being higher if some of the trade pieces play up to potential.
i gave them a B for turnaround. that’s been a really bad year thus far…
At what position did the Tigers appear to improve over last year? None really, which is why I gave them a D. Hopefully Greene and Tork will play better, and Skubal makes it back.
I give Harris an A. My reasons are behind the millions CI was willing to spend on the monumental infrastructure changes that Harris engineered. Al probably couldn’t spell biomechanics let alone know how to use them. Pitchers don’t drop like flies when your training and conditioning staff is doing the job. And now with a highly sought after professor of biomechanics on staff, pitchers won’t be asking their bodies to do something it can’t. Also this team will score runs because plate and strikezone control is a prerequisite for playing for Harris. I predict that many times this season David (the Tigers) will slay Goliath (any stacked Opponent) and win today’s game. Bottom line is you can’t build a consistent winner on a faulty foundation. Which is precisely why Scott started in the FO. In Al’s FO you were told to keep your mouth shut and criticism was a good way to a pink slip. Harris could not believe how muzzled the FO was. Have faith Tiger Fans, a solid foundation is being built and the team will rise strong above it in due time. Enjoy box scores without double digit SO’s every day and way above the 2 walks they averaged in 22.
This team looked like it was turning the corner for a good part of 2021
What a rudderlesa mess
$2100204-Please don’t make such comments about the Tigers on an article about the Tigers. The fandom can’t handle it.
Yes, their offseason was boring this year but that’s because they made a lot of moves the year before and they backfired.
Honestly, it’s easy to say the signings were dumb but I like the thought process Avila had. He seen a team with a lot of good young pitching, added two veterans, but hard to predict EVERY batter regressing, your top prospect falling flat on his face, and your entire rotation getting hurt. Not to mention the big ticket starter ditching you and the star SS forgetting how to hit.
Biggest needs were:
Catcher – They didn’t really address this situation so that’s 0/1
Third Base – Nick Maton is really their only replacement at 3B but not much of any upgrade to Candelario. 0/2
Starting Pitching – They did somewhat upgrade their pitching staff. No flashy signings but it should be a bit of an imprvement to last year’s staff. 1/3
Middle Infielder / Outfielder: Not much has improved on either of these fronts.. Javier Baez and Jonathan Schoop are just not cutting it up the middle and there is really no one of interest, aside from Meadows, in the outfield. 1/5.
I get that they’re rebuilding, but they aren’t even trying to rebuild at this point. They have the worst farm system rating in the MLB. If your going to do a complete rebuild, at least start building your farm. Why they would have wasted signing Javier Báez only to waste that money on a rebuild that will not happen until after he’s gone.
Final rating: D
York, look at it this way:
Catcher – What was there to address? Haas has earned the right to be #1. 20 HR’s & .250ish average is fine. How many back up catchers can you name? Who cares who gets the 200 AB’s. Knapp, Rogers & Sands are decent
Third Base – Yeah, that’s ugly. Ok to move on from Candy. Free agent class was not good. This is your 8th spot in the order and hope for the best
Middle infield – Baez actually had a good 2nd half. Schoop’s track record says he will rebound. Trea Turner & Betts we’re not coming here, what were they supposed to do?
Outfield- The fact you didn’t mention Greene questions your knowledge of the team. A. Meadows is the key, if healthy, solid middle of the order bat. Carpenter is going to have a big year ( even though he will probably DH most of the time)
Starting pitching – solid moves as there is a lot of depth in the minors & Mize Skubal coming back next year
Farm rating is low due to the fact that all of their former prospects have enough MLB experience where they are no longer considered prospects. Tork, Mize,Skubal, Faedo, Briske, Wentz, Hill, Greene, Manning are all off the ratings
Will they be good? Probably not, but 75-82 wins should be achievable
I’m only giving you my opinion on their offseason. The question was, what do I rate it so I gave it my opinion. Of course, you’ll find a variety of opinions on the topic from the Homers saying A+ to the Anti-Everythings that will always be negative. Ultimately, my opinion means nothing.
Very few of the “notable losses” are notable. I guess that’s a good thing.
They left out Victor Reyes, but he’s not that notable either.
I gave them a “C”, could have easily been a “B”.
I’m guessing 75 wins, a lot would have to go right to win 80.
I’m curious how Tigers fans feel about Javy Baez at this point?
Personally, I expect him to do well this year.
I hope so, he’s still my favorite player. I’d love to get him back tbh.
Ray Oiler & Don Wert would like to talk to you. Even Dick Tracewski & Tommy Matchick just to mention a few from the 1968 team.
There were worse Tiger hitters just last year (Schoop, Torkelson, Baddoo, Grossman, Candelario, etc.) Baez looked pretty good in the second half of the season.
I voted F but everyone seems to be grading on a curve so I guess D.
With the more balanced schedule and less games vs the A.L. Central, 70 wins seems much more likely than 80.