The Tigers showed signs of progress in the first season under their new front office regime. There’s still another corner to turn to make this a legitimate contender. They could try to close the gap this winter.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Javier Báez, SS: $98MM through 2027 (can opt out after this season)
- Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP: $49MM through 2026 (can opt out after this season)
Option Decisions
- Miguel Cabrera, DH: $30MM club option ($8MM buyout)
- Carson Kelly, C: $3.5MM club option (no buyout); would remain eligible for arbitration if team declines
2024 commitments (assuming Rodriguez opts out): $33MM
Total future commitments (assuming Rodriguez opts out): $106MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players
Non-tender candidates: Kelly, Meadows, Turnbull
Free Agents
- Rodriguez (assuming opt-out), Cabrera, Matthew Boyd, José Cisnero
Towards the end of last season, the Tigers fired general manager Al Avila and hired Giants general manager Scott Harris away to serve as the new president of baseball operations in Detroit. Harris played things cautiously, taking the 2023 campaign as an evaluative year. Now heading into his second winter at the helm, he’ll face more urgency.
Harris recently made a notable off-field move, tabbing new GM Jeff Greenberg as #2 in the front office hierarchy. Greenberg had spent over a decade in the Cubs’ front office, where he overlapped with Harris, before a year in the NHL with the Blackhawks. He’s back in baseball to work under his old colleague and alongside fourth-year manager A.J. Hinch.
The Tigers weren’t facing any significant free agent departures last winter. That’s not the case this time around, as starter Eduardo Rodriguez could head back to the open market. The veteran southpaw has rebounded from a 2022 plagued by middling production and an extended stay away from the club for personal reasons. Rodriguez has turned in a 3.40 ERA across 25 starts, striking out a solid 23.2% of opposing hitters. While his production has tailed off since a late-May pulley rupture in the index finger of his throwing hand, there’s still a good chance he hits the market.
Rodriguez has three years and $49MM remaining on his five-year free agent contract. His camp can make a strong case that he’s a superior pitcher to Jameson Taillon and Taijuan Walker, each of whom secured four-year pacts ranging from $68MM to $72MM last winter. Rodriguez is clearly comfortable in Detroit and invoked his partial n0-trade clause to kill a deadline agreement that would’ve sent him to the Dodgers. He has been noncommittal when asked whether that decision would have any relation to his opt-out call.
From a strict financial perspective, it’d seem likely Rodriguez opts out. The Tigers would surely be happy to have him back in the fold if he plays out his current contract, though they’ll have to plan for the chance he heads elsewhere. There’s no suspense in two of the club’s other option decisions. Javier Báez is going to opt in for the final four years and $98MM on his contract. The team will pay an $8MM buyout to the retiring Miguel Cabrera.
Their final option call is on Carson Kelly. Detroit signed the veteran catcher after he was released by the Diamondbacks midseason. That deal gave the Tigers a $3.5MM option for what would be Kelly’s final year of arbitration. That’s less than Kelly would’ve made had he been tendered an arbitration contract.
Kelly hasn’t performed any better in Detroit than he did in Arizona. He’s hitting .182/.265/.295 in 16 games after running a .226/.283/.298 slash in the desert. Kelly’s production has cratered since he suffered a wrist injury midway through the 2021 season. Even at a $3.5MM price point, the Tigers could look elsewhere. Kelly would technically remain arb-eligible if the Tigers decline his option, though he’d surely be non-tendered at that point. It’d be illogical for the organization to tender him a contract at a higher value than the option price.
Even if they retain Kelly, he won’t be the starter. That falls to Jake Rogers, who has connected on 20 home runs in 353 trips to the plate. The 28-year-old pairs that power with highly-regarded defense. He’s a plus blocker, an above-average pitch framer and receives excellent reviews for his work with a pitching staff. If not Kelly, the Tigers would probably look to bring in another catcher but aren’t likely to seek out a new starter behind the dish.
On the other hand, they could look for upgrades at most spots on the infield. First base is the exception. Former #1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has begun to look like an impact slugger after struggling through his first season and a half in the majors. He’s the only player locked into a spot on the dirt.
Detroit has given looks to multi-positional options Andy Ibáñez and Zach McKinstry. Ibáñez is hitting well in the second half; McKinstry had a solid start to the year but has tailed off significantly. They’re each viable MLB utility players. Neither has demonstrated they’re capable of holding down an everyday role for a full season. Ibáñez turns 31 next April, while McKinstry will be 29. It’s hard to count on either as regulars.
Things haven’t gone much better for the rest of Detroit’s infield. Nick Maton struggled on both sides of the ball after being acquired from Philadelphia in the Gregory Soto trade. Neither Zack Short nor Tyler Nevin has hit well. Late-season call Andre Lipcius is 25 and has never been viewed as a top prospect. Ryan Kreidler has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A.
At least at third base, the Tigers can hope for better production in the near future. Colt Keith has mashed at a .306/.380/.552 clip between the top two minor levels at age 21. He’s now one of the sport’s top prospects and will surely get a look at some point in 2024, though the Tigers haven’t tipped their hand if he’s in consideration for the Opening Day third base job. Harris resisted calls throughout the season to promote Keith or Justyn-Henry Malloy, instead opting for a slow trajectory for the organization’s top prospects.
Malloy is ostensibly an option at the hot corner himself, though scouting reports suggest he might be better suited for left field. Acquired in the Joe Jiménez trade last offseason, the 23-year-old Malloy owns a .277/.417/.474 line over a full season at Triple-A Toledo. As with Keith, he should be up early in the season, though the defensive home is still up in the air.
Detroit isn’t going to make a run at Matt Chapman or Jeimer Candelario, who has emerged as one of the better hitters in the upcoming free agent class after the Tigers non-tendered him a year ago. Players like McKinstry and Ibáñez could cover third base in the short term if Detroit wanted to give Keith a little more time in Triple-A. Yet they’d be well-served to add a regular up the middle.
The organization obviously hoped Báez would anchor the group when they signed him to a $140MM free agent deal two years ago. Instead, he has hit .230/.273/.360 in a little more than 1100 trips to the plate. Báez is still the starting shortstop for now, but Hinch began to curtail his playing time toward the end of the season. The contract alone isn’t a compelling justification for giving him everyday run.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, it’s an awful offseason to be on the hunt for middle infield help. Amed Rosario might be the best player in the free agent shortstop class. It’s barely better at second base, where Whit Merrifield and Adam Frazier lead the group. There’s not much clearer supply on the trade market, where teams like the Giants and Marlins could also be in the mix.
Perhaps the Brewers would move Willy Adames, but he’s not a great fit for a fringe contender like Detroit with only one season of arbitration control remaining. The Cardinals seem reluctant to part with Tommy Edman. Baltimore could move Jorge Mateo, but he’s coming off a dreadful offensive season in his own right. There are a few more options at the keystone, where Brandon Drury or Cavan Biggio could be available — potentially bridging the gap to former #12 overall pick Jace Jung, who performed well at Double-A in his first full pro season.
Given the dearth of middle infield solutions, the Tigers could try to float Báez as a change-of-scenery candidate themselves. Yet he’d be an equally questionable solution for a team like San Francisco or Miami as he is in Detroit. They’d likely have to pay down over three-quarters of the remaining money just to facilitate a deal for a meager return. At that point, it’s probably better to hold onto him and hope for some sort of rebound.
Harris and his staff can feel a lot more comfortable with the outfield. They moved Riley Greene from center to right field late in the season. Assuming he progresses as expected after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow, he’ll be back at one of those spots. Parker Meadows, who took over for Greene in center, hasn’t hit much in his first look at MLB pitching. He’s a good enough defender that Detroit could stick with him in hopes the offense improves. Matt Vierling and Akil Baddoo could see some time in the corners — Vierling might also pick up reps at second or third base — with Malloy potentially playing his way into the left field mix.
Kerry Carpenter has rated as a roughly average corner outfield defender. Regarded by many prospect evaluators as a DH-only type, he has impressed with a .288/.346/.492 clip and 20 homers in his first full season at the big league level. With Cabrera retiring, the Tigers could give Carpenter a few more DH at-bats, though his ability to play an adequate left field gives Hinch options.
With that group of young outfielders, it’s hard to envision the Tigers retaining Austin Meadows. Anxiety issues have kept Meadows on the injured list for the bulk of the past two seasons. His mental health is obviously the foremost concern, but there’s probably no longer a place for him on the MLB roster. Detroit could also entertain trade possibilities on Baddoo or Vierling, perhaps as a means of adding a depth starter or middle reliever.
Rodriguez’s potential departure leaves a question mark in the rotation, though there’s still a promising group of fairly young arms. Tarik Skubal is the headliner. He has returned from flexor surgery and picked up where he’d begun last season, working to a 2.95 ERA with a near-32% strikeout rate through 14 starts.
Former #1 overall pick Casey Mize should be back after last year’s Tommy John procedure. Matt Manning somehow was hit by a comebacker that broke his foot on two separate occasions this year. Around that brutal luck, he looked like a decent rotation piece (albeit with an ERA that outstripped his peripherals). Reese Olson has flashed mid-rotation potential in 98 innings as a rookie.
They’ll likely need at least one veteran arm to solidify the staff. Along with Rodriguez, the Tigers traded away Michael Lorenzen at the deadline and lost Matthew Boyd (an impending free agent) to Tommy John surgery. Neither Alex Faedo nor Joey Wentz has done enough to secure a rotation spot.
Detroit has ample short-term financial room. If Rodriguez opts out, they’d have just $33MM in guaranteed commitments entering the winter. The arbitration class is relatively modest. Detroit has opened recent seasons with a player payroll in the $120-130MM range and has spent upwards of $200MM in the past (although that was under the late Mike Ilitch, while his son Christopher Ilitich is now the primary owner).
There’s ostensibly a chance for the organization to make a run at the top of the pitching market. Harris was hired from a Giants front office that generally eschewed long-term investments in starting pitching, preferring reclamation and/or mid-tier acquisitions. Whether he’ll carry that philosophy to Detroit remains to be seen.
If the Tigers wanted to aim high, they’d have a number of possibilities. A deal in the $200MM range for Blake Snell might be rich, but the likes of Aaron Nola and Jordan Montgomery are consistent sources of above-average bulk innings. NPB star Yoshinobu Yamamoto just turned 25 in August, so his expected prime aligns well with a Detroit team emerging from a rebuild. If they prefer to emulate the Giants’ model, the likes of Seth Lugo, Jack Flaherty and Michael Wacha (if his club option is declined by San Diego) could be targets.
Detroit could also subtract a notable name from the rotation picture. Spencer Turnbull once looked like an innings-eating mid-rotation starter who’d be a key contributor. According to various reports, the relationship between player and team looks to have soured over the past six months. Turnbull reported a neck injury after the Tigers attempted to option him to the minors in May, leading Detroit to put him on the major league IL.
The Tigers sent him to the minors once he was healthy, meaning he’ll finish the year just shy of five years of service. Turnbull reported a toenail avulsion that kept him off the mound for a few weeks immediately thereafter, though he has pitched since having the injured nail removed two weeks ago.
Whether the team/player relationship has soured or not, Turnbull looks to have been squeezed out of the rotation. He’s a potential non-tender candidate as a result, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if Detroit finds a minor trade return from a club interested in giving Turnbull a fresh start.
The bullpen seems in good shape even after last winter’s Jiménez and Soto trades. They’ll likely let José Cisnero walk in free agency after a dismal second half. A quartet of Jason Foley, Alex Lange, Will Vest and Tyler Holton still gives Hinch a strong collection of options. Perhaps they’ll bring in a second left-hander behind Holton, but it’s a quality relief group.
Detroit erroneously thought the rebuild was over two years ago. They made the ill-fated trade of Isaac Paredes and a Competitive Balance draft pick for Meadows and pushed in for Báez. The internal core wasn’t ready to take the next step at that point. It might be now, with Torkelson, Greene and Carpenter emerging and Skubal reestablishing himself as a top-end starter. There are still holes; the middle infield will be particularly difficult to solve.
Still, there’s a solid MLB nucleus, a few more upper minors contributors looming, and a mostly clear payroll ledger now that the Cabrera contract is drawing to a close. The Tigers play in the sport’s least competitive division. After a year to familiarize himself with the organization, does Harris consider this the right time to make a real effort at ending a nine-year playoff drought?
In conjunction with this post, Anthony Franco held a Tigers-centric chat on 9-27-23. Click here to view the transcript.
Wow…just looked up Miggy’s stats He hasn’t been good since 2016. That’s about $220M for -2.9BWAR. Holy contract….worst ever?
I’ve often seen Strasburg as one of the worst ever and that was only $105M for -0.5BWAR.
Not even close! Miggy has been well worth his contract and more during the majority of his time here. There will always be a slide as the player ages. You expect that when you sign a premier player to a long term contract. It is part of the deal with such players.
Miggy has averaged .260 9 HR 45 RBI over the last SEVEN seasons. He has been a minor leaguer level player the last 4.
Thr extension was Terrible because he still had 2 years on his original deal before the 8 years kicked in. He was getting thick even then at age 30, and now 10 years later he is just a sad shadow of his greatness. He is always smiling, a great library of hitting knowledge and teammate, but it was clear his body wasn’t going to hold up. They weren’t going to cut him, but damn, what a waste…also, he wasn’t a great post season hitter for us, though its really Verlander that was a super choker that lost us the WS and several other tries. So much talent from 06 to 13 and no biscuit. Rotten.
Miggy was worth his earlier contracts, but not his last one. If not for that last, he would’ve been a FA in 2016, which was also his last good year. So his last contract was 1 good year, and 7 lousy years. That is definitely a horrible contract.
Agreed we overpaid, but Mr I was an incredible owner for his players and part of that money was makeup for being slightly underpaid before. I’d rather have Miggy retire a Tiger than to have missed his 500/3000 run too. Plus people watched our Tigers because of him, that was our only drawing card since 17
I’d rather stay loyal to my players in place than bring in the garbage players he did! He spent as much on those 4A players he brought in to replace him and got nothing for it
The extension was a complete disaster. Not dismissing his prior worth, but wow this was just sad
What’s about trades, pickup a young hitter. Listen to this sounds like he’s the best friend of spend no money. I’m not saying spend big but there’s a middle ground to help the team and the trade market too
Just remember…. Cabrera’s extension was a gift to the city of Detroit and Tigers fans, to ensure his playing days end in Detroit, and is enshrined as a Tiger. No doubt it was a bad contract, but he admitted it. And now, we get to see a generational player inducted into the Hall of Fame with our ball cap. Thank you, Mr. Illitch. I wish Avila wouldn’t have screwed up the rebuild. Miggy could have had one more playoff run.
If Cabrera had been a Tiger his entire career that might make sense, but he had 5 years with the Marlins to start his career. And even without the extension he would’ve gone into the HOF as a Tiger since his best years were there. Well, most of them, he had some really good years with the Marlins.
Colt Keith will start at second base, Jung is playing third base in the AZ league but probably won’t be ready at the start of the season. Baez is just awful, Miggy has been deadweight for years. Skubal is great, need Mize to be decent, replace ERod if he walks. Could be a decent team in a weak division.
Stop giving players big contracts. Either play for league minimum or go to Japan/Korea and play.
Why didn’t Harris take a rebound flyer on Candelario?
Would you pay $6 mill. as an arbitration award for a guy hitting .217 with modest power and who is a defensive liablity? Congrats to Jeimer for turning it around this year. I hope the team who signs him isn’t stuck with a bad contract if he reverts to his 2022 self.
What if he reverts.to his 2020 or 2021 self? Oh, that’s right. It doesn’t fit the narrative. HARRIS cut Candelario over $1 MM. Candy wanted $6mm and HARRIS wouldn’t go past $5mm. He was expected to get $7mm in arb. If the Tigers had other options to play 3B, the non-tender would have made sense. They didn’t. They still don’t. Candelario was a two time Tiger of the Year. HARRIS should have paid the $1mm. Instead, Detroit fans got to watch McKinstry, Maton, Ibanez, Short, Nevin, Lipcius, and finally Vierling rotate thru the position. Signing Candelario as a FA would be HARRIS admitting he screwed up. A platoon of Ibanez and McKinstry would be passable at 2B, but if Keith is put at 2B, that’s a mighty weak platoon for 3B.
Decent write up. A few things. Keith may or may not play 3B. Had shoulder issues in 2022 and while not apparently an issue this year, his arm strength has not returned. Maybe another off season of rehab will be needed. I guess we’ll see. That combined with Malloy having defensive issues has Jung playing 3B in the AFL, something he hasn’t done in his career. So this is really a wait and see proposition for next year and depending on how Jung does might impact how the Tigers view free agency this year.
E-Rod seems pretty happy here and certainly could opt in. But most think he opts out. Tigers are pretty well covered if he does. Mize, Manning, Skubal, Turnbull, Olson, Gipson-Long, Faedo, Brieske, Wentz all are potential starters, even though some of them (Brieske, Faedo, Wentz) are more likely to end up in the pen. Given Harris’s comments last year regarding turning Detroit into a place pitchers can come and rehab their career, doubt they go fishing on the high end of the FA market for a pitcher. Might see if they can retain/resign E-Rod, but otherwise see them combing the lower end of the market for the next Michael Lorenzen. And they will at minimum bring in a pitcher. Never can have too much depth and they have had enough injuries to the group above you are not going to fully rely on them.
The other thing I could see the Tigers doing is looking for a RHH OF. Meadows, Greene, Carp, Baddoo all hit from the left side. Only Vierling hits right handed and he also plays some 3B. Could be via FA or via trade of someone like Baddoo.
Article was only so-so. It completely ignored Erie’s impressive pitching staff with Madden, Hurter, Flores, and now Jobe in the rotation plus Mattison and Holub in the bullpen. They need a veteran pitcher if E-Rod opts out, which I think he will. The AA pitching depth (and Harris’ past) suggests nibbling at the bottom of the FA pitching class with a shorter contract rather than going all-in on Snell, etc.
Detroit should probably find a way to unload Baez, and get some prospects, even if they grade all that high. It would be better to have rookies developing over having Baez’s mediocre offensive numbers.
I don’t see anyone taking him with his abysmal stats this year. Kick him to the bench if it continues next year and give Eddys Leonard a chance. He can’t play much worse.
If the Tigers were an action movie, it would be Robocop 2
Dream on, pal. The only way they unload Baez is to pay all/most of his salary. For the time being, let’s enjoy his defense.
Seems like one of those crucial moments in time for a franchise. Either start being aggressive, make some bold moves and look for deals to bridge the gap on your own prospects like a typical Pirates team or play it safe protecting your prospects and deal in the dumpster for another year while being risk averse. I just don’t see them going after superstars yet, although a Juan Soto sitting out there is sure tempting if you can make a trade and get him to sign a contract. Do the same with Burnes from the Crew and maybe you have a core and a reason for Rodriguez to stay. Interesting times for the Tigers!
The best things the Tigers have going for them is a low payroll in the foreseeable future and a low bar for success in a mediocre division. Harris and Greenberg have their work cut out for them, but at least Avila is out of the mix.
Guess the author didn’t realize Colt Keith will likely be a second baseman.
Not really. He’ll most likely be the Tiger’s third baseman next year… after that, who knows?
Well, they could have had a V8.
Malloy and Keith having not played at all for the big club this year is malpractice.
Yamamoto wouldn’t be welcomed in Detroit with the UAW. No idea how the RedWings were able to have Seider on their team but good for them for realizing Germans make the best cars.
Novi, a Detroit suburb where I live and work, has a sizable Japanese population and is quite diverse overall. Yamamoto would be more than welcome here. UAW members are big sports fans and want to win; nationality won’t matter.
Sterling Heights has a large Japanese population as well.
Nobody cares about nationality. You think Ohtani wouldn’t be welcomed?
Would Cashman trade away the kitchen sink in pure desperation? Trade any and all prospects due up in 25, because if he doesn’t win….?
They need a catcher badly. They need payroll space badly. Unfortunately, have few top, top prospects….
I’d bet Tim Anderson would want to stick it to the WSox, play his heart out….
I’d bet Tim Anderson would want to stick it to the WSox, play his little heart out….
Good summary and at last there is hope for the future of the Tigers. This will be a critical offseason as it will shape the position players for the next few years. Seems the Tigers are set in the OF w/ Greene. Meadows, Carpenter, Badoo and Vierling, so the work will need to be done in the infield. Between McKinstry, Short, Ibanez, Maton and Kriedler, only one of these return players should return in 2024 in order to make room for Keith, Jung and Henry-Malloy. Hopefully its Ibanez as he’s the only one who seems to be able to hit somewhat consistently. Unfortunately, Baez will continue to be an anchor around the team’s neck for the remaining 4 years of his contract unless Chris and Mrs. I. decide to eat some of his salary wh/ isn’t going to happen. Kelly should be non-tendered as there has to be a better backup catcher option out there. Torkelson is a lock at first. So, the Tigers need to find MLB caliber 2nd and 3rd basemen as well as a backup catcher, unless the 2 boy-wonders now running the team have confidence in their top prospects. Will be interesting to watch what happens.
The Tigers are in nice shape. Parker Meadows finally gives Detroit a big time bat and center fielder who can lead off. His speed, and power are for real. With Carpenter in right and Tork at first, they have a nice top of order. When Greene comes back at the all star break he’ll slot in there somewhere playing left.
They have Bigbie, and Malloy hitting from the right, and Keith from the left side waiting to come up too.
For the guys who hadn’t done well and they have options they stay, those that didn’t and don’t won’t.
I can barely remember the guys they got rid of after last year, so this will be the model this season. They had success doing that so bombs away. As far as trading who knows ?
Some of the guys this year will probably be traded if there is no room, but they’ll figure all that out. Options and rule 5 guys always have their way in the figuring too.
The owner spends money because we seen he brought in Baez and E rod. He out spent everyone else, he spends money. His spending brought me back to baseball. Taking a knee to our Anthem had me throw in the towel on my last sport for 20 and 21. I re bought my cancelled MLBTV, and came on back sans fantasy leagues that got ravaged by the MLB contract forbidding the money there, but allowing betting ???. Strange stuff indeed.
This weekend the Tigers battle Cleveland for second place, and I believe they challenge Minnesota next year for first. The Big Mike Ilitch era ends this week with Miggy retiring, but their memory will live on. Lots of Tigers from that era are still playing and playing quite well for playoff teams. Big Mike taking the team over from Monaghan’s domino’s, and raising the Pizza Pizza flag was so great for Detroit.
The Tigers are in great shape, and they are fun to watch. These articles are for the non following fan and provide a knowledgeable overview of the teams. It’s all fun for fans to debate as that’s what fans do. Coming up on the 40 year since that wonderful 35-5 start has passed in a minute. I wish Gibby was healthy and still climbing the center field chain linked fence at the old ball park before Chet, and I was sitting out there watching him do so. Prime time years go by fast, that’s for sure.
According to what I’ve seen, Riley Greene is supposed to be ready to go at the start of next season.
Your right it says he’ll only be down till the season starts. That’s good news, and the open D..H spot helps so much.
I don’t have your short memory. Cutting both Willi Castro and Candelario weren’t successful moves. Of the players they brought in, Lorenzen and Holton were successes. Vierling and Ibanez were passable. The rest really weren’t major league quality. Hopefully, HARRIS learns from his mistakes.
Like I said I didn’t watch baseball or any sports in 20 and 21 even though I had just got the sports package for 20 that year along with still having MLBTV. So I missed Candy’s and Baddoo’s big year. Last year all those guys combined effort got the G.M fired.
Harris ? Who knows. I don’t dislike what is going on this year as they were better. I’m not into the free agent purchases as they usually don’t work out. So going the castaway or trade route while waiting for guys to come up is okay. Getting Ohtani would be cool, or getting some guys from Japan would be nice too.
The good players right now are Avila’s so are the guys coming up right away. Harris acknowledged that by drafting a lot of high school guys. At the end of the day we shouldn’t get attached to anyone here unless they are extended like Atlanta has done.
Greene is expected to be ready next spring. He didn’t injure his throwing arm, he’ll be fine.
How does Riley Greene hurt the UCL in his NON
throwing arm!!??
He made a spectacular catch and landed awkwardly on it. Just a fluky thing I guess.
Oh wow. Thanks!
Want to see a motivated infield? Move Baez to second and take Tim Anderson off the White Sox’ hands for his $14M option. It may not entirely work, but imagine the fireworks! It’ll be like Rodman going to the Bulls, only in reverse.
Oh, the entertainment value!
OK honestly I like Willy Adames lots better here but then Bad Boys wouldn’t be Back.
No more Bad Boys for the Motor City…
Since Cabrera is retiring do they still have to pay the million dollar buyout?
Yes. I’m pretty sure it’s $8 million.
If Harris had resigned Candelario… the team would have been in much better shape for 2023. But Harris didn’t know what he had. Not sure he knows what he has now. Does he realize he drafted Max Clark instead of Wyatt Langford? Has that sunk in yet?
Loan him your time machine.
Money is money, but Javy is also Javy….Money may not matter to him as much as happiness and he has had a miserable experience in Detroit. Not the Tigers fault by any means, but he may need a change of scenery for peace of mind more than money. Plus, this would be the time to be a free agent as there is very little competition on the market. He would certainly take a pay cut, but still may find a decent deal. Would be a serious roll of the dice for him. Nothing would surprise me…on another note. Isaac Paredes with 30 homers…..we could have had him at 2nd or 3rd and he and Tork in the middle or the lineup….
ostensibly