The Tigers could potentially have a new general manager in place before the end of the season, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports via X. It was almost exactly a year ago that Scott Harris was hired as the club’s new president of baseball operations, though the GM role (effectively Harris’ top lieutenant) has remained vacant, despite an ongoing search and the fact that Detroit has three assistant GMs in Sam Menzin, Rob Metzler, and Jay Sartori. It remains to be seen if the Tigers might promote from within or look to someone from outside the organization to act as Harris’ official second-in-command.
There hasn’t been much news on the GM search or Harris’ hiring preferences, as he said back in June that the process had taken a back seat to more pressing matters, such as preparation for the amateur draft and presumably the trade deadline in short order afterwards. It could also be that Harris has someone in particular in mind who is currently under contract with another organization, and had to wait until closer to the end of the 2023 season to engage in negotiations. Or, since Harris was viewing his first season with the Tigers as an evaluation process on and off the field, he might have a better sense of what he wants in a GM after a year of gauging the club’s pluses and minuses.
More from around the baseball world…
- After two seasons with the Giants, Joc Pederson is eager for a third, telling the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that “I really like it here. It’s a great group of guys. I love the way they run the organization.” Pederson’s big 2022 campaign led the Giants to issue him a qualifying offer after the season, and Pederson opted to take the one-year, $19.65MM rather than test the market in search of a longer or more lucrative deal. Pederson is again eligible for free agency this winter, and will face a more limited market since his 2023 numbers (.245/.355/.421 with 13 homers over 383 plate appearances) have been more good than great, and Pederson brings little batting value against left-handed pitching or defensive value as a corner outfielder. That said, Pederson also has some of the best hard-contact metrics of any hitter in the league, and since his .373 xwOBA outpaces his .340 wOBA by such a significant margin, there could be multiple teams interested in seeing if he can have better luck in 2024. San Francisco might be such a team, since the Giants’ love of platoons might be create a natural part-time for Pederson.
- Guardians starters Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie each started rehab assignments with Double-A Akron this week, with Bieber’s next outing tentatively slated for tomorrow and McKenzie on Tuesday, as Guards manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal). Both pitchers are on the 60-day injured list, as McKenzie has been out since June due to a right elbow sprain and Bieber since July because of right elbow inflammation. With only two weeks left in the regular season, the timing will be tight for either pitcher to make it back, and Cleveland’s dimming hopes at the AL Central title also make it possible that the team could just shut down Bieber or McKenzie out of caution. However, the two right-handers are still aiming to return, since as McKenzie put it, returning after the long IL stint would allow him to “go into the offseason with a calm mind.”
- The Rockies’ seemingly nonstop flood of pitching injuries has continued today, with Kyle Freeland leaving today’s start after three innings due to what the club later announced as a mild right oblique strain. This came after Colorado already placed right-hander Peter Lambert on the 15-day IL prior to their doubleheader with the Giants, as Lambert is suffering from right biceps tendinitis. Lambert has a 5.36 ERA over 87 1/3 innings this year, after missing most of the previous three seasons due to injuries. Freeland has a 5.07 ERA and he leads the Rox with 155 2/3 innings pitched, though he also previously missed a bit of time on the IL with a minor shoulder issue in July. It is safe to assume that Lambert’s 2023 campaign is over, and Freeland is also probably done for the year unless his oblique strain ends up being very minor.
Imagine if the Indians had Bieber and McKenzie healthy all year.
They definitely wouldn’t be 7 games behind the Twins right now
Every team in baseball can say that. Imagine a full healthy season from Correa and Lewis mahle and Buxton. Twins be up 15 games then
There’s a difference. Buxton will never play a full season again.
I love Buxton but you’re probably right. Hard to believe he’s only managed to play 100 games in a season once his big league career
Buzz, to imagine that, we’d have to go back in time a few years to when there was a team named that.
You’re choosing being inaccurate on purpose over being “woke” or whatever? Mlbtr boards are smarter than that. I wouldn’t say the Beaneaters just clinched the NL East, ya know?
@paleo It has absolutely nothing to do with whatever you just said. I simply HATE the name Guardians with a passion. If they chose the name Spiders I wouldn’t still call them the Indians.
I wish they were the Cleveland Rockers and their mascot looked like Ultimate Warrior wearing an 80s hair band concert tee, like White Snake, Cinderella, or Quiet Riot. And every seventh inning stretch could be capped off with “Cum on Feel the Noize.”
Guardians is just as bad as Commanders. We erased names insensitive to minorities and replaced them with names that offend our commercial tastes.
> Imagine if the 1995 Indians
> had Bieber and McKenzie all year.
In 95? I think the Braves still stomp all over them in the World Series. The end.
I’d tend to agree, as much as it pains me to say. Bieber was an infant and McKenzie wasn’t even born
Shh, you’ll ruin the surprise! He may not know…oh well, too late.
Rockies now up to 7 season ending injuries for starting pitchers and have exactly zero starting pitchers left who started the season with them. I believe the Angels still have them in terms of total injuries, but specifically for pitchers, what Colorado has gone through this year is just astounding. And not just in the majors. They lost three of their five best SP prospects (all in the same week!) to Tommy John in July.
And they’re on their hottest stretch of the year, just won their fifth game in a row.
It’s baseball as a whole. And way more so w pitching than hitting. I don’t think the human body is designed to throw a baseball a 102 mph. 90 yeah probably, but the harder everyone throws the more injuries pile up
No. Rocky Colavito, turns around, hits the catcher in the head, full on with a baseball bat, the guy goes to hospital, gets a bunch of stitches and is behind the plate the next day…..
Times have changes, men have changed, society has changed
Nobody got suspended
No criminal charges…..
Years later, the guy sued for.like $5K..
Times HAVE changed
Bottom line;
A lot of doctors and lawyers and such, pocketing a load of money…..
Instead of doctors and lawyers and such we need more men that pick guitars and drive them old trucks. I blame the mothers of America starting in 1976.
The Tigers need a GM. Menzin was an Avila hire and Harris brought in Metzler. If its an internal hire I see it being one of those two. I wonder if he was test driving them to see which one is best suited? The comment in the article about waiting for someone currently under contract to become available is interesting and has me thinking now.
I would be surprised if the Tigers hire from within. I would guess they hire from another organization like the Braves or Os.
Metzler came from TB which also has good young execs. Hopefully they will not hire another Tampa alum Chaim Bloom though.
Chaim Bloom, next Tiger GM.
If those are the results when Harris focuses on something, then maybe he’s in the wrong position. He totally screwed up the trade deadline and made a major blunder taking Max Clark over Wyatt Langford.
Clark hitting .150 in A ball.
Langford has hit .380 in rookie, .333 in A and now over .400 in AA.
Who saw Clark as a better player than Langford? Who?
That’s what happens when you believe you’re the smartest guy in the room like Harris does… he has the “Bob Quinn” disease and Tigers fans are now as screwed as Lions fans were when he was Lions GM
Would have loved to have Langford, but its too early to make that comparison. Langford played in the SEC which is supposedly like A Ball to begin with, so he is much more advanced at this point in time, yes. However, maybe they felt Clark had more upside. Maybe they felt he would fit better at Comerica than Langford. Plus, Langford is close to the big already. He might have fit well with Greene and Carp, but can he play center in CoPa? They seem committed to getting Riley out of center for some reason. Short term, yes, it looks bad, but there is a long term. Hopefully that changes over time.
Yes let’s base our decision on Clark vs Langford on like 100 at bats. Really dude?
he is basing it on 39 ABs and Clark has almost walked as many times as he has struck out.
Dude, I’m basing it on a guy dominating college baseball over a guy dominating some backwoods high school system.
Its a little early, and small sample sizes. I did like Langford as the pick as he has more power and will likely be up faster. Clark is still going to be a good pick, will be better defensively, and has more speed which is needed in the Comerica OF.
When I say this 20 years from now you will make up some other lame excuses.
They laughed at me when I said Bellinger would be a good addition. When I said they should pick up Hicks instead of Marisnick. Why give Boyd $10 mil? He has never ever been a $10 mil player. Especially when he has been injured recently. Totally ignorant decision. Schoop at 2b? No 3b?
Harris has been a total cluster so far.
Imagine if they had signed a couple hitter to add to the worst offense in years? If they had kept Candelario and let Schoop go? They would be in the playoffs.
Check back in 20 years then not 39 at bats. Big difference unless you have a time machine.
Again your time machine will serve you well.
Sometimes these things are pretty obvious…
Clark will not hit nearly as well as Langford… finding a defensive speedy CF is pretty easy… finding a .300 power hitter that walks more than he strikes out… hard to do. Well, except when it’s staring you in the face with the number 3 pick. Then you decide to go for a defensive CF that might get a couple hits.
Huge mistake. Huge.
Melchez…since you have a time machine, in the future do the Tigers move the team to Montreal because of this horrible pick? Based on what you are saying, I’m feeling like the team is going to implode because Harris picked Clark and didn’t sign all these underachieving guys that you bring up after they have a good season. Your hindsight is way more than 20-20. You’re like Acuna here with a 30-60 level of hindsight
Is your time machine better? I said those things before they rebounded. It was pretty obvious Candelerio had a bad season in a season where every Tiger had a bad season. He was Tiger of the year 2 years in a row before that. I was pretty sure he would rebound. He had a history of playing good defense and being a decent hitter. Why give up on him?
Why gibe Boyd that deal? What had he done to deserve $10 mil? He pitched 13 innings the year before in relief.
Bellinger was a guy who needed a change of scenery, that was very obvious. Not sure he would have done as well in Detroit because the Cubs play in a hitter friendly park.
Hicks was another guy that needed a change of scenery. I said it then. Marisnick is a glove first- can’t hit guy. Tigers needed someone that could hit.
I have said before, Harris needs to get out of the way and let the baseball people do their thing. Hire a real GM. He has time to fix this, but he has put the team at a huge step back with that terrible draft pick. .
You will see… then you will say I have great hindsight again. LOL
I agree with you 100% on Bellinger and Candelario.
Avila is an all time great prospect scout. However, he is terrible at free agent evaluations. I’m glad he got a chance to prove himself as a GM, but its outside his wheel house.
Harris has already proven himself with some great FA moves. He was obviously over taxed at the trade deadline and he needed a GM. Hopefully, Harris recognises he needs an Avila type to handle the draft, too.
The Tigers need a master delegator president, not a Bugs Bunny dictator. I still have hope, but the front office moves this off season will probably more important than any hot stove signings they make and I honestly don’t know if Harris has the courage to admit he needs help.
Who’s better for a team – Pederson or Verdugo?
They should hire Al Avila.
Think about it. The Who blaring at the presser, Al and his wife, dancing with abandon ( decked out like disco, of course, doing the celebratory boogie woogie)
Curtains close, thank you for attending.
In September, fire him if we are not in first place. Repeat each year, until we win the WS.
In that way, Harris keeps a scapegoat =job security.
Obviously, the SUPERFIFE has never been in a room with Scottie “Beamer” Harris.
Yep.
Beside, I’m getting bored…..at least Al kept it lively.
Just keep Al away from the Free Agent signings.
We could have, “Al Avila Day”, at the park = an annual tradition. Attendance would soar…..
Bobble head give aways with detachable head….
Maybe even a parade with burning effigies and pitchforks…
A yearly festival.
Of course, we have to applaud extra (if and) when the Tiger win…..
Selling tickets for the 2024 White Sox is the worst job in the world
Not really. The base pay has to be high to get anyone to take the job, plus you definitely won’t be overworked.
Plenty of time for HARRIS to find his GM. Only pending FA on the team worth considering is E-Rod, and it might be best to have the asst. GM do those talks. Once the off-season starts, there really isn’t any decent offence player that fits there needs. Keith will hopefully be next years 3B, and Malloy is likely the choice for DH. Other than Whitfield as an upgrade on 2B, and a RH back up OF, not a lot on the market. If I was HARRIS, I would look to sign Hader for the bullpen. Adds a needed lefty, and moves Lange to setup with Foley and Holton. They could still use a catcher that can hit, but doesn’t everyone?
i woulld make a perfect Detroit GM. I can overpay a bunch of free agents any time
Only if you use your own money. Chris has not yet been known to open the checkbook.
Putting the team on the field is a small part of what a GM does.
Dear Mr. Block me,
Tiger fans know more about what a GM doesn’t do than what one does…..
Joc “Baby Panda” needs to take his grossly overpaid contract, $19.65M, underwhelming performance, part-time DH role, and defensive liability to another team in 2024.
They coulda had a V-8.