The Tigers’ acquisition of Mark Canha from the Brewers was the first trade of the offseason for any team, but it seems it’ll also be the team’s only addition of a veteran hitter who’s expected to have a regular role. President of baseball operations Scott Harris tells Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that he doesn’t envision adding anymore veteran hitters who’d be in the lineup on an everyday basis, citing a desire to ensure playing time for younger hitters whom the organization needs to evaluate against big league pitching.
Harris notes that the Tigers have a young hitter either at every position on the diamond or on the cusp of debuting. “We got to commit to those guys,” says Harris. “There aren’t a ton of at-bats available for another everyday-type bat.”
That’s largely true. Spencer Torkelson (first base), Riley Greene (right field), Kerry Carpenter (DH/left field), Parker Meadows (center field) and Jake Rogers (catcher) have all generally staked claims to jobs. The Tigers signed top prospect Colt Keith to a six-year deal with a trio of club options before he even made his debut with an eye toward him winning the second base job in camp. Third base could be a platoon between Zach McKinstry and one of Matt Vierling or Andy Ibañez early in the season, but 22-year-old Jace Jung isn’t far from the big leagues after the 2022 first-rounder torched High-A and Double-A pitching last season.
The veteran Canha will be the primary left fielder, though he could mix in at designated hitter as the season wears on. The Tigers have 23-year-old Justyn-Henry Malloy coming off a .277/.417/.474 showing in Triple-A. He’s played third base and the outfield in the minors, but the team now plans for him to focus solely on outfield work, per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com (X link). Given his outstanding showing in Toledo, Malloy will be in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot. If he doesn’t make the club, he figures to get his first MLB call at some point this season. Javier Baez will reprise his role at shortstop, as his contract is all but untradeable and leaves the club with little choice but to hope for a rebound.
It’s a young lineup, and the Tigers aren’t likely to convert on each and every young player they’re penciling in around the diamond. But the vast majority of their young hitters haven’t even received a full season’s worth of big league at-bats, and they’re all knocking on the door at roughly the same time. It’s sensible to take an extended look at several of their potential cornerstone pieces before blocking them with an experienced veteran. If the club is in contention but sees a young hitter or two falter in the season’s first half, it stands to reason that the Detroit front office could look to augment the lineup on the summer trade market. And if poor performance or injury changes the organization’s view of any of their young hitters in 2024, the Tigers will have ample payroll space to make an addition next winter.
The Tigers have been loosely connected to veterans like J.D. Martinez and Matt Chapman over the course of the winter, but Harris’ comments quash what already looked to be longshot odds of either player landing in Detroit.
It should be noted that Harris’ comments don’t expressly rule out any subsequent additions, be they via the trade or free agent market. The Tigers have a veteran backup catcher, Carson Kelly, but the rest of their projected bench (Vierling, Andy Ibanez, Akil Baddoo) has minor league options remaining. Bringing in a seasoned bench bat who could step into a larger role in the event of an injury or struggles from a young hitter would be reasonable enough, but the team hasn’t tipped its hand that even a smaller-scale move of that nature should be expected.
Man, these articles must be discouraging to Boras…. All the “mystery teams” are openly stating they aren’t spending any more.
Once he gets his big names signed I could see him (Boras) call for league expansion. It’s been 26 years.
Salt Lake and Nashville please.
Perhaps Nashville gets the Rays, Salt Lake gets an expansion and maybe the next city is either Indianapolis or Columbus (presuming Las Vegas gets the A’s).
I thought the Rays had a deal to stay in St Pete?
Probably do. They really need to be in Tampa because their current location is not good.
Tokyo, Osaka & Seoul would be the best options.
20+ hour flights from certain parts of the US. Seems easy enough.
@dkhits20
MLB already wastes 3/4 of their season on playing meaningless games, so they could cut out that 3/4 and have more rest days.
Old York I haven’t heard you say anything positive about the game of baseball in many months. You are not obligated to watch or follow it if it grieves you so. Not sure how “old” you actually are, but I have had elderly family members be told by their doctors to quit watching sports because the stress of watching their favorite teams was too taxing on their health.
@Ignorant Son-of-a-b
The truth hurts and often, it’s best to tell the truth than try to sugar coat everything.
Aren’t there enough croppy teams already? There are already TOO.MANY TEAMS not even trying….
Plenty of excuses to not field an MLB caliber team.
Like playing time and devopment……
Honestly the talent is there for another couple of teams. The problem is owners (Fisher, Moreno, Nutting) who are in this for profit and only profit. I think that it’s important to have owners who have a love for the game and are OK making a little less money so they don’t embarrass the whole league.
Figure out the why, and you’ll have your answer.
Yes agree there’s going to be more players than musical chairs IMO. See Chapman getting a 2 year deal at best.
I think he goes to the Giants for 6.
The Freep has speculated that if Chapman signs with the Giants, then they could trade JD Davis to DET to play 3B for 2024 since it’s the final year of his contract. I still don’t think it’s likely but it would make more sense than signing Chapman and the fans would be happy.
May as well leave OF Vierling at 3B. Davis had his first non horrible defensive season last year. Wouldn’t want to bet on a repeat.
It depends on the asking price. If they want Baddoo straight up, I’d take that bet. If they want Wilmer Flores or another young SP, then no.
It’s the Giants. With their rotation, they’ll want someone like Manning. I wouldn’t do it for JD Davis. I don’t even know if I’d do it if they threw in Bart. Though it makes it a little more intriguing. I’d prefer Jung to rip the cover off the ball this spring and force their hand.
Plus…the towns that lost minor league teams could see a return.
They need to get either Chapman or JD, they are so close to getting the AL Central.
Twins are much better at this point. Tigers almost caught em til that last string of moves
hahahahahahhahahahh
By the “last string of moves, you mean trading Polanco and signing Santana? That doesn’t make them any better, IMHO.
No chance they go for either player. I don’t think they harbor any illusion that they are one hitter away from the central crown. Twins are clearly better and you can be on the Guards bouncing back a bit.
They intend to use the DH spot to give more at bats the the players they already have so they have a better sense of what their needs are at the trade deadline and next off season. At that point they might feel comfortable dealing from a depth of pitching (health permitting) to acquire the hitters they need.
I am not sure they win the division if they sign both Chapman and JD, let alone one. Too many question marks.
I don’t think the Twins are going to run away with it. They lost a lot in the pitching department. (Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda). Desclafani isn’t going to cover for both. Maybe Paddack plays up to his potential or Woods Richardson. But the bullpen looks even more solid.
I think the Tigers signing Chapman would win the division for them. But does it really matter at this point? The Tigers or the Twins aren’t going to the World Series in 2024 unless they buy tickets like everyone else!
Lol at this silly post
Chapman would cost a pick, so HARRIS’ hole at 3B will continue. JDM on a one year would be wonderful. Unfortunately, HARRIS does not want to win with talent Avila put together. He is building for the future and will not go all in now. It would make firing Avila look like a bad move. Greene and Tork, and Mize, and Skubal will all be gone as FAs before any all-in move takes place.
Pretty much every review from a Baseball mag or online I have read disagrees with you and your Harris hating. Me too.
As for Avila’s guys…only Canha, the mixture at 3B/backup infielder and the backup catcher have been brought in on the offense side by Harris. The C, 1B, DH (Carpenter) , 2B (Keith), SS and most of the OF Meadows, Greene and Baddoo were ALL Avila guys. The starters are also mostly Avila guys and much if the bullpen. Your logic on the issue is flawed or lacking all together.
I’d rather see Malloy show what he has than JD take at bats from young guys…but Malloy is one of Harris’ “guys” so that probably makes no sense to you.
Messaging to Boras to get off his high horse.
To simpIify it (at least for me) I think he was trying to sell the “top free agents of the off-season” as Top Tier Free Agents?
Therefore the NEED to set new records and establish benchmarks might have been the goal. The four majors left have either big question marks or far reaching signability #’s. Am very glad the Phillies prioritized resigning Nola and extending Wheeler.
Be interesting to see if Greene can turn a corner this season. He doesn’t have the power of a typical right fielder so he needs to be doing other things a lot better this season than in the past like getting on base and staying healthy. Tigers are going to need a big year from him if they are gonna compete, their lineup is a little lackluster
Harris is sticking to Al Avila’s plan.
Yea, a 20 year rebuild! LOL.
Read between the lines of what every GM is saying (a great negotiating strategy) We hope some players panic and get desperate and drop their price.
Seriously I wonder if the next CBA some players complain of collusion among teams. This is almost impossible to prove in a legally grey area.Unless some smoking gun internal emails get leaked.
They’ve got nothing to stand on. The competition for Ohtani and Yamamoto couldn’t get any higher even with the RS and Cubs doing not much. Josh Hader got the deal he wanted. Boras continues to overplay his hand but we’ll see.
Code words for: We’re not planning to win this year anyway and we’re in a cupcake division so if by chance the other teams are terrible and we end up in first place, at least we didn’t go spend a boat load of cash to do it.
Kinda feels like a modus operandi for the whole division some years.
Yes, I agree. The “have not” division compared to the East and West in both leagues in terms of acquiring high end talent.
hahaha. Tigers are better now.
The Tigers aren’t going to the World Series even if they win the division, so why block the young players and prematurely commit the capital they’ll need in the future to plug holes when they’re in real championship contention???
So, when will that be? 2030? 2035? You’re assuming all these prospects “hit!”
I read it as code words for “Maybe next year.”
We don’t need anymore bats. We are a high 80’s win team. Just wait till Malloy,Jung and the stud pitchers come up
Those players will be coming up. They are not a reason to wait. Its a reason to not sign any Baez length deals. A one year contract for JDM isn’t going to stop any deserving player from getting ABs.
Malloy is not deserving? He had 110 walks to lead the minors and a .417 OBP!
Not sur why some posters here think the Twins are so much better…..they lost some starting pitching this winter and their lineup is not all that dominant. Keep in mind the Tigers had a winning record vs every team in their division last year, INCLUDING the Twins, and I bet the ranch the Tiger’s pitching outshines theirs this year.
“We aren’t good enough to bother with trying to get better.”
That’s an ill-intentioned statement, but not particularly inaccurate. Why make long-term financial commitments until you know for sure what holes need to be filled, and that making those commitments puts your team in contention for a world championship? Winning a weak division only to make an early exit from the playoffs isn’t worth a huge commitment, in my view.
Urshela on a 1 year deal would be a good stopgap at 3B until Jung is ready to take over.
Urshela had 2 HRs last year. He’s no better than Ibanez or Vierling.
Vierling is playing third with the anticipation of Jung being called up in July, why can’t people understand this? Tigers are pretty much set, can’t get rid of the biggest problem which is Baez.
Whoa… wait… it took 10o and some odd games last year for AJ to put Vierling at third and you got him starting???… he proved what defensively, and what offensively at that corner? That he struggled as a platoon position playa there? I really do like to have him there. We thought that trade was mainly for him and Maton(who soaked a cork at 3rd) to be there. Vierling would have to ball it out and make SportsBetting know his name. Or Uncle Gio would sound pretty damn good about NOW.
I don’t trust either one of them….
Urshela hit .299 and plays elite defense at 3B.
I didn’t mean he was a bad player. I think he was hurt last year as well if I remember correctly. For the cost though, they akready have similarly type players in house with lower salaries.
Love people saying the Twins are “clearly” better! Lol, really? I guess I just don’t see it. Are the Tigers going to be world beaters and win a ring? No, far from it. But MIN, KC or especially CHW do not scare me at all in the Central. And even if 2 of the Tigers young bats play up to their potential to go with Tork, Greene, Carpenter etc then this team could be dangerous. At the very least they’ll be fun to watch! Go Tigers!
Rogers .240 20 homers
Tork .280 40 homers
Keith .300 10 homers
Baez .250 25 homers
Jung .270 15 homers
Carpenter .290 30 homers
Meadows .250 20 homers
Greene .280 25 homers
Malloy .300 15 homers
You heard it here first.
Your lips (or in this case, fingers) to God’s ears.
“Ill intentioned”?
But not inaccurate?
Sheesh. So, your good intentions are to intentionally trot out lesser talent to MAKE SURE your club does not make the playoffs. Got it.
There are some ill intentions for you.
While you take a break from being freaking ridiculous, ever hear tell of a recent ballclub known as the Arizona Diamondbacks?
I’ve got to stop paying attention to certain low elements.
I just have no confidence in HARRIS. He hasn’t yet convinced me that he can identify the needs of the team (3B!) or the players they need (Maton, Sands) or the players they don’t need (Candelario, W. Castro) or that he can make a trade (E-Rod). I hold out hope for Canha and Kennedy, but they don’t excite me. They are more Placeholders, than players to bolster the lineup.
That’s because you focus only on the negative and seem to think releasing. 200 hitters with under .300 OBP is a problem. He’s made mistakes but you also leave out his successes: Eddys Leonard for nothing; Malloy; the team friendly Keith signing; grabbing Holton, Lorenzen and Ibanez off the scrap heap; a wicked draft last year. Pick a new team if you hate this one so much.
Some people are.
The season hasn’t even started yet and here we are, reading an article that references…..
NEXT YEAR?
So Scottie Harris believes the Tiger hitters are just too good to bother getting any major league hitters. LOL. Scottie is so flipping stupid. Has he seen that offense? Goodness. They are terrible. The best couple young hitters are borderline average. Tirk… Greene… Carpenter… Those are the best they have.
You don’t think the young guys will improve and guys like Keith, Meadows and Malloy have earned a shot in the bigs? New faces in the batting order (Canha, Keith, Malloy, Meadows) alone should improve the team. I’d love a big bat too but not at the expense of those young players. If they traded for a good young one sure, but not a long term FA deal for Chapman who has faded offensively since his time in Oakland and when i squint my eyes is starting to look a lot like Baez or Donaldson to me.
There is a chance they will improve… Also a chance they will regress.
Jung, when he was drafted, they said 2b is the only spot he could play. Weak arm and very little range. I can’t see how he is now considered a 3b.
Some bad luck with Keith hurting his arm. He has a gun for an arm. The reviews on Jung at 3B at the end of last year were okay though. Small sample size. Maybe it is short term and they would swap later or maybe they will try for Bregman next year?
Parker Meadows is solid defensively and has some speed. I just see him more like a keirmaeir type. That’s good, but nothing great.
Malloy needs to learn lf… A young DH needs to put up jd Martinez type numbers. I just don’t see that.
I really like Keith. I just hope they don’t Castellanos him by moving him around.
I agree on Keith and Meadows. Malloys power is developing and ges a really big dude. I think he’ll at least be a 25 HR guy with good avg/OBP. I’d like tonsee Eddys Leonard later in the year too if he keeps hitting. I read he’s been playing OF as well as 3B, SS and 2B at Toledo. He looks interesting.
That’s not the point.
I hope the Illiches sell the team. They’re not even trying.
Missed opportunity with so many unsigned & potential veteran bargains.
Let’s see some Justyn Henry!
The Tigers have a good pitching staff, with Skubal being the gem and a legitimate Cy Young contender a former #1 overall coming back from injury, plus another stud pitcher in Jobe on the way as soon as the second half of the season. The bullpen looks solid and they have their secret weapon Chris Fetter who made wine out of water with Lorenzen and Holton last year and hopefully does the same with Flaherty this year.
Their offence will be improved just by virtue of the young core (Greene, Tork, Carp) being a year older, adding a professional hitterbin Canha, Meadows getting a full year to show his stuff, Keith coming up, Jung and Malloy likely joining him in the second half at some point, and there is no way Baez can be that bad again. I can’t see Rogers hitting 20 HRs again but at the same time I can’t see Kelly sucking as badly as he did either.
I’d be good if they upgraded at 3B for this year bit I see what they are trying to do bybwaiting and developing their own players. A good vet on a one year deal (this is the only reason they should even sniff around Chapman), or a good young 3B for the long term could both be palatable. Or just wait on Jung or sign Bregman next year if Jung doesnt work out.
They have the year to battle the Twins all year for the Division and come out on top. In the playoffs anything can happen.
Jobe was an Avila pick… He was criticized for it. Jone is looking really good now, but it’s still early.
Like Mize, one injury can change things. He did look really good last year though. Second rated RHP pitching prospect behind Skenes.
I think the rotation would have been fine with Skubal, Olson, Mize, Manning and Gipson-Long. You still have a long list of AAA guys in case of emergency. Flores, Jobe, Madden, Wentz, Faedo…
I doubt the get much out of Maeda. Flaherty might be decent, but I still like the young guys more.
Fetter can work his magic.
Too many 80-120 inning pitchers with Manning, Maeda, Mize on the team which should let evryone get some time. Probably still in shock after the 2022 disaster when they went through two pitching staffs! Fetter rocks!
I love our pitching depth. You need it in today’s game. Skubal is our ace. I liked how Olson, Manning and Gipson-Long looked at times last year. I am anticipating Mize & Faedo rising to the occasion, further crowding the rotation. Then we have Jobe, likely joining next season. JJ looks like an absolute stud in the making, too.
How can you add another when you haven’t even added one?
“There aren’t a ton of at-bats available for another everyday-type bat.” … Which basically tells us Tiger fans that we still sitting in Avila’s yard. Throw in trash when needed. Have a recycle bin. Have plenty of fresh fruit and some are spoiled on opening. Who takes out the trash? Why…. WonderBoy Harris will. But it seems like the same ol trash that Avila has been doing to stay Mediocre to Last. Guess we see what SportsBetting have on his dumping ground.
What a load. They’re not even trying. Mlb has standard excuses…playing time, development ect. Ect ect….what are the minor leagues for? Koolaid drinking idiots are to blame.
I have seen ZERO business accumen displayed by these men in the last 10 years. ZERO PROACTIVITY. Just FLEECE THE FANS. HEY, ITS A MONOPOLY. WE CAN DO IT.
Sure, all the guys have potential. So what? That should not stop the Tigers from making a continued effort to improve the team by gaining additional prospects. IT should not stop the Illiches from giving the fans WHAT THEY PAY FOR. It should not stop the Illiches from fielding a competitive MLB caliber team, EACH AND EVERY YEAR.
I for one am tired of the mediocrity and fans who accept mediocrity, ACROSS THE MLB and especially Tiger fans who eat up these excuses.
Sad to think I probably won’t be a baseball fan anymore by the time I die because of all.the horeshhhhhhh. I hope the Illiches sell the team.
No..dont.sign.some.stupid.contract.pretending you are trying.
You could.have.been signing and trading people for.the last DECADE.
You could.ahbe been doing something instead of.nothing.
Harris.needs more.time.to evaluate?.Hey, that’s a pro….
They really don’t even play baseball any more…just a bunch of arrogant bat flippers at the home run derby working on that me trot….whoa every once in a while they pretend to acknowledge “the Lord” by pointing to the sky after they display the complete opposite of humility, discipline and respect.
( No doubt some if.not.most are sincere but what is happening?)
No hit and run, bunts, steals, situational hitting, they have neutered the manager, no strategy with batting because of the dh, ect ,ect It’s definitely not as exciting as it used to be.
Good.thing they.banned.the shift, because it was embarrassing to see a guy.hit into it with no one on the left side of the field…..
“Harris.needs more.time.to evaluate?”
He thinks the offense doesn’t need a major league hitter… Scottie obviously hasn’t seen this offense.
If it were me… I would go ahead and sign Chapman. There isn’t a 3B on the horizon in Detroit. At least you would get top notch defense and some power. Chapman is much better than Maton and Vierling. Trade Jung to Texas so he can play 2B with his brother. Jung is no 3B. You thought Miggy was bad at 3B… at least he had a canon of an arm.
It’s the best team we’ve had in Detroit for a long, long, long time.
Anytime a baseball.fan hears the phrase, “Window of opportunity ” he/she should immediately start booing the incompetent owner, the complicit GM and the complacent manager.
Lots better options than Chapman, on offence. Defensively he’s great, but his offence is a whole other matter. I’d rather they try for Bregman next year if Jung isn’t going to work out.
Chapman’s bat, and glove at 3B, would look great in the Tigers lineup !!
Bregman’s will look even better!
OK, you’ve talked me into it !
Exactly. I think Tigers mgt want just this one more year to let our YOUNG team get some seasoning. That includes our young pitchers building up their inning totals, making them a more formidable staff in ’25.
IMO next year the Tigers will be a serious threat. I like the trajectory of Greene, Tork, Meadows, Carpenter, Colt & Jake. I’m not as high on Jung as others. If we’re going to give up a draft pick, I’d like to see the Tigers go after Bregman next year – not Chapman this year.
Either way, the Tigers are getting better. I enjoy seeing the development and anticipating the next WS team.
with 3B as wide open as it is there’s no reason why Chapman can’t be there on a 1 year deal with an option. get an anchor bat in him and win the weakest division in the league.
162 games to prove me wrong.