This is the new era of baseball now. Teams are willing to trade players in their 30's for talented minor leaguers. And some teams would rather hold onto their top minor leaguers. All depends if the 2 teams can find a meeting point. I think the A's or Rays started this and had good success. The Cubs made it come to fruition. It's becoming commonplace now. The Phillies and Yankees are trying to do it also.....Rumor had it the Pirates shopped MCutchon around a bit to see what kind of interest there was. Not sure if that was true or not. They have some good young outfielders that are about due to be brought up......
http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/209446664/tigers-to-use-internal-options-for-bullpen/ Hopefully Detroit can do from within what they have been unable to do on the open market.
http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/209087212/tigers-announce-spring-training-schedule/ A friend of mine travels down to Lakeland for Spring Training. I will have to ask him what he thinks.
DETROIT -- The first big-league free agent signed by the Detroit Tigers this winter is a familiar. The Tigers signed catcher Alex Avila to a one-year contract, the team announced on Friday afternoon. Avila, who was part of the organization from 2008-2015, is the son of general manager Al Avila. The younger Avila, who turns 30 next month, will serve as the backup and occasional platoon partner for Tigers starting catcher James McCann. The deal is reportedly worth $2 million, or $500,000 less than Avila made with the Chicago White Sox in 2016. A left-handed batter, Avila hits well against right-handed pitchers, which is McCann's biggest weakness. In that sense, he was the best fit on the free-agent market for the Tigers.
Tigers' Brad Ausmus names Justin Verlander 2017 Opening Day starter DETROIT ? On Saturday at TigerFest, manager Brad Ausmus gave away one piece of information relevant to the start of the season. Ace Justin Verlander was named as the Tigers? starter for Opening Day. The announcement is more of a formality considering Verlander?s 2016, and isn?t surprising in the least. Ausmus also added that Jordan Zimmermann is a possibility to start the second game of the season, but that that?s not a guarantee. ?Verlander?s going to pitch Opening Day, I?ll give you that right now,? Ausmus said. ?And if Zimm?s healthy, he?s gonna pitch probably behind him. He or Michael Fulmer, depending on how we decide to go.?
Tigers general manager Al Avila revealed that DH Victor Martinez had surgery in October for a sports hernia. If the hernia hindered Martinez last season it wasn?t terribly apparent. He had a better first half than second half, but not drastically so. His worst month was July, he had an excellent August and then had a less-than-fantastic but by no means terrible September, so one has to assume it was a nagging thing more than anything. Avila characterized it as minor. For the entire season he hit .289/.351/.476 with 27 homers and 86 RBI. Martinez is almost fully recovered but he may get eased into spring training activities out of an abundance of caution. He should be ready for the regular season.
Collins is aiming to better use his legs in 2017, potentially as Detroit's primary center fielder, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. After playing at 215 pounds last season, Collins is reportedly down to 205 pounds, and he said he's gotten leaner in an effort to run more. Collins only has three stolen bases since making his MLB debut in 2014, so don't expect a huge number in the category. But with Cameron Maybin now with the Angels, Collins could be in line to be Detroit's primary center fielder...
Mike Ilitch has died... he was 87. Mike Ilitch, the founder of the Little Caesars pizza chain and the long-time owner of the Detroit Red Wings, died at 87 on Friday according to his family. Ilitch?s son, Christopher Ilitch, the President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, released the following statement on Friday. ?My father was a once-in-a-generation entrepreneur, visionary and leader, setting the tone for our organization and family. He made such a positive impact in the world of sports, in business, and in the community, and we will remember him for his unwavering commitment to his employees, his passion for Detroit, his generosity to others and his devotion to his family and friends. Together my family and the company celebrate the tremendous man he was, and will continue to work hard to uphold his remarkable legacy. I?m honored to have had the opportunity to work with him to nurture and grow our businesses, but mostly, I?m grateful to have called him my dad, and I know my siblings feel the same.? He will be honored at a private funeral service. Ilitch was a powerful figure on the Detroit sports scene and along with owning the Red Wings was also the owner of Major League Baseball?s Detroit Tigers since 1992. He purchased the Red Wings in 1982 and eventually turned them into one of the powerhouse franchises in the NHL throughout most of the 1990s and 2000s. Along with the franchise?s current streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances, the Red Wings reached six Stanley Cup Finals during Ilitch?s ownership of the team, winning four of them. The team?s Stanley Cup win during the 1997-98 season ended what had been a 43-year championship drought for the team.
Tigers fall, 2-0, but looked ok doing it. Pitching was strong. Collins hurt his 'lat' in the game and that was the only real downfall.
Tigers J.D. Martinez scratched from todays lineup do to slight tightness in his pectoral muscle. Nothing serious at all.
Astros Brad Peacock (R) 1. Norichika Aoki (L) LF 2. Tony Kemp (L) 2B 3. Alex Bregman (R) 3B 4. Tyler White (R) DH 5. A.J. Reed (L) 1B 6. Teoscar Hernandez (R) CF 7. Jake Marisnick (R) RF 8. Max Stassi (R) C 9. Reid Brignac (L) SS ________________________________________ Tigers Justin Verlandr (R) 1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B 2. Victor Martinez (S) DH 3. Miguel Cabrera (R) 1B 4. Justin Upton (R) LF 5. Mikie Mahtook (R) CF 6. James McCann (R) C 7. Dixon Machado (R) SS 8. Juan Perez (R) RF 9. Andrew Romine (S) 3B
Tigers 1. Andrew Romine (S) SS 2. Miguel Cabrera (R) DH 3. Nicholas Castellanos (R) 3B 4. Justin Upton (R) LF 5. Steven Moya (L) RF 6. James McCann (R) C 7. Mikie Mahtook (R) CF 8. Brett Pill (R) 1B 9. Dixon Machado (R) 2B _______________________________Daniel Norris (L) vs Clay Buchholz (R) Phillies 1. Freddy Galvis (S) SS 2. Scott Kingery (R) 2B 3. Odubel Herrera (L) CF 4. Howie Kendrick (R) LF 5. Michael Saunders (L) RF 6. Daniel Nava (S) DH 7. Rhys Hoskins (R) 1B 8. Andres Blanco (S) 3B 9. Ryan Hanigan (R) C 1:05pm et.
Norris was great today... got groundball after groundball and left with a 4-0 lead. J UP with a 3-run shot in the 1st.