So its getting to the point now where I think this is our roster. Additions: Nathan Kinsler Davis and a bunch of spare parts Subtractions: Infante Fatty *YAHOO* Benoit Fister Peralta Id say this team is worse off now then they were before. I give this offseason a C-. The closer got addressed and we no longer have that retarded contract of tubbys but outside of that we downgraded across the board. Even if Santana gets here hes not better than Fister. Bad offseason for a team that is only a piece or two away - or atleast they were
Your not the only one who feels this way. After the trading of Fielder, and picking up Natan and Kinsler, while losing Infante, and Benoit, writers for MLB were raising the same questions. They were asking...just how is this ball club any better? It just seemed like a glorified trade-off, with out any vast improvement. Im still concerned about consistent hitting behind Cabrera. Someone who can hit for average and nock in some runs. Is Hunter that guy? I dont know. One more solid bat, especially with power from the left side, would have been the icing on the cake. Maybe to good to be true. Tigers have some vulnerable spots...but not too many. Maybe their not quite done.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...t-breaking-down-jack-morris-hall-of-fame-case "This is the 15th and final year on the ballot for Morris, who has gradually received more and more support over the years. After appearing on 22.2 percent of the ballots in his first year of eligibility, he has seen his vote total rise to 67.7 percent last year. As a reminder, a player needs to appear on 75 percent of the ballots for induction. Morris was a very good pitcher for a very long time, but he was far from dominant. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morris has been the most polarizing Hall of Fame candidate on the ballot in recent years. His support has grown stronger as sabermetrics have become more popular and it's not hard to think the two are somehow related. Maybe there's an "old guard" among the voters trying to take a stand against the new way of evaluating pitchers. Who knows. Either way, this is Morris' last chance to be elected to Cooperstown by the BBWAA." So does Jack Morris make it in? I hope so. For my money, in the '80s he was one of the 1st pitchers that I would have wanted on my roster.
they needed power from either the 3rd base spot or LF. we got neither, yes we upgraded by moving Cabby to first but your gonna replace Cabby at third with Castellanos - really?! Cabby was no Craig nettles at 3rd but he was serviceable and his bat more than made up for his defensive deficiencies, now you have a light hitting guy at a power position and the last time he played 3rd in the minors he made a ton of fielding errors. something like 38, so they moved him to LF......and now back to 3rd. I wanted beltran and DBrow missed the boat here, the sticking point in negotiations was the 3rd year. The Tigers would only give him two, cmon Dave whats one more year if your going for broke - bad move. I didnt want Choo and expecially at that price
almost forgot, our LF now consists of two part time players in Dirks and Davis. between those two and Castellanos theyd be lucky to hit 20 homers combined. thats a huge power loss
DD has gone on record as saying, he hopes Dirks has a turn around season. Any consistant hitting with a little pop out of him would be nice. As for Castellanos, I sure hope he pans out, and i agree, you would like to see some power coming from 3rd base in the lineup. Cutter, your making me nervous, already. You have raised some very good points. Cleveland looks to be a solid team too. The Tigers might be in for one hell of a battle in the central. Nothing should be taken for granted. Not even the KC Royals. Going to be some good baseball this season.
DBrow better be working on Kemp. I wouldnt be too worried Will, they still have a very good team. my concern is their hoping that Castellanos will be not only serviceable but turn into the star that managemant thinks he will. Thats the real X factor, hes no Mike Trout - not even in the same ballpark(no pun intended). he has too many holes in his swing and doesnt hit for power, thats a bad combo for a 3rd baseman. the next thing to me is Kinsler has peaked, his numbers have tailed off almost across the board since he peaked in 2011 with a 30 30 season. he doesnt hit for average and his steals have dropped down to a whole 13 last year. hes leaving a hitters park and is 31. that being said if taking Kinsler is what we had to do to off fatty then I wont bitch too much about it but its still a downgrade. The next problem is you lost one of the best setup men in Benoit and are taking your best lefty setup man and putting him into the rotation and hope he gives you that lefty the Tigers have badly needed for years. Again another huge IF. then your assuming VMart can stay healthy all year and give Cabby some protection which as much as I love Victor hes getting old and has terrible knees and not near the power fat ass had. Fister is gone for a bunch of garbage and was a salary dump for what I have no idea. Porcello neede to go before Fister if it was up to me. Next you have weakened your outfield even more by assuming Dirks and Davis(who is atrocious against righties) can platoon and give you the great numbers that teams expect out of that position. the platoon idea rarely if ever works - this wont go well. Its easy to question everything teams do instead of being positive but I really think weve taken a step backwards and outside of a big trade by DBrow I think your counting on too many wildcards here to make a serious run at a title and this is where I have a problem. we shall see
Good post, cutter. No argument here. I am hoping (since its Christmas) that the Tigers can get some decent production and a few lucky bounces from the bats. But, your right...there are a lot of ifs. The main thing Im counting on is the pitching. Pitching and staying healthy are always a must. Sure hope Rondon can find his control...very important that the pen is going to shut things down. I think the starters are going to be just fine, hoping so anyway. Cabrera might set a record for intentional walks this coming season. Just a feeling.
I hope Im so wrong here Will and will be the first to say I was if we get back to the Series but I dont just want to get there anymore - I want a ring just like all Tiger fans and MR I. the window is rapidly closing and if your gonna ride it out with Max you better make it happen this year. Ill refrain from telling you how much of this team comes off the books after next season which to me was even more reason to roll the dice and go for broke........
I have been at that point since the Cards won in 2006. I remember the "Roar of '84" and would like to experience that feeling once again. The window is indeed closing and Fielder was shown the door. The players that the Tigers have now, if they play like they are capable (instead of tanking), can win a championship. If the Tigers had kept Fielder, they would have failed in October.
Wishing a very Merry Christmas to Detroit Tigers' fans and 2014 World Champion Detroit Tigers merchandise for Christmas next year.
Congratulations to Don Kelley. He brings a veteran presence to the team. Plus the ability to plug him into six different positions provides versatility to the team and options for the Tigers new manager.
I would still rather have Joaquin Benoit fill the setup role - with the ability to step into the closer role. However, since that is not to be, Rondon will have to step up for the Tigers to make it to the World Series.
I would like to see Alan Trammell get into the hall but it is unlikely. In the article it states And Trammell played in the same era as Cal Ripken Jr. who elevated the bar for shortstops. That being the case, Trammell's efforts are somewhat diminished by comparison. Good Luck Alan!
Don is one of those guy's that doesnt get that much recognition, but he sure is very valuable to the team. Every team wishes they had a Don Kelly. He's got a little pop in the bat too. ...and i sure hope he does. The guy has an electric arm. If he has any control...he will be dominant. Im thinking he's going to be better and improved over last season. He's getting better at pitching, instead of just throwing hard. I dont see how he doesnt make it, but strange things happen all the time. I truly believe he should be in. Him and Whiteker were the best keystone combonation in all of baseball for 20 years. That alone should get him serious consideration. Granted he did play in the shadows of Ripken, but I still think he gets and should be in. His numbers wernt so bad either...he had some big hits over the years. I wish the best for him.
