I believe in cutting bait early on your mistakes. That’s where my main disagreement with most sports teams is. Everyone makes mistakes. I think the best admit it sooner and course correct faster.
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Thats my philosophy too. But scott seems to be doubling down every time. Especially with these vested and player options. Like in what world would Valdez ever say no to a $35m contract?
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I would love to be more involved in the Japanese market but it seems like the Dodgers have cornered the market. At least on their pitchers.
Our shot to get in that may have been Murakami.
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He sure would have looked nice in a Tigers uniform. That big, consistent power bat is exactly what we needed.
At the time we absolutely did not need any more strikeout/swing-and-miss in our lineup. We needed consistent contact.
Murakami, for all his strengths, is among the worst players in the league in strikeout rate and whiff rate.
He’s obviously a very good player, but there’s a reason bigger teams passed on him. At the time we had no way of knowing he’d be this much of a 1%-er for the type of player he is.
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when I think about how poorly the Tiger’s have played , I have to look back when The Lions were floundering . We sucked for a long time because we had : poor HC’ing. poor GM’ing, a laughable defense and DC’s plural, and really nobody had the experience, the intelligence, the knowledge or background of- HOW a NFL team should be ran. I look at The Tiger’s and I think it’s a leadership mess to , MORE-THAN “oh we have the wrong players.” Once the Tiger’s figure out their group of leadership, The Tigers will be back on track in a big way.
# Wojo: Tigers flash glimpses of future as playoff light fades
full article at link
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The Tigers aren’t looking ahead to the future, at least not officially. The playoffs are almost out of sight, if not quite out of mind.
But on nights like this, there are glimpses, micro-views of the big-picture goal. The Tigers have played 11 rookies this season, and four of them were key in a much-needed 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay Tuesday night at Comerica Park. The starting pitcher, Jackson Jobe, is 24 but not a rookie. In only his fourth start in 14 months after Tommy John surgery, he expanded his arsenal, maintained his composure and took a step forward.
Hao-Yu Lee of the Detroit Tigers hits a seventh-inning RBI single in front of Liam Hicks of the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park on August 25, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers won the game, 4-1. Gregory Shamus, Getty Images
That’s what it’s about now for the Tigers (62-70), who snapped a six-game losing streak that just about squashed their faint playoff hopes.
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In the meantime, the Tigers’ young talent is gathering expedited experience. There was rookie reliever Drew Sommers throwing 1.2 shutout innings to earn his first MLB victory and lower his ERA to 2.93. There was rookie Hao-Yu Lee lacing a two-out RBI single in the seventh to expand the lead to 4-1. There was Kevin McGonigle, playing flawless defense at third and short, the favorite to win A.L. Rookie of the Year.
And there was rookie centerfielder Max Clark slamming his second career home run — his first in Comerica Park — and racing around the bases so quickly, he almost ran up the back of runner Javy Báez.
“I completely blacked out, it was a really cool moment,” Clark said. “I looked up and I could see (Báez’s) number within touching distance. I started to panic and slowed down a little bit.”
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None of the rookies this season were around for the 2024 miracle, so they’re just trying to navigate the daily grind. And even as the Tigers fall out of the playoff picture, there’s valuable experience to be gained.
Jobe was so annoyed by his “godawful” change-up in his last rocky outing against the White Sox, he worked on ramping up his curveball velocity. He’s healthy but still shaking off rust, and threw 86 pitches in 4.1 innings. He battled a potent lineup and a Rays team with the best record in the A.L., striking out four, walking three and escaping a base-loaded jam in the fourth when Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead.
“I’m just figuring out what works, trying different things, making some changes when I can,” said Jobe, the third overall pick in 2021. “Today the curveball was very big for me, something I’ve been struggling with. It kind of turned into a real weapon, in my opinion. It definitely felt like a momentum shifter, potentially. We still have a lot of good energy in this clubhouse, hopefully we can turn it around.”
Potentially and hopefully are the salient words for the Tigers now. Potential is what the Tigers are hoping to cash in, if not now, soon. You see glimpses of the confidence that made Jobe such a touted prospect, along with his fastball that touches 100. You see a star in McGonigle. You also see holes on a roster that will require some veteran help. …
…But when Hinch hears his young guys beating themselves up for miscues, vowing to get better, his mood brightens, ever so slightly.
“You gotta let them grow up,” Hinch said. “Sometimes, at this level, at this time of year, and where our team is, it’s hard to recognize that.”
It’s not hard to recognize the potential of the Tigers’ young players. It’s also not hard to recognize the current odds, and the reality of a season in which way too many opportunities were wasted.
I have a few thoughts on this premise.
#1 - Tigers management essentially gave up on the season (in terms of playoff success)… after the Blowpen gave up that 7-0 lead. It wasn’t that one game though. That was just the final nail in the coffin.
#2 - The ONLY chance the Tigers had to make any kind of playoff run to win even 1 series was to keep Skubal. This staff doesn’t have the experince to win a series at this moment (without Skubal). Therefore, there was zero downside to trading Mize since he is a UFA at end of season.
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