Since the offseason in the MLB starts a lot quicker after the season than it does in other sports, I thought we might as well get the talk started…or well…organized…about free agency.
We’ve discussed free agency in other threads but I wanted to make one thread dedicated to free agency like we had one thread for the trade deadline. That way we don’t have to go back and forth between 3 threads to find stuff we’re looking for.
What are the odds we can get some long term extensions done with some of our younger players to keep them around long term? We’ve already made this kind of move with Colt Keith, and it’s heavily used by teams like the Braves to retain their core.
Skubal has obviously been discussed at length, but I think an extension for him just isn’t realistic. Boras is never going to let it happen.
Dingler is someone I’d like to see us make a deal with. Also, if we could extend Carp, I think that would make a lot of people happy.
I’m also hopeful we can do a Julio style deal with Kevin McGonigle, as he’s someone I think we will all want to keep around for a long time. Maybe Clark too.
Also, just as an aside. Our first free agency purchase should be purchasing a torpedo bat for Riley Greene.
95th percentile barrel rate. Compare that to…
2024 Cal Raleigh who had a 96th percentile barrel rate.
Raleigh hit 34 home runs in 2024, but his game was taken to another level this year with the torpedo bat he started using. In theory, if you can get more mass of the bat to make contact with the ball at the barrel using a torpedo bat, your slug % should go up. That’s exactly what happened with Raleigh this season.
Now, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to use a torpedo bat if you’re not using the barrel when you make contact with the ball. In that case, you’d get worse results. Riley makes a ton of contact with the barrel just like Raleigh does, so I think he should be using a torpedo bat moving forward.
I wouldn’t expect Riley to hit 60 HRs next year if he uses a torpedo bat, mostly because he’s not a switch hitter, but the potential is there for him to get even better when he’s making contact.
If you don’t consistently make contact with the barrel then it’s pretty useless. It’ll take away all of the OPS you might get from hitting the ball with anything other than the sweet spot.
The torpedo bat itself weighs the same as a regular bat, it’s just the weight distribution that’s different.
The rotation will be fine. We weren’t going to sign a starter anyway. The bullpen should get addressed heavily regardless of whether or not we pursue Bregman.
If Jack opts out, I agree that we need to find another starter somewhere. Whoever it is probably won’t be any better than him though, if we’re managing our money for a Skubal extension / Bregman deal / Bullpen guy.
And if Skubal does walk, which would absolutely ■■■■■■■ suck, Jobe takes his spot in the rotation in 2027.
First, what does Finnegan want to do? I’d be happy to have him back at the right price but the world doesn’t end if he decides to walk.
Secondly, I’m spending all of the Sewald/R. Montero/Cobb/Maeda/Paddack/Morton money on Edwin Diaz, should he opt out. I think it’s a no brainer, personally. Vest could move to the 8th and Finnegan could remain your highest leverage guy for anything other than the 9th.
Signing Bregman would and should, for me, be additional payroll for next season. That money shouldn’t come from within if it means we can’t get a legit closer.
Holton, Hurter, Vest, and Hanifee are all under contract for next year. Holton and Hurter are fine as lefties go. We don’t have a great high leverage lefty, but there’s not really one we could go get either.
Does Chase Lee take a step forward? Dylan Smith? Does Jason Foley come back and look decent? Does Beau Briskie work his way back onto the big league club? Lange?
There are plenty of internal options to put a bullpen together with. I just believe it’s absolutely necessary to get a legit closer in some form or fashion…and no, Finnegan is not that guy. Neither is Vest.
The Tigers haven’t had a legit closer in quite a while. I want to fix that.
Diaz or Devin Williams in free agency would be what I would do.
Deeper dive on Bregman, including a note he turned down 6/172 from Harris before signing 3/120 w Red Sox (heavy deferrals and as we know an opt out.
To make his stated goal last offseason of 6/200, he now needs 5/160. That is for ages 32-36. Aging curve on D at 3b even for good to great but not elite defenders there is probably meaning you get 2, maybe 3 positive Fielding years. Now, that 14% K rate is nice.
So, if Harris comes up 3.75m in AAV from his last offer, it hits Bregman’s goal #.
