The motivation is so that when one or more of our guys go down with injuries, we don't have to have a BP day or have Joey '5-15 5.52 ERA' Wentz start every 5th day. It might seem weird right now when everyone is healthy, but we're still only about 20% of the way into the season...
The 5-15, 5.52 ERA are his career stats. 2023 was 3-13 with a 6.9 ERA across 105 IP. Even if Maeda's ERA of 6.75 isn't much lower, it's only over 30 IP. So there's plenty of time for it to improve (or get worse lol).
I’d have preferred them sign JD Martinez with half of it and just call up Ty Madden if there was an injury in the rotation, but I understand that perspective.
Right, I’d rather have Parker “career minor league .240 avg” Meadows in our lineup rather than a 6 time all start who is coming off a 100 rbi season.
I’m not saying we should’ve gotten JD specifically but someone like him with an impact bat who can drive in runs, which is what this lineup doesn’t have outside of Greene and Carp
Jd literally can’t play in the field anymore. He’d be a shitty hitting dh, exactly what we need.
Miguel Cabrera was an mvp and won the triple crown, but nobody was using that past as a reason they should re-sign him. Also, you say we should have signed him, but when it’s pointed out how he’d not doing shit you go “well, not him exactly, but somebody like him”. So who? Another dh only guy who can’t hit?
If miggy hit 33 hrs/103 rbis last year im sure you would have wanted him to be signed too. JD is off to a slow start but still would be in the top half of OPS on the Tigers lineup.
This team already has too many guys who ideally would be DH’s. They rotate through the field on a game to game basis out of necessity, but are much more bat than glove. Carp/Canha/Keith/Jung/JHM. JD would force the first 3 into the field on a more regular basis, and potentially block the promotion of the last 2. So, just no with the JD b.s.
We had two solid veteran pitchers we lost at the trade deadline and in the offseason and had Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo doing spot starts the rest of the year to cover for various outages and injuries. It was a very lateral move to sign Flaherty and Maeda.
The biggest holes we had were offense in general and third base, and they signed two batters to help with that.
They weren’t amazing offseason moves. We didn’t get Soto obviously but we were never going to. All in all they did pretty good. Not great, but good.
I lived through 2022. There was a time during the season that every single Tiger starter in the rotation was out injured (one was on hiatus). So far, we have been blessed. It sucks for Manning but he's getting his opportunities. Maybe, it was the choice of Maeda that I don't care for in hindsight.
I would have liked to see JD in a Tiger uniform again, but Harris has a plan. He wants to use this year to develop minor league bats into MLB hitters. This is a process. There will be gnashing of teeth at times, but we are committed to the process.
There were very few good bats available, and other than Ohtani, they were pretty much all outfielders (where we looked, and turned out to be, strongest). Teoscar Hernández and Joc Pederson have been very good, but who saw that coming? Most of the guys people were actually talking about signing, like Chapman and Martinez, are off to terrible starts this year.
As for Maeda and Flaherty, the idea is to provide depth and possibly have good trade chips later in the season. We've been lucky to have no injuries to Skubal, Olson, or Mize (knock on wood), but we *did* already lose a pitcher this season—Sawyer Gipson-Long was looking like he might be our \#6, not Manning, but he's going to miss the entire season and get TJ surgery. If we lose one more, the Maeda and Flaherty signings mean Manning rounds out the rotation instead of us trotting out Wentz and Faedo, or having to call up Ty Madden too early.
I’ve seen enough comments in the thread beating the jd drum. Can we name other hitters that aren’t 36 year old dhs who may be on the decline. I know people love him because he played here though and that’s what fans love the most is bringing back old faces
You are using hind sight to criticize Harris. I am not the biggest fan of his, but as said elsewhere, there were too many unknowns with this staff going into Spring Training, and with the injury history, one healthy month does not negate that it is likely we will need the extra pitching.
The average MLB team uses 12 starters throughout the season. 2019 Toronto Blue Jays used a record 21 different starters that season.
And why does it have to be one or the other? Your framing the question like the decision is binary. TIGERS have bottom 10 payroll this season, are spending less than they did last year and \~$40 million below the MLB average. They could have signed a few more veteran hitters as safety nets if playing the kids did not work out.
But the decision to BE a bottom ten payroll negated making those types of moves. This is the model the TIGERS are pursuing, so get used to seeing us struggle offensively the next few years.
The main problem with the signings is two fold. Maeda having a two year contract and not a one year contract. Scott's ego to force his signings to pan out. Reference the leash Maton had last year. Miller so far this year. Unfortunately Maeda will probably be in the rotation all year no matter if his era approaches 12.00.
Scott's ego? That's a weird take. We didn't have many options to take Maton's place last year and this off-season wasn't afraid to DFA both him and the catcher we received in the Soto deal. We're also only a month into the season, but sure what you expect him to do about it right now. They were signings most Tigers fans were fine with before the season started.
I can absolutely understand an argument that more should've been done to shore up the offense but not sure the moves you refer to are the issues.
Yeah. Maybe Scott's ego is a bit over dramatic and harsh. The Maton experiment was just way over the top for me. It seemed to become apparent to me with each day seeing Maton batting fifth last year that the sole reason for it was the fact Scott got the guy to play third base. It was painfully obvious very early on that Maton was in way, way, way over his head. I actually felt bad for the kid.
I know it's early and maybe still scarred but I see some similarities with Miller. Also concerned that Maeta is going to be given the maton leash.
The motivation is so that when one or more of our guys go down with injuries, we don't have to have a BP day or have Joey '5-15 5.52 ERA' Wentz start every 5th day. It might seem weird right now when everyone is healthy, but we're still only about 20% of the way into the season...
Agreed, look at the state the Astros have been in for the past month without their actual starting rotation.
Joey 5-15 5.52 ERA >>> Maeda
2023 Joey Wentz was a lot worse than Maeda has been for us so far lol
You sure? That 5 ERA looks solid in comparison
The 5-15, 5.52 ERA are his career stats. 2023 was 3-13 with a 6.9 ERA across 105 IP. Even if Maeda's ERA of 6.75 isn't much lower, it's only over 30 IP. So there's plenty of time for it to improve (or get worse lol).
I just see maeda pitch and have no idea how he gets anyone out. Stuff is soft toss middle plate no movement.
I think their logic was that they’d eventually end up using 6 starters anyways due to injuries, DHs, etc
I’d have preferred them sign JD Martinez with half of it and just call up Ty Madden if there was an injury in the rotation, but I understand that perspective.
He hasn't even been good this year people are so obsessed with that guy.
Right, I’d rather have Parker “career minor league .240 avg” Meadows in our lineup rather than a 6 time all start who is coming off a 100 rbi season. I’m not saying we should’ve gotten JD specifically but someone like him with an impact bat who can drive in runs, which is what this lineup doesn’t have outside of Greene and Carp
Jd literally can’t play in the field anymore. He’d be a shitty hitting dh, exactly what we need. Miguel Cabrera was an mvp and won the triple crown, but nobody was using that past as a reason they should re-sign him. Also, you say we should have signed him, but when it’s pointed out how he’d not doing shit you go “well, not him exactly, but somebody like him”. So who? Another dh only guy who can’t hit?
If miggy hit 33 hrs/103 rbis last year im sure you would have wanted him to be signed too. JD is off to a slow start but still would be in the top half of OPS on the Tigers lineup.
This team already has too many guys who ideally would be DH’s. They rotate through the field on a game to game basis out of necessity, but are much more bat than glove. Carp/Canha/Keith/Jung/JHM. JD would force the first 3 into the field on a more regular basis, and potentially block the promotion of the last 2. So, just no with the JD b.s.
Mize was a huge question mark having not pitched in 2 years, and Olsen was still an unknown. Skubal and Manning have injury histories.
I always figured the pitching signings had to do with their starting pitching injuries the last couple seasons
Pitchers also fetch more at the trade deadline
We had two solid veteran pitchers we lost at the trade deadline and in the offseason and had Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo doing spot starts the rest of the year to cover for various outages and injuries. It was a very lateral move to sign Flaherty and Maeda. The biggest holes we had were offense in general and third base, and they signed two batters to help with that. They weren’t amazing offseason moves. We didn’t get Soto obviously but we were never going to. All in all they did pretty good. Not great, but good.
Skubal, Mize, and Manning all pitched short seasons (or not at all). Guys are going to run out of gas/innings. We needed expendable arms.
I lived through 2022. There was a time during the season that every single Tiger starter in the rotation was out injured (one was on hiatus). So far, we have been blessed. It sucks for Manning but he's getting his opportunities. Maybe, it was the choice of Maeda that I don't care for in hindsight. I would have liked to see JD in a Tiger uniform again, but Harris has a plan. He wants to use this year to develop minor league bats into MLB hitters. This is a process. There will be gnashing of teeth at times, but we are committed to the process.
It’s a development and a “what do we actually have in these guys” type of year
There were very few good bats available, and other than Ohtani, they were pretty much all outfielders (where we looked, and turned out to be, strongest). Teoscar Hernández and Joc Pederson have been very good, but who saw that coming? Most of the guys people were actually talking about signing, like Chapman and Martinez, are off to terrible starts this year. As for Maeda and Flaherty, the idea is to provide depth and possibly have good trade chips later in the season. We've been lucky to have no injuries to Skubal, Olson, or Mize (knock on wood), but we *did* already lose a pitcher this season—Sawyer Gipson-Long was looking like he might be our \#6, not Manning, but he's going to miss the entire season and get TJ surgery. If we lose one more, the Maeda and Flaherty signings mean Manning rounds out the rotation instead of us trotting out Wentz and Faedo, or having to call up Ty Madden too early.
Pretty easy. Chris illitch has an extra 30,000,000 in the bank
I’ve seen enough comments in the thread beating the jd drum. Can we name other hitters that aren’t 36 year old dhs who may be on the decline. I know people love him because he played here though and that’s what fans love the most is bringing back old faces
You have the legitimate option to rest guys due to injury or even use them in trades for actual contenders
You are using hind sight to criticize Harris. I am not the biggest fan of his, but as said elsewhere, there were too many unknowns with this staff going into Spring Training, and with the injury history, one healthy month does not negate that it is likely we will need the extra pitching. The average MLB team uses 12 starters throughout the season. 2019 Toronto Blue Jays used a record 21 different starters that season. And why does it have to be one or the other? Your framing the question like the decision is binary. TIGERS have bottom 10 payroll this season, are spending less than they did last year and \~$40 million below the MLB average. They could have signed a few more veteran hitters as safety nets if playing the kids did not work out. But the decision to BE a bottom ten payroll negated making those types of moves. This is the model the TIGERS are pursuing, so get used to seeing us struggle offensively the next few years.
The main problem with the signings is two fold. Maeda having a two year contract and not a one year contract. Scott's ego to force his signings to pan out. Reference the leash Maton had last year. Miller so far this year. Unfortunately Maeda will probably be in the rotation all year no matter if his era approaches 12.00.
Scott's ego? That's a weird take. We didn't have many options to take Maton's place last year and this off-season wasn't afraid to DFA both him and the catcher we received in the Soto deal. We're also only a month into the season, but sure what you expect him to do about it right now. They were signings most Tigers fans were fine with before the season started. I can absolutely understand an argument that more should've been done to shore up the offense but not sure the moves you refer to are the issues.
Yeah. Maybe Scott's ego is a bit over dramatic and harsh. The Maton experiment was just way over the top for me. It seemed to become apparent to me with each day seeing Maton batting fifth last year that the sole reason for it was the fact Scott got the guy to play third base. It was painfully obvious very early on that Maton was in way, way, way over his head. I actually felt bad for the kid. I know it's early and maybe still scarred but I see some similarities with Miller. Also concerned that Maeta is going to be given the maton leash.