OT - Tigers deal Maybin to Angels for a prospect
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17965836/detroit-tigers-trade-camero…
knocks $9M off the payroll - perhaps Collins, Jones or some other kid is able to take over
also picked up K-Rod's option
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:45 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:46 PM ^
If these are the personnel decisions we get to look forward to under Chris Illitch, please sell the franchise to Dan Gilbert.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:19 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^
It's kind of hard to blame Illitch for wanting to win now, rather than rebuilding. He's 87 now, and not getting any younger. Taking 5 years to rebuild might mean that they never win a World Series while he's still alive.
November 4th, 2016 at 1:56 AM ^
Yet... Ausmus.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:19 AM ^
because they made some massively boneheaded decisions with respect to choosing a coach, and there was some bad lockeroom mojo with JV in recent years - one of the useful things that Detroit Sports rag has written about
November 3rd, 2016 at 10:26 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 10:55 PM ^
Maybin and JD both missed extensive amounts of time. Norris missed time. If those guys are healthy, this is at worst a WC team in 2016.
Fulmer, Boyd, Norris are all young. Maybin, Upton and JD are 29. Castellanos is 24 and Iglesias is 26. McCann is 26. You build onto a core like that.
Outside of VMart (37), there are probably a couple good years left at least for JV, Kinsler and Cabrera. And VMart can be servicable at DH for a couple more years as well.
Unless they're trading players to stock a lights out bullpen, they are crapping on a fanbase that gave them the 3rd highest TV ratings in all of baseball, not to mention also drawing almost 2.5 million fans, almost a million more than Cleveland.
November 4th, 2016 at 2:04 AM ^
But they still whiffed, and Illitch spent $173mil this past year. Detroit is a better market than KC or Cleveland, but they are not capable of spending that money and makig a profit year in and year out. I would love to see a world series as much as anyone else, but not at the cost of seeing the team suck like they did for over a decade.
November 4th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^
A net loss of $20-25 million is that big of a deal when you're trying to get a W.S. title while the old man is still alive, and he really wants that title. Plus the franchise is worth over $1.2 billion. That's one heck of a ROI if they sell the team.
This team is one good bullpen away from being a serious WS contender. If our scouts think Alcantara can be a shut down short reliever, this can be a really good trade. But if this just the beginning of a salary dump, then prepare for another dark decade because our farm system is still depleted.
November 4th, 2016 at 1:25 PM ^
Yeah, this team isn't nearly as old as people think. It has young talent, thought the farm system does need to be restocked. And while I liked Maybin this year, he's still a career .260 hitter with little pop (.374 career Slugging) and an OPS south of .700. He's always been pretty fast and that helps with baserunning, steals, and defense, but this felt like a one-off year, not some late-career revitalization. And he was hurt a bunch this season; while things like thumb injuries aren't habitual, he's also had some knee and shoulder injuries over the years that aren't going to go away. I was fine with the trade.
November 3rd, 2016 at 11:13 PM ^
because he refused to get rid of Ausmus, and this pissed off Illitch. So he called in DD protege, Al Avila, to take over and fired him behind his back. The problem was that everyone believed that Ausmus was going to be a stud manager who needed more seasoning, but Avila was probably more diplomatic when dealing with Mr. I. This is fact.
As far as breaking this team up, I'd be bummed, but I was really impressed who the Tigers landed for Cespedes, Price and Soria. The fact that three prospects contributed so heavily last year was heartening.
November 4th, 2016 at 2:11 AM ^
I don't pretend that I know what happened behind the scenes, but I'll say that I'm 100% sure this is not true. Why would Illitch bring back Ausmus for 2016 if he wanted Dombrowski to fire him? I believe he was angry with Dombrowski for giving up on the 2015 season by trading three stars for prospects.
November 4th, 2016 at 3:26 AM ^
I don't have a lot of inside info when it comes to life, but this is what went down.
November 4th, 2016 at 9:17 AM ^
November 4th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
You must be talking about Chris because the old man is wracked with dementia now.
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:50 PM ^
They have no CF options that are even close to ready in the system. Collins...no thank you. Plus, when Maybin was in the lineup, their record was excellent.
Maybe they sold high him though. That's my only hope.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:23 PM ^
Jones was on the big league roster this year how is that not close?
November 4th, 2016 at 8:48 AM ^
The OF roster last year was a defensive disaster. They have some power and can put up some runs, but they prevent nothing. Maybin was the only real spark in the OF and the least likely to misplay a ball. I hate to see them lose the only real speed on the roster.
November 4th, 2016 at 3:00 AM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:52 PM ^
Not great. It's Avila's fault that we're shoulder deep into bad contracts. Hire Theo Epstein
November 4th, 2016 at 10:06 AM ^
The Cubs will never let Epstein go.
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:53 PM ^
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November 3rd, 2016 at 8:53 PM ^
Guy projects to be nothing more than a decent reliever if he reaches his ceiling. I understand wanting to sell high on Maybin, but seriously this is the best you could do?
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:53 PM ^
Verlander, Miggy and V-Mart next?
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:58 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:01 PM ^
If we get rid of those guys, we'd be worse than the Twins. Ausmus isn't that great of a manager to begin with.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:39 PM ^
That's the point, blow it all up to stock up on prospects and build that way. We still have enough good players to acquire some good prospects. Try to become the next Cubs, that's exactly how they did it.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:09 AM ^
I'm afraid Avila doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Dombrowski made the trades that got all of the young players they have now.
November 4th, 2016 at 3:06 AM ^
November 4th, 2016 at 10:32 AM ^
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November 3rd, 2016 at 8:56 PM ^
November 4th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^
Maybin has injury issues but he was cheap. I never understood the reasoning behind trading players don't make and aren't in line for a huge salary. I could understand getting rid of Jmart for prospects. He is going to get paid next year.
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
Pure salary dump, and its unfortunate because Maybin really was the catalyst for the offense last year. Sure seems like we could have gotten more than a reliever with velocity and no command.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
November 4th, 2016 at 2:01 AM ^
Well there goes the "Hey, their #8 prospect doesn't sound bad" thought.
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
So who plays CF? On the surface this doens't look like a move that indicates the Tigers plan to compete next season. I hope that's not the case.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^
Like 5 months from now???
Stop twisting yourselves in knots 5 months away from Opening Day. This roster is going to change a lot. I'll worry about it a little in 4 months or so.
November 3rd, 2016 at 8:58 PM ^
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November 3rd, 2016 at 9:03 PM ^
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:09 PM ^
We don't know if this was Avila's decision or the Ilitches, but Avila has been very unimpressive to date.
November 4th, 2016 at 8:54 AM ^
a least in deciding who to get for Maybin. But the decision of whether to dump salaries or to spend big has to come from ownership.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:02 PM ^
Detroit trades the one competent center-fielder they had last year (albeit one with a history of injuries), in exchange for a minor league pitcher with a power arm and control problems, who isn't considered a top prospect. Salary dump, plain and simple.
As of now, their choices to man one of the biggest centerfields in the majors is Tyler Collins, a journeyman 4th/5th OF with occasional power and high KO rate; JaCoby Jones, who hasn't played a full season in CF; Anthony Gose, whose lack of hitting played him out of Detroit, and whose lack of maturity played him out of Toledo; or some heretofore unknown outfielder who may/may not be part of the organization yet.
I'm assuming this is the first of several trades. If so, one of the future trades better include getting a CF with MLB experience. Otherwise, opposing teams are going to see their number of doubles and triples increase substantially - and Tiger pitchers will see their ERAs rise.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:06 PM ^
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November 3rd, 2016 at 9:34 PM ^
Yeah, #4 in the Angels' system - let's ask Keith Law what he thinks about that system:
I've been doing these rankings for eight years now, and this is by far the worst system I've ever seen.
Great.
November 3rd, 2016 at 10:24 PM ^
+1 for "heretofore"
November 4th, 2016 at 5:49 AM ^
Thanks. Gotta put that English degree to work whenever I can.
But seriously - no love for "albeit?"
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:03 PM ^
What really pisses me off is that they didn't have any money to sign Max, instead burn a year without him and then sign Upton and Zimmerman for more money combined. Give me Max and 4 million dollar veteran in the OF(ragai?) any day. Great starting pitching is what got us to the playoffs all those years. I'm not too impressed with Avila so far.
November 3rd, 2016 at 9:20 PM ^
I liked his energy. They don't have another guy like that on the roster.
November 4th, 2016 at 10:38 AM ^
But let me know as soon as they change the rules so that the more likeable guys get 2 extra runs per game.
His reasonably predictable production isn't worth $9M. You can say the same about others on the team, but there was no pending option deadline on V. Mart, Sanchez, Pelfrey, Upton and Lowe, who together make @$60m+ next year. You are not going to get equal value for any of these guys, given their contracts, unless you agree to throw in cash to help the new team pay part of their salaries.