Detroit Tigers Thread: Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Celemo, Apr 9, 2015.

  1. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
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    Wow, that’s a glass half full take. If Akil Baddoo could hit left handers he would be an all star!
     
  2. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
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    Agree. If this team cares about winning and making the playoffs, they sure as shit need to be on the opening day roster. If they suck ass for a month send them down.
     
  3. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
    Donor

    If I knew more about Ryan Field and his baseball opinions to where I thought he was smart, I would have thought that tweet was a sarcastic shot at Avila.
     
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  4. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
    Donor

    I think Torkelson, in particular, is going to have to lose the 1B job in spring. We have no one else. They didn't sign Schoop to that deal to play 1B again.

    Greene might have to prove more just because he's a former HS draftee and we simply have more bodies right now in the OF to throw in there. Especially if we sign a vet (sounds like we've at least dabbled in that market, although I haven't seen any names).
     
  5. spartanchuck

    spartanchuck Well-Known Member

    I read on a message board that the Tigers offered Correa $335 over 10. Did I miss this somewhere?
     
  6. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    must be true if you read it on a message board. I also have a 10” schlong.
     
  7. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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    I’ll ask Emily to confirm both
     
  8. Vinegar Strokes

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    Since Boyd won’t be on the team next year, does that mean we won’t have to see his commercial 20 times a game now?
     
  9. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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    Not sure if this means a presser or just an announced contract from the team. Not sure there's time for a presser before the lockout.

     
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  10. DeToxRox

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  11. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
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    Whatever. Wake me up when they sign Stroman.
     
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  12. Vinegar Strokes

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    Sign somebody else Avila.
     
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  13. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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  14. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
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    Did Avila pay that guy to write that?
     
  15. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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  16. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
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    Somebody wake Avila up!
     
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  17. Vinegar Strokes

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    nobody left to sign. He’s gonna bring Boyd back.
     
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  18. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
    Michigan State Spartans

  19. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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    Anyone have a Freep subscription willing to post this? The tweet itself is ridiculous. I want to read just how ridiculous.

     
  20. ~ taylor ~

    ~ taylor ~ Well-Known Member
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    Inside Detroit Tigers' pursuit of Javier Baez, 'their top target the whole way'
    Evan Petzold
    Detroit Free Press

    Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila picked up his phone. It was Nov. 3.

    Players had just officially become free agents and teams could contact player representatives. Before calling anyone else, Avila dialed the number for Nick Chanock, senior vice president of baseball at Wasserman Media Group.

    Chanock is Javier Baez’s agent.

    “He was their top target the whole way,” Chanock said.

    The Tigers reportedly could have traded for Baez in 2017 as part of a three-player offer from the Chicago Cubs. Four years later, as Baez reached free agency, Avila wanted to sign him as the starting shortstop to push his franchise into the postseason.

    Avila, owner Christopher Ilitch and manager AJ Hinch viewed Baez — nicknamed "El Mago," which translates to "The Magician" — as the perfect fit at the perfect price. The Tigers maintained frequent discussions with Baez's agent in the following weeks and were prepared to work quickly.

    “There were a lot of conversations back and forth, negotiations back and forth,” Avila said. “One thing that we wanted to know for sure, before we got really deeper into this, is that Javy wanted to come to Detroit and be part of this renaissance and be a big, key part of it.”

    The Tigers made a franchise-altering decision by signing Baez to a six-year, $140 million contract. Everything came together in the late hours Nov. 29, as Avila called Ilitch to deliver the news of an agreement. Avila continued making phone calls and didn't sleep until 3:45 a.m. Nov. 30.

    There were undisclosed setbacks toward the end of the process, but Baez eventually arrived in Lakeland, Florida, for his physical Dec. 1. It was his 29th birthday, and after passing his medical exams, he celebrated by putting pen to paper. Roughly seven hours later, MLB locked out the players upon the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

    "As this unfolded, these little details at the end that are not little to team or agent, I wanted to fast-forward and get it done," Hinch said. "When I talked to Javy that night, really late in Puerto Rico, I just wanted him to know how excited I was and how good I felt that I was going to write his name in the lineup every day at the shortstop position. He is going to help us win."

    Baez is a Gold Glove-winning defender, a powerful bat (accompanied by poor plate discipline), an impactful basestealer, a postseason vet — 36 games, including a 2016 World Series championship — and wears his emotions on his sleeve.

    He is set to earn $20 million in 2022, $22 million in 2023, $25 million in 2024, $25 million in 2025, $24 million in 2026 and $24 million in 2027. He also has most of the same award bonuses as Miguel Cabrera, a 38-year-old with a Hall of Fame résumé. There's an opt-out after the 2023 campaign. If what the Tigers are preaching doesn’t work out, he can test the market again ahead of his age-31 season.

    But Baez has bought in.

    He believes the Tigers will become winners.

    “Javier had seen firsthand when he was one of the young guys coming up in the Cubs organization, where they were selling the future,” Chanock said. “He was one of the guys of the future. And KB (Kris Bryant) won the 2016 MVP, and Javier became the runner up in the 2018 MVP. The guys that they developed became great players. All-Star, MVP-caliber players. As a result, the Cubs won the World Series.”

    The beginning of Baez-to-Detroit took place in New York, when Chanock sat down with the two-time All-Star to discuss his options as an impending free agent. Baez appeared surprised when Chanock pinpointed the Tigers as one of the top destinations.

    After Chanock made his case, Baez saw Detroit's resemblance to his years in Chicago: A World Series-winning manager, a general manager with a long-term plan, an owner willing to pay for that plan and young talent. With that in mind, Baez thinks there could be another championship ring on his finger in the coming years.

    “I wanted to be with one of the best teams,” Baez said. “Having Miggy here, he’s one of the best hitters in baseball. With all the young talent we have coming up, I think we have a pretty good chance to make the World Series.

    “That’s what we’re here for.”

    'We want you to be you'
    Ten days before the agreement, Avila, Hinch and assistant general manager Sam Menzin strolled into The Ritz-Carlton in Bal Harbour, roughly 15 miles northeast of downtown Miami.

    The Tigers pitched their vision for the future to Baez and Chanock on Nov. 19, from aiming for the playoffs in the upcoming season to spending more in free agency as part of a measured process. At times, Avila and Baez conversed in Spanish. Based on all the discussions, Chanock put his faith in the Tigers’ plan and ownership commitment to building a sustainable winner.

    So did Baez.

    “AJ and Al sat down, looked across the table and said, ‘We want you to be you,’” Chanock said. “That meant a lot to us, because that’s when Javy is at his best.

    “We could see that blueprint. And then Javy heard it from Al and AJ and Sam when we met. I had always seen what their vision was, and that’s why I thought it was a good place for Javy. But now he could really see it, too.”

    Baez with the Tigers in 2022 is like Jon Lester with the Cubs in 2015. When Lester signed a six-year, $155 million contract ahead of the 2015 season, the Cubs were ready to start winning but needed a boost. Over the 2014-15 seasons, Chicago called up Baez, Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, Addison Russell and Kyle Hendricks for their MLB debuts.

    During the 2016 World Series run, Baez and Lester were National League Championship Series co-MVPs. Baez hit .318 with four doubles and five RBIs in six games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were the first players in MLB history to share NLCS MVP honors.

    "He's a perfect fit for us," Hinch said. "Javy brings a lot to a team. He's been on a World Series team before. He's seen it go from an immature team to a very mature team to winning the World Series to the pressure that comes after winning the World Series. Watching him respond and grow, he's got an incredible impact."

    Avila recalls watching Baez — an "electrifying player" — compete during his eight-year tenure with the Cubs from 2014-21. The Cubs began another rebuild by trading Baez to the New York Mets at the trade deadline in July 2021.

    "I remember when we played them a few years ago in Chicago," Avila said. "He's running the bases, killing us and making plays all over the field. I thought, 'Damn, can we just get that guy out of the game?' Because he was making the difference on his own. I was just beside myself. I was like, 'Can we get a guy like that?'

    "I feel so blessed right now to get a guy like Baez. When I went on that trip to Chicago, I was just feeling like, 'Man, I wish I had that guy on my team.' The passion, the defense, and he's a very good leader. ... He's the right guy and the right fit here."

    The Tigers are ready to call up first baseman Spencer Torkelson and outfielder Riley Greene for their MLB debuts in 2022, just one season after starting pitchers Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning completed their rookie campaigns. Of those five players, four were former first-round draft picks.

    Maybe Baez and Mize will share postseason awards in the future, just like Baez and Lester back in 2016.

    "His competitive character is remarkable," Hinch said. "He has a short memory and all he cares about is winning today's game."

    The Tigers showed their willingness to increase payroll Nov. 15, when Avila signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million contract. The Tigers also traded for veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart — a two-time Gold Glove winner — on Nov. 3, the first day of the offseason. Baez liked the additions of Rodriguez and Barnhart, but he was even more enamored by the young talent in the organization.

    Everything reminded Baez of the Cubs.

    "By him saying that," Avila said, "I knew, 'OK, this guy really understands where we're at.'"

    To get to this point, the Tigers journeyed through a miserable four-year rebuild.

    "They tore it down, picked first in the draft a couple times and were one of the worst teams in the league," Chanock said. "What they did right was they drafted and developed right. Now they have these enormous prospects on the doorstep, and that's what attracts someone like Javy Baez."

    Cabrera, who has played for the Tigers since 2008, spoke with Baez a few times. He was supposed to show face at the meeting in Miami. Although the two-time MVP and Triple Crown winner couldn’t make it, he joined via FaceTime to talk about the Tigers with Avila, Hinch and Menzin.

    This was important.

    Because Cabrera — one of the best Latin players in baseball history — vouched for Detroit and its surrounding area.

    Cabrera wanted Baez, who had other teams on his radar, to understand something: Although Detroit isn't comparable in many ways to Chicago or New York, Baez would be embraced by the fans and have no trouble adjusting to his new life.

    "Miggy told him about where we're at, at this point, and how he can make an impact for us," Avila said. "Once all that was established, then it was just really grinding out negotiations, going back and forth, and finally it came to fruition and we got the deal done."

    'Top priority'
    One week before sitting down with Baez in Miami, Avila brought Hinch along to the general manager meetings from Nov. 9-11 at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. This is where the Tigers publicly displayed their aggressive pursuit for a top-tier shortstop, specifically Baez.

    In Carlsbad, Avila met three times with Chanock. They spoke once in Avila's hotel room and twice at a nearby restaurant. The Tigers would have made a deal at the GM meetings, but Baez wasn’t ready to make a commitment.

    "We were very aggressive at the GM meetings," Avila said. "When I say aggressive, I mean we had multiple meetings every day with different agents and other teams. That got the process started. We met with Nick multiple times, not just once. We probably met with him more than anybody else. That continued after the GM meetings."

    The Tigers reached out to Chanock almost every day for a 20-day period.

    "Some teams wanted to go slow," Chanock said. "Some wanted to go fast. But ultimately, this team really made Javy Baez their top guy, and that was meaningful."

    There were five premier free-agent shortstops: Baez, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Trevor Story. Over the past month, Hinch and Avila have traveled the country to meet with free agents, so much so that Avila earned Diamond Medallion status with Delta Airlines.

    They sat down with Story, but he did not favor the Tigers' structured contract proposal. Hinch also had his famous Nov. 18 brunch with Correa at the Tiny Boxwoods restaurant in Houston. (Correa is seeking about $340 million over at least 10 years.) The Tigers offered Semien a six-year deal, but he signed with the Texas Rangers for seven years and $175 million. The Rangers — losers of 102 games last season — also added Seager for 10 years and $325 million.

    Correa and Story remain unsigned.

    The Tigers and Baez's camp set a Nov. 26 deadline to complete a deal, when Baez returned from a cruise in Mexico. The Tigers made at least four offers throughout their negotiations, but the two sides couldn't agree by the set deadline.

    But there was a collaborative effort to get Baez to the Tigers before the collective bargaining agreement expired at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1. When the CBA expired, the owners instituted a lockout. Player transactions are frozen until MLB and the MLB Players Association formulate a new labor contract.

    "It was our preference to make a deal earlier than later," Avila said. "But I can't say we did it because we felt we had to do it. Even Javy mentioned that. If he didn't feel the deal was good for him, he would have waited. If we didn't think the deal was good for us, we would have waited. At the end of the day, both parties — player and team — felt this was a good fit, a good deal and fair for both sides. We're both extremely happy about it, so that's what made it happen."

    With time running out, the Tigers met Baez's demands.

    "The Tigers made Javy their top priority," Chanock said. "They did a great job of selling Javy on the fact that they were building a winner and had the infrastructure and the young players in place to do that. Javy had seen it work firsthand with the Cubs and was a part of the younger wave that won the World Series. We listened to Al and AJ talk about the young players. As we went around the league and asked about what the Tigers had coming, it became clear to us that with their vision and what the team needed, we fit into their plan."

    Baez is ready to wear the No. 28 with the Old English D on his chest, and the Tigers believe they're ready to reach the postseason for the first time since 2014. Detroit beat the odds and finished 77-85 last season, the franchise's best mark since 2016, in Hinch's debut as the team's manager.

    Thanks to key offseason additions, highlighted by Baez, the Tigers now have a legitimate chance to push for the American League Central crown.

    "We're going to have magic," Baez said. "I want to go out there and have fun, compete and win."

    Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected]

    Grab a Snickers
     
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  21. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    Avila just now earned Diamond Status? What the hell has he been doing the past 20 years?
     
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  22. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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    Thank you, sir. This was every bit as annoying as I expected it to be.
     
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  23. ~ taylor ~

    ~ taylor ~ Well-Known Member
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    Maybe Al believes paying less for players because they're not as good is the new market inefficiency.
     
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  24. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    Cheap fucks. Sell the team
     
  25. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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  26. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    Who cares. He’s a AAAA player.
     
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  27. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
    Donor

    It's a lockout and the thread was already on the front page so I posted it. My apologies.
     
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  28. Joe Louis

    Joe Louis no thank you turkish, i'm sweet enough
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    FUCK
     
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  29. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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  30. ~ taylor ~

    ~ taylor ~ Well-Known Member
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    There was no way he's accepting less than 10/$350m. Knowing Boros he's probably asking 11/$400M.
     
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  31. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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    Stavenhagen says that the Tigers are working on improvements for Comerica and one of the discussions is around moving in the fences. Sounds like it could happen this time.
     
  32. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    hopefully they can make it look appealing. When compared to all the other stadiums around the same age, it’s a bottom tier stadium.
     
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  33. ~ taylor ~

    ~ taylor ~ Well-Known Member
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    It's 20+ years old, just hit up the city for a new one.
     
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  34. Joe Louis

    Joe Louis no thank you turkish, i'm sweet enough
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    what's wrong with Comerica?
     
  35. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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  36. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
    Donor

    Not a fan of moving the fences in. There's not really a way to do it in RC because of that scoreboard, and they've already done it across LF - LC. It's deep in CF, but that's fine.

    Comerica is fine. It's always been fine. It's not special like some of the newer ones, but it's also no worse than a lot of the stuff that's come after it that has cost 2-3x more than it cost to build Comerica.
     
  37. ~ taylor ~

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    Yeah, I was joking. I like Comerica fine and think the dimensions are kinda fun, especially if we build for them. The biggest issue with Comerica is the upper deck and there is really no fixing that.
     
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  38. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    Ilitch gonna build a new ballpark by the Detroit River. Promise to build the area up with office buildings, restaurants, apartments, and then just have it be parking lots 5 years later.
     
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  39. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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    Damn
     
  40. ~ taylor ~

    ~ taylor ~ Well-Known Member
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    Fuck, that sucks. I thought they had something when he stole 20 bases as a rookie.
     
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  41. Lip

    Lip Well-Known Member
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    Life is precious. Savor every moment.
     
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  42. Vinegar Strokes

    Vinegar Strokes Fire Izzo
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    <3 You Lip.
     
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  43. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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    No clue what his role will be. Hired him from Driveline. Also worked as a volunteer assistant at Michigan.

     
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  44. DeToxRox

    DeToxRox Uncle T
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    Lynn claims we are signing these guys


    Javier Osorio, a 6-foot, 172-pound, right-handed hitter, who turns 17 in March, is a Venezuela native ranked 10th on Baseball America’s list of top 50 international talents.

    Samuel Gil, 17, is another Venezuelan right-handed hitter, 5-9 and 154 pounds, and ranked 21st among Baseball America’s top 50.
     
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  45. Vinegar Strokes

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    When was the last time we signed an international guy that was worth a shit.
     
  46. MG2

    MG2 I like to give away joy for free
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    MLB.com (who generally never misses on this stuff) also has us signing Osorio and ranks him 13th.

    Gil is not ranked in their top 50.
     
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  47. DeToxRox

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    Both guys are SS I believe