JotCast | Tigers Outlook '23

Tigers Outlook '23

Anthony Franco

2:00

Hey everyone, hope all is well this afternoon

2:01

Excited to talk about the Tigers. I like this team more than I thought I would before I really broke them down

Tigertown

2:01

Justin-Henry Malloy = Yandy Diaz?

Anthony Franco

2:02

That's optimistic to put on any prospect. Yandy is so good

2:03

I see the stylistic similarities and like Malloy quite a bit. Seems fair to think he settles in as the kind of guy Díaz was earlier in his career. Wouldn't project him being the caliber of hitter has been over the last two seasons though

Bucky larue

2:03

2nd and 3rd base next? Do we dare start Two rookies

Anthony Franco

2:04

I'd try to add a stopgap option at second base rather than expecting Jung to make a jump or counting on both Keith and Malloy as everyday infielders from day one

Jack

2:05

Seems like there’s a pretty big logjam of players with profiles that lend to either 1B or DH eventually (Keith and Malloy, mainly, but also Bigbie). Gotta imagine they will make some trades eventually in order to improve the big league club. Any thoughts about timeline or players that could be I treating to acquire?

Anthony Franco

2:06

I don't think we're there quite yet. If it becomes clear that Keith can't stick at third or second base and/or Malloy immediately hits MLB pitching, then it becomes more pressing

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2:06

Is it worth cutting bait with Baez at this point/trying for a bad contract swap or hope he turns around?

Anthony Franco

2:06

Went into this in more detail in the post but I think they're just stuck holding him and hoping for something a little better

2:07

I don't know what the bad contract swap even looks like. The Baez deal is worse than almost all of them at this point

Alec

2:08

Any specific reasons or organizational decisions as to why the Tigers are still terrible? 2014 (10 years ago) was the last time they made the postseason correct?

Anthony Franco

2:08

I think "still terrible" is harsh but I get the general point

2:09

They tried to anchor the rebuild around the rotation, which didn't come along as quickly as they expected. Partly injury -- the '22 rotation was just decimated -- but they then tried to force the lineup to be competitive by a time it wasn't ready

2:11

Again partly because of the Riley Greene injury. But Tork wasn't ready, the Paredes/Meadows deal was lopsided to begin with (although they obviously couldn't have foreseen the mental health struggles Meadows would have), and they went much higher than they should've on Baez despite a very up-and-down offensive profile

Kevin

2:11

Matt Manning for Ryan Mountcastle. Who say no?: Mountcastle could move back to LF field?

Anthony Franco

2:12

I'd probably rather have Mountcastle in isolation but think I'd prefer Manning if I'm Detroit given the potential corner outfield glut referenced earlier

Felix

2:12

Should we expect any significant free agent signings and/or trades? Do they try to build a championship team next year?

2:12

Do the Tigers bring in another pitcher if E-Rod leaves?

Anthony Franco

2:13

I think they're positioned really well to make a run at one of the better starting pitchers out there if they want to. Ton of payroll room, the division's probably never going to be worse than it will in '24

2:14

We have no track record with Scott Harris leading baseball ops. When he was the #2 guy with the Giants, they basically passed on every top-of-the-market starting pitcher because they were confident they could develop reclamation types into productive mid-rotation starters

2:15

Whether that's just something that San Francisco president Farhan Zaidi preferred or a philosophy Harris brings with him to Detroit isn't clear, but I think they're a pretty strong on-paper fit for an Aaron Nola or Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Miggy

2:16

Know they have my contract off the books, there is more money to spend, albeit wisely.
Fact, we have a team of MLB talent, most are utility players though. Needs are a power hitting corner outfielder, third baseman and second baseman. Some cuts are needed, that’s the painful truth. We need EVERYDAY talent. The pitching staff is actually in pretty good shape. Maybe a little twist here or there, not much though.
GET SOMEONE with the tool set required to compete in the weak A.L. Central.

Anthony Franco

2:16

I think it's a major league caliber outfield at this point. Tork/Rogers are good players

2:17

But I agree on the rest of the infield. You can't really address that in free agency this winter though, since there are like two good players total

2:18

Which likely has a trickle-down effect on the trade market. In a typical year, the Brewers might trade Willy Adames before his final arb season. Are they still doing that when their fallback option is to sign Adam Frazier and move Brice Turang to shortstop? Seems less likely

PeterBfromtheD

2:18

Who is the most likely trade cagey from the Tigers pool of young pitching? Do you have a trade candidate in mind that can improve their offense?

Anthony Franco

2:19

Could see them matching up well with STL if they're open to moving young pitching. Cards have Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman as second base options, clearly intent on acquiring major league ready starting pitching this winter

2:20

I don't have a clean one-for-one swap lined up. Maybe something involving Gorman and Reese Olson if STL really likes him?

2:21

They're tough to predict because teams rarely make those kinds of trades on talented young players with extended control windows and they'll value young players quite differently team to team

Zac

2:22

Is tarik skubal a top 10 SP?

Anthony Franco

2:22

Man that's tough

2:23

I think there are more than 10 guys I'd take over Skubal just for '24 alone -- he still hasn't done it over a full season yet -- but the number's less than 20 and if he goes crazy and ends up as a Cy Young finalist or something next year, it wouldn't be surprising

2:24

Do you think Turnbull with be non-tendered, or could he be traded?

Anthony Franco

2:24

Feels like a trade to me. Not going to get anything super interesting but there's enough demand for starting pitching someone probably takes a shot

Gomez

2:25

Do you really think Eduardo Rodriguez will opt out? It seems to me quite unlikely, based upon his recent hand issue, only 17 games played in 2022 and other, uh, issues (did he really reject a trade to the perennial World Series contender Dodgers?) that any other team would match the $49 million/3 years remaining on his current contract.

Anthony Franco

2:26

3/49 isn't that much money for a starting pitcher at this point. I'd take E-Rod over Jameson Taillon and Taijuan Walker, and those guys got four years and around $70MM

2:27

We're still working on our contract predictions for the Top 50, so nothing's finalized yet, but the 3/49 isn't that far above what we're likely to project guys like Michael Wacha or Jack Flaherty to get

So yeah, I think E-Rod can at least leverage the opt out into getting another year from the Tigers, even if he really wants to stay

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