2019 Detroit Tigers

[Smirnoff]

19 losses from the last 25 games played....anybody see a white-flag raised yet, anybody?

[Ray1936]

19 losses from the last 25 games played....anybody see a white-flag raised yet, anybody?

Hey, they're not in last place. Yet.

[bartocktoo]

Hey, they're not in last place. Yet.

Can you imagine if they were hovering around .500 though? I'm not a huge fan of rebuild theories but in this case [[and the Red Wings) they are close to having talent that might get them somewhere. Better they are well below .500 here if they do the smart thing and trade Green at the deadline and get a prospect or two. I'm not sure they should trade Boyd...he's cerebral and hit pitching style is sustainable. I still shake my head as to why they didn't trade Fulmer three seasons ago...his style and injury history then foreshadowed what has happened since, and they would likely be further along now had that happened.

[Bong-Man]

Trade discussions....[[just ramblin')

Nick Castellanos - I understand his frustration. He's with the wrong team at the wrong time, through no real fault of his own. However he needs to understand that his best move at this time is to shut up and produce. Venting to the press on a weekly basis isn't going to help your situation. His fielding has improved, but he's still viewed as a defensive liability. A nice hitting streak [[which he's fully capable of before the deadline), would help his cause and the Tigers considerably. Focus young man...Focus !

Shane Green - A bullpen injury on a contending team down the stretch would give the Tigers some trade bargaining power. He doesn't necessarily have to be a closer for anyone else, just a reliable arm coming out of the bullpen. The same thing that got us there in 1984 [[Hernandez, Senor Smoke, Juan Berenguer) is the same thing we were missing the last two tries, and what other teams need and covet. You never have enough bullpen help down the stretch.

Matthew Boyd - This is the prize. A left-hander, 28 years old, just hitting his stride, minimal contract concerns. Realistically, the Tigers aren't going to come close to contending for another 3 years, and if he stays healthy [[that's a big if), they'll just have to pay him an awful lot of money. The Tigers could score a host of legitimate prospects, including some farther along in their development than we received from the Verlander trade. His age, contract status, and being a lefty, would demand such. How this is handled could be a defining moment for Avila.

Daniel Norris - Nothing against the guy, but contenders aren't interested in injuries, health problems, inconsistency, and large pitch counts leading to pre-5th inning exits. The Tigers have been very patient and he's shown progress, but not nearly enough to make a contender interested. I only mention what should be obvious because he keeps getting mentioned as trade bait. I just don't see it.

As opposed to last year, pretty much every attempt to parlay a veteran into a mid-season trade for prospects has blown up in Avila's face. Not his fault...that's just baseball.

[Smirnoff]

Scram-bling;

Castellanos: Nobody wanted him last year for $6M, not surprised nobody wants him for $10M this year, WTF? If you follow the logic, maybe somebody will take him at $15M+?

Norris: The more he plays, the worst he gets, but he doubled his salary this year?

Fulmer: Record last year was 3–12 w/4.69 ERA, in Feb signed a $2.8M/1-yr contract, 30-days later out for the entire season. Anyone check his velocity before signing the extension?

Logic: paying "more" money will make a player "more" valuable to other teams, right.

Next.

[Smirnoff]

Ok fellas, Tigers are officially in last place in the AL Central, way to go & Bless You Boyz!

[Smirnoff]

Others wondered if this was just too much of the same thing, and that the already slow rebuild was just going to drag out longer now.......

[cassique]

Others wondered if this was just too much of the same thing, and that the already slow rebuild was just going to drag out longer now.......

Seemed a bit premature to me. Considering that Avila was already under contract this could have waited until after the season. Regardless of what you think about Avila the message seems to be that mediocrity will be tolerated and awarded. I have no problems with the job that he is doing but the timing for announcing was a bit off IMO.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

He doesn't deserve it this soon. If they showed any improvement this year, maybe. The rebuild is off to a terrible start, they're horrible.

[401don]

He doesn't deserve it this soon. If they showed any improvement this year, maybe. The rebuild is off to a terrible start, they're horrible.

I agree it was premature but not because of how the Tigers are doing this year but because key prospects such as Paredes, Cameron, Rogers, etc. are not having great years. He should be judged on how these guys, along with the pitching prospects, are doing after next season and what kind of prospects he can get for Greene, Boyd & Castellanos at the deadline [[i.e. how high are the prospects he gets ranked vs. what other teams are able to get for similar players).

[erikd]

I agree it was premature but not because of how the Tigers are doing this year but because key prospects such as Paredes, Cameron, Rogers, etc. are not having great years. He should be judged on how these guys, along with the pitching prospects, are doing after next season and what kind of prospects he can get for Greene, Boyd & Castellanos at the deadline [[i.e. how high are the prospects he gets ranked vs. what other teams are able to get for similar players).

I would agree with this assessment. It is still too early to determine how successful the rebuild is at this point. We will have a much clearer picture at the end of next season.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I agree it was premature but not because of how the Tigers are doing this year but because key prospects such as Paredes, Cameron, Rogers, etc. are not having great years. He should be judged on how these guys, along with the pitching prospects, are doing after next season and what kind of prospects he can get for Greene, Boyd & Castellanos at the deadline [[i.e. how high are the prospects he gets ranked vs. what other teams are able to get for similar players).

Good point. Guess he'll be judged on the next 2-3 years, to see if that extension was justified.

[401don]

Good point. Guess he'll be judged on the next 2-3 years, to see if that extension was justified.

Agreed. I know people are horrified by how bad the team is this year but I really find it hard to blame Avila or Ilitch. During a rebuild you plug holes at the major league level with serviceable players you think will make the team competitive enough to lose less than 100 games. I just don't see how you can blame Avila for 5 starting pitchers going on the disabled list along with a shortstop and 2nd baseman who had very little injury history in their 8 years together at Pittsburgh. They needed to give guys like Candelario and Stewart their shots to see what they had and I'm surprised both have been so unproductive. I never expected Stewart to hit for average but as hard as he hits the ball I can't believe he only has 6 home runs. Just when you think Candelario is a lost cause he comes back and hits 3 home runs in 2 days. This is why rebuilds are frustrating. It takes time to sort things out. The good news about finishing in the bottom 2 or 3 teams again is it's very hard to screw up a top 3 pick in the draft these days. You are bound to get a good everyday player.

[sirrealone]

Here's the way you can tell if prospects are more or less likely to turn out as solid performers. If the national media talks about them, they have a pretty good chance at making it. If it's only your local media hyping them, it's just that. Hype. The pitchers in the farm system seem to be getting a fair amount of attention nationally. The hitters. Not so much.

[Carol Wickham]

Getting rid of Al Avela should be the first person to go!!

[Danny]

Detroit Tigers are BUMS!!! Just pussy cats always losing!!!

[401don]

Getting rid of Al Avela should be the first person to go!!

Getting rid of Carol Wicham should be the first to go!!

You see how spilling out opinion without stating reasons can be annoying and is magnified by misspelling the name?

[softailrider]

Not getting any kind of good vibe at all off this rebuild. Reminds me of the Randy Smith years. How many seasons did we lose with that bow tied jackass?

[Smirnoff]

Today, the Tigers have the "worst" record in MLB & Al Avila just got an extension?

Ever hear of "Pay for non-Performance"?

Next.....

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The thing that kills me is, they can't hold on to a lead. They jump out early, but the other team knows they have a chance to comeback, because of horrible pitching. Zimmermann is 0-7 with a 7.51 ERA. This guy has been a bust, since they signed him to that huge deal. They should cut him, but can't eat that contract. And besides Green [[who I expect to be traded next week), they have no one that's reliable in the pen.

[401don]

The thing that kills me is, they can't hold on to a lead. They jump out early, but the other team knows they have a chance to comeback, because of horrible pitching. Zimmermann is 0-7 with a 7.51 ERA. This guy has been a bust, since they signed him to that huge deal. They should cut him, but can't eat that contract. And besides Green [[who I expect to be traded next week), they have no one that's reliable in the pen.

Never seen a season where every single game whatever needs to happen to cause a loss will happen. Norris was pitching pretty well last night and then of course a one hour rain delay and he's done. Soto, who looked good in the pen his last outing, comes in and throws garbage.
Tigers have now lost 28 of 31 and are doing the old 35-5 start in reverse.
Surprised they aren't more of a national story. I don't ever remember any MLB team being this bad for this long of a stretch and I've been following the game for 50 years.
I was in Erie Wed. and Leyland sat down two seats from me for 6 innings. I introduced myself but resisted the 100 sarcastic comments that came to mind.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

^^Leyland got out in the nick of time. I know Gardenhire is perplexed with the losing, it's all over his face. You can tell he hates doing those post game interviews.

[Bong-Man]

I was watching the game while hiding from the heat, enjoying a couple buds [[both kinds), and found myself pleasantly musing over the days of yore. Not past glories, but past bad teams. Visions of Tito Fuentes and Alex Johnson danced through my head. The story of Ron Leflore...Ray Bare pitching the one hitter to stop the 19 game slide. The Bird, Champ Summers, Rusty Staub, Bobby Higginson...the 2003 season, and the season-ending drama to avoid the record books. Actually getting excited at the appearances of Bonderman and Weaver. Strange thoughts of being 17 and watching Steve Kemp, knowing in my heart I could throw better than he could [[watching Christian Stewart throw from left field can give you Deja-vu).

Can't watch Zimmerman anymore. It's painful. Don't even discuss bringing this guy back in 2020. Pay him off and eat the mistake.

We've watched more bad teams than good, but this one embraces every aspect of bad & boring baseball. It's time for a bench-clearing brawl, even if it's amongst ourselves.

[401don]

We've watched more bad teams than good, but this one embraces every aspect of bad & boring baseball. It's time for a bench-clearing brawl, even if it's amongst ourselves.

Mario & Rod had it right. Let's fight each other and get kicked out of here.

You're right. In the sad days of yore, someone always came along that was worth watching. Ron Leflore, the Bird, Cecil Fielder. Nobody on this team is worth a ticket. The Jays, meanwhile, have no pitching and none in their pipeline, but they have 5-6 really good, young position players and give you a reason to come to the park each day.

[Al Publican]

Tigers have one of the worst franchises in the four major US sports going back to 1989. Despite two World Series appearances since the 1980s the Tigers have had only ten winning seasons. At one point the Tigers had 12 straight losing seasons leading up to 2006 when they won the American League championship.