MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you.

So, let’s kick this off…

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The Tigers are developing new patterns and we should like what we see.  Not only are they raiding the Dodgers’ system for fresh talent, but they are getting the guys that Farhan Zaidi hired when he was running them.  The new execs and coaches coming in all have ties with current Tigers – Chris Fetter and George Lombard – who have undoubtedly recommended their work.

What’s interesting though, is that Al Avila has close Dodger ties.  His father, Ralph, has been a long-time employee and is highly-regarded.  Why didn’t the Tigers start hiring away Dodgers before this year?

All of these new hires, save one, are pitching-specific guys.  And if Fetter is recommending them, then I think I’ll be able to sleep at night.

But what we’re also seeing is the Tigers’ emphasis on pitching.  Getting as strong a system as they can.  Building depth.  Maximizing talent.  All good things.

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Meanwhile, the 2 Detroit dailies are pushing the story of Justin Verlander returning to Detroit and manipulating the narrative to give false hope.  I was surprised when the most (actually only) credible of the bunch made insane jumps of logic and mangled the simple facts. 

“Facts” such as JV missed the 2021 when in reality he missed almost the entire 2020 season, too.  “Facts” such as saying that Chris Ilitch said the Tigers would be spending “significantly” this winter when he said so such thing.

This writer assuming that because JV said in passing that he’d love to return to Detroit is based upon sincerity and not on being kind, diplomatic or looking to generate interest in a new contract.  Or that Miguel Cabrera’s simple comment on Instagram about wanting to see JV return to Detroit allowed this journalist to write that it “fueled speculation that something might soon be in the works”.

It’s sloppy journalism and most probably written in desperation as writers scramble to find baseball topics during this lull in the year.  And written for the clicks.  Nothing more.

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Speaking of which, the more serious fans of the game understand that while everyone would love to see JV back wearing the Old English D, it is not at all practical.  A rebuilding team, still with many major needs, isn’t going to sign a former player who hasn’t pitched since July 2020.  Remember,  JV pitched in only 1 game that year so for all intents and purposes, he really hasn’t thrown since 2019.

Couple that with the fact that he’s looking for a multi-year contract (reports saying 3-years+) and the going rate right now is a minimum of $19 mill/year.  Oh, and he’ll be 39 years old.

Rebuilding teams don’t do that.  Teams looking to compete don’t do that.  And owners aren’t going to shell out approximately $57 mill to a question mark when they also need to sign 2 more starting pitchers, a catcher and a shortstop.  Especially someone like Chris Ilitch.

Just because he shares the same last name as Mr. I,  doesn’t mean he shares the same spending habits.  Chris is smarter than that.  He is a businessman and runs things like a business.  He took Ilitch Holdings to a tie with Steven Cohen as MLB’s richest owners.  You don’t get there by spending wildly.

In contrast, Mr. I was an emotional owner.  Relationships mattered to him.  He was responsible for the signings of Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez and others because of his relationships with them.

But what if Mr. I was still around?  Don’t you think that he would bring JV back?

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Which of these stories resonated the most with you?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• Final results from Saturday’s poll about which department within the Tigers’ has the greatest needs.

• Exactly how bad were the Tigers’ shortstops this year? We’ve got the stats and rankings.

• What is the biggest clue that will show fans how serious the Tigers about contending?

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

Baseball’s CBA expires on December 1^st and both MLB and the MLBPA are currently in negotiations.  One of the most important issues?

Service time manipulation when players are kept from being on a major league roster for 172 days and thus giving teams an extra year of control. Potentially a total of 7 years.  This allows organizations to get the best years of a player at a much lower cost. 

MLB has proposed an age-based system where all players would qualify for free agency at the age of 29.5 years.  This would prevent teams from keeping qualified players down in the minors and would also benefit those who break out at a later age.

However, it would also be detrimental to the very talented players who come up early and would reach free agency before turning 29.5 years old.  They would be prevented from signing deals that would reward them in length and salary for their elite playing ability.

The current system highly favors owners.  The new age-based system would also benefit owners but to a smaller degree.

Negotiations over this key point are only in the introductory stages.  But how do you, the fans, feel?

Should both sides keep the service time agreement but change some of the parameters to make it more fair to the players?

Or should the system that determines free agency be age-based?  Should both sides agree on an age that is fair to all?

Today’s blog addresses this dilemma and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!

For this one blog, you’ve got 10 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.

TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.

Ready?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• How many of the top 25 free agents are former Tigers?

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

SATURDAY SURVEY

While the World Series is going on, the Detroit Tigers continue to make changes within their organization.

A new manager and coaches came on board almost a year ago.  Recently, 2 top Front Office Executives were demoted while Sam Menzin and Jay Satori were promoted.  A dozen scouts and a handful of minor league coaches were released.

Recently, a new VP Player Development and Director of Pitching were hired.  This week, 2 pitching development coordinators were hired to replace several long-term employees and they will oversee the AA/AAA minor league levels.

All hires came from outside the Detroit Tigers organization.

All of this done, obviously, to push the Tigers closer to contention.  And a big focus on what the team is trying to strengthen is minor league development and pitching.

But given that it’s the off-season, should the Tigers be doing more to improve their organization from the inside out?  Are there other areas of the organization that concern you?

Which one area do you feel  is most in need of additional improvement?  (And for this poll, changing the owner and/or GM is not an option.  Nor should you include them as you consider any Front Office changes.)

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• You won’t believe who wants baseball to change the name “bullpen”.

• Gold Glove nominations are out. Which Tigers made the list?

• Great article on exactly what Robbie Grossman contributed to the team this year.

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

by Holly Horning

The Detroit Tigers are gradually and systematically excising the old and entrenched employees who have followed Dave Dombrowski and Al Avila from Montreal to Florida to Pittsburgh (road trip) and finally, Detroit.

It started at the MLB level.  In the dugout to be precise.

It then migrated to the Front Office and has trickled down into the minor leagues.  Managers, coaches and scouts.  And it continued this week with the departure of the minors Director of Pitching Development/Strategies and the hiring of 2 new AA/AAA Pitching Coordinators.

I fully expect the changes to continue.  Not widespread changes or the brooming of entire departments.  But as the minor leagues continue to grow stronger – and the Tigers get closer to contending – I expect there will be more.

I also suspect that many still in their jobs are on probation as the organization, esp. the new Front Office hires, watch them to see if they can up their game and mesh with the new ideas and practices that are being introduced.

Which brings me to the changing dynamics of this organization.  For some, it’s coming too late.  For others, it’s not coming fast enough.  And for many others, they are still hoping.

So what changes do I want to see before spring training rolls around?

Some of them may not be what you think.  For this exercise, I’ve made the roster off-limits.  So are the unrealistic expectations of changing ownership or the GM that many of you have made a priority.  Not.gonna.happen.

This is a reality-based list that is easily accomplishable this off-season.

I’ve come up with my top 5 things that will make me the happiest to see.  Things that should have happened years ago.  Things that continue to torture me.  Things that will make me break out the bubbly.

But most of all, changes that will make this game eminently much more pleasurable to watch.

Let’s get to it!

NEW TV BROADCAST TEAM

For years now, the tv broadcast crew, even with Mario and Rod, never got above #28 in the media rankings.  The lastest crew has been ranked dead last (and it’s not even close in the grading) ever since Matt Shepard was hired.  I’d be hard-pressed to keep anyone.  And whoever thought that doing half-inning long interviews in the stands with random fans was a good idea should go, too.

I want to see a play-by-play guy who is fully-schooled in baseball and specializes in calling those games.  And a color/pitching broadcaster who is personable and leaves his glory days stories behind.  Screamers and montone guys best suited to calling golf games or helping you with your sleep problems need not apply.

MORE MOMAGERS

The Tigers’ Baseball Operations sector has 29 departments and there’s only one woman in a position of power.  She is Dr. Georgia Giblin, Director of Performance Science.  At the very least, she needs to be given the title of Sr. Director and a higher profile given the increasing importance of data and technology in player development and the push by the Tigers to improve it.  She’s drawing a lot of recognition within the organization and she needs to be promoted.

The Tigers are always among the very last to adopt what other teams embrace such as signing African-American players, building bullpens or using analytics.  I don’t want to see this habit continue.  Outside of Dr. Giblin, the Tigers have no other women anywhere within the organization holding a position of power or influence.  Many other teams do. 

The best reason to hire more women?  Let’s remember that when you hire momagers, stuff gets done.  We take no hostages.

(Sidebar: If you are a newer reader, the term “momager” is a running humorous theme on this site. If you enter it into the search box here, you’ll see the yearly momager columns that appear every year on Mother’s Day.)

MODERN TRAINING AND CONDITIONING

Did you know that Kevin Rand (who goes all the way back to the Expos and Marlins with Dombrowski and Avila) is still in charge of all of this?  Not only that, but he got promoted to oversee the Tigers’ entire T&C program from the majors through the minors.  Doug Teter has been a Tiger employee since 1993.  Are these really the guys you want overseeing the health and injury prevention of the Tigers’ top prospects?

I’ve seen the Tigers – and other teams – train.  I’ve got a lot of experience with personal training methods and I was shocked to see Detroit’s old school ways that haven’t changed in decades.  Meanwhile, every other team is extolling the virtures of including yoga, pilates, core and flexibility training in their programs.  Some teams even require their players to take these classes in the off-season.  It’s just another example of the Tigers being among the very last to adopt new strategies.  It’s also another example of long-term Expos/Florida/Tigers employees being allowed to stay burrowed within an organization for decades.

GIVE UP THE GHOST

Jim Leyland is not just a “special assistant” as we are constantly being told.  He’s so much more.  He’s the man behind the curtain and the “GM Whisperer”.  He’s involved in signings, scouting, draft war rooms and was even in charge of overseeing the minor league system last year.  And every spring, he sits with Al Avila behind home plate evaluating all the players.

How can someone so anti-analytics, so outdated, so old school even possibly exist with employees who could be his great-grandchildren who use terminology and technology that he can’t possibly understand?  You’ve got to believe that the newest Front Office execs don’t appreciate his input or that he plants ideas into Avila’s head that have no data to support.  He makes their jobs harder.

The Tigers need to hold a Jim Leyland Day.  Give him a solid gold cigarette case and send him off.  Invite him back for special celebrations.  Trade him to Pittsburgh in exchange for Donnie Kelly Baby.  But for God’s sake, the Tigers need to change the locks on the Front Office’s doors and make Avila’s phone number unlisted.  It’s also another reason why the Tigers need to hire more momagers.  They’ll get it done.

SHADOW GM

The Tigers need to giving A. J. Hinch more power in deciding how to build the roster.  After many years, Al Avila has a very poor record when it comes to signings.  (See Zimmermann, Jordan.)  Hinch is on the record, most recently about the kind of #1 catcher the Tigers need which is defensively based and “centered on impeccable game planning and overall poise behind the plate.”   So it’s a head-scratcher when the Tigers signed Wilson Ramos who has never been known for his defensive skills.  It’s obvious that Hinch had no input on that move.

We also know that the most successful signing for last year’s roster was Robbie Grossman.  Hinch was the one who pushed for it.  The analytics department was given credit for the Baddoo heist.  It’s just more and more obvious that Hinch and the analytics department, plus the input of Jay Satori and Sam Menzin, need to be the ones who greenlight future signings.

Keeping in mind the rules above, which realistic doable changes would you make before the 2022 season?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• The Tigers made 2 new pitching coach hires this week and TT has the news before the official announcement.

• The Tigers’ new pitching coaches/directors have ties to the Tigers. Good ties.

• There are discernible patterns in who the Tigers are hiring. What are they?

• Another potential shortstop of interest to the Tigers just got much more expensive.

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

TIME TO TRIM

by Holly Horning

While the World Series is going on, the other 28 teams are busy charting the moves they need to make with their rosters as they continue to prepare for the 2022 season.

For the Tigers, it actually started with the hiring of A. J. Hinch.  He has spent his first year intensively digging into the merits of every single player on the roster – and some quality time also focused on the more significant minor leaguers.  He is the first manager in Detroit to perform a legitimate analysis and have a real say in who stays and who goes.

He brought in the right coaches to maximize talent and moved players around in an attempt to determine their full value.  You can bet that these reports have found their way to the Front Office with recommendations on which players to keep going forward.

But the first official post-season step to take in revising the 2022 roster?

The Tigers need to make room.  Currently, all slots of the 40-man are filled. They can’t sign any free agents until they create some openings.

And they will accomplish this by creating space via non-tendering players.  Players with skill evaluations that don’t create value in comparison with the monetary expenditures.

There are 13 Tigers eligible for salary arbitration.  They are:

Matthew Boyd

Jeimer Candelario

Harold Castro

Jose Cisnero

Michael Fulmer

Dustin Garneau

Niko Goodrum

Grayson Greiner

Drew Hutchison

Joe Jimenez

Ian Krol

Victor Reyes

Spencer Turnbull

It is widely considered that tendering all of these players will cost the Tigers $35 million.  Keep in mind that if the Front Office and a player can’t agree on the amount, they go to arbitration where independent evaluators will award the figure of only 1 side.  They cannot come up with a different figure nor average out the 2 figures presented.

Next week, I’m going to break down the Tigers’ payroll as we try to get some clues about what they will spend.  Please save your overall payroll comments for then.  Today, let’s focus on the players who are arbitration eligible.

That $35 million is a nice chunk of change.  And conceivably, it could constitute one-third to one-fourth of the Tigers total payroll. And if you add in Miguel Cabrera’s $32 mill salary, that $67 mill could constitute half of the team’s payroll. 

That factor, combined with the need to sign at least 4 new players (a minimum of 2 starting pitchers, a #1 catcher and shortstop), is the reason why the Tigers need to trim.

Initial reports by those who analyze payrolls expect that the team will cut expenses so that arbitration amounts will end up in the high teens to low 20’s.  That means cutting $12 – $19 million.

How will they do that?

Here’s my analysis on each of the 13 players.  Much of it is based upon salary with the most expensive players most likely to go.  But some players may stay or go depending upon whom the Tigers decide to sign.  This is especially true of the catchers.  Others may simply not offer enough to justify their salaries.

And the Tigers are also thinking that by cutting 1 player making a couple million will allow them to add 2-3 less expensive athletes to fill multiple holes and also help them add depth.

I’ve put each player into 3 categories with their widely-expected new salaries.  For the last 2 categories, I’ve added the rationales in parentheses.

STAYING

Jeimer Candelario – $5.9M

Harold Castro – $1.5M

Jose Cisnero – $1.9MM

Spencer Turnbull – $1.8M

COULD GO EITHER WAY

Michael Fulmer – $5.1M (May be too much to pay for a reliever when the team needs multiple new starting pitchers. He becomes a free agent at the end of the year so they may re-sign him and then trade him.)

Dustin Garneau – $1.6M (Depends upon who is signed as #1 catcher.)

Grayson Greiner – $800K  (Not the best option but his salary is peanuts and he offers depth.)

Drew Hutchison – $900K (Had already been waived by Tigers earlier this summer but he has yet to really work with Chris Fetter.)

Joe Jimenez – $1.8MM (Fetter still considers him a work in progress.)

Victor Reyes – $1.3MM (May boil down to how close the Tigers believe Riley Greene will debut and renewed evaluation of Daz Cameron.)

LEAVING

Matthew Boyd – $7.3M (Won’t pitch until July and a free agent less than 3 months later.  There is a chance he could be non-tendered and then re-signed to a lower contract that is incentive-based.)

Niko Goodrum – $2.9M (Expensive for a utility player with not-so-great stats.)

Ian Krol – $900K (DFA’d multiple times.)

If we remove the last 3 players, the Tigers arbitration payroll goes down to just under $25 mill.  They still need to open up at least 1 more roster spot and cut $3 – $8 mill more.

They could accomplish that by non-tendering Fulmer but that is much more unlikely.  What they may attempt to do is re-sign him, build his value and then trade him later in the year because he becomes a free agent anyway at the end of the year.

What is more likely to happen is cutting 1 of the catchers, one reliever and potentially Victor Reyes who finds himself under increasing competition for an outfield spot.

Just remember, the more players who are cut opens the door for more new players to come in.  And after the Tigers used 13 different starting pitchers in 2021, signing 2 new starting pitchers will probably not be enough.

How many roster spots do the Tigers feel they need to open?  Stay tuned…..

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• The Tigers have made another pitching hire for their minors.

Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

WATERCOOLER WEDNESDAY

Today, another chance for readers to have increased opportunities to discuss the hottest topics in a forum where thoughtful conversations and a variety of opinions are welcomed.

Let’s create some running conversation threads with not just comments but replies to others.  And for those of you still going into offices, here’s a question to take with you – or use via Zoom calls – as you talk to your co-workers.

Here is today’s hot topic. For this blog only, a maximum of 10 sentences please. 

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MLB and the Players’ Union continue to meet about crafting a new CBA.  The current one expires on December 1^st.

One of the issues they are negotiating is payroll. The MLBPA is concerned about organizations that drop their payroll substantially with explanations of “rebuilding” which they believe really is tanking.  Tanking teams save money and can actually product a profit.

MLB, on the other hand, supports owners who don’t want to spend more millions than need be.  Currently, teams may spend up to $210 million without incurring a luxury tax on the overage.

Baseball does not have limits on how much teams may spend – or not spend.  This past year, only 1 team spent over $210 million.  In 2019, it was 3.

In terms of teams spending the least, this year 12 teams spent under $100 million.  In 2019, it was 6.

MLB is rumored to currently be proposing a new system in which there are payroll ceilings and floors.  They are offering the union $100 million that is the minimum teams must spend on their payrolls.  It will help prevent teams from putting a non-competitive product on the field.

In exchange, their proposal includes reducing the luxury tax threshold to $180 million.  This would likely reduce what teams will spend on players overall.

The bottom line is that baseball organizations would be spending more similar amounts on their payrolls.  Most teams would be within a maximum of $80 mill of each other.  In the past, the spread was as large as $175 mill.

The final result could be increased competition, esp. favorable to smaller markets.  On the other hand, a lower luxury tax limit could prevent some organizations from signing the necessary free agents.

It could also mean that free agents could be signed but payroll limits may prevent them from filling other holes in the lineup.  It could also artificially reduce the size of free agent contracts which is a part of the proposal that the union will likely refuse to entertain.

Similar payrolls may also create teams that are too alike both in terms of performance and win-loss records.

What do you think?  Should teams be allowed to spend whatever they want or should there be some control over their payrolls?

Oh, one little catch. You can’t cherry pick and want a minimum floor with no maximum ceiling. You’ve got to make the hard choice and select the best out of the 2 options offered.

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• Another Tiger helps out Matthew Boyd.

• Two former Tigers – 2 different end-of-year results for each of them.

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

MEDIA MOTIVATION

by Holly Horning

MLB has had its share of scandals and misdeeds.  But what do they all have in common?

Trying to keep a lid on them.  Even ignoring them.  All in an attempt to keep the public and fan base from seeing anything that could tarnish MLB’s reputation.

In recent history, it started with the steroid scandal.  Many people knew what was going on by simply watching players literally grow to become unrecognizable.  But Commissioner Bud Selig did nothing about it.  In fact, he ignored it because the increase in home runs and offense were bringing more fans into the parks.

In 2005, Selig did his best impersonation of Sergeant Schultz in front of Congress by stating he knew nothing about steroids until 1999.  However, the inquiry was spurred, in part, by the revelations in Jose Canseco’s book Juiced. 

One year later, Bud testified that he was one of the first people to recognize what was going on in the game.  It’s called covering your you-know-what.

However, Canseco’s book and extensive coverage of the BALCO scandal finally forced Selig into taking action.

Fast forward to 2019 when the Astros cheating scandal finally came to light.

Before Houston won the World Series in 2017, many teams believed that the Astros were cheating in ways that weren’t approved by MLB.  These teams all complained to the Commissioner’s Office but to no avail.  Not even a single inquiry was made by the powers that be.

Even individual players filed complaints which were never addressed.  One of them was Mike Fiers who had filed 2 reports with Rob Manfred about his time with the Astros and what they were doing.  He even offered to give back his WS winnings and ring.

Crickets.  And, of course, nothing was done.

That is, until Fiers did an interview with Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich in The Athletic that outlined what the Astros were doing.  It was that interview that finally got Rob’s attention because the media made it a huge story.

MLB would have preferred to have kept it quiet.  But now they were forced to address it.  And they took as few prisoners as possible.  And on purpose.

They certainly weren’t going to reveal the most damning information and take away any championships.  That would be messy.

Next up?  The parade of serial misogynists, sexual harassers and pushers of drugs and equipment doctoring.  Some organizations rife with multiple offenders.

And what did they all have in common?  Lots of individuals, if not entire organizations, knew what was going on.  Even many players who weren’t a part of that organization knew.  And all of these issues that either preyed upon women or catered to drug or sticky stuff needs were open secrets within each organization.  We’re talking about teams including the Angels, Mets, Astros and White Sox who are now described as having one of these toxic cultures in which illegal acts were permitted, blind eyes ruled and no one was never reprimanded. 

Nevermind that MLB had a series of official guidelines that each team had to agree to follow.  Including a sexual harassment policy.

Yet owners, upper management and MLB did absolutely nothing to stem this behavior until the media once again made them into headline-grabbing issues that detailed repeat offenders and problems that went back decades.

Do you see the pattern here?  MLB does nothing to identify, investigation or curb illegal, controversial or repulsive actions until they are forced to address them by the media. 

And increasingly, players and employees are avoiding the Commissioner’s Office and going straight to a heavyweight journalist and publication.

Late this past season, the latest scandal hit the pages.  Concern over the abysmal living conditions of minor league players.

There have been issues about minor leaguers in the past concerning pay.  MLB finally addressed it by raising pay but also eliminating dozens of teams to help defray the new costs.

Some players have spoken out about their horrible living conditions in the minor leagues.  And many of them end up being either demoted or cut from their teams.

First, the background.

Minor leaguers are now earning $500 – $700 a week (from a previous $200 – $500) but those salaries are just for 5 months and they don’t include payroll deductions. (Players are also expected to continue to train on their own in the off-season with no reimbursement from their teams for doing such.) 

Nor do those salaries include housing or food.  The latter is sometimes provided by teams but it is often clubhouse managers scrounging for leftovers from executive events in order to feed to the players.

These athletes are making $10-$15 K/year, excluding deductions, and bringing home even less.  The poverty level in the US sits at $13,000.

Some organizations offer discount hotel rates but most players can’t afford to use them.  One team offers furnished apartments but deducts $420/month from paychecks.  This is the equivalent of one week’s worth of wages.

Conditions like this have been going on for years now but we are only now just learning the specifics about horrid living conditions because some minor leaguers have learned that the media can help them by giving them an anonymous public voice that makes MLB look very bad.

Once again, The Athletic was made aware of how hard it is for players to find a bed and feed themselves while in the minor leagues.  Many players will say the hardest thing about the minor leagues is not developing their talent.  It’s finding solutions for everyday living that is the most challenging. 

The Athletic interviewed dozens of players and learned these facts:

• Some sleep in their clubhouses.

• A number of them can’t afford housing so they live out of and sleep in their cars.

• Others pool their money and rent unfurnished apartments where they often fit 6 teammates per bedroom on wall-to-wall single mattresses on the floor. 

• It’s not unusual for a 2-bedroom apartment to have 12 or more players sharing it.

• There are more than a few players who sleep on pool floats, air mattresses or lawn chairs.

• Needless to say, inexpensive housing often has issues such as rat and roach problems.

• Married players are unable to have their spouses or children stay with them for entire seasons and go without seeing them at all for half a year, including the birth of their children for which they are absent.

But now that the media exposed MLB’s dehumanizing and exploitive conditions, MLB finally decided to act.  The pattern continues.

Starting next year, they will be requiring that teams offer housing for their minor leaguers.  But the deal is very short on details.  All we know right now is that only “certain” players, not everyone, will receive this benefit.

Make no mistake about it.  MLB finally didn’t develop a heart all of a sudden.  They were pushed.

And if you believe that organizations will absorb the extra cost without passing it on to fans, well, we need to talk…..

It’s a pattern of behavior that comes from a big business trying to squeeze the most profit out of its industry while paying out the least amount of money.

And it’s only motivation to address problems and concerns comes when the media gets involved.

What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• The Tigers continue their brooming of entrenched employees.

• TT responds to a national column about the viability of bringing back JV and Mad Max.

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

MONDAY MUSINGS

by Holly Horning

Throughout the week, there are so many smaller stories hitting the media.  They may be bite-size, but often they are just as important as the headline-grabbing news.  Sometimes, even more.

And that’s what brings me to today.  A way to discuss some of these stories. A way to bring them out in the open for discussion.

And that’s the plan for Mondays.  Keeping track of these mighty little bits that hit my radar throughout the week and sharing them with you today because I know one or more will also resonate with you.

So, let’s kick this off…

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It surely cannot be connected but I find it really strange that all 3 of the Tigers’ top prospects in the Arizona Fall League have been pulled from their team due to injury.  Riley Greene suffered a concussion in the weeks before the start of the AFL while this week, Spencer Torkelson suffered a sprained ankle and Ryan Kreidler ended up with a strained calf.  The plan was to have kept Greene, Tork and Kreidler together as they have all advanced at the same time through the Tigers’ system.

They make up not quite half of the players the Tigers sent to Arizona.  Four right-handers, Chavez Fernander, Wilmer Flores, Zack Hess, and Garrett Hill, are left.

Are you also wondering just how the absence of these 3 will impact how quickly they make the roster in Detroit?

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The aura of cheating has continued to raise its head throughout the playoffs.  First, with the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox who only got officially investigated for the 2017 and 2018 seasons but are still being accused by many other teams of continued cheating, including during this year’s playoffs.

Alex Cora, one of 2 ringleaders in the Astros scandal, is still receiving getting some side eye but he has done a decent job in redeeming himself with the media. 

Which brings me to his partner-in-crime, Carlos Beltran, who was fired as the Mets manager before he even had a day on the job.  This was under previous ownership but now that Steven Cohen bought the team, will they reconsider him?  The Mets just recently fired their current manager after 2 years on the job.

Isn’t it interesting that everyone (but for Jeff Luhnow) has found their way back to baseball after these scandals except for Beltran?

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Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it.  Max Scherzer wanted another World Series ring and got himself traded to the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers.  LA gave up their #1, #2, #17- ranked prospects along with another player for Scherzer and Trea Turner.

You do bold, dangerous moves like this in order to get that flag flying over your stadium.  You potentially put your organization’s future at risk.  Which is exactly what happened when Max’s arm went dead in Game #2 and he was unable to pitch his usual Game #6.  The hope was that he would have an extra day of rest and start Game #7.  The only problem was that the Braves won it all before he could take the mound again.

Now, both Max and the Dodgers have an ugly future ahead of them.  Scherzer is a free agent and wants another multi-year expensive contract but with a dead arm, that’s going to raise a lot of flags for other teams.  He’s going to be a harder sell.

But even if he is able to overcome the doubters, teams will be thinking about how smart it is to sign a pitcher who will be 38 next year and has obviously started to tire from all the innings pitched, esp. at the end of the year.  If teams want to sign him to help them get to the playoffs, will Max actually be available to pitch in October?  Isn’t that the entire point of signing someone like Scherzer?

Those moves backfired for both parties.  But the Nationals made out like bandits.

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Which story resonates the most with you? 

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• How is the roster of a championship team assembled – and how do the Tigers compare?

• The oldest managers in baseball set a record. Should Tiger fans be concerned?

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

Within the next couple of weeks, the Detroit Tigers will be heading into the Hot Stove season where they will start filling in the holes in the roster.  Planning has already started, likely candidates have been identified and priorities have been established.

But the Tigers have to wrestle with the logistics that Comerica Park has created.  With the evolution of the game, there are conflicts the team needs to sort out.

If you didn’t read it a couple days ago (https://totallytigers.wordpress.com/2021/10/20/j-d-martinez-was-right/), the newest strategies in how to play the game have taken over.  Stats overwhelmingly show that hitting ground balls is a disadvantage while the ability to launch balls into the air with as much force as possible are the keys to winning.

These launch angle and exit velocity stats create much more run production and the teams that do it best were all the teams that snagged spots in this year’s playoffs.

Where the conflict is created is within the confines of Comerica Park itself.  It is a ballpark that is built for speed and base hits.  Not home runs.

Today’s blog addresses this dilemma and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!

For this one blog, you’ve got 10 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.

TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.

Ready?

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Given the undisputed evidence that hard-hit balls launched into the air create greater run production and win more games, what kind of players should the Tigers be signing to their roster given that half their games are played in the vast region known as Comerica?  Which type of player would you prioritize?

What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• What do all teams considering hiring Brad Ausmus have in common?

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

THE SATURDAY SURVEY

Through Thursday’s games, the battle in the AL to determine who goes to the World Series is between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox.  Ironically, both teams have ties to cheating scandals in 2017 and 2018.

The Astros, of course, were found to be guilty of high-tech sign stealing in 2017 but players were given immunity for their testimony, including those singled out for their actions in planning and implementing the sign stealing.  One of those labeled as a “ringleader” was Alex Cora, who went on to become the Red Sox manager in 2018. 

Similarly, there was evidence that Boston used some of the same sign-stealing strategies in 2018 that Houston did.  After an investigation by MLB, it was determined that Boston’s actions were “more limited in scope” and the organization was exonerated.  However, the Red Sox fired Cora for a year before rehiring him a year later.

During the 2019 World Series, the Washington Nationals were warned by multiple sources that the Astros were continuing to cheat. As a result, the Nats had to take extra precautions by developing an extremely complex system of signs to use before going on to win the World Series.

With the return of both of these teams to the playoffs, have your feelings about them changed given the circumstances and the time to reflect since the cheating scandals came to light?

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What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday? (And why aren’t you following TT yet?)

• How many former Tigers are on the list of this year’s top free agents?

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Get your Totally Tigers fix beyond this blog.  We publish breaking news, national stories of note, videos, observations and polls throughout the day.  Every day.

Click here: https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb or simply enter “totally tigers bb” (make sure you add the “bb”!) in the search box at twitter.com and click on “Follow.”

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Totally Tigers loves your comments but please be aware of the rules for posting.  Comments may be edited and responses are only published if they address today’s topic, are respectful and do not exceed the maximum number of 3-4 sentences.  All rules may be found by clicking on the link at the top of the page.