DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

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Matthew Boyd is back in Detroit and at top form. He’s added new pitches, throwing in the 90’s and is controlling the strike zone.  In multiple appearances, he’s walked only 1 player.  In his last game, he struck out 7 in 3 innings.

Everyone in MLB is noticing.  And Boyd is giving credit to his former and current boss, Scott Harris and the Giants’ pitching lab where he spent last year perfecting his arsenal.  And now, he’s also giving thanks to Chris Fetter.

The national writers are also taking note.  They are speculating that Boyd will be traded later this year if he keeps up this level of performance.

Matt is on a 1-year deal for $10 mill.  He is 32 years old and his agent is Scott Boras.

Which brings us to the question of selling off talent vs. keeping it.  Dave Dombrowski usually won trades as GM for the Tigers but his successor was notoriously poor at getting value in return.

At what point do the Tigers stop trading away talent?  Or do they need to continue shedding it for the next year or two in an effort to build the roster and add better players?  Can they improve their roster via the farm system or are there too many holes to fill? If the former, how long would it take?

Should they re-sign Boyd and use him as a cornerstone of the starting rotation or should they trade him later this summer to a team thick in contention and in desperate need of an excellent starting pitcher?  If Boyd continues his excellent performance, the Tigers could fetch a significant return despite his “rental” status. Starting pitching is a very valuable trade piece.

What do you think the Tiger should do?

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 only, you’ve got 6 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?

Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 6 sentences. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the page in order for your comments to be published.

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21 thoughts on “DEEPER DISCUSSIONS”

  1. Trading him strikes me as the logical and unsentimental choice, given his age and the Tigers’ pitching depth. They have a number of controllable arms that can also benefit from the pitching lab. Until evidence demonstrates otherwise they should invest in acquiring 2 way position players instead of extending Boyd or Lorenzen. At the end of the day Harris must make a value driven decision, and unless Matthew (or Michael) gives Detroit a big-time home team discount I think that means flipping a rental pitcher for a young player who can potentially give them more years of production.

    Liked by 10 people

  2. As much as I like and admire Matthew Boyd – trade him. He is already 32 years old and his agent is Scott Boras. Also, if the Tigers pitching department really is as good as speculated, then Matthew Boyd will not be the only talent who can be developed into a superior pitcher – there are others out there too.

    Liked by 10 people

    • What would the Tigers get for a solid Matthew Boyd? A handful of prospects to scatter around the minor league teams? Or one MLB-ready position player who has hit well?

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Boyd was brought back to provide innings while Mize and Skurbal are recovering. If they succeed here we have to trade them for more prospects that will serve us when the others are back. This is the plan and we should not stray from before the first regular season game has started.

    Liked by 5 people

  4. Of course a lot depends on his performance, but I voted to keep Boyd although I could have easily voted the other way. But one has to keep in mind that Scott Boras is noted for almost never giving teams a home town discount. So it’s not a good sign that Boras is Boyd’s agent if the Tigers end up wishing to keep him. . If the Tigers want to keep him and Boyd wants to stay, I suppose something could be worked out. However if he’s pitching well and Boras is not going to bend on his demands, it would be awfully tempting to trade him for some top position player prospects.

    Liked by 5 people

  5. Finally the Tigers have some depth in the minors ang youngsters who willl get their feet wet this year, hard to believe there will not be 4/5 who can help this team next year. If the Tigers get a call for Boyd, A. Meadows, Schoop,,let them go and get prospects ready to play at the big show level.

    Liked by 4 people

  6. Holly, that’s a rather difficult question. My thought is to trade him because a pitcher could go on for 3 years or more at 32, or he could suffer a significant injury early in his new deal. You just don’t know. If he pitches well enough the Tigers could get good hitters for him

    Liked by 4 people

    • Redeemed you provide a valid concern. Look at the young pitchers in today’s game and it seems a majority of them have surgery and miss a year or more. I am willing to take my chances on a newly repaired veterans arm to last longer than a youngsters arm these days. We will see if the new coaching the Tigers have will help save the young arms but only time will tell.

      Liked by 2 people

  7. I would agree with the growing majority that says to trade him but playing The Devil’s Advocate I kind of voted to keep him. With the premise that he exceeds and excels, his value is much more than wins and losses his mentorship is par excellence. Is his greatest value in acquiring a prospective position player or as an example as well as a mentor to an extremely young pitching staff? Is his infusion into the culture of the pitching staff more valuable than his trade value on an expiring contract? How you answer these questions will determine where his greatest value lies. Of course the caveat in all of this is that if you do retain him you get the deal with Mr Scott Boros.

    Liked by 4 people

  8. What happened to the “We brought him back for his leadership skills.” If this is the case, I think you would want him around longer than 6 months.

    Liked by 7 people

  9. I voted to keep him but it was with the most optimistic view of the situation. IF the Tigers are playing decent and look to be on the upswing and Boyd is truly pitching at a high level then he becomes the Kenny Rogers factor. Not saying the Tigers will be a playoff contender yet, but if you want to show the team and the league you are serious about winning, then keep him. To get free agents to come here , I think you have to be out of “sell your good players mode”. If the Tigers are terrible again at the trade deadline then definitely trade away. Trade Rodriguez either way.

    Liked by 6 people

  10. It would be cool if either Lorenzen or Boyd have a strong first half, because trading them as rental players to a contender could actually net a return. Holly has made a very strong case for how many holes this team has. The question becomes– assuming that Illitch does not just pocket the payroll– what is the best way to invest the money going forward. Me, I would start by extending Riley Greene. Skubal should more than replace Boyd. Mize or others should move into the rotation to replace Lorenzen.

    Liked by 5 people

  11. If Boyd has a very good season, then you keep him. After his Tommy John, he could very well be a solid pitcher through age 36 and his leadership skills are a valuable commodity. Miggy’s contract will be gone and there could be other salary reductions if Baez and Rodriguez opt out. With the prospects we currently have, the new management team and some good coaching, next year the rebuild is over and it will be time to step up to the plate.

    Liked by 6 people

  12. I say keep him for all his attributes, and see how his year goes. If nothing else, he may stabilize this staff, and help the Tigers improve to give us some hope.

    Liked by 3 people

  13. Other than a very good 6 months a couple years ago, MB has been nothing more than a serviceable 3 or 4 at best. If he performs reasonably well, they can get a decent return without really losing anything. If the majority of the other SPs can’t stay healthy, it doesn’t matter. If they can, MB doesn’t matter.

    Liked by 4 people

  14. I said to trade him, but it really depends on what’s happening to the team as a whole. If they’re all having good seasons, Rodriguez and Lorenzen would be my first choices to flip. I’ve always liked Boyd, and with the right guidance – something he couldn’t get under the previous regime – thought he had the potential to be really good. Plus he has a lot of intangibles that could make him helpful to the younger players, provided he’s interested in an extension. Whether to trade him or one of the others really depends on so many factors – what’s happening with the other pitchers, what holes remain among the position players, who stands to provide the best return. Harris is going to be busy.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. SH said previously that he was brought in for his “leadership skills”, (as several other posters have said) so if this is really the case then why trade him? No guarantees Mize or Skubal can come back as soon as anticipated and given the number of injuries that pitchers have sustained in the past they need someone who can provide innings. So who would replace those “leadership} skills that SH felt were so important?

    Liked by 4 people

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