Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

Bobbert wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:14 am

I have to admit that I'm feeling very happy today that it's finally the last day of Miguel Cabrera's player contract with the Tigers. Many people have been waiting for this day for years.

I won't try to take anything away from the people who are celebrating the end of Cabrera's career for other reasons. But it will be so wonderful to get his excessively long, very expensive, and often very wasteful contract off the books and spend that money on something more productive.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:23 pm

Not only could he have fouled off that 2-2 pitch in the 10th, he should've nailed it for a line drive.

This, largely, has been the crux of my conflicted fandom of the Tigers during Cabrera's career. Terrific regular-season player who disappeared in the playoffs. I also had a big problem that Miggy was someone who liked the "just-a-big-kid" act a little too much, loved being in the center of the celebrations when the team did well, but hid in the trainer's room and and hid behind his language barrier when the going got tough. I have an expectation (maybe unreasonable nowadays) that the highest-paid player also should be the team's locker-room spokesperson, in good times and bad, and Cabrera never was that.

I was never as emotionally connected to Cabrera as, say, Kaline, Trammell, Whitaker, etc. since Cabrera was a trade acquisition and not a home-grown player. If it had been up to me, I would have dumped Cabrera to the highest bidder after 2016. His and the team's decline started then, and I would have done whatever it took to send him somewhere where he could chase another ring. A smart GM would have done that, but neither Dave Dombrowski nor Al Avila had the chutzpah to convince Mike Ilitch to move on.

I sometimes wonder if the real reason why Dombrowski was let go in 2015, was because he realized Cabrera would soon begin diminishing as a player and wanted to get rid of him while he could get something of value, and was prevented by Mike Ilitch. Cabrera's stats tailed off significantly after the 2016 season, and by 2017 nobody would have traded a bag of broken bats for Miggy.

Extremely well put.

He never acted like a de facto team captain. He laid low. I've seen zero evidence of locker room leadership or spring training leadership. Water boys such as certain writers for the Freep and Detroit News, of course, simply peddle the organization's narrative of choice.

Until yesterday, I cannot even remember the last time he spoke to the press. His spoken English doesn't sound that bad to me, not even as choppy as Pudge Rodriguez who took reporter questions regularly.

Too bad it isn't Justin Verlander who wound up remaining a life long Tiger.

Know who I miss? JD Martinez. He only played in 100 or 105 games this year and still hit 30+ homers.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 01, 2023 10:53 am

Cabrera is overrated and was grossly overpaid. Hasn't done shit for the past six or seven seasons. Won the triple crown in a year where HR production in the majors was unusually low among leaders in that category; he got lucky.

I have no problem with the Tigers keeping him around in a largely ceremonial role. Could prove useful in attracting Latin American talent.

Will his buddy Avisail Garcia be in attendance for his final game?

Overrated? Dude hits 511 homers and has 3,000 hits. You want to balk at the contract? Fair. You want to minimize his body of work? I got big issues with that.

He was an albatross around this team's neck for at least six years and was terrible in the 2012 world series.

Sorry, I don't feel warm fuzzies for this guy.

If he had retired two or three years ago, I'd have much more respect for the guy.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 04, 2023 7:41 am

He was an albatross around this team's neck for at least six years....

There's a new albatross at shortstop.

So what were Cabrera's final numbers? I missed any postings of them.

Go to baseball-reference.com.

Reports are that Eduardo Rodriguez has opted out of his contract with Tigers.

Tigers added Mark Canha from the Brewers in a trade.

Milwaukee is getting minor league pitcher Blake Holub, who was a 15th round pick in 2021.

SD45 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 04, 2023 3:08 pm

Reports are that Eduardo Rodriguez has opted out of his contract with Tigers.

Tigers added Mark Canha from the Brewers in a trade.

Milwaukee is getting minor league pitcher Blake Holub, who was a 15th round pick in 2021.

A Milwaukee Brewer fan site speaks highly of Canha.

https://reviewingthebrew.com/posts/the- ... ption-2024

The end for Baddoo and Austin Meadows? Must plan on rotating 4 OF next season with 1 at DH. Vierling at 3rd?

Austin Meadows and Spencer Turnbull are among the five players that are becoming free agents.

Brenan Hanifee, Garrett Hill and Freddy Pacheco were the others.

Nick Maton was traded to Baltimore for cash.

He should end up in AAA after hitting .173 last season.

SD45 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:38 am

Nick Maton was traded to Baltimore for cash.

He should end up in AAA after hitting .173 last season.

I'll start a new topic "Detroit Tigers 2024".

Maton had his chances here; the Orioles lineup will be even tougher to crack. Yep, AAA depth.