A Tiger's Tale: Birth of a Dynasty

[gotigers]

This story is obviously entirely fictional and should not be taken seriously. There's always some clown out there that likes to inject his negative nancy two cents into something like this. Don't be that guy.

However, positive feedback and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

I thought it would be fun to GM my favorite team, so let's get to the story!

My name is Danny Edwards, and I am the new GM of the Detroit Tigers organization.

December 4, 2014 10:30am

(phone rings, it's Dave Dombrowski GM of the Detroit Tigers. I've been his assistant for the past five years after my own failed venture into playing baseball)

"Hey Dave, what's up?"

"Danny! Just the man I want to talk to. There is a situation that I'd like to discuss with you."

Manager Brad Ausmus and his Tigers were still smarting from their disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs at the hands of Nelson 'Tiger Killer' Cruz and the Baltimore Orioles and were all away relaxing at home or in the tropics or something. I don't know.

We all watched as our AL central rival Kansas City Royals go all the way to game 7 of the World Series before being shut down by Madison Baumgardner and his San Francisco Giants.

Well, something really struck a nerve with Mike Illitch, owner of the Tigers, and the front office.

"Chris (Christopher Illitch, son of Mike) called me yesterday and asked me to meet him for breakfast. Well, we did, and I'm afraid that there is some good news and bad news."

Perplexed, I said "Well, let's hear the bad news first."

"Well....I'm being relieved of my duties as GM effective January 1st after the meetings."

I almost dropped the phone...

"Wh...why..what? Hold on..."

"It's true" Dave said "and that's where the good news comes in - you are taking over for me. Mr. Illitch is a very kind, generous man and he wants nothing more than to bring a title to this city, but he is getting very impatient. Don't be discouraged, though. Mr. Illitch has insisted that I remain in the front office and be your mentor, even giving me a raise to do so. Between me, Jim (Leyland, former manager), and Brad...you'll do a fine job. They are all aware of this situation and are on board with it. But I must ask...who ever heard of a guy getting a demotion THEN a raise? Not me. Guess that there IS a first time for everything."

"I dunno Dave, this is too much to take in and just doesn't make sense. I mean come on, I'm 32 and am going to be GM of one of the biggest teams in professional sports? I'm going to get skewered by the press enough as it is."

"Dan, don't be so hard on yourself. You have an absolutely brilliant analytical mind, and you already have a great working relationship with Brad and the Ilitches. With our roles reversed, it could actually work into our favor. This actually lets you do what you were born to do, and that's this. Between you and I, I've been looking at other opportunities like joining the league office. They've been begging me the last few years to join them, but my loyalties have been here. So this can be the perfect point for us to do what we want to do. Don't get me wrong, I love this place and this team, but I can't do this forever. But I have to run. I'll meet you at Metro in a few days before the meetings. I'll text or call you later. Bye."

I sat there for a about ten minutes with the phone still to my ear before I finally set it down. I thought to myself "Wow...I'm going to be the GM of the Detroit Tigers!"

So it begins...

[buckeye22]

As someone running a Tiger dynasty right now also in it's first season, my first piece of advice: watch out for those damned Indians. My team is 2-10 against them right now and it's the one thing keeping us in 2nd at the All-Star break.


I'll be following along though. Hopefully at least one of us(preferably both) can bring a title home for Mr. I before he dies!

[gotigers]

Saturday, March 21, 2015
Lakeland, FL
9:30pm

We had just finished up our spring training game a few hours ago against the Mets, when I received a couple of emails. The first was from my wife, and it was an attached picture of myself, Ian Kinsler, and Justin Verlander when we stopped at a kids hospital earlier this winter during the Tigers' Winter Caravan 2015, with the following writeup from The Detroit News:





The second email was from Mr. Mike Ilitch himself, which is huge because he doesn't normally communicate indirectly. But since I'm in Florida for another week while we wrap up Spring Training, I guess he didn't have a choice:



Pretty straightforward goals, I'd say. The man knows what he wants.

Spring training is actually the busiest part of the year for all of us. Scouting, games. More scouting, more games. Calling other teams, etc. Dave and I work very well together, and Brad is probably one of the smartest managers I've ever seen. We all make a great team.

But right now, our focus is starting to shift entirely to the Twins coming to Comerica in a little over two weeks to kick off the season. Brad is 99.9% sure what the opening day lineup will be, so the rest is just our final evaluations of guys.

[gotigers]

Sunday, March 22, 2015
Lakeland, FL
11:15am

There's a knock at the door, and it's Brad (Ausmus). I tell him to come in.

"Hey Brad, what's up?"

"Well Danny, I'm going to be completely honest. I'm not comfortable with our pitching lineup. I'm really concerned about Shane (Greene) and Joe (Nathan). I think Alfredo will be fine, but I think Shane will be a bit over his head starting at this level needs more polishing in Toledo perhaps. Losing Max, Drew, and Rick really hurt us."

I sat there and stroked my chin and replied:

"I agree there, Brad. Losing Max really, really made Mr. Ilitch upset and we're hoping that we will be able to extend Yoenis and David. We don't have a lot of time...I'll talk to Dave and we'll get on the horn see if we can make some deals."

"Thanks, Danny. Keep me posted, please."

"Will do, Brad."

As Ausmus left back towards the dugout, we both didn't want to say it, but deep down we both knew that time was of the essence. We have the 30th ranked farm system, Mr. Ilitch is 85, and our stars are all aging. The time is now. Or never.

That evening, Dave, Scott, and I met up at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille to map out a few things. Pitching is always our most pressing need, so after much debate, we decided to offer free agent relievers Carlos Marmol and Brian Wilson 1 year deals for relatively low cost and risk. Their stuff is electric, although their control has suffered as of late. Nevertheless, their experience could be very useful.

We've received positive vibes from our contract offers thus far:



"Dave, let's call Billy Beane. I have an idea..."

[mpejkrm]

Nice start so far. Like to see how you're going hard after those IFAs.

[gotigers]

Originally Posted by mpejkrm

Nice start so far. Like to see how you're going hard after those IFAs.

*Break in story*

Indeed! Deal with (serious) money issues later, trying to get best of the best to develop NOW! Especially with how lacking in talent we are currently from Toledo on down. Here's who I bagged:

-LF Vladimir Guererro Jr. (4-5 star based on scouting)
-2B Andy Ibanez (4-5 star)
-SS Smaykin Gonzalez (4-5 star)
-C Juan Uriarte (4-5 star)
-RF Franklin Reyes (4-5 star)
-1B Lazaro Alonso (2-3 star)
-I was going hard after SP Yadier Alvarez (4 star) but Washington lured him away somehow.
-RP Jose Jaramillo was also signed.
-2B Pavel Quesada refused minor league contract.

I'm intrigued by a couple of SP free agents I landed, Andrew Perez and Jefferson Vergera.

Currently when I get back to the story, April has come to a close. Detroit is in 1st place and MANY changes have been made. Stay tuned, I'll get back to this here in the next few days or so...

Cheers!

[gotigers]

April 30, 2015
Kansas City, MO
6:30pm

We just got in not too long ago from Minneapolis, and are getting stuff unpacked. Long day tomorrow with a doubleheader against the defending AL Champions. Other than losing the last 3 of a 4 game series against the Yankees, and the first game against Cleveland, we've taken every series. We haven't had a single day off since April 16th and the guys are exhausted. In good spirits, but exhausted. Taking two of three against Cleveland and then following that up with a clean sweep of the Twins has us at rock solid 1st in the AL Central with a record of 14-8.

It's been a crazy month...many roster moves. This is my first time traveling with the team, as Dave had always done that in the past. He's much more - understandably - obliged to stay at home nowadays. The roster has been completely made over. Here's what we started with:

- C Alex Avila
- C Bryan Holaday
-1B Miguel Cabrera
-2B Ian Kinsler
-SS Jose Iglesias
-3B Nick Castellanos
-CF Rajai Davis
-LF Yoenis Cespedis
-RF JD Martinez
-DH Victor Martinez
-CF Anthony Gose
-SS Andrew Romine
-2B Hernan Perez

-SP David Price
-SP Anibal Sanchez
-SP Justin Verlander
-SP Alfredo Simon
-SP Shane Greene
-RP Joba Chamberlain
-RP Tom Gorzelanny
-RP Alex Wilson
-RP Joakim Soria
-RP Al Albuquerque
-RP Bruce Rondon
-RP Joe Nathan

Well, needless to say, A LOT has changed since then.

Holaday, Rondon, Wilson, and Greene were all sent to Toledo. McCann was called up to replace Holaday behind a struggling Alex Avila. Carlos Marmol and Brian Wilson were both signed to provide experienced middle relief depth. Marmol is struggling a bit, whereas Wilson has been superb. Cabrera was injured for a week and as a result we claimed Kendrys Morales off of waivers, and basically did nothing so we placed him back on waivers as Cabrera has returned.

Andrew Romine, Jeff Locke (waiver pick up), and Alfredo Simon were sent to Toledo after clearing waivers. We also signed Johan Santana who really impressed us after a private workout. Not what he used to be for sure, but we believe he can be useful to us.

However, we also have made some splashes and I believe that our lineup is really starting to get solidified.

Brandon Morrow had a dramatic falling out with San Diego and as a result was surprisingly placed on waivers. I texted Dave and Brad when I saw him pop up on the waiver wire and the both simultaneously responded "GET HIM!", so I put in a claim for not expecting him to reach us. To my astonishment, we got him on April 23rd and not a moment too soon! We were going to call up Kyle Lobstein from Toledo until we asked Morrow if he was ready to go, and he was bouncing off of the walls ready to go. Well...ready he was!

The very next day he was thrown into the fire against the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and the Indians. Well, in one of the most remarkable pitching duels I've ever seen, Morrow and Kluber went head for 8 innings. Kluber allowing no runs, 4 hits, no walks, and fanning 7 and Morrow, not to be outdone, allowed no runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, and K'd 6...but the man was exhausted and Brad had to hook him. He walked off the field doffing his cap to a roaring, and I mean ROARING standing ovation. Even the Indians players and manager Terry Francona were clapping. I despise the Indians, but I'll never forget that show of sportsmanship from an opposing team. Unfortunately, it was in vain as Chamberlain and Wilson allowed 3 runs to score in the 9th. Kluber went on to show us why he wasn't a fluke and deserved that Cy Young, as he sealed the deal with a coveted complete game shutout. As a sign of respect, Tigers fans and players cheered him for a job well done after the game.

Well his next start yesterday at Minnesota was another one to remember...and he actually got a little bit of run support. He again pitched 8 innings, scattering 7 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 5Ks with Albuquerque sealing the deal with a 2-1 victory over Phil Hughes and the Twins.

Also, another coup for our organization was bagging nearly all of the top international free agent prospects. Financially, there will be severe penalties due to going over the $3m cap, but not one signing was made without the consent of the Ilitches. We are all excited about these young men.

-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is projected to be a superstar, just like his superstar father.
-Andy Ibanez is probably the best 2B prospect since Robinson Cano, and may be even better.
-Smaykin Gonzalez is projected to be the next Derek Jeter. Whenever a scout thinks that a guy is '....potential Hall of Fame material...' you don't pass it up.
-Juan Uriarte, as lead scout Scott Pleis put it, '....has Yadier Molina written all over him...' That says enough for me.
-Franklin Reyes has the most power I've ever seen for a 16 year old kid...he could seriously give Miguel Cabrera a run for his money with the long ball. That's a big bat. Biiiiig bat.

Toledo Mud Hens, who have perpetually struggled through years of losing due to lack of talent, are in first place at 16-10 and partly because of the talent sent down from the Tigers. Let's hope they keep it up!

Also, as of this writing, David Price, Soria, Iglesias, and Cespedes have all been offered extensions, so hopefully we'll be able to lock those guys up. Let's hope that this coming month was as exciting as this one!!!

[gotigers]

June 1, 2015
Detroit, Michigan
8:00pm

It's been a quite interesting month! We are just arriving on a long flight from LA where we took a hard-fought series against the always tough Angels. Currently we stand at 30-21 and have - after a brief slump into 2nd place - reaffirmed our grasp on the AL Central from the pesky White Sox.

Several interesting situations have developed over the past 30 days, with all of our extension offers...Price, Cespedes, Iglesias, and Soria...being accepted. The Price deal was widely applauded and he has been performing at another Cy Young level. There was a brief scare when he was held out for a couple of starts due to some forearm stiffness, but it turned out to be nothing serious.

Brandon Morrow has come back down to Earth a little bit, but is still battling. Brian Wilson is absolutely lights out while Marmol has been coming around, 4-run inning hiccup at Oakland notwithstanding. Our biggest and most pleasant surprise is Johan Santana. He's been out there having a blast and even pitched a complete game. His stuff is nowhere what it used to be, but he's still out there battling and keeping people off guard.

A new fan favorite has emerged in Andy Ibanez, our recent signing from the international free agent pool. He breezed through the minors and made his way up to the big club. He hit a pinch-hit double in his first major league at-bat and the dugout was cheering wildly. Mike Trout trotted down to second after retrieving the ball and handed it to Andy who was grinning ear to ear. He'll have that ball for the rest of his life, no doubt about it.

Alex Avila is continuing to struggle, although he is second on the team in home runs.
Al Albuquerque is having a monster year closing things out for us.
The big 4 of Cabrera, Kinsler, V-Mart, and Cespedes are performing as expected, although the power levels may be a little low.

Sanchez and Verlander are battling, but Price is running away as the leader of the team and rotation. Defense is performing a bit below expectations, but they are battling.

The Kendrys Morales situation was very costly for us. He wasn't playing, so he was whipping up a one man mutiny and demanded to be traded....so trade we did, to the Mets. In return, we received Michael Cuddyer who is a pleasure to have, just not his contract...even though it puts us in a slightly better situation than Morales'.
Rajai Davis is out for the year, so the onus is now on Anthony Gose to fully take over the reigns as our jack of all trades and base thief.

Toledo is now 30-20 and still in first place.

All-Star voting has begun and the draft is one week from today.

Hopefully June will be the month where we run away with this thing!

[buckeye22]

Lookin' good so far. I really wish I would have done what you did and and went harder in International free agency from the start, but I did get Ibanez and he's been everything I could have expected and more. I personally wanted to bring him up slow so he was in line to take over for Kinsler in 2018, but he's blown right by Lakeland and is doing well at Erie as well. He hasn't reached the majors like he did for you and struggled in some time at Toledo, but he's going to make things really interesting on me soon. Maybe as early as 2016.

Glad to see you aren't having as many problems getting a lead in the division as I am. I just can't seem to beat those Indians lol.

Hopefully you'll be able to put some breathing room between you and the rest of your division and cruise into the playoffs.

[gotigers]

Originally Posted by buckeye22

Lookin' good so far. I really wish I would have done what you did and and went harder in International free agency from the start, but I did get Ibanez and he's been everything I could have expected and more. I personally wanted to bring him up slow so he was in line to take over for Kinsler in 2018, but he's blown right by Lakeland and is doing well at Erie as well. He hasn't reached the majors like he did for you and struggled in some time at Toledo, but he's going to make things really interesting on me soon. Maybe as early as 2016.

Glad to see you aren't having as many problems getting a lead in the division as I am. I just can't seem to beat those Indians lol.

Hopefully you'll be able to put some breathing room between you and the rest of your division and cruise into the playoffs.

Thanks! I'm at the All-Star Break right now and preparing my next update.

[gotigers]

Friday, July 17th, 2015
Detroit, Michigan
10:35am

We are currently 50-37, 4 games up on the White Sox to maintain our AL Central lead.

Well, it's been an interesting month and a half since my last update. We were desperate to unload some money, and we did just that. Dave, Brad, Scott, and I put our heads together to so what we could do.

There was this kid in Oakland we've liked for a long time, and he was struggling a bit with a 3-8 record but still had a very respectable ERA, so we decided to hit up Mr. Moneyball himself again, so I shot him a text:

"Hey Billy, give me a call when you get a chance."

and almost immediately, he shot back with:

"FOR THE LAST TIME, YOU CAN'T HAVE SONNY GRAY!!!"

After a chuckle, I texted him:

"What do you want for Jesse Hahn?"

(phone rings a few minutes later)

"Danny....you're not going to try and rob me again, are you? Castellanos....give me Castellanos."

"Wait, Billy, now who's robbing who? Why would you want Nick when you have Lawrie? Unless...you send him to us? What do you need?"

"I'm just not that high on Brett, but I've really liked Nick for a long time. Preferably outfielders and relief pitching. What about Moya or Rondon, can you part with any of them?"

"No way, we're thin enough prospect wise as it is. Let me call you back here in a few minutes."

"Okay."

So we discussed things for a few minutes, and Dave brought up a good point:

"Look, let's face it...we're up against the wall here money wise. We've got to get some flexibility here."

So I asked them both, what do they think of Hahn and Lawrie:

Scott spoke up first: "I like him. Nick is more of a swing-and-miss guy with probably a little bit less range than Brett so I think that we'll be good either way. I really like Hahn's stuff and potential, but he seems to aim and overthrow a bit sometimes and he can get knocked around. What do you think, Brad?"

"From what I've seen of him, he and Nick both seem very similar and Brett is only two years older. I like Nick, and I do like Brett. Jesse seems to have good potential and stuff as well. He has a very wide arsenal, which is always good to have a guy like that around."

"And he's cheap" Dombrowski said "but Lawrie isn't. Essentially, we're trading a cheap contract in Nick for the $1.95m in Lawrie and Hahn's cheap contract. There's got to be something we can do."

So I asked:

"How about throwing him Cuddyer and Nathan, along with Nick, for Hahn and Lawrie? Nathan is wearing out his welcome here with both the fans and the players, and we love Cuddyer but he wants to start."

"Danny, you're a genius." Dave piped in "But that's a lot of money for those cheapskates in Oakland to take in. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask, however, because honestly...you never know what Billy is going to do. The honor is all yours."

So I called Billy Beane back:

"Alright Danny, whatcha got?"

"We'll give you Castellanos, Nathan, and Cuddyer for Lawrie and Hahn. How's that sound?"

".......Uhhhhhh let me stew on this. I'll call you back tomorrow."

"Alright, talk to you then."

So bright and early the next morning, Billy calls...

"Fields too. Give me Fields, and we have a deal."

"Let me think about it, I'll call you back."

So I called Dombrowski and asked him what he thought:

"Damn...we both like Fields and were hoping he could be in the big club for the playoffs or next season....but to hell with it. We've got some guys coming up. Let's do it, we really need this money freed up."

So again, I called Billy Beane back:

"Done."

"Great. Pleasure doing business with you, Danny! Glad to see you weren't trying to snivel Gray out of me for peanuts again. Take care."

As I hung up the phone, I know Nick and all of us will be disappointed because our goal was to mold him from the bottom up...and he's spent his whole young career in the entirety of our organization. But he's also a professional, and will take it in stride.

I broke the news to him and he was understandably stunned and confused, but otherwise took it very well. He will be missed and I know that he will do a fine job in Oakland.

I went to Joe and told him he's being traded, and he barely had a reaction:

"To where?"

"Oakland."

"Man, I hate that piece of **** stadium. But it is what it is."

Then he walked away. I have a feeling that he won't be missed around here and nobody will notice that he's gone.

When I told Cuddyer, he simply said: "Geez...can't a guy just stay in one place for once? I really liked it here and love the team. I've done more traveling in the past few years than I have my whole life! Oh well...thanks for the opportunity."

So the guys traded places, and immediately were welcomed. Jesse is had a rough first start, but still got the W, and he's starting to settle in. Lawrie took over 3rd base seamlessly, and has already fallen victim to one of Miguel Cabrera's practical jokes.


We had 3 All-Stars...Price, Kinsler, and Albuquerque, but Kinsler sat out. The injury bug swept through the clubhouse like a tornado with Cespedes, Kinsler, Wilson, Gose, JD Martinez, and Davis going down at almost literally the same time. Unfortunately Wilson, one of our best middle relievers, fractured his elbow in a game and is devastated. He's obviously done for the year. We snagged Nick Hagadone and Chris Hatcher on waivers so hopefully they can pick up right where Brian left off.

Thankfully, Gose, Cespedes,and JD Martinez - our starting outfield - should all be ready in a week or two.

Davis should be back before the playoffs and Kinsler should be back by the end of next month. So I guess now's the time to see what our kids can do after being thrown to the wolves well before we planned.

We made out well in the draft, getting almost everybody signed that we wanted except for a few kids that wanted to go to college. I really think that we're building the foundation of a new era - granted years into the future - of Detroit Tigers dominance.

As far as the International Free Agent signing period went, I believe that we did very decent considering that we were penalized and limited to just $250k signing bonuses after we went crazy in the first signing period.

I also received this note from Owner Mike Ilitch:



I'm praying that nobody else gets hurt...

[gotigers]

September 1, 2015
Kansas City, MO
9:30am

We currently stand at a 75-55 with a comfortable 6 1/2 game lead on the second place White Sox.

It's' been quite interesting around here since the All-Star break. The storm of injuries has started to subside, although there are still some significant names on the injury report, including our prized prospect 2B/SS Andy Ibanez who was just starting to get settled in. He fractured his kneecap on a slide into second base:



C Alex Avila is dealing with a quad strain, which can certainly be nagging for a catcher so we are making sure to take our time with him as we have good depth at catcher.

RF Rajai Davis is dealing with post-concussion symptoms and again we are taking our time with him as this is something we take very seriously.

RP Joakim Soria had some shoulder inflammation come up, but we believe that all should be well come playoff time.

We are hoping Ibanez will be ready for spring training, and after the season we'll see where Brian Wilson is at after dealing with a fractured elbow.

It's also roster expansion time, so we decided to make several call-ups. We're really excited to see these guys in the big club and see how they perform. Chances are a few of these guys will head back down with a few guys coming off of the DL, but we'll see:



Our starting lineups are a far cry from what they were at the beginning of the season:

Batting:



Pitching:



Financially, we're projected to lose $5m due chiefly to a lot of the investment we've made in the area of player development. That being said, we'll be in better shape than in years past. Currently we are projected to:

-Raise ticket prices for next season. Currently the baseline for this season is $33.75, which is the same as last season.

-We've sold 22,419 season ticket packages this season as opposed to 21,608 all of last season

-Last season's average attendance was 36,014. This season's is averaging 39,909 with a capacity of 41,782. This is very exciting news and great for us as well as the local economy of Detroit. A total of 2,594,064 fans have walked through our turnstiles year to date.

-Last season's gate revenue was $39,382,402. This season thus far it is $36,702,334 with a projected revenue of $47,158,354...an almost $8m increase over last year!

-Our total revenue is projected to increase approximately $10.6m to $235,943,858.

Switching to the minor leagues, the our AAA Toledo Mud Hens of the International League are in danger of missing the playoffs this season after being firmly in control of West Division all season. They are currently tied with Louisville for the division lead, with a winner-take-all showdown series starting today with the regular season ending on the 7th.

Our goal is to end the regular season on a good note and get that title that Detroit....and especially Mr. Ilitch....deserve so much.

To October!

[gotigers]

Tuesday, October 5th, 2015
Detroit, Michigan
8:30pm

Well, here it is! October baseball is upon us! We have successfully navigated the massive storm of injuries thrust upon us and have won our 5th straight AL Central crown, but we are a professional ball club and that is what you are supposed to do. Injuries are never an excuse. Brett Lawrie was performing very well for us until he tore all of the ligaments in his ankle landing awkwardly after making a leaping catch and he is gone for the season.

We've signed Alberto Callaspo and and Jeff Keppinger to provide infield depth. Callaspo unfortunately went down with a hamstring injury legging it out to first base and should be back in a week or two. Until then, we have rookie Jefry Marte starting at 3rd and we really like his potential but this isn't really the time to count on potential. Here's the updated playoff roster:

Batting:




Pitching:



And here is how the final standing shook out:



And now the current playoff picture:



Let's get this thing started!

[buckeye22]

Pretty amazing that in one person's dynasty, the Indians can go 74-88 and finish 4th, but in another they start 10-0 and never look back lol. Kinda frustrating, but it is what it is.

Time to go out and get that championship for Mr. I! I'll be rooting for you.

[gotigers]

Originally Posted by buckeye22

Pretty amazing that in one person's dynasty, the Indians can go 74-88 and finish 4th, but in another they start 10-0 and never look back lol. Kinda frustrating, but it is what it is.

Time to go out and get that championship for Mr. I! I'll be rooting for you.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. To be explained below.

[gotigers]

November 1st, 2015
Detroit, Michigan
11:30pm

We drew a resurgent Seattle Mariners team for the ALDS, one that we certainly had confidence in taking down, but it was not to be. After a gripping, gritty series reminiscent of last year's Orioles series, Seattle players were the ones partying at home plate and popping the champagne corks in the locker room moving on to Boston to take on a red hot Red Sox team. The Red Sox took it to the Mariners, winning the series 4-1...but fell to the Cardinals 4-1 in the Fall Classic.

We had high hopes for this year, but unfortunately we just couldn't get it done. When Adam LaRoche crushed an Al Albuquerque changeup into the Detroit bullpen just over the outstretched glove of Yoenis Cespedes, the over-capacity crowd of almost 42,000 screaming Tigers fans fell dead silent. It was an eerie feeling, one that just can't be explained.

After Danny Farquhar struck out Ian Kinsler to end the game and begin the wild Mariners celebration at home plate, all of the Tigers players retreated into the clubhouse and locker room except Miguel Cabrera, who just sat on the bench with his batting helmet and gloves still on still holding his bat with tears in his eyes. It's a sight that I'll never forget.

However, not everybody was entirely disappointed. Mr. Ilitch of course was disappointed that we didn't make it far, but he didn't think we'd make the playoffs this year at all! Here are the following notes he sent me:



and our budget is being reduced by $10m:



To offset these costs, we've discussed about the raising of ticket prices. The past two years, they were at $33.75 and we've resolved to raise them to $45.

In another move, we've decided to move on from Scouting Director Scott Pleis. We thanked him for his service and our currently looking for another scouting director. We are in the process of delving into the offseason with considerations on arbitration and free agency.

So the offseason begins...

[buckeye22]

Oh man. If anyone has to beat us in the playoffs I don't totally mind it being the Mariners, but that's tough.

[gotigers]

Originally Posted by buckeye22

Oh man. If anyone has to beat us in the playoffs I don't totally mind it being the Mariners, but that's tough.

Agreed. I'm being very picky with FA this year and arbitration. Plus, I fired Pleis because I just couldn't pass this guy up. I'm really going to hit scouting and player development HARD.

[buckeye22]

Originally Posted by gotigers

Agreed. I'm being very picky with FA this year and arbitration. Plus, I fired Pleis because I just couldn't pass this guy up. I'm really going to hit scouting and player development HARD.

Wow! I just checked on that guy on mine and he's stuck in the indepedent leagues lol.

I've got a bunch of ideas bouncing around my head for how to free up some payroll, but I also just lost Verlander for 12 months so that complicates things a bit. Never easy when you have $28 million in dead money AND a potential rotation spot to fill. My offseason will be interesting.

I'm going to be going hard on the player dev. and scouting as well though. Not a whole lot we can do for the first couple of years as far as the payroll goes, but a few good drafts and some IFA's can set us up well for the future.

[gotigers]

I have to start a new one since my computer crashed. Stay tuned