Detroit Tigers News: It’s going to be a long offseason

Happy Monday morning. For those of you keeping track — if you are a Lions fan, you definitely are with every passing week — we are only three months away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training.

Sadly, it will be a brutal, frustrating three months. The offseason is long and terrible in many ways. Let’s see what we can do to get through another day.

Let’s stop pushing this narrative, please

Anthony Fenech opens his most recent article for The Detroit Free Press by saying, “There is only so much the Tigers can do in their current situation.”

This is, of course, complete horses***. There are a myriad of options available this offseason to any team with the ability (which Detroit has) and the willingness (which Detroit most certainly lacks) to spend some money. The Tigers, despite any statements to the contrary, are not one of these teams.

Choosing to not participate in a stacked free agent market on the basis that they seem blind to the benefit of signing a talented player in what is possibly a friendlier market now for the potential utility a few years down the road — not to mention the improvement of the short-term product — when the team is more prepared to compete, they will choose to look for more bargain bin gems. It’s like digging through the giant cardboard movie bin at the front of the Walmart stacked with copies of The Ridiculous 6 and The Entourage Movie in hopes of finding Step Brothers or Hot Rod.

With a big free agent splash out of the question, Fenech sees the path forward, at least for this offseason, as one where the team looks to land a solid young player in a trade.

Castellanos named Tiger of the year

Unlike last year, when the Detroit Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America chose to honor a player who finished the season in an Angels uniform, the crew went with someone who is still currently a Detroit Tiger. In a decision that should upset no one other than maybe Niko Goodrum’s mom, this year’s winner was Nicholas Castellanos. Nick certainly deserved it. He had a good year... at the plate.

But if we’re being honest, there wasn’t a ton of competition.

Shortstops and pitchers

Are you excited about pitchers and shortstops? Well, you’re in luck. That’s where the Tigers seem to be putting their focus this offseason. Before you go dreaming of Manny Machado or Dallas Keuchel, you should know that the language used by the Tigers media to describe the pool of players the team will be looking into included the words “not too good” and “not too expensive.”

Now that I’ve brought you back down to the Pete Kozma level, you know where to direct your concentration. Names like Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Hellickson are where Fenech believes we should focus.

Aren’t rebuilds fun?

It’s a girl!

Just when you think nothing is ever going to break the right way for World Series champion, Cy Young winning, multiple Ferrari owning, super model marrying, All-Star major league pitcher Justin Verlander, you find out that he and his wife, Kate Upton (like I had to tell you who she was), just had their first baby, a healthy girl named Genevieve. Congratulations to Justin and Kate.

Fly, you fools

The resiliency of youth is on full display in the below clip. If I, a grown man in his early 40s, were to try such a stunt I would most certainly Ruth Bader Ginsburg a few of my ribs and lie in the dirt gasping for air until I gained the ability to audibly cry.

Ted Williams was awesome

Sunday was Veterans Day, and we officially recognize the day on Monday. If you see a veteran out and about this week, maybe let them know you appreciate them.

Around the horn

The Astros almost acquired Bryce Harper at the trade deadline. What would it take to get J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins? Mookie Betts played in the World Series of baseball and bowling this year.