Detroit Tigers News: Major League Baseball still wants to play games in Arizona

Here we are, pushing deeper into April with no baseball, and The Arizona Plan glimmers off in the summer distance as the singular, seemingly viable beacon of hope. For Major League Baseball’s plan to move forward, a lot of things have to happen — some of them being that the owners and the players would have to agree to do it.

While it might not be that difficult a decision on the ownership side, the players would have to agree to take a pay cut, and likely spend the entirety of the season away from their families, and away from each other when not on the field. Even when playing, accommodations would need to be made for social distancing. Imagine players sitting six feet apart in the otherwise empty stands behind the dugout while the game is being played. That feels real weird, but then again, so does the whole thing. The odds are still slim that it happens, but there are odds, so they’re telling us there’s a chance.

Underrated

In a fun little exercise where no one is ever going to be right, Evan Woodberry of MLive tasked fans with helping him come up with the most underrated Tigers of the last 20 years. Woodberry breaks the list into categories, and some fun names pop up here. There’s a category with an Austin Jackson and Curtis Granderson appearance. Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez are tossed around shortly before we get to the workhorse category, which is lead by Jeremy Bonderman (not sure how you could underrate Bondo, but okay).

Then, in what must have been some sort of effort to purge some rough names, we see Steve Sparks and Mike Maroth make appearances immediately thereafter. We see a valuable contributor category, a reliever but not a closer category (which had to be very large), and the most unsung Tiger, which was won by Carlos Guillen. It’s a fun list, but I didn’t read the names Don Kelly or Gene Lamont in there so I’m not sure just how accurate it could be.

How furlough can you go?

Everyone’s almost destined-to-be-all-time-least-favorite Comissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred is poised to suspend Uniform Employee Contracts beginning on May 1st. This means that teams will have the ability to furlough managers, coaches, scouts, and certain front office staff. There is some doubt that furloughs will be fully implemented what with all the bad blood that one might create if they furlough an employee from an organization that rests comfortably on a mountain of cash. So, “expect to see pay deferrals or cuts” in lieu of furloughs.

The most famous photo in Detroit history

Mary Schroeder is a retired photographer for The Detroit Free Press. You may not know her by name, but after snapping a photo of Kirk Gibson in the clinching game of the 1984 World Series she is forever tied to what is considered the most famous photo in the history of Detroit sports. Mary has been nominated for induction into the media wing of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. If she wins, Mary would be the first photographer and the first woman inducted. Here’s how you can make that happen.

Ranking MVPs

Will Leitch and Mike Petriello of MLB.com have gone to the trouble of ranking every MVP of the last 20 years. When it comes to the Tigers, we know who we’re all talking about here. Before Miguel Cabrera even makes an appearance, the first four slots go to separate Barry Bonds seasons, because, despite what some may think about him, he was pretty good at baseball. Cabrera’s first MVP rolls in at the No. 10 spot, and it wasn’t the Triple Crown year. No, the 2013 season where he hit .348, 44 home runs, and sported 8.6 WAR slots him into the top 10. The Triple Crown year rolls in at a distant 24. However you look at this list and where Cabrera lands on it, the important thing to remember is how lucky we have been to watch him do what he does in a Tigers uniform.

Miguel Cabrera is awesome

Around the horn

Austin Jackson looking to make his return to Major League Baseball. Better than you remember: J.D. Drew. A return for baseball would require a new debate. Clayton Kershaw doesn’t think Major League Baseball’s Arizona plan is doable. Some ideas for how baseball should return. No beginning in sight for Japan’s baseball season.