Scott Harris Needs To Swing For The Fences

WXYT-FM / 97.1 The Ticket

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00:00I'll hit you with another Harris quote.

00:02Payroll questions again.

00:04He kind of scoffs at the idea that we'd ask about payroll.

00:07So then I have every right to read into this and say I'm concerned.

00:11That doesn't mean I'm judging the whole offseason today on November 13th.

00:14I'm just reading the quotes from the man himself and the reporting.

00:18He's also said that when the time is right, the money will be there.

00:22Now, if the time's not right now, then I start to question his acumen

00:27as to when will it actually be right.

00:29Does everything have to be on a tee for you to go out there

00:33and actually spend some money?

00:35All this right now, I just believe this offseason is going to be

00:39a better version of last year's offseason, meaning they're going to add

00:44actually something that's a little bit more quality.

00:46I actually thought the hidden gem in Petzold's article was Jake Berger,

00:51and he's with the Marlins.

00:53Mark Hanna?

00:54No.

00:55Oh, okay.

00:56He's better.

00:57It's your word.

00:58Marginally better.

00:59Positive war player throughout his career.

01:00Better war when he was with the White Sox with a better team.

01:03I mean, the Marlins were god awful.

01:05They were the White Sox of the National League last year.

01:08He plays both first and third base.

01:10Versatility provides flexibility for Hork to potentially still play first base

01:16but can easily go over there, and then you put in Vierling at third.

01:21I think he's under team control through 2028.

01:25I think there's some substance to throwing that name in that article

01:30as a potential target.

01:31It fits what they want to do.

01:33It's a total penny-pinching small market move.

01:37He's a .5 war player last season.

01:3925-plus homers.

01:40Okay, I'm just telling you.

01:42Pop right-handed bat.

01:43If you want to settle, settle.

01:44I don't want to settle.

01:45So I wanted to ask you guys, what if the offseason looked like this?

01:48The two biggest moves were trading for Jake Berger

01:52and signing Sean Manea.

02:00But I can see something like that playing out.

02:03I really can.

02:04Now, I'm simply proposing something here.

02:07Do I agree with this?

02:08No.

02:09I think you should swing for the fences and go get Alonzo,

02:12and you should give up on Tork.

02:13That's what I believe.

02:16But I could see them doing something like this

02:18and see that working.

02:20I really could, because it fits the timeline

02:23of the young guys coming up.

02:25Well, it's funny you mention timeline,

02:26because I think that was actually a key passage in Petzl's article.

02:31He points out that the Tigers' offer, from what he's heard,

02:34was not competitive to Scouble.

02:36And he cites an AL executive who points out,

02:38well, Scouble does kind of set the timeline.

02:40If they're not going to extend him, but they are a playoff team,

02:44you've got to spend right now to win while you have Tarek Scouble.

02:47So it really becomes this key.

02:49Fine, you don't want to overpay for Tarek Scouble.

02:51Then you better pay somebody to help win

02:53while you have Tarek Scouble.

02:55Exactly.

02:56So what if that offseason, trade for Berger, sign Manea,

02:59and Scouble's extended?

03:03Getting you thinking a little bit.

03:05Well, it would be a commitment to somebody

03:06who could be here for a while, a star player.

03:08The best player on the team.

03:09Yeah, a guy who was instrumental in the push late in the season.

03:12He pitched his ass off.

03:14Let's get to the phones.

03:15Let's go to Jake.

03:16You're on 97.1.

03:18Good morning, guys.

03:19How are you?

03:20Good.

03:21The three big names that are on my board are Bregman, Alonzo,

03:26and Christian Walker, which is on the big boards of a lot of people.

03:30But I just don't understand Scott Harris' comments of blocking the young guys

03:34because those are the two positions that you have nobody coming.

03:37You have a young catcher and a kid from L.A., yes.

03:39You have an outfield that I think is set for the foreseeable future.

03:43If you want to say you've got to have a weak position somewhere,

03:45Trey Sweeney was more than serviceable at shortstop last year.

03:48But you have no prospects at first and third base coming up.

03:51So, where are you getting this mentality?

03:53You have young guys coming up.

03:55So, how about this?

03:58Throw this out there to you.

03:59Another guy like Jake Berger that can possibly play third

04:02but more of a first baseman.

04:03How about Vladdy?

04:04Use Twerk as a headline piece.

04:06Go get Vladdy.

04:07I'm not even the biggest fan of his, but that would surely show an effort

04:10to get better now, which is what we need with a team like this

04:13that made the playoffs last year and is looking to build on that

04:16and have some success going forward.

04:18They're a game away from the ALCS.

04:19Vladdy is a 25, 26-year-old slugger.

04:22He's got pop in the bat.

04:24You'd have to trade prospects and extend him.

04:27It would be the level of investment that we've been waiting for

04:30is really a go-for-it move.

04:32Because there's always a cost when you trade.

04:35Yeah.

04:36The cost isn't going to be just Twerk, right?

04:38We're going to give you our not-great player for your great player?

04:42You will have to give up one of your top prospects or more.

04:45But you've got to let Domino's fall here

04:47because the Blue Jays are in the Soto sweepstakes.

04:50John Heyman wrote about it yesterday.

04:52Other than the Yankees and Mets, they're coming hard.

04:55They went hard after Otani.

04:56They offered Otani over $700 million.

04:59So this is why you've got to have – it is November,

05:02and you do need to have a little bit of patience here

05:05to let the Domino's start falling

05:07and also test Scott Boris here a little bit.

05:09People have fired him.

05:11Oh, yeah.

05:12Because he has gotten too far into free agency

05:14and burned some of his clients recently.

05:16And now he's coming out big braggadocious

05:18in the Scooble stuff, $35 million to $40 million.

05:21And Soto's going to get more in Otani.

05:23And okay, let's see it, Scott.

05:25So there's a test going on here.

05:27And Scott, last year, Scott Boris was the agent for Matt Chapman, right?

05:32I believe.

05:33And there was Cody Bellinger.

05:35These guys who waited and waited and waited

05:37and did not get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

05:39So there is a little bit of Scott Harris is under the gun.

05:42Not Scott Harris, Scott Boris, a lot of Scots.

05:44Scott Boris is under the gun this offseason too.

05:46I think it's a pivotal offseason for Boris

05:48in terms of how he's viewed by his clients and around the league.

05:50And maybe Scott doesn't want to be his huckleberry

05:52and race out to overpay someone.

05:54I can respect it.

05:55But it is a big offseason for Scott Harris as well.

05:57It feels like this offseason is going to be an offseason

06:00that we reference for years, for good or bad, John, right?

06:04If you're coming off a playoff appearance,

06:06if you're coming off of a season

06:08where you have the manager of the year,

06:10a young roster, and you fail to support and add to it,

06:15and you miss the playoffs,

06:16we will cite this offseason for years to come.

06:19The opposite is also true.

06:21If they add the right bat,

06:22they identify a player via trade or free agency

06:25to bring into this organization who makes a difference,

06:28it will be hailed as the Tigers understood.

06:31They read the room.

06:33They saw what the crowds looked like.

06:35They see what the city desires.

06:36And they made the team better accordingly.

06:38This is a stupidly pivotal offseason

06:40for Scott Harris and his baseball team.

06:43I think it is.

06:44And that's where, yes, we want to at least know

06:47that there's a sense of urgency.

06:49I think that's what we're lacking right now

06:51is that we feel like there's no sense of urgency

06:54to a team that outperformed and did make the playoffs.

06:58Why can't you do it?

06:59Why can't that be the first of many years?

07:02But to make that a possibility,

07:04you're going to have to add,

07:05if you enter next year as constructed last year,

07:10does the same magic happen?

07:11Sure, there's always that chance,

07:13but does lightning strike twice?

07:14We had Benetton on who's great,

07:15and he pointed out at the end of the year

07:16it's like they were hitting 21 repeatedly.

07:19That's not a way to go to a casino

07:20and go, I got to hit blackjack eight times in a row.

07:22I mean, I'm just telling you,

07:23that's not a winning formula.

07:25Would it kill Scott Harris to offer some urgency publicly?

07:28I don't want him to overpromise.

07:31But I feel like he's either misread the room

07:33or he's been incredibly honest with us

07:35and it's going to be a disappointing offseason.

07:38We'll see.

07:39Just offer a little urgency.

07:40He goes, hey guys, I know this fan base is excited

07:42and we're going to do everything in our power

07:43to upgrade this baseball team.

07:44That doesn't box him into a corner,

07:46but it's not we can't block guys

07:47and we don't have any glaring holes

07:49and oh, the payroll question again.

07:51Gee, Scott, I wonder why people think this of you.

07:53They're using your words.

07:55Give people better reassurances.

07:57They want to believe in you.

07:58They want to believe in this baseball team.

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