Did anybody force him to sign the contract with the Tigers?

Actually, yeah, Scott Boras did.

Where are the guys that said Pudge would NEVER get a $40 million, 4-year contract?

 

I know right? LOL It's sad that he had to go to the last place team to get it.

 

But I like the Tigers, and I truly hope Pudge makes a positive difference there. It would be nice to see the Tigers as contenders again.

It's funny really because I remember when people said that the Marlins suck and bla bla bla. Look at us now. We're the freaking WS Champs! Miracles do happen. I wish the Tigers the best of luck.

It's funny really because I remember when people said that the Marlins suck and bla bla bla. Look at us now. We're the freaking WS Champs! Miracles do happen. I wish the Tigers the best of luck.

You know the Marlins had a lot more than Pudge. :whistle

 

 

Like Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, Mike Lowell...

 

 

Tigers won't advance much with Pudge... but still a move in the right direction...

What are you supposed to do if your The Tigers, continue to squander just because you don't want to overpay players because they will only come if they overpay?

 

It's nice to see an owner who even though he knows he's overpaying actually has a set where he's ready to move on.

 

If I was A Tigers fan, I would be thrilled to at least have an owner who doesn't want to be in last.

This is the kind of thinking that usually keeps last place teams in last place though. Overpaying for players is never a smart strategy, then you've got them stuck on your payroll when your young players come up for free agency and you can't resign them cause you overpaid on some free agents. Most teams that end up in last place repeatedly are there because they overpaid players. The contracts these same Tigers gave the likes of Bobby Higginson and Dean Palmer are the reason they are where they are in the first place.

 

I can see your argument on some level, but I don't think it applies when you overpay to this kind of degree. Overpaying a 2 million dollar a year guy by giving him 3 isn't going to kill you, but (as far as I know) no one else was offering Pudge this kind of deal.

 

In this particular case though, if Pudge can help their young pitchers improve, this may be worth the investment. He's certainly not going to put up the numbers alone to justify it.

It's funny really because I remember when people said that the Marlins suck and bla bla bla. Look at us now. We're the freaking WS Champs! Miracles do happen. I wish the Tigers the best of luck.

You know the Marlins had a lot more than Pudge. :whistle

 

 

Like Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, Mike Lowell...

 

 

Tigers won't advance much with Pudge... but still a move in the right direction... Did I ever say that Pudge won the WS for us anywhere in my post? No. I am very well aware of people like Lowell, Pierre, Beckett, and so on, hun. My point is that people talk crap but in reality, you'll never know what can happen. In 2002, who knew that we were going to be WS Champs the following year?

I have more pictures on my site in the Press photo gallery.

What are you supposed to do if your The Tigers, continue to squander just because you don't want to overpay players because they will only come if they overpay?

 

It's nice to see an owner who even though he knows he's overpaying actually has a set where he's ready to move on.

 

If I was A Tigers fan, I would be thrilled to at least have an owner who doesn't want to be in last.

This is the kind of thinking that usually keeps last place teams in last place though. Overpaying for players is never a smart strategy, then you've got them stuck on your payroll when your young players come up for free agency and you can't resign them cause you overpaid on some free agents. Most teams that end up in last place repeatedly are there because they overpaid players. The contracts these same Tigers gave the likes of Bobby Higginson and Dean Palmer are the reason they are where they are in the first place.

 

I can see your argument on some level, but I don't think it applies when you overpay to this kind of degree. Overpaying a 2 million dollar a year guy by giving him 3 isn't going to kill you, but (as far as I know) no one else was offering Pudge this kind of deal.

 

In this particular case though, if Pudge can help their young pitchers improve, this may be worth the investment. He's certainly not going to put up the numbers alone to justify it. Yeah but Hugg, these are the TIGERS. This is DETROIT. They were the definition of pathetic. I like Ilitch's thinking - people just have to start getting excited again. I hope it works out for them, a franchise as storied as the Tigers shouldn't have to go through this crap.

What are you supposed to do if your The Tigers, continue to squander just because you don't want to overpay players because they will only come if they overpay?

 

It's nice to see an owner who even though he knows he's overpaying actually has a set where he's ready to move on.

 

If I was A Tigers fan, I would be thrilled to at least have an owner who doesn't want to be in last.

This is the kind of thinking that usually keeps last place teams in last place though. Overpaying for players is never a smart strategy, then you've got them stuck on your payroll when your young players come up for free agency and you can't resign them cause you overpaid on some free agents. Most teams that end up in last place repeatedly are there because they overpaid players. The contracts these same Tigers gave the likes of Bobby Higginson and Dean Palmer are the reason they are where they are in the first place.

 

I can see your argument on some level, but I don't think it applies when you overpay to this kind of degree. Overpaying a 2 million dollar a year guy by giving him 3 isn't going to kill you, but (as far as I know) no one else was offering Pudge this kind of deal.

 

In this particular case though, if Pudge can help their young pitchers improve, this may be worth the investment. He's certainly not going to put up the numbers alone to justify it. You do not know anything about the Tigers' financial situation, so I don't see where you are coming from. Payroll is under $60 million dollars right now, hardly huge. Also, if Pudge doesn't hurt his back, he's currently the ONLY contract that the team has on their payroll for the 2006 season and beyond. I don't see how that's going to hurt the team long term to have one contract on the books. I also wouldn't compare this to a Bobby Higginson or Damion Easley situation. Those guys are significantly worse players than Pudge. The reason why we are where we are has more to do with a farm system that hasn't been producing players since the '80's, than any contract the team gave out.

 

 

I don't see what people expect the Tigers to do. They rip them if they make free agent signings; they would still rip them if they stayed with the same team last year that lost 119 games. The Tigers are overpaying, and they know it, but what player comes to a team that lost 119 games for a good deal.

It's an old story. The only way an ugly old guy can get a beautiful woman is to pay for her. :pimp

In case you missed the details Pudge didn't get 4 years 40 million. He got a two-year deal with parts deferred, and another two-year option if he doesn't get injured.

If he DOESN'T get injured, it's 4-40 isn't it?

Yeah, if he doesn't get injured. But if he remained injury free he could have remained at home making probably 40+ million over the next 6 years.

 

Now he goes through the AL circuit extending his career as a DH.

I wonder if Pudge has any predictions for 2004!