Detroit Tigers Trade Deadline Preview and Predictions

    

    With the MLB All-Star break approaching, this means that the trade deadline is also looming. July 30th is the MLB trade deadline. We are currently in 4th place in the AL Central at 44-49, 14 GB of the first-place Cleveland Guardians, and 7 GB of the AL Wild Card Spot. We have about 16 games left until the deadline against the Minnesota Twins. The rest of the games in this stretch are against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Looking at this stretch of games, the AL Central could be very different come the deadline. The Tigers can win at least 10 of the next 16, putting us back over the .500 mark. There is an opportunity to hop the Royals for third in the division and if the Twins start to scuffle, move into second place. 

    This is where the real dilemma begins. If you are back over .500 and you think you have a real shot at making the playoffs, do you buy at the deadline? Or do you still sell and look forward to next year? Well, here is my opinion. I think, with the track record of our beloved Tigers, you need to be more sellers than buyers. You have a couple of expiring contracts that you can offload for decent returns. Below are a couple of those contracts, what they have done for the team so far this year and who I think they would be beneficial to go to for contending playoff teams.

1. SP Jack Flaherty: 1-year, $14,000,000 deal
• This past offseason, the Tigers made two signings for some veteran pitching in Kenta Maeda who has been an absolute flop, and Jack Flaherty who has been arguably the second-best pitcher for the Tigers this season, behind Tarik Skubal. So far this season, Flaherty has started 16 games for the Tigers, carrying a 6-5 record with a 3.13 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 95 innings pitched. After having a few rough seasons, it seems Flaherty has returned to his earlier form that allowed him to finish 5th in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 and 4th in Cy Young voting in 2019. With this being said and the Tigers needing to get some help offensively, Flaherty is the perfect candidate to send in a deal to get that help.
• Potential Landing Spots: San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox.
2. UTIL Gio Urshela: 1-year, $1,500,000 deal
• The Tigers added veteran utility man Gio Urshela in the offseason to help supplement the platoon of players that we have had playing third base the last few years. Urshela has had some injury issues but has still managed to amass a .257 batting average with 3 home runs and 27 RBIs in 66 games. While these are not massive numbers, this is a good, veteran bat that could be added to a team to allow its stars to rest coming down the stretch. Urshela has played third, shortstop, and most recently first base for the Tigers this year.
• Potential Landing Spots: Gio Urshela
3. OF/1B Mark Canha: 1 year, $11,500,000 deal
• The 35-year-old veteran bat was added to the Tigers in hopes he would provide a power spark for this lineup. At this point in the season, it has been a bit of a disappointment. Canha has hit .223 with 6 home runs and 34 RBIs. While I don't think we will find much of a market for this bat, he could be packaged with one of the aforementioned players to get a decent return.
• Potential Landing Spots: Philadelphia Phillies or Kansas City Royals
4. IF/OF Matt Vierling: 1 year, $766,000 (arbitration through 2027)
• Vierling was acquired in 2023 via a trade with the Phillies. Since joining the Tigers, Vierling has had flashes of greatness, being able to run well and hit well. This year has seen an uptick in the power numbers from Vierling as he has hit 12 home runs in 83 games, two more than he has all of 2023. With this power surge and contract control through 2027, Vierling could be a trade piece that no one sees coming.
• Potential Landing Spots: St. Louis Cardinals

State of Detroit Sports: 2024 Mid-Year Review: Part 4

Detroit Lions: Perennial Losers to Detroit's Best Chance at a Championship?

    For years, when you were to hear the name of the Detroit Lions, it would insight disappointment and embarrassment for most fans. We were the franchise known for never winning a Super Bowl, or even making it to the big dance. We were known for wasting, arguably, the single-greatest running back and single-greatest wide receiver in the history of the game in Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. We were known for having the worst single-season record ever by going winless... 0-16. See even as I am writing these things on paper is raising my blood pressure.

    However, times are changing after years and years of failed rebuilds, horrible management and some of the worst coaching ever seen. We have finally found the perfect combination of that gutsy, hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners, kneecap-biting coach, and savvy drafting general manager in Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. Since inheriting the team in 2021, Dan Campbell has gone on to record a 24-26-1 record in his first three seasons. It was a big disappointment in his first season with the team, as the team went 3-13-1. This was the first season after the huge Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade with the L.A. Rams.

    In his second season as head coach, Campbell would coach the team to a 9-8 record, starting the first half of the season going 2-6, they came back and went 7-2 in the last half of the season, showing major improvements. In his third season, Campbell would coach this team to a 12-5 record, winning the NFC North and taking them to the playoffs. The team would make it all the way to the NFC Championship, before losing to the San Francisco Giants. In just three short years, mainly through the draft, Brad Holmes as sculpted this team into a championship-caliber team. Holmes has drafted 2 first team all-pro players Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Another pro-bowl-caliber talent Aidan Hutchinson was drafted by Holmes. Below is a breakdown of each of the drafts that Brad Holmes as completed, aside from this year.

2021 Draft:

• Round 1, Pick 7: OL Penei Sewell, Oregon
• Round 2, Pick 41: DL Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
• Round 3, Pick 72: DT Alim McNeill, North Carolina St.
• Round 3, Pick 101: Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse
• Round 4, Pick 112: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
• Round 4, Pick 113: DE Derrick Barnes, Purdue
• Round 7, Pick 257: RB Jemar Jefferson, Oregon St.

2022 Draft:

• Round 1, Pick 2: DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
• Round 1, Pick 12: WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
• Round 2, Pick 46: DE Josh Paschal, Kentucky
• Round 3, Pick 97: DB Kerby Joseph, Illinois
• Round 5, Pick 177: TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 188: LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma St.
• Round 6, Pick 217: LB James Houston, Jackson St.
• Round 7, Pick 237: DB Chase Lucas, Arizona St.

2023 Draft:

• Round 1, Pick 12: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
• Round 1, Pick 18: LB Jack Campbell, Iowa
• Round 2, Pick 34: TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa
• Round 2, Pick 45: DB Brian Branch, Alabama
• Round 3, Pick 68: QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
• Round 3, Pick 96: DT Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky
• Round 5, Pick 152: OL Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary
• Round 7, Pick 219: WR Antoine Green, North Carolina

    Bottom line is that the Lions are Detroit's best chance of winning a championship in this decade. If the team can repeat the success it had last year, and continue to have the best run-stopping team and a top-5 explosive offense, there is no reason that they can't make it back to the NFC Championship game. This team is going to be fun to watch and I for one can't wait. 

State of Detroit Sports: 2024 Mid-Year Review: Part 3

    

Detroit Red Wings: Fall from Grace, Back to the Top?

    Our beloved Detroit Red Wings, oh how you have fallen from grace. It has now been 8 years since the string of 25 straight playoff appearances for our most prolific sports franchise. The Red Wings made it to the playoffs every year from 1991-2016. In this period, the Wings would make 6 Stanley Cup finals, winning 4 in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. Along with four championships, the Wings would boast some of the greatest hockey players in the history of the NHL. The likes of Darren McCarty, Kris Draper, Vladimir Konstantinov, Chris Chelios, Henrik Zetterberg, and of course, our current executive vice president and general manager, Steve Yzerman. This is just a short list of the greats that played during the 25-year run of excellence.

    After the 2016 season, the Red Wings would only get close to making the playoffs again, in the 2023 season. This past season, the Red Wings were in the playoff hunt down to the very last game of the season, getting eliminated by circumstances out of their control. I, personally, was able to attend the last home game of the 2023 season where the Wings, being down 4-2 going into the 3 period, would come back to win 5-4 in overtime with the game-tying and game-winning goals being scored by the young Lucas Raymond. The atmosphere in the Little Caesers Arena that night was amazing, really made you feel like the Red Wings were on the verge of getting back to the promise land. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

    However, this poses the question, will Steve Yzerman and company finally break through and put together a championship-contending team. After drafting the likes of our current captain, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, Steve Yzerman would add Alex DeBrincat, who has been a top scorer in the league for many years, and Showtime Patrick Kane who would resign with the Red Wings this offseason.

    This offseason has been a headscratcher for a lot of fans. Signing two goalies, Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell, and trading Robbi Fabri for a third in Gage Alexander, leaving a question mark in the net. Steve Yzerman made another good veteran signing in Vladimir Tarasenko. It is still early in this offseason and there are many things to be happy about, but there are also many things to question. I believe that this season is a make it or break it season for the Wings to make a push to the playoffs. I believe in Steve Yzerman and his process, but I believe he may be running out of time in the eyes of some impatient fans. 

2023-24 Regular Season Team Leaders

• Games Played: Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond (82)
• Goals Scored: Dylan Larkin (33)
• Assists: Lucas Raymond (41)
• Points: Lucas Raymond (72)

State of Detroit Sports: 2024 Mid-Year Review: Part 2

The Detroit Pistons: Eternal Rebuild

    We have had two truly amazing periods in the history of the Detroit Pistons franchise. In the late 80s and early 90s, you had the Bad Boys of Basketball. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and John Salley. This was the core of a team that was able to win back-to-back world championships in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons, these two seasons being in the middle of a run of making five straight conference finals appearances and making one other finals appearance in the 1987-88 season, falling short to the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers. 

    The second truly amazing period in Piston's franchise history was the mid-late 2000s. This saw the birth of the Going-To-Work Pistons. The Pistons would make a few playoff appearances between the 1989-90 championship and the eventual 2003-04 championship, but would only make it as far as the Eastern Conference finals once in this span, being in 2002-03. The 2002-03 offseason would see the Pistons make a few really good signings and perhaps the biggest mistake in the history of the NBA draft. Returning from the 2002-03 core were PG Chauncey Billups, SG Richard "Rip" Hamilton, and C Big Ben Wallace. The Pistons in the offseason before the 2003-04 season would add one of the most notoriously technically fouled player in NBA history, PF Rasheed Wallace. After coming off of the bench in his 2002-03 rookie season, Tayshaun Prince would emerge as the final piece to a starting five that would make history by becoming the first starting five in NBA history to all be voted to the All-Star game in the same year. 

    This 2003-04 team would make it all the way to the NBA finals and have to face the daunting Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers, shocking the world by winning the series in 5 games. This would begin a stretch of 5 straight Central Division banners and 6 straight playoff appearances, never being able to win the championship again. After this team was split up, the Pistons would begin a nearly 20-year rebuild in which they have made the playoffs just twice. The franchise would see, at this time, a venue change, leaving the historic Palace of Auburn Hills to play at Little Caesar's Arena in downtown Detroit. This franchise would also cycle through eight coaches and five general managers. This upcoming season will see both a new coach in J.B. Bickerstaff and a new GM in Trajan Langdon.

    The Pistons have had twelve lottery picks since the 2009-10 season. Of those twelve picks ten have been in the top-10 picks of the draft. We have seen the Pistons draft the likes of Andre Drummond, Luke Kennard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Killian Hayes with these lottery picks. Each of these players had varied levels of success with the Pistons before moving on to other teams. The latest set of draft picks has seen a trio of what could be a great young core for these struggling Pistons. These picks are Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Ausar Thompson. 

    This offseason we have already seen new GM Langdon make a pair of moves that is intriguing. He made a trade to acquire veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and sign veteran forward Tobias Harris to a two-year deal. The last few years of the Troy Weaver GM era did not see an emphasis on signing veterans to support the young team we put together. Seeing Langdon make these moves has given me a bit of hope that he will try and make things different in Detroit and make Detroit Basketball relevant again. 

    It is hard to say when or if the Pistons will make the playoffs in the next 5 years. But, I believe these next 2 seasons will be crucial for us to make a run for the playoffs. Making the correct signings and correct draft day moves and picks will help bring Detroit Basketball to the once-great level we all grew up seeing. 

State of Detroit Sports: 2024 Mid-Year Review Series Part 1

 

    The state of the Big 4 Detroit Sports franchises has been bleak for a long time. That is however, up until this past winter when the Detroit Lions made their historic run to the NFC Championship game, a Detroit sports franchise had yet to make it to the playoffs since the 2019 Pistons and no Detroit Sports franchise had won a playoff game since the 2016 Red Wings. For the last decade and a half, each Detroit sports franchise has gone through at least two rebuilding periods, each franchise with varying, yet disappointing results. In this article, I am going to give my honest outlook on each franchise's chances at making the playoffs and winning a championship.

The Detroit Tigers: No clear direction

    Starting off with arguably the worst Detroit sports franchise in recent years, our beloved Detroit Tigers. If you are like me and are a major baseball fan, it has been quite the roller coaster of emotions watching the Tigers in the last 5 to 6 years. Over the last 5 years, we have seen the Tigers go from being the worst team in all of baseball in 2019, finishing the year at 47-114 to seeing arguably the greatest all-around right-handed hitter the game has ever seen in Miguel Cabrera hit major milestones in the twilight of his career, and ultimately make the decision to walk away from the game as a player at the end of the 2023 season. 

    2020 is a bit of an afterthought for me due to the shortened season with the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 was the first full year back for MLB after the pandemic and it saw the Tigers finish third in the AL Central division with a 77-85 record. We saw a couple of our young pitching prospects start to emerge as players in the majors with the first full seasons for Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. The 2022 season saw the debut of our number-one overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Spencer Torkleson. He showed flashes of the power we drafted him for, but ultimately struggle through the course of the year. This was also the first year of the albatross of a contract for our everyday "superstar" shortstop, Javier Baez. I said it when the signing was made, and I stand by it today, we made the wrong signing at shortstop in that offseason.

    The 2023 season saw the breakout sophomore seasons of Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter. It also saw the emergence of Tarik Skubal as a possible ace of this staff, ultimately these Tigers finished second in the division at 78-84. Coming into the 2024 season, there were a lot of high hopes that this team could run away with the division, however, it has been more of the same. The veteran signing of Kenta Maeda has not paid off. Casey Mize returning after being out for a season and a half with injuries just isn't the ace we thought we were getting when we drafted him. Torkelson and Carpenter have had struggles. The only bright spots have been the emergence of Tarik Skubal as a potential Cy Young candidate in the American League, Riley Greene being a big threat in the lineup being able to hit for both average and power, and the signing of Jack Flaherty being a solid contract, looking like he could be the next great strikeout artist in the Major League.

    Despite all of that, these Tigers currently sit in fourth place in the division at 38-46, on pace for another sub-.500 finish and missing the playoffs. It seems to me that, with Chris Illitch at the head of this team, we are not going to spend the money required to field a championship-caliber team anytime in the near future. We are once again going to squander the young, promising careers of Riley Greene and Tarik Skubal and get nothing in return while we can. I do not see the Tigers making the playoffs, let alone winning a championship in the next 5 years.

Bright spots of the 2024 Detroit Tigers

1. Tarik Skubal: 9-3, 2.32 ERA, 97 IP, 112 K, 19 BB

2. Riley Greene: .253 BA, .831 OPS, 15 HR, 41 RBI.

3. Jack Flaherty: 5-5, 3.24 ERA, 89 IP, 115 K, 14 BB

2022-23 Lions End of Season Review

     

    First and foremost, I want to give credit where credit is due, this team really gelled in the second half of the season and were the best team in the NFC in the second half, arguable the best team in all of football in that second half. With that out of the way, let's dig into the year and see how the Lions were able to pull off the first winning season for the franchise since 2017. 

2022 Offseason

    I personally feel the best place to start when taking a look at how this team came together is to look at the offseason and the draft the Lions and GM Brad Holmes were able to put together that made this team so special. First off let's look at some of the signings that Brad Holmes made that made an impact this year.

• Linebacker Alex Anzalone
• A lot of people were not happy with this resigning when it happened, a lot of people wanted the Lions to make a big splash at the Linebacker position in the offseason. Anzalone, who had a career best 49 solo tackles in the 2021 season, just didn't seem like he was the way to go. Anzalone would prove everyone wrong with a career high 77 solo tackles in 2022 and 125 total combined tackles and was a great linebacker. 
• Tight end Brock Wright
• Starting the 2022 season, nobody expected Brock Wright to be the go to tight end by the middle of the season because the Lions had pro bowl caliber tight end T.J. Hockenson on the roster. However, after a deadline move that sent Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings, Wright stepped up and became an amazing red zone option for a short pass to the end zone. Wright would finish with a total of 4 TD in just 10 games started, 2 coming in the week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears. The future looks bright at the tight end spot for the Lions going forward.
• Wide Receiver D.J. Chark Jr.
• While Chark had a bit of an up-and-down year, dealing with an ankle injury early in the year, he really opened up the field and gave more options to Jared Goff, improving the offense substantially. He played in 11 games, amassing 30 receptions, 502 yards and 3 touchdowns, proving that when he is healthy, he can be dangerous. He had 3 games with 90+ yards, with his best game being the Week 16 loss to Carolina where he had 108 yards on the day. If Chark can stay healthy, he could be a dangerous deep-threat for the Lions, if they re-sign him this offseason.

    Now, lets take a look at the Lions 2022 Draft Class that made a big, immediate impact statement this year.

• Round 1, Pick 2: Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
• Coming out of the draft, there was plenty of conversation about this young man being a potential bust for the city of Detroit. While the beginning of the season looked a little dim, by the end of the season, Hutchinson would become a fan favorite and potential 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Hutchinson would finish the season with 9.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 52 combined total tackles. Hutchinson would make history as being the only rookie in the NFL to ever have at least 7 sacks and 3 interceptions in the same season. This young man will be a cornerstone of this gritty Lions defense for the foreseeable future.
• Round 1, Pick 12: Wide Receiver Jameson Williams, Alabama
• This pick was heavily scrutinized as the Lions would trade up to draft this talented young wide receiver. The reason it was scrutinized was because Williams was still healing from a torn ACL which he sustained during the nation championship game against Alabama. This injury would see him miss the first 11 games of the season, not making his debut until the December 4th matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Williams would finish the year with just 1 catch, for 41 yards and a touchdown. While Williams did not produce much for the Lions this season, look for him to be the Lions speedy deep threat for the next few years.
• Round 3, Pick 97: Safety Kerby Joseph, Illinois
• What else can I say about this young man, other than he owns Aaron Rodgers. Joseph did not immediately start for the Lions at the safety spot for the season, as veteran safety Tracey Walker was healthy. Once, Walker went down with a season-ending injury, it was next man up, and Joseph did not disappoint. The young man would finish the season with 83 tackles and 4 interceptions, three of those coming against the great Aaron Rodgers. If this young man can keep producing like this, the Lions secondary could be looking up for years to come.
• Round 6, Pick 188: Linebacker Malcom Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
• This young man epitomized what coach Dan Campbell preached all season, Grit. He became a quick fan favorite with his appearances on the HBO special Hard Knocks. He fought and earned his spot on the opening day roster and would not disappoint. While he finished the season with only 1 sack, he did finish the season with 83 total tackles and seemed like every time the ball was in his vicinity, the ball carrier was not going to get passed him. Ironically enough, the brightest moment of the season for Rodrigo was when he manhandled veteran All-pro center Jason Kelce and threw him out of his way like he was nothing. This kid is entertaining and will be interesting to watch next season.
• Round 6, Pick 217: Defensive End James Houston, Jackson State
• Houston, like some of the previous rookies, did not make the roster for opening day. This did not stop him from becoming a formidable force at the edge rushing position, and a great compliment to Hutchinson. Houston did not play in a game until week 12, were he recorded 2 sacks against Bills star quarterback Josh Allen. He didn't stop there as in the 7 games he played, he would record 8 sacks, 3 coming against the Chicago Bears in week 17. This gives the Lions plenty of options with their two first-round draft picks as they may not have to worry about finding another complimentary edge rusher for Hutchinson.

1-6 to 9-8

    The beginning of the season looked dismal with the Lions finishing 1-6 through their first 7 games. It looked like it was going to be another S.O.L year, but in week 9, something clicked and they were able to pick up a tough win against the Green Bay Packers at home, after that win, they never looked back, wining 8 of their last 10, with the two losses coming at the hands of Josh Allen and the powerhouse Bills and the Carolina Panthers, who ran all over the Lions defense. In my personal opinion, the biggest difference between the Lions losses and Lions wins, is being able to stop the oppositions run game. Comparing the averages between losses and wins, this was the difference.

• Losses: 16 carries, 112 yds, 1 TD, 7 yds/carry
• Wins: 11 carries, 60 yds, 0 TD, 5.4 yds/carry

    In wins, Lions were able to hold the opposition to just an average of 60 yards per game, in losses opposing offenses had they're way on the ground, averaging 112 yards, almost double the average in wins. Obviously, this is not the only reason for Lions success, as individual game play, time management and other factors play into wins and losses, but the difference is staggering. When the Lions defense can stop the run, they are as good a team as any. On the offensive side of the ball, things could not be looking any better. We finished the season with a quarterback who threw for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, in Jared Goff. We had an emerging young running back who ran for 1,066 yards and a franchise-record 17 touchdowns in Jamaal Williams. Finally, we had a second-year wide receiver who had 106 receptions on 146 targets, 1,161 yards and 6 touchdowns in the talented Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

The Future

    The future of this Lions team is bright, with an emerging young core on both sides of the ball, and plenty of draft capital in the next draft to spare. This team is only going to go up from here, and should be in the playoff hunt again next year, if not in the playoffs. They should have been a playoff team this year, unfortunately bad early season play, made that sweet dream into a crushing nightmare. I am happy to see where this team goes next season and can't wait to keep reporting on them to you all. 

The State of Detroit Sports Teams: 2022 year-in-review

 

    As the year comes to an end, I think it is only fair that we take a look back at the 2022 year for our beloved Detroit sports teams. 2022 has been an up-and-down year to say the least. That includes these young, inexperience Detroit teams. With that being said, let's dive right in and get started.

Detroit Tigers: Injury Bug and Disappointments

    The hopes for this 2022 Detroit Tigers team were high going into the season as the offseason prior to the start of the year was the busiest for the franchise in quite a few years. The most notable of moves were the trades made for both Tucker Barnhart, the Red's gold-glove catcher, and Austin Meadows, the young Ray's slugging outfielder and the signings of all-star shortstop Javier Baez and stud-pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. With these offseason additions along with the promising young talent the Tigers had coming into the season, such as Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, these Tigers seems to be on a collision course with becoming one of the best young, talented teams in the Major Leagues. However, as we know this would not be the case. The Tigers would finish 66-96, good for fourth in the A.L. Central. We would see struggles all season, from Spencer Torkelson basically forgetting how to hit a baseball, to having 17 different pitchers starting ball games for the club this year as our entire pitching staff seemed to deal with injuries all season. Akil Baddoo would have a bad year after finishing last season as one of the most talked-about young players on the Tigers. Javier Baez had a down season and at one point the 39-year old Miguel Cabrera was the best hitter on the team again. There were two bright spots that came out of this disappointing season, Riley Greene emerged as a defensive force in centerfield and Tarik Skubal solidified his position as a top young pitching talent. 2023 will be an interesting season for the Tigers as they have already signed Matt Boyd to a one-year deal after having traded him before the 2022 season, Spencer Turnbull should be returning from Tommy John surgery after missing the entire 2022 season and they signed Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal to bolster the pitching for this young team. A potential starting rotation of Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Boyd, Michael Lorenzen, Matt Manning and Spencer Turnbull, with both Skubal and Mize starting the season on the IL, the pitching for this team looks promising, the hitting leaves a little to be desired, but I expect the Tigers to either improve by 5-10 games or to finish the same as they did in 2022, in 2023.

Detroit Pistons: Young and Hungry

    The Detroit Pistons have a lot to look forward to in the next 3-5 years with their average age on this team being the fourth youngest in the league at 24.7 years old. However the Pistons finished an abysmal 2021-22 campaign at 23-59, 14th in the Eastern conference. The 21-22 campaign would have some promising outcomes as Cade Cunningham and Sadiq Bey would prove to be the future cornerstones in this franchise for the foreseeable future.  As the 2022 offseason rolled around, Troy Weaver would begin making moves as he was apart of a four-team trade between the Pistons, Bucks, Clippers and Kings, where the Pistons would trade away Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles, and a 2023 and 2024 second-round picks, and received Marvin Bagley III, a 23 year old big man. The next big move made by Weaver was to trade star player Jerami Grant and the 46th 2022 draft pick to the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for the 36th pick in the 2022 draft, along with a 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 second round pick. Weaver was not done yet as he jumped in on a three-team trade with the Hornets and Knicks. The trade would play out as follows:

• Knicks Receive:
• Conditional 2025 1st round-pick from the Pistons (via Milwaukee)
• Pistons Receive:
• 2022 draft rights to Jalen Duren (via Charlotte)
• Kemba Walker (via New York)
• Hornets Receive:
• 2023 first-round pick (from Denver via Oklahoma City and New York)
• 2023 second-round pick (via New York)
• 2023 second-round pick (via Utah)
• 2023 second-round pick (most favorable of Dallas/Miami)
• 2024 second-round pick (via New York)

    This was huge for the Pistons as they already used their 5th overall pick to draft guard Jaden Ivey from Purdue, they were able to get big man Jalen Duren as well. Weaver would make one final splash before the season as he traded Saben Lee and Kelly Olynyk to the Jazz in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic. The Pistons have not gotten off to a good start this year, as Cade Cunningham will be out for the season due to having season ending surgery to fix an injury sustained early in the season. However this season turns out, the future is bright for the Pistons.

Detroit Lions: Question Marks

    Let's set the record straight, the Lions franchise has been horrible for 65 years, winning just one playoff game in that time frame, in 1991. I do not blame this on any of the players we have had over the years, obviously having arguably the best running back and wide receiver ever in Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, I do not blame it on the coaching staffs we have had, I don't even blame it on the general managers we've had in the front office. The number one enemy of the Lions has been the ownership, the Fords. The only thing that the Fords have been concerned with is making money, and the sad part is, this fanbase is so loyal that they continue to pay their hard earned money to watch these teams. Okay, tangent aside, this team has had many questions marks throughout this season. Is Dan Campbell the coach we need? Is Jared Goff the quarterback for the foreseeable future? Can this young team be good fast enough?

    The Lions finished the 2021-22 campaign at 3-13-1 good for 4th in the NFC north division. This was expected a bit after Dan Campbell taking over what was a horrible crop of talent from the Quintricia years. The hopes were high going into the 2022 draft where the Lions had 8 picks, including 2 first round picks, their own and the Rams from the Matthew Stafford Trade. The Lions and new GM Brad Holmes used those picks to draft as follows:

• Round 1, Pick 2 - EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
• Round 1, Pick 12 - WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
• Round 2, Pick 46 - EDGE Josh Paschal, Kentucky
• Round 3, Pick 97 - S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
• Round 5, Pick 177 - TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech
• Round 6, Pick 188 - LB Malcom Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
• Round 6, Pick 217 - EDGE James Houston, Jackson State
• Round 7, Pick 237 - CB Chase Lucas, Arizona State

    We are currently in Week 15 of the 2022-23 season, and after going 1-6 in the first 7 games of the season, they have managed to go 5-1 in the last 6, and every single one of these rookies have made an impact in one way or another in the course of this season. This has to be the best draft the Lions have had in the history of the team. Brad Holmes has proved he truly is the draft guru everyone was saying he was when he was with the Rams front office. They have a matchup with a tough Jets team that has been a shock this year as well this Sunday. The Lions have shown much improvement in the last 6 games and could ride this wave of momentum to a wild card playoff birth. Watch out for this team in the coming years.

Detroit Red Wings: More Detroit Youth

    The Red Wings have been somewhat of a disappointment in recent years compared to the 1990's and 2000's teams that made the playoffs every year for 25 years straight from the 1990-91 season to the 2015-16 season. Since then the Red Wings have not had a winning season, let alone a playoff birth. However, I think they are finally finding the right pieces, between players, coaches, and front office staff. The ownership has brought in a Detroit Red Wings legend to be their general manager in Steve Yzerman. Since 2019 when Yzerman has taken over, there has been a major over hall to this team. Steve Yzerman has brought in a lot of young talent to this team with the average age being 26 years old. Some of the notable young players he has brought in including 2021 rookie of the year Moritz Seider, Elmer Soderblom, and Lucas Raymond. These player have made an impact alongside veteran players Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. This Red Wings team has been fun to watch at the start of this season, but have hit a skid as of late. I think this team could be fun to watch for the next few years.

    Overall the state of Detroit sports is currently hitting its turn around and is back on the rise with each team being fun to watch, at the very least. I am excited to see where these teams go in the coming years. Stay tuned as I am sure I'll be watching and covering them for the foreseeable future.