Motor City Kitties

Let’s stop for a second and pay some respects to the late, great Mickey Lolich, who passed away earlier this week. Mickey spent 13 years as a Tiger, notched three all-star appearances, and was the World Series MVP in 1968, when the Tigers brought home the big one for the first time in 23 years. Alongside Denny McLain and Earl Wilson, assembled one of the greatest rotations of the late 60’s. RIP Mickey, you will be missed.

I wrote this whole thing on the Tigers rotation, outlining every starter and their qualities, and then Scott Harris shocked the world, signing Houston’s Framber Valdez to a 3-year, 115 million dollar contract. I nearly fell down the stairs when I read the ESPN alert. We never sign anyone big in free agency. Our top signing over the last year was a 38 year old closer who gave up six earned runs to the Tigers when we faced him. Nobody saw this coming. People can point and say ‘but the Tigers said they were interested in him’. Buddy. The Tigers are ‘interested’ in everyone. They’re the equivalent of the guy at the comic book store who looks at everything and buys a keychain. 
I gotta say, I never thought these words would escape my mouth, but I’m proud of Chris Ilitch. You did something. However, this signing comes on a really weird day. Skubal’s arbitration hearing was today, you know, the one that set records because of how much of a gap there was between him and management. Obviously I am happy with the signing, we’ll get into Valdez later, but the overall reaction is that this is good. But it doesn’t send a good message to the Skub-inator. Yeah, we’ll pay this guy 112 million dollars even though he hit his own catcher (more on that later), but we won’t pay you, the man that won two Cy Youngs and saved baseball in Detroit. It just seems kind of weird on a managerial end to sign Valdez today of all days. But if I had a nickel for all the times Ilitch did something with the Tigers that I didn’t like, I’d be richer than he is. 

So, who is this guy that’s caused so much uproar in his time at Houston? Well, let me educate you. Framber Valdez has pitched for the Astros of Houston for all of his 8 year career. He’s got two all star appearances to his name, a very impressive playoff run in 2022 which he and Detroit legend Justin Verlander spearheaded the rotation of, three years of top 10 Cy Young voting, and one of the very few pitchers in today’s day and age that can pitch a complete game. He led the league last year with two complete games. Cy Young has 749 of them. Dying breed. 

We saw some digression in 2025 with his numbers, pitching a 3.66 ERA, his career high (not a good thing when it comes to ERA) but he still won 13 games, had impressive strikeout numbers, and tallied up 3.8 WAR. He fits right in as an extremely dangerous number 2 in the rotation, provided Scott Harris doesn’t trade away Skubal once his arbitration settles. But there’s still one more elephant in the room to discuss about Framber.

Other than his nickname is “La Grasa”, which translates to “The Fat”, Framber is a workhorse on the mound who’s got no real statistical flaws. However, last year he became the head of a pretty big controversy. Not only is he known for hitting batters and trying to start brawls, but he hit a member of his own team last year. Salazar, the catcher, called a pitch with the bases loaded, but then signaled for Valdez to step off the mound. Valdez did not, in fact, step off the mound. Which ended in Trent Grisham hitting a grand slam off him. The very next pitch, he intentionally crosses up Salazar and beans him right in the chest with a 93mph sinker. Not a very kind thing to do. Now, every pitcher has some issues, sure. But Framber’s are a little more noticeable than some others. I know that the Tigers have some great chemistry, and I’m a little worried about a hothead messing those up. But if there’s anyone that can quell the animosity that may arise, it’s AJ Hinch. The guy who oversaw Valdez’ start on the Astros. Hinch loves his guys, and they love him. I’m confident that none of these issues will arise, at least with Hinch there. And if he at any point hits my guy Dillon Dingler behind the plate, I’m coming for him. Not just in the D-Brief. So watch out Framber.

Nonetheless, I’m euphoric about this signing and I think it’s going to turn out great. Comerica Park is suited to pitching in general, and I think you should play to your own strengths. I’m just happy we signed a big name in free agency. Please don’t trade Skubal now.

I don’t know about you, but I’m stoked for this upcoming season. Win the Central.

The ‘Stons

Jaden Ivey is gone. Now, I know I said I wanted him traded, and I still think it was the right move to make, but man do I feel bad for the guy. To be that great and have an injury affect you that much, it pains me to see him go, but I respect Trajan for getting the deal done.

The full trade package was, as far as the Pistons are concerned, Ivey to the Bulls of Chicago, for Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, and a protected 2026 first round pick swap with the Timberwolves of Minnesota. Overall, a good package for what we gave up. Ivey was not producing at the rate which we needed him to, averaging a career low in essentially every single statistic. His contract was up at the end of the year, and because we have so much young talent we have to pay, we wouldn’t have been able to pay him what he wanted. He refuted an extension this past year, so you could already start to sniff this may be the end. So either let him walk, or get something for him. Would you rather get $5 for your tee shirt, or give it away for free?

Kevin Huerter is worth more than $5 though. I don’t really care for Saric, I think he’ll be off the team in a year and he won’t get many minutes with the rock solid center rotation we have right now. He’s just a throw in. Sorry Dario. As for the pick swap, it’s a nice add on, Minnesota is in a much tougher Western Conference, and has a worse roster and record than us, respectively. So it’s probably going to go from picking 28th or 29th to like 22nd, which in a loaded draft class could make some difference. As for Huerter, the star of the trade, he’s a proven shooter, which we desperately need, and even though he’s shooting a career low 31.4% from behind the arc, he clearly has it in him, with his career average being 37.1%. He’s also just going to do a lot better on our roster than Chicago’s. We can space the floor when we want to, but we still need to get better at it. Huerter and Robinson are now two primary shooters, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but we still do need a secondary scorer to play off Cade.

So overall, I don’t think it was a great move, but it wasn’t a bad one either. We’ll know a lot more once we see Huerter play, but I think it was a necessary move from the front office. I still feel bad for Ivey, and I do want to see him play well in Chicago.

Still numero uno in the East.

Wings, Red

The Wings have lost four of their last five and now cling on to the #3 spot in the Atlantic. It’s not time to hit the panic button, but we do need to stop this skid ASAP. At this point, I don’t care if it’s a wild card spot, I just want to watch playoff hockey with my team in the mix. We lost a really weird game to the Kings of Los Angeles last week, then dropped one to the Capitals of Washington in a shootout (a game where we came back from 1-3 in the final two minutes), got smothered by the Avalanche 0-5, beat the Avalanche 2-0, and then got pummeled by the Mammoth of Utah 1-4 last night. Not a great stretch for the boys in red.

Other than beating the Avs in their own house for the first time in forever atop Gibson’s incredible shutout, there aren’t many bright spots for the Wings this week. We still have a lead over the Sabres of Buffalo and the Bruins of Boston, the two teams we’re fighting for the playoffs with, but the lead is now dwindling. And given that we have the hardest schedule remaining, it’s important to rest up during this olympic break. We end February with the Senators of Ottawa, a team we should beat, and the Hurricanes of Carolina, a toss up game. I just want to win at least one of those. Two would be heavenly, but Carolina is tough as nails. And then there’s March, which I don’t even want to think about.We just have to step up on the power play. We have looked abysmal over these last five games when it’s a 5v4 situation. With an offense that’s gaining more and more depth and the season goes on, it’s absolutely crucial to capitalize on those moments. 

Gibson, of course, has been outstanding, shutting out a Colorado team that very well could break the all time points record in a single season. I can’t overstate the importance of having a competent goalie in the net in a playoff setting. Just look at the Oilers these past two years. 

The other part of the Wings drama is the Elias Petterson trade rumors, which I so desperately want to be true. We need some depth and a boost to help us get through March, and Petterson fits both of those categories. Vancouver is rebuilding, they’re clearly open to trading him, why not give up a few of the many prospects we have? Stevie does love his guys, but if we don’t make the playoffs this year, morale is going to be low. Petterson does have a lengthy contract, and we did just extend Chiarot, so it might be tough to make it work, but I really think this is the right move for us.

Despite all that’s happening in America, I will still be rooting for team USA in the Olympics. Beat Canada.

Los Lions

All quiet on the Detroit front regarding the Lions this week, given that you’re in the 99% that doesn’t care about the Pro-Bowl games. The Lions had six players fly over to San Fran and compete in a series of games for the annual Pro-Bowl. Those players being Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jack Campbell, and Aidan Hutchinson. And that about does it as far as news. So without further ado, let’s wrap up the schedule predictions for the 2026 season, this time focusing on the Lions’ home games. Again, we have no way of predicting when in the season these games are going to take place, or what the roster will look like, so this is purely speculative, and a way to fill in the time between now and the preseason.

Bears of Chicago: I’m just going to end up mostly repeating myself of what I said last week regarding each of the divisional games we play, with the only added caveat being that they’re at home. Sneaky feeling we lose this one to the Bears, even though I had us beating them at Soldier, I just feel like this is a trap game and Caleb is going to ball out. I don’t know if we’ll be favored, but if we are, that makes me even more nervous. Bears by 10, solely on gut feeling.

Packers of Green Bay: This series I had in reverse, with us losing to Green Bay at Lambeau, and us beating them at Ford Field. They’re still the Packers, they’re still good, but I think we edge them out in our own house. Especially if this game comes after we lost to them. I still think the Packers are overrated and that Jordan Love is a fraud, but they’re really well coached, and it’l be a great game regardless. Lions by 4.

Vikings of Minnesota: Last of the divisional games, nothing changes here from last week. We beat JJ in our own house even after enduring the relentless blitz of Brian Flores, who we notoriously struggled with last year. I think there’s also an emotional revenge factor that we’ll play into, and give JJ hell on the defensive end. Going to be a surreal moment watching Hutch light him up. Lions by 12. Defensive grind.

Saints of New Orleans: Tyler Shough and crew comes to town for the first time since 2017, where Drew Brees was still in prime form. Throughout history, the Lions and the Saints typically play each other pretty hard, and are currently split 13-13 in the series’ all time record. I like the Saints this year, they’re my sleeper pick to make it out of the NFC South, but I still think we rock them here, especially on the offensive end. Saints don’t have a great defense, especially against the run, so it’s a Jahmyr Gibbs masterclass in this one. Lions by 20.

Buccaneers of Tampa Bay: Another team that plays us super hard in recent memory, the Lions and Bucs have dueled in what is now four straight years, and it’s never easy against them (except for last year, but that game was weird on a lot of ends). Baker typically gives us his best, Vita Vea is always a nightmare for the O-Line, but despite all of that, I think we eke out the Bucs in this one, who could very well digress in 2026. Still love ya Baker. Lions by 7.

Patriots of New England: I think this one is early on in the season, again, nothing to go off of except for gut feeling, but not only do I think we’ll win, I think it’s going to be a blowout. Drake Maye is the exact type of quarterback we struggle against, but I think the Patriots are going to be a far cry from what they were last year. And what’s the one thing the Pats can’t do? Rush the passer. And if you give Goff time, he will light you up. Offensive masterclass from the J-Man, with Maye turning it over at least twice to give the Lions a statement win early on. Lions by 18, exactly.

Jets of New York: Yawn. Don’t overthink this one, it’s the Jets. They were terrible last year, and they’re going to be terrible for the rest of time. Aaron Glenn’s revenge game will be a beatdown, just not the one he’s hoping for. And with no set quarterback, I don’t think this is an issue at all. The Jets might not score in this one. Lions by 40.

Titans of Tennessee: The last time the Titans played the Lions, Hendon Hooker was in the game for us. That’s how you know it’s going bad for the Titans. We hung 52 on these guys in 2024, and while the Titans were hot garbage last year, I think this one is going to be a lot closer than people think. Cam Ward showed promise, the receiving core is decent, and with some good picks this year, that defense isn’t the worst thing on the planet. Sort of a sneaky offensive thriller from the newly coached Titans, who have a shot at turning things around. We still win it, but it’s a close call for Dan the Man. Lions by 7.

Giants of New York: Last year’s game against the Giants resulted in Jameis Winston looking like 1989 Joe Montana and sending the game to overtime whilst torching our defense. The Giants are weird, and I think they’re going to be a lot better than people expect them to be in the big 2026. With Harbaugh at the wheel, a healthy Dart and Nabers, and that duo of Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter up front on the defense, the Giants are a scary team. I think they ambush us here, and give us a loss in our own house. Giants by 3, in OT.

So that’s a projected record of 13-4 for the 2026 season, a much needed improvement over last year. Given the fact that we’ll be fully healthy at the start and a much easier roster of opponents, I think this is a bounce back year for Detroit, and we make some noise in the playoffs. I hope so.

No idea what we’re going to do for next week, but I’ll figure something out.