Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris explains why team isn’t ready to spend big on roster yet
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris: ‘This is a talented group’
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks to reporters February 14, 2024, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
The Detroit Tigers aren’t going to increase payroll before building the foundation.
That’s exactly what Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Tuesday afternoon on MLB Network in an 8-minute conversation with studio host Brian Kenny.
On MLB Network, Kenny asked Harris if the Tigers plan to spend like they used to. The Tigers had a top-six payroll in MLB for six seasons in a row, according to Spotrac, from 2012-17 under late owner Mike Ilitch, peaking at $200.2 million in 2016.
Harris believes Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch, Mike’s son, will increase payroll in the future, though he didn’t reveal a timeline.
“From the moment I got here, Chris Ilitch said that we would have the resources we need to build a really competitive club and to build a club that can sustain winning over a long period of time,” Harris said on MLB Network, when asked if payroll will increase. “We’re not quite there yet as far as spending at that level because we need to build the foundation of this team to put us in a position to supplement it with free agent signings in the upcoming winters.
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“I have confidence that the resources will be there. The Ilitch family has always supported the Tigers, and they are ready and eager to do it. I’m actually sitting in the world headquarters for Little Caesars because we have scouting meetings across the street at Little Caesars. I’m confident that the resources will be there. We just have to develop the core that we’re going to spend around, and we also have to target the players in upcoming winters that can really help us.”
The Tigers’ payroll ranks 23rd in the 2024 season, at $106.5 million, nearly $60 million lower than the average of all 30 teams. Javier Báez, a struggling shortstop signed to a six-year, $140 million contract by former general manager Al Avila, is making $25 million, which equates to 23.5% of the total payroll this season.
The Tigers ranked 20th in payroll last season, at $121.5 million.
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It’s unclear if the Tigers are close to completing the foundation, and therefore, it’s unclear if the Tigers are close to spending big like Harris believes will happen at some point.
Former No. 1 overall picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize — drafted and developed by the Avila regime — aren’t performing like franchise cornerstone players, while former No. 5 overall pick Riley Greene is a streaky hitter for the third season in a row. Colt Keith, who inked a club-friendly contract extension before his first game, is starting to settle in as a rookie. Late-round picks Tarik Skubal and Kerry Carpenter have been steady studs, along with Reese Olson, but Skubal — an American League Cy Young candidate — is going to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
“We’re a young team that’s still finding our way,” Harris said of the 2024 Tigers, currently at 26-27 overall and in fourth place in the American League Central. “We’ve shown some flashes of some really exciting play on both sides of the ball. I think we’re searching for that consistency that comes with maturation of young hitters and young starting pitchers in the big leagues. With youth often comes variance, and I think we’re living week to week here, but we’ve seen a lot of positive signs under the hood and some of those are translating to performance in recent weeks.”
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The Tigers only have two more full seasons of Skubal.
If the window isn’t open now, when will it open?
Jackson Jobe, a 21-year-old elite pitching prospect, isn’t close to getting out of Double-A Erie and seems more likely to make his MLB debut in 2025. Max Clark, a 19-year-old center fielder whom Harris selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, is down in Low-A Lakeland playing alongside 19-year-old shortstop Kevin McGonigle, the No. 37 overall pick in 2023.
The bad Báez contract comes off the books after the 2027 season. After this year, Báez is owed $25 million in 2025, $24 million in 2026 and $24 million in 2027.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit’s Sloppy Chops restaurateur Mike Brown fatally shot, 2 injured
When to call 911 and when to use non-emergency lines
This video explains the importance of knowing when to call 911 for emergencies and when to use non-emergency lines for less critical situations.
Detroit restaurateur and nightlife mainstay Michael “Mike B.” Brown was fatally shot early Saturday morning on the city’s west side, a violent incident that also left two other people injured and sent shockwaves through Detroit’s hospitality and entertainment communities.
According to Detroit police, the shooting occurred outside Suite 100, a cocktail bar on Schaefer Highway near Puritan Avenue. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had not announced any suspects or arrests.
“At approximately 4:30 a.m., Saturday, there was a triple shooting that occurred at 15789 Schaefer,” Detroit Police Department (DPD) media relations manager Jasmin Barmore wrote in an official statement Sunday afternoon. “Two of the vicims were found in front of the location and the third across the street from the location. Unfortunately, the victim found across the street from the location, Mikey Brown, succumbed to his injuries.
“The Detroit Police Department extends their condolences to the family and is asking the community for assistance with this incident. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact DPD’s homicide unit or, they can submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers or Detroit Rewards TV.”
Brown, 52, had spent decades building a name for himself across Detroit’s club and restaurant circuits, evolving from party promoter to business owner and, in recent years, a culinary entrepreneur with expanding ambitions. His death comes at a moment when he had been working to grow his “Sloppy” restaurant brand – a move that aligned with the rise of new Black-owned establishments reshaping the city’s dining landscape.
His first major restaurant venture, Sloppy Chops, opened in 2020 on West McNichols just off the Lodge Freeway. The steakhouse featured high-end cuts like ribeyes and tomahawks, but it quickly drew wide attention for its low-cost lamb chop specials – a dish with a fervent local following and long-standing ties to the city’s food culture.
A year later, Brown launched Sloppy Crab, later renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. The seafood spot mixed Detroiters’ love for crab dishes with the energetic, nightlife-forward atmosphere Brown had refined during his years in the entertainment scene. Occasional cover charges, signature strong cocktails and celebrity drop-ins helped make the venue one of downtown’s most animated destinations, placing it alongside longstanding nightlife pillars such as Floods Bar & Grille and Sweetwater Tavern.
Both restaurants emerged during a period when Detroiters were increasingly vocal about who new development served. Sloppy Crab’s proximity to the riverfront offered an answer to residents who wondered where Black diners fit into the city’s transforming downtown, while Sloppy Chops demonstrated that restaurants with the energy and polish of downtown destinations could thrive in the neighborhoods as well.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,000 comments expressing sadness and shock had flooded a pinned post on Brown’s Instagram page, along with a number of posts on his Facebook profile.
On her own page, Darralynn Hutson, an award-winning journalist, author, documentarian and media strategist who has provided content to a host of media outlets including the Detroit Free Press, shared photos of herself with Brown.
“I had the opportunity to interview Mike a few years ago for a feature in Food & Wine and I remember how reluctant he was about sitting down to talk,” Hutson recalled. “Interviews weren’t his thing – he was much more comfortable building than explaining. I had to call him more than 20 times to set up the interview. He didn’t care about Food & Wine. But once we ate and got into conversation, what came out was his commitment to creating something for his Detroit.”
Brown’s influence stretched far beyond his menus. His establishments became recognizable gathering places, and his presence – familiar from downtown corridors to Dexter Avenue – made him a significant cultural figure in Detroit’s nightlife and, later, its dining renaissance.
His death leaves both industries mourning a personality whose ambitions were still growing, and whose imprint on the city’s social fabric remains unmistakable.
Detroit, MI
RECAP: Detroit’s lack of execution results in 5-2 loss at Carolina | Detroit Red Wings
RALEIGH, N.C. – Wrapping up the February portion of their 2025-26 regular-season schedule, the Detroit Red Wings unfortunately spent most of their Saturday night playing catch-up in an eventual 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
“They’re a heck of a team,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “This is a hard building to play in…They’re the class of the East, and you got to come in here at some point and get points. I just didn’t think we executed. We allowed them to be on top of us and come back in waves on Talbs.”
Goalie Cam Talbot made 30 saves in his first start since Jan. 22 for the Red Wings (34-20-6; 74 points), who moved to 11-5-2 on the road since Dec. 6. Meanwhile, turning aside 27 shots netminder Frederik Andersen helped the Hurricanes (38-15-6; 82 points) win their fifth straight game and extend their point streak to 12.
“We’re leaving without points, so that’s real disappointing,” Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought that the game was real fast to begin with. There was a lot of pace going both ways. It was a good game for us to play in. A lot of their offensive opportunities came off of basically our tape…[Carolina] really took advantage of our mistakes.”
Detroit held steady against Carolina’s characteristically heavy, initial 10-minute push in the opening frame, but the leaders of the Metropolitan Division went up 1-0 when Taylor Hall blocked Simon Edvinsson’s shot attempt in their defensive zone and proceeded to score on a breakaway at 14:05. Then with eight seconds left in the period, while the hosts were on the man advantage, Sebastian Aho’s shot from the left face-off circle deflected off Edvinsson’s stick down low and into the back of the net to extend their lead to 2-0.
“They come out flying and shoot a lot of pucks,” Larkin said. “You can’t really pay attention to the shot clock because they fire it from everywhere, but I liked our start. It’s just that we had some times where we didn’t execute, and they score with eight seconds left. That’s a tough one, but we responded well. We won the second period.”
The Hurricanes struck again just 2:52 into that second period, as Eric Robinson jammed a wrist shot from the top of the crease to push ahead 3-0. But in a span of just 47 seconds late in the stanza, the Red Wings beat Andersen twice to put the hosts on their heels and make it a one-goal game going into the second intermission.
Detroit, MI
Teenager injured in shooting near Detroit school, police say
A teenage male is recovering and police are investigating after a shooting near a school on the east side of Detroit on Friday night.
According to police, the incident happened at 8:28 p.m. on the 3400 block of St. Aubin Street, the same area where the Detroit Edison Public School Academy’s Early College of Excellence is located.
Officials said an altercation ensued inside a building on the block and continued outside. An individual then fired shots that struck the male, whose age has yet to be disclosed, according to police. He was taken to the hospital where he was in stable condition on Saturday.
According to The Detroit News, the altercation was a fight that broke out during Detroit Edison’s boys basketball game against Detroit University Prep.
As of Saturday afternoon, police haven’t shared whether any arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Duluth Police Department at 313-596-5740 or Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-773-2587.
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