Eric Chavez

Just realized he might be the perfect guy to bring in on a one year deal, he plays 3B and hits left handed, perhaps he could be insurance/platoon partner for Plouffe against tough righties?

I'd have to imagine he would cost less than Jamey Caroll to bring in. Then again, if he ends up with a good night tonight I could see the Yankees keeping him around as A-Rod insurance next year.

Maybe 1 year, 1.5-2 mil?

He doesn't solve the MI issues obviously, but does give us some nice insurance at 3B and a solid bat off the bench.

Pass. Signing him does little to make them better next year - spend all available dollars on pitching. I am a fan of Terry Ryan but I always hated when we signed 4-5 Chavez types that were clearly washed up and we ended up with no production but $15 mil in payroll wasted. See Rondell White, Tony Batista, et. al.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Linus

Pass. Signing him does little to make them better next year - spend all available dollars on pitching. I am a fan of Terry Ryan but I always hated when we signed 4-5 Chavez types that were clearly washed up and we ended up with no production but $15 mil in payroll wasted. See Rondell White, Tony Batista, et. al.

---

Chavez has a 845 OPS (125 OPS+) this year and has a career .818 OPS. That is washed up?

Eric Chavez in his prime ;) then yes....but now....no.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AllhopeisgoneMNTWINS

Eric Chavez in his prime ;) then yes....but now....no.

---

Well in his prime he cost about 12 mil a year, now he would be about 10% of that, I mean its hard to ignore his production this year and its not like we would be counting on him to play every day, he just is a much better insurance plan for 3B then the other internal "options"

If he'll sign for another 1yr/$900k, absolutely, yes. You could platoon him with Plouffe and pencil in a .850-.900 OPS at 3b.

problem is, the Yankees will pay him more than that. They won't even bat ARod against righthanders late game anymore.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AllhopeisgoneMNTWINS

Eric Chavez in his prime ;) then yes....but now....no.

---

Well in his prime he cost about 12 mil a year, now he would be about 10% of that, I mean its hard to ignore his production this year and its not like we would be counting on him to play every day, he just is a much better insurance plan for 3B then the other internal "options"

---

He wouldnt be a bad insurance plan. He did have a good year. he would be a good bench asset. Right now im staring at his stats and remember how good of a player he could have been before injuries absolutely derailed his career. Would i throw him a 1 year 1.1 million offer at him? Sure, but im sure at this stage of his career he has made all the money he needs and would like to stay on a contending team to preserve his health playing a bench role. This is why i dont see him leaving the Yanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Willihammer

If he'll sign for another 1yr/$900k, absolutely, yes. You could platoon him with Plouffe and pencil in a .850-.900 OPS at 3b.

problem is, the Yankees will pay him more than that. They won't even bat ARod against righthanders late game anymore.

---

People are freaking out about the ARod thing, but its not going to be the norm for him in 2013, he is just in a slump now. He didn't have a great year by any means but still had a decent year at the plate, they are paying him to much money to PH for him on a regular basis.

I could see the Yankees bring back Chavez though as insurance, but who knows with the Yankees, I could also see them go out and try to find a young 3B to play while A-Rod DH's more or something.

Why would Chavez turn down a similar deal with the Yankees to sign with a team coming off back to back 90 loss seasons?

Love the idea, but Chavez will either find a starting job or sign with the Yankees again. Heck the Yankees might offer him more to reprise his roll from this year than some other team offers for a starting spot.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by USAFChief

Why would Chavez turn down a similar deal with the Yankees to sign with a team coming off back to back 90 loss seasons?

Love the idea, but Chavez will either find a starting job or sign with the Yankees again. Heck the Yankees might offer him more to reprise his roll from this year than some other team offers for a starting spot.

---

Don't be so sure about the Yankees offering him much more money, the Yanks are slashing payroll over the next two years. Though its not like we are talking about a large amount, but the odds of him returning are pretty high, but you never know the Yanks could try to bring in a younger/longer term solution at 3B. I'm not sure Chavez will find a true starting spot from anyone due to injury history/issues but if he choose the Twins it might be one of his best shots to get the most at bats.

As far as the 90 loss thing...yeah..that is the tough part but ideally the Twins can start making a nice splash in free agency to at least appear more attractive to players.

Although it is a nice thought to sign Eric Chavez, I think it is improbable and more likely impossible. Who would have thought that Chavez would have the year that he had. After seeing him play the last few years before this season it seemed like his power was sapped from him because of his chronic back issues. This season, he had a good offensive year and seemed to be able to hold his own at the hot corner. Chavez is almost 35, but needs much more maintenance and days off than Jim Thome did in his age 39/40 season. If I were Eric Chavez, I would stick with the Yankees. He will be a bench player, but that is best as I cannot believe he could up playing more than 100+ games, he plays in a ballpark that is offensive friendly and he might have a chance to win a World Championship. If he were to sign with Twins and wrestle away the starting 3B assignment from Plouffe, he would not last health wise, and most probably he would be on a losing team. The Situation he is in right now is the best for him, and hopefully being the Swan Song of his career (A World Championship)..

Why might a player choose a 90+ loss team over a WS contender? "PT baby!" to quote Dick Vitale. If he still thinks he is starting material (regardless of whether he actually is or not) he might go where he thinks he can play. If it turns out he is right, it could lead to a bigger payday. If he thinks his starting days are behind him (and everyone besides him thinks they are), the Yanks are just the place to be.

I would like to hear more about the question raised at the season ticket holder meeting re: giving Mauer time at 3b. Gardy answered as if it was something they had been considering; Mauer hadn't heard anything about it.

I like Chavez as a player. However all signs point to him resigning with the Yankees. Plus there are other (better) teams out there that would be on the market for a 3B, and on top of it, how many wins does he bring in if he starts 45 games? Or even if he starts 110 games? I guess I just don't see it. There are holes on the team, and even if you think 3B is a hole, its #3 #4 on the list. It goes PItching, pitching, pitching, middle infield, pitching.

Think some people are thinking Chavez as the starter.....NO but he would make a GREAT platoon with Trevor. Im all in on this.
There are several glaring weaknesses on this team other than starting pitching & you cannot ignore them & expect to get any better.
Chavez crushed lefties this year .298/.365/.543 in 245ABs w/16hr's. He's never hit lefties (even in his prime) & stil cannot (5 singles in 33ABs).
Plouffe crushed righties this year .242/.338/.573 in 124ABS w/12hr's. In a platoon, that's over a .900OPS.
Chavez is still solid defensively & playing 2/3 of time would allow Plouffe's challenged glove to move around the field in a utlity role again.
NY wont offer more than the 900K they did this yr. Double it & you've got a chance as Im sure Chavy would like to see if he can play again.
Problem IS....you actually need a manager that understands how to platoon correctly, so MN is screwed. Gardy would play Chavez everyday and say that Chavez 'hangs in there real good vs lefties'.
Great move if they have the guts to try.

Great in theory, but probably not feasable. Players like Chavez still have value and tend to go where they have a chance to win. Money will probably not be his primary issue in deciding where to play. The Twins would probably have to greatly overpay markey value to get him ($3M per). 3B is down the list of problems for me, I would rather see that money go elsewhere.

Platoon players went out with the four man pitching staffs and iron man bullpens. Thee team has 7 players for the 6 OF/C/1B/DH positions. They have a fourth outfielder. Two thirdbase only types would not be productive. Moving Ploufe around would not work. Why do you think he was tried at third anyway?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by old nurse

Platoon players went out with the four man pitching staffs and iron man bullpens. Thee team has 7 players for the 6 OF/C/1B/DH positions. They have a fourth outfielder. Two thirdbase only types would not be productive. Moving Ploufe around would not work. Why do you think he was tried at third anyway?

---

How to find a spot for Chavez
1. Stop carrying a million guys in the pen.
2. Stop carrying three catchers.

Boom, problem solved.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by old nurse

Platoon players went out with the four man pitching staffs and iron man bullpens. Thee team has 7 players for the 6 OF/C/1B/DH positions. They have a fourth outfielder. Two thirdbase only types would not be productive. Moving Ploufe around would not work. Why do you think he was tried at third anyway?

---

How to find a spot for Chavez
1. Stop carrying a million guys in the pen.
2. Stop carrying three catchers.

Boom, problem solved.

---

Needed so many bullpen arms due to starters who were only going a few innings before imploding. So they need to find pitchers who can consistently pitch through the seventh inning to not need so many bullpen arms.
In case you missed a few games this year, catchers number 1 and 2 were also your backup first basemen, DH and outfielder. Doumit played 22 games in the outfield, 48 as DH. Mauer 30 games at 1st, 42 at DH. If they are combining to spend the equivalent of a full season away from behind the plate. There needs to be a third catcher.

What would signing Chavez, Youkilis or any other experienced 3rd baseman mean ? Trevor Plouffe at 2nd base ? The mind boggles at the thought.