Thread: Denard Span trade option?

Span has a very team friendly contract (which makes him a good trade candidate) but seriously, we only have 2 major league OF's right now (Span & Willingham). Thomas is a serviceable 4th OF and Plouffe fills the utility role Gardy loves so much (even if he doesn't love Plouffe!). Benson and Hicks are each at least a year away, though Benson showed he could play a little last Sept. & ST. Revere could make a very serviceable LF (see Juan Pierre) if he learns to get on base and to use is speed, but under no circumstances is he a starting major league CF or RF. A major league OF and an above average SP would be the minimum return in a Span trade.

You won't get nottin for Span!

I don't think there's much of a market in April, but in July, if Benson or Revere look reasonably ready, I'd move him for a young dependable starter in a second.

I'm not sure why this discussion is getting any traction:

- Span is signed to a very team friendly contract ($3M-12, $4.75M-13, $6.5M-14, $9.0M club option-15)
- Teams are incredibly reluctant to trade young, cost controlled, starting pitching
- When healthy, Span is a top 5-7 leadoff hitter
- He is an average CF, and showed to be a GG caliber LF
- There is not a strong replacement for him should he leave (Benson and Revere are not today's answer)

Just because he is essentially the only trade chip the Twins have does not mean they have to trade him. If they did move him today, the best they could get would be prospects, unproven commodities. While I agree the farm is depleted, they are not going to give away the big league team to restock it. The fan base would go nuts.

He won't get moved until the Twins are sure that they have somebody to replace him. Let's shelve this discussion until 2014.

Originally Posted by Fire Dan Gladden

. Let's shelve this discussion until 2014.

At that point he has no trade value
And I would argue that he is replaceable this season in an 111 loss team (this is the rate that the Twins are playing) and definitely next.

Terry Ryan is no jumbalone. He won't trade Span unless we get a 19 year old Bert Blyleven in the deal.

Originally Posted by Land Of 10,000 Beasts

Terry Ryan is no jumbalone. He won't trade Span unless we get a 19 year old Bert Blyleven in the deal.

I'll circle that!

Originally Posted by Fire Dan Gladden

I'm not sure why this discussion is getting any traction:

- Span is signed to a very team friendly contract ($3M-12, $4.75M-13, $6.5M-14, $9.0M club option-15)
- Teams are incredibly reluctant to trade young, cost controlled, starting pitching
- When healthy, Span is a top 5-7 leadoff hitter
- He is an average CF, and showed to be a GG caliber LF
- There is not a strong replacement for him should he leave (Benson and Revere are not today's answer)

Just because he is essentially the only trade chip the Twins have does not mean they have to trade him. If they did move him today, the best they could get would be prospects, unproven commodities. While I agree the farm is depleted, they are not going to give away the big league team to restock it. The fan base would go nuts.

He won't get moved until the Twins are sure that they have somebody to replace him. Let's shelve this discussion until 2014.

I don't think the idea is to "move him today." If he continues to play well and stay healthy, he will have value for teams positioning themselves this summer. Particularly with your points #3 and #4. Of course, it may be that I have more confidence in Ben Revere than you and some others on this thread.

Originally Posted by Bark's Lounge

Out of curiosity: Who on this thread would have made the rumored trade from last summer (Span for Drew Storen of Tyler Clippard)?

I just don't like the idea of trading a position player for a relief pitcher. It's far too easy to build a relief pitching corps in free agency, there's no real reason to give away a player for one.

A lot of batting order stuff is overblown, but not when it comes to the leadoff position. Removing Span's OBP from the top of the lineup would be very bad. Until Aaron Hicks is ready, I wouldn't trade Span unless A. It was a package deal with someone else for a top starting pitcher, and B. Someone else could legitimately fill Span's spot at the top of the order.

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Trading Span for a Hunter Pence like deal makes sense - two top 50 prospects + 2 more young, upside guys. I'd wait to make sure the Twins aren't in contention in June/July and to see how Benson is doing at AAA to make sure we have a CFer.

But I really don't think the Twins are that far away from being good again. Hicks is looking good at AA, Michael is showing great plate discipline at Ft Myers, the #2 pick should be pretty good. Dozier should come up soon. Our pitching is thin but we'll have a lot of money to sign one good starter, if we want to, and Gibson will be back next year. Hendriks will have more experience.

The Twins are so far from being good that they can't even see "good" from where they are standing. They have NO pitching and no pitching prospects anywhere close to Major League ready.

$56.5 million in value since 2008. Span has no replacement, that much is clear, so I am wondering why anyone would want to trade him.

I don't yet... Actually I don't ever... But... If its a down year... The twins gotta move who they can move for the rebuilding.

Not to mention he might be the only leader in the locker room. I'm all for trading our guys while their value is high, perhaps Willingham, but Span may be the kind of player more valuable to the Twins than anyone else.

Originally Posted by nicksaviking

Not to mention he might be the only leader in the locker room. I'm all for trading our guys while their value is high, perhaps Willingham, but Span may be the kind of player more valuable to the Twins than anyone else.

This isn't an argument... Im a Span fan... But I gotta ask... If the Twins are out of it in July... I gotta ask... Leader of what?

A leader can also be Will Farrell running down the street in Old School.

Trading Span needs to be an option. We can probably get a very good AA prospect or a big league 3-4 starter for him. We have plenty of CFs in AAA and AA in Hicks, Benson and Revere! Spans arm is barely average so going to Revere all though ideal isn't much worse than Span. Benson and Hicks both have a bazooka for an arm. It's rebuilding time and the only two guys you don't trade are Mauer and Morneau, unless Morneau really starts to hit!! Right now his value is too low! Span, Capps, Carrol, Casilla, Willingham, Doumit all should be available at the deadline.

Originally Posted by Mchans24

Trading Span needs to be an option. We can probably get a very good AA prospect or a big league 3-4 starter for him. We have plenty of CFs in AAA and AA in Hicks, Benson and Revere! Spans arm is barely average so going to Revere all though ideal isn't much worse than Span. Benson and Hicks both have a bazooka for an arm. It's rebuilding time and the only two guys you don't trade are Mauer and Morneau, unless Morneau really starts to hit!! Right now his value is too low! Span, Capps, Carrol, Casilla, Willingham, Doumit all should be available at the deadline.

Span's departure which I solemnly am against cannot happen without a sure fire, sure bet # 2 starter. If this cannot happen than there is no negotiation, no bargaining, no nothing. Span is valuable. Enjoy it while you have it and quit hoping for Whatchamacallits to grow on trees with Crunch bar seedlings.

Originally Posted by thrylos98

Look what the Pirates got for McClouth a few years ago (not retrospectively): An MLB-ready SP, and 2 of the Braves' top 5 prospects. I'd trade Span for something like this in a heartbeat.

The Twins will do not need a 3B and 2B for years They have Sano and Rosario. ERA 1014/5. Need fillgaps until then.

That trade for McLouth (which was viewed as stupid by the Braves even at that time) came off of McLouth's 2008 season where he hit. 276 with 26 HR's and 23 steals. That was a "Mauer 2009-esque" aberration, and never a true reflection of his game.

I don't think Span's going anywhere. The concussion thing will scare a lot of people off and he has more value to us than in a trade, at this point.

Originally Posted by Riverbrian

This isn't an argument... Im a Span fan... But I gotta ask... If the Twins are out of it in July... I gotta ask... Leader of what?

A leader can also be Will Farrell running down the street in Old School.

The leader part was more of a response to Shane's question of "why would we want to trade him when we have no one to replace him" two posts ahead of me, the post before me beat me to the board. I just meant he is also holding down one of the few (only?) leadership roles in the clubhouse which would also need to be replaced.

Don't get me wrong, I'm open for trading everyone, and to do it right, TR needs to adjust his philosophy and start doing it when the players are hot. I just don't know that a powerless centerfielder who doesn't steal nearly as many bases as one might think, will be viewed as highly by other clubs as the Twins do. He very likely won't fetch the kind of return that the team should expect from an important cog in this fragile machine. Willingham on the other hand has a track record of power and is producing much more now than he likely will the rest of the season. If they have the guts to do it, the time to maximze his value may be soon approaching.

Originally Posted by nicksaviking

I just meant he is also holding down one of the few (only?) leadership roles in the clubhouse.

Not to sound like a broken record, but how much time have you spent in the clubhouse or even talking to people who have?