Ricky Implies He Won't Go Quietly to the Pen

[nicksaviking]

https://mobile.twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/707425481151401985

 

Ricky's agent tells Darren Wolfson that the Twins paid Ricky a lot of money and they expect the Twins to give him another chance to start.

 

He also says if the Twins put him in the pen, they may request to explore other options.

 

This sounds like good news to me, if Ricky can't cut it. Seems to me, when players are disgruntled and get their agents involved, those players often move on, one way or another.

[Brock Beauchamp]

LOL. Yeah, explore those "other options", Ricky.

[theJemmer]

We could explore a trade with the ice capades. He's got the counter-clock wise spin down. Just needs to work on clockwise

[Vanimal46]

This fruit is hanging so low it's touching the ground... I'll sit back and enjoy the entertainment coming up in this thread.

[Linus]

I'm actually one of the few posters advocating to keep an open mind with Ricky. That perhaps he can get it together and help the Twins. Boy he makes it hard to keep an open mind about him. What a jackass.

[kab21]

Reality has not really set in for Ricky I guess.

 

The reality

Ervin

Hughes

Gibson

Duffey

Milone

Berrios

May*

 

this is not a list of pitchers that are better than him but rather just the ones that will be in the rotation.  May is starred because he could be.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I'm actually one of the few posters advocating to keep an open mind with Ricky. That perhaps he can get it together and help the Twins. Boy he makes it hard to keep an open mind about him. What a jackass.

You just illustrated why Nolasco is one of the few Twins players I really do not like. Little stuff like this just grates on me.

 

Ricky, the Twins have paid you ~$25m to put up Samuel Deduno numbers and get injured. Keep your mouth shut and pitch your way into the rotation.

[jimmer]

So because the Twins paid Ricky a lot of money, Ricky and his agent expect  the Twins to give him a chance to pitch in the rotation? Not sure I follow the agent's reasoning.  Should be happy the Twins gave him the ccontract to begin with.

[TFelton]

Saw Ricky's first game in ST and it was a lot of nibbling and missing spots. It felt eerily familiar. I heard he was better in 2nd game but I was with the other split squad.

[Linus]

You just illustrated why Nolasco is one of the few Twins players I really do not like. Little stuff like this just grates on me.

TR places so much emphasis on make up that I am surprised that they apparently missed that with Ricky. He really sticks out because the Twins seem to have a genuinely good clubhouse.

[Highabove]

(Putting the good of the Team first) Is this still a concept???

[Thrylos]

 

He also says if the Twins put him in the pen, they may request to explore other options.

 

Last time I checked he was out of options

 

Let us not kid ourselves...  I think that there is little possibility that the last 2 starter positions do not go to Nolasco and Milone.  TR's MO since forever:  Follow the $

[Hrbowski]

Why should he start being quiet now?

[Craig Arko]

Maybe he was talking about prison.

 

But more to the point, this is an agent talking. Believe it at your own risk.

[spinowner]

 

Maybe he was talking about prison.

But more to the point, this is an agent talking. Believe it at your own risk.

Beyond that, this is a desperate agent talking. If Ricky were my client I'd probably be grasping at straws too.

[DiscGolfer]

I don't know if any team would ever really do this but what if you have a starter 5a and 5b so to speak.  If one of these guys are going to the pen if they don't make the rotation why not just piggy back them every 5th start.  Have Nolasco start and go through the lineup 2 times then have Milone/Duffy come in for the next 2 times through.  Considering pitchers generally struggle more on the 3rd time through that would limit their exposure to getting rocked.

[spinowner]

 

I don't know if any team would ever really do this but what if you have a starter 5a and 5b so to speak.  If one of these guys are going to the pen if they don't make the rotation why not just piggy back them every 5th start.  Have Nolasco start and go through the lineup 2 times then have Milone/Duffy come in for the next 2 times through.  Considering pitchers generally struggle more on the 3rd time through that would limit their exposure to getting rocked.

That's basically the same thing as making one of them a long reliever.

[Willihammer]

Perhaps Ricky is starting to think about that $13m option for 2018 that only vests if he pitches 400 IP in 2016-2017.

[DiscGolfer]

"other options" for Nolasco:  the Twins aren't just going to cut him and eat the 25 mil left they owe him so they'd have to trade him somehow.  A trade at this point in the season with a contract like he has is pretty much impossible, if you know of a similar deal made I'd be interested to hear about it.  So, they'd have to trade him at some point in the season, unless he's pitching like a cy young candidate I don't think you'll be able to trade him straight up for anything and if he's pitching like that I'd want him to stay.  

 

I think the only way they're able to trade him is to package him with another player or prospect and also continue to pay for a portion of his contract.  Who would you package with him and how much of his contract would you pay?  

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

 

"other options" for Nolasco:  the Twins aren't just going to cut him and eat the 25 mil left they owe him so they'd have to trade him somehow.  A trade at this point in the season with a contract like he has is pretty much impossible, if you know of a similar deal made I'd be interested to hear about it.  So, they'd have to trade him at some point in the season, unless he's pitching like a cy young candidate I don't think you'll be able to trade him straight up for anything and if he's pitching like that I'd want him to stay.  

 

I think the only way they're able to trade him is to package him with another player or prospect and also continue to pay for a portion of his contract.  Who would you package with him and how much of his contract would you pay?  

 

Maybe "other options" means securing a release and simply leaving the $25 million with the Twins.

 

We can dream, can't we?

[DiscGolfer]

 

Maybe "other options" means securing a release and simply leaving the $25 million with the Twins.

 

We can dream, can't we?

 

I don't really see him doing a Nishi and forfeiting the rest of his contract but yes, we can dream.

[Seth Stohs]

To be fair, Ricky Nolasco didn't say anything. His agent answered Doogie in a text message about it. It's an agents job to back and support his client. He's 100% right that Nolasco should have a legit opportunity to win a job. Of course he should.

 

And, should he have to go to the bullpen, then he absolutely has the right to go talk to Molitor and Ryan about his options. That's a positive that Nolasco would do that himself, not through an agent. 

 

There aren't a lot of options. 

 

1.) Ask to be traded. (he can do that, and the Twins can try, as they've likely already tried.)

2.) Ask to be released. (he won't do that. He wouldn't get paid.

 

The ball is in the Twins court. They can:

 

1.) try to trade him (Again)

2.) They could DFA him. Then Nolasco could accept it and start in Rochester (and get paid) or decline it and pitch out of the bullpen (and get paid) or he can choose to become a free agent (not get paid). 

 

In other words, there aren't a lot of options. So, it's really much ado about nothing. 

[DiscGolfer]

Didn't the Mets flirt with a 6 man rotation late last year?  Any possibilities of the Twins doing this?

[blairpaul715]

 

I don't know if any team would ever really do this but what if you have a starter 5a and 5b so to speak.  If one of these guys are going to the pen if they don't make the rotation why not just piggy back them every 5th start.  Have Nolasco start and go through the lineup 2 times then have Milone/Duffy come in for the next 2 times through.  Considering pitchers generally struggle more on the 3rd time through that would limit their exposure to getting rocked.

It will never happen, but I dont mind the IDEA, but it would pretty much mean a 13 man pitching staff, which most of us would like to avoid.

[Otto von Ballpark]

But more to the point, this is an agent talking. Believe it at your own risk.

You think an agent would say this stuff, and speculate like that, without the full blessing of his client?

 

The agent doesn't even hide behind the term "we" here, like he is inserting his own desires, he specifically says "Ricky has made it clear to me..."

[Otto von Ballpark]

Beyond that, this is a desperate agent talking. If Ricky were my client I'd probably be grasping at straws too.

What are Nolasco and his agent desperate about? He's got his money, and he's not even pitching for his next contract like Pelfrey last spring.

[scottz]

 

(Putting the good of the Team first) Is this still a concept???

See: May, Trevor (2015-201?)

[Wizard11]

Just a random thought. I seem to recall this was Mike Pelfrey's stance last spring prior to Santana being suspended and it appeared he was ticketed for the pen. Does anyone else recall this?

[ScottyB]

This year he's at best the 8th best option, maybe 9th best if Meyer would step up.  By next year, he might be 13th best option behind the pitchers we already mentioned plus Jay, Gonsalves, and Stewart.  Who's he trying to kid.

 

When TR made this deal I felt it was a bust.  He jumped in way too quick.  NL pitchers always scare me.  I still wish we had signed Kazmir and/or Garza instead.

[blairpaul715]

 

This year he's at best the 8th best option, maybe 9th best if Meyer would step up.  By next year, he might be 13th best option behind the pitchers we already mentioned plus Jay, Gonsalves, and Stewart.  Who's he trying to kid.

 

When TR made this deal I felt it was a bust.  He jumped in way too quick.  NL pitchers always scare me.  I still wish we had signed Kazmir and/or Garza instead.

Other than injury, Garza is a bust like Nolasco, and we have Kazmir, his name is Milone, albeit not quite the K thrower Kazmir as been..........I will say at the time when Nolasco was signed, i was 'meh' but we were a bad team so I wasnt against it. And both Nolasco and Garza sound like they might be jerks, or its all about ME players.