Article: Report: Twins Agree to Sign Kendrys Morales

[jokin]

If the Twins are going for it, why wait for the Super 2 date?

 

It's still the Minnesota Twins we're talking about here....old habits die hard, it's also why they keep trotting Correia every 5th day.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Lots of options and alternative scenarios:

 

1) Hicks/Fuld share a platoon in CF, while Santana goes to SS, if Escobar stays hot at the plate, he's in the lineup every day in 4 different spots...that is one possibility.

 

2) Santana can stay in CF for the time being, I don't understand how Morales being signed makes a difference on this.

 

3) Rosario plays well enough in the next few weeks to take CF full-time with Santana playing LF full-time.*

 

* I don't understand why you think it would be impossible to move Willingham even sooner than the deadline to open up LF for Santana.

 

As far as Correia goes, I would think that the move to sign Morales means that the club is going for it, and that Correia is replaced in the rotation co-incident with the passing of the Super 2 date.

 

I thought the Twins were just starting to find a rhythm (Correia notwithstanding) so I was surprised by this. Essentially this signing just means Morales is the full time DH, so an improvement without too much disruption. The Twins have now announced they are buyers, and not in a rebuild, which solves their identity crisis too.

 

Willingham: It's not impossible to move him, it's impractical to move him. If he's struggling, nobody will want him, and if he's producing, the Twins will want to keep him. If the pennant race doesn't pan out, I guess the Twins could ask for a PTBNL in a salary dump.

 

It's hard to see the Twins pulling this off while depending on a green rookie infielder to play CF. So I think playing Fuld full time is the best option at this point. And now you are looking at an old, old lineup, and a wasted year of development if they fall on their face--- but no need to dwell on that. They can compete this year; it's not out of the question.

[cmathewson]

I honestly can't figure out why any Twins fan would not like this deal. The only downside I can see is fewer at-bats for Pinto, who was having trouble getting at-bats anyway and has an 18:3 K:BB ratio since May 1.

 

Lots of people are saying it's a forgone conclusion that Hicks go down and work on his hitting. Meanwhile, he is hitting .825 over the last 14 and .752 over the last 28.

 

Pinto, on the other hand, is hitting .293 over his last 14 and .623 over his last 28. He clearly needs more at bats to work on his hitting.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If I was the Twins, this is what I would have handed Bud Selig two days ago in the second round:

 

"And with the 46th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Twins draft Nick Burdi out of Louisville.

 

Also, they have signed Kendrys Morales to a one year contract.

 

It appears the Terry Ryan left a note... 'Neener neener neener, Jack Zduriencik.'

 

The Seattle Mariners are now on the clock."

[jokin]

Lots of people are saying it's a forgone conclusion that Hicks go down and work on his hitting. Meanwhile, he is hitting .825 over the last 14 and .752 over the last 28.

 

Pinto, on the other hand, is hitting .293 over his last 14 and .623 over his last 28. He clearly needs more at bats to work on his hitting.

 

From a few posts above:

 

Pinto last 11 game slash line + stats: .107/.133/.250/.383 K%- 27% BB%- 2.8%

[jokin]

Lots of people are saying it's a forgone conclusion that Hicks go down and work on his hitting. Meanwhile, he is hitting .825 over the last 14 and .752 over the last 28.

 

Pinto, on the other hand, is hitting .293 over his last 14 and .623 over his last 28. He clearly needs more at bats to work on his hitting.

 

And I think the conclusion by the Twins on Hicks is still forgone....barring a Fuld retirement announcement.

[jorgenswest]

There is a lot of discussion on who goes down based on sample sizes and splits that are far too small.

 

I hope the Twins understand that data in small samples have absolutely no predictive value in determining who will perform better in the next few weeks. They can not base their decisions on these small data sets as they make roster decisions with the addition of Morales.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

It's nice to see the Twins show they're serious. It's also nice to see them spend money that we knew they had.

 

Now who else agrees with Willihammer and me: "We are 100% in this thing."? Let's hope the Twins also feel this way.

[halfchest]

Mauer is overpaid but still valuable with a .350 obp. Can't believe he won't get it going at some point. Sit him against tough lefties maybe but quit talking like we should bench him.

 

Upcoming moves I predict are Kubel and burton dfa. Correa to the pen and pinto to AAA with hermann may and morales on the 25 man roster within the week.

[cmathewson]

And I think the conclusion by the Twins on Hicks is still forgone....barring a Fuld retirement announcement.

 

I think it's the right thing, considering that Santana is en fuego loco and Fuld is out of options. But I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that he won't have a part to play in the 2015 team. He needs more at bats against right handed pitchers as a right handed batter. But I wouldn't rule out an August call-up. He's still the best defensive center fielder in the organization, and the Twins will need his glove when they go to the playoffs.

 

And yes, you just read that.

[Dman]

If I was the Twins, this is what I would have handed Bud Selig two days ago in the second round:

 

"And with the 46th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Twins draft Nick Burdi out of Louisville.

 

Also, they have signed Kendrys Morales to a one year contract.

 

It appears the Terry Ryan left a note... 'Neener neener neener, Jack Zduriencik.'

 

The Seattle Mariners are now on the clock."

 

Yeah my thoughts exactly. We checked out Cola and Kubel the first couple of months here and although they had hot starts they were liabilities after a while. Waiting on Morales worked out in the end as we kept the second pick Burdi and got Morales anyway.

 

I am stunned that the Twins of all teams were able to get this done. I thought for sure Morales would go to a higher payroll team. There is no downside to this move as it is a one year deal. The Twins have the money and if he does well and the Twins are out of it they have a trade chip. I just can't believe this is happening. Let's hope Morales is ready to play well for that next contract. Awesome job FO.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Hello Morales, May, Fuld.

Goodbye Kubel, Correia, Hicks.

Hello Wildcard

 

Now if they can find a reliever to replace Burton.

How about Achter with a 0.67 WHIP?

[jokin]

I thought the Twins were just starting to find a rhythm (Correia notwithstanding) so I was surprised by this. Essentially this signing just means Morales is the full time DH, so an improvement without too much disruption. The Twins have now announced they are buyers, and not in a rebuild, which solves their identity crisis too.

 

Willingham: It's not impossible to move him, it's impractical to move him. If he's struggling, nobody will want him, and if he's producing, the Twins will want to keep him. If the pennant race doesn't pan out, I guess the Twins could ask for a PTBNL in a salary dump.

 

It's hard to see the Twins pulling this off while depending on a green rookie infielder to play CF. So I think playing Fuld full time is the best option at this point. And now you are looking at an old, old lineup, and a wasted year of development if they fall on their face--- but no need to dwell on that. They can compete this year; it's not out of the question.

 

If Willingham hits anywhere in the neighborhood of what he's done so far, the Twins will get more than a PTNBL- they just have to be convinced that it's a move worth considering for the right pieces in return. If Santana plays in the neighborhood of what he's done so far, he can be of more value as a green rookie playing in LF rather than CF. There is also the possibility that Rosario can contribute to the OF (perhaps even an outside chance with Ortiz?). And who knows, maybe there's a Shannon Stewart lurking out there waiting to be acquired? The improved defense, now at 2 OF positions, along with the coming pitching upgrades can make up for the drop-off in power.

[JB_Iowa]

I am stunned that the Twins of all teams were able to get this done. I thought for sure Morales would go to a higher payroll team.

 

Food for thought from Christina Kahrl:

 

Which brings us to why signing with the Twins might especially make sense for Morales, without knowing about how much money was in play. Say the Twins fall entirely out of the race -- if that happens, they’re an obvious seller at the deadline, and Morales could look forward to being dealt to a team in a stronger position in the standings. Rather than pick a contender and hope for the best, signing with the longshot team provides him with a chance there, and potentially a chance to be dealt to an even better opportunity to return to the postseason in two months.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/48207/will-kendrys-morales-power-twins-bid

[jokin]

How about Achter with a 0.67 WHIP?

 

Achter sure. But if they're going for it, he's one of many superior options to Burton, if they're really going to be all-in, they should also look to a "limited innings" Meyer in a set-up relief role (Gardy as much as wet his pants in ST over the possibility of using Alex in that role).

[jokin]

Yeah my thoughts exactly. We checked out Cola and Kubel the first couple of months here and although they had hot starts they were liabilities after a while. Waiting on Morales worked out in the end as we kept the second pick Burdi and got Morales anyway.

 

I am stunned that the Twins of all teams were able to get this done. I thought for sure Morales would go to a higher payroll team. There is no downside to this move as it is a one year deal. The Twins have the money and if he does well and the Twins are out of it they have a trade chip. I just can't believe this is happening. Let's hope Morales is ready to play well for that next contract. Awesome job FO.

 

+1

 

And maybe buddying up with Boras on the front end (Pelfrey) does pay dividends on the back end (Morales)?

[jokin]

I think it's the right thing, considering that Santana is en fuego loco and Fuld is out of options.

 

But I don't think it's a forgone conclusion that he won't have a part to play in the 2015 team,

 

as spycake is saying. He needs more at bats against right handed pitchers as a right handed batter.

 

But I wouldn't rule out an August call-up.

 

He's still the best defensive center fielder in the organization,

 

despite what Levi says, and the Twins will need his glove when they go to the playoffs.

 

And yes, you just read that.

 

I love it, Christy. All of the bolded takes.

 

If Aaron can get his act completely together by this time next year, the Twins could be back to dealing with an embarrassment of riches in the OF, and all dirt cheap, young stud-bucks.

[drock2190]

Lets not get too excited about Santana. He's striking out 27% of the time and his BABIP is .465!

 

Regression will happen sooner or later.

[jokin]

There is a lot of discussion on who goes down based on sample sizes and splits that are far too small.

 

I hope the Twins understand that data in small samples have absolutely no predictive value in determining who will perform better in the next few weeks. They can not base their decisions on these small data sets as they make roster decisions with the addition of Morales.

 

The Twins are currently managing based on the hot-hand-in-the-lineup strategy at 3 key positions, plus the DH. It's a tightrope walk, to be sure, but this Morales move says "Damn the torpedoes", as they are convinced they can make a run in a wide open and extremely balanced AL. The problem also lies in that what may be best for a number of young players (Hicks, Santana, Pinto) for the long term is taking a back seat to the "now'.

 

I get the impression that they'll continue on their present path, ride the veterans until they prove deleterious and juggle the C, SS, CF, RF situations with a nod to what they consider the hot hand (there's no guraantee that Hicks won't go into one of his extended slumps). The move to bring in a full-time DH really changes all of Gardy's day-to-day machinations, like putting your best athlete into that slot for 2 straight days, instead of in a defensive position which he should have done.

 

Pinto is now out at DH, and is playing less than around 28% of the games at Catcher- Is he better served, for the long-term, getting full-time reps in Rochester?

[ashbury]

YES! We have our center fielder!

 

Came here to read this; leaving satisfied.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

+1

 

And maybe buddying up with Boras on the front end (Pelfrey) does pay dividends on the back end (Morales)?

 

Another consideration of this signing is that Boras represents Meyer.

[gunnarthor]

Pinto is now out at DH, and is playing less around 28% of the games at Catcher- Is he better served, for the long-term, getting full-time reps in Rochester?

 

I really don't know. I think he should stay up and learn at the ML level - he is 25. Steinbach is working with him a lot. Suzuki is a good guy to watch. I'd just rather keep him up and ride it out.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Twins sign Morales. The Red Wings have some really good AAA pitchers. Help is on the way. Twins draft Gordon as the future SS. Burdi can throw serious heat at 103 mph. Gibson just shut out Houston and Santana went 4 for 5. All I can say is..."The years at the spring; And day's at the morn; ... The lark's on his wing; The snail's on the thorn; God's in His heaven; All's right with the world!"

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

There is no downside to this move as it is a one year deal.

 

Ah yes, a magical phrase we've heard before

[Bark's Lounge]

Like most, I am shocked by this signing - it is hard not to like though. I guess the Twins brass think they are really in this thing.

 

So what are people's thoughts on the line-up going forward when Morales and Fuld enter the fold?

 

Maybe something like this:

 

C - Suzuki

1B - Mauer

2b - Dozier

SS - Escobar

3B - Plouffe

LF - Willingham

CF - Santana

RF - Arcia

DH - Morales

 

Not that I am championing sending Hicks down, but Gardy seems to be in love with Santana and I hope to high hell that they do not start Fuld. Please no Fuld as a starter... please.

[jokin]

Lets not get too excited about Santana. He's striking out 27% of the time and his BABIP is .465!

 

Regression will happen sooner or later.

 

No doubt!

[jokin]

Another consideration of this signing is that Boras represents Meyer.

 

I believe that's called "Dancing with the Devil"...

[Dman]

Ah yes, a magical phrase we've heard before

 

Well yes technically there is potential downside but I too happy to see it.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Lets not get too excited about Santana. He's striking out 27% of the time and his BABIP is .465!

 

Regression will happen sooner or later.

 

Indeed. Love what he's doing, he cannot keep it up. Nobody can hit successfully at that clip over a sustained period.

[kab21]

Thank goodness. The Twins actually have hitters at positions where hitters should actually play instead throwing some random guy in there. My pet peeve forever is the notion that something will just work out at key offensive positions. Pinto loses a few DH AB's but he is literally the only good hitter that loses any AB's in this deal and this is assuming that Morales/Willy/Arcia can all stay healthy. That's unlikely.

 

I was a little excited to think that Vargas might make an appearance late this season but I can wait a year for that.