Berardino: Twins won bidding for Korean LHP Yang

[Steven Buhr]

Berardino breaking more Twins news.

 

@MikeBerardino
#MNTwins have won bidding for Korean LHP Hyeon-jong Yang, source tells @PioneerPress. Bidding ended Friday. Closing in on deal.
10:06 AM - 22 Nov 2014

 

I like this a lot. Some sources project Yang as a #3 starter with potential to be better. And he's left handed.

 

Throws low to mid 90s and has 4 pitches. Struck out better than 7 and a half batters per 9 IP. 

 

I like taking a shot at this kind of guy. Several teams were projected to be in on the bidding for Yang, but I never saw the Twins mentioned.

[Rosterman]

One of the big questions is the number of innings you could get out of him next season.

 

Plus, do we now need a translator?

[TheLeviathan]

Interesting.  I thought this article was helpful.

[beckmt]

Cannot have enough good pitching, hopefully the Twins have done their work and think he has a chance.

Go for it, it probably does not have a lot of money costs tied to it. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

OK so I was excited to see the Twins are trying something different. But after a few minutes on the interwebs I don't think this guy's performance in Korea compares favorably to Ryu of the Dodgers, not at all. Ryu went for $25 mil bid and 6/36 so we'll see what happens.

[jorgenswest]

The only cost of acquisition is dollars. They don't give up players or comp picks. He doesn't cut into the international pool. He has the upside of age. If he works out, he is part of the solution long term.

[jokin]

Mike Berardino is running circles around all of the other guys reporting on the Twins, combined. 

 

Please tell me that this guy is their lotto ticket, not their big offseason signing.

[TheLeviathan]

Mike Berardino is running circles around all of the other guys reporting on the Twins, combined. 

 

Please tell me that this guy is their lotto ticket, not their big offseason signing.

 

Let me check something.....

 

November 22nd

 

Moving along then.

[Steven Buhr]

The only cost of acquisition is dollars. They don't give up players or comp picks. He doesn't cut into the international pool. He has the upside of age. If he works out, he is part of the solution long term.

Exactly. There is absolutely no down-side to this at all. Based on the posting fee that won Kim, the other Korean pitcher, it's a pittance compared to the crazy posting fees we've seen for Asian players in the past. Of course, we still don't know the terms of an eventual deal, but if there's one thing the Twins have plenty of right now, it's payroll room.

 

The question, though, is whether this signing will mean the Twins don't go after other SPs on the market. This would not be a Lester-type acquisition, but the Twins weren't likely to do that anyway. I'd put something like this as several degrees above taking a flyer on a Masterson/Anderson type, but it shouldn't keep the Twins from looking at one of those guys, too.

[jokin]

Let me check something.....

 

November 22nd

 

Moving along then.

 

I don't get your point here.  Check this--> Ricky Nolasco was the "big signing" splash last yeer, and he was inked on November 26th.  Hughes, the "speculative signing" was inked on December 1st.

[Otto von Ballpark]

MLBTR report:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/twins-win-bidding-for-hyeon-jong-yang.html

[maxisagod]

Exactly. There is absolutely no down-side to this at all. Based on the posting fee that won Kim, the other Korean pitcher, it's a pittance compared to the crazy posting fees we've seen for Asian players in the past. Of course, we still don't know the terms of an eventual deal, but if there's one thing the Twins have plenty of right now, it's payroll room.

 

The question, though, is whether this signing will mean the Twins don't go after other SPs on the market. This would not be a Lester-type acquisition, but the Twins weren't likely to do that anyway. I'd put something like this as several degrees above taking a flyer on a Masterson/Anderson type, but it shouldn't keep the Twins from looking at one of those guys, too.

 

Ryan has stated they wanted to get a start or two. This would be one. So in the hunt for two, but I'd be fine seeing what May could do to start the season. 

[jokin]

Exactly. There is absolutely no down-side to this at all. Based on the posting fee that won Kim, the other Korean pitcher, it's a pittance compared to the crazy posting fees we've seen for Asian players in the past. those guys, too.

 

The downside is if this is money that could have been spent on a better pitcher.  And isn't it possible that the posting fee is a pittance for a reason?  I sure don't like the sounds of these wildly varied descriptions of his stuff, or of his physical stature, or of his career-long lack of control.  And the Wayne Krivsky link.  I hope I'm completely wrong on this and they know something about this guy that no one else does, but it does seem like they might feel the barriers to entry are too high to them to getting an impact arm in the domestic FA market.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Exactly. There is absolutely no down-side to this at all..

 

*shudders*

 

[PseudoSABR]

I don't get your point here.  Check this--> Ricky Nolasco was the "big signing" splash last yeer, and he was inked on November 26th.  Hughes, the "speculative signing" was inked on December 1st.

Not to make Levi's point for him; but no reason to criticize the Twins for not making a big splash when 1) they just signed Yang, who profiles as a mid rotation starter with the potential to be better (not unlike Hughes and Nolasco) and 2) it's very early in the off season (maybe ten FAs signings so far).  There's plenty of other threads for discussion the Twins lack of big freeagent acquisitions. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

And the Wayne Krivsky link.

Krivsky? I saw his name in the Wily Mo Pena thread, but not here...

[John Bonnes]

Here's an interesting scouting report on him. It also explains why he had so few starts in 2013. It sounds like he had a rib injury.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

The downside is if this is money that could have been spent on a better pitcher.  And isn't it possible that the posting fee is a pittance for a reason?  I sure don't like the sounde of these wildly varied descriptions of his stuff, or of his physical stature, or of his career-long lack of control.  And the Wayne Krivsky link.  I hope I'm completely wrong on this and they know something about this guy that no one else does, but it does seem like they might feel the barriers to entry are too high to them to getting an impact arm in the domestic FA market.

 

I agree. I would rather have them apply this $20-40 million towards an actual really good pitcher who commands big money, even if its not until next offseason. 

[John Bonnes]

And here's a very, very good profile on him:

 

http://www.amazinavenue.com/2014/11/12/7176397/international-free-agent-profile-hyeon-jong-yang

[jorgenswest]

The money is the risk. The bulk of the hit will be the first year with the posting fee added in. The Twins have the space this year and next year that posting fee is not on the books and is available.

 

If it works out, the payroll takes a big hit in 2015 and they have a mid rotation starter at a reasonable contract for the future.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Here are two articles on Yang. Neither sound particularly promising. (h/t Dan @myKBO)

[Steven Buhr]

The downside is if this is money that could have been spent on a better pitcher.  And isn't it possible that the posting fee is a pittance for a reason?  I sure don't like the sounds of these wildly varied descriptions of his stuff, or of his physical stature, or of his career-long lack of control.  And the Wayne Krivsky link.  I hope I'm completely wrong on this and they know something about this guy that no one else does, but it does seem like they might feel the barriers to entry are too high to them to getting an impact arm in the domestic FA market.

I guess we'll have to see what the dollar commitment is, but it's pretty hard for me to imagine the annual outlay for Yang is going to be anything that would preclude the Twins from being able to afford any other pitcher they might want to go after.

 

I'd love to get one of those top FA pitchers, but realistically, they aren't going to want to sign with the Twins at this point. Maybe if they can become respectable in 2015, there will be more interest in signing with Minnesota, but it's not likely to happen now.

 

A Yang deal should not keep the Twins from adding any other pitcher they can establish mutual interest with. It's admittedly a rolling of the dice because there's no way for anyone to predict with certainty how Yang will do against MLB hitters. But it shows the kind of willingness to spend a little money and take some chances to improve the starting pitching that I've wanted to see this team demonstrate.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Not sure I'm terribly excited about this.  He may have been better than his league, but are MLB hitters worse than Korean hitters?  I somehow doubt this, unless the Twins think they can shave a significant number of walks off of his totals. 

 

Anyways, I highly doubt he's going to the minors to start his career, so this is probably your 5th starter.  Wonder what they plan on doing now with Milone and Pelfrey.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

I wouldn't plug him into the rotation just yet. But I would assume he'll be on the staff. I think that he'll assume Duensing's role, coming in to face lefties and being asked to work a few innings.

[jokin]

Here are two articles on Yang. Neither sound particularly promising. (h/t Dan @myKBO)

 

Not particularly promising is much too kind.  The Beisbol article is devastating.

[jorgenswest]

Here are two articles on Yang. Neither sound particularly promising. (h/t Dan @myKBO)

They don't. They certainly conflict with the report in the daily news and projections of his contract elsewhere. It is impossible to look at numbers but the report above supports conclusion based on video rather than numbers.

[jokin]

I wouldn't plug him into the rotation just yet. But I would assume he'll be on the staff. I think that he'll assume Duensing's role, coming in to face lefties and being asked to work a few innings.

 

That's a fair guess of where he might end up.  But then why go to all this bother when Ryan's specialty is finding relief pitchers on the domestic scrap heap at a fraction of the price?

[jokin]

They don't. They certainly conflict with the report in the daily news and projections of his contract elsewhere. It is impossible to look at numbers but the report above supports conclusion based on video rather than numbers.

 

And I keep reading about this "one scout" touting his apparently-wildly-inflated-numbers concerning his stuff.

[gmarais66]

This came as a surprise to me. Sounds like a good chance to take:

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/twins-win-bidding-for-hyeon-jong-yang.html

[Steven Buhr]

That's a fair guess.  But then why go to all this bother when Ryan's specialty is finding relief pitchers on the domestic scrap heap.

Maybe because they don't see LOOGY as Yang's ceiling and they are more interested in seeing what his role is in 2016 and beyond than what it is in April 2015?