Official Winter Meetings Day 3 Thread

[Seth Stohs]

Jon Lester agreed to sign last night at about 12:30 central time. The thought is that once he signed, then that secondary market of starting pitchers would start to sign. Liriano stayed with the Pirates, as expected. 

 

Day 2 was pretty quiet in terms of transactions. Day 2 was incredibly quiet in terms of news coming out of Twins camp. This isn't a surprise. We went into the offseason and into the Winter Meetings knowing that there were just a few needs that the team wanted to address and then rely on some of the young players and guys they have. Rumors included discussions on Edinson Volquez and several relief pitchers. 

 

Will the team do anything on Day 3, or just continue to meet with agents and other teams to discuss potential deals down the line?

 

I guess we'll find out. Use this thread to discuss several rumors or thoughts. 

[Seth Stohs]

RP Luke Gregorson agreed to a 3 year, $18.5 million deal with the Houston Astros. 

[Seth Stohs]

Sounds like old friend Pat Neshek will also  be signing with the Astros this morning. Busy bullpen morning.

[nicksaviking]

Should shoring up the bullpen really be the top priority of a rebuilding team?  Perhaps if they think that is the only hole they can't fill internally.  Still, I'd not be happy if my team started blowing most of thier available remaining budget on guys who thow one inning every three games.

[nicksaviking]

Also looks like the Giants too are getting sucked into the Dillon Gee scam the Mets are running.  Vance Worley, er, I mean Gee and his 89 MPH fastball can stay in the NL where he belongs thank you very much.  Why not just resign Yohan Pino?  You can have the same level of frustration but save yourself the prospect

[zenser]

Is the Rule V draft today?

[gunnarthor]

Is the Rule V draft today?

I believe it is tomorrow morning.

[kab21]

Should shoring up the bullpen really be the top priority of a rebuilding team?  Perhaps if they think that is the only hole they can't fill internally.  Still, I'd not be happy if my team started blowing most of thier available remaining budget on guys who thow one inning every three games.

 

The goal of a rebuilding team is to add talent wherever they can without blocking prospects.  Gregerson is really good and he becomes a trade chip in a year or two.  I would have had no problem if the Twins signed Gregerson.

[JB_Iowa]

Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS  · 10m10 minutes ago 
neshek has a deal with astos. good pickups for houston.

 

 

Derrick Goold ‏@dgoold  · 6m6 minutes ago 
Reliever Pat Neshek, pursued by #Pirates, signs with #Astros for two years, $12.5 million, pending physical. Gets to stay in FLA for spring.

[TKGuy]

Very happy for the contract for Mr. Neshek!

[TheLeviathan]

Should shoring up the bullpen really be the top priority of a rebuilding team?  Perhaps if they think that is the only hole they can't fill internally.  Still, I'd not be happy if my team started blowing most of thier available remaining budget on guys who thow one inning every three games.

 

They could be putting them into save or high leverage situations in the interest of creating trade bait.

[chopper0080]

Bullpens are the new 40 home run players.  If you look at the top bullpen era's in baseball, 3 of the 4 teams in the league championship series are in the top 10.  The only team outside is the Cardinals.  The ability to shut the game down after the 6th inning is huge and keeps you from having to depend on starters going deep in games.  If I was the Twins, I would be copying the Royals model of top end relief pitching, athletic OF defense, and depth of starting pitching over top end quality.  And we are a rebuilding team.

 

 

[nicksaviking]

.  If I was the Twins, I would be copying the Royals model of top end relief pitching,

 

I would too but by the way they've drafted the last three years, that looks to be perhaps the only area of the game where they were ahead of the curve.  I'm not interested in free agent bullpen arms as I'd prefer to let the organization's fireballers get up to the MLB level ASAP.

 

Still the reason these guys are in the pen is because they aren't reliable enough to be in the rotaion.  I don't know that there is any area of the game that is more volitile than the year-to-year performance of the players in the bullpen.

[zwiefz]

In his most recent column LEN3 mentioned at the very end interest in a position player with power.  Any thoughts on who that might be, or even what position?

[Brandon]

I see the Twins are talking with Kyle Kendrick another 4th starter....yay

[nicksaviking]

In his most recent column LEN3 mentioned at the very end interest in a position player with power.  Any thoughts on who that might be, or even what position?

 

Well the free agent class this year is pretty devoid of power, so either it's a player with "power" only to the Twins perspective, or perhaps a trade.

 

I think I saw something connecting them briefly to Mike Morse once, he wouldn't really be a fit, but who knows with this club.  Mark Reynolds as a bench bat or Plouffe trade insurance?

[nicksaviking]

I see the Twins are talking with Kyle Kendrick another 4th starter....yay

 

I swear, they only do this crap to help the local papers get page hits on their message boards.

[zwiefz]

Still stewing on the position player thing.  Anyone think they would still go after Rasmus to play center?  Hunter in right, Rasmus in center, Arcia in left, Schafer as the bench OF, and Hicks in AAA.  I could live with that(since we're already stuck with Hunter)

[brvama]

I swear, they only do this crap to help the local papers get page hits on their message boards.

U hope you're right and that there are absolutely NO legs on these rumors.  I have to keep reminding myself that they are only rumors for now and not get too worked up about them YET.  So far I'd be happy if they come out of these meetings with nothing then to hook a throw away.   I wish this was over and spring training was starting.

[Eris]

Should shoring up the bullpen really be the top priority of a rebuilding team?  Perhaps if they think that is the only hole they can't fill internally.  Still, I'd not be happy if my team started blowing most of thier available remaining budget on guys who thow one inning every three games.

I assume you are referring to the Astros (but you could also be in reference to the Twins).  One benefit of stocking up on decent bullpen arms is that they can be traded for prospects at the trade deadline as there will always be contenders in need of strengthening their bullpen.  There were several trades involving relief pitchers at the July 2014 trade deadline, including Miller (Bos) to Bal for Rodriquez.

[nicksaviking]

I assume you are referring to the Astros (but you could also be in reference to the Twins).  One benefit of stocking up on decent bullpen arms is that they can be traded for prospects at the trade deadline as there will always be contenders in need of strengthening their bullpen.  There were several trades involving relief pitchers at the July 2014 trade deadline, including Miller (Bos) to Bal for Rodriquez.

 

They can be traded, but they generally only have value if you give them the closers job first.  I've been advocating for quite awhile that the Twins should trade Perkins, promote the next guy, trade him and repeat.  I don't think there is anything in baseball quite like this sham.  There are rumors of the Yankees looking at Jason Grilli now that they lost out on Robertson, because while they have Batences and Miller, neither are "closers" and Grilli is.  Ha, what a load of crap! A smart team would turn their club into a "closer" factory and capitalize on this bizarre market inefficency ASAP.  Won't be our Twins though.

[ashbury]

I see the Twins are talking with Kyle Kendrick another 4th starter....yay

I guess I'll repeat myself by saying that one way this makes sense if the Twins have a deal lined up to move Nolasco, and it hinges on first finding a lower-cost innings eater to replace him.  Some fairly interchangeable names have been linked to the Twins this off-season.

[USAFChief]

I guess I'll repeat myself by saying that one way this makes sense if the Twins have a deal lined up to move Nolasco, and it hinges on first finding a lower-cost innings eater to replace him.  Some fairly interchangeable names have been linked to the Twins this off-season.

Well, you know that famous old cliche...you can never have enough interchangeable-name pitching.

[ashbury]

Well, you know that famous old cliche...you can never have enough interchangeable-name pitching.

OK, but my point was that they'd only sign one, and it would be linked to another roster move that they've kept under wraps. I'd be shocked and horrified if they signed both Vogelsong and Kendrick, for example, and not particularly pleased if they signed just one and didn't move another mediocrity to compensate.

[Rosterman]

So why weren't the Twins able to turn Burton, Duensing, Swarzak, Fein, Thielbar or any of their bullpen into gold at the last trade deadline.

 

Speakers of Duensing, the Mets want a lefty out of the bullpen, and the Twins also have Escobar (who the Mets aren't excited about -- maybe Nunez is a better fit) for Gee-whiz!

 

So much crap coming out of tweets. Ryan and Beane went into the men's room together, major deal happening. Ryan left a cab that Cashman entered shortly after. Maybe passing secret notes. 

 

Why is no one reporting the Twins three-ear $30-million offer they made to Lester?

[nicksaviking]

Sounds like the Twins offered Escobar for Dillon Gee:

 

https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/542758982494867456

 

To me that sucks on multiple levels, the obvious being that the Twins would have another 5th starter with an 88 MPH fastball, which contrary to some, I believe you can too much of.

 

The second is that if the Twins are willing to move Escobar, that likely means they wouldn't move Plouffe as I'd assume the team would want Escobar to replace him at least short term. 

 

If Plouffe actually does have increased value due in no small part to the demands of disappointing Chase Headley and the rediculous contract Pablo Sandoval got, go and get a nice haul for Plouffe. Stop messing around with this Gee crap.  Just stop! Either Ryan can't see what the rest of us do, that Gee is no different than the other weak-armed NL pitchers that continue to flop for the Twins, or he doesn't see that they are actually flopping.  In either case he needs to recuse himself from evaluating pitchers, he is continuing to prove he is incapable of doing so at least when it comes to the Senior Circuit.

[30whales]

I believe it is tomorrow morning.

 

I believe the Rule V is actually tonight at 9 PT so 11 CT.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I believe the Rule V is actually tonight at 9 PT so 11 CT.

That's tomorrow (Thursday Dec. 11), at 12 noon ET, or 11 AM Central, 9 AM Pacific.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2294514-mlb-rule-5-draft-2014-date-start-time-format-and-top-prospects

[zwiefz]

"The second is that if the Twins are willing to move Escobar, that likely means they wouldn't move Plouffe as I'd assume the team would want Escobar to replace him at least short term. "

 

I think you may have misunderstood that tweet.  MLB traderumors has a much more detailed post on Gee in general and it seems that it was originally believed that the Mets were looking for a shortstop in exchange.  Since the Twins are looking for pitchers it originally looked like it might be a match.

 

I don't see anywhere saying the Twins actually offered Escobar for Gee, just that the Mets aren't interested in Escobar as an option to even discuss.

 

[zwiefz]

I'm not saying that moving Escobar isn't an option, no one on any team should ever be untouchable.  I just don't like all these guys running around sending out tweets, etc like this.  Just because the two teams have matching surplus'/needs doesn't mean deals are imminent or even have been discussed.