I Believe in Stephen Vogt

[notoriousgod71]

Catcher? Check

 

Better option than Suzuki? Check.

 

Versatile? Check

 

Plenty of team control? Check

 

Perceived as a gritty gamer? Check

 

Available? Wait til Beane gets bored, then check

 

 

 

I wonder which under 22 aged players Beane would request in exchange.

 

 

[DaveW]

I'd be for it, but the cost is going to be pretty pricey. Guy is under team control until 2020.

[Vanimal46]

Are you willing to give up Berrios? That's most likely the starting point of that trade negotiation.

[Danchat]

Offer him Tommy Milone and throw in Brian Duensing. I mean, come on, they traded for Sam Fuld after they let him go for nothing, so now maybe they'll take back Milone!

In all seriousness, though, Vogt is gonna be too expensive for my liking.

[DaveW]

Phegley would likely be the more attainable target and would cost less, but even his price might be a little high due to him being under control until 2021.

 

Though I am not sure he is an everyday catcher anyways, he only caught more than 100 games once in his minor league career and I don't know how good defensively he is, but his PB rates seem a little high in the minors.

 

I wouldn't want to give up any real assets unless a guy can "stick" as a starting catcher for the Twins. If he can't, I think you are better off with a rental type like AJ.

[notoriousgod71]

No, I would not give up Berrios.

 

The conversation might begin with him but it sure as hell won't end with him. And shouldn't.

[nicksaviking]

I like Vogt, but I'm guessing I'd be suspicious of him if he weren't on my fantasy team.

 

The last time the Twins dealt with a catcher at his peak they were blinded by desperation and gave Suzuki a two year extension with an option. The time before that they gave Doumit an unnecessary mid season extension. I think there may have been one other fairly regrettable catcher decision prior to that, dang the name is just on the tip of my tongue....

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is despite being rather active in finding catchers the last half decade, making a decision on them using their peak value hasn't gone over well.

[TheLeviathan]

They should damn sure call and find out where the conversation starts.  If it's Stewart or Arcia or Kepler...then I'm more than happy to keep talking.

[DocBauer]

They should damn sure call and find out where the conversation starts.  If it's Stewart or Arcia or Kepler...then I'm more than happy to keep talking.

I'd be shy on Kepler. Not hide and go away...but shy.

 

I know you have to give up something to get something. Near-sighted, but not short sighted. Berrios and Kepler would both be on my "no touchy" zone I think.

 

Call me crazy...been called a lot worse...but if the Twins really do have one of the top 1-2-3 minor leagues in all of baseball on a talent level, and have the likes of the very talented but enigmatic Arcia, and the unspectacular but very steady and top 1/3 in all of ML baseball 3B in Plouffe, and can't find someway to pull of a quality, 2-sided-2-way street trade for a quality young catcher, without giving up Berrios and possibly Kepler.....then we have either been grossly mislead about the Twins milb talent level, or the cost of doing business on the trade level has just gone insane.

[DocBauer]

Look, I really don't want to do this...but...if you are a team with a talented young catcher, perhaps you have a vet or another young or ish catcher you can play, and the Twins offer you Plouffe, Duffey, Rogers and maybe one of their top young AA-ish RP...wouldn't you listens really hard?

 

Tell me I'm crazy, either way.

[drjim]

Look, I really don't want to do this...but...if you are a team with a talented young catcher, perhaps you have a vet or another young or ish catcher you can play, and the Twins offer you Plouffe, Duffey, Rogers and maybe one of their top young AA-ish RP...wouldn't you listens really hard?

 

Tell me I'm crazy, either way.

I would trade Kepler way before I traded Plouffe.

 

I like Kepler but he is more than a year away and his most likely outcome is an oft injured tweener.

 

Either way not enough to get Vogt.

[USAFChief]

Vogt is 30 and has less than 800 MLB PAs. Not a full time catcher previously.

 

Looks to me like an excellent flash-in-the-pan candidate.

 

No thanks. Find something worth trading for.

[pierre75275]

Offer Stewart and Arcia and add one of the flame throwing relievers from minors. Trade from surplus to get what you need

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Vogt is 30 and has less than 800 MLB PAs. Not a full time catcher previously.

Looks to me like an excellent flash-in-the-pan candidate.

No thanks. Find something worth trading for.

 

I liked the idea until I saw his age.  Not against acquiring him, but this isn't something you give up Berrios for.  If he was 26 and doing this, that would be a much different story.

[SwainZag]

 

Vogt is 30 and has less than 800 MLB PAs. Not a full time catcher previously.

Looks to me like an excellent flash-in-the-pan candidate.

No thanks. Find something worth trading for.

 

Not to mention is numbers have slipped every month this year.  

 

April/May - 149 AB, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 25 BB/ 26K, .322/.411/.611

June/July - 130 AB, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 16 BB/ 36K, .246/.329/.317

[Thrylos]

Vogt is 30 and still has to finish a full season in the majors.  His resume reads a lot like 29 year old EricFryer's, albeit with a bit more production in the PCL and the majors (FWIW, Fryer hit a career .345/.427/.549 in AA.)

 

Berrios for Vogt is ridiculous    Vogt is a journeyman, the wrong side of 30.

 

Milone is more appropriate, but I'd rather see what Fryer can do as a starter at this point (plus he is better with the glove and game calling than Vogt)

[nicksaviking]

 

Vogt is 30 and has less than 800 MLB PAs. Not a full time catcher previously.

Looks to me like an excellent flash-in-the-pan candidate.

No thanks. Find something worth trading for.

 

I too don't believe his success is for the long haul and would't trade the more valuale propects for him.  His results are dipping too.

 

But just to play Devl's Advocate, he did have a 112 OPS+ last year in about the same number of at bats.  Though that was in much fewer plate appearances because his walks are way up this year.  Increasing walk rates often seem to point towards sustainability.  Also his MiLB numbers look to be right inline with his MLB numbers.

 

Also, he originally came from Tampa Bay.  We complain about slow promotion rates with the Twins, but the Rays may be even slower.  He had some really nice numbers his first four years but generally only got one promotion a year and looks to have missed nearly all of 2009.

 

Instead of talking about giving up top prospects for a catcher in his age 30-35 seasons (in other words, quite possibly not a catcher for long) we can play the hindsight game and say the Twins probably should have traded cash to the Rays for the rights to a solid defensive AAA catcher who had a OPS of .774 and it was a down year.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Suzie's numbers looked pretty good at the half-way mark last year too. Let's not everybody go nuts.

[TheLeviathan]

If anyone is expecting to find the golden catcher that is perfect for this team, good luck.  Warts are going to be the name of the game at this point.

 

The only option I really like is Derek Norris, but I'd call about Vogt and gauge what they want.  He's not ideal but the catching market is terrible.

[USAFChief]

 

If anyone is expecting to find the golden catcher that is perfect for this team, good luck.  Warts are going to be the name of the game at this point.

 

The only option I really like is Derek Norris, but I'd call about Vogt and gauge what they want.  He's not ideal but the catching market is terrible.

The catching market is bad, agreed.  But I think Vogt is a real "buy high" candidate, and I wouldn't want to pay what the A's would ask.

 

Now, on the other hand, I'd give a lot for Lucroy. 

[SwainZag]

 

The catching market is bad, agreed.  But I think Vogt is a real "buy high" candidate, and I wouldn't want to pay what the A's would ask.

 

Now, on the other hand, I'd give a lot for Lucroy. 

 

Define a lot

[TheLeviathan]

 

The catching market is bad, agreed.  But I think Vogt is a real "buy high" candidate, and I wouldn't want to pay what the A's would ask.

 

Now, on the other hand, I'd give a lot for Lucroy. 

 

You might well be right about him being buy high.  But for all the talk of Vogt's age, he's only a year older than Lucroy and probably cheaper in terms of contract you owe him and he has more team control.

 

I still favor Derek Norris by a mile over both of them though based on price to acquire, ability, and other factors.  (Not to mention San Diego is much more likely to move Norris than either Milwaukee or Oakland IMO)

[drjim]

 

You might well be right about him being buy high.  But for all the talk of Vogt's age, he's only a year older than Lucroy and probably cheaper in terms of contract you owe him and he has more team control.

 

I still favor Derek Norris by a mile over both of them though based on price to acquire, ability, and other factors.  (Not to mention San Diego is much more likely to move Norris than either Milwaukee or Oakland IMO)

 

I wonder if they could get Norris without giving up Berrios.

 

Twins could certainly flip a SS, but the Padres would need more.

[Mike Sixel]

Why are the Padres trading one of their best players, who isn't old and expensive?

[nicksaviking]

 

Why are the Padres trading one of their best players, who isn't old and expensive?

 

I thought it was because they had rookie Austin Hedges and people assumed a losing team in a sellers market would want to get rid of the vet.

 

Perhaps they wouldn't, Hedges wasn't very good in the minors offensively last year.

[jun]

 

I would trade Kepler way before I traded Plouffe.

I like Kepler but he is more than a year away and his most likely outcome is an oft injured tweener.

Either way not enough to get Vogt.

I would keep Kepler though.

Look, Plouffe is clearly blocking Sano.

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

Why are the Padres trading one of their best players, who isn't old and expensive?

Because that's, like, kind of their whole thing.

[Vance_Christianson]

Twins need 3 things in order to stay in the top 6 in the AL:

SS

BP
C

I think that the A's are a good fit for us, as we could get Kazmir and Clippard. Here's how I'd project us after these moves.

SP: Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Scott Kazmir, and Tommy Milone

RP: Glen Perkins, Tyler Clippard, Mike Pelfrey, Trevor May, Ryan O'Rourke, JR Graham, Casey Fien

 

We'd Get: Scott Kazmir and Tyler Clippard
We'd Trade: Alex Meyer (change of scenary might be good), Nick Gordon (playing good in Low A, long ways to go), Levi Michael (never start as long Dozier is here), and ABW (lots of strikeouts but lots of power), and if we need throw a Player to be named later.

 

I'd only deal 4-5 prospects though if we can get Kazmir to sign a 2 year deal with us for $20-25 million total.

[GACbaseball]

Twins trade: Trevor Plouffe, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Chi Wei Hu, Alex Meyer, Stephen Gonsalves

Rockies trade: Wilin Rosario, Troy Tulowitzki

 

Rosario and Mauer alternate catching and playing 1B. Sano full time 3B. Arcia up to DH/RF with Torii.

Tulowitzki dominates at SS.

 

CF Buxton

2B Dozier

SS Tulowitzki

3B Sano

1B Mauer

RF Hunter

DH Arcia

C W Rosario

LF E Rosario

Bench Hicks

Bench Escobar

Bench Suzuki

Bench Nunez

 

A guy can dream right?

[jun]

 

Twins trade: Trevor Plouffe, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Chi Wei Hu, Alex Meyer, Stephen Gonsalves
Rockies trade: Wilin Rosario, Troy Tulowitzki

Rosario and Mauer alternate catching and playing 1B. Sano full time 3B. Arcia up to DH/RF with Torii.
Tulowitzki dominates at SS.

CF Buxton
2B Dozier
SS Tulowitzki
3B Sano
1B Mauer
RF Hunter
DH Arcia
C W Rosario
LF E Rosario
Bench Hicks
Bench Escobar
Bench Suzuki
Bench Nunez

A guy can dream right?

I would keep Kepler, Gonsalves, Polanco and Hu, might give up Plouffe, Levi Michaels, Danny Santana and ABW (or Arcia) and Meyer. Try the best to keep pitching.