Twins Want Hunter Back

[Platoon]

I can't help but think, you're the type of fan, that the closest they got to the field of play, was sitting in the bleachers, clapping their hands, and singing the school song.

Just to smooth the savage beast in you, I did play, I coached youth ball for years, managed adult men's teams, umpired, and served on local baseball associations. To further address your concerns, I do sit in the bleachers, I don't tend to jump up and down and clap just because the home team catches a ground ball cleanly, and I never ever sing! It's not fair to the people around me. To address someone else concern, I should have been more definitive! Mentoring is not crap, TH mentoring is. A mentor does not take a kid to the park, and complain when the kid gets to go down the slide and he can't because he's too old! A mentor takes a kid to the park, and relishes in the child's joy and learning experience. That is mentoring. I tend to believe Toriis mentoring is spelled "posturing"!

[Mike Sixel]

If Hunter made Trout the player he is, single handedly fixed Hicks, turned Rosario into a good player, and if his leadership led to 5-10 more wins this year, every GM in baseball would be trying to sign him to a multi year, 40-70MM dollar deal. Does anyone think he'll get that offer? If he doesn't get such an offer, maybe he's not quite so valuable as people here are posting.

 

As for the very passionate post above, I don't agree. I don't think the Twins owe Hunter a multi year deal in thanks for his past performance. He's been paid for that already, they don't owe him anything in the future at all. But I love your passion.

[bholmgren]

I don't see the problem in this IF it's a DH/PH type of role.  

[ThejacKmp]

I’m fine with Hunter coming back as long as it is very clear that it is as a 5th OF/right handed bench bat. I don’t cotton to the people saying the Twins need a lefty bench bat – between Vargas and Arcia they have the left hand side covered. A right handed bat off the bench is actually more vital since they don’t have that readily available (especially since Nunez is likely gone after this year and he’s been the primary right handed option off the bench - though Vargas can do some RH pinch hitting too).

 

So I’m okay with Hunter back with one of two caveats:

 

(1) Not at the expense of Arcia. If the Twins include Arcia in an offseason deal, I’m good with Hunter taking his place as 5th OF (I go under the assumption that Kepler is up by mid-May to be a 4th OF – there’s always a Shane Robinson type until then). If Arcia doesn’t get traded, there is no reason for Hunter since Arcia is 5th OF and Kepler is up soon to be the 4th OF. If Kepler is the 4th OF, he can get enough starts filling in for Buxton/Arcia/Hicks once a week (and spelling guys at 1B and DH) to make it work. If Arcia and Torii are both there and Kepler becomes only a DH/1B guy, I’m not behind it.

 

(2) If they keep Arcia but trade Plouffe, I can also be okay with it. Arcia and Kepler and Vargas split the backup 1B/DH/4th OF role while Sano moves to third. Kepler can grab the odd OF start too, though Arcia would be the primary backup. In this scenario I would like to see Mauer/Kepler taking some grounders at third so that the Twins aren’t starting a SS at 3B on Sano off days/injured time. I hope/think both could be passable there.

 

So it comes down to whether or not Hunter is willing to take on that role. The money doesn’t matter to me. They can pay him $10 million a year for all I care if the role is right. The Twins aren’t going to be hampered by money this year. They likely won’t be making huge free agent signings: their only positions of need are C and pitching. There are no catchers of note on the free agent market (I can’t see Wieters leaving Baltimore and there is a lot of risk with his recovery and your other guys are Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila, Brayan Pena etc. None of those guys are all that exciting or are going to break the bank if it’s the direction the Twins go.) The Twins are likely going to have to trade for a C (and Plouffe or Arcia could be part of that deal). The Twins are also unlikely to go after a free agent #1 starter (and outside of the top few you can argue they have better internal options unless they do radical things with Hughes/Santana) and the Twins approach to relief pitching never costs much. So the money is not the big deal.

 

It’s really would Torii take on that limited role? I think he might not be adverse if he’s not already set on retirement. He’s not going to get a starting job in MLB anymore and he seems happy being back where he started. He might like the idea of one or two more years mentoring the young guys with the understanding that he then becomes a minor league instructor (I shudder to think of him as a hitting coach but maybe a bench coach? I don’t think he’s an x’s and o’s manager kind of guy but he’d be great in a clubhouse and working as a base coach or outfield coach). He’s 55 hits from 2500 and 4 2B from 500 – he may relish a chance to hit some landmarks too. He’s not a hall of famer but he’ll be on that ballot a few years before falling off. This just adds to his resume.

 

Conclusion (this got long): Under the right circumstances and in the right role, Torii Hunter would be an excellent addition to the 2016 team. But those conditions have to be there (a lot depends on how the Twins attack catcher).

[Squirrel]

Moderator note #1723, in this thread alone: Stop. Making. Your. Arguments. Personal! Stick to the topic. We will always disagree with one another ... no two people have the exact same ideas on everything going forward (or backwards, for that matter). Stop taking it personally. And stop responding personally. Stop the sarcasm meant to attack. If your post is more directed at the poster and not a rebuttal of what the poster said, don't hit 'post.'

[kab21]

I knew that this was going to be an awesome topic for the offseason since it is all but inevitable that they resign Hunter.  There will be some epic threads to come.

 

I would be fine with resigning Hunter IF it was as the 4th OF'er that started 40-60 games here and there.  He doesn't need to play CF when the roster includes Hicks, Buxton (probably in AAA at the beginning), Rosario and Santana.  The big loser in this is Arcia and to a lesser extent Vargas.  Arcia would either have to make the team as a starter (over Buxton and Kepler) or be cut.

 

But of course Hunter will be resigned as a starter and that is where this doesn't make any sense at all.

[nicksaviking]

Aren't we still waiting for the team to replace Wayne Hatteway? Seems like Hunter would be a perfect candidate.

[Kwak]

The Twins won't be the only suitor for Hunter--and he won't come cheap!  Hunter will demand more money, playing time, limited or a no-trade clause, will only consider playoff teams, and maybe even a second year.  Hunter has already demonstrated that he'll go where "the best deal lies"--so expecting a re-sign and a "home-town discount" is pure fantasy.  In short, this "ain't a done deal".