Article: The Offseason Of Trevor Plouffe

[Seth Stohs]

When the Minnesota Twins 2015 season came to an end after a three-game sweep at the hands of the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals, many fans (here at Twins Daily and all over) immediately started looking to 2016. One common assumption made by most was that Trevor Plouffe would be traded in an attempt to open up third base for Miguel Sano.

 

On Friday night at Twins Fest, Plouffe was still in a Twins uniform. Literally. He was wearing one of the new, red Twins Friday night uniforms just like all of the other Twins players at the event. He walked into an office, ready to be interviewed by a couple of beat writers, a television station and a Twins Daily writer.

 

On the desk in that office was the 2015 Kansas City Royals media guide. Plouffe was the first to see it. He immediately flipped it, over and said “I can’t look at that!”Asked if he had looked back at the Twins 2015 season and was happy with what happened, Plouffe gave it some thought before saying, “I don’t know if ‘happy’ is the right word. We made good strides. I think we’re on the right path.”

He continued, “We’re not going to be happy until we reach the postseason. We played better than we have the last four years, but that’s not saying much. We’re not resting on that. We’re not saying we had a good year so let’s take it easy. We tasted it but we want to get to the playoffs. We saw Kansas City win the World Series, and we know we’re just as good a team as they are. That’s what we want to do. The only way we’re going to be happy after the season is winning the final game.”

 

Plouffe, who just last week became the sixth and final Twins arbitration-eligible player to agree to terms, said that he has found his offseason providing him with a lot of happiness. “This offseason has been good. It’s been different having a six-month-old son at home. That’s a big change for me. I have my Dad Strength now!”

 

Trevor Plouffe always enjoys coming to Twins Fest. It’s fun being with teammates and meeting the fans. It also means that spring training is right around the corner. This year’s Twins Fest found Plouffe with a bit of a heavy heart.

 

“I've been gone (from his wife Olivia and son Teddy) for 24 hours now, and I just can’t stand it. There’s just something in my heart that’s missing. It’s really weird and it’s a feeling that I haven’t had before. Everything people tell you about it (becoming a parent) is true. I heard it was the hardest thing and also the most fulfilling thing and it’s true. Some days it’s really hard, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to spring training, bring him to the clubhouse. and doing all that stuff.”

 

The perception of Plouffe has always been that he is California Cool, laid back. Early in his career, some saw that as a negative. When he performs in big situations, his calm can be seen as a positive.

 

This offseason, Plouffe’s calm demeanor likely kept him from worrying about potentially being traded. 2016 will be his 13th season in the Minnesota Twins organization. Rumors were constant early in the offseason, especially after the Twins won the bid for Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. With Park set to be the Twins primary DH and Joe Mauer at first base, third base seemed a logical position for Miguel Sano following his strong rookie showing. Where did that leave Plouffe?

 

Many, this article’s author included, wondered aloud if trading Plouffe made the most sense for the team.

 

We will never know if Twins GM Terry Ryan had any phone calls with other teams regarding the services of Plouffe. We aren’t going to find out what type of package of players he may have been offered in exchange for Plouffe.

 

At Twins Fest, Terry Ryan said that at no point this offseason was Plouffe available to other teams. In fact, he pointed out how important it was to keep Plouffe. He said on numerous occasions that “we only scored 690 runs last year (actually 696). We needed to add bats, not subtract.”

 

That was the message that Plouffe heard all offseason from the Twins GM and from his manager, Paul Molitor.

 

“They were always adamant, and they wanted to let me know that I was going to be here. For me, it was nice to know. Gives you a little stability. Can’t control any of the rumors. He continued, “I just went about my offseason as I always do. From the end of the season on, I was always told I’d be here. Moli was very adamant about that. I never heard anything different.”

 

For what it’s worth, Plouffe believes that Miguel Sano can handle the duties of a right fielder just fine. Plouffe said, “I think he can. I think if he commits to it and really wants to be a good outfielder, I think he can. I know he’s a big guy. Everyone knows he’s a big guy. He walks in the room and you think ‘Dang, that’s a big guy.’ But, he’s athletic and he’s young, and obviously he’s got a great arm. I think he profiles just fine in right.”

 

Former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie was a guest for a segment of a 1500 ESPN radio show on Sunday morning. He was asked how he was able to so greatly improve his defense at third base and how Trevor Plouffe has been able to make the drastic improvements too. Koskie pointed out that the Twins draft character. They draft players that they know will work hard and do what they can to improve and do what they can to help the team. Plouffe certainly fits that mold.

 

The Twins Daily writer in the room asked Plouffe if there was something that he wanted to focus on during his offseason. Plouffe said, “That’s a great question.” The Twins Daily writer pumped his fist and whispered, “Yes!” (No really, he did.)

 

Fortunately for said Twins Daily writer, Plouffe smiled, gave it some thought and said, “I always try to work on my lateral movement. At third base, it’s important for range. It’s something I focused on. We did some different stuff with our workouts this offseason, a lot of movement stuff, so hopefully that translates into increased range.”

 

He also gives a ton of credit to a few people for working with him extensively on his defensive game and his confidence. He specifically gave former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and current manager Paul Molitor credit for continually working with him. He also says that third base coach Gene Glynn has been great for him.

 

“Gene he’s been very good for me. He’s so positive. He tells me stuff like I can win a Gold Glove which I don’t know if I can, but he tells me that. It pumps me up. He’s very optimistic. He’s just helped me so much.”

 

Plouffe is proud of the progress he has made, and more important, continues to make with his glove at the hot corner.

 

“I know I’ve improved, but I think there’s still room for more improvement. I like the fact that I've been able to show people that if you work hard, you can get better even at my age.” The 29-year-old said, “Baseball age, I’m kind of old. Getting old, at least.”

 

“Yeah, getting old all right!” Thought the Twins Daily writer who can’t even remember being 29 anymore.

 

2016 will be Plouffe’s seventh in the big leagues. He’s had some good success with the organization. He has accumulated 6.4 bWAR over the past two seasons, and 8.2 bWAR over the past three seasons. Can he be a leader on the 2016 team? Is it something that he would want to be for this team after the retirement of Torii Hunter?

 

“I don’t think you just snap your fingers and say, ‘Hey I’m the leader on the team.’ You have to earn that. You have to show up and act like that. I plan on working as hard as I ever have. Hopefully people pick up on that and want to join me.”

 

The best part about Twins Fest is that it is a good reminder that in less than a month, pitchers and catchers will report. A few days later, the Twins will hold their first full workouts. And in one month, the Twins will play their first spring game. Plouffe is excited for the 2016 season and believes that the Twins can have a strong offense.

 

“I think we have a lot of potential to put up some runs. We have a pretty solid lineup throughout. At the bottom of the lineup, we’re going to have Rosario and Escobar and those two swing the bat pretty well. I think staying healthy will be key for us. I think if we can stay healthy, we’re going to put up some runs.”

 

Plouffe played 156 games in 2016, the most of his career by 16 games. If he can stay healthy, he will again be productive in the middle of the Twins lineup. Most important, he’s where he wants to be, and he has a goal of topping the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central and getting the Twins to the playoffs.

As the session with the media came to an end, Plouffe grabbed the now-upside-down Royals media guide and said, “We’ve got to get rid of this” as he tossed it in the garbage.

 

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[clutterheart]

Did any of the reporters ask if Plouffe was pushing for a multi-year deal instead of arbitration?  Next year is his last year under team control, and at his age, now is the time to get a 3-4 year deal or its never going to happen.  

 

If the Twins are not willing to do this, if I were his agent I would be pushing for a trade.  

 

[iTwins]

I've been a Plouffe fan for quite some time (after meeting with him and chatting during Twins Fest several years ago, I became a lifelong fan of his), so I was happy to see to he didn't get traded over the winter - although I think it would have made complete sense for the Twins to make such a move.

 

Hopefully Sano adapts to the OF easily, and the Twins' gamble pays off. I'd like to see Plouffe be a part of this team for many more years.

 

Edit: I got a chance to chat with Plouffe prior to his Saturday autograph session (he "likes to be punctual", and was there quite a bit ahead of Bruno and Vavra) and thought I'd add a few of his quips here.

 

On the red uniforms: "They're.....very red." He added that maybe under the lights on Fridays, they'd look a bit better. He hedged a bit towards the end saying, "If they end up being lucky and we keep winning while we're wearing them, I don't care what they look like."

 

On Twins Fest from a player's point of view: "They don't actually tell us what we're doing each day. They sort of stick a piece of paper in front of your face and then you're off. It's a lot of fun, but I basically never know where I'm going next."

 

One funny note: When told he was playing Dozier in Jeopardy later in the day, he confidently laughed and said "I've got this. Unless it's about dirt roads or something dumb." I believe Plouffe defeated Dozier by 2,000 points. Must not have been a lot of dirt road questions.

[Lefty]

I hope it all works out with Plouffe here in MN.  He has definitely improved at third and I think it would be foolish to let him go when he is being mentioned as close to gold glove level there and is a productive hitter as well.  If Sano weren't being moved to the outfield, we'd all be questioning whether he'd be able to play a solid 3b.  Plouffe is a known commodity in his prime.  

 

Park is an unknown commodity.  Mauer is holding first base hostage, I wish Sano was moving there instead.  We've begged for a solid third baseman since Koskie and now that we have one, we want to move him.  I hope he can weather the storm and let the other chips fall in the next few years.  It reminds me a lot of Cuddyer, we watched him struggle for years and he eventually became a solid player for us.  KEEP HIM!!!

[Vanimal46]

I'm going to read between the lines and think TR did take some calls about Plouffe, but didn't get the return they were looking for. Because making Plouffe an untouchable asset is just as insane as trading him for a lackluster return.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I'm going to read between the lines and think TR did take some calls about Plouffe, but didn't get the return they were looking for. Because making Plouffe an untouchable asset is just as insane as trading him for a lackluster return.

 

I guessed about that after the Winter Meetings, particularly after seeing that the A's got so little for Brett Lawrie... http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/how-brett-lawries-trade-altered-my-thinking-r4316 

 

I do believe that, especially after seeing the market for 3B this winter, they let Plouffe know that he was staying. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Did any of the reporters ask if Plouffe was pushing for a multi-year deal instead of arbitration?  Next year is his last year under team control, and at his age, now is the time to get a 3-4 year deal or its never going to happen.  

 

If the Twins are not willing to do this, if I were his agent I would be pushing for a trade.  

 

The question came up. I didn't include his response in the article, but it certainly fits within his laid back, California mind set. 

 

First he was just asked generally about the arbitration process and how much he was involved in it this year.

 

That’s something I don’t really concern myself with. I really look at it like I have the best agent from the best agency in the world, so I just let them do their thing. It’s one of those things that I really can’t control. The only thing I can control is going out and playing hard and doing that best I can. The rest of that stuff takes care of itself.

 

 

When asked specifically about the idea of a multi-year deal being discussed, he said: 

 

 

I’m not really sure what the discussions they had. I tell them that I don’t care to know about the discussions too much. I’m happy with the number we’re at. It’s something that I let him handle. I don’t know if there’s interest in the club or not. I know that I’ll be here this year.

 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

 

I guessed about that after the Winter Meetings, particularly after seeing that the A's got so little for Brett Lawrie... http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/how-brett-lawries-trade-altered-my-thinking-r4316 

 

I do believe that, especially after seeing the market for 3B this winter, they let Plouffe know that he was staying. 

 

I guess I just doubt that timeline.  If you were still open to moving Plouffe I think moving Sano to the OF was premature.  I mean, they moved him in the first week of November.  Lawrie wasn't traded until December.

 

I believe they mean what they said - Plouffe was never on the market.  It's not like Ryan to be this adamant and then working behind the scenes to do the opposite.

[h2oface]

If Plouffe can improve as much as he has in the field as a 3rd sacker (and Koskie did, too), just why can't Sano? I think Sano profiles fine as a third baseman. 

 

For what it’s worth, I believe that Miguel Sano can handle the duties of a third baseman just fine. I think if he commits to it and really wants to be a good third baseman, I think he can. I know he’s a big guy. Everyone knows he’s a big guy. He walks in the room and you think ‘Dang, that’s a big guy.’ But, he’s athletic and he’s young, and obviously he’s got a great arm. I think he profiles just fine at third.

 

Being young and athletic has lots of advantages. If Plouffe gets hurt and Sano isn't, I sure hope that Sano gets the call to start in his absence. It would be a shame if he doesn't.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I guess I just doubt that timeline.  If you were still open to moving Plouffe I think moving Sano to the OF was premature.  I mean, they moved him in the first week of November.  Lawrie wasn't traded until December.

 

I believe they mean what they said - Plouffe was never on the market.  It's not like Ryan to be this adamant and then working behind the scenes to do the opposite.

 

That may or may not be true... but announcing Sano was going to the outfield, at least at the time, we seemed to think that was a ploy to try to improve the trade return for Plouffe. Maybe it wasn't right from the start. No way to really know. 

[TheLeviathan]

That may or may not be true... but announcing Sano was going to the outfield, at least at the time, we seemed to think that was a ploy to try to improve the trade return for Plouffe. Maybe it wasn't right from the start. No way to really know.

 

True, there is a chance it was a ploy, I just find it unlikely given the totality of the evidence.

[DocBauer]

Once again, really like Plouffe. (For 2016 the team probably is better with him) And I don't doubt Sano's work ethic or skills to develop as an OF. (Problem is it will probably take a couple seasons to get good and he'll probably change positions again) The objection or reservation is simply how the team is constructed confuses me.

 

Kepler is a top prospect and possibly close. Not wishing ill will on anyone, but what if Mauer continues down his path, or regresses further? What if he has another unfortunate concussion? It is unfortunate, but 2016 could be a big decision for Mauer. I could see a retirement or buy out/retirement if either happens. Then what?

 

 

Kepler should be ready. Probably Polanco as well. So you move Sano. Where? 3B and move Plouffe? 1B with Mauer gone? How about Dozier to 3B, (even without the requisite arm) Polanco to 2B, Sano to 1B and Kepler takes over RF?

 

Just a thought. Crazy maybe, but a thought.

[Vanimal46]

 

Once again, really like Plouffe. (For 2016 the team probably is better with him) And I don't doubt Sano's work ethic or skills to develop as an OF. (Problem is it will probably take a couple seasons to get good and he'll probably change positions again) The objection or reservation is simply how the team is constructed confuses me.

Kepler is a top prospect and possibly close. Not wishing ill will on anyone, but what if Mauer continues down his path, or regresses further? What if he has another unfortunate concussion? It is unfortunate, but 2016 could be a big decision for Mauer. I could see a retirement or buy out/retirement if either happens. Then what?


Kepler should be ready. Probably Polanco as well. So you move Sano. Where? 3B and move Plouffe? 1B with Mauer gone? How about Dozier to 3B, (even without the requisite arm) Polanco to 2B, Sano to 1B and Kepler takes over RF?

Just a thought. Crazy maybe, but a thought.

Seems simple to me. If that scenario you laid out for Mauer happens, Sano goes to 1B and he's locked in that position for the next 8-10 years. Kepler to RF, Plouffe/Mauer aren't blocking anyone, everyone's happy. 

[DJL44]

Not much demand for third basemen this offseason. David Freese is still looking for work.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Not much demand for third basemen this offseason. David Freese is still looking for work.

Given that the Angels did not even make Freese a qualifying offer, the Twins would not have been alone in anticipating a poor market for 3B.

[Old Twins Cap]

This idea that somehow GMs play a multi-level chess match through the press, pretending to move players to the outfield when they are really just trying to increase the trade potential for an infielder -- that's just crazy online thinking.

 

GMs don't casually jerk players around.  They don't make fake moves hoping some other GM will give them more for a league-average player.   No team is going to give more or less for a player based on the other team's situation.

 

GMs job is to put together his team.  They are judged on how their team performs.  If they make a move, they better get quality back.  It's straight forward.

 

Plouffe stays.  He's a piece of the puzzle.  The Twins have pieces they can field a team with, trade from, and replace injuries with.  For once.

[tvagle]

My hope is the work on his lateral movement also makes a difference when coming in on the ball...someone check the stats but I bet Plouffe is way below 50/50 when charging bunts/choppers/slow-rollers and throwing on the run

[sftwinsfan]

I think when Hunter decided to retire it sealed the deal on Plouffe staying.  I know some people don't read too much into old-fashioned stats like HR and RBI anymore but I think the Twins do.  I think they saw a team that struggled to score runs at times and saw losing 2 veteran bats near the top of the team in HR and RBI and decided that losing both in the same off-season didn't make a whole lot of sense to them.

[troyhobbs]

Still don't like Sano in RF. I like Plouffe but ideally he or Sano should've moved to 1B and Mauer should be gonzo if they weren't going to move Plouffe. Agree with the poster about a make or break year for Mauer, seems like he's the elephant in the room with all the line up tinkering

[jay]

I've supported keeping Plouffe unless the offer was extremely attractive, but this is pretty telling.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/02/finding-a-landing-spot-for-david-freese.html

 

Freese STILL on the market. Not to mention lackluster trade returns on both Lawrie and Frazier.

[ewen21]

 

I'm going to read between the lines and think TR did take some calls about Plouffe, but didn't get the return they were looking for. Because making Plouffe an untouchable asset is just as insane as trading him for a lackluster return.

The Twins definitely like Plouffe, even though they didn't give him an extension.  I am of the belief that Plouffe could have been moved last year.  I am probably one of the few who thought that it was time to see if Sano can play third base.  It looks like the Twins don't think he can since they are moving him to the outfield--a move I do not like.  They probably could have gotten a decent return for Plouffe at the trade deadline, but Ryan is adamant about Plouffe's value to this club.

 

For me it comes down to this.....

Sano is a top prospect, one who is about as good as any the Twins have had....EVER.  How is it that a guy like Trevor Plouffe (a decent player) blocks him from the position he was groomed to play in the minors?  Sano played well over 300 games at third in the minors and now they are sending him to the outfield?  That just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

[Vanimal46]

 

The Twins definitely like Plouffe, even though they didn't give him an extension.  I am of the belief that Plouffe could have been moved last year.  I am probably one of the few who thought that it was time to see if Sano can play third base.  It looks like the Twins don't think he can since they are moving him to the outfield--a move I do not like.  They probably could have gotten a decent return for Plouffe at the trade deadline, but Ryan is adamant about Plouffe's value to this club.

 

For me it comes down to this.....

Sano is a top prospect, one who is about as good as any the Twins have had....EVER.  How is it that a guy like Trevor Plouffe (a decent player) blocks him from the position he was groomed to play in the minors?  Sano played well over 300 games at third in the minors and now they are sending him to the outfield?  That just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Believe me, you're one of many (including me) on this site that felt it was time to see if Sano can play 3B. Hopefully by the trade deadline or in 2017 we'll see that happen. In the mean time, we're stuck watching Sano play at a position he's never played before in his life.