Last Minute Shopping Anyone?

[cmoss84]

Holy schnikies - pitchers and catchers report today. There are still a lot of names out there-Desmond, Jackson, Rios, Fowler, Gallardo and Alvarez are the headliners. Most of them will get a decent last second contract, but some of them might have to "settle" for a 1 or 2 year contract on the cheap. Who would you like to sign at a discount bin price and what would you pay for them?

 

here's my shopping cart:

 

Marlon Byrd or Will Venable - 1 year 3 mil

(I know we have options at OF, but one of these guys would make me feel a lot better)

 

Breslow or Coke - 1 year 1 mil

 

Cliff Lee - 1 year 3 mil

(if he passes his medical, why not take a flier-there was a thread on this already)

 

 

 

 

[nicksaviking]

I don't have any interest in the left overs, they are still around for a reason. I want to see the young guys fill any and all vacancies.

 

Only free agent I'd be interested in is if the Twins signed Mike Minor and were able to 60-day DL him right off the bat.

[Vanimal46]

I would be interested in Greg Holland as a bullpen piece for 2017. Idk if it's even possible, but if there's a way to pay him the minimum salary this year while he recovers from TJ; a huge incentive laden contract for 2017, potentially 2018, I'd be on board.

[Mike Sixel]

I think Desmond will be a value buy for some team. There must be something going on there we don't know about....

[bluechipper]

Why would adding old, mediocre players like Venable or Byrd make you feel any better?

[biggentleben]

Breslow has already signed a minor league deal a couple days ago with the Marlins.

[cmoss84]

 

Why would adding old, mediocre players like Venable or Byrd make you feel any better?

As much as I would like to think Buxton will do well in spring training and take the reigns at the beginning of the year, there is a very really possibility he will spend time at AAA. Rosario should be fine but nobody knows how the Sano project will work. Arcia? Who knows? Santana? Who knows? Kepler probably won't be around right away. There is a ton of potential for our OF, but it might take a minute to come to fruition. A 1 year cheap deal on either Venable or Bryd gives us a little insurance. Byrd was supposed to be done a few years ago but continues to hit 15-20 hrs wherever he goes. Venable would be able to hold his own as well until Buxton/Kepler are ready. If we start the year with Rosario/Buxton/Sano, great...but having Byrd or Venable as our 4th option makes me feel a lot better than a lot of our other options (unless Arcia starts off hot, which I'm not holding my breath on). 

[cmoss84]

 

Breslow has already signed a minor league deal a couple days ago with the Marlins.

thanks for the info.

[biggentleben]

 

I don't have any interest in the left overs, they are still around for a reason. I want to see the young guys fill any and all vacancies.

 

Only free agent I'd be interested in is if the Twins signed Mike Minor and were able to 60-day DL him right off the bat.

 

But what would they 60-day DL him for? That's his contention and why the Braves let him go rather than attempting arbitration or a deal with him. He believes he'll pitch immediately in 2016 and wants to be paid like it.

[bluechipper]

 

As much as I would like to think Buxton will do well in spring training and take the reigns at the beginning of the year, there is a very really possibility he will spend time at AAA. Rosario should be fine but nobody knows how the Sano project will work. Arcia? Who knows? Santana? Who knows? Kepler probably won't be around right away. There is a ton of potential for our OF, but it might take a minute to come to fruition. A 1 year cheap deal on either Venable or Bryd gives us a little insurance. Byrd was supposed to be done a few years ago but continues to hit 15-20 hrs wherever he goes. Venable would be able to hold his own as well until Buxton/Kepler are ready. If we start the year with Rosario/Buxton/Sano, great...but having Byrd or Venable as our 4th option makes me feel a lot better than a lot of our other options (unless Arcia starts off hot, which I'm not holding my breath on). 

That's fair, but I just think I have a more optimistic view on the young players, especially Arcia. I want them to have an extended shot at playing time, and not be relegated to the bench for a mediocre player if/when they struggle.

[cmoss84]

Trust me, I want the young OFs to do as well as anyone. I just think it's worth 1 year/3 mil for a little insurance policy.

[Blake]

I prefer to see the Twins regress a few games with younger players rather than try to eke out a couple more wins by signing veterans who are on the downside of their career.

 

I think the moves this year set the table for next year. We've already had enough of the marginal veteran signings. Time for the youth movement to really get going.

[biggentleben]

 

Trust me, I want the young OFs to do as well as anyone. I just think it's worth 1 year/3 mil for a little insurance policy.

 

I just don't know that you're getting Byrd on that deal. Venable perhaps, but he's also a guy who hit for an 88 OPS+ last season and has never had a single season with an .800 OPS. He also tanked significantly for Texas after they acquired him last year, and his defense is not good as evidenced by his negative DRS value overall last season and his only even 0 score being in left field in 2015, otherwise CF and RF were both negative. Venable, though, is the guy you could get at $3M as he's been playing for $4.25M the last two seasons, and he's going to be 33 this year.

 

Byrd, on the other hand, may be 37, but what he does with the bat is certain and true - he hits the deep ball at a 25-homer pace. Many believed the last two seasons to be the product of being in Philly and Cincy for home parks, but his best piece of production actually came after being traded to San Francisco last year, so that really pushes that out. He's really nothing special with the glove, but you aren't signing him for that. The issue is, though, that even though he's going to be 38 this year, he's also earned $8M the last two seasons, and he certainly didn't show any signs of slowing down in late 2015, so I'd wager that he'd not come down all the way to $3M.

[DaveW]

 

I prefer to see the Twins regress a few games with younger players rather than try to eke out a couple more wins by signing veterans who are on the downside of their career.

 

 

Eke out a couple more wins would have put the Twins in the playoffs last year (where anything can happen....) Sorry, give me the playoffs any year.

[cmoss84]

 

Eke out a couple more wins would have put the Twins in the playoffs last year (where anything can happen....) Sorry, give me the playoffs any year.

Beat me to it-my thoughts exactly. The Twins are a borderline playoff team...we need every win we can get!

 

 

[cmoss84]

 

 

 

Byrd, on the other hand, may be 37, but what he does with the bat is certain and true - he hits the deep ball at a 25-homer pace. Many believed the last two seasons to be the product of being in Philly and Cincy for home parks, but his best piece of production actually came after being traded to San Francisco last year, so that really pushes that out. He's really nothing special with the glove, but you aren't signing him for that. The issue is, though, that even though he's going to be 38 this year, he's also earned $8M the last two seasons, and he certainly didn't show any signs of slowing down in late 2015, so I'd wager that he'd not come down all the way to $3M.

I'm ok with having a little power/depth/veteran leadership off the bench. He might sign for more-that's just what I would sign him for if he doesn't sign elsewhere.

[Paul Pleiss]

Hire Nick Punto out of retirement to be first base (sliding) coach/player.

Conversely, I'd recommend working a deal with Detroit to bring the Big Sasquatch (Pelfrey) back to Minnesota to run the concession stands in left field and operato the craft beer cart.

[cmoss84]

(PART II)

STILL a lot of names out there. We definitely have some stubbornness and hard-balling going. Anyone remember good players that have lasted this long or longer in the past without signing?  

 

[biggentleben]

It's still February, so I went through to see which guys were signed in March of the previous few years to see what caliber of player was out there:

 

2015: Brewers signed Francisco Rodriguez (3/13), Red Sox signed Yoan Moncada (3/12) (not the same thing, but still a significant signing), Braves signed Peter Moylan (3/11), Cubs signed Phil Coke (3/7), Nationals signed Tony Gwynn, Jr. (3/3)

 

2014: Indians signed Mark Lowe (3/31), Yankees signed Alfredo Aceves (3/29), Rangers signed Scott Baker (3/28), Mariners signed Endy Chavez (3/26), Padres signed Jeff Francoeur (3/23), Braves signed Aaron Harang (3/24), Tigers signed J.D. Martinez (3/24), Braves signed Ervin Santana (3/12), Diamondbacks signed Oliver Perez (3/10)

 

2013: Marlins signed Miguel Olivo (3/29), Brewers signed Yuniesky Betancourt (3/27), Brewers signed Kyle Lohse (3/24)

 

Now, what I will say as you look at those lists is that this year's free agent class has multiple times been referred to as unprecedented-ly deep. That has caused this issue for many of the players, who want to hold their own value, but now face a market without the same level of need for their services as their contract demands would warrant. 

[Paul Pleiss]

The Twins should sign Nick Punto to a 1-day contact so he can retire as a Twin. And then before it expires they should give him a six to ten year extension that self-renews with a team option into infinity.

[cmoss84]

Thanks for that list, BGB...interesting stuff. Desmond signs for 1 year 8 mil today. Talks of him playing OF. Sounds like a good deal for TEX.

[Shaitan]

Morneau is still out there too. Twins need some more 1B/DH types right?

[bluechipper]

 

Thanks for that list, BGB...interesting stuff. Desmond signs for 1 year 8 mil today. Talks of him playing OF. Sounds like a good deal for TEX.

Desmond and his agent made an $8M mistake. Yikes.

[biggentleben]

 

Desmond and his agent made an $8M mistake. Yikes.

 

Good hitting environment on a one-year deal to enter an extremely weak free agent class next winter. I'm not sure how terrible a mistake it is...

[Vanimal46]

 

Good hitting environment on a one-year deal to enter an extremely weak free agent class next winter. I'm not sure how terrible a mistake it is...

Yeah he may be able to rebound this year and rake in next off-season with the weak FA class. If I were Desmond though, I'd be pretty upset at my agent for leaving nearly $8 million on the table 3-4 months ago. Someone was giving him bad advice to decline the QO.... 

[DJL44]

I'd sign Mark Buehrle if he wants to be a bullpen lefty.

[biggentleben]

 

I'd sign Mark Buehrle if he wants to be a bullpen lefty.

 

Good luck with that. I think he could still effectively start, though, but I don't know how badly he WANTS to do that anymore.

[bluechipper]

Good hitting environment on a one-year deal to enter an extremely weak free agent class next winter. I'm not sure how terrible a mistake it is...

It is when he could've entered the weak free agent class after making 16M off the Nats...In hindsight.

[cmoss84]

Austin Jackson to the White Sox- 1 year 5 million. Nice deal for them.

[cmoss84]

Here we go Twinkies, last second moves that push us into the playoff hunt.  We trade Milone and Nolasco to the Dodgers and they agreed to pay half of his salary. They lost Brett Anderson and Ricky pitched well for them. We use that money to help take a flier on Cliff Lee and sign Byrd-both for 1 year deals. Berrios comes up the second we have that extra year of control on him.

Santana

Gibson

Hughes

Berrios

Lee (or bullpen and start May)

 

p.s.

I promise this is the last time I will bring up Marlon Byrd!