Big League Stew Offseason Grades For All 30 Teams

[nicksaviking]

 

It would have made more sense to me to go scrap-heap for a DH if a DH was what the Twins were looking for. Somebody to compete with Arcia and Vargas (or Sano for that matter).

Then go after some big-time reliever with the money they didn't commit to Park.

 

There weren't any big time free agent relievers though. The team would have had to give up a ton to get one like Kimbrel, Giles or Chapman.

 

I'd also say that Park's $3M/year deal is in line with scrap-heap DH prices.

[USAFChief]

They weren't ready last year, but they were also pitching in their first full pro season (Burdi and Reed) or coming back from injury (Chargois), and Alex Meyer was doing pretty well out of the bullpen. All except for Chargois were just listed in Keith Law's top 10 releif prospects, and I'm sure they'll get the chance to pitch for the Twins this year, and maybe Melotakis too.

We'll see.

 

My personal bet is, if the Twins are hanging around contention by July, they'll be looking for relief help on the trade market.

[bluechipper]

 

We'll see.

My personal bet is, if the Twins are hanging around contention by July, they'll be looking for relief help on the trade market.

Don't you think the reason why the Twins didn't want to sign a reliever to a multi-year deal was because of all of the high upside internal options? I would think these guys, along with Pressly, will have a good chance to be up by June/July.

[Dman]

i kind of feel that the D- grade is a little harsh but like several people have said winning the off season doesn't typically mean much.  Even if the Twins aren't D- the best I could see would be C- so not much difference anyway.

 

I agree that it would have been nice to find one more fairly dominant bullpen piece because I don't think Perkins will be able to stay healthy for a full season anymore and we don't have a lot behind him right now.  Once he goes down there is a lot of stepping up to do.

 

Thing is though I am all for going with the younger players completely proven or not. We need to get Buxten, Berrios, and Kepler playing time this year and we need see which of the young relief arms have the stuff to make it in pro ball. We have to get our core young players the experience this year so that they can succeed next year.  We have six years to get this team where it needs to be to compete for the World Series but we need to get them real experience.

 

We need to find out sooner than later who has the right stuff because we are ripe with talent with little room on the 40 man to stash anyone anymore.  Get some of these young guys going move the vets onto another team and create room for the future players to stay with the team.

 

To me this is it.  This is the start of many great seasons to come.  No need to block players.  Let's see what the young guys have and get ready to be the great team I know they will become.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Don't you think the reason why the Twins didn't want to sign a reliever to a multi-year deal was because of all of the high upside internal options? I would think these guys, along with Pressly, will have a good chance to be up by June/July.

 

I want to believe that, not sure I do though.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Bleh. 1) You're including the signing bonus to make that work and ignoring the team control of the players. 2) Bastardo and Lowe combined for 112 innings last year. 3) It would have been a mistake to count on (yet again) Arcia/Vargas.

It wasn't a signing bonus, it was a posting fee, and why wouldn't we include it here? It was an expenditure incurred to acquire Park that could have put toward other players. As for team control, it would be 4 player seasons either way. The path we chose added a potential DH/1B for 2018-2019 on top of 2016-2017, the other path added bullpen depth/competition for 2016-2017. The latter was more of a need, right?

 

And we didn't count on Arcia or Vargas for much of 2015, I don't know where this idea is coming from that we'd have to rely on them to any great degree in 2016 had we not signed Park.

[Riverbrian]

We'll see.

My personal bet is, if the Twins are hanging around contention by July, they'll be looking for relief help on the trade market.

Yeah... Just like they did last year (cough cough).

[Boom Boom]

There weren't any big time free agent relievers though. The team would have had to give up a ton to get one like Kimbrel, Giles or Chapman.

 

I'd also say that Park's $3M/year deal is in line with scrap-heap DH prices.

It would be in line except for the length of the commitment, the major league deal, and the posting fee. I'm thinking Carlos Quentin would have been plenty to add to what was an already crowded DH field without Park.

 

I don't really care how much the Twins spend. I also wouldn't criticize them for "spending money just to spend money" as some Twins fans criticize other teams of doing. However, if the price of relievers was so outrageous that the Twins just couldn't justify the price under their self-imposed salary cap, then it seems to me that their money wasn't allocated very well.

[Riverbrian]

Don't you think the reason why the Twins didn't want to sign a reliever to a multi-year deal was because of all of the high upside internal options? I would think these guys, along with Pressly, will have a good chance to be up by June/July.

I could buy this thinking... I could even support it... Well not support it... but benefit of the doubt it at least.

 

However... Terry Ryan stated that a left handed piece in the bullpen was an off season need.

[Linus]

It would be in line except for the length of the commitment, the major league deal, and the posting fee. I'm thinking Carlos Quentin would have been plenty to add to what was an already crowded DH field without Park.

 

I don't really care how much the Twins spend. I also wouldn't criticize them for "spending money just to spend money" as some Twins fans criticize other teams of doing. However, if the price of relievers was so outrageous that the Twins just couldn't justify the price under their self-imposed salary cap, then it seems to me that their money wasn't allocated very well.

Carlos Quentin is a long shot flier acquisition. The Twins are not counting on him for anything nor should they.

[Major League Ready]

 

It wasn't a signing bonus, it was a posting fee, and why wouldn't we include it here? It was an expenditure incurred to acquire Park that could have put toward other players. As for team control, it would be 4 player seasons either way. The path we chose added a potential DH/1B for 2018-2019 on top of 2016-2017, the other path added bullpen depth/competition for 2016-2017. The latter was more of a need, right?

And we didn't count on Arcia or Vargas for much of 2015, I don't know where this idea is coming from that we'd have to rely on them to any great degree in 2016 had we not signed Park.

I would bet 99% of all financial analysts would agree with you.  More importantly, the Twins have to follow GAAP and tax law with this posting fee and every other expenditure.  The test from a GAAP perspective is always a matter of matching expense with revenue/value.  I don’t know how anyone could possibly assert that the posting fee does provide value over the life the contract.  Of course, they could write it off if they terminated the contract.  

 

I have seen a couple of weird tax exceptions that are specific to sports and entertainment but I doubt posting fees have been given any special consideration.

[Boom Boom]

Carlos Quentin is a long shot flier acquisition. The Twins are not counting on him for anything nor should they.

Of course they shouldn't count on Quentin.

 

My point was that DH wasn't a position of need for this team like relief pitching was.

 

I mean, the Twins shouldn't be counting on Fernando Abad to bolster the bullpen... but they are.

[mikelink45]

These ratings are all fun and entertain while we wait for something else to think about.  The Twins at best are deserving of an incomplete although with Sano, Park, Arcia, Vargas, Walker we have certainly solidified the DH for years to come and even relief for Mr Mauer.  With Nolasco, Santana, Milone, Gibson, Berrios, Duffey, May, and Hughes we have a fight for the #2, #3, and #5 positions in the rotation.  In the Bullpen - we have more numbers!  While in CF Buxton better come through right away and Rosario better maintain his rookie credentials and right behind them in the ever promising SS/CF Santana.  

 

The problem we have is that TR does not care what the Fans are saying - understandable - but also does not understand the need to communicate and help us stay excited.   Moving early is what TR does.  It is a pattern from the past. 

 

So now the fun, how will Molitor sort it out?

[bird]

 

I don't agree with the idea that Jim Pohlad keeping the money in his pocket is somehow better than Terry attempting (right or wrong) to improve the team.

 

 

Jim Pohlad: "Terry, don't improve the team under any circumstances. I want to keep the money in my pocket, but don't tell Winston."

[bird]

 

Umm, signing a DH when they had 3-4 of them in the system?

 

 

I'm trying to figure out what's non-sensical about having the objective of providing protection to Sano in the middle of the order with a potent right-handed bat. We can reasonably wonder if  they accomplished the goal, but what makes this objective so non-sensical? Especially when the guy might help Molitor sit Mauer against tough lefties, or sit him more often if he's struggling.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I'm trying to figure out what's non-sensical about having the objective of providing protection to Sano in the middle of the order with a potent right-handed bat. We can reasonably wonder if they accomplished the goal, but what makes this objective so non-sensical? Especially when the guy might help Molitor sit Mauer against tough lefties, or sit him more often if he's struggling.

That is a fine objective, but at this point, given their moves and history, it seems like RH DH depth was vaulted ahead of actually fielding a good MLB bullpen.

[howieramone2]

 

That is a fine objective, but at this point, given their moves and history, it seems like RH DH depth was vaulted ahead of actually fielding a good MLB bullpen.

A GM who was twice Baseball Executive of the Year can do both at the same time, and also find a catcher of the future.

[bird]

I like Park, and I'm glad to have him, but he wasn't a fit and still isn't. Other players should have been removed if they were going to make room for Park. Arcia and Vargas are only part of the redundancy, Sano, Plouffe and Mauer are part of it too, and now so is Carlos Quentin.

 

 

You aren't redundant if you're parked in AAA (Vargas?) or cut after a revealing spring training (Quentin?). There's room on this roster for Mauer, Sano, Park, and Arcia if all four are worthy. If on is injured or disappointing, the question of redundancy probably goes away entirely.

 

If someone produces in the middle of the order and enhances the production of the batters in front of and behind him, he's a fit. 

[bird]

 

We'll see.

My personal bet is, if the Twins are hanging around contention by July, they'll be looking for relief help on the trade market.

 

I think that's a very reasonable bet, Chief. But still, I might take the other side of the bet. Given the number of guys with a very real chance to emerge like May and Duffey did last year: Meyer, Burdi, Pressly, Chargois, Reed, Melotakis, Tonkin, etc.

 

But I'm with the crowd that thinks it was a poor decision for Ryan to take my side of the bet. He should have brought a hotshot LHR in via trade or FA.

[bird]

 

That is a fine objective, but at this point, given their moves and history, it seems like RH DH depth was vaulted ahead of actually fielding a good MLB bullpen.

 

 

Yes, it was possibly a fine objective. Certainly not non-sensical.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Yes, it was possibly a fine objective. Certainly not non-sensical.

The priority it was given seems questionable, though.