Article: Twins Sign Veteran OF David Murphy To Minor League Deal

[Seth Stohs]

The Minnesota Twins announced that they have signed veteran outfielder David Murphy to a minor league deal. The Red Wings announced he will be there on Friday. It is likely he will not spend much time in Rochester before joining the Twins.The 34-year-old Murphy is best known for his years in Texas where he hit .275/.337/.440 (.777) over seven seasons. He spent 2014 and the first half of 2015 with Cleveland before being traded to the Angels in the second half last year. He went to spring training this year with the Red Sox.

 

Of course, this starts an interesting debate about a couple of things.

 

First, when he is called up to the Twins, whose spot on the 25-man roster will he take?

• Max Kepler would be a likely candidate as he is already not playing a lot.
• Byron Buxton could be sent down, allowing Murphy to play in left field with Eddie Rosario moving over to center (or Kepler).
• Could Murphy be a bench bat and replace Oswaldo Arcia?

That brings us to the second part of the question. When the Twins call him up, he will have to be added to the 40-man roster? Who would come off of it?

 

There are several candidates, of course, but if it is Arcia, that would kill two stones with one bird (as our friend Domingo Ayala might say).

 

When I initially heard this news this morning, I thought maybe he would just get some time in the Rochester outfield as Adam Brett Walker has missed several days already with a strained oblique, but Murphy will be brought up quickly.

 

What do you think will happen with this over the next few days?

 

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[Shane Wahl]

Good god. I mean, really?

 

Just. Go. With. Youth. Now. And. Take. The. Bumps.

Two years two late, but it still needs to happen. This is a silly signing (in that they clearly want him to do well quickly in AAA to join the Twins). What a joke.

Don't trade your CF for a backup catcher.

[clutterheart]

 

Good god. I mean, really?

 

Just. Go. With. Youth. Now. And. Take. The. Bumps.

Two years two late, but it still needs to happen. This is a silly signing (in that they clearly want him to do well quickly in AAA to join the Twins). What a joke.

 

Yup Agree.  Trade everyone not nailed down and go young.  

(Of course, then they will get criticized for being cheap later but if the young kids learn and improve, who cares)

[gunnarthor]

I hope they send down Rosario but I think it'll be Buxton.

[Hrbowski]

We have hot seats! We have hot seats!

[nicksaviking]

What did I miss? Did Arcia actually do something to cause them to make this move? He hasn't even been given a chance.

 

Another corner bat when there already aren't enough spots for Kepler, Park and Arcia. Why not just call Quentin back? Isn't it a right-handed bench bat this team really needs?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

It is likely he will not spend much time in Rochester before joining the Twins.

 

Do you have a source or is it more of a hunch?

[Hrbowski]

I'm surprised they just didn't go with Quentin or Sweeney.

[Vanimal46]

Signing a 34 year old OF and potentially DFA'ing a 24 year old OF in Arcia?? 

 

Does.Not.Compute. 

Edited April 14, 2016 by Vanimal46

[Sam Morley]

I was handling this bad start pretty well until I saw this. What a bummer.

[Seth Stohs]

Way too early to give up on 2016.. 

 

Murphy is better than Quentin or Sweeney.

 

Kepler should not be on a bench. He should be in AAA playing (or MLB playing).

 

Buxton looks overmatched and as much as it's nice to say he should develop and figure things out in MLB, at some point, it becomes too much. The Twins don't want him to lose confidence and they want to do what is best for him short-term and long-term. Rosario hasn't looked good either. 

 

I see no downside to this.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Do you have a source or is it more of a hunch?

 

It's been tweeted by several.

[tobi0040]

It tells me the Twins have concluded that Buxton is losing confidence and probably has a week to get some hits and strike out less

[Shane Wahl]

They should send ZERO of these guys down. Let them play.

 

[bluechipper]

They should send ZERO of these guys down. Let them play.

Well doesn't one of Rosario, Park, Kepler, or Buxton need to be sent down so they can play every day?

[nicksaviking]

 

Way too early to give up on 2016.. 

 

Murphy is better than Quentin or Sweeney.

 

Kepler should not be on a bench. He should be in AAA playing (or MLB playing).

 

Buxton looks overmatched and as much as it's nice to say he should develop and figure things out in MLB, at some point, it becomes too much. The Twins don't want him to lose confidence and they want to do what is best for him short-term and long-term. Rosario hasn't looked good either. 

 

I see no downside to this.

 

It seems to me, if he can't play CF, he's just getting in the way of development. His OPS last year was exactly the same as Arcia's career OPS. Why on earth would this team even consider giving up on a 25-year-old who plays the same position and at least has a sniff of potential for a guy who is classic DFA material?

[Seth Stohs]

 

It seems to me, if he can't play CF, he's just getting in the way of development. His OPS last year was exactly the same as Arcia's career OPS. Why on earth would this team even consider giving up on a 25-year-old who plays the same position and at least has a sniff of potential for a guy who is classic DFA material?

 

I would be surprised if they did. 

[Mike Sixel]

I do NOT endorse this move. They are not short of corner OF. They are supposedly rebuilding. He's 34. I see no upside here.

[d-mac]

 

Way too early to give up on 2016.. 

 

Murphy is better than Quentin or Sweeney.

 

Kepler should not be on a bench. He should be in AAA playing (or MLB playing).

 

Buxton looks overmatched and as much as it's nice to say he should develop and figure things out in MLB, at some point, it becomes too much. The Twins don't want him to lose confidence and they want to do what is best for him short-term and long-term. Rosario hasn't looked good either. 

 

I see no downside to this.

 

Um, Quentin and Murphy are apples and oranges. Murphy is just an older version of Sweeney. Both lefthanded 4th outfielders with extreme platoon splits, decent BB/K ratios with not much speed on the bases. Sweeney has been an above average defender in the corners and average in CF; Murphy has been below average in the corners, but "GOD NO DON'T DO IT!" bad in CF. Murphy has hit for a little more power, but that's because he spend the bulk of his career in Arlington and Sweeney in Oakland. Murphy was cheaper and we had him in camp. This is just lack of foresight on TR's part. 

[d-mac]

 

I do NOT endorse this move. They are not short of corner OF. They are supposedly rebuilding. He's 34. I see no upside here.

 

If they were going to do this, why not just have kept Sweeney? Their going to lose someone on the 40 man anyway, Sweeney costs less AND is younger and has at least some defensive value left. TR had to have known that the odds of having at least a few of Rosario, Buxton, Sano, Arcia, and Santana struggle making contact and need more time in AAA was very high, why not just keep Sweeney? 

[DJL44]

 

 

Don't trade your CF for a backup catcher.

 

 

You mean the guy hitting .091 for the Yankees?

[HitInAPinch]

From MLB Rumors:

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/minnesota-twins

 

A little snippet:  "That means one of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano is on the hot seat in terms of his starting job, per Neal."

 

Personally, based only on what Rosario and Sano did last year:  Buxton is getting a bus ticket.

 

Edited April 14, 2016 by HitInAPinch

[Rosterman]

Well he's a corner outfielder or DH.

 

We have Arcia and Park at DH.

 

We have Sano and Arcia in RF.

 

We have Rosario in LF.

 

He could bump Sano down to the minors, or force the Twins to waive Arcia (and, yes, someone will claim Arcia...at the worst that team can send him to the minors).

 

Buxton could go down and Rosario and later Santana could play center.

 

Kepler can go down, but then we have a lot of outfielders needing playing time.

 

But the big question is 40-man. I doubt Santana is a 60-day DL. Maybe Perkins could be shutdown for 60-days.

 

Otherwise, you have Melotakis, Chargolis,m Rosario and Landa. Any one of those could be cut, but I'm sure some team would find a place for them on their 40-man, for now.

 

You have O'Rourke and Meyer. Meyer is still a valuable chip. O'Rourke could probably pass thru waievrs and remain with the Twins. You have Pat Dean. He pitched well, is a lefty (potential abckend starter) and I would think someone might grab him. Remember, any guy grabbed could be waived by the grabbing team and possibly not claimed again.

 

Of course there is Kennys Vargas, a first baseman for a team that doesn't really need that depth today (Plouffe AND Kepler could play first, not to mention Park, and maybe Sano).

 

Vargas could easily not be claimed, unless some team thinks he is better than the bench bat they have already backing up first.

 

O'Rourke could be sneaked thru. Vargas and Dean might not be claimed. That's it. Three guys that the Twins have to work around on the 40-man, period.

 

Those three (along with Nunez) may not play into the immediate plans for the Twins come 2017 (as I;m sure Murphy will not). 

 

Plus  is Hicks on the 40-man. I thought not. And if he isn't, then we need a player to rotate out if we ever need that second backstop.

[nicksaviking]

 

I would be surprised if they did. 

 

I would hope not, but I don't see a place for both Murphy and Arcia on the 25 man.

[lukeduke1980]

how about taking kurt suzuki off the 40 man

[Lonestar]

I am all for sending Buxton down (and said so last fall).  But that doesn't mean signing a mediocrity like DMurphy. Just play Kepler and Arcia more.  Unless the Twins plan on demoting another player as well.  Even then DMurphy is not part of the solution.

[Shane Wahl]

If Pat Dean is not the guy removed from the 40-man . . . .

[twinsnorth49]

Mastro

Thomas

Presley

Schafer

Fuld

Kubel

Ramirez

Murphy

Bartlett (credit tobi0040)

 

 

Make it stop......

[nicksaviking]

 

Mastro

Thomas

Presley

Schafer

Fuld

Kubel

Ramirez

Murphy

 

 

Make it stop......

 

I'm going to need a refresher on that Ramirez. Wilken or Manny?

[Mike Sixel]

In fairness, they turned Fuld into Milone. That's a pretty good deal.