Heyman: After Missing Out On Napoli, Twins Looking At Other Free Agents

[Parker Hageman]

The Twins were recently tied to veteran slugger Mike Napoli but lost out to Texas for his big bat. According to Fanrag.com's Jon Heyman the front office has shifted their focus on another crop of free agent bats including Justin Morneau, Billy Butler, Adam Lind, Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Howard.

 

 

The Twins have been seeking a veteran presence to add to the clubhouse and this group certainly emphasizes "veteran" what with Alvarez being the most junior at the young age of 30. 

 

Here are the numbers over the past two seasons for those players. Pick your poison.

 

[Mike Sixel]

If they sign Ryan Howard, I'll pretty much just post on teh sports bar....seriously. He's terrible, and has never been talked about as some great leader.

 

This obsession with a veteran at any cost, it hurts, it hurts a lot. 

 

ID specific veterans for specific reasons? Sure. Sign veterans just to sign veterans? Uh, wut?

[Blake]

Morneau.*

 

 

*remember, I had to pick my poison. This is not necessarily an endorsement of poison, per se.

[nicksaviking]

Why are they only looking at DH/1B options? There seems to be no logic there. Why not aim for the "veteran leadership" of a right handed outfielder?

 

Unless they truly would consider the unthinkable and release Joe Mauer, I don't get it.

[rghrbek]

I am not following this rationale at all.  I understand what they think they are going to get (or trying to get), but not with these players.  Especially another lefty dh/1b.  Apparently they have no plans to platoon Joe to give him his rest?

 

This would make Vargas odd man out.  Really dislike the group of names.

[Tom Froemming]

If Chris Carter gets $3M and Park clears waivers, all these guys should be available on minor league deals, right? 

[Riverbrian]

Why the complete focus on 1st base? 

 

We got some anti-Vargas folks in the building or so it seems. 

[GP830]

The further we get, the more I realize a Bautista signing would have made all the sense. 

[glanzer]

I don't know... Alvarez has a career .438/.500/.500 line at Target Field in 18 PA!

[nicksaviking]

 

If Chris Carter gets $3M and Park clears waivers, all these guys should be available on minor league deals, right? 

 

Do you need special forms and paperwork specific to minor league deals? Because if so, the Twins may have ran out of those documents already.

[d-mac]

I don't know... Alvarez has a career .438/.500/.500 line at Target Field in 18 PA!

 

Small Sample Size is Small^tm

[d-mac]

WTF? I'd rather them find out what they have with Vargas and Park. At least Park can play defense at first. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Signing any of those guys is lighting a pile of money on fire.

[Parker Hageman]

 

Signing any of those guys is lighting a pile of money on fire.

 

http://img.pandawhale.com/post-51553-joker-its-about-sending-a-mess-LGsx.gif

[Kwak]

Maybe the Twins "can't give their money away"?

[JustinCB]

 

Morneau.*

 

 

*remember, I had to pick my poison. This is not necessarily an endorsement of poison, per se.

 

How bout MorNO

[Mike Sixel]

 

How bout MorNO

 

Nicely done!

[mikelink45]

How about signing a veteran Front Office person to settle down the excitement about this on the field vet.  This line of reasoning is driving me crazy.  DH/1B lets sign 25 and have a full roster - especially if they are vets, that way they can talk to each other at the bar each night.  Is this all about Mauer?  or are we just fixated - Park, Vargas, Mauer.  Isn't Mauer a veteran?  Isn't Dozier a Vet?  Isn't Escobar a vet?  Isn't Castro a Vet?  

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

Can anybody get a read on what this front office thinks of Kennys Vargas? I thought the Park DFA at least partially meant that they liked Vargas and were ready to roll with him as the primary DH. It doesn't look that way right now.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think they want vets who have a bit more history on winning teams.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm curious, which young players need a veteran?

 

the backup catcher will have Castro. The pitchers will have Santana and Gibson and Hughes. Dozier and Mauer and Escobar shouldn't need mentoring.

 

That leaves the 3 OF, the SS, and the 3B. Mauer, Dozier, Esco, Castro can't each take 1 guy, and share the 4th?

 

IMO, they need a veteran OF to talk about positioning, cut offs, all that kind of stuff, not another DH....

[Mike Sixel]

 

I think they want vets who have a bit more history on winning teams.

 

I agree, though I don't agree "he played on winning teams, ergo he is a winner and can teach it" to be true....

[Lee-The-Twins-Fan]

Remember, the Twins fought for and got another option year for Vargas. Both he and Park could start the season at AAA. There could be a 1B/DH spot opening up..

 

I sense a pattern here – four of the five are left-handed batters. Butler is the only righty.

 

Of the five, Alvarez makes a lot of sense. He hit 22 homers in 109 games, batting  .249/.322/.504/.826. He also plays both 1B and 3B. 

 

Butler was .284/.336/.416/.752 with 5 homers last year.

 

Lind had a down year last year. But if he could return to his AL average .270/.323/.463/.786, He'd be a good get.

 

Ryan Howard I would stay away from. He's spent his entire career in the NL, and hasn't hit well for at least two years.

 

That leaves Justin Morneau, who hit .261/.303/.429/.731 in 58 games with the White Sox last year. 

 

I'd say Alvarez – with his two-position versatility and batting last year, or Morneau, just for the feel-good reunion, probably make the most sense.

 

If the Twins brass is serious, we should see some movement in the next day or so. The FA could easily add Alvarez and DFA Danny Santana to make it work.

 

They could still have either Vargas or Park on the roster to bat against tough left-handers. 

 

 

 

 

[Boom Boom]

I'm curious, which young players need a veteran?

 

the backup catcher will have Castro. The pitchers will have Santana and Gibson and Hughes. Dozier and Mauer and Escobar shouldn't need mentoring.

 

That leaves the 3 OF, the SS, and the 3B. Mauer, Dozier, Esco, Castro can't each take 1 guy, and share the 4th?

 

IMO, they need a veteran OF to talk about positioning, cut offs, all that kind of stuff, not another DH....

Joe Mauer a leader? I think that's implausible at this point.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Remember, the Twins fought for and got another option year for Vargas. Both he and Park could start the season at AAA. There could be a 1B/DH spot opening up..

 

I sense a pattern here – four of the five are left-handed batters. Butler is the only righty.

 

Of the five, Alvarez makes a lot of sense. He hit 22 homers in 109 games, batting  .249/.322/.504/.826. He also plays both 1B and 3B. 

 

Butler was .284/.336/.416/.752 with 5 homers last year.

 

Lind had a down year last year. But if he could return to his AL average .270/.323/.463/.786, He'd be a good get.

 

Ryan Howard I would stay away from. He's spent his entire career in the NL, and hasn't hit well for at least two years.

 

That leaves Justin Morneau, who hit .261/.303/.429/.731 in 58 games with the White Sox last year. 

 

I'd say Alvarez – with his two-position versatility and batting last year, or Morneau, just for the feel-good reunion, probably make the most sense.

 

If the Twins brass is serious, we should see some movement in the next day or so. The FA could easily add Alvarez and DFA Danny Santana to make it work.

 

They could still have either Vargas or Park on the roster to bat against tough left-handers. 

 

Alvarez can play 3B like DanSan can play SS. He can stand there.....and he can be really, really, really bad at doing it.

 

Clearly, Vargas doesn't need mentoring, since he'll be in AAA.....

[Pardon My Dinger]

I pick real poison. 

[Mike Sixel]

Every at bat by one of these guys in ST is one Vargas, Palka, Park do not get.......

[Vanimal46]

Pedro Alvarez would not induce instant vomiting, so I guess him?

[KirbyDome89]

So the Park DFA wasn't about money, bench flexibility, or clearing up a logjam at a position, all of which were posed as reasons for the move. It was all about bringing in a veteran player well past his prime, and seemingly at the expense of younger players in the organization. Can anybody think of a more "Twinsesque," move? Bravo......

[gunnarthor]

I think the problem is the Twins don't think they have a DH right now.  Vargas was crap in AAA last year - he put up a .233/.361/.424 line.  At the ML level, he was worse on both avg and obp but slugged a bunch of HR to have a strong slg percentage.  He's most likely not a .270 iso guy, in which case he's a low avg, low on-base, moderate power guy who really hits LH pitching and not much else.  So getting a LH bat to platoon with him at DH might make sense.