Kinley's Magical Horseshoe Remains Intact

[ThejacKmp]

 

 

As a team that was competitive last year, their spot in the Rule 5 draft is too low to expect to find anyone really compelling. This draft is not what it was, back when Johan Santana was snatched, with different rules. And with the requirement to keep such a player on the 25-man all year, versus the flexibility to option a guy if they had kept one of the ones they exposed to draft/waivers, the upside has to be all the much higher. All in all, Rule 5 is for the bottom feeders, which is something I was hoping we no longer were. And this guy isn't proving to be the exception.

 

I have wondered about the Rule V this year. It seemed like decisions with Chargois and others were made with the Rule V in mind - they really wanted that roster spot. Maybe they expected a guy to fall and he didn't so they grabbed Kinley?

 

Several other contenders grabbed guys but most sent them back at some point (like Bard). It'll be interesting to see if the Twins join them in a few weeks. 

[ashbury]

Maybe they expected a guy to fall and he didn't so they grabbed Kinley?

If I had the opportunity to interview either Falvey or Levine I would ask for a detailed recounting of their thought processes during the lead-up to the past two Rule 5 drafts. Both picks were complicated in their execution, and neither has turned out remotely worth the cost. At least last year, they had the #1 pick.

 

This year, if they expected a guy to fall, that means they expected approximately 20 other teams to all judge he's not worth it. What in the world did they see in him (Kinley or someone else) - or what in the world would they expect any other player to offer by that point in the draft?

 

Rule 5 is no longer a market inefficiency, except for the very saddest of sad-sack teams.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Okay, my question is this:

 

Are people saying that (1) The Twins are too competitive to have a Rule V guy on the roster or (2) that this Rule V guy is not worth it?

 

Because I can very much get behind #2. If he was 24 and had the makings of 3-4 pitches to become a starter, I'd get it. But he's 27 with limited upside.

 

But #1 I have a hard time with because of everything you said above. He's the last man in a large pen and the situations he's terrible in have little to no effect on the bottom line for this year's team.

 

Thoughts?

Perhaps a small bit of both, but for myself and a good number of others the first reason you gave is the sticking point. IMO the draft is a total crapshoot but if you're a bad team, you're selecting high, and you very likely have multiple roster holes so rolling the dice and holding onto a guy who likely isn't a MLB caliber player isn't doing much damage overall. 

 

Conversely, if you're the 18' Twins and you're looking to build off a WC appearance, handing a roster spot to a guy who has no business being in the big leagues is too steep of a price to pay for essentially a tryout. The fact that the pitching was so bad for MN last year, and is once again struggling only magnifies the issue of wasting that roster spot. 

 

I certainly wouldn't say his presence on the active roster has no effect on the bottom line. Like I said before, Kinley's direct impact on the losses is minimal, but that's because he is being hidden in the bullpen. He can't contribute to losses in any meaningful way because he isn't being used in any meaningful innings. Indirectly though, his spot in the bullpen elevates every other pitcher. The bullpen is a ladder and Kinley is sitting on the bottom rung. Moving him out allows the Twins to shift guys down into roles they're better suited for, at least for the moment.  It's also forcing MN to carry 13 pitchers, which then affects positional options off the bench. 

[Mr. Brooks]

I have wondered about the Rule V this year. It seemed like decisions with Chargois and others were made with the Rule V in mind - they really wanted that roster spot. Maybe they expected a guy to fall and he didn't so they grabbed Kinley?

 

Several other contenders grabbed guys but most sent them back at some point (like Bard). It'll be interesting to see if the Twins join them in a few weeks.

The Chargois decision came well after they had already taken Kinley.

[jud6312]

Thankfully it appears the experiment is over - Kinley out, Slegers in.

 

Now the question is does Hughes go to the pen or does Slegers?

 

https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/tyler-kinley-designated-for-assignment/c-273931974