Article: Twins Daily Roundtable: Extension Candidates

[Platoon]

Currently Esco has Dozier in HR by I think 3 RBI by ten, Dozier hasn't been good with men on base and average by around 20? But the kicker is I looked in 3 different sites, and cannot find him charged with an error? Is that possible? And BD I think was at 6, and those don't count that lame throw home on the double steal, and if I could read the tv right that cutoff throw home which moved the guy to third, which was completely ignored by Dick/Bert. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Esco is a Lindor or Correa but he has been an awfully good player in the last calendar year.

[Platoon]

Speaking of Dick Bert, and I know this is off topic since we aren't extending RG but: In the game he played left field did he really catch a run of the mill fly ball in medium LF and have a guy tag and move up to third? That's what I remember, but I can't find anything on it. I would have thought such arm strength bes ever a notation. I have never saw it in MLB, not like that one. Dick/Bert called it throwing to the wrong base. You normally wouldn't get away with that in HS.

[jkcarew]

If we assume Gordon is a 2B in the major leagues (not a SS...I’d be happy to be wrong), then you’d want to keep (either sign, or ‘not trade’) 2 of the 3 players, those players being Escobar, Dozier, and Gordon. And the ‘other’ 1, you should part with.

 

I keep Escobar and Gordon...second choice would be keep/sign Escobar and Dozier, but only if that means I included Gordon in a trade for a MLB piece (presumably a catcher). Either way, I’m trying to keep Escobar. Add to that, if Mauer is done, without Escobar you have a big hole at 3B. So, Escobar, Escobar, Escobar. And Gibson.

[Danchat]

My thoughts:

 

It's probably too early, but Berrios would be my #1 extension candidate. I would like to see the Twins lock in his arb. years and try to buy out a year of free agency.

 

After that, I'm tempted to say Rosario or Escobar, but I think I'd wait on Rosario. As for Escobar, I would offer him a 3 year $30-36M deal once the season ends, and if he doesn't find anything better in FA, he can come back and take the deal. I wouldn't extend him the qualifying offer because I think there's a high chance he accepts it. He's made around $12M in his whole career, so I think he'd take approx. $18M to play just one season and hit FA at age 31. But who knows, maybe other teams out there are ready to offer him more, and he could decline it.

 

I want to say Kepler, but he's in the middle of his second average season in a row and I've been waiting awhile for him to explode at the plate, but it hasn't happened. It's probably too soon to extend him.

 

Over the offseason I would have said Buxton was my #1 priority, but um, well, y'know.

 

Regarding Dozier, I know the current forum consensus seems to be that he's having a disappointing season, but I'd still offer him a deal around 3 years $36-40M. However, I think he's going to take the biggest deal offered to him, so I think he declines the qualifying offer (that they should offer him) and he signs a bigger deal elsewhere.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Danchat

[Brandon]

Also Dozier could move over to 1B if Mauer is done and Gordon could be the second baseman. Sano moving to DH most of the time. I dont see why he isnt there more already.

[Brandon]

Also how much would it cost to extend Pressley? He is a former rule 5 pick who is in his 5th season here. I think he may have 2 seasons till he is a FA after this one, but not a bad idea to extend him for 2 or 3 seasons for cost certainty.

[Thrylos]

 

Also Dozier could move over to 1B if Mauer is done

 

Any idea how many errors a 5-9 with heels on first baseman will cause?   There is a reason that 1B are usually tall.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Thrylos

[Mike Sixel]

Also how much would it cost to extend Pressley? He is a former rule 5 pick who is in his 5th season here. I think he may have 2 seasons till he is a FA after this one, but not a bad idea to extend him for 2 or 3 seasons for cost certainty.

This didn't age well....

[jtkoupal]

Berríos has to be the top priority to keep in Minnesota.

 

They all are important, but there are also a plethora of outfield prospects coming through. 

 

Pitching is such a valuable commodity that it cannot be let slip through your fingers. Developing pitching is hard, but buying pitching is basically not possible. That leaves only one solution... keep the talent you have if at all possible.

[ashbury]

Does anyone know what the qualifying offer numbers will be this off-season? I would extend one to Eduardo.

This past off-season it was $17.4M.

 

That's a lot to pay for one year of a player's services. I don't think I want to make a QO to Dozier; he saw the soft market this past off-season, same as we did, and could decide the smart way would be to take the $17M and play it year to year from there on. Such a payday would put him halfway toward what he might receive for a 3-year deal on the open market. Maybe he sees it differently and would turn down the QO, thus rolling the dice. I wouldn't take that chance, as a GM.

 

No way would I pay Escobar $17M for a season. Hopefully his agent will reach a good extension agreement with the team, something under $10M a year I suppose.

 

Seems like the $17M could be put to better use.

 

I'm of two minds about Berrios. Lock up young talent, yeah. But I saw him rubbing his upper arm between innings a game or two ago - it reminds me that pitching goes bad in the blink of an eye. I don't know how to balance the risk. It depends a lot on what he would sign for.

[jun]

 

Let's forget Dozier has out produced Escobar every single year and focus on the first 60 games this year. Got it.

I would confidently bet a lot of money Dozier out produces Escobar this season again.

I would bet my money confidently Escobar out produces Dozier this season. Let's see who wins at the end.

[jun]

 

This past off-season it was $17.4M.

 

That's a lot to pay for one year of a player's services. I don't think I want to make a QO to Dozier; he saw the soft market this past off-season, same as we did, and could decide the smart way would be to take the $17M and play it year to year from there on. Such a payday would put him halfway toward what he might receive for a 3-year deal on the open market. Maybe he sees it differently and would turn down the QO, thus rolling the dice. I wouldn't take that chance, as a GM.

 

No way would I pay Escobar $17M for a season. Hopefully his agent will reach a good extension agreement with the team, something under $10M a year I suppose.

 

Seems like the $17M could be put to better use.

 

I'm of two minds about Berrios. Lock up young talent, yeah. But I saw him rubbing his upper arm between innings a game or two ago - it reminds me that pitching goes bad in the blink of an eye. I don't know how to balance the risk. It depends a lot on what he would sign for.

I think Escobar is worth around 3 year 30-36 millions. I don't think he's going to ask anything more than that.

[yarnivek1972]

I guess I don’t understand the QO process. Is it seriously one amount for every player?

 

That seems ridiculous.

 

Back in the “old days” players were graded A, B or C once they hit arbitration. It would seem to make more sense to do that and use those grades to establish tiered QO levels.

 

If it is one QO fits all, the only players who will ever receive them are top level FA. And in reality that level of player is a rarity on the FA market.

 

Why has MLB always had the compensation system that makes the least sense of any pro sport?

[slash129]

 

Any idea how many errors a 5-9 with heels on first baseman will cause?   There is a reason that 1B are usually tall.

 

That reminds me of the first game Tuesday. Petit pinch ran for Sano, and he stayed in at 1b due to the short bench.  The guys next to me in the stands said, "Who is that little guy over at first? They're all wearing 42.  I sure hope the throws don't sail."

[yarnivek1972]

Any idea how many errors a 5-9 with heels on first baseman will cause? There is a reason that 1B are usually tall.

Doug Mientkiewicz wasn’t very tall. I know he was listed at 6’2”, but that was not accurate. Somewhere I have a picture of him and me. I’m 5’10”. He’s barely taller than me. There was also a picture of Rivas, Guzman, Doug and Koskie standing near second base (after Koskie moved on). They are all about the same height except Koskie, who at 6’3” towered over them. Rivas and Guzman were both under 6’.

[ashbury]

Why has MLB always had the compensation system that makes the least sense of any pro sport?

Probably a good question, but for a different thread.

[Richard Karn's Beard]

 

I think that the lessons of Capps, Hughes, and Perkins should be clear:  Do not extend older pitchers at their prime or older.  Too much of a risk.

Capps had a prime?