Escobar re-signs with Arizona

[dougd]

 

Marwin Gonzalez is the player to get to replace him. Comparable bat and even more versatile.

I was listening to an Astros playoff game and the announcer reported that Hinch had said that Gonzalez was Houston's best defensive third baseman, and shortstop, and second, and first. If he really is better than Correa defensively at shortstop, I would make signing him the top offseason priority and move Polanco to second. There will certainly be a place for him somewhere in the final years of his contract.

[mikelink45]

Good for him.  I am delighted - he worked hard to gain traction from his status as a utility player.  He would have been good for us, but sometimes a team can get too cute in its manipulations.

[h2oface]

 

I was listening to an Astros playoff game and the announcer reported that Hinch had said that Gonzalez was Houston's best defensive third baseman, and shortstop, and second, and first. If he really is better than Correa defensively at shortstop, I would make signing him the top offseason priority and move Polanco to second. There will certainly be a place for him somewhere in the final years of his contract.

 

.... and he plays outfield well, something Escobar is horrible at.

[glunn]

I was hoping to get him back, but I can think of lots of reasons why he is not coming back.

 

I suspect that we will never have enough information to do more than speculate as to why he is not coming back. Perhaps the Twins' offer was low. Perhaps there are clubhouse type issues. Perhaps he prefers Arizona for some reason that we will never know.

 

My takeaway will be to judge the trade by the performance of the three players that the Twins got for him, and by what Falvine do to fill out next year's roster. Escobar is a special player with charisma and skills. Falvine need to make us forget him by making the team great next year.

[beckmt]

Maybe it was the number of years the Twins offered.  I am guessing only 2 as by the third year there will be a glut of MI here.  Still think Escobar could have gotten more elsewhere.  Maybe he was sold on the take less and help a competitve team concept. 

[ND-Fan]

I Think the Twins Front Office better get ready for tough free agent market this coming winter and I am speculating here but I think the word is out that Twins are not preferred club but one that you sign to if no one else is offering anything close in money. I think this past year was sign of this with Lynn and Morrisson when they signed and we heard they were not good club house additions. Second this front office has been here two years and they have not signed one in house player to new contract. It was reported they tried signing Escobar just before they traded him basically take or leave it deal. If that was true the money was either not good enough or playing for the club was not to his likening otherwise he would have signed. If I would been in similar situation I think I would have been very peeved with the whole way it was handled. I think we have seen glimpses what players think of this front office first Dozier reaction when they had he wasn't happy about being sellers, Santana interview where he was quoted saying they keep taking pieces away making it harder to win, and now Escobar signing with his new club even before checking out free agency. I also wonder if last springs arbitration with Gibson also had effect on what the players thought of this Front Office and the handling of Buxton this fall couldn't have set well with players. All these things start adding up to where players look to other clubs before they will now with the Twins.  

 

[h2oface]

 

I was hoping to get him back, but I can think of lots of reasons why he is not coming back.

 

I suspect that we will never have enough information to do more than speculate as to why he is not coming back. Perhaps the Twins' offer was low. Perhaps there are clubhouse type issues. Perhaps he prefers Arizona for some reason that we will never know.

 

My takeaway will be to judge the trade by the performance of the three players that the Twins got for him, and by what Falvine do to fill out next year's roster. Escobar is a special player with charisma and skills. Falvine need to make us forget him by making the team great next year.

 

By the way..... without looking it up..... anyone...... exactly who did the Twins get for Escobar? No looking it up!

 

Exactly.

[Rosterman]

Decent deal for both sides. Good for Eduardo!

 

[Otwins]

Looking at the deal from the Arizona side- Who do you think they are not keeping? Some rumors are out there that Arizona is looking to move Goldschmidt. If they get what they are looking for they can move Lamb to 1B. This move makes it possible to move guys around if trade scenarios develop.

[DocBauer]

He was a favorite of mine. I really and truly thought this was one of those perfect moments when you traded a player away to a contending team for prospects only to re-sign him back to the place he had fun and blossomed. And I thought $7M per was the minimum.

 

Probably, hopefully, good for him.

 

Like the idea of adding a bat. But really, as far as the infield goes, as much as I love Polanco, I just don't see anything out there to excite me to move him to 2B until Lewis arrives. Iglesius maybe. Otherwise...do you bring back a hopefully healthy Dozier? Do you trust Cabrera, Kinsler or Murphy for a season or two?

[Borealis]

Really "a big mistake"? Don't you think he and his agent are smart enough to make the correct decision for him and his family?

 

It isn't always, just mostly, about money.

Yup. And some employees put value on how an organization treats it’s people. Players are humans too - not merely a commodity.

[Borealis]

I Think the Twins Front Office better get ready for tough free agent market this coming winter and I am speculating here but I think the word is out that Twins are not preferred club but one that you sign to if no one else is offering anything close in money. I think this past year was sign of this with Lynn and Morrisson when they signed and we heard they were not good club house additions. Second this front office has been here two years and they have not signed one in house player to new contract. It was reported they tried signing Escobar just before they traded him basically take or leave it deal. If that was true the money was either not good enough or playing for the club was not to his likening otherwise he would have signed. If I would been in similar situation I think I would have been very peeved with the whole way it was handled. I think we have seen glimpses what players think of this front office first Dozier reaction when they had he wasn't happy about being sellers, Santana interview where he was quoted saying they keep taking pieces away making it harder to win, and now Escobar signing with his new club even before checking out free agency. I also wonder if last springs arbitration with Gibson also had effect on what the players thought of this Front Office and the handling of Buxton this fall couldn't have set well with players. All these things start adding up to where players look to other clubs before they will now with the Twins.

 

Anyone happen to know if there are any analytics out there that measure one’s effectiveness on treating players as human beings?

[Respy]

The contract for Escobar seems low, but keep in mind that it may include some very favorable incentives and clauses which have not been announced yet.

[USAFChief]

By the way..... without looking it up..... anyone...... exactly who did the Twins get for Escobar? No looking it up!

 

Exactly.

They got Justin Nothrrguy, and Evan Les, both RH relievers. Nothrrguy could be in Chattanooga by 2021, and Twins scouts are hopeful Les can zoom through the minors “as quickly as a Nick Burdi.”

[Major League Ready]

 

I Think the Twins Front Office better get ready for tough free agent market this coming winter and I am speculating here but I think the word is out that Twins are not preferred club but one that you sign to if no one else is offering anything close in money. I think this past year was sign of this with Lynn and Morrisson when they signed and we heard they were not good club house additions. Second this front office has been here two years and they have not signed one in house player to new contract. It was reported they tried signing Escobar just before they traded him basically take or leave it deal. If that was true the money was either not good enough or playing for the club was not to his likening otherwise he would have signed. If I would been in similar situation I think I would have been very peeved with the whole way it was handled. I think we have seen glimpses what players think of this front office first Dozier reaction when they had he wasn't happy about being sellers, Santana interview where he was quoted saying they keep taking pieces away making it harder to win, and now Escobar signing with his new club even before checking out free agency. I also wonder if last springs arbitration with Gibson also had effect on what the players thought of this Front Office and the handling of Buxton this fall couldn't have set well with players. All these things start adding up to where players look to other clubs before they will now with the Twins.  

 

Which current players should the new FO have signed to new contracts other than maybe Escobar? Signing Dozier would have probably ended up a disaster. We could talk about extension candidates but that would be so speculative as to have no value.

 

So what if players whined about them be sellers at the deadline. Do you really think we should not have sold at the deadline? Using that as knock is a real reach when they were doing exactly what they should have to improve the team so we are not in this position year after year. Dozier and Santana contributed very little and then bit@#ed about the team being sellers. The players don't perform and then complain. Then, fans support the players complete lack of accountability and disregard for the long-term viability of the team. 

[Vanimal46]

They got Justin Nothrrguy, and Evan Les, both RH relievers. Nothrrguy could be in Chattanooga by 2021, and Twins scouts are hopeful Les can zoom through the minors “as quickly as a Nick Burdi.”

Don't forget OF Boomer Batts... With a name like that you would think he's a big bodied HR hitter. But he can slap the ball around as hard as Ben Revere.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Do you really think we should not have sold at the deadline

Yes I think that. They got a lot of prospects but there were hidden costs.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Eduardo Escobar is an exceptional human being. Relationships matter to him, and it should be little surprise that he offered a bargain up front to the team he was playing for, in order to avoid the uncertainty and cut throatedness of a free agency period. Best of luck to him!

[RatherBeGolfing]

RIP Eduardo Escobar name game series

[USAFChief]

 

Which current players should the new FO have signed to new contracts other than maybe Escobar? Signing Dozier would have probably ended up a disaster. We could talk about extension candidates but that would be speculative as to have no value.

 

So what if players whined about them be sellers at the deadline. Do you really think we should not have sold at the deadline? Using that as knock is a real reach when they were doing exactly what they should have to improve the team so we are not in this position year after year. Dozier and Santana contributed very little and then bit@#ed about the team being sellers. The players don't perform and then complain. Then, fans support the players complete lack of accountability and disregard for the long-term viability of the team. 

Perhaps some of us aren't convinced selling off players at the deadline, particularly in a season that wasn't over yet, doesn't speak well for the "long-term viability of the team."

 

For most free agents, the money is going to end up in a certain ballpark. There will be similar offers. I think it's pretty naive to think players don't look at how a team operates when deciding who to sign with. 

 

And I think it's naive to think players in general don't look at the Twins and wonder if their heart is really in it. Or if "long term viability" is more important than winning.
 

[Major League Ready]

 

Anyone happen to know if there are any analytics out there that measure one’s effectiveness on treating players as human beings?

 

If there is a profession where employees are coddled more than professional athletes, I certainly have not seen it. In the real world, when you are part of the problem, you don't get away with shooting your mouth off. Same goes for guys that have not been able to work. 

 

Jimmy Butler goes off the deep end because Towns and Wiggins get paid big and he did not. It's hard to put into words just how nice professional athletes have it. Play a kids game and get paid far more in a single year than the average American makes in a 50 year career.

 

Poor abused players. You have got to be kidding me.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 if Escobar "Resigns with  Arizona", that means he quits Arizona. I am happy. The Twins have a chance to "re-sign" him.

[Major League Ready]

We should look back on all the posts insisting a QO was a good idea because he was going to get close to $50M. He was a free agent and we got 3 prospects that are in our top 25. Should we have just held on to him and hoped he resigned?

[rdehring]

Booooooooooo!  And if I only knew how to add one of those whatever things showing tears.

 

EE was my favorite current Twin, well maybe second after Rosario.  And lets be realistic, none of us knows what the Twins offered him, if anything, either last winter or at the deadline. 

 

As for Escobar, gotta be happy for him to now have true financial security.  Let's also not forget when comparing the Twins to Diamondbacks, the Arizona state income tax is about 5% less than Minnesota.  So $21 million from them nets about a million more in his pocket than if signing the same deal with the Twins.  And he ain't getting a FED deduction for it like they used to.  

[Major League Ready]

 

Perhaps some of us aren't convinced selling off players at the deadline, particularly in a season that wasn't over yet, doesn't speak well for the "long-term viability of the team."

 

For most free agents, the money is going to end up in a certain ballpark. There will be similar offers. I think it's pretty naive to think players don't look at how a team operates when deciding who to sign with. 

 

And I think it's naive to think players in general don't look at the Twins and wonder if their heart is really in it. Or if "long term viability" is more important than winning.
 

 

I am profoundly aware that there are fans of this opinion. I would bet any amount of money you would care to wager that if we polled all of the ML GMs on if they would have been sellers in the Twins position, 90% would respond yes. The only reason I would not bet 100% is because there have been GMs that have proven they do not possess any long-term thinking.

[USAFChief]

 

I am profoundly aware that there are fans of this opinion. I would bet any amount of money you would care to wager that if we polled all of the ML GMs on if they would have been sellers in the Twins position, 90% would respond yes. The only reason I would not bet 100% is because there have been GMs that have proven they do not possess any long-term thinking.

Good thing we've had management with the long term thinking to get us 6 postseason games won since 1991.

[old nurse]

 

Good thing we've had management with the long term thinking to get us 6 postseason games won since 1991.

At least the current FO is trying something different than the McPhail, Ryan, Smith or Antony did.  Time will tell but some do not like to wait. Milwaukee got to where they did in part by these kinds of trades. They sold to Houston and ended up  Hader, Santana and one of the players they traded for Moustakis.  They got Davies who had a good year last year but had shoulder issues this year on a deadline deal the same year.

[nicksaviking]

 

Good thing we've had management with the long term thinking to get us 6 postseason games won since 1991.

 

That guy got fired already. And before that he also once resigned after fudging up all the contracts.

[Shaitan]

 

Like the idea of adding a bat. But really, as far as the infield goes, as much as I love Polanco, I just don't see anything out there to excite me to move him to 2B until Lewis arrives. Iglesius maybe. Otherwise...do you bring back a hopefully healthy Dozier? Do you trust Cabrera, Kinsler or Murphy for a season or two?

Good with Escobar. I'm not going to speculate on why he signed where he did for how much. There's no point in guessing what I'll never know.

 

I'd consider Kinsler on a one-year deal. His defense would shore up the IF and if he's done hitting, he's expendable if Gordon turns a corner during the year.

[KGB]

 

We should look back on all the posts insisting a QO was a good idea because he was going to get close to $50M. He was a free agent and we got 3 prospects that are in our top 25. Should we have just held on to him and hoped he resigned?

You didn't have to hope he resigned, they could have actually offered him a contract that he would have signed.  If they didn't offer at least 3 years $21 million before they traded him they are idiots.  And if they did and he just didn't want to be in the organization anymore, that even a worst sign.