Aaron Hicks signs a 7/70 deal with Yankees

[ewen21]

 

They get to spread out the money over more years..... It's like the first years don't matter that he's under paid.... Or that the team gets more flexibility in terms of payroll in the early years.

That is just the thing.  I don't feel he is underpaid in first few years as of right now.  His lifetime average is .236 and he never had more than 400 at bats in any season until last year.  Just how do you figure he is "underpaid" when the Yankees are giving him $10,785,714 each year GUARANTEED from for the next four years after next season?

 

We don't actually have a crystal ball and it isn't like he's the model of consistency.  You can tell me he is underpaid AFTER he has a strong season in 2019.  Right now?  I am sorry, no way do I accept that premise.

[Mike Sixel]

Because batting average is only one measure, and ignores walks, power, and defense. And steals.

 

I posted a quote from a national writer earlier. Let's just agree to disagree....

[Jacksson]

WOW!! We sure dodged a bullet on that deal !! How's John Ryan Murphy doing for us??

[Tomj14]

 

That is just the thing.  I don't feel he is underpaid in first few years as of right now.  His lifetime average is .236 and he never had more than 400 at bats in any season until last year.  Just how do you figure he is "underpaid" when the Yankees are giving him $10,785,714 each year GUARANTEED from for the next four years after next season?

 

We don't actually have a crystal ball and it isn't like he's the model of consistency.  You can tell me he is underpaid AFTER he has a strong season in 2019.  Right now?  I am sorry, no way do I accept that premise.

My thoughts, I think there is a good chance he took the money because there could be a long work stoppage in 2021, wiping out a some of his productive time, on top of that he has a hard time staying healthy.

Finely, people need to get over the trade, there is no chance of him getting any playing time here after his 2016 123 game season with a negative WAR.

Kind of the same as the Carlos Gomez trade it took him 3 years after Twins traded him to play 100 games and be decent, and 4 for to be great.

agree with Mike the Yanks got a great deal on this one, if he is good to great he is super cheap and if he isn't or gets hurt, big deal it is only 10 million a year.

[rv78]

Is this TWINS DAILY or Yankees Daily? Who cares what Hicks signs for? Has nothing to do with the Twins.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

It seems like a fair deal to both sides. Owners are trying to tramp down on payroll so Hicks probably couldn't assume a huge windfall when he hit FA. He's getting a ton of money but he is a risk, as others noted. He's had two solid seasons with NY but only played 225 games in those two years. So there is risk to NY as well. 

 

Probably a good reminder to not give up on guys like Buxton either.

I think NY has done a very good job minimizing his weaknesses and setting him up to succeed. He's being paid accordingly. They have a stacked OF, not to mention a very deep lineup, so they have the ability to use Hicks in that capacity. He's probably the best 4th OF in the league.

[Riverbrian]

 

Trading Hicks was the right thing to do at the time. Getting a good catcher for him was the right thing to do at the time. However, the Twins got Murphy instead.

 

If it was right thing to do at the time. 

 

Doing the right thing was the wrong thing to do. 

 

 

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Is this TWINS DAILY or Yankees Daily? Who cares what Hicks signs for? Has nothing to do with the Twins.

There's a reason this is in the general baseball thread. 

[Riverbrian]

 

Is this TWINS DAILY or Yankees Daily? Who cares what Hicks signs for? Has nothing to do with the Twins.

 

This is TWINS DAILY. 

 

However... you may want to head back over to the Minnesota Twins Talk Forum. You seem to have stumbled into the Other Baseball Forum where we all discuss other teams and players and then made a comment about discussing other teams and players. 

 

 

[Riverbrian]

 

It would've been interesting to see a "what if" with Hicks. He struggled a lot in in NY his first year - probably his worst season. That was 2016's total system failure for us. Had he posted a 64 OPS+ with the Twins that year, I'm not sure what they would've done with him. He'd have no trade value and Buxton/Kepler/Rosario were right there, struggling as well.

 

Hicks spent 2016 has the primary defensive replacement for Carlos Beltran. 

 

Aaron had 361 AB's in 123 games. 

 

He was the 4th Outfielder... A role he could have played with us. 

 

The Hicks trade is just a microcosm of why we are still waiting for something to happen. 

 

Here is a question: Considering all Twins and Ex-Twins... who has signed the largest contract (Total Value) since Joe Mauer signed his 184 million deal?  

 

 

[nicksaviking]

 

I can see why the Yankees would put this offer on the table. I don't see why Hicks would take it. He's turning into the type of player that a team overpays for.

 

I think Hicks found himself in a Kyle Gibson-ish age conundrum. He would have been hitting the market well past his perceived prime.

 

Seems like a good deal for Hicks to me considering the current climate regarding players over 30. Good for Hicks securing a job (or at least a paycheck) long past an age most players these days are afforded. I'd imagine for a lot of guys, not having to go through what Marwin Gonzalez did or what Adam Jones and Denard Span are going through is worth it in itself.

 

Not that I don't think he's worth it, the players are just getting railroaded by the owners these days.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I would not trade Hicks for any of the 3 Twins current starting OF and I'd rather have Cave and Cave's  current contract than Hicks and his last year's contract, to say nothing of Hick's 7 year at $70 million contract. No way. Was the Hicks for Ryan a good  trade at the time...I think so. Mauer was not going to catch and Ryan looked very promising. I'm just saying Hicks is not that good...still. Some of you are getting all excited because he is a "New York Yankee". 

[nicksaviking]

 

I would not trade Hicks for any of the 3 Twins current starting OF and I'd rather have Cave and Cave's  current contract than Hicks and his last year's contract, to say nothing of Hick's 7 year at $70 million contract. No way. Was the Hicks for Ryan a good  trade at the time...I think so. Mauer was not going to catch and Ryan looked very promising. I'm just saying Hicks is not that good...still. Some of you are getting all excited because he is a "New York Yankee". 

 

He's not that good? He was a top 15 outfielder in the whole league last year. Top 10 based on other evaluations. I like Rosario and have hopes for Kepler and Buxton, but none of those guys have been as good as Hicks has been the last two seasons.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Finely, people need to get over the trade, there is no chance of him getting any playing time here after his 2016 123 game season with a negative WAR.

Kind of the same as the Carlos Gomez trade it took him 3 years after Twins traded him to play 100 games and be decent, and 4 for to be great.

Yes, Hicks was still bad in 2016 -- but that was in part influenced by how the Twins failed to develop him from 2013-2015 (which is a source of frustration on top of the trade itself). Another MLB club had Hicks positioned as a valuable MLB contributor in just over a year's time after he left the Twins. And regardless of his later performance, at the time of the trade he ostensibly had some value (as a cheap CF coming off a decent performance in 2015) and we completely whiffed on getting *any* value out of the player we accepted in return.

 

The whole thing contributed, at least in part, towards the firing of our GM and coaches. Obviously we shouldn't hold it against the current front office or coaches, but we shouldn't soften our view of it all either, or forget the lessons learned.

 

(Gomez is a little more complicated -- Hardy for two-plus seasons would have been a solid return, although we bungled Hardy as an asset after just one season too.)

[howieramone2]

 

Good for Hicks.

 

There is little risk here for the Yankees. He's not getting big money, and his skills tend to last well into the mid 30s...some power, a good eye, good defense/arm.

 

Among the very worst Twins trades in their history. Awful, and so unnecessary. There was zero chance Murphy would provide as much value as Hicks. Zero. 

Without hindsight it was a solid trade. Murphy spent parts of 3 seasons in The Show with possibly the best run organization in baseball. I read recently the Yankees have the largest analytics department and the best domestic and international scouts in all of baseball. Don't forget, no one on the board was shedding big tears for Hicks until over a year after the trade

[howieramone2]

 

If it was right thing to do at the time. 

 

Doing the right thing was the wrong thing to do. 

We lost big time on the Alex Meyer and Trevor May trades also. Both were the right thing to do at the time.

[howieramone2]

 

Yes, Hicks was still bad in 2016 -- but that was in part influenced by how the Twins failed to develop him from 2013-2015 (which is a source of frustration on top of the trade itself). Another MLB club had Hicks positioned as a valuable MLB contributor in just over a year's time after he left the Twins. And regardless of his later performance, at the time of the trade he ostensibly had some value (as a cheap CF coming off a decent performance in 2015) and we completely whiffed on getting *any* value out of the player we accepted in return.

 

The whole thing contributed, at least in part, towards the firing of our GM and coaches. Obviously we shouldn't hold it against the current front office or coaches, but we shouldn't soften our view of it all either, or forget the lessons learned.

 

(Gomez is a little more complicated -- Hardy for two-plus seasons would have been a solid return, although we bungled Hardy as an asset after just one season too.)

It had nothing to do with the firing of any Twins personnel. He stopped being a headcase in 2017, that's all. The lesson to be learned is not draft headcases?

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Here is a question: Considering all Twins and Ex-Twins... who has signed the largest contract (Total Value) since Joe Mauer signed his 184 million deal?  

Hicks, I think.

 

Obviously the highest "Twin" since then was the Twins originally signing Ervin at $55 mil.

 

The highest ex-Twin deal prior to Hicks (since the Mauer extension, anyway) was Hardy at $40 mil. Liriano close behind at $39 mil.

[Shaitan]

 

We lost big time on the Alex Meyer and Trevor May trades also. Both were the right thing to do at the time.

Agree on Meyer, disagree on May.

 

Revere became a journeyman, though he had 1-2 productive seasons yet at that point.

[howieramone2]

 

Agree on Meyer, disagree on May.

 

Revere became a journeyman, though he had 1-2 productive seasons yet at that point.

May is the most overrated player in the history of this board. Compare how many of those WAR things Revere earned compared To May. He pitched all of 25 innings last season and one member referred to him as our 12th most valuable asset? 

[Doomtints]

 

WOW!! We sure dodged a bullet on that deal !! How's John Ryan Murphy doing for us??

 

To answer your question, Gabriel Moya has been serviceable.

[Doomtints]

 

I don't know. 6/64 seems perfectly fine for his age 30-35 seasons, given his short resume so far. And he banked that 1 year early -- if Hicks got hurt or struggled this year, he might have found himself looking at some pretty unimpressive 1-year offers for the rest of his career.

 

So you have the opposite view ... You can see why Hicks took the deal, but you can't see why the Yankees offered it ...

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

So you have the opposite view ... You can see why Hicks took the deal, but you can't see why the Yankees offered it ...

No, I was just evaluating it from Hicks' perspective.

 

From the Yankees perspective, they potentially get a very good value on a plus player in the early years of the deal, and as mentioned, they spread out the immediate luxury tax hit compared to signing someone like, say, Michael Brantley for 2/32.

[Riverbrian]

 

Hicks, I think.

 

Obviously the highest "Twin" since then was the Twins originally signing Ervin at $55 mil.

 

The highest ex-Twin deal prior to Hicks (since the Mauer extension, anyway) was Hardy at $40 mil. Liriano close behind at $39 mil.

 

I believe you are correct. 

 

This says a couple of things to me. 

 

1. Anyone can claim hindsight being 20/20 and all that... but there were a few of us, who were absolutely against the trade at the very moment it happened and we haven't changed our mind obviously. But HIndsight being what it is... We traded a 5 tool 1st round pick, who ended up being the most valuable player we have ever produced by a significant margin. For a player who was the 12th ranked prospect (At his peak in 2013) and much lower ranked by the time we got him. And we traded him at the very moment he started to show a little something by contributing to a playoff chase in 2015. Prior to that... we absorbed entry level play. That is the very definition of the fuzzy end of the lollipop. 

 

2. More importantly... Aaron Hicks is our most valuable acquisition since Joe Mauer!!! We all need to think about that for a bit and then compare the top value to other teams around the league and the answer to the question "Why is the rebuild taking so long" becomes a little clearer. This isn't as much about winning and losing... it's about the management of assets. The Orioles produced Machado, Yeah, they could have gotten more for him in trade with better timing but they produced a player with enormous value at least. The White Sox produced Sale and Quintana and they were able to turn those assets into a brand new upgraded farm system. Go team by team... right down the list and see where the Twins Rank. Nearly every team has produced players with actual street value. 

 

We have consistently produced very little and it leaves us valueless. We can't tear it down and sell off value to rebuild because we produced no value. We can't win ball games because we have nothing to produce victories. Our free agents leave and find themselves signing 1 year prove it deals or minor league deals. Our once #1 ranked farm system has yet to produce 6 figure value at the major league level. And the ONE GUY who turned out to be worth something... We can watch Gabrial Moya fight for a roster spot in his place. 

 

Where are our Superstars? Everybody else gets one or two or three... Where are ours? 

 

Aaron Hicks should be a neon sign for all of us... When you want to know what's wrong... Look at the blinking Aaron Hicks neon sign and keep digging deeper from Aaron Hicks right down to Jason Adam.  

 

Asset Management... I'm hoping that Falvey and Lavine are much better at this. 

[ewen21]

 

 

 

2. More importantly... Aaron Hicks is our most valuable acquisition since Joe Mauer!!! 

Which is why I shake my head when fans complain that we let guys go and they become stars elsewhere.

 

When has that happened in the last umpteen years?

[Jim Hahn]

Hicks for Murphy was a bad trade. Hindsight or foresight, it was a bad trade. Even if he needed to be traded you need to get more or hold on to him till you can.

 

As far as how he compares to the current outfield. Hicks is pretty close to a 3 outcome hitter. Lots of strikeouts, lots walks, lots of power, not much contact most of the time. Good defense. Probably benefits from a hitters park and playing lots games in hitters parks in AL east. He is also in his prime.

 

The Twins outfielders are entering their prime playing in a neutral park. I like Rosario's game a little better. Better average, if fewer walks, similar power. Kepler hasn't found his ceiling yet but if the average rises, he could be comparable to Hicks, probably less power, maybe eventually better contact. Buxton's ceiling is incredible. He just needs good health, in my opinion. So no, I wouldn't trade any of them for Hicks, mostly because of what could be, rather than what is.

[howieramone2]

 

I believe you are correct. 

 

This says a couple of things to me. 

 

1. Anyone can claim hindsight being 20/20 and all that... but there were a few of us, who were absolutely against the trade at the very moment it happened and we haven't changed our mind obviously. But HIndsight being what it is... We traded a 5 tool 1st round pick, who ended up being the most valuable player we have ever produced by a significant margin. For a player who was the 12th ranked prospect (At his peak in 2013) and much lower ranked by the time we got him. And we traded him at the very moment he started to show a little something by contributing to a playoff chase in 2015. Prior to that... we absorbed entry level play. That is the very definition of the fuzzy end of the lollipop. 

 

2. More importantly... Aaron Hicks is our most valuable acquisition since Joe Mauer!!! We all need to think about that for a bit and then compare the top value to other teams around the league and the answer to the question "Why is the rebuild taking so long" becomes a little clearer. This isn't as much about winning and losing... it's about the management of assets. The Orioles produced Machado, Yeah, they could have gotten more for him in trade with better timing but they produced a player with enormous value at least. The White Sox produced Sale and Quintana and they were able to turn those assets into a brand new upgraded farm system. Go team by team... right down the list and see where the Twins Rank. Nearly every team has produced players with actual street value. 

 

We have consistently produced very little and it leaves us valueless. We can't tear it down and sell off value to rebuild because we produced no value. We can't win ball games because we have nothing to produce victories. Our free agents leave and find themselves signing 1 year prove it deals or minor league deals. Our once #1 ranked farm system has yet to produce 6 figure value at the major league level. And the ONE GUY who turned out to be worth something... We can watch Gabrial Moya fight for a roster spot in his place. 

 

Where are our Superstars? Everybody else gets one or two or three... Where are ours? 

 

Aaron Hicks should be a neon sign for all of us... When you want to know what's wrong... Look at the blinking Aaron Hicks neon sign and keep digging deeper from Aaron Hicks right down to Jason Adam.  

 

Asset Management... I'm hoping that Falvey and Lavine are much better at this. 

Berrios is more valuable than Hicks. You'll find our superstars amongst the core of 4 plus Rosario and Polanco. You can add Lewis and Kirilloff shortly. Hicks was almost 28 before the lights went on for him and there was certainly no meltdown thread when Hicks was traded. 

 

Speaking about asset management, I just reviewed MLB.com's top 30 Twins prospects. 6 of the 30 we received at the trade deadline.

 

RB................I think you're slipping into the Twilight Zone.

[Nine of twelve]

 

We lost big time on the Alex Meyer and Trevor May trades also. Both were the right thing to do at the time.

Still too early to tell on Trevor May. He appears to be positioned to become a valuable reliever and may even wind up closing before the end of this season. Ben Revere is a one-dimensional player: speed. It's a great dimension but he has a very hollow batting average, rarely hits even a double and he's got a high-school quality arm. On a good team he's the fourth outfielder and pinch runner.

[Riverbrian]

 

Berrios is more valuable than Hicks. You'll find our superstars amongst the core of 4 plus Rosario and Polanco. You can add Lewis and Kirilloff shortly. Hicks was almost 28 before the lights went on for him and there was certainly no meltdown thread when Hicks was traded. 

 

Speaking about asset management, I just reviewed MLB.com's top 30 Twins prospects. 6 of the 30 we received at the trade deadline.

 

RB................I think you're slipping into the Twilight Zone.

 

That might be so. I certainly have a Rod Serling quality. 

 

I agree as trade chips, Lewis and Kirlloff would probably have amazing return from rebuilding teams. We just might be able to get a superstar to help us win the world series if we cashed those chips in but they still got to establish themselves as major league value. We all hope they do and maybe even assume they will but we said the same stuff about Buxton and Sano. So... we must wait and wait I shall.  

 

As for Berrios, Polanco and Rosario... I love them. Glad they play for the Twins but they got to sign that contract for value over 70 million before they surpass Hicks. 

 

As for the trade deadline moves... last year. I'm a fan... if you are not in contention, you must make these type of moves and the front office did that. I'm pleased.

 

But, Prospects are prospects... We don't have any superstars at the moment and haven't had a single one since Mauer... we should have some by now.... we should have had some and lost them by now. 

[Riverbrian]

 

Which is why I shake my head when fans complain that we let guys go and they become stars elsewhere.

 

When has that happened in the last umpteen years?

 

At least umpteen times.