Front Page: The C.J. Cron Conundrum

[Major League Ready]

Is there a better option available for $7M and is he available on a 1 year deal? Hey, if you can upgrade at 3B, that's not a bad way to go but Cron for another year until (hopefully) one of our AAA guys forces their way onto to the team is a good plan too.

[Platoon]

Are your big toes considered the "thumb" of your foot? If so, he should do everything he can to protect them!

 

Excellent observation. A tech I knew some years ago cut his thumb off in a home shop accident with a power saw. (Said he never felt it) They could not reattach it so he was short a thumb. About a year after the accident I ran into him again, and eventually noticed he had "grown a thumb". Turns out they transplanted one of his big toes. He said it wasn't as flexible, but did work. It really wasn't easy to see that it wasn't a normal thumb. While this is an interesting, to some?, tale I am not sure moving one of Cron's toes to his glove hand would help?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Excellent observation. A tech I knew some years ago cut his thumb off in a home shop accident with a power saw. (Said he never felt it) They could not reattach it so he was short a thumb. About a year after the accident I ran into him again, and eventually noticed he had "grown a thumb". Turns out they transplanted one of his big toes. He said it wasn't as flexible, but did work. It really wasn't easy to see that it wasn't a normal thumb. While this is an interesting, to some?, tale I am not sure moving one of Cron's toes to his glove hand would help?

Do you really “need” a thumb?

[Platoon]

Do you really “need” a thumb?

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I played high school age ball against a kid who pitched exactly the same way. The switch was so quick you could barley see it happen.

[HrbieFan]

Highly doubt Donaldson is a Twin. Been reading about him being a prick in the locker room. Twins don't need someone to mess with the chemistry

[bighat]

Cron was OK. He was also not so great - there were stretches this season where he wasn't just bad defensively. When he was in a slump at the plate, he was really awful for weeks at a time. Injured thumb or not, he ended up putting up pretty pedestrian numbers. You can't say "he could've" or "would've" because we'll never know. When's the last time the Twins had a 30HR guy at 1st?

 

Real contending teams don't use "stopgaps" or "placeholders". If the Twins want to take a real shot, they should go out and get a solid 3B/1B and set up a monster infield.

 

Cron and Schoop were adequate placeholders last year. The the time of being satisfied with spare parts is over. The Twins found our 2020 second baseman in the system and struck gold there. Let's find our final piece of the infield puzzle through the trade or FA market.

[DocBauer]

Yes, Cron has a poor season his first season back from surgery on the other hand, yes, he has to come back successfully from this surgery. But I also think it's a bit unfair to say the results will be identical. Let us further remember, despite the fact he ended up non-tendered after, when Cron finally got 500AB for the first time in his career in 2018 he had a very good season. He was even better the first half of 2019 in most all categories before this latest injury. And if you watched him play he was FINE defensively.

 

Despite rumors the Twins are looking at available 3B...and doing due diligence they should be...I'm not convinced they are ready to move Sano off of 3B this soon. Not until they see this slimmer, more dedicated version gets another full year at the position.

 

But let's say they are seriously considering the idea. Considering we still need 2 more SP, is Donaldson really an option? I say no. That leaves Moustakis and who? Frazier? I like Moose, but he's going to cost about $12M per, which I'm OK with. But after adding a pair of SP, we still need a catcher and one more good RP, preferably a LH one. On top of that, I have to ask honestly, does this actually improve the defense enough, at this time, to make a difference?

 

I think Sano has more than enough athleticism for a big man to develop in to at least a decent 1B. For various reasons, I'm not sure this is the right time to make the move permanent.

 

I think a healthy Cron is a very solid piece to the puzzle. I am not convinced he "deserves" a bump of $3M for 2020. If the Twins have a plan in mind to switch things up and mkve on, I'm OK with that. But I also don't want a rookie being handed 1B for a team with post season expectations, or a complete revolving door at 1B either. The team can afford Cron at $7.7M. But non-tendered after 2018, coming off surgery, I'm guessing he is back on a $6-6.5M agreed upon deal.

[Major League Ready]

 

Cron was OK. He was also not so great - there were stretches this season where he wasn't just bad defensively. When he was in a slump at the plate, he was really awful for weeks at a time. Injured thumb or not, he ended up putting up pretty pedestrian numbers. You can't say "he could've" or "would've" because we'll never know. When's the last time the Twins had a 30HR guy at 1st?

 

Real contending teams don't use "stopgaps" or "placeholders". If the Twins want to take a real shot, they should go out and get a solid 3B/1B and set up a monster infield.

 

Cron and Schoop were adequate placeholders last year. The the time of being satisfied with spare parts is over. The Twins found our 2020 second baseman in the system and struck gold there. Let's find our final piece of the infield puzzle through the trade or FA market.

 

Of the players contributing 1.5 WAR or more to 2019 playoff teams

 

Houston had two 1 yr deals w/FAs

 

Yankees had two 1 yr deals w/FAs

 

Dodgers did not have a single FA or player they traded for

 

Atlanta had 2 1yr free agents and no 1.5+ WAR players acquired by trade

Oakland had 2 1yr free agents and 1 1.5+ WAR player. They did acquire six 1.5 WAR players via trade.

 

However five of them were acquired as prospects.

 

Tampa Bay also had 2 1yr free agents and 1 1.5+ WAR player. They acquire a whopping eight 1.5 WAR players via trade. However seven of them were acquired as prospects. This includes the trade or Archer (established) for Glasnow and Meadows who had not yet established themselves.

 

The WS champion Nationals did trade for Adam Eaton (2.4 WAR).  

 

Milwaukee had two place holders in Grandal and Moustakis who were 2nd and 3rd to Yehlich in WAR.

 

The results don’t agree with you position.

[jorgenswest]

Highly doubt Donaldson is a Twin. Been reading about him being a prick in the locker room. Twins don't need someone to mess with the chemistry

This article uses the word prickly but ends by taking about how great he is in the club house.

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/how-a-troubled-kid-rose-through-baseball-to-become-the-peoples-all-star/article25414792/

 

There are a few paragraphs here about Donaldson in the locker room

 

https://torontolife.com/city/life/home-josh-donaldson-blue-jays-resident-hothead/

 

I think I would want this guy in my locker room.

 

Then again...

 

https://bluejaysnation.com/2019/04/22/pompey-bullied-in-blue-jays-clubhouse/

 

And from the Braves...

 

https://lastwordonbaseball.com/2019/11/13/top-three-potential-landing-spots-for-josh-donaldson/

[Greglw3]

 

Move Sano to 1st now and sign Mike Moustakas to play 3rd. Moose would probably be  12-14M year. It could be part 1 of shoring up the defense. Part 2 is a pipedream that a Cubs fan came up with to trade Arraez to Chicago. Then they could sign a defensive SS and move Polanco to 2nd.

I would do the same thing, sign Moustakis, move Sano to first.  Polanco at SS and either Arraez or Villar at 2B.  I think Brent Rooker is ready to step up in case of OF injuries.  I’d try to get both Wheeler and Bumgarner and a legitimate 5th starter, someone like Robbie Ray, someone established....our young pitchers are too much of a gamble.  We need to behave payroll-wise and player acquisition-wise like nothing short of a team that expects to be World champions for multiple years.  It’s there for the taking.

[h2oface]

 

If he’s fully healthy, I want him back. If that thumb injury is still lingering, I’ll pass. He was a key to the offense in the 1st half of the year and would have been a guaranteed tender if he didn’t get hurt.

I would start working Rooker at 1B too. His bat is MLB ready, so they should work on getting his defense ready too.

 

Trouble is..... Rooker has a history of taking a couple months at the start of seasons to start hitting. At all levels so far. And when he has been moved up to the next level in the middle of a season. I am not convinced at all that his bat is MLB ready. Plus, those Ks.