Front Page: Choose Your Own Path: Three Ways for the Minnesota Twins to Use Their Remaining $35MM

[spanman2]

Zero reason that payroll shouldn't be around $150-55...other than the obvious of people writing the checks not wanting to go that high.  150 is not out of bounds IMO. 

[jorgenswest]

Can we devote budget in extensions to Berrios and Buxton? They might want to invest into Sano and Rogers extensions also.

 

Get the best pitcher they can and spend the remainder on extending the current players. Berrios is critical here. Pay up this year to lock him in for two additional years.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Can we devote budget in extensions to Berrios and Buxton? They might want to invest into Sano and Rogers extensions also.

Get the best pitcher they can and spend the remainder on extending the current players. Berrios is critical here. Pay up this year to lock him in for two additional years.

 

They have 30 million, at least, to spend. And Cruz and probably Rosario leave after this year. They have more than enough money to extend the players they have, and sign a legit FA. 

[jorgenswest]

They have 30 million, at least, to spend. And Cruz and probably Rosario leave after this year. They have more than enough money to extend the players they have, and sign a legit FA.

 

I agree. Unless they sign Cole they have the money to sign a Bumgarner or Ryu and extend Berrios. It will take some of the 2020 budget to get the extensions done.

[D.C Twins]

Me thinks the price for Bumgarner just went up with the 245mil check that D.C just cut....we've waited too long to make moves....again....

[jud6312]

Let's be real here ... it'll be Homer, Miley and a pallet of vomit bags for me.

[AlwaysinModeration]

I vote plan 1, signing the best pitcher they can, either Bumgarner or Ryu. But I’m sorry to veer off the plan, but I want the next best starter they can find, so Teheran is the second part of the plan. With 5 left, I don’t care what they do, I’m sure they can find some deals at the end of the offseason to add to the Marwin/Sano/Rooker corner infield mix.

[old nurse]

The problem with the plan is that the projection numbers have been way off.

[twinstalker]

 

*****Moderator Note*****

 

Please stay on topic, the article presented three specific free agent scenarios. Unsolicited economic lessons only serve to steer conversation away from this interesting case study.

I'm not sure it's as interesting as you think. Kind of like doing a countdown to the number one prospect. Much more interesting the other direction, where it's wide open. I mean, if you want a poll, do a poll. You're likely to get more "relevant" comments using that format.

[nater79a]

 

Not really -- the $135 mil already includes 2020 arb estimates for those guys. The only way extensions would increase the 2020 payroll is if you front-loaded them -- which is certainly possible, but even then, it's probably only a few million. (They could just as well back-load them too, if they'd rather invest 2020 payroll in FAs.)

 

And there really is no "etc." -- those 3 guys you listed, plus Rogers, are probably the only realistic extension candidates this winter. And odds are only 1 or 2 of them are willing to sign.

 

And $135 mil is a conservative payroll at this point too -- they were at ~$130 entering 2018, and that was just coming off an 85 win wild-card season. They could easily support $140 mil for 2020 if their desired FAs and extensions warrant it.

 

Just trying to recall... how much did Polanco and Kepler add to the payroll in 2019 with their new deals?

And was it pretty close to what they would have earned in arbitration?

[DavidGould]

How on earth do we only have 35mm to spend left??? We still need a 3B/1B 3 Starters and a bullpen guy or two.. Falvey really **** the bed with this offseason... on paper Chicago’s got the central ON LOCK

[SwainZag]

 

How on earth do we only have 35mm to spend left??? We still need a 3B/1B 3 Starters and a bullpen guy or two.. Falvey really **** the bed with this offseason... on paper Chicago’s got the central ON LOCK

 

It's December.  If the team looks like this in late March, I will agree with you but it's far from that.  The Twins won 29 more games than Chicago last season.  Adding Grandal and Mazara puts them at a lock huh?  

[Greglw3]

I reject the premise that the Twins should cripple themselves with a $135 payroll. Did Jim Pohlad announce that number? They have a chance to win a world championship.  Surely Jim Pohlad, the least cheap owner the Twins have had in decades can stretch to 150-160million, You do realize that with a juggernaut team on the field that has the starting pitching of other playoff teams will result in lots of sellouts and he will get all the money back.  My two cents. They should start with Ryu or Bumgarner and also sign Donaldson by being very aggressive and outbidding the competition.