Buxton's Uncertainty Creates a Center Field Conundrum

[old nurse]

I remember the threads about that they have to sign Buxton. 

[JD-TWINS]

14 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

We are all guessing, but with Buxton it is not just last year.  This is an ongoing saga. In 9 years he was averaged 67.75 games a year - including his amazing 140 game season in 2017.   Over those 9 years he has averaged 60.22 games in CF - not even a half time CF.  

Remove the 140 game year and his average drops to 34.66 games per year.  2024 will be seven years since he was our real CFer. 

I do not dislike Byron, I appreciate his skills, but some bodies do not hold up as well as others (that includes mine). 

He’s hurt year in & year out is your point & I completely agree. The fan base seems clouded by some inaccurate memory of his career. 140 games 1 season …….. 530 games in the other 8 seasons = 66 games per season average. Last year zero in OF.

Fans want him to roam CF as a Gold Glover “like he used to back in the day”…….reality is, the good days were very few and far between!!!

Another fan issue………What he’s paid has nothing to do with what we should expect of him - he can only do what his body allows, doesn’t matter what organization is paying him.

In ‘24, Buxton for maybe 40-60 games in CF this year if the knee is finally cleaned up. DH for 70 games, if he’s hitting. This is a best case!!

Castro/Gordon/Martin have to be adequate as the alternative to Buxton in ‘24.

[RpR]

Castro only, as a back-up to a veteran back-up for Buxton.

Gordon is probably going to play esle where and Martin is still a AAA rookie.

Buxton now had a surgery rather than pretending he is well enough to play.

Judging next year by past years is a waste of time as the surgery could change a lot.

[Twins33]

Plan like Buxton doesn’t exist. I want the Twins to spend most of their money on a SP, though I don’t think they will. 
 

Because I want the Twins to focus on pitching, my first choice is Lewis, but sounds like the team may not go that way. My second choice is Martin, then Kiermaier, then Taylor. 
 

I don’t think they’ll do Bellinger either, so that’s why I didn’t mention him. Kiermaier or Martin are basically 1a/1b options for me…I don’t strongly prefer one over the other. 

[gman]

The possibility exits that Buxton sits out most of if not all of next year. I wouldn't let him work out anywhere until his knee is healthy enough to with stand the strain of playing fulltime and that may never happen. But there is no point in letting him continue to aggravate or re-injure the leg just to see if he can make it unto the field for a week or 2.

The possibility also exists, that they negotiate to buy out his contract over some protracted period like say 12-15 years and use the funds saved for a pitcher now.

[TopGunn#22]

The Twins can't count on anything from Buxton going forward.  Nothing.  The first priority is replacing Gray in the rotation.  After that, I'm not interested in anything the likes of Pillar, Marisnick et al.  We have some in-house candidates but nobody who is a full-time type of solution.

Whether it's trading for someone like a Garrett Mitchell or Joey Weimer from the Brewers, Tyler O'Neill from the Cardinals, or signing someone like the Korean League star Lee, it has to be an option that is a full-time solution.  We've all discussed Buxton's chronic unavailability ad nauseum.  Secure a full-time solution and move on.