The Twins Daily Table Setter - December 5, 2023

[Cody Schoenmann]

Let's start the day strong with the latest intel from Day Two of the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings, held inside the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Image courtesy of Brett Davis - USA TODAY Sports

Day Two of the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings has passed, and it's fair to say the hot stove is on FIRE! Arson Judge--Wait, no, sorry, I was reciting the script from 2022; my apologies. 

Day Two of the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings has come and gone, and the hot stove is, well, freezing. Though the sport is at a standstill as the biggest domino (Shohei Ohtani) has yet to fall, news has slowly trickled out of baseball's biggest offseason event. Let's take a look at a few things that are going on. 

Twins Interested in a St. Louis Cardinals Outfielder?
The St. Louis Cardinals, who recently signed AL Cy Young Award runner-up Sonny Gray, have a surplus of MLB-caliber outfield talent. The group includes Tyler O'Neill, Lars Nootbaar, Tommy Edman, Jordan Walker, and Dylan Carlson.

Although depth like that is an excellent problem for the organization to have, Katie Woo of The Athletic is reporting that the Cardinals' plan is to use Nootbaar in left field, Edman in center, and Walker in right, with Carlson being the fourth outfielder for the upcoming season. In this scenario, the odd man out would be the 28-year-old O'Neill.

During the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, the Twins were reportedly interested in trading for the right-handed-hitting O'Neill. Could that interest still be there? When we asked John Bonnes's Magic 8 Ball, it responded, "Signs point to Yes."

Central Division Teams Make Significant Coaching Decisions
News broke around midday Monday that the Detroit Tigers and manager AJ Hinch have agreed to a "long-term" extension. Though the term and average annual value of Hinch's contract are unknown, those who follow the Twins should get used to seeing Hinch's face for years to come.

The Tigers are on the rise, and though long stretches of ineffectiveness early in each of the last two seasons have torpedoed their hopes quickly, the up-and-coming Hinch-led team could pose the greatest threat to the Twins' AL Central supremacy as soon as this season. 

Shifting attention to the NL Central, it was announced that former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has agreed to join the team in an unspecified coaching role. It is safe to assume he will be tasked with coaching the Cardinals' catchers, notably Willson Contreras, in some capacity, but his role beyond that is unknown. The team wanted Molina as their bench coach for next year, earlier in the offseason, but he turned that opportunity down.

The Cardinals' intention with Molina could be for the St. Louis legend to be a potential successor to current manager Oli Marmol if things don't work out again in 2024, but to suggest that is pure speculation. Nonetheless, monitoring Molina's future role with the Cardinals will be interesting.

KBO Postings and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Market
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and closer Woo Suk Go were officially posted by their respective KBO teams on Monday. Though the Twins will likely show no interest in Go, a closer, the organization may express interest in the 25-year-old former KBO MVP outfielder Lee. 

Lee, who is a natural center fielder, has already drawn interest from teams who are willing to spend, like the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres, so if a bidding war for his services arises, the cost-cutting Twins will likely end up a mere afterthought. With players coming over from foreign leagues, though, markets sometimes fail to materialize to the expected extent, so keep an eye on this.

Speaking of cost-cutting, the dream of the Twins landing the NPB icon Yamamoto can officially be laid to rest. 

At the beginning of the offseason, Yamamoto, 25, was expected to sign a seven- or eight-year deal worth roughly $200 million. Those expectations, according to Bowden, have since been blown out of the water, as Yamamoto appears poised to become the first starting pitcher to sign a deal worth $300 million in total value since Gerrit Cole signed a nine-year, $324-million pact with the New York Yankees after the 2019 season. 

Noteworthy teams interested in signing Yamamoto include the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. Unsurprisingly, Yamamoto will likely end up with one of six big-market teams. Which one will it be? The answer might come down to which is willing to open their pocketbook the most. 

Twins Minor League Notes:

• Andrew Bechtold, a two-way player who spent his 2023 season in the Twins minor-league system, signed a MiLB deal with the Blue Jays as a pitcher.
• Twins minor leaguer Regi Grace was named the team's Minor League Players Union Representative for the coming year. The growth and development of the union for minor leaguers continues apace. 

Should the Twins trade for O'Neill? Was it wise of the Tigers to extend Hinch? What do you think Molina's role will be with the Cardinals? Will Yamamoto sign for $300 million? The table is set. Comment below.

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[Cory Engelhardt]

I think taking a flier on Oneil is worth it. I expect a Kepler trade, and adding a right handed hitter who has some pop makes sense

[Parfigliano]

Coming off his best season now is the time to trade Kepler hopefully for pitching.

[FlyingFinn]

"Twins minor leaguer Regi Grace was named the team's Minor League Players Union Representative for the coming year."

Good, Maybe this will keep a team from selecting him in the Rule 5 draft (probably not true but I'm hoping). I know everyone is more concerned about Prato being selected but I think the biggest chance for a Twin to be selected is Grace, as he is very much like Tyler Wells, a relief pitcher who really improved and who the Orioles selected years ago. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

O'Neill's stats are not impressive. There is a reason he is the #5, odd man out for the St. Louis outfield. 

[Karbo]

IMO a starter has to be priority #1. That's where my trade capitol would go.

On a side note, The Pioneer Press is reporting that Buxton is moving well, better than at any point last season. His health really has an impact on any trades for an outfielder.

[nicksaviking]

I would pass on O'Niell. He's too inconsistent and I think the Twins need to prioritize stability with offensive additions. 

[Trov]

I am a no on O'neill.  He is not good on defense, and not that good of a hitter.  Why give up anything for a guy like that?  We know St. Louis will most likely DFA him at some point, with his price and output my guess he goes unclaimed. I think we can get a rookie or waiver claim to fill in for cheaper than what O'Neill will do. 

[Matthew Trueblood]

58 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

O'Neill's stats are not impressive. There is a reason he is the #5, odd man out for the St. Louis outfield. 

This probably reinforces your point, rather than pushing back on it, but just to lay it out there: The main reason why the Cardinals want to get shot of O'Neill isn't the numbers. He's not a good fit there. I think a change of scenery could work, but in St. Louis, his makeup has gotten between himself and his talent.

[Blyleven2011]

O'Neil has won 2 gold glove awards as a left fielder  ...

He has had plenty of injuries  and has had only 1 good season in the majors ...

If the twins are crunching  payroll his cost might be alittle to high for the Twins to be interested this time around , unless some of the 10 million dollar players are traded , he is right handed to fit the position but the injuries are to much of a concern ...

Hinch getting an extension , good for him  ...

Molina , They used to say catchers made the best managers , I don't hear that alot anymore but St Louis is alittle on the old fashioned side ...

Yamamoto  , open your wallet twins , it's only money and everyone needs pitching , it won't happen for the Twins   , the big markets will keep driving up the price  over 300 million ...

A west coast team more than likely will win out ...

 

[Matthew Trueblood]

51 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

O'Neil has won 2 gold glove awards as a left fielder  ...

He has had plenty of injuries  and has had only 1 good season in the majors ...

If the twins are crunching  payroll his cost might be alittle to high for the Twins to be interested this time around , unless some of the 10 million dollar players are traded , he is right handed to fit the position but the injuries are to much of a concern ...

Hinch getting an extension , good for him  ...

Molina , They used to say catchers made the best managers , I don't hear that alot anymore but St Louis is alittle on the old fashioned side ...

Yamamoto  , open your wallet twins , it's only money and everyone needs pitching , it won't happen for the Twins   , the big markets will keep driving up the price  over 300 million ...

A west coast team more than likely will win out ...

 

I think Molina is really laying in the weeds for that managerial gig, should Marmol be fired. It's fascinating, though, because I'm not sure he'd be good at the (considerable, often onerous) media interaction aspects of the job. We'll see.

Yeah, Yamamoto just isn't going to happen, and I think that's ok for the Twins and what they can spend without stretching themselves. The thing I also don't think is going to happen, but that I'm less ok with not happening, is a Shota Imanaga pursuit. He should be within reach for them, but I assume that (given what we've heard about the team's payroll plans) he won't be.

[Doctor Gast]

48 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

O'Neil has won 2 gold glove awards as a left fielder  ...

He has had plenty of injuries  and has had only 1 good season in the majors ...

If the twins are crunching  payroll his cost might be alittle to high for the Twins to be interested this time around , unless some of the 10 million dollar players are traded , he is right handed to fit the position but the injuries are to much of a concern ...

Hinch getting an extension , good for him  ...

Molina , They used to say catchers made the best managers , I don't hear that alot anymore but St Louis is alittle on the old fashioned side ...

Yamamoto  , open your wallet twins , it's only money and everyone needs pitching , it won't happen for the Twins   , the big markets will keep driving up the price  over 300 million ...

A west coast team more than likely will win out ...

 

Amen to what you said.

Concerning Molina, their manager often asked Molina for advice especially about pitchers. I can really see Molina helping out Contreras to fill that gapping hole that appeared after he left. See the pitching & catching staffs really turned around, resulting in a major turn around for the whole team. Can Molina really do that? Yes he can.

Former Twins, Nellie Cruz was hired as a Latin America Coordinator & Chris Archer as a special assistant (although he hasn't officially retired) by the Dogers. Both have shown great ability to be mentors. To be selected into the Dodgers system is no small thing & God bless to both of them.

[lake_guy]

Yamamoto has never pitched to a season worth of MLB level hitters and he's being valued like Gerrit Cole?  Really?!  Just can't make this stuff up....

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Yeah, Yamamoto just isn't going to happen, and I think that's ok for the Twins and what they can spend without stretching themselves. The thing I also don't think is going to happen, but that I'm less ok with not happening, is a Shota Imanaga pursuit. He should be within reach for them, but I assume that (given what we've heard about the team's payroll plans) he won't be.

These Yamamoto numbers make much more sense and they will be far away from anything the Twins would consider.  I was thinking they should be all in at the $200m number without really considering what the market would say.  A 25 yo stud starter is going to name his terms anywhere from 6 to 16 years and the total will just be math from there.  If he signs for anywhere around 7/200 I’d like the Twins to be in on it but that ain’t happening.

[harmony55]

MLB Network interviewed Derek Falvey on Tuesday:

 

[Matthew Trueblood]

13 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

These Yamamoto numbers make much more sense and they will be far away from anything the Twins would consider.  I was thinking they should be all in at the $200m number without really considering what the market would say.  A 25 yo stud starter is going to name his terms anywhere from 6 to 16 years and the total will just be math from there.  If he signs for anywhere around 7/200 I’d like the Twins to be in on it but that ain’t happening.

One thing that'll be interesting (although less so than it would be if the Twins were even remotely involved, of course) to watch: the structure of the deal. Because of the stupidly complicated new rules about calculating posting fees, teams are going to balk at huge guarantees if Yamamoto wants an opt-out, and certainly if he wants more than one. I'd assume we end up seeing a 10-year deal without opt-outs, because it's going to be the best way for him to maximize the money he's offered.

[Fatbat]

A trade for Oneil would cost us a chicken sandwich and a Coors light? Some fries to seal the deal!  Lets do better than that. 

[Steve Lein]

7 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

"Twins minor leaguer Regi Grace was named the team's Minor League Players Union Representative for the coming year."

Good, Maybe this will keep a team from selecting him in the Rule 5 draft (probably not true but I'm hoping). I know everyone is more concerned about Prato being selected but I think the biggest chance for a Twin to be selected is Grace, as he is very much like Tyler Wells, a relief pitcher who really improved and who the Orioles selected years ago. 

Grace was eligible last year I believe. Started off fantastic with Cedar Rapids in 2023, then definitely had an adjustment period in Wichita. I think there is almost nil risk of him being selected.

Tyler Wells and his situation aren't actually that similar. The Orioles used him as a reliever, but he was always a starter before that, and since. They used him as a reliever that first year (2021) because he hadn't pitched in two years after recovering from Tommy John surgery and the 2020 MiLB season being cancelled.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Steve Lein

[SteveLV]

That interview suggests the Twins are not making another CF acquisition a priority this off season. Could be smoke, but that is how it sounded....

[nicksaviking]

5 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

That interview suggests the Twins are not making another CF acquisition a priority this off season. Could be smoke, but that is how it sounded....

Likely means they feel better about Buxton than us fans do. Whether that's wise or not will be left to the gods of hindsight I suppose.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, Fatbat said:

A trade for Oneil would cost us a chicken sandwich and a Coors light? Some fries to seal the deal!  Lets do better than that. 

It's really not about the price to me, but the roster space. Is this really the extent of the offensive addition they really want to make? They really can only add one bat before they have to start trading veterans. Which I'm fine with, but many aren't. I'm cool moving Polanco and Kepler, but as much grief as I give them, O'Neill isn't exactly an upgrade to them or anyone on the roster. 

I think every offensive player they bring in needs to be an impact bat.

[Fatbat]

2 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

It's really not about the price to me, but the roster space. Is this really the extent of the offensive addition they really want to make? They really can only add one bat before they have to start trading veterans. Which I'm fine with, but many aren't. I'm cool moving Polanco and Kepler, but as much grief as I give them, O'Neill isn't exactly an upgrade to them or anyone on the roster. 

I think every offensive player they bring in needs to be an impact bat.

Exactly!! MAT is a better fit than Oneil. That one spot has to be an upgrade. No different than the first SP we sign. It has to be an upgrade over Maeda’s ceiling. Austin Martin is the young/cheap version of MAT role. With the rumors going around that Buck will be ready for CF, Martin can be the backup plan with Castro being the emergency break glass savior until an in season trade can take place if buck goes on the 300 day DL. 

[Mike Sixel]

5 hours ago, lake_guy said:

Yamamoto has never pitched to a season worth of MLB level hitters and he's being valued like Gerrit Cole?  Really?!  Just can't make this stuff up....

I bet a lot of teams wished they'd offered that to Ohtani.....

He's a 25 yo likely ACE. That's worth an insane amount of money. They have all the data on his pitches they need to know if he's likely to be good or not....

[MMMordabito]

Woo Suk Go and Richard Fitts are both part of today's hot stove news. 😊

[Doctor Wu]

Sorry to read that Andrew Bechtold signed with the Blue Jays. He was an intriguing player, especially after he started trying being a 2-way player.  I still think he will wind up in the majors some day in some capacity.

[Otaknam]

Wow! $300 million for a Japanese pitcher with no MLB experience. Strong pass! Only the mega wealthy teams with unlimited resources can afford to take on a contract of that magnitude that could end up being a mistake. 

[TopGunn#22]

I'm not sure where Trov came up with the idea that O'Neill is bad defensively.  TWO Gold Gloves in LF would put that speculation to rest rather quickly.  I've been advocating for the Twins to trade for him for some time here on TD.  One trade I had proposed on BBTV was a one for one deal of O'Neill for Connor Prielipp.  Both have a value of 5.7.  

O'Neill is 28 years old and in 2021 he posted a WAR of 6.3 with an OPS of .912.  He hit 34 HR with a .286 BA and also had 15 steals in 19 tries.  He was/is a legit 30 HR 20 SB guy.  His last 2 seasons have been marred by injury and an increasingly crowded Cardinal OF especially with the arrivals of Lars Nootbar and Jordan Walker.  

He's a great buy low candidate.  He slots in as the starting LF with Gold Glove defense.  He is a capable CF in case of Buxton unavailability (and nowadays that's about as likely as Joe Biden needing "notes" to get through a press conference).  

But a deal like that doesn't happen unless a Kepler deal happens first, or is very close to completion.  You acquire O'Neill if you plan to move Wallner to RF and have Larnach be a LF/RF backup.  You can't have a roster with O'Neill, Kepler, Wallner, Buxton and Larnach.  

The Cardinals are desperately trying to add pitching depth to their 40-man roster and big league club.  Prielipp or Winder or SWR could get a deal done.  O'Neill would be a good acquisition.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

19 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

It's really not about the price to me, but the roster space. Is this really the extent of the offensive addition they really want to make?

Yea, That's what I thought too.

[JD-TWINS]

On 12/5/2023 at 1:10 PM, lake_guy said:

Yamamoto has never pitched to a season worth of MLB level hitters and he's being valued like Gerrit Cole?  Really?!  Just can't make this stuff up....

I get it & generally would be skeptical as well ……but 96 MPH is 96 - his fading into the ground (saw 3-4 strikeouts on the tube today) sinker is for real - MLB TV described his curve as “Kershaw like” - so there’s something there!

 

O Neil can probably be signed to a minor league deal around March 28th……not the answer in any kind of trade for Twins!