Why not bring Hicks back for CF

[Brandon]

Aaron Hicks is a CF who was a first round draft pick by us and we traded him to the Yankees.  He is a free agent for the league minimum as he has 2 more seasons on his Yankees contract and is a right handed batter.  We can offer him a fair amount of playing time as platoon CF and backup at other OF spots and occasional DH if he is hitting and a chance at the post season. Shouldn’t we be targeting him?

[Brock Beauchamp]

18 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Aaron Hicks is a CF who was a first round draft pick by us and we traded him to the Yankees.  He is a free agent for the league minimum as he has 2 more seasons on his Yankees contract and is a right handed batter.  We can offer him a fair amount of playing time as platoon CF and backup at other OF spots and occasional DH if he is hitting and a chance at the post season. Shouldn’t we be targeting him?

He's well below average in center and is 34 years old. Maybe the Twins could squeeze one more acceptable CF season out of him but I'm skeptical.

[Parfigliano]

25 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Aaron Hicks is a CF who was a first round draft pick by us and we traded him to the Yankees.  He is a free agent for the league minimum as he has 2 more seasons on his Yankees contract and is a right handed batter.  We can offer him a fair amount of playing time as platoon CF and backup at other OF spots and occasional DH if he is hitting and a chance at the post season. Shouldn’t we be targeting him?

Rather see what young in house guys can do then recycle.

[DJL44]

You won't be able to find a better RH platoon bat for the league minimum. He's below average in CF but can handle the corners. He is definitely worth a roster spot as a RH bench bat and platoon mate. I wouldn't want to use a rookie in that role. I would rather the rookies play every day in AAA instead of riding the bench.

[harmony55]

Spotrac assigns Aaron Hicks a market value of $911,143:

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/aaron-hicks-12148/market-value/

At that price Hicks may be worth a flyer.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/aaron-hicks-543305?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/aaron-hicks/5297/stats?position=OF

[USAFChief]

FTR, Hicks is a switch hitter. 

 

[Brandon]

1 hour ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

He's well below average in center and is 34 years old. Maybe the Twins could squeeze one more acceptable CF season out of him but I'm skeptical.

Baltimore did.  But he would only cost league minimum since he is still under contract with the Yankees.  
but I agree that he is iffy at this point but in the right price point.  

[sweetmusicviola16]

He was solid with the Orioles last year. Bench depth. Insurance. If he's toast NYY is still on the hook for his salary, nothing to lose if he'd come here. We want to contend, that is usually a better chance of happening with a vet. As others pointed out he'd allow a rookie a chance to mature at AAA rather than ride the pine.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

FTR, Hicks is a switch hitter. 

True, but he's a lot better from the RH side of the plate (970 OPS vs 660 OPS in 2023)

[arby58]

5 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

True, but he's a lot better from the RH side of the plate

That's an understatement. Hicks had so much trouble from the left side at the end of his prior Twins service that he briefly stopped switch hitting.

[nicksaviking]

So far with no trades of Kepler, Polanco, Vazquez, or any other offensive player, the Twins only have one semi-flexible spot on the offensive side of the 26-man roster to fill, that would be the Nick Gordon/Trevor Larnach/Jose Miranda/St. Paul Saint du jour player. 

But they need to upgrade the offense, it can't be Hicks or anyone else that's a blackhole with the bat. There's no more room for 'defensive specialists'.

[stringer bell]

24 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

So far with no trades of Kepler, Polanco, Vazquez, or any other offensive player, the Twins only have one semi-flexible spot on the offensive side of the 26-man roster to fill, that would be the Nick Gordon/Trevor Larnach/Jose Miranda/St. Paul Saint du jour player. 

But they need to upgrade the offense, it can't be Hicks or anyone else that's a blackhole with the bat. There's no more room for 'defensive specialists'.

Hicks was beyond lousy in the Bronx, but hit very well for Baltimore last year, which fits since just about everything went right for the Orioles during the regular season. During his best four years, Hicks hit more than decently against right handed pitchers. 

I don't know how much is left in the tank for Hicks, but the guy who played for the Orioles would be plenty good enough to be a fourth OF, especially against left handed pitchers.

[nicksaviking]

25 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Hicks was beyond lousy in the Bronx, but hit very well for Baltimore last year, which fits since just about everything went right for the Orioles during the regular season. During his best four years, Hicks hit more than decently against right handed pitchers. 

I don't know how much is left in the tank for Hicks, but the guy who played for the Orioles would be plenty good enough to be a fourth OF, especially against left handed pitchers.

But this team needs more offense, they don't need a 4th outfielder. Any offensive additions should be noticeable upgrades because they can only add ONE guy at this point.

[stringer bell]

3 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

But this team needs more offense, they don't need a 4th outfielder. Any offensive additions should be noticeable upgrades because they can only add ONE guy at this point.

I don't agree exactly. If everyone is healthy, Hicks would only start against left handers, but there aren't many available who would be full-time starters and it appears the Twins aren't going to spend to get a position player.

[nicksaviking]

6 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I don't agree exactly. If everyone is healthy, Hicks would only start against left handers, but there aren't many available who would be full-time starters and it appears the Twins aren't going to spend to get a position player.

But Hicks would be replacing Larnach, Gordon or Martin. Is that really an upgrade? Seems pointless to add any bat that's not significantly better. The next most "replaceable" players are Farmer and Castro, who aren't being replaced. The Twins just aren't in a position to give a guaranteed contract to a guy like Hicks until/unless they start removing the vets like Kepler or Polanco.

[stringer bell]

15 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

But Hicks would be replacing Larnach, Gordon or Martin. Is that really an upgrade? Seems pointless to add any bat that's not significantly better. The next most "replaceable" players are Farmer and Castro, who aren't being replaced. The Twins just aren't in a position to give a guaranteed contract to a guy like Hicks until/unless they start removing the vets like Kepler or Polanco.

He's "free". The Yankees pay all but the league minimum. I wouldn't want Hicks for the role I described if he would be paid $10M.

[nicksaviking]

2 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

He's "free". The Yankees pay all but the league minimum. 

There will be a ton of 'free' players, or players making league minimum. They need one offensive upgrade, and then just find these free guys who will take MiLB deals they can stick in AAA. I mean they can do that if they want these free players, but I'd just as soon leave them alone.

[stringer bell]

2 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

There will be a ton of 'free' players, or players making league minimum. They need one offensive upgrade, and then just find these free guys who will take MiLB deals they can stick in AAA. I mean they can do that if they want these free players, but I'd just as soon leave them alone.

So, what are you saying? If the Twins need an offensive upgrade, how are they supposed to get it without spending decent money ($5M+) or trading offensive personnel (Kepler, Polanco, Farmer, Vázquez) in which case they'll need an additional player. MLB Trade Rumors said that the current payroll is $124.5M and might be all they will spend. 

I think the Twins are in a box and getting a guy like HIcks, who (at least from his time in Baltimore) is worth far more than minimum salary is one way to mitigate the problem.

[nicksaviking]

5 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

So, what are you saying? If the Twins need an offensive upgrade, how are they supposed to get it without spending decent money ($5M+) or trading offensive personnel (Kepler, Polanco, Farmer, Vázquez) in which case they'll need an additional player. MLB Trade Rumors said that the current payroll is $124.5M and might be all they will spend. 

I think the Twins are in a box and getting a guy like HIcks, who (at least from his time in Baltimore) is worth far more than minimum salary is one way to mitigate the problem.

If they don't move Kepler or Polanco, and they won't pay for a Rhys Hoskins or a Justin Turner, they should stay put with the offense. All of the internal options have significantly higher offensive ceilings than Hicks. Don't put more roadblocks in front of the young guys, lately they have pretty much always been the best options.

[stringer bell]

4 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

If they don't move Kepler or Polanco, and they won't pay for a Rhys Hoskins or a Justin Turner, they should stay put with the offense. All of the internal options have significantly higher offensive ceilings than Hicks. Don't put more roadblocks in front of the young guys, lately they have pretty much always been the best options.

Honestly, I'm not opposed to this line of thinking. I think the biggest hole then is a right handed hitter who can play corner outfield. It's possible that Martin or Castro could fill that role sufficiently or maybe the lefty hitters develop so that they shrink the platoon splits. 

[nicksaviking]

9 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Honestly, I'm not opposed to this line of thinking. I think the biggest hole then is a right handed hitter who can play corner outfield. It's possible that Martin or Castro could fill that role sufficiently or maybe the lefty hitters develop so that they shrink the platoon splits. 

I know I'm an annoying doofus about this guy, but I still don't understand how Anthony Prato isn't near the top of everyone's wish list of prospect promotions. Only moderate power, but top end OBP, positional flexibility and reasonable stolen bases (which I don't care about) at all levels. This guy looks like Ben Zobrist to me.

I'm honestly more bullish on him than the bigger names like Martin and Severino. No need to tell me how wrong I am, I know this is a nicksaviking island.

[DJL44]

12 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Honestly, I'm not opposed to this line of thinking. I think the biggest hole then is a right handed hitter who can play corner outfield. It's possible that Martin or Castro could fill that role sufficiently or maybe the lefty hitters develop so that they shrink the platoon splits. 

Do you really want Austin Martin sitting on the bench most days waiting for an opportunity to hit against lefthanded pitching? That's the role I would envision for Aaron Hicks - pinch hitter and platoon bat. I'd rather give that role to a veteran than a top prospect. This lineup has serious problems against lefthanded pitching but otherwise looks okay.

If Buxton is on the disabled list, by all means call up Austin Martin and let him start in CF. Hicks can still be the bench bat in that scenario.

 

[mnfireman]

How about a big NO to Hicks.....

[Richie the Rally Goat]

19 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

He's well below average in center and is 34 years old. Maybe the Twins could squeeze one more acceptable CF season out of him but I'm skeptical.

Agreed, and there was a fair amount of open complaining from Hicks being unclear and unhappy with his role in NY before the trade. Not sure that’s a good fit for a team philosophy that moves players around in roles a lot.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Agreed, and there was a fair amount of open complaining from Hicks being unclear and unhappy with his role in NY before the trade. Not sure that’s a good fit for a team philosophy that moves players around in roles a lot.

Respectfully, the Yankee situation was a totally different scenario than a prospective return to Minnesota. Hicks had been a Yankee for more than half a decade and struggled mightily. He went to Baltimore with something to prove and perhaps a chip on his shoulder and performed very well. Nobody wants post-pandemic Yankee Hicks, but the guy who showed up and did his job for the Orioles (and played all three OF positions) would fit well with the Twins. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Respectfully, the Yankee situation was a totally different scenario than a prospective return to Minnesota. Hicks had been a Yankee for more than half a decade and struggled mightily. He went to Baltimore with something to prove and perhaps a chip on his shoulder and performed very well. Nobody wants post-pandemic Yankee Hicks, but the guy who showed up and did his job for the Orioles (and played all three OF positions) would fit well with the Twins. 

Half a year of ok is what you’d expect to get and not the 2+ years of bad preceding it, for a 34 year old? I wouldn’t be willing to make that bet.

[stringer bell]

The risk is about non-existent with only the league minimum in salary and no future years in play. The Bronx can eat you up, ask Sonny Gray, and there’s more than a small chance that the real player is the guy who played for the Orioles. 

[DocBauer]

23 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I know I'm an annoying doofus about this guy, but I still don't understand how Anthony Prato isn't near the top of everyone's wish list of prospect promotions. Only moderate power, but top end OBP, positional flexibility and reasonable stolen bases (which I don't care about) at all levels. This guy looks like Ben Zobrist to me.

I'm honestly more bullish on him than the bigger names like Martin and Severino. No need to tell me how wrong I am, I know this is a nicksaviking island.

And I'm that guy for Michael Helman.

Nothing against Prato, who I'm also interested in going forward, but Helman is my guy. I remain 100% convinced he would have seen time with the Twins last year and Luplow would never have been signed.

I want Martin playing daily. That's why I like Helman as a super utility similar to Castro. Speed, some power, and the ability to play everywhere gives him a role.

If I knew the Hicks that played for a couple months with the Orioles was the one we'd get, I'd be on board for a league minimum deal. Squeeze one more summer out of an experienced  veteran who can at least hit LHP.  I just don't know that I feel all that confident that's the player we'd be getting.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

I don't think you guys get it,  there aren't enough bodies for all the chairs open on other teams unless going to go with absolute scrubs,  1 and possibly both of Farmer and Polanco will get traded.  Don't worry about spots.  We will need someone to back up Buxton and possibly a decent chunk of the load.  Hicks is as good of an option for that roll as anyone.  I think would rather have him than chance it on Austin Martin who is still a work in progress in the outfield.  

Of the remaining outfielders you have Taylor, Duvall, Hicks, Hamilton, Engel and Bradley.  Or you are looking at trading from someone else's roster.  

[Mike Sixel]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:08 AM, DJL44 said:

Do you really want Austin Martin sitting on the bench most days waiting for an opportunity to hit against lefthanded pitching? That's the role I would envision for Aaron Hicks - pinch hitter and platoon bat. I'd rather give that role to a veteran than a top prospect. This lineup has serious problems against lefthanded pitching but otherwise looks okay.

If Buxton is on the disabled list, by all means call up Austin Martin and let him start in CF. Hicks can still be the bench bat in that scenario.

 

No one that subs for Wallner, Buxton, Julien is sitting on the bench most days, not close.