Kirilloff as Trade Bait

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

Twins are not a minor league training camp, he is on the field IF he earns his way and so far, that is not working out too well.

It took three years before teams learned Santana was a good First Baseman and not a good catcher.

In his first three years Kirilloff has shown he is not a good fielder any where, especially Left Field.

With an increasing strike out rate, a lot not to like there.

That is why Santana is here and Kirilloff may not be.

 

Just a bit of cherry-picking on the offensive stats? As far as fielding, comparing what happened to Santana with Kirilloff doesn't make much sense, particularly when Santana moved all the way down the spectrum from catcher (by way of third base IIRC). 

At the end of the defensive spectrum, the biggest criteria is swinging the bat and Kirilloff had a decent half-season with flashes that were much more than decent. Kirilloff has been highly regarded as a hitter for a while now. I'm confident the front office wouldn't be so foolhardy as to sell low on a 26-year old who has shown he can hit. 

[DocBauer]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Just a bit of cherry-picking on the offensive stats? As far as fielding, comparing what happened to Santana with Kirilloff doesn't make much sense, particularly when Santana moved all the way down the spectrum from catcher (by way of third base IIRC). 

At the end of the defensive spectrum, the biggest criteria is swinging the bat and Kirilloff had a decent half-season with flashes that were much more than decent. Kirilloff has been highly regarded as a hitter for a while now. I'm confident the front office wouldn't be so foolhardy as to sell low on a 26-year old who has shown he can hit. 

100% I think we're on the same page.

I don't dislike Santana, and I don't dislike the signing. It was inexpensive and pretty smart. I'm not a huge fan of defensive metrics, to be honest, as I don't feel they are always accurate for a variety of reasons. I also believe AK can be just fine, if not good, at 1B. But I'm also willing to give Santana his due that he is a good 1B.

What I disagree with is that somehow, we signed Santana in his prime. Going in to his age 38yo season, he's not a second coming of Cruz. I don't have the numbers available, but until he hit .230 against RHP in 2023, weren't his last few seasons around .200??

I like him to play 1B against LHP. I like him as a PH, and as a late inning defensive replacement option at times. And I certainly believe he will get some starts at 1B or DH against RHP. But any thought that he's remotely better against RH arms vs Kirilloff is just wrong. Any idea that AK is a K machine is also wrong based on actual improvement in that area last season. Kirilloff is a former consensus top 25 player who's only real issue was the wrist problem which seems to have been fixed. 

Unless Santana finds a fountain of youth at 38yo, AK blows him away as a LH batter. And unless there is a MAJOR difference defensively...which I doubt...I'm just NOT going to put my 26yo potential stud LH bat at the DH spot in favor of a lesser bat, veteran status notwithstanding. Especially when that 26yo has a chance to be a fixture in the lineup for years to come.

 

[Fatbat]

The 40 man roster is very flexible.  Anyone of them could be traded or injured and there is double to triple redundancy.  Be patient, someone will be gone/acquired by the trade deadline.