Why Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez Escaped the Offseason Budget Crunch

[Ted Schwerzler]

From the jump this offseason, the Minnesota Twins came out and all but said they wouldn’t spend money. The clear message: finances were tight, and payroll was going to drop.

This put the future of Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez – seemingly luxuries from a functional standpoint – in doubt. But as Opening Day approaches, the veteran leaders are still here.

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

For a franchise that chose to slash payroll by $30 million after the most successful season in decades, rostering a pair of bench players for a combined cost of nearly $17 million seems odd. The talk of the offseason largely regarded trades of established regulars such as Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. Obviously, the Mariners helped the former come to fruition, but Kepler remains the expected starter in right field.

Why do Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez remain on the roster with their gaudy price tags? That answer is much less straightforward than one might imagine. Both have different qualities that make them integral to Rocco Baldelli’s clubhouse.

In a world where Nick Gordon was a tradable asset for a major-league return and Tim Anderson got a starting job with the Miami Marlins, there is no doubt that Farmer would have had value. Even at $6 million, he possesses the skill set to be a starting-caliber shortstop at the major league level, and even with offensive limitations, he’s not a complete detriment to a lineup.

Someone adding $20 million in total salary for Vazquez would undoubtedly be a non-starter after the season he had in 2023, but there could have been an opportunity to repurpose those funds in a talent swap. Minnesota has Ryan Jeffers behind the dish, and although Jair Camargo may not be completely ready, he is on the 40-man roster.

The dedication to their team and craft separates both players, however. As Nick Nelson pointed out earlier this offseason, intangibles are something that this front office and organization emphasized. We have seen clubhouses in Minnesota go awry; players like Josh Donaldson or Lance Lynn can spiral a challenging situation into an even worse one. While creating a culture of guys who genuinely like to play with each other is one thing, figuring out why they gel is another.

 

A glue guy at this stage of his career, Farmer’s leadership is more valuable than what he does on the field. Baldelli is happy to have someone capable of giving Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Edouard Julien a rest, but what he does behind the scenes also helps to warrant the arbitration payday he is receiving. Coaches have lauded Farmer as a guy the 2022 team could have used while trying to hold off the late-season slide, and having someone keep things in perspective from a player's point-of-view is an invaluable trait.

When it comes to Vázquez, there’s an internal drive from a player who has experienced the pinnacle of the sport and will continue to push for more. It wasn’t lost on him that there wasn’t an appearance during the 2023 postseason, and with a pair of World Series rings to his credit, that’s not something he has been used to.

Taking the offseason to develop bat speed and generate more of the production expected when he signed the three-year deal reflects a guy not being good with riding off into the sunset. The coaching staff still envisions a split between their catchers, and getting a more productive version of Vázquez out of it will help that process.

 

It’s fair to suggest that both players would have struggled to net much of a return – Vázquez being more accurate than Farmer in that regard – but for a team so openly looking to save dollars, it had to be a strong consideration It’s noteworthy that neither of those moves was made because it speaks volumes about the character and vision of both players, stemming from themselves and those around them.

To what extent Farmer and Vazquez contribute this year remains to be seen, and neither of them will be expected to do much heavy lifting, but you can bet that both will have an impact far beyond what is seen between the lines on a daily basis.

---

Do you agree with the decision to keep these veteran backups around, even while consuming a sizable percentage of available payroll? How much weight do you give to the qualities Farmer and Vázquez bring to the table? Sound off in the comments.

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[DJL44]

The work ethic is nice to have but these two are on the roster because each of them can do something that a starting player can't do. Vazquez fields better than Jeffers. Farmer fields better than Julien and hits lefties better. A team with a lot of cheap, young players in the starting lineup has money to spend on veteran backups who complement the starters.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I am very pleased that the Twins didn’t get rid of either Vazquez or Farmer for this year.  I think they were more valuable than keeping Polanco and are more valuable than Kepler will likely be this year.  Farmer an excellent defender who can replace a number of positions (even for more than a day or two if necessary) on the field.  His bat is the right match for what the team needs as well and it will probably be better this year if he can avoid getting hit in the face (ouch!).  Vazquez is also a very solid defensive player who had a bad offensive season.  However, his 65 OPS+ last year was well above the Drew Butera level (48 OPS+ for a CAREER), plus the potential for a bounce back is there.  Camargo is waiting in the wings, but I doubt we’ll see a year that only uses two catchers again any time soon.  His day will come.  

Either of these two could be starters on many teams and having them as bench players is immensely valuable from a production standpoint, and from an experiential standpoint they have much to offer younger players.  

[jmlease1]

the other reason farmer is still around is his high levels of positional flexibility. he can play any position in the infield (he's even the emergency 3rd catcher) and is still probably our best option to play SS behind Correa if needed. He's even viable to run out to LF in a pinch. There's a ton of value in that, especially if he can keep thumping LHP pitching effectively; when you don't have to make a corresponding defensive move when using a player as a pinch hitter, it keeps your bench available for another move if needed. It's part of why Castro is so useful late in games, even if he's only an average-ish offensive player: he can come in and pinch-run, make some noise on the bases and then take whatever position is needed in the field. Farmer brings some of the same.

Vazquez was probably the harder one to swallow: he had such a rough year at the plate that it dragged his overall value way down. But he was still quality defensively, and it seems likely that he helped Jeffers grow behind the plate as well. I think Vazquez is back based on risk-avoidance: while the twins might have felt ok about a a catching combo of jeffers and Camargo, the lack of anything proven behind them probably wasn't a risk they were willing to take. It's pretty remarkable that jeffers and vazquez were the only two guys behind the plate at all in 2023 and they reasonably thought they could be in a lot of trouble if they moved vazquez. The poor return opportunity certainly didn't help; this FO doesn't seem to like letting go of players they think have value for less than what they think they are worth.

Happy to have them both back.

[RpR]

34 minutes ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

From the jump this offseason, the Minnesota Twins came out and all but said they wouldn’t spend money. The clear message: finances were tight, and payroll was going to drop.

This put the future of Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez – seemingly luxuries from a functional standpoint – in doubt. But as Opening Day approaches, the veteran leaders are still here.

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

For a franchise that chose to slash payroll by $30 million after the most successful season in decades, rostering a pair of bench players for a combined cost of nearly $17 million seems odd. The talk of the offseason largely regarded trades of established regulars such as Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler. Obviously, the Mariners helped the former come to fruition, but Kepler remains the expected starter in right field.

Why do Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez remain on the roster with their gaudy price tags? That answer is much less straightforward than one might imagine. Both have different qualities that make them integral to Rocco Baldelli’s clubhouse.

In a world where Nick Gordon was a tradable asset for a major-league return and Tim Anderson got a starting job with the Miami Marlins, there is no doubt that Farmer would have had value. Even at $6 million, he possesses the skill set to be a starting-caliber shortstop at the major league level, and even with offensive limitations, he’s not a complete detriment to a lineup.

Someone adding $20 million in total salary for Vazquez would undoubtedly be a non-starter after the season he had in 2023, but there could have been an opportunity to repurpose those funds in a talent swap. Minnesota has Ryan Jeffers behind the dish, and although Jair Camargo may not be completely ready, he is on the 40-man roster.

The dedication to their team and craft separates both players, however. As Nick Nelson pointed out earlier this offseason, intangibles are something that this front office and organization emphasized. We have seen clubhouses in Minnesota go awry; players like Josh Donaldson or Lance Lynn can spiral a challenging situation into an even worse one. While creating a culture of guys who genuinely like to play with each other is one thing, figuring out why they gel is another.

 

A glue guy at this stage of his career, Farmer’s leadership is more valuable than what he does on the field. Baldelli is happy to have someone capable of giving Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Edouard Julien a rest, but what he does behind the scenes also helps to warrant the arbitration payday he is receiving. Coaches have lauded Farmer as a guy the 2022 team could have used while trying to hold off the late-season slide, and having someone keep things in perspective from a player's point-of-view is an invaluable trait.

When it comes to Vázquez, there’s an internal drive from a player who has experienced the pinnacle of the sport and will continue to push for more. It wasn’t lost on him that there wasn’t an appearance during the 2023 postseason, and with a pair of World Series rings to his credit, that’s not something he has been used to.

Taking the offseason to develop bat speed and generate more of the production expected when he signed the three-year deal reflects a guy not being good with riding off into the sunset. The coaching staff still envisions a split between their catchers, and getting a more productive version of Vázquez out of it will help that process.

 

It’s fair to suggest that both players would have struggled to net much of a return – Vázquez being more accurate than Farmer in that regard – but for a team so openly looking to save dollars, it had to be a strong consideration It’s noteworthy that neither of those moves was made because it speaks volumes about the character and vision of both players, stemming from themselves and those around them.

To what extent Farmer and Vazquez contribute this year remains to be seen, and neither of them will be expected to do much heavy lifting, but you can bet that both will have an impact far beyond what is seen between the lines on a daily basis.

---

Do you agree with the decision to keep these veteran backups around, even while consuming a sizable percentage of available payroll? How much weight do you give to the qualities Farmer and Vázquez bring to the table? Sound off in the comments.

 

View full article

YES.

[baul0010]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

The work ethic is nice to have but these two are on the roster because each of them can do something that a starting player can't do. Vazquez fields better than Jeffers. Farmer fields better than Julien and hits lefties better. A team with a lot of cheap, young players in the starting lineup has money to spend on veteran backups who complement the starters.

I like the thought but those two salaries gone could've gotten the Twins to a range where a number 2 or 3 starter could have been had.  I think the relative value to adding a better starting pitcher vs. what Anthony DeScalfani would give us would be better than the drop off between Vasquez/Farmer VS. Camargo/Lee.

[Doctor Gast]

I am overjoyed that they kept both not only because they are better defensively than their primary player ahead of them but also their character & their ability to mentor. I admire Farmer when he got HBP in the face and came back quickly and never missed a beat. I admired Vazquez for not complaining publicly when he who had World Series experience, sat out of the postseason in favor of a catcher who had none. After a year of adapting & getting to know his pitchers, he'll bounce back this season.

I'd be happier if the Twins stood pat & kept Polanco.

[IndianaTwin]

Not mentioned in most of the "dump Vazquez" discussions of the winter is realizing it's one thing to say that they have Camargo as an option to replace him, but who would they have to replace Camargo? 

As in, it's incredibly rare to have gotten through 162 starts on just Vazquez and Jeffers a year ago. The likelihood of getting through 162 this year with just Jeffers and Camargo would be just as slim. So what would you do when, not if, one of those two goes down?

At other positions, it's mostly about having a viable backup option, with roster flexibility designed to cover the third and fourth options. At catcher you really need to have a legitimate third option available because of the specialization required and increased likelihood of injury.

 

EDIT: Mostly ninja'ed by the "risk avoidance" part of jmlease1's post above, but I'll leave this here for emphasis and agreement.  

[lukeduke1980]

I think the Margot deal would have been similar where we would have had to kick in money to trade either player.  Then you start considering signing depth for what you lost, so the money becomes a wash, and then you might as well keep two guys you have and like in Vazquez / Farmer.

[Doctor Gast]

I think the main reason they kept Vazquez is that all competitive teams already have their top defensive catcher set. Those that aren't competitive don't want to spend that much money on Vazquez especially him having a down year offensively.

Which is a poor reason.

[chpettit19]

I'm going to start by saying I like Vazquez and Farmer in general, and am not mad to have them on the team. So don't get too mad at what I'm about to say. But the Twins are spending 25.5 mil on Vazquez, Farmer, Santana, and DeSclafani. That's too much to pay for a #5 starter with injury concerns, and 3 guys who should be limited to part-time roles, 2 of which should see mostly just short-side of platoon ABs. Give me Maldonado for 4.5 (he got 4.25 from the non-contender White Sox so 4.5 is probably more than it'd have cost) and 20+ mil to spend on a far superior player to any of the 4 listed while filling the rest of the roster with league minimum guys with options. Shoot, add Margot to it and you're at 24+ mil in spending money.

Correa at 33 needs to perform for sure, but all these 5-12 mil limited veterans don't help their payroll situation at all either. Amed Rosario and Maldonado for the combined salary of Farmer alone. Or Maldonado and Hampson for the same 6-6.5 mil range would give them another 10 mi to spend to improve upon the roster (mostly the Santana or DeSclafani or Margot spots). Obviously a lot of other factors that play into how you could actually have constructed the roster while moving those 2, but 16+ mil for them is a lot of money on a team with limited spending power. They're both very solid veteran guys who all reports suggest are wonderful clubhouse guys. But when your spending is limited filling 4 or 5 roster spots that are going to what should be limited roles with guys making the money these guys are hurts your team building options.

[Major League Ready]

The decision to spend $10M Vazquez was not made this year.  That decision was made based on circumstances when another catcher looked like a very important need and I think we all liked the move at the time.  We can't say they should have dumped his salary now because that was not possible.  No team was taking him at $10M.   

Farmer is a little spendy at $6.25m but the production of the combination of Julien and Farmer would cost a lot more than $7M and you get the additional flexibility of Farmer as a bonus.  He seems like a very high character guy and that probably played into it as well.

The biggest concern in terms of investment is Correa.  We simply must get a lot more out of him.  Vazquez / Farmer / Santana / DeScalfani, and Margot have a combined cost of $8M less than Correa.  

[Riverbrian]

3 hours ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

Why do Kyle Farmer and Christian Vázquez remain on the roster with their gaudy price tags?

Very rarely do you run across the answer to a question inside of the actual question. 

Here are some more examples of the answer to a question inside the actual question. 

Why don't people like dogs that bite? 

Why don't people eat food that doesn't taste very good? 

Why do I sweat mowing the lawn when it's 120 Degrees?  

I'll open up the floor for anyone who would like to answer those questions. 

 

 

 

[USAFChief]

I think Farmer is on the team because he's a very capable backup all around the infield, and the only one they have who they feel comfortable at SS.

As for Vazquez, quick pop quiz: who had more PAs last year... Ryan Jeffers or Christian Vazquez?

Vazquez isn't a backup, given the way the Twins deploy their catchers. He's excellent behind the plate, and also very likely a better hitter than he showed in 2023. Given the weak catching throughout the major leagues, I doubt the Twins regret the contract. 

 

[h2oface]

The Twins can't afford not to keep Vazquez, because if they traded him, they would have to pay him to play for another team, anyway, or a least a good share of his $. No other team was or is inclined to pay $30 million for 3 years, or $20 million for the next two. Only the Twins decided to. At this point, Vazquez owes us at least one good season, and by the contract amount, 2. So you have to bet on Vazquez, I guess, at least for this year. Hopefully he can climb out of the hole he dug offensively (and his offense was a big part of the reason for the original contract) and perform at least up to half the value he is being paid, and give the Twins a season at the plate, too. $10 million for Vazquez defense half the time is not a good value. (Jeffers $2.425, less than 1/4 of Vazquez). 

I would think Lewis could handle short to back up Correa. He looked fine when he played there before. I think it's a good idea to keep him in the mix just in case. The only reason he isn't there now is Correa blocking him from the position. Unknown how good he could be. DPCC is a big expensive question anyway right now, after last year. Lee could probably handle 3rd, at least soon, but Farmer, for sure. Like Farmer says ".... an easy way to cut payroll is by not keeping me, but I think that shows how much they like me.”

[DocBauer]

So basically, everything that  Chpettit19 just said. 

But also, as pointed out by Major League Ready, the decision was made on Vazquez last offseason, presumably when the FO was still uncertain about Jeffers taking that next step. Remember that when they first took over Jason Castro was their first FA signing. They understand the value of quality catchers. And while Vazquez is perhaps overpaid considering a probable 40% play reference,  Jeffers is not making much yet. And if Vazquez were moved, how much would the Twins have actually saved after they would have almost certainly had to cover part of his deal? I'm glad to have him back,  with hopes his bat picks up this season closer to his career norms, but if Camargo keeps progressing, I could see Vazquez and his FINAL year being of greater appeal next offseason to someone.

Roster space and $ meant the Twins could only keep 1 of Polanco or Farmer. Polanco is the better overall bat, and Farmer the better defender. But Polanco had greater trade value, was scheduled to earn about $4M more, so he made the most sense to move in order to add elsewhere. Not saying that was necessarily the RIGHT move as I can see different ways to construct the roster if it had been Polanco kept and Farmer moved in some way. For example, Polanco playing at 1B and DH would mean no Santana signing, but they'd need another utility option to team with Castro. Martin perhaps? But without re-visiting opinions on the Polanco trade, he had the most potential return value in any kind of trade. And it's nice to have Farmer back as a team leader, a quality defender across the INF, and a RH bat to face LHP, most notably working in at 2B to give Julien some days off.

The Twins absolutely could use the $ mentioned previously to go a different direction here and there, though Vazquez is pretty much a sunk cost at this point. And I don't mean that as an insult to him.  And maybe it comes a year too late, but, good chance Vazquez might be moved next offseason. Farmer and Kepler and DeSclafini are almost certainly gone as well. So there will be a chunk of $ coming off the books, and the likes of Camargo, Lee, Martin, SWR, Festa, Canterino, etc, etc, will have more experience, be closer to a full time ML gig, or perhaps will even have established themselves as such already. Maybe some of that $ savings will come a year to late to help considering raises expected for some guys in 2025, but I'm glad to have both Vazquez and Farmer for this season. Despite maybe being overpaid for their roles, I do think each can play an important part in the Twins 2024 success.

 

[Gamblerssoftball]

Clubhouse chemistry, leadership qualities, and just being a guy everyone likes to be around are hugely important. I think most major league teams under value this way too much. In the right environment, much greater production can be achieved from every player on the roster, just because the overall comfort level is high. This is why the salaries of Farmer and Vasquez are excellent values to the team. And, they are solid players, too.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I'm going on record here and now that Vasquez is going to have a VERY nice year.  So good that if we want to trade him next off-season we will get a HAUL.  

Farmer will show up and be a professional, have a nice, tidy year.  His leadership will be important.  

Very glad to have both of these guys.  

[Old fox]

That’s why they play the game. The started with a goal of $125-140 million budget at this time.  I may not agree with  ownership’s decision to to cut the 23 budget by 10-20%. But I respect ownership’s decision. The FO did a good job assembling this team for24.

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, Joe A. Preusser said:

I'm going on record here and now that Vasquez is going to have a VERY nice year.  So good that if we want to trade him next off-season we will get a HAUL.  

Farmer will show up and be a professional, have a nice, tidy year.  His leadership will be important.  

Very glad to have both of these guys.  

I know we hear all the time about guys working hard and coming in to camp in great shape, yadda, yadda. But I just read somewhere that Vazquez did quite a bit of work on his stroke to concentrate on driving the ball harder this upcoming season. And he supposedly lost around 7lbs. Now, that's not a lot of weight, but when you're built like a small brick house, lol, that shows me he put in some good, solid work. 

His career quad slash line is:

.257/ .306/ .378/ .684/ with a 83 OPS+

At 33yo and 2 down seasons, can he reach his career slash numbers or come close? If he can, that to ME is a HUGE season. Those kind of numbers with his defense and experience could make him very attractive to another team next offseason on what would be a 1yr deal, if the Twins want to move him. But that would also depend on the continued development of not only Camargo as the potential #2 catcher, but Winkel's growth behind him, and Cardenas and Cossetti behind them. 

[JD-TWINS]

20 hours ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

I am very pleased that the Twins didn’t get rid of either Vazquez or Farmer for this year.  I think they were more valuable than keeping Polanco and are more valuable than Kepler will likely be this year.  Farmer an excellent defender who can replace a number of positions (even for more than a day or two if necessary) on the field.  His bat is the right match for what the team needs as well and it will probably be better this year if he can avoid getting hit in the face (ouch!).  Vazquez is also a very solid defensive player who had a bad offensive season.  However, his 65 OPS+ last year was well above the Drew Butera level (48 OPS+ for a CAREER), plus the potential for a bounce back is there.  Camargo is waiting in the wings, but I doubt we’ll see a year that only uses two catchers again any time soon.  His day will come.  

Either of these two could be starters on many teams and having them as bench players is immensely valuable from a production standpoint, and from an experiential standpoint they have much to offer younger players.  

………..both……..,Likely more valuable than Kepler will be this year….? Why the upbeat for these 2 vets and the negativity with Kepler?

Max was one of 5 guys in the game to have 30 or more XBH & hit .300 in the 2nd half last year. Do I expect him to be an AllStar, no. Seems though, his fit in the locker room as the oldest tenured Twin, deserves as much respect as Vazquez or anyone.

[JD-TWINS]

21 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

the other reason farmer is still around is his high levels of positional flexibility. he can play any position in the infield (he's even the emergency 3rd catcher) and is still probably our best option to play SS behind Correa if needed. He's even viable to run out to LF in a pinch. There's a ton of value in that, especially if he can keep thumping LHP pitching effectively; when you don't have to make a corresponding defensive move when using a player as a pinch hitter, it keeps your bench available for another move if needed. It's part of why Castro is so useful late in games, even if he's only an average-ish offensive player: he can come in and pinch-run, make some noise on the bases and then take whatever position is needed in the field. Farmer brings some of the same.

Vazquez was probably the harder one to swallow: he had such a rough year at the plate that it dragged his overall value way down. But he was still quality defensively, and it seems likely that he helped Jeffers grow behind the plate as well. I think Vazquez is back based on risk-avoidance: while the twins might have felt ok about a a catching combo of jeffers and Camargo, the lack of anything proven behind them probably wasn't a risk they were willing to take. It's pretty remarkable that jeffers and vazquez were the only two guys behind the plate at all in 2023 and they reasonably thought they could be in a lot of trouble if they moved vazquez. The poor return opportunity certainly didn't help; this FO doesn't seem to like letting go of players they think have value for less than what they think they are worth.

Happy to have them both back.

I like the Veteran depth - agree Farmer is our best next man up at all 3 positions on the dirt!

Hoping Vazquez will bounce back a bit - seems to really be working at it for months.

Santana seems to be a good fit - uptick in power over Solano from right side & better defense.

Castro, though, doesn’t seem to get much respect. Not just here but in nearly any post.

Castro in ‘23:

2.6 WAR …… 9 HR ……. 33 steals …. 106 OPS+
plays all over the place….great arm……switch hitter.

Seems most think he will regress - he was lucky in ‘23…..don’t get it at all?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

18 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Very rarely do you run across the answer to a question inside of the actual question. 

Here are some more examples of the answer to a question inside the actual question. 

Why don't people like dogs that bite? 

Why don't people eat food that doesn't taste very good? 

Why do I sweat mowing the lawn when it's 120 Degrees?  

I'll open up the floor for anyone who would like to answer those questions. 

 

 

 

Ya left out some of the classics...

Who was buried in Grant's tomb?

What color was George Washington's white horse?

[Rod Carews Birthday]

2 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

………..both……..,Likely more valuable than Kepler will be this year….? Why the upbeat for these 2 vets and the negativity with Kepler?

Max was one of 5 guys in the game to have 30 or more XBH & hit .300 in the 2nd half last year. Do I expect him to be an AllStar, no. Seems though, his fit in the locker room as the oldest tenured Twin, deserves as much respect as Vazquez or anyone.

I hope you’re correct.  Max has at times demonstrated that he can be a top notch player, however, if there is one thing that he has consistently shown, it’s his ability to be inconsistent.  I just don’t feel like you can ever count on a particular level of production.  

[Ted Schwerzler]

22 hours ago, baul0010 said:

I like the thought but those two salaries gone could've gotten the Twins to a range where a number 2 or 3 starter could have been had.  I think the relative value to adding a better starting pitcher vs. what Anthony DeScalfani would give us would be better than the drop off between Vasquez/Farmer VS. Camargo/Lee.

I'm not sure what type of starter you're getting for $16M, but it's probably not a significant needle-mover.

[Ted Schwerzler]

14 hours ago, Old fox said:

But I respect ownership’s decision. The FO did a good job assembling this team for24.

I do agree the front office did a great job assembling this roster with the parameters they were given.

I don't see any reason to respect the choice ownership made though.

[IndianaTwin]

This article in The Athletic seems timely: 

https://theathletic.com/5299395/2024/03/05/kyle-farmer-2024-twins/

Since you need a subscription, I'll summarize for those who don't have one. The gist is that Farmer himself was expecting to get non-tendered, but that he's very glad to be back. It also talks about why the Twins wanted him back and is very complimentary from a number of sources. 

I just posted a comment to this effect in another thread, but I think it's another example of the Twins treating players right, and I think that goes a long way in their success and player recruitment.

[baul0010]

47 minutes ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

I'm not sure what type of starter you're getting for $16M, but it's probably not a significant needle-mover.

You could throw in DeScalfani's contract as well.  Maybe if we would have gotten up to 20ish million we could have considered keeping Sonny Gray.  The status quo would have been an upgrade.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

2 hours ago, sampleSizeOfOne said:

Ya left out some of the classics...

Who was buried in Grant's tomb?

What color was George Washington's white horse?

While perhaps not strictly of the type described by Mr. Riverbrian, my favorite was always How many of each kind did Moses bring aboard the ark?

[sampleSizeOfOne]

21 minutes ago, baul0010 said:

You could throw in DeScalfani's contract as well.  Maybe if we would have gotten up to 20ish million we could have considered keeping Sonny Gray.  The status quo would have been an upgrade.

We did offer Mr. Gray a Qualified Offer, i do believe?

 

(PS... somewhere recently i think spelled his name with an e. if a kindly moderator notices it and feels like fixing it, or just reminding me where it is so as i can do it myself, i would be much obliged.)