Bring Back Santana in 2025?

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I'm more worried they are going to do something even more drastic and chose between Correa and Lopez.

They would have a fan backlash and attendance falling off a cliff like they have never seen.

[SwainZag]

12 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm nearly certain if they could get a good deal for CC, he'd be gone. They then put Lee at SS. That frees up so much money....so much. But, I don't see it happening.

OTOH, maybe Baltimore gives up a legit top prospect or two for Lopez (like a RH OF)....but man, that's so risky for the Twins, I wouldn't do that (note, I'd not deal CC either).

Based on what?  Outside of straight fear mongering?  Not adding money or one thing, but trading core players with salaries is a whole different ballgame.  If it happens I'll eat my hat, but being nearly certain they would trade CC given the opportunity is pretty wild IMO.

[Mike Sixel]

4 hours ago, SwainZag said:

Based on what?  Outside of straight fear mongering?  Not adding money or one thing, but trading core players with salaries is a whole different ballgame.  If it happens I'll eat my hat, but being nearly certain they would trade CC given the opportunity is pretty wild IMO.

Hunch, nothing more or less. I think they want to cut spending, a lot. I could be wrong, but do you really think I'm fear mongering, several pages into a thread like eight people are reading?

[Shaitan]

I think it depends how they use the DH. If they keep a 3-4 player rotation between 1B/DH I'm open to it. But I doubt he'll want less money after a good season, not to mention less playing time. Everybody will likely come out happier if they simply go their separate ways, unless Santana is seriously thinking about retirement and the change to more of a part-time role.

Personally, I think it's still too early to tell. At his age, performance can fall off a cliff fast. No reason to fret about this until January. If they wait too long, so be it. There are other players at similar cost for what he does.

[stringer bell]

5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Hunch, nothing more or less. I think they want to cut spending, a lot. I could be wrong, but do you really think I'm fear mongering, several pages into a thread like eight people are reading?

I agree that the Twins will try to keep payroll where it is or slightly lower as evidenced by the "right sizing" comment and their refusal to add payroll at the trade deadline. We know that Pablo López is due for a big increase in pay and that Ober, Ryan, Lewis  and Jeffers all will get big increases due to arbitration, which should eat up the savings by cashiering Kepler, DeSclafani and Farmer. Certainly Santana has been worth his salary this year, but expecting the same in 2025 is far from a sure thing. 

[Doctor Gast]

Santana can only play 1B & he has played there for years. He should be good after all those years. What counts is his bat at 1B. Miranda has a much better bat, Kiriloff is when kept healthy & Julien can be when he adjusts. Why are the Twins afraid to give these guys time at 1B, if they gave them a chance they could be better than Santana at 1B. 1B should be an option for a player like Lewis. Why block that position with a more expensive FA from better & cheaper in-house players?

So my answer is absolutely not! Why make the same mistake twice? 1B isn't a place of need it's a place of extreme abundance. 

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

 Why block that position with a more expensive FA from better & cheaper in-house players?

So my answer is absolutely not! Why make the same mistake twice? 1B isn't a place of need it's a place of extreme abundance. 

For today, Santana is the best defensive option and an okay option on offense, especially against left handed pitching. To start the season, the Twins were counting on Kirilloff and that didn't pan out, but Miranda has been good. It wasn't a mistake to sign Santana for comparatively small dollars. I do think it is a different story in 2025 and betting on a 39-year old to sustain his performance is asking for a lot.

 

[Doctor Gast]

14 hours ago, stringer bell said:

For today, Santana is the best defensive option and an okay option on offense, especially against left handed pitching. To start the season, the Twins were counting on Kirilloff and that didn't pan out, but Miranda has been good. It wasn't a mistake to sign Santana for comparatively small dollars. I do think it is a different story in 2025 and betting on a 39-year old to sustain his performance is asking for a lot.

 

Thank you Stringer, I respect your opinion. The idea of platooning Kiriloff & Santana was only in the mind of the fans because Baldelli made it very clear before the start of the season that Santana was the primary 1Bman no matter what. That was the marching orders.

Kiriloff played 12 games at 1B, 14 games at DH primarily in the beginning of the season according to the program of keeping him at DH/1B. At this time Kiriloff was perfectly healthy batting .271/ .325/ .471/ .796. On April 25, Kiriloff was stationed in the OF, which became his primary position. On April 25, Santana was batting .143/ .238/ .213/ .451, prior he was as bad as (.098/ .196/ .122/ .318) on April 13, At the same time Kiriloff was batting (.324/ .381/ .649/ 1.030). When Kiriloff was stationed in the OF for good on April 25 IMO he far exceeded Santana's production. I don't think that Kiriloff wasn't working out at 1B, he was excelling, during his time at 1B.

Santana may be our best defensive option at DH but should that be the governing factor to start him there? Absolutely not (sorry for being sarcastic, but I wanted to drive home a point). Unlike catching, defense isn't the deciding factor to come up with a primary 1B. Besides Kiriloff, Miranda has been well out-mashing Santana, that tandem would be awesome, especially looking at Santana's difficulty against RHPs . If Santana hadn't monopolized the time at 1B our other younger & more productive options would have become better. Now if Santana regresses to prior levels or gets injured (which is very possible) that lack of playing time of our other options just puts us in a much less desirable situation. $5 MM isn't much by today's MLB standards but if you're at your limit it's a lot, especially if it keeps you from filling a desperate need.

[RpR]

6 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

. If Santana hadn't monopolized the time at 1B our other younger & more productive options would have become better. Now if Santana regresses to prior levels or gets injured (which is very possible) that lack of playing time of our other options just puts us in a much less desirable situation. $5 MM isn't much by today's MLB standards but if you're at your limit it's a lot, especially if it keeps you from filling a desperate need.

If, if, if -- the world of if is like playing numbers on a roulette wheel.

Santana is at first for defense more than his bat; Kirilloff was not a good defender.

[karcherd]

No, he has had one good month offensively, and is batting .182 this month.  Yes he has had a couple of moments where he has had a key hit but his offense is league average at best.  He should not be leading the team in AB's but because he is a switch hitter they will run him out there every day, despite the fact he can't hit right handed pitching.  He should be starting against LH and be a defensive replacement and Miranda should be at first.  Lewis hasn't even played 100 games at 3B, it is way too early to write him off there. 

[stringer bell]

32 minutes ago, karcherd said:He should not be leading the team in AB's but because he is a switch hitter they will run him out there every day, despite the fact he can't hit right handed pitching.  He should be starting against LH and be a defensive replacement and Miranda should be at first.  Lewis hasn't even played 100 games at 3B, it is way too early to write him off there. 

Santana has a .665 OPS against right handers, below average, but not helpless. His OPS vs. right handers is better than Farmer, Margot, Lee and Kirilloff. 

[karcherd]

4 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Santana has a .665 OPS against right handers, below average, but not helpless. His OPS vs. right handers is better than Farmer, Margot, Lee and Kirilloff. 

But his OPS is well below Miranda's and that is really who he is taking AB's from.  My frustration is he leads the team in AB's not because he is the best player but because of their rigidity to the platoon system.  And since he is a switch hitter, they think he can play regardless of who is pitching and he is not good against RH and their is a better option available.

[lecroy24fan]

I have an out of the box idea. If Jeffers defensive regression can't be fixed/reversed, how about giving him time at 1B? The power he has needs to be in the lineup more than it is now, and perhaps a move from behind the plate would be good for the average?

[Joe A. Preusser]

I really like Santana, and absolutely hated all the capital H Hate he got on his signing.  He has been a great player for us when you consider all facets.  

That said, I wouldn't resign him.  Thank you for having a great year, hope you tear it up in the playoffs and get another nice payday, and time to move on to internal options next offseason.

I really hate all this TV deal bullshlt.  

 

[mrcharlie]

If you consider the on field performance of Twins fielders and hitters there is no player with a better 2024. 

Looking at his clutch hitting, his solid defense, his everyday health how can we not consider 2024 an MVP season for the Twins.  There can be no doubt that he and Castro have lead our lineup throughout the season.  I mention Castro because he has stepped in consistently for teammates who could not perform.

 

[Morland]

No. Next year Miranda will play first. Lee/Julien 2nd, Correa short, and Lewis 3rd. Castro & Lee/Julien are the backups. No room for Santana.

Same with the outfield. Kepler's gone. Buxton and Wallner are set. The other outfielder will be a combination of Larnach, Martin, and whoever they get to hit right handers.