To Tender or Non-Tender... That is the Question! (Update: We now have Answers)

[KirbyDome89]

2 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Fair enough.  I have lesser faith in the younger guys than most.

IMO I think there is so much instability from the younger guys (Lee, Martin), to the next levels (Wallner, MIranda, Larnach) to the health (Lewis, Buxton, Correa) that Castro provide insurance across the board.  If he is with the Twins and getting 600 AB again, it means the team is melting down.  Again.  Even at 450 AB he has that value to the team.

100%. 

This roster is riddled with question marks. Hell, Castro himself probably qualifies after his 2nd half performance. The hope is he's a safety blanket that raises the floor. IMO that's worth paying for. 

[Blyleven2011]

Castro should be tendered and then most likely traded  for a return of something  ...

Stewart because of injuries  I'm on the fence  of  not tendering ...

Tonkin most likely is non tendered ...

topa will be tendered because he was involved with the Polanco trade that hasn't rewarded the twins yet , FO wants aleast another year to redeem themselves  on that trade ...

The rest will be tendered , who do we have to replace them at a lower price , there could be some trades from the tendered players ... 

Then again , they could tender all of them and roll the same as 2024 , who knows what the FO  is thinking , We'll be right here again tomorrow on the decisions  ...

[DJL44]

Austin Hays non-tendered. He could be a fit as a RH corner outfielder.

[nicksaviking]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

It's a question of the price point.

Castro has undeniable value to the roster or any roster. Does he have 6 million worth of value is the question. 

He doesn't if his performance can be replicated for less. 

 

 

My question would be, are the Twins really going to get a better player if they save 6M on Castro? Whether they spend 6M, 4M or 0M of the savings, I wouldn't expect that player to be nearly as useful.

I could see him TRADED for something useful, but I don't see them shopping for something useful on the free agent market with those funds. Or actually any funds they may find themselves with this year.

[Seth Stohs]

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

[Riverbrian]

31 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

My question would be, are the Twins really going to get a better player if they save 6M on Castro? Whether they spend 6M, 4M or 0M of the savings, I wouldn't expect that player to be nearly as useful.

I could see him TRADED for something useful, but I don't see them shopping for something useful on the free agent market with those funds. Or actually any funds they may find themselves with this year.

That is a good question. 

My concern would be that if they took the 6m in savings and divided it up amongst 3 players at 2m like they did last year with Polanco. That is my biggest concern.  

Now if they took that 6m and held it so they had some financial wiggle room to add at the trade deadline. Oddly... I'd be ok with that... However... they need to be able to replace what Castro does... via Helman or someone for the minimum.

Because Castro or the Castro doppelganger is going to rise up to over 300 AB's with our injury history. 

[stringer bell]

Surprised that Tonkin was tendered. I definitely think all of the others should be tendered. 

Castro's utility is not normal utility--he is the first ever to play 25 games at five different defensive positions and he was a regular--the most games and plate appearances of any player on the Twins team. Finding someone to replicate that performance isn't likely to happen at any price.

I will maintain that it would be best to use Willi less but with so many players with extensive injury histories, it only makes sense to have a "Swiss army knife" in the drawer, capable of starting at so many positions and who offers some speed on a team lacking in that commodity.

[tony&rodney]

The Twins have open spots on the 40 person roster. Tendering everyone doesn't really matter that much. Topa could have some trade value as a toss in. Castro certainly has some value. Tonkin has a rubber arm and the recent article nailed it on him. I'm unsure about Henriquez. Still think that if Falvey just does his job and makes a few trades, the Twins actually send away more players than are returned in deals. The roster budget ($130M) is doable because it is a reality and none of these guys bust the bank.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Austin Hays non-tendered. He could be a fit as a RH corner outfielder.

He was a good player until last season, which was ruined by injuries. He's been a good defender in left field who has hit lefties well, while holding his own against right handers. He was slated to get Willi Castro money in arb ($6M+) so he supposedly could be had for something less ($4-5M). 

[lake_guy]

4 hours ago, PatPfund said:

I also think the post-Diamond Sports fallout is still going to have several teams in a tight budget situation, and like last year, several good players are not going to find the free agent market they expected. I

Agree, all kinds of players are going to get surprised this off season.  I wouldn't lock anyone up for a multi year contract I didn't have to.

[stringer bell]

Gleeman is reporting all Twins contracts will be tendered. Topa was signed for an undisclosed amount.

[tony&rodney]

29 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Gleeman is reporting all Twins contracts will be tendered. Topa was signed for an undisclosed amount.

Topa has to be pretty happy. 

[Patzky]

9 hours ago, LambchoP said:

I'm guessing they tender everyone. These are cheap salaries and anyone we'd try to sign to replace these guys would be more expensive anyways. Maybe a Paddack and Castro or Vasquez and Castro would open up enough money to at least take care of one item on our to do list. We need a real everyday first baseman. A good RH fourth outfielder who can play a good center field, and a solid lefty reliever.

Royals picked up Jonathan India from Cincinnati for Brady Singer. 

[tony&rodney]

4 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Royals picked up Jonathan India from Cincinnati for Brady Singer. 

Singer has some promise but the Royals did fine by adding India and Wiemer. 

[DJL44]

Ramon Laureano is also available now.

[jmlease1]

I'll be curious to see what Topa signed for, but I'm not surprised they are bringing him back. Hopefully they've got a good feel for his medicals and he'll actually be able to really pitch for us in 2025. Talent and ceiling are there, but the health has to be a concern. Hopefully we got him under projections too.

I probably wouldn't have tendered Tonkin at $1.5M, but I'm fine with bringing him back at $1M. That's barely above mininum salary, seems fine for a guy who can compete for a middle relief role. It's sad that we have to be so tight that 500K matters so much, but that's where we are with the ownership.

 

[FlyingFinn]

I'm surprised that Kyle Farmer got $4.5 million from the Rockies (including incentives). 

[Fatbat]

No surprises.  We just need a couple missing pieces and no major injuries!

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

I'll be curious to see what Topa signed for, but I'm not surprised they are bringing him back. Hopefully they've got a good feel for his medicals and he'll actually be able to really pitch for us in 2025. Talent and ceiling are there, but the health has to be a concern. Hopefully we got him under projections too.

I probably wouldn't have tendered Tonkin at $1.5M, but I'm fine with bringing him back at $1M. That's barely above mininum salary, seems fine for a guy who can compete for a middle relief role. It's sad that we have to be so tight that 500K matters so much, but that's where we are with the ownership.

 

I think I saw that Topa is getting $1.225M this season with a buyout of $515K on a $2M club option. Much like the Alcalá contract of '24, he is a very affordable option for 2026 if he is healthy for the majority of the season. 

The signings of Stewart and Topa for a little over $2M is good business and if between the two they are healthy for 160 to 180 games that is a win over all. Given their injury histories, expecting either one to be healthy for the whole season is wishful thinking, but expecting a season or so out of the combination is more realistic.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'm surprised that Kyle Farmer got $4.5 million from the Rockies (including incentives). 

I'm surprised Kyle Farmer didn't get 7yrs and $182MM from the Rockies like Kris Bryant. Though ill advised, I think $4.5MM is rather smart for them, haha.

[old nurse]

Not even a small raise for Tonkin but a heck of a lot more than he would make on a minor league contract. 

[TopGunn#22]

I guess I'll 2nd that motion for Austin Hayes as a very affordable RH hitting corner OF.  I'd be looking to make bigger moves by trading some expensive contracts and a few decent prospects.  But you're not going to find many options that could work out at a cheaper price than Austin Hayes.  

[DJL44]

On 11/23/2024 at 8:31 AM, FlyingFinn said:

I'm surprised that Kyle Farmer got $4.5 million from the Rockies (including incentives). 

It reminds me what a bargain Willi Castro is at $6M.