BREAKING: Twins Agree to One-Year Deal With Outfielder Harrison Bader

[chpettit19]

14 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

You don't think the Twins signing a CF backup and general 4th OF affects last years primary backup CF and this years presumed 4th OF? 

K. 

What kids are you all talking about? Theres Rodriguez. And...

No, I don't. And I literally explained why in the section you cut out. Maybe just read that part and save us both this wasted time.

Rodriguez, Kiersey, Helman, Eeles, McCusker, Keaschall, Lee, Gasper, Julien, Prato, Rosario. Off the top of my head. And, no, they're not all "kids." And, yes, the vast majority of them will fail and be worse than Bader. But I'm confident that the combination of them can produce a league average player for the league minimum and there's a chance it produces somebody above league average for the minimum that then sets the team up for success in the future. And, yes, some of those guys are infielders, but all the roster spots are connected. Especially on this team. It's why people like Castro so much. Because he can change where the opening on your roster is.

[chpettit19]

8 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

No. They absolutely could not have. This isn't a video game. 

You understand the players have agency, right? Pete Alonso wanted to remain a Met. And Boras worked out a deal to allow him to do so for a bit longer. 

They could afford it. You know exactly what I mean. There's a whole lot of players that want to remain on Team X and don't. That's a nonsense argument. Correa wanted to remain an Astro. How'd that turn out? Bregman also wants to remain an Astro and that's very much up in the air.

If the Twins offered him a 6 year, $180 million deal he'd be a Twin. They wouldn't do that, but this idea that he was never going anywhere else is nonsense. Players leave the teams they want to be on all the time. Like it's the main part of the offseason.

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

That isn't all he effects at all. I actually don't think he effects Martin in any way. Martin is still on the MLB roster from my estimation. And that means he's still likely a short side platoon bat who will get a little playing time at 2B as well. If the idea is that Bader is a platoon for a corner OFer because he doesn't move Larnach to most time DH then Martin remains the most obvious other platoon bat for the 2 lefties we know will be on the roster.

Yes, some of us focus on the kids because of the word "yet." Yet is the key. Yet keeps pushing things back because of the average at best vet. And maybe it isn't "yet." Maybe the kids are good now. You don't get to find out because the average at best vet is taking the PAs. 

At the end of the day it's a matter of taste on team building. Some people like the floor building vets and some of us prefer the possible ceiling raising kids. 

And of course, the math isn't that simple, but it gives an idea. The Twins could never afford Correa until they could. Is Bregman going to settle for a 1-year deal, too? This is happening every year now. Big time players don't get the big deal they want and take essentially 1-year deals. The Twins could've paid Alonso 30 mil this year. They could pay Bregman 30 mil. Shoot, apparently, they could've paid them 35. The math isn't that simple, but it's also not just blindly "those guys are never coming here." I'd prefer to be in the race for one of those guys and still be able to snag these average at best vets late in the offseason like we do. Instead we don't join any races and then sign the average at best vets late anyways. Outside of the point proving Correa deal, obviously.

Psst

Others are also affected or effected... whichever is accurate. 

Wallner, Larnach, Julien, Emma and Jenkins will only be able to reach the development level of at best always needing a 4 Million dollar Margot, 6 million dollar Farmer or 6 million dollar Bader on the roster. 

Thought I'd try help... You are doing fine... Keep fighting the good fight. 

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Psst

Others are also affected or effected... whichever is accurate. 

Wallner, Larnach, Julien, Emma and Jenkins will only be able to reach the development level of at best always needing a 4 Million dollar Margot, 6 million dollar Farmer or 6 million dollar Bader on the roster. 

Thought I'd try help... You are doing fine... Keep fighting the good fight. 

I'm tired, boss.

[Schmoeman5]

5 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm tired, boss.

You've been at it for quite a while. You should be dog tired. It's not having the effect it should. Like Brian said. Keep fighting the good fight.

[Vanimal46]

On 2/6/2025 at 11:38 AM, chpettit19 said:

Is Bregman going to settle for a 1-year deal, too? This is happening every year now. Big time players don't get the big deal they want and take essentially 1-year deals. The Twins could've paid Alonso 30 mil this year. They could pay Bregman 30 mil.

He certainly did not. And you’ll also be $10 million short. 

 

[chpettit19]

9 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

He certainly did not. And you’ll also be $10 million short. 

 

Thats a 1 year deal just like Correa's was. Yep, was 10 mil short. Was long on Alonso, though. And long on multiple other impact players if they were willing to go more than 1 year. The point is the same, they can get impact players if they stop paying multiple non-needle movers each and every year. They invest 25+ million in non-difference makers every year. And they end up being slightly below to slightly above average every year. Then everyone is disappointed. But, sure, let's keep rolling with all the non-impact moves that keep making no impact. It's been thrilling so far!

The Twins have averaged 83 wins a year in non-2020 seasons with this strategy. That includes a 101 win season. Its 80.5 wins without that season. Why anyone would want this to continue is beyond me. But to each their own. Let's keep watching a strategy designed to just make sure you aren't much worse than average keep us right around average. In an awful division. With 3 playoff game wins in 7 (8 if you include 2020) seasons. I want an title. Or at least a legit shot at one. Just not being bad doesn't do it for me. 

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Thats a 1 year deal just like Correa's was. Yep, was 10 mil short. Was long on Alonso, though. And long on multiple other impact players if they were willing to go more than 1 year. The point is the same, they can get impact players if they stop paying multiple non-needle movers each and every year. They invest 25+ million in non-difference makers every year. And they end up being slightly below to slightly above average every year. Then everyone is disappointed. But, sure, let's keep rolling with all the non-impact moves that keep making no impact. It's been thrilling so far!

The Twins have averaged 83 wins a year in non-2020 seasons with this strategy. That includes a 101 win season. Its 80.5 wins without that season. Why anyone would want this to continue is beyond me. But to each their own. Let's keep watching a strategy designed to just make sure you aren't much worse than average keep us right around average. In an awful division. With 3 playoff game wins in 7 (8 if you include 2020) seasons. I want an title. Or at least a legit shot at one. Just not being bad doesn't do it for me. 

The money spent on Bader, Coulombe and France is well short of Alonso, too. Well short. And that ignores the liklihood that Alonso wouldn't have signed with the Twins for similar money.

The Tigers offered Bregman a six year deal. He turned it down.

Your theory is a good one,  and I wish the Twins pursued top end free agents. 

But they can't do it by just "not signing little guys." The money doesn't add up.

[chpettit19]

5 hours ago, USAFChief said:

The money spent on Bader, Coulombe and France is well short of Alonso, too. Well short. And that ignores the liklihood that Alonso wouldn't have signed with the Twins for similar money.

The Tigers offered Bregman a six year deal. He turned it down.

Your theory is a good one,  and I wish the Twins pursued top end free agents. 

But they can't do it by just "not signing little guys." The money doesn't add up.

The Twins are paying Vazquez, Paddack, Castro, Bader, Coulombe, and France about 33 mil. That's not "well short" of anyone but Bregman. Like last year when they paid Vazquez, Farmer, Santana, Paddack, DeSclafani, and Margot 32.25 mil. Or the year before when they paid Vazquez, Farmer, MAT, Pagan, Paddack (to rehab) and Gallo 32.85 million.

Now people will argue about each of these guys individually and can make very reasonable arguments about each and every one. And their failure to develop is the bigger problem. But my belief is that part of their struggles in developing is that they don't let young guys take their lumps and learn because they keep having  6 or so veterans on the team who don't raise the bar and they won't move on from no matter how they play. And I'd argue you could get reasonably close to the production of that collection of "talent" pretty easily with in house guys. Or you should be able to, at least.

You can get a defense only catcher for 3-6 mil. So, even if you go on the high end of that you have 27 mil to spend each of the last 3 years while still having your defense only catcher. Take another 3 mil for 4 league min deals and you have 24 million each of the last 3 years. That means you could've given out a 3 year deal 3 years ago and still be sitting here with that same real difference maker today.

I understand there's far more to it than this very simple breakdown, but I don't agree that the numbers don't add up. And I understand that this strategy comes with far more risk of the bottom falling out. But you're never going to win the world series by stacking up 6 guys making 4 to 12 mil a year who don't provide any real ceiling. In my opinion.