New Twins Ownership Could Make a Splash by Locking Up Core Talent

[twinstalker]

On 2/11/2025 at 9:36 AM, bean5302 said:

None of them are good candidates for an extension right now. You lock star core players up (guys who produce 4+ WAR) to buy out free agent years in the 20s, Not generally "good" players who you control through age 30.

Joe Ryan - Free agent age 32. Best season 3.1 fWAR. Ryan is an oft injured starter with a history of being good rather than great. His first half is often sparkling, and his second half is terrible. Extending guys into their mid 30s when you still have 3 years of team control isn't sound team strategy.

Bailey Ober - Free agent age 32. Best season 2.9 fWAR. Ober has become durable over the past few years, but the soft tosser's upside is questionable. If Ober loses any velocity, he'll likely be a back end rotation arm, and he's already under contract past age 30. 

Royce Lewis - Free agent age 30. Best season 2.3 fWAR. Constantly injured and the Twins can't figure out how to coach his throws so he has little defensive value. Lewis slumped hard down the stretch last year. The superstar might be in there, but he's made Byron Buxton look like iron.

Ryan Jeffers - Free agent age 30. Best season 2.3 fWAR. Jeffers is a mediocre catcher. Just a guy, not a guy you build your team around. With a league average bat in his prime, Jeffers has worked hard to adjust his game to stay relevant by massively cutting down his K rate from 36.9% in 2021 to 20.2% last year. Jeffers is basically Gary Sanchez.

Not to mention Lewis and Jeffers will not be extended (nor probably should they be anyway) due to Boras.  Though I've now gotten confused as to Jeffers' representation (he used to be represented by a guy named Boriss or Borris).  Regardless, a catcher in his 30s isn't a foundational piece, he's just at the end of his career.

An article like this needs to focus on Keaschall.  He's really the one without questions.  Jenkins, too, but again...Boras.  EmRod is more likely to be a bust than average player, as is any other hitter not named Jenkins, Keaschall, and actually Eeles if he hits the ball hard enough.

I'm not opposed to extending a pitcher, but the problem comes when the guy you decided to give 30MM a year to three years earlies can't even pitch when that bill's due.  If you're willing to eat that and still put together a good staff.

So, none.  The topic is not a bad one, but again, the subjects make no sense, really.

 

[RpR]

"New Twins Ownership Could Make a Splash by Locking Up Core Talent"

 

First they need core talent to lock, right now that is wishful thinking at best beyond pitching.