NEWS: Twins Agree to Sign Infielder Ty France

[sweetmusicviola16]

4 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

Fine but that's a different discussion. The OP said he was fine with Falvey "until the last week" and is now "done". That makes no sense as there's really nothing subtantive Falvey could have done in the last week and these signings are all fairly mundane minor moves. Getting upset about them seems ridiculous.

I personally would love both Falvey and Rocco gone after the season. But given the sale of the team, they were never going anywhere this off-season nor were the Twins going to go out and spend $50 million in free agency.

On most all of what you said we agree. But quite honestly, what the difference if we play .500 with these new signings or we finish 3 or 4 games under playing the guys that we had here already? 

[howeda7]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

Where do larnach and bader both play if Miranda is the DH?

Who said Bader is a starter? He's not, as long as Buxton is healthy. He's the 4th OF'er. Larnach will DH some but we know Castro will move around and not be the every day LF'er.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Look back and give more data. Back to 2020. You'll see your answer then.

And, I don't think this is a Miranda vs. France thing. I think it's a France vs. Julien/Martin/Gasper thing. 

Everyone take a deep breath. It's going to be ok. 

I'd rather take a chance on upside than sign a guy that put up negative war....

[Charleo]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

Bader got 8 million. He's not a minor signing for this team. 

OMG I didn't see the details of the contract.  $8M for Bader??????   I take back what I said about only blaming the Pohlad's.  I assumed we got Bader for a couple million.  Holy s&*t.    

 

Welp, I'm now speechless.  Go ahead and rip my prior post to shreds.  Yikes, Falvey!

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 minute ago, Charleo said:

OMG I didn't see the details of the contract.  $8M for Bader??????   I take back what I said about only blaming the Pohlad's.  I assumed we got Bader for a couple million.  Holy s&*t.    

 

Welp, I'm now speechless.  Go ahead and rip my prior post to shreds.  Yikes, Falvey!

4.75 million in 2025. 1.5 million buyout for 2026. 6.25 guaranteed between those two. Not 8

[howeda7]

Just now, sweetmusicviola16 said:

On most all of what you said we agree. But quite honestly, what the difference if we play .500 with these new signings or we finish 3 or 4 games under playing the guys that we had here already? 

None. But what if we finish 86-76 and win the division by two games?

I just don't see the logic of getting upset by signing a couple of low salary veterans which they always intended to do. The success or failure of this team hinges on Buxton, Correa, Lewis and the starting pitching. This gives them more depth. Guys like Miranda, Kiersey and Martin will all get plenty of chances.

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, karcherd said:

So after 250 AB's, we say he is done and should retire.  At some point you have to develop your players and give them a chance.  I am not sure if Martin can become a useful player in the major leagues but I am not sure he was given a real chance last year.  This organization wants to go with end of road vets rather than develop talent and it is not working.

Not necessarily done, but there's no real use for him on a team with Willi Castro. He has no upside with the bat and we know he can't play the OF. So he's at best a slappy 2B/3B/PR. A fine guy to keep on the 40 man roster and move up and down as needed in the bigs but I don't care in the least that he's losing playing time. In fact, it pleases me. 

 

[sweetmusicviola16]

1 minute ago, NYCTK said:

No real harm in making two bad players compete for a job. 

We're in agreement. If there is a competition. Which if France has a guarantee of his contract there really won't be.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'd rather take a chance on upside than sign a guy that put up negative war....

Gleeman posted these numbers in the writeup on the Athletic today...

Ty France suffered a hairline fracture in his right heel on June 7, 2024 and returned 2 weeks later and hit .220 with a .621 ops in his final 79 games.

Prior to the injury, he was hitting .251 with a .732 ops in 61 games. And that's in Seattle's ballpark for the most part, which gave him a wRC+ of 117. 

IF his heel is healthy, he most likely is closer to the pre-injury version than the after injury version right? That's not crazy to think that. It's not world-changing, but it's also certainly not negative WAR.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

4.75 million in 2025. 1.5 million buyout for 2026. 6.25 guaranteed between those two. Not 8

My bad. I thought it was 6.25 and 1.5. 

[mikelink45]

7 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Look back and give more data. Back to 2020. You'll see your answer then.

And, I don't think this is a Miranda vs. France thing. I think it's a France vs. Julien/Martin/Gasper thing. 

Everyone take a deep breath. It's going to be ok. 

If I have to look back to 2020 I think we are stretching reality.  Sorry but a deep breathe will not cure the Twins bargain basement left overs. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Gleeman posted these numbers in the writeup on the Athletic today...

Ty France suffered a hairline fracture in his right heel on June 7, 2024 and returned 2 weeks later and hit .220 with a .621 ops in his final 79 games.

Prior to the injury, he was hitting .251 with a .732 ops in 61 games. And that's in Seattle's ballpark for the most part, which gave him a wRC+ of 117. 

IF his heel is healthy, he most likely is closer to the pre-injury version than the after injury version right? That's not crazy to think that. It's not world-changing, but it's also certainly not negative WAR.

Fair. I hope to be wrong. 

[Charleo]

4 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

4.75 million in 2025. 1.5 million buyout for 2026. 6.25 guaranteed between those two. Not 8

Thanks for the clarification, Cory!  Less than $5M for this year makes much more sense.  Still too much, but not as bad.  

[NYCTK]

30 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

This is another "floor" move. I'm so sick of the floor move.

This is confusing to me. Because this is, to me, not a floor move at all. They're taking a chance on a high upside. We can disagree with them on that but Ty France was, at his best, better than Miranda has ever shown. 

[LewFordLives]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/02/twins-sign-ty-france.html

 

Phil Miller of ST (via MLBTraderumors)  is reporting that Ty France is only getting $1 million, and it's only guaranteed if he makes the club.  

So I guess he'll have a few weeks in Ft Myers to show if he still has anything left.

[Jacksson]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

Who?

That's Correct !!

WHAT is on Second.

As far as Third Base goes, I Don't Know !!

[NYCTK]

14 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Where do larnach and bader both play if Miranda is the DH?

Bader in CF cause Buxton is hurt. Or Larnach is hurt. Or Wallner is hurt. Or Mirana is hurt. Or Wallner's K rate blew up to 50% again and they sent him down to AAA to get right again. Etc etc.

Seriously, have you guys never watched MLB before? There's never ONE set lineup. 

[Jacksson]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

They got Hader too?!?!?!

Or did you mean Doulombe and Trance?

😀

Yea, Bill's movie career hasn't taken off like he thought it would since he left SNL, so he needs the money and is trying this !!

[Doctor Gast]

You left out some important info like. His terrible '24 & that offense-desperate SEA  waivered him. How bad his defense is & how much they paid him. "Oh. he'll just fill in for Miranda & Julien" that's what they said about Santana with Miranda & Kiriloff but in reality, Santana forced recovering Miranda & Kiriloff off 1B to more arm-demanding positions to keep their bats in the lineup until they ended up on the IL.

Nobody off FA onto the MLB is that cheap, I don't expect France to be that cheap to justify keeping France on the bench where he belongs. Seth gave such a great article that Miranda would be our premiere 1Bman, it made too much sense. As always Falvey can't allow that kind of thinking.

[NYCTK]

5 minutes ago, LewFordLives said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/02/twins-sign-ty-france.html

 

Phil Miller of ST (via MLBTraderumors)  is reporting that Ty France is only getting $1 million, and it's only guaranteed if he makes the club.  

So I guess he'll have a few weeks in Ft Myers to show if he still has anything left.

Which makes this a fine deal, and makes anyone overreacting look ridiculous...

[Jacksson]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I don't love too many of the young guys, but when you bring in veterans to be the starting QB and they are clearly Christian Ponder level of starting QB, yeah, just put the back up in.

 

BTW, perhaps Ponder could rejoin the Vikings as JJ's Back-up.  He is WELL RESTED !!

[chpettit19]

5 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

This is confusing to me. Because this is, to me, not a floor move at all. They're taking a chance on a high upside. We can disagree with them on that but Ty France was, at his best, better than Miranda has ever shown. 

He hasn't been his best in 3 years. Sorry, you get 1 down year with me. You do it back to back years and the odds of you being that "high upside" player again, especially as you get into your 30s, are not high anymore. Like I said in the part you deleted, he may be good. But it's about the odds. The odds of Miranda putting up a 115ish OPS+ are higher than the odds France does. I don't know how you can disagree with that. And neither is a good defender so it's not like he's a Santana type glove first guy. It's all about their bats. And Miranda has the better chances of being a good hitter.

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

He hasn't been his best in 3 years. Sorry, you get 1 down year with me. You do it back to back years and the odds of you being that "high upside" player again, especially as you get into your 30s, are not high anymore. Like I said in the part you deleted, he may be good. But it's about the odds. The odds of Miranda putting up a 115ish OPS+ are higher than the odds France does. I don't know how you can disagree with that. And neither is a good defender so it's not like he's a Santana type glove first guy. It's all about their bats. And Miranda has the better chances of being a good hitter.

One down year? Alright, I better not see you with any high hopes for Royce then. 

And I don't really disagree with you about Miranda having better odds of being a good hitter. But...that's actually chasing the floor which you're so opposed to. Miranda is still going to get plenty of playing time and there's no guarantee Ty France is even on the roster come April. So...who really cares about the Twins doing what you want and chasing a high risk upside. 

Stranger things have happened? 

[howeda7]

8 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

 

Seriously, have you guys never watched MLB before? There's never ONE set lineup. 

Especially with Rocco as a manager.

[Doctor Gast]

10 minutes ago, LewFordLives said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/02/twins-sign-ty-france.html

 

Phil Miller of ST (via MLBTraderumors)  is reporting that Ty France is only getting $1 million, and it's only guaranteed if he makes the club.  

So I guess he'll have a few weeks in Ft Myers to show if he still has anything left.

I guess it could be cheap enough to have him on the bench & DH.

[Muppet]

They have had luck with some somewhat risky signings in the past several years (Michael A Taylor, Willi Castro, Donovan Solano, Gio Urshela, plus or minus one or two more). But this year's crop of free agents seems to look a little more like the Margots and Gallos. At the very least, I can't imagine that Harrison Bader is going to be anywhere as bad as Margot. 

[Jacksson]

42 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Miranda will make the team, unless we make another splash FA signing. lol

 

Julien, Gasper or Martin gets dropped. My personal guess is Martin.

Where is our player pipeline if our milb guys continue to get pushed back behind veteran FA's?

If all 3 are still even in the organization, they will be playing in St. Paul, NOT Minneapolis.

[Blyleven2011]

I did not read the article  ...

I would not buy a ticket to watch these last 3 added players  ...

How to draw fans , sign or trade for players that the fans will pay to see  ...

Correct me if I'm wrong ,,,

Another player that doesn't have that great of bat  And I'm not sure what his defense is like  , he's bounced around from team to team the past few years  ...

Another player to take a rookies position  ,  is there even going to be young player on the team , we are getting extremly old ...

[Blyleven2011]

10 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I guess it could be cheap enough to have him on the bench & DH.

I didn't read the article  doc , I read the title and went to post my thoughts , while I was writing I was thinking  , no way would I pay over a million for France  ...

Thanks for your post ...

[thelanges5]

Not sure if there any additional tricks up the sleeve(s) of FalZoll. Is this the 2025 Twins lineup?

C: Jeffers

1B: Miranda

2B; Lee

SS: Correa

3B: Lewis

RF: Wallner

CF: Buck

LF: Larnach

DH: Rocco Rotation

4th OF: Bader

Util: Castro

Util: Sire of Ft Myers (see below)

Backup C: Vazquez

ST Battle Royale: Martin, France, Julien, Gasper, Ford, Keirsey (6 men enter and 2 men join the Big Club)