Rise (and Leave) as One: Twins Trade Louis Varland, Ty France to Toronto Blue Jays

[Maybe Next Year]

8 years of Falvey and Baldelli and zippo! Incredible mismanagement from the front office to the playing field!

[gil4]

1 hour ago, shimrod said:

Cost of moving the remainder of France's salary. Twins scrounging every dime. 

France wasn't exactly a high-dollar signing. Was there even a dime left on his contract?

[sftwinsfan]

If this team really is close to a sale, I can't imagine the new owners being ok with this if they have good intentions. If they did, you could look at some of the pitchers and the bullpen locked down for a couple years and think just maybe if I get a new coaching staff in along with a couple bats, we can compete. This seems to be more of a at least we'll make enough the first 5 years to pay off that team debt if we get payroll down to about Pittsburgh level. I will be absolutely shocked if at least one of Lopez, Ryan, and Ober are not moved in the offseason. 

[Shs_2]

Not sweet louuuu !!!!!

 

This one hurts.

[Maybe Next Year]

1 hour ago, purplesoldier4u said:

This is ridiculous! I hope they don't draw a thousand fans to any of the remaining games!

I know I won’t be there until Falvey and Baldelli are gone. For the last 40 years I have averaged 17 games per year. No longer. Trading these pitchers for prospects who our manager has no idea how to develop was the last straw. This organization is pathetic. 

[chopper0080]

21 minutes ago, sftwinsfan said:

If this team really is close to a sale, I can't imagine the new owners being ok with this if they have good intentions. If they did, you could look at some of the pitchers and the bullpen locked down for a couple years and think just maybe if I get a new coaching staff in along with a couple bats, we can compete. This seems to be more of a at least we'll make enough the first 5 years to pay off that team debt if we get payroll down to about Pittsburgh level. I will be absolutely shocked if at least one of Lopez, Ryan, and Ober are not moved in the offseason. 

The plausible story is that buyers don’t want the debt associated with the team and this is the easiest method for the Polhads to pay it down. If not sold before next season, I imagine we see Ryan and Lopez moved as well.

[The Great Hambino]

26 minutes ago, sftwinsfan said:

If this team really is close to a sale, I can't imagine the new owners being ok with this if they have good intentions. If they did, you could look at some of the pitchers and the bullpen locked down for a couple years and think just maybe if I get a new coaching staff in along with a couple bats, we can compete. This seems to be more of a at least we'll make enough the first 5 years to pay off that team debt if we get payroll down to about Pittsburgh level. I will be absolutely shocked if at least one of Lopez, Ryan, and Ober are not moved in the offseason. 

That's what I'm afraid of: the desperation with which they cleared not just current money, but future money (including potential arb raises) makes me think the Pohlads might not be as close to out the door as we'd like to think

[Longball]

2 hours ago, GNess said:

This is a reckless approach.

Very reckless.  Trading Varland makes no sense.   At least they got Roden in the deal.  He must be a smart kid.  Perhaps he can help Rocco better understand the lap top metrics he so loves.....for the few days he has remaining.

[DJL44]

One question - why do the Blue Jays want Ty France?

[Vanimal46]

This trade hurts the most. Trading Varland is so unnecessary. 

[LewFordLives]

6 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

One question - why do the Blue Jays want Ty France?

They probably had to take him and whatever he was owed to complete the deal. Wouldn't shock me if Toronto puts him on waivers.

[DJL44]

7 minutes ago, LewFordLives said:

They probably had to take him and whatever he was owed to complete the deal. Wouldn't shock me if Toronto puts him on waivers.

Ty France makes $1M this season. That's barely more than league minimum.

[CRF]

How the hell is Vazquez still here after this blood bath?

[Old Crow]

2 hours ago, PDX Twin said:

Add Baldelli and Falvey to that list ... please!

Too late.

[Vanimal46]

Just now, CRF said:

How the hell is Vazquez still here after this blood bath?

Still need catching and we just released 2 AAA catchers a week ago. The cupboard is empty. 

[CRF]

7 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Still need catching and we just released 2 AAA catchers a week ago. The cupboard is empty. 

Understood, but you get a backup catcher in return from one of these bazillion deals Falvey made today. 

[Danchat]

I guess the logic on moving Varland - which as stated by others is clearly not about clearing payroll - is trying to turn some "found money" in a later draft pick and failed starter into a quality reliever into two prospects who are both close to contributing to the team. The Twins needs a lot of young talent and despite what some say, before the trades I think the minors were in fairly bad shape, now if things pan out right, they have a quality starter and another arm (finally a good lefty reliever prospect?!). So Falvey is trying to turn one success into two to account for all of the lack of quality prospects in the high minors.

I think it's decent value for what Varland is and I actually like it better than the return for Duran and Jax based upon how valuable those two supposedly were.

[Vanimal46]

Just now, CRF said:

Understood, but you get a backup catcher in return from one of these bazillion deals Falvey made today. 

Agreed. Or waiver wire, whatever. I don’t even know how Falvey and team kept things straight today with all of the negotiations and players being discussed. 

[DJL44]

22 minutes ago, CRF said:

How the hell is Vazquez still here after this blood bath?

It has to be a cold shower for Vazquez to realize no good team wants him.

[Mike Sixel]

24 minutes ago, CRF said:

How the hell is Vazquez still here after this blood bath?

No one wanted him? I know I wouldn't say that price. They ran out of time? 

[Edmond Dantes]

2 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

I'm trying to devils-advocate a reason why Varland needed to be traded, and I can't come up with anything.

He's closer to the kind of player you acquire in a fire sale, not sell.  He's pre-arb next year!

The Stewart trade was weird.  This one is just sad

Completely agree regarding Varland. You can at least make a case for all the other trades, but there is no defending the Varland trade. 

[shimrod]

13 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

No one wanted him? I know I wouldn't say that price. They ran out of time? 

Running out of time is why we still have Ryan.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, shimrod said:

Running out of time is why we still have Ryan.

Agreed

[tony&rodney]

We are all flailing and guessing at this point. The team is in total disarray.

1. I don't believe for 1 second that there is an imminent buyer. Put yourself there .... would you want a total sell-off before you buy or would you prefer to direct player movement.

2. The team still has the same exact problems as it did a week ago. The Twins are slow, play poor defense, and can't hit. Now we added the problem of having a shortage of MLB quality bullpen arms.

3. Based purely on how things went it seems probable that the Twins were negotiating so fiercely with Houston that they forgot about trading Vazquez, Ryan, and Lopez. 

4. Nobody wanted Wallner or Larnach? Oof. 

This offseason I hope team speed, defense, and hitting is addressed. I have no idea how.

[RaoulDuke]

3 hours ago, Brett said:

I’m struggling to name anyone left in the Twins bullpen. Is Funderburk the closer now?

Sands I guess?

Not like they are real worried about closing games at this point.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The Varland deal was the worst of all the deals today. Trading Louie Varland makes no sense at all. This all has to do with the impending sale of the team. What a sorry state of affairs. 

[NYCTK]

31 minutes ago, Danchat said:

I think it's decent value for what Varland is and I actually like it better than the return for Duran and Jax based upon how valuable those two supposedly were.

I think your explanation of the reasoning is spot on and I can get on board with it. Best case scenario, Varland is a really quality reliever, but also decent chance he's just a mediocre reliever in two years time. Might as well double or nothing on it. 

This organization was in really rough shape. They spent two years doing nothing and now there's finally some sort of vision. 

Was it perfect? Nah. But they lost five players, four of them failed starters, and one of them an aging vet with a terrible contract and $30M and were able to get 8 significant players/prospects that they can start to play around with and build a competitor around the still existent good rotation, one of the best CF, and Royce Lewis, the enigma. 

And as we saw today, the price of adding individual bullpen arms for short stints is never too high. So they can add back to the bullpen if they find a shortcoming in future seasons when they think they're ready to compete again. Who of Luke Keaschall (23 MLB), Brooks Lee (24 MLB), Walker Jenkins (20 AA), Emmanuel Rodriguez (22 AAA), Culpepper (22 AA) will step up and become a quality major leaguer? 

Who from Lopez , Ryan, Ober, Abel, Festa, Woods Richardson, Matthews, Preilipp will comprise the rotation in two seasons and who might they later trade off for help to fill other holes? 

This is an exciting time, and I actually look forward to watching the team the rest of the season. 

[RaoulDuke]

I hate to lose Varland as he was the easy plug in, young, controllable, hometown kid closer.

These are 2 interesting prospects for a return at least.  

Rojas looks real interesting as a lanky lefty starter that isn't far off.  Roden is probably in the mlb mix right away, and if he can translate the AAA numbers could be a regular.

[Old Twins Cap]

2 hours ago, sftwinsfan said:

If this team really is close to a sale, I can't imagine the new owners being ok with this if they have good intentions. If they did, you could look at some of the pitchers and the bullpen locked down for a couple years and think just maybe if I get a new coaching staff in along with a couple bats, we can compete. This seems to be more of a at least we'll make enough the first 5 years to pay off that team debt if we get payroll down to about Pittsburgh level. I will be absolutely shocked if at least one of Lopez, Ryacn, and Ober are not moved in the offseason. 

Hey, get real.  I guarantee that this was mandated as part of the Twins' team sale:  whoever is buying the team dictated this.  

Who wants to buy a team and be cast as the bad guy, breaking up the nucleus?  No one.

This is all part of the Twins' team sale.  Fire sale.  'You guys do that, and then, I come in and look like the savior or at least, as part of the recovery.  '

So, no.  No one runs a franchise like this unless the wheels are coming off, about to change.  And they will change.

All that said, reality is:  lineup will be Lewis 3B, Lee SS,. Eeles 2B, Julien / Sabato1B, Larnach/Buxton/'Outman/Wallner/Martin

Starters will be fine:  Woods-Richardson/Ober/Mathtews/Ryan/Lopez, etc

It's the bullpen.  Fires, no one available.

Eventually, this will work itself out, meanwhile we get a better slot in next year's draft.

[hpax5]

Turned the twins trade deadline into a drinking game, just took a breathalyzer test and it came back 0.too much.