Twins Arbitration Updates, Decisions, and Discussions (Larnach Tendered!)

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, weitz41 said:

Good. None tendering Larnach is like hoping someone who hasn't produced yet will. The FO may be selling hope but I'll take a floor over hope on this team.

More like basement. He's never been good. Why would you think it will work this time? Where's the hope? 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

I think tendering Trevor Larnach was the right decision. I do however believe that he should be traded before opening day. The Twins should be able to find someone who is willing to acquire Larnach. I would be surprised if he is on the Opening Day Roster.

[rdehring]

6 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Do they still have time to remove someone? I know they can’t remove anyone they just added to protect them from rule 5. Couldn’t they trade or DFA someone else prior to the draft?

I believe I saw somewhere today that the roster is set for the draft as of today.  Hopefully, that is wrong.  Does anyone know for certain?

[Blyleven2011]

46 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

With Larnach tendered where does that leave Roden, Gonzalez, Rodriguez? If he's not traded he will play. We know that much.

Still a 40 man roster as understand it , but I don't really understand it ...

If larnach is still here come the end of spring training  I'll be surprised  , he could be traded or he will play , the others you mentioned will be given some time in the big leagues when injuries occur and optioned back and forth , will they ever give their prospects a true shot at playing this game , they haven't been to committed to going young but they definitely are committed to going cheap once again  ...

I'll keep reading and see what they signed all the eligible players for ...

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

I think tendering Trevor Larnach was the right decision. I do however believe that he should be traded before opening day. The Twins should be able to find someone who is willing to acquire Larnach. I would be surprised if he is on the Opening Day Roster.

What would you give up for a guy who is below average and costs five million a year? Who you can only control for two years?

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

46 minutes ago, rdehring said:

The bigger issue to me is that they didn't remove anyone from their 40-man which means they will not be able to make a pick in the Rule 5.  That must mean of all the players eligible to be picked, they didn't believe any of them are better than all the players on their current roster.

I don't always follow the full labyrinth of MLB roster rules, but I don't think (...?) this is the case.

The 6 players who were added to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft have their roster spots locked in until spring training, and the Twins aren't going to cut any of the 7 arbitration-eligible players now or they would have done so today. But there are still pre-arb players who could be cut (and those happen to be the guys who most people here complain about being on the roster, anyway); and anyone could still be traded. Any number of still possible moves could clear a 40-man spot before the Rule 5 in December.

[weitz41]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

More like basement. He's never been good. Why would you think it will work this time? Where's the hope? 

That's what spring training is for....Hope. Whether it's Larnach or your 2026 favorite.

[TopGunn#22]

The only reason I can see for tendering Larnach is that they have a trade in place with someone.  DJL44 mentioned at the top of the comments that Spencer Steer is a possible trade candidate with the Reds.  Larnach could see quite a nice bump in his hitting and power production hitting in Cincinnati.  The Reds could use some LH hitting.

Steer would be a great one-for-one trade if that's the case.  He would step right in at 1B and allow the Twins to say "farewell" to Eddie Julien.  He would also give the Twins a decent RH hitter in their lineup.  Steer fits the idea of good defense, speed and athleticism and positional versatility the Twins are supposedly embracing now.  Clemens makes sense as a LH hitting platoon/utility player but Julien has no future with the Twins.  

But maybe I'm giving this FO waaay too much credit if they've already got a Larnach for Steer deal agreed to in principle.

There were plenty of guys that could have been removed from the 40-man roster.  It's a shame the Twins won't at least have the option to consider someone for the Rule 5 draft.  

 

[tony&rodney]

21 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

You actually omitted the now tendered Larnach. Don't we carry 14 players or am I wrong? Regardless this is not a good team at all. Maybe Falvey is waiting for Buxton to ask out before he tears what's left apart.

Sorry, how could I omit him? Take away ..... your choice.

FWIW, we already watched this team in August and September. If you get nostalgic and have MLB.com, you can go back and watch the games.

[mnfireman]

Using wRC+, Larnach is roughly equal to Alec Bohm, Luis Arraez, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Trevor Story, and Miguel Vargas, among others. New age stats don't lie!!

[Permanent Twins Fan]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

What would you give up for a guy who is below average and costs five million a year? Who you can only control for two years?

I don't expect to get someone who shows up on any prospect lists, but I could see the Twins getting a mid-minors arm with some upside like a Jose Olivares type. Even that is better than nothing.

[Blyleven2011]

3 minutes ago, rdehring said:

I believe I saw somewhere today that the roster is set for the draft as of today.  Hopefully, that is wrong.  Does anyone know for certain?

Wouldn't you think they could DFA some our AAAA players on the 40 man roster to open up a roster spot for rule 5 draft ...

Pohlads must of told them , no more spending  .

 

 

[tony&rodney]

39 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

But this team was playing at a .300 something clip after the AS break. It's not a good team. How can he think it can be????

He has started his tenth year at the controls and everything except Buxton is now his creation. He's Mary Shelley.

[tony&rodney]

Just now, Blyleven2011 said:

Pohlads must of told them , no more spending  .

 

The time has come to shift all blame away from the hapless Pohlads. You know who is the architect of the rosters.

[Blyleven2011]

4 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Sorry, how could I omit him? Take away ..... your choice.

FWIW, we already watched this team in August and September. If you get nostalgic and have MLB.com, you can go back and watch the games.

No thanks , I hope back quite a few years when they played more exciting baseball  , like Benny tripping over 2nd base and still cruised in with a triple  ...

That is 1 highlight I will never forget ...

[D.C Twins]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

WTAF are they doing with Larnach? Sigh. This team. Sigh.

his BEST year he was below league median....and last year? Brutal. I just do NOT understand their lack of willingness to move on. Just awful for a team that is restricting its budget and filled with OF prospects. Just awful.

this....This....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... THIS!  (dark...dark... comedy this is)

[sweetmusicviola16]

6 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

The only reason I can see for tendering Larnach is that they have a trade in place with someone.  DJL44 mentioned at the top of the comments that Spencer Steer is a possible trade candidate with the Reds.  Larnach could see quite a nice bump in his hitting and power production hitting in Cincinnati.  The Reds could use some LH hitting.

Steer would be a great one-for-one trade if that's the case.  He would step right in at 1B and allow the Twins to say "farewell" to Eddie Julien.  He would also give the Twins a decent RH hitter in their lineup.  Steer fits the idea of good defense, speed and athleticism and positional versatility the Twins are supposedly embracing now.  Clemens makes sense as a LH hitting platoon/utility player but Julien has no future with the Twins.  

But maybe I'm giving this FO waaay too much credit if they've already got a Larnach for Steer deal agreed to in principle.

There were plenty of guys that could have been removed from the 40-man roster.  It's a shame the Twins won't at least have the option to consider someone for the Rule 5 draft.  

 

This would offer me some hope if it happened and I'd be led to believe that they actually have a clue of what they are doing.

[sweetmusicviola16]

9 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Sorry, how could I omit him? Take away ..... your choice.

FWIW, we already watched this team in August and September. If you get nostalgic and have MLB.com, you can go back and watch the games.

That's ok, I'm not too big on watching horror shows.

[D.C Twins]

59 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The lineup and roster is nearly set: C) Jeffers, Jackson; 1B) Clemens, Julien; 2B) Keaschall; 3B) Lewis; SS) Lee; ut. if.) Kreidler; OF) Martin, Roden, Buxton, Outman, Wallner; SP) Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Woods Richardson, Bradley; RP) Sands, Topa, Orze, Funderburk, and four others from among the young fellas.

Falvey stated each of the last two years that he liked the team and they rolled it back. He has been positive and stated that he expects further development just recently.

It is what it is. Unless someone manages to get the ear of a Pohlad, this is likely it. Ironic that Joe Pohlad is our only hope.

I just threw up in my mouth a little with that line up.... and Lopez is gone with a 50/50 on Ryan

[mnfireman]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

What would you give up for a guy who is below average and costs five million a year? Who you can only control for two years?

He is basically league average by both OPS+(99) and wRC+(101), and we don't know that he will cost $5 MM, that's one projection ($4.7 MM actually), I saw somewhere else that his projected salary could be $3.5 MM. That being said, I think his numbers can be replicated by a younger, cheaper player, but maybe the Twins offered him a contract to keep him on the roster to get some sort of return in a trade, unlike when they cut Rosario and allowed him to leave via FA. Time will tell.

[tony&rodney]

13 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Using wRC+, Larnach is roughly equal to Alec Bohm, Luis Arraez, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Trevor Story, and Miguel Vargas, among others. New age stats don't lie!!

 

I don't mind Trevor Larnach. Keep him and scrub eight other position players. Stats don't do anything, ever. People make the stats and those who look at them interpret them. Mookie Betts and Trevor Larnach are the same player in your universe or perhaps many others. That's ok.  I'll take Betts and you can take Larnach. FWIW, I'm a math and stats guy, but I like physics too.

[mnfireman]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Just finished a short conversation at dinner. ... We are living in the age of information with more instant access to anything in the history of the world. Yet, our country has the greatest collective ignorance, inability to think critically, and lack of discipline to find knowledge than at any time in its history. Don't accept that, there are hundreds of alarming statistics. I'll let you look them up, but here is one - more women get pregnant today without knowing how they got pregnant than in the past 75 years of collecting data on pregnancies.

I don't mind Trevor Larnach. Keep him and scrub eight other position players. Stats don't do anything, ever. People make the stats and those who look at them interpret them. Mookie Betts and Trevor Larnach are the same player in your universe or perhaps many others. That's ok.  I'll take Betts and you can take Larnach. FWIW, I'm a math and stats guy, but I like physics too.

My sarcasm was there, I just left it open for interpretation....

[tony&rodney]

Just now, mnfireman said:

My sarcasm was there, I just left it open for interpretation....

BTW, I just noticed your tag on the side National......

[ziggy]

Larnach being tendered is a surprise to me but.......if they go to arbitration and the Twins lose they do not have to sign him so he could still be released if not traded.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

WTAF are they doing with Larnach? Sigh. This team. Sigh.

his BEST year he was below league median....and last year? Brutal. I just do NOT understand their lack of willingness to move on. Just awful for a team that is restricting its budget and filled with OF prospects. Just awful.

He’s career .759 OPS v. Right handed pitching.

His BEST year was 2024 and his slash line was  .259/.338/.434/.771 with a 116 OPS+ …….

Average OPS for MLB was .711 in 2024 (Larnach was 60 points higher)

2024 …… 1.3 WAR with only 400 PA’s …..no defensive contribution in this WAR total

They let him get 20+% of his PA’s in 2025 (118 trips) v. LH pitching ………poor move! His OPS dropped to .727

Average OPS for MLB was .719 in 2025

Not sure where the stats you refer to come from?????

[darin617]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I didn't realize the 40 man was set. I feel that this is a mistake by them. The most you'd lose by getting a look at another prospect would have been 50k. I don't get it. You don't find a Santana if you don't look for him.

The roster is at 40. There are 4 easy drops and 3 borderline guys. So don't be worried they won't do anything.

[Blyleven2011]

25 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Just finished a short conversation at dinner. ... We are living in the age of information with more instant access to anything in the history of the world. Yet, our country has the greatest collective ignorance, inability to think critically, and lack of discipline to find knowledge than at any time in its history. Don't accept that, there are hundreds of alarming statistics. I'll let you look them up, but here is one - more women get pregnant today without knowing how they got pregnant than in the past 75 years of collecting data on pregnancies.

I don't mind Trevor Larnach. Keep him and scrub eight other position players. Stats don't do anything, ever. People make the stats and those who look at them interpret them. Mookie Betts and Trevor Larnach are the same player in your universe or perhaps many others. That's ok.  I'll take Betts and you can take Larnach. FWIW, I'm a math and stats guy, but I like physics too.

Do you know what the number 1 surgery is today ???

C-section , bunch of coward women taking the easy way out , we have lost any kind of tradition in todays society  ...

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

I think Steer would make more. He missed some time with injury this year, but he is a Gold Glove finalist at first base... I actually think there's an interesting trade to be had there... Not that I'd expect it, but that could help both teams. Larnach would hit 30 homers in Cincinnati. 

If it turns out both got tendered (I see now that Trevor did), then the original parameters are moot anyway.  😁  A trade could still happen I suppose, but I see Steer's offense to be about the same as Larnach's, and he has (as you say) developed some defensive skills at a position of need for the Twins, which would make a one-for-one swap imbalanced unless the Reds feel really strongly that their park provides necessary upside.  Trades surely are easier when the players' skillsets aren't so similar, like a AAA infielder for a backup catcher.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

I believe I saw somewhere today that the roster is set for the draft as of today.  Hopefully, that is wrong.  Does anyone know for certain?

They can DFA anyone off the roster. That would make them eligible to be claimed for nothing. It really defeats the purpose of putting them on your 40 man to begin with 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, mnfireman said:

He is basically league average by both OPS+(99) and wRC+(101), and we don't know that he will cost $5 MM, that's one projection ($4.7 MM actually), I saw somewhere else that his projected salary could be $3.5 MM. That being said, I think his numbers can be replicated by a younger, cheaper player, but maybe the Twins offered him a contract to keep him on the roster to get some sort of return in a trade, unlike when they cut Rosario and allowed him to leave via FA. Time will tell.

You forgot both defense and base running. He has one year with more than 0.5 war.