Twins 2027 Arbitration Decisions: Who Stays, Who Goes?

[DJL44]

33 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

How much excess value do any of those players have?     What would Lewis, Larnach, or Sands bring in trade?  Not much.  They could keep Lewis and still open his roster spot by making Lewis a utility player. 

They need to upgrade some positions.  Running the same failed players out there and expecting a different result is not a good plan.  We would be in much better shape had they accepted this reality last off-season.

I’m fine with trading Larnach for a 40FV A-ball prospect like Fragoza.

Sands still has an option. They can stash him in AAA or cut him in the spring if they find an upgrade.

I think Lewis would be an adequate utility player, but if another team wants him for 3B I would trade him. 

The other interesting thing about arbitration is which players might be available on other teams.

[HerbieFan]

Well done Nick.  Agree with almost everything...percentages and all.  Given the low cost, I'd think Banda and Nance make sense to bring back as mid-leverage guys.  

[IndianaTwin]

I’m generally with those in favor or re-signing all of them at these prices.

But in my mind, the issue that’s bigger than salaries is roster spots. Can they afford to tie up 10 roster spots?

So while it’s cool to discuss these, let’s first hash out who needs to be added to the 40-man to avoid the Rule 5 draft. Who are the guys for whom decisions must be made?

Also before this is the deadline for a Qualifying Offer. I give it to Jeffers, though I think he declines it, which frees up a spot.

(But to add, I’ve hopefully already re-signed Jeffers at 4/$80M, with plans for him to move to 1B/DH as Lackey, et al., bring their talent to Target Field. That adds him back to the 40-man.)

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I’m generally with those in favor or re-signing all of them at these prices.

But in my mind, the issue that’s bigger than salaries is roster spots. Can they afford to tie up 10 roster spots?

So while it’s cool to discuss these, let’s first hash out who needs to be added to the 40-man to avoid the Rule 5 draft. Who are the guys for whom decisions must be made?

Also before this is the deadline for a Qualifying Offer. I give it to Jeffers, though I think he declines it, which frees up a spot.

(But to add, I’ve hopefully already re-signed Jeffers at 4/$80M, with plans for him to move to 1B/DH as Lackey, et al., bring their talent to Target Field. That adds him back to the 40-man.)

So, bring back the same team that has lost more than won for two years? I just don't get it. 

[IndianaTwin]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

So, bring back the same team that has lost more than won for two years? I just don't get it. 

I said “bring them back,” I didn’t say “bring them back in the same position.”

I’d liken it to the comment I made on the Josh Bell signing. I said the Twins could be competitive if he was successful and batted seventh, but not if he was successful and batted cleanup. 

Batting seventh would have required Lewis and Wallner, for example, to have hit well enough to slide him down the lineup.

Similarly, I’d say the Twins are probably not going to be successful if Tommy Nance starts the year in one of the highest-level roles. But if Banda starts the season as the No. 6 guy in the pen, that could be a pretty good pen.

Similarly with some of the hitters. They are likely not going to be successful starting the season with Lewis playing 1b and batting fifth, for example, but given that Lee serves as a backup shortstop, Lewis as a utility option because they upgraded at 1b and 2b is a different story. 

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I’m fine with trading Larnach for a 40FV A-ball prospect like Fragoza.

Sands still has an option. They can stash him in AAA or cut him in the spring if they find an upgrade.

I think Lewis would be an adequate utility player, but if another team wants him for 3B I would trade him. 

The other interesting thing about arbitration is which players might be available on other teams.

That's a good point about Sands having an option.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

while it’s cool to discuss these, let’s first hash out who needs to be added to the 40-man to avoid the Rule 5 draft. Who are the guys for whom decisions must be made?

The list is CJ Culpepper and Kalai Rosario.

[Coach]

Tender them all and let spring training give them rope; pull themselves up, or hang.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

So, bring back the same team that has lost more than won for two years? I just don't get it. 

They can’t turn over 40 roster spots in an offseason. Jenkins, Culpepper, Rodriguez are replacing Wallner, Outman and Gray. Kremer is replacing Ober in the rotation. 
 

They need a catcher, infielder and some relief pitchers. Cutting Banda and Nance just means they need to add 5 relievers instead of adding 3.