2014 Free Agent Power Rankings

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Mlbtraderumors put out their monthly updated free agent power rankings and here is their top ten:

 

1. Cano

2. Ellsbury

3. McCann

4. Garza

5. Choo

6. Kuroda

7. Santana (Ervin)

8. Beltran

9. Burnett

10. Utley

 

The article has write ups on all these players and lists 5 other players, 2 pitchers, whom have made the list before. The forum is littered with people complaining about the Twins and free agency so here are your "prizes" for next year. Link to full article with write ups below:

 

2014 Free Agent Power Rankings: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

[CwK]

This is depressing.

[Mike Sixel]

I'll say it again....assuming that good FAs will be there "when the Twins are one player away" is a bad idea. Signing players in advance of that, that could still be good, that makes sense to me. Assuming that it is never a good idea to trade prospects for proven players, is a bad idea. Not signing Cubans or Japanese ever again is a bad idea. Not signing more than 1 top 30 internaitonal player (so far), despite having the 4th highest allotment, is a bad idea.

 

It just isn't going to happen that the stars will align perfectly in 2-4 years......Add talent when and how you have the resources to do so. The list might be depressing, but there is talent there......

 

that said, this is the year (and next) to be a FA....each team gets $25MM more (or $12.5MM for the Twins) to pay players next year.....I would love to be a FA next year, or a guy coming up on FA/Arbitration that a team wants to lock up.

 

Pursue talent, be creative in your use of talent, be willing to change your strategy when an opportunity presents itself.

[Winston Smith]

I'm sure Terry will dig up a couple of mediocre guys for cheap. The problem lies in not developing our own pitching. Something needs fixing in the org.

[Mike Sixel]

Or hitting, Winston. They are trending closer and closer to the worst hitting team in the AL in terms of runs scored. They are actually better at pitching than hitting, when you compare runs scored and runs given up with other teams.....

[drjim]

Couldn't agree with you two more. The first, second and third reasons the Twins are in this mess is they have failed to develop impact players, especially starters.

[drjim]

I'm sure Terry will dig up a couple of mediocre guys for cheap. The problem lies in not developing our own pitching. Something needs fixing in the org.

 

Something was fixed. They went from an organization in shambles in 2011 to probably the #1 farm system in baseball. Now what big change happened two years ago?

[Mike Sixel]

Something was fixed. They went from an organization in shambles in 2011 to probably the #1 farm system in baseball. Now what big change happened two years ago?

 

Well, if you are talking about Smith....I think that is unfair....Sano, Arcia, Rosario came on during his time.... I think what happened was that they SUCKED and got high picks that have not yet failed (if they are going to). That's what happend, imo. Actually, the chaffe drafted by Ryan's last years is largely out of the system, meaning what happened two years ago is that the awful last year's of Ryans first term are now out of the system. I'm CERTAIN others will disagree with this.

[drjim]

Well, if you are talking about Smith....I think that is unfair....Sano, Arcia, Rosario came on during his time.... I think what happened was that they SUCKED and got high picks that have not yet failed (if they are going to). That's what happend, imo. Actually, the chaffe drafted by Ryan's last years is largely out of the system, meaning what happened two years ago is that the awful last year's of Ryans first term are now out of the system. I'm CERTAIN others will disagree with this.

 

They should disagree because it's ridiculous. No credit for staff or development changes? Trades? The full season minor league affiliates had the worst combined record in 2011 and now have one of the best. That isn't an accident.

 

And the 2012 picks are already out of the system? I'm sure that will be news to them.

[old nurse]

Well, if you are talking about Smith....I think that is unfair....Sano, Arcia, Rosario came on during his time.... I think what happened was that they SUCKED and got high picks that have not yet failed (if they are going to). That's what happend, imo. Actually, the chaffe drafted by Ryan's last years is largely out of the system, meaning what happened two years ago is that the awful last year's of Ryans first term are now out of the system. I'm CERTAIN others will disagree with this.

 

When you look at MLB.com's list of top 20 prospects for the Twins more than half were acquired under Ryan's tenure. There were prospects picked and acquired under Smith that failed. They are out of the system also. The acquired prospects that failed are on the GM. The failures of the draft are organizational

[Mike Sixel]

should have read "last year's of his first term".

 

How is it ridiculous, exactly? I can't wait for Ryan to get all the credit for Sano, Rosario, and Arcia.....

[Mike Sixel]

And no place did I say Smith was great......I said the problems from pre-Smith are finally out of the system, and that Smith acquired some of their top talent, and that they drafted well because they SUCKED. No place did I either acknowledge, or not, the staff changes made.

[TheLeviathan]

They should disagree because it's ridiculous. No credit for staff or development changes? Trades? The full season minor league affiliates had the worst combined record in 2011 and now have one of the best. That isn't an accident.

 

And the 2012 picks are already out of the system? I'm sure that will be news to them.

 

How is that any different than you utterly ignoring the work Smith did to turn the system around?

 

Ryan has done a very nice job continuing to push the system in the right direction, but he is hardly the sole reason and the truly ridiculous claim is to try and give him all the credit.

 

I'd argue Smith is still more responsible than he is considering some of the elite talent he brought in he did without having to use top 5 picks in the draft.

[Winston Smith]

Bill Smith had little or nothing to do with scouting or drafting players. He was a money guy. Terry Ryan sat in the office next to him and was involved in every trade or draft pick.

 

Do you really think Ryan would have spent the money to sign Sano?

[drjim]

Bill Smith had little or nothing to do with scouting or drafting players. He was a money guy. Terry Ryan sat in the office next to him and was involved in every trade or draft pick.

 

Do you really think Ryan would have spent the money to sign Sano?

 

Are you sure about the first part?

 

Since Ryan spent over $3 mil last year and this year on international signings it is quite possible he would authorize Sano. No way to prove either way.

[ThePuck]

Are you sure about the first part?

 

Since Ryan spent over $3 mil last year and this year on international signings it is quite possible he would authorize Sano. No way to prove either way.

 

Spending a total amount for a group of players isn't the same as spending a lot on one. I agree we don't know if Ryan would have or not, but using the fact he spent over 3M last year doesn't prove anything on what he would spend for one high priced guy.

[drjim]

How is that any different than you utterly ignoring the work Smith did to turn the system around?

 

Ryan has done a very nice job continuing to push the system in the right direction, but he is hardly the sole reason and the truly ridiculous claim is to try and give him all the credit.

 

I'd argue Smith is still more responsible than he is considering some of the elite talent he brought in he did without having to use top 5 picks in the draft.

 

I neither utterly ignored Smith nor gave Ryan all the credit. I merely pointed out the minors were in shambles in 2011 and now are in great shape by any measure. Almost half the top 20 guys came into the system under Smith - no argument here. But a successful minor league system requires many aspects which have all improved

[TheLeviathan]

To the point of the thread - this is a pretty motley group of FAs. One of the guys most of us here like (and I'd still take a chance on) is Josh Johnson who has been brutal the last few weeks.

 

As teams get more money in their coffers the next few years, I imagine we'll see resignings happen before they even hit FA. At this time last year Hamels and Cain were still impending FAs for example.

[drjim]

As teams get more money in their coffers the next few years, I imagine we'll see resignings happen before they even hit FA. At this time last year Hamels and Cain were still impending FAs for example.

 

This has already happened. That's why I said free agency was "dead" a couple of weeks ago. In season trades look pretty wounded as well.

[TheLeviathan]

I neither utterly ignored Smith nor gave Ryan all the credit. I merely pointed out the minors were in shambles in 2011 and now are in great shape by any measure. Almost half the top 20 guys came into the system under Smith - no argument here.

 

This quote is incredibly confusing then:

 

They went from an organization in shambles in 2011 to probably the #1 farm system in baseball. Now what big change happened two years ago?

 

"Shambles" seems strong - BA had them at 12 going into 2011. The quote above implies Ryan gets the credit for that with no effort to mention Smith's work setting that up. They both deserve a lot of credit (and a lot of blame) for where our organization is now.

[ThePuck]

Hardball Times had the Twins at 6th in farm system in Feb 2011. Baseball America had us at 11th in Mar 12. Extend that out, Fangraphs in Mar of 2012 (right after Ryan took back over but before he drafted or did anything to improve the farm system) had us at 15. John Sickles had us at 17 around the same time frame as Fangraphs had us at 15.

 

shambles might be an exaggeration

[drjim]

Hardball Times had the Twins at 6th in farm system in Feb 2011. Baseball America had us at 11th in Mar 12. Extend that out, Fangraphs in Mar of 2012 (right after Ryan took back over but before he drafted or did anything to improve the farm system) had us at 15. John Sickles had us at 17 around the same time frame as Fangraphs had us at 15.

 

shambles might be an exaggeration

 

I was thinking low teen ranking combined with the worst combined record. It was not the least talented system by any means.

[nicksaviking]

Are you sure about the first part?

 

Since Ryan spent over $3 mil last year and this year on international signings it is quite possible he would authorize Sano. No way to prove either way.

 

Well the system is different now, if you don't spend the alotted $3 million, it makes it pretty obvious you are simply hoarding money at the expense of the adding to the system. Still, as mentioned, Smith made splashes with big signings, Ryan spreads it around on a bunch of smaller ones. I don't think I'm alone in disliking the nickel and dime approach which Ryan applies to both types of free agency.

[Winston Smith]

They both deserve credit and blame. They have been side by side a long time.

 

From Sept 14, 2007;

"Twins GM Terry Ryan is resigning at the end of the season and will become a senior adviser to new GM Bill Smith, Ryan’s longtime assistant."

 

Pohlad indicated that the additional income from the new ballpark will “make it easier to sign the players.” Pohlad: “We’re committed to spending [50-52%] of revenue, and with the increase in revenue from the new stadium, there’s going to be ample dollars to pay players. It will make a huge difference" (STAR TRIBUNE, 9/14).

[drjim]

Here is my recollection of the Sano signing. The Twins had spent their entire internally budgeted international budget (on Polanco and Kepler primarily). They had scouted Sano and had the relationship with him and when events conspired to make him available Smith got permission from Pohlad to exceed the budget for Sano specifically. I don't think we can know if Ryan would have asked.

[ThePuck]

I was thinking low teen ranking combined with the worst combined record. It was not the least talented system by any means.

 

Well, we had just won 94 games when the Hardball Times and Baseball America rankings came out before the 2011 season. Reigning division winner and high ranking farm system before the 2011 season, or worst record in baseball last year and #1 farm system now. Which is better?

 

And you emphasized the farm system rankings in your post when talking about shambles...because that's all you brought up when talking about it being better.

[TheLeviathan]

I don't think we can know if Ryan would have asked.

 

Well, there has been a similar circumstance. And an overwhelming tendency of behavior. Can we know for sure....no. But most reasonable people can come to the same conclusion about what was most likely to have happened.

[drjim]

They both deserve credit and blame. They have been side by side a long time.

 

From Sept 14, 2007;

"Twins GM Terry Ryan is resigning at the end of the season and will become a senior adviser to new GM Bill Smith, Ryan’s longtime assistant."

 

Pohlad indicated that the additional income from the new ballpark will “make it easier to sign the players.” Pohlad: “We’re committed to spending [50-52%] of revenue, and with the increase in revenue from the new stadium, there’s going to be ample dollars to pay players. It will make a huge difference" (STAR TRIBUNE, 9/14).

 

I thought his title was Special Assistant and he primarily did scouting. We still can't know what titles result in what actions. That's why I asked if you were sure. In interviews he generally downplays hos role at that time. Maybe he's throwing Smith under the bus.

[ThePuck]

What was the budget when we got Sano? Was there a cap like there is now?

 

In any event, if Ryan won't even spend what the Pohalds made available for payroll now, it's hard to believe he would have done what was needed to get Sano. No one knows for sure, but it seems unlikely.

[DaveW]

Oh yay! Another payroll discussion!