Salty will sign with the Marlins

[minn55441]

3 years for 21 million. what does that mean for the Twins? Do we just sit tight and see how our current crop of catchers plays out or do we work a trade?

[stringer bell]

Suzuki and Arencebia look to be the best veteran prospects. I find it interesting how much Hanigan is going to get from the Rays. Good defensive catchers must be scarce as hen's teeth.

[Winston Smith]

OK price for a young decent catcher.

[Brandon]

With the numbers thrown around earlier, I am surprised that Salty didnt get more. I expected at least a 3/27 or 30 for him.

 

Buck is also available to catch and really all the Twins need is someone who can catch 80 -100 games and Pinto can do the rest as far as Catching goes.

 

Hopefully the Twins can now go out and sign a bat that can DH/3B such as Young or Reynolds and get another quality starter too.

[Hawkeye12]

I think John Buck will get a look. He's slightly better defensively than Arencibia and just as streaky with the bat. In small doses, I think he'd make a fine backup. Plus we could add a goalie style masked catcher to the roster! Wonder if that affects concussions at all?

[minn55441]

With the numbers thrown around earlier, I am surprised that Salty didnt get more. I expected at least a 3/27 or 30 for him.

 

Buck is also available to catch and really all the Twins need is someone who can catch 80 -100 games and Pinto can do the rest as far as Catching goes.

 

Hopefully the Twins can now go out and sign a bat that can DH/3B such as Young or Reynolds and get another quality starter too.

 

I agree, I thought Salty would get a bigger deal. After McCann he was being touted as the next best option. I guess most teams didn't see it that way.

 

I don't like Arencibia. I don't think he is that good defensively and he is about as good as Drew with a bat in his hands (other than the home runs of course).

[Brock Beauchamp]

Hmmm. After seeing him go for only $7m per year, I'm a bit disappointed the Twins didn't pursue him more vigorously. That's only Josh Willingham money.

 

I still don't like Saltamacchia much in Target Field but his defense alone is worth several million a year.

[PseudoSABR]

I wonder what the big deal was with the third year; health concerns, production concerns.

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

Hmmm. After seeing him go for only $7m per year, I'm a bit disappointed the Twins didn't pursue him more vigorously. That's only Josh Willingham money.

 

I still don't like Saltamacchia much in Target Field but his defense alone is worth several million a year.

 

Yes, but that's 7 million that needs to be put at a bigger position need like the outfield.

[Kwak]

Thank Goodness! The Twins didn't waste money, roster slot, or playing time on him! Happy for Saltalmacchia--but glad the Twins didn't go with him. Play Pinto! Experience in the ML is far more useful than Rochester. The FO can't boast about their MiL system and then be afraid to promote them to the Active Roster!

[ashbury]

Hmmm. After seeing him go for only $7m per year, I'm a bit disappointed the Twins didn't pursue him more vigorously. That's only Josh Willingham money.

 

MLBTR points out the FL vs MN sales tax difference. That plus it being his home state, probably meant that Twins had to significantly outbid the Fish to get him

[johnnydakota]

es regular aqui no es permisiblo hablo oltra idiomas?

is it a rule here you cant speak other languages?

[drivlikejehu]

I wasn't in favor of signing him, though he is a useful player. He has a lifetime OPS of .599 against lefties and isn't the greatest defensively. There are just much bigger fish to fry considering Pinto is worth a look.

[Brock Beauchamp]

MLBTR points out the FL vs MN sales tax difference. That plus it being his home state, probably meant that Twins had to significantly outbid the Fish to get him

 

Both very good points.

[Otto von Ballpark]

MLBTR points out the FL vs MN sales tax difference. That plus it being his home state, probably meant that Twins had to significantly outbid the Fish to get him

 

Sales tax? He could come here and just do his shopping online.

[twinsfan34]

Both very good points.

 

Minnesota State Income Tax bracket for Salty, 9.85%. so roughly 10% or $700k a year.

 

http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/individuals/individ_income/Pages/Minnesota_Income_Tax_Rates_and_Brackets.aspx

 

He probably won't be playing in Florida long. Marlins Owner, Laria, has turrets, he hits the trade button often and randomly.

 

I'm just glad the Twins didn't sign him. So glad.

[jorgenswest]

I think John Buck will get a look. He's slightly better defensively than Arencibia and just as streaky with the bat. In small doses, I think he'd make a fine backup. Plus we could add a goalie style masked catcher to the roster! Wonder if that affects concussions at all?

 

We need to pass on Buck. He is a very poor receiver. While Doumit had poorer framing numbers per game, Buck gave up the most runs due to pitch framimg in 2013. He was also near the bottom in 2009, 2010 and 2011. His below average 2012 was his best year.

 

Good defensive catchers are changing teams quickly. It will take a team like the a Twins to give Buck another shot.

[twinsfan34]

If I'm not mistaken, John Buck was Nolasco's catcher in 2011 (with FLA).

 

One of Nolasco's worst years...

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nolasri01.shtml

[biggentleben]

I think Suzuki is undervalued. He's excellent behind the plate, and when he's right, he's a decent gap hitter at the plate. He went through some nasty injury stuff the last two years and kept playing, to the detriment of his offensive stats, but he's still young (by catcher standards). He could be a solid play for the Twins.

[jorgenswest]

I really think that Suzuki would be signed if he were excellent or even above average behind the plate.

 

http://www.statcorner.com/CatcherReport.php

 

Catchers who are good framers help keep runners off the base in two ways. They get more strikes and with the bigger strike zone, batters have to swing at pitches on the edges. Good framers in the news changing teams today. Poor framers seeking jobs.

 

Teams don't agree on the impact of this data. The Twins appear to be on the side that it has little impact on their pitching and runs scored.

[kab21]

MLBTR points out the FL vs MN sales tax difference. That plus it being his home state, probably meant that Twins had to significantly outbid the Fish to get him

 

There are very few professional organizations that I would strongly be against playing for but the Loria Marlins are one of them.

[TheLeviathan]

There are very few professional organizations that I would strongly be against playing for but the Loria Marlins are one of them.

 

Yeah, how can anyone sign a contract with them and have any confidence it was made in good faith?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Minnesota State Income Tax bracket for Salty, 9.85%. so roughly 10% or $700k a year.

 

Not to make this a tax discussion, but actually pro athletes pay income tax based on where the games are played. So only half his salary (home games) would have been subject to Minnesota tax, and the rest on the various states where our road games are played.

[johnnydakota]

Yeah, how can anyone sign a contract with them and have any confidence it was made in good faith?

 

Good point , if it wasnt for a rule about trading a F.A. signee until june , you would wonder if the Marlins would dump him for a prospect before the ink dries on his contract

[Brandon27]

only veteran catchers I could think of twins signing are Shoppach,Napoli,Torrealba or just keep what they got Pinto and Doumit.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

As more catchers go off the board, it starts to make more sense for them to look on the trade market, particularly at players who might be displaced by these recent deals and who could be decent stopgaps or depth.

 

I don't know these players too well, but I'd at least be intrigued by Rob Brantly from the Marlins (he's losing starting gig to Salty now) and Jose Lobaton from the Rays (who have acquired Ryan Hanigan and resigned Jose Molina this offseason, leaving Lobaton out of a position.)

 

Quick look at baseball-reference indicates that Lobaton has hit a little bit in the last couple years, but has had his caught-stealing numbers plummet in the same time; meanwhile Brantly has hit in the minors, but not in the majors yet, and caught baserunners stealing at a league-average rate last year.

[iTwins]

I'm surprised he signed for such a reasonable amount - since reports seemed to indicate that the bidding had "gotten out of control". $7M / year is a good price for Salty, IMO.

 

I hope the Twins take a look at Suzuki, I think he'd be a great backup to Pinto. He plays decent defense and is a better hitter than most of the catchers still on the market.

[kab21]

I could handle Suzuki as a 60 game catcher with Pinto catching 102 and Doumit catching <3 innings.

[Mike Sixel]

Minnesota State Income Tax bracket for Salty, 9.85%. so roughly 10% or $700k a year.

 

http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/individuals/individ_income/Pages/Minnesota_Income_Tax_Rates_and_Brackets.aspx

 

He probably won't be playing in Florida long. Marlins Owner, Laria, has turrets, he hits the trade button often and randomly.

 

I'm just glad the Twins didn't sign him. So glad.

 

Except pro athletes only pay the income tax for their home games....so half that number. But that is still a real number.

 

I agree with the poster earlier, they NEED OF help. Badly. Even when Buxton comes up, they have no LF. This year, they have no LF or CF, assuming Willingham is the DH. Ugh.

[Mike Sixel]

Oops, should have read the whole thread......