Awkward Decisions

"These are very important players, not to mention very likable players. So it creates an awkward situation when their own best interests conflict with those of the Twins."

I don't agree with this at all. This is why there are baseball executives making decisions instead of .... us

and..... 

" I can see why this is a much trickier equation than some make it out to be. Especially when you consider the inherent questions around Buxton's health (which would seemingly benefit from an extra month's rest tacked onto his offseason), and the lack of available playing time in the Twins outfield."

Nick, he is our starting center fielder and a platinum glove winner. He is playing in AAA and doing well. He is good to go.  Stop talking like he is a Faberge Egg.

The thing with Mauer is, who else do we currently have at 1B? Tyler Austin, sure, but without Mauer there's no backup and we still have a hole at 1B/DH. You could suggest that Sano moves to more of a 1B/DH role than 3B, but then there's a hole at 3B. Maybe we get Escobar back to fill that, but he'll probably be fairly sought after once Machado goes off the board. Rooker et all still need another year or two before they're ready to step in

I certainly understand why we shouldn't be making it a top priority or anything to re-sign Mauer. I love the guy, but you can't argue against the fact that he doesn't give you the production you'd typically want from a 1B. With that said, as it currently stands there's clearly a place for him on the roster, and he isn't going to want to go anywhere else. Mauer won't be at all expensive either, and while he won't win a batting title anymore or hit 20 HR, he really won't hurt us at all either

I'm personally in full support of bringing him back for a cheap 2-ish year deal. He wants to stay, he still has some production left in him, and it's not like we have significantly better options other than him. Plus the whole story aspect and letting him break a few more Twins records, maybe help his HOF case a bit. When Rooker is ready, reduce Mauer's role a bit. He'll be on board so long as he gets to stay and keep playing. I don't see any big reasons not to bring him back with how things currently sit

Also, we need to remember that Mauer will make like $5-8 million next year (if he chooses to come back). 

Where does this number come from?

Totally guesswork. But it won't be $13-23 million and it won't be $1-2 million. So, I can broaden it to $3-12 million.

I dunno, I really do think Mauer would take league minimum to stay if that's what it came down to. I certainly don't think that's what he'd end up getting, but I could definitely see $3ish million per year for 1 or 2 years

'Wood, I'm feeling you, and that is what is going to happen. I for one want more Mauer at bats with RISP. 

On Mauer: As you said, it seems pretty clear that Joe's calling the shots, so we'll see.

 

He still takes great at bats and is as good in the field as he's ever been, but at 36 next year he's just not going to play that often. It's pretty tough in the days of 13-man pitching staffs to carry multiple first basemen. It's nice that Austin and Sano (among others) can play first along with other positions, but I think Joe's presence on the roster would take the Twins out of the market for any of the 1B/DH types that are going to be available. It's just really difficult to roster two of those type guys.

 

I'm terrified Mauer's going to suffer another head injury in some freak way that ends up being life-altering, so I'll be happy either way. If Joe's back, great. If not, at least that anxiety has been lifted. Plus, considering his playing time and positional limitations, there's definitely a chance this team may be better off without him (depending on the replacement options).

 

On Buxton: Should the Twins deep down be rooting for a way to get that extra year? Absolutely. I'm surprised they're not lining his hotel rooms with bear traps right now.

 

But keeping him down if he's healthy would be a terrible look. Can Byron do anything about it? No. Will other players/agents take notice of a stunt like that? Absolutely.

 

What would be the consequences? I could see free agents viewing Minnesota as (even more) undesirable andcurrent Twins ruling out extension talks. I'm guessing this front office doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation among the guys in the clubhouse. This would make that even worse. It could even impact things all the way down to the draft.

 

These days, teams have deals worked out with their picks in the early rounds before they're selected. If the numbers are close enough, would you want to reach an agreement with a team you suspect is holding down its young players in an effort to limit their earning potential, or somebody else?

 

You just don't want to be tied to service time manipulation. Ugly reputation to have. Even if Byron was hitting .100 in Rochester, there's still plenty of reasons why you'd want to get him more plate appearances, or at the very least use him as a late-inning pinch runner/defensive replacement.

 

What about the other circumstances in which service time has been manipulated? Those have primarily come at the beginning of a player's career. It's much easier to justify keeping a rookie off your 25-man roster early in the season than it is to keep a guy who got MVP votes and who was voted the best defensive player in the game off your roster that can be expanded to 40 spots when he's got nowhere else to play.

I don't disagree with a lot of what you're saying, but I go have to say, while technically true to say Buxton got MVP votes- Really???

I feel Pohlad will make the call on Mauer.  As far as Buxton he is an asset if he can hit .240 at this time.  But the extra year of control makes this a no brainer.  Have him get the extra month of rest and see how he does in the spring.  

For me signing Mauer for more than a 1 year contract may well cause issues.  It looks like we will have Lewis or kirloff here in 2020 baring a setback. And would rather have Escobar signed using some of the money for Mauer than bringing Mauer back.

Nick,

I agree with you completely on this article.  I couldn't have said it much better.  Joe was in a slump recently and sat maybe 2 of 5 games.  He has bounced back a little.  That shows me that the grind is not kind to Joe.  

It will be interesting to see what they do with these to, and the MOY, who I feel has not been great this year.

For me signing Mauer for more than a 1 year contract may well cause issues.  It looks like we will have Lewis or kirloff here in 2020 baring a setback. And would rather have Escobar signed using some of the money for Mauer than bringing Mauer back.

What do Royce or Kirilloff have to do with anything? And Mauer won't be expensive at all. If we don't sign Polanco, he won't be a reason why

There is so little risk in keeping Buxton down from a FO stand point. But lose the extra year when the late bloomer reaches his potential and you'll be remembered as a the fool who traded 20 games of crap Buxton for a year of MVP.

Byron has no one to blame but his own dismal results for much of 3 wasted seasons for this situation. If he stayed healthy and hit, service time wouldn't be a concern. If he stays healthy and hits, he'll get a fat extension buying out arbitration.

Byron Buxton hasn't done enough to suggest that we owe him anything. I think playing him over Cave or even Grossman at this point would be unfair. What free agent would want to play for a team who's willing to replace you with a guy you're badly outperforming?

Cave deserves his shot, Grossman has earned his spot for this last month.

Right now Mauer is 2nd on the team in batting and #1 on OBP.   Pretty sure by the end of the year he will be the top in both.   His BA is 33 points higher than the team average and his OBP is 40 points higher and 23 points higher than the next guy. (Garver).    Forget how he rates with other 1st basemen.   This lineup just isn't the same without him in there.    He is a rock amid a team of streaky guys.     I want him back and not just as sentiment.   I don't think he has had such a bad year and I like him in the #1 or two spots.      Fans don't seem to like table setters anymore.  I still do.

I’ve heard lots of people say bring Mauer back in a “more limited role”. He’s going to play fewer than 90 games at first this year and he’s likely going to start fewer than 115 games total.

So, my awkward questions for anyone who cares to answer are

1) How much more limited would you expect his role to be in 2019 (and beyond)?

2) How much do you think that amount of playing time coupled with his subpar offensive production is worth?

3) Perhaps most importantly (and an issue no one advocating for his return has bothered to address), how do you fit essentially a half time player who plays only first base onto a roster that has 3 position players per game that don’t start?

Someone said in one of the Forsythe threads that a championship team doesn’t have Logan Forsythe on it. IMO, a championship team doesn’t have 36 year old Joe Mauer on it.

Bring back Mauer on a 1 year deal in the $7-12m area. And please have him be our extra bat on the bench. Let him start 60-80 games and the rest use him to PH.

I have always felt it was not fair to Harmon Killebrew, nor to the Twins' fans, that Harmon did not finish his career as a Twin. I felt that for all the wonderful gifts Harmon gave to the Senators/Twins and the fans, he deserved to end his career as a Twin. I wanted him to be a Twin for life. I didn't want to share him with the Royals. I feel the Twins owed it to him to keep him, even if he only hit .199 with 14 home runs his last year, when he was a Royal. I would hate to see Joe Mauer end his career as a Royal or a Tiger. I may be the only one, but my love of the Twins is about so much more than winning. It is about family.

Maybe he would have if he had had enough people telling him that it was time to hang em up.

I’ll grant that it was a much different time and that the decisions aren’t comparable. The Twins in Killebrew’s era didn’t have roster constraints that would have prevented them from rostering Harmon. They did have a notoriously cheap owner though and Harmon’s status would have made him prohibitively expensive (in Calvin’s mind).

It’s worth noting that the Twins let Harmon hang on for two seasons as a shell of his former self. I admired him a great deal, but to expect the Twins to do so for a third was a little selfish IMO.

What are the options for Buxton to keep seeing pitching if isn't brought up in September?