Report From The Fort: The Fifth Starter's Road Is Long

Hughes pitched poorly inhis latest start. Maybe he glared at the umpire on his way to the dugout, and it was windy, but that didn't account for some of the pitchers who did just fine against the B-squad, so to speak.

At some point, you MUST cut and run. It's a big chunk of change to swallow. But you are losing even more if the production, for your team, doesn't happen.

Why isn't the #4 spot in the rotation up for discussion? Hughes has the inside track on that spot

Odorizzi

Berrios

Gibson

#4 = ?

Right now Hughes and his contract is the favorite for the 4th starter spot and Anibal is probably the second favorite since I don't think he needs to accept a minor league assignment (can someone verify) even though he has a defined split contract. If both of these options implode for spring training then Mejia should take that spot. He might even take that spot outright if he looks great but typically pitchers without options are given every opportunity to win a spot at the beginning of the season.

If Hughes or Sanchez end up at the #4 and the other is cut or DL'd then I would expect the Twins to option Mejia in favor of a true RP until they bring him up as the #5 later in the month.

Depends on who is in the bullpen. If one or two of those guys can be a spot starter (perhaps Tyler Duffy for example), yes I think 4 starters would be fine until the 19 game stretch.

Hughes is an extreme fly-ball pitcher in an extreme fly-ball business, with declining velocity, straight-line fastball and marginal breaking stuff.

He's been injured, and injured again, thoracically surgeried, and at whatever age, is attempting a come-back.

Good on him.

We can go over a lot of numbers, but everything is pointing against his future sustainable success as a MLB starting pitcher.

Pretty much everything -- except not pitching in Yankee Stadium, where, a reach, a broken bat, a pop-up, can carry out to RF.

Hughes ain't going to carry you through the playoffs and into the World Series.

Ever.

So, there's that.

It's not clear. A split contract would sort of imply he would consent to a minor league assignment, but you are right, he has enough service time to refuse an optional or outright assignment. But Berardino also reported it less like a split, and more like an arbitration deal that guarantees him some termination pay if he's cut during spring training.

Then again, he did consent to a minor league assignment with the Tigers last year (it's actually reported that he asked for it, although perhaps only because the alternative was bullpen or release) -- maybe that's an option this year as well? Maybe he is confident that the 40-man spot will lead him back to MLB? Although one might think he would rather have a minor league deal with opt out dates...

But having to get consent to send them down a pitcher vs a player that has options (Mejia) is a big advantage to a guy like Sanchez. Hopefully it is only used for a tiebreaker but I think it is likely that Hughes or Sanchez get every chance to take the #4 and (eventual) #5 spots.

I know it's a giant pipe dream, but could you imagine if Hughes was able to put it together for a few months this year like back in 2014?? That would be a great story and it would be really cool for the team

That 4-men rotation plus a swingman was state of the art in the 1980s.  With the unbalanced schedule now does not make too much sense because of the high likelihood of games suspended due to weather, doubleheaders etc.

 

He might want to do it, but I think that it just is not practical.

I suppose no team in the eighties had rain outs with their seasons.

The fact that the Twins are touting the lack of a need for a fifth starter ignores the fact that the fifth starter is actually needed. He will be pitching not every 5 days, but every 4. Sadly it's the Twins first starter that will be missing those games, something Molitor selectively avoids mentioning, at least to The extent he can. So in essence Molitor does have to name a fifth starter on day 4 of the season, for short of injury or performance deficientcy, that pitcher will be in the rotation from day one going forward. It's the first starter he doesn't have to name, that guy has a cast on his hand.

My four man rotation would be 

Palmer,  Cuellar, McNally and Dobson

If he's not where he needs to be by Opening Day, you DL him... keep him on a program and get him a rehab assignment. I mean, at the end of the day, he is coming off of his 2nd TOS surgery in two years. Shouldn't expect him to be at 100% right now. How he did today means nothing. But obviously the velo will need to work itself up. So, let spring training run its course. Use the DL. Use the rehab time. See where he's at, and make the call at some point. 

I would counter that starters need more than just speed in their repertoire. He has already reached the age where velocity alone won't get the job done unless he's in the bullpen, even without his surgeries.

Would you rather....

Have a semi load of IKEA furniture to put together this summer, or watch Phil Hughes start every fifth day?

Ikea furniture. But i do like to put stuff together.

Maybe we could trade for Cole Hamels. He is unhappy with the Rangers 6 man rotation. They want to go with more pitchers Andes innings. Maybe Gonsalves and Romero would get it done?

Maybe we could trade for Cole Hamels. He is unhappy with the Rangers 6 man rotation. They want to go with more pitchers Andes innings. Maybe Gonsalves and Romero would get it done?

Hamels k rate plummeted last year. Maybe it's just an aberration, but maybe it's the beginning of a very severe decline.

Not sure I'd give up that much to find out.

Maybe we could trade for Cole Hamels. He is unhappy with the Rangers 6 man rotation. They want to go with more pitchers Andes innings. Maybe Gonsalves and Romero would get it done?

What? No! Goodness, no.

If you need only 4 starters how about having a 11 man pitching staff and have an extra guy on the bench?

In some ways, just eating the salary for Hughes and moving on is better than trying to get some, any, value from the guy. Too bad too late to write-off Hughes on last year's books. And then look at Hughes salary and Sanchez salary and you CAN get a $20 million a year guy, probably two years of one.

But the Twins do need a 4th starter. They are out there (free agents not signed who can predictably produce, rather than chance or remakes).

The roster will fill up quickly at Rochester, not just the rotation, but also the bullpen (who will be closing down there). My bigger concern is when/if Gonsalves, Romero or Jorge will be ready to compete.

I almost want to see Duffey as the 5th starter and see what we have in Kinley.

Maybe we could trade for Cole Hamels. He is unhappy with the Rangers 6 man rotation. They want to go with more pitchers Andes innings. Maybe Gonsalves and Romero would get it done?

Not sure I would do Gonzo and Romero, but I would be willing to look into some other option.

two years at 42.5 million would be a great get for the Twins. Two years would get them to the next round of minor league prospects and he would only be 35.

I mentioned a similar trade for Verlander last year.

How about Littell, Jorge, Kirilloff for Hamels?