REPORT: Twins Finalizing Deal With Blake Parker

Twins season ticket packages are very inexpensive. I think the Twins could charge more for about half the seats in the stadium without affecting attendance that much. Target field tickets are close to what Metrodome tickets cost thirty years ago.

Wages are 100% tax deductible, don't forget. I think it would be difficult to spend a franchise into bankruptcy in spite of this being a narrative that gets thrown around. Sure it's happened, but few of us would make the same mistakes if given the chance.

Am I the only person shocked when I heard it's another 1 year deal?

It's basically 1 year with a team option for a 2nd, as he'd still be under team control in 2020 via arbitration.

This is an interesting writeup from November on what the Angel's pitching coach Scott Radinsky had to say about Blake Parker (and the rest of his pen).  

Scroll down a bit.

That pitching coach has been let go since then. 

There has been a lot of talk on this site how the Twins are sitting on piles of money, or at least how could spend at a much higher rate. While I suspect that is likely true, nobody seems to factor in the fact that this FO is spending a lot more money in areas that the previous FO did not.

 

Beyond beefing up the analytics department, they have also beefed up the FO in general. They have added more coaches throughout the minor league system than the previous FO had. They have a couple more major league coaches. Though other adds are more difficult to track, they seem to have added to both the scouting department, the fitness department, and maybe even people who deal with mental health.

 

Some of this was started by the previous FO, but money has been spent on facilities in Fort Myers and the Dominican Republic, Statcast and other tracking toys, as well upgrading the Elizabethan facilities.

 

I expect I may be missing other "upgrades" but the money for these things comes from the same sources even if it doesn't fit under the same category as major league player salaries. Now, I believe income for the Twins is trending up, even if attendance isn't. While I think the various upgrades undertaken the last few years were largely necessary, it is likely that this spending could very well impact, at least to some degree, the money available for free agents.

Minimum MLB salary is about $500 K. Typical free agents command anywhere from $5 to $20 mil. Just a hunch that mid level baseball operations personnel make in the neighborhood of $100 K. Maybe $150 K if they have an impressive resume. They could add 50 such people for the cost of one low rated free agent. It’s simply not a significant enough of a cost to substantially impact player payroll budget.

At this point I am just weary of the Twins signing cast-offs from other teams and   other no-name players who will probably spend most of the season in AAA. Sure, there is always the chance we can sign someone worthwhile like Astudillo who exceeds expectations, but for the most part these are underwhelming moves. Wake me when it's over.

Still not officially announced by the Twins, but more details:

Am I the only person shocked when I heard it's another 1 year deal?

I hope I'm not the only member who is pleased.

Much more favorable team deal than first reported.   If he doesn't work out at some point, we can cut him at lower cost.

Or maybe flip him at the deadline if a couple of guys are lighting it up in AAA?

So if he makes it to Labor Day or a few days more he gets $3.2mm.  Interesting way of adding incentives.  I don't recall seeing this type of bonus structure.  Does anyone recall seeing this with the Twins? 

 

Now the question is who will be departing.  Will it be another reliever?  Or Granite/Reed?

If we cut Addison Reed, the GM should be fired on the spot. 

If we cut Addison Reed, the GM should be fired on the spot. 

Michael Reed, OF claimed off waivers early in the offseason.

You should care about value, too. Parker is a better player than you're willing to acknowledge; the bullpen is better with him. Given his low cost, he should not come at the exclusion of that "great player" you seek.

I'm hesitant about a guy that the Angels decided wasn't even good enough to keep around.

We'll be paying him half of what he stood to make in arbitration. As has been demonstrated elsewhere on this board, spending big on RPers has not worked out for the team spending. We tend to disvalue quantity over quality, and often rightly so, but RPer FA market might be one place where it's better to sign a few guys, than go all in on one guy.

We're only paying him half if he's terrible enough to be cut, in which case no amount of money is a good value.

He was projected to make 3.1 in arbitration, we're paying him 3.2 if he's on the roster all year.

I hope he's good, and I defer to the FO, they are professionals, I'm an amateur.

But still, I can't help but wonder why the Angels wouldn't keep him around for that price if he can still be valuable. They know him better than anyone.

(Curtiss has a higher ceiling than Parker.)