The Table Setter, Dec 8: Cultural Historians, Utility Players, and a Unicorn

Another former Twins pitcher has found a new home, with Jorge Lopez signing a one-year, $2-million deal with the Mets. His moment as a dominant reliever for the Orioles a few years ago feels beyond recapture by now, but he's a conscientious and talented person. All the best to him.

What Kind of Decade Has it Been?
This will seem to come from left field, but let me ask you: How is baseball doing at reflecting and shaping America? I like to go back and re-read old things I've written, sometimes, to improve and to remind myself how much I once sucked (the better to take a patient pen to the work of my talented colleagues here). Last night, I came upon this post from late 2012, when Jacques Barzun's death coincided with the World Series.

It got me back to thinking about what I wrote at the time--in essence, that I hoped the game was starting to turn back toward its country and have a better impact on it. I'm having a very hard time evaluating the last decade-plus, in that way. There have been some external occurrences in our world that make it hard to parse cause and effect, even when it's clear that baseball has been associated with some change. I am glad, though, that I feel like the game has made some important progress in demographic representation and equity during that span. Obviously, there's a long way left to go.

The Skill of Finding Good Utility Guys Cheaply
I really liked Hunter McCall's piece yesterday about the Twins' affinity for the high-volume utility man. We know the value of guys who can hit enough to work their way into the lineup more than half the time, while working their way around the diamond to deliver defensive value and keep people fresh. 

I find it especially noteworthy, though, that (in contrast with half a decade ago, when the team brought in Marwin Gonzalez as a very expensive version of that player) Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are developing a knack for finding, acquiring, and/or developing valuable, versatile guys on the cheap. It's not just Willi Castro (who signed a minor-league deal last winter), nor Nick Gordon, nor Luis Arraez. They also signed Donovan Solano very inexpensively during spring training back in February. As Hunter noted, they have Castro, Gordon, and Austin Martin from whom to choose for 2024.

It's pretty hard to reliably find a utility or platoon guy in free agency. You want someone who can play multiple positions, and play them well (who's ever hoping for below-average defense?), but not play any of them so well that they can find a market as a regular at just one position. You want someone who crushes opposite-handed pitching, but who struggles against same-handed hurlers, because otherwise, they're going to command the money that goes with being a credible full-time player. It's a tough needle to thread. That's why each developmental win that yields that kind of player is valuable, and why I'm impressed that the front office nailed it with both Castro and Solano last offseason.

Is It Cold in Shohei's Shadow?
Yes, we're still waiting to hear where Shohei Ohtani will spend the next decade of his life. (Although, joy of joys, it sure sounds like whatever deal he ends up signing will include some opt-outs, so maybe we'll have the chance to do this elaborate free agency lambada again in a few years.) It's clear that this unresolved situation is still holding up some significant segment of the market, but will it have any impact on the Twins when he does decide?

I'm not sure it will. We know the Twins are planning to keep their heads and their payroll low for most of this winter. We know how they slow-play the market even in more typical winters. That said, we also know that they want to trade for a starting pitcher this winter. There are a fairly insane number of starting pitching transactions hanging and hinging on this decision. 

The chain reaction goes:

• Ohtani signs.
• Based on who gets him, Yoshinobu Yamamoto's market gains clarity.
• Yamamoto signs, and everyone left without one of the Big Two starts scrambling to find a chair as the music stops.

Tyler Glasnow, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes, and still more starters are alleged to be available on the trade market. At this point, I'm pretty sure those floodgates can't open until Ohtani's choice pushes Yamamoto in some definitive direction. The Twins probably aren't in on any of those names, but whichever guys they do end up targeting, they're probably not truly on the market until a couple of those names move. Thus, alas: Yes, Ohtani is stalling the Twins, too.

Happy Friday. Let's talk baseball.