Nick Nelson

How differently might Twins fans at large view this offseason had the team succeeded in signing Yasmani Grandal? The front office came up short in its pursuit of the top free agent catcher on the market, but that doesn't mean the Twins will give up on securing an upgrade behind the dish.Robert Murray of The Athletic tweeted last week that Minnesota was one of four teams to offer a multi-year deal to Grandal before the catcher signed with Milwaukee for one year and $16 million. KSTP's Darren Wolfson did some digging of his own and confirmed the report, adding that the Twins' offer "was for multiple years in the $13M/year range." "Talks never gained traction, unfortunately," according to Wolfson. "But the Twins definitely tried." This development is striking, for a couple of reasons. 1: The Twins have been allergic to long-term commitments this offseason, so the fact they were prepared to hand a hefty one to Grandal seems significant. 2: This is especially true when you consider that the Twins were also said to be in on Robinson Chirinos before he signed with Houston. Although they've come up empty thus far, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine seemingly had their sights set on acquiring an impact catcher, and perhaps even a long-term solution at the position. It's natural to wonder what this says about their confidence in Mitch Garver sticking at the position, as well as their confidence in Jason Castro coming back from knee surgery at age 31. For now, I'm more interested in sizing up other options the Twins might consider, should they remain intent on adding a backstop. The free agency pool has mostly dried up. The "best" remaining names include Matt Wieters, Martin Maldonado and Stephen Vogt. If the Twins want to land a real difference-maker, they'll need to look to the trade market, where J.T. Realmuto's name has been floating around all offseason. Here's the skinny on Realmuto: He turns 28 in March, and has been one of the league's elite catchers for the past three years, rising to the top of the pack in 2018 when he was an All-Star and Silver Slugger. YEAR | WAR (Rank Among MLB Catchers) 2016: 3.7 (3rd) 2017: 3.8 (3rd) 2018: 4.8 (1st) He'll earn $5.9 million in 2019 and is arbitration-eligible once more in 2020. For a team looking to upgrade at catcher, the splashes don't really come bigger than Realmuto. Needless to say, the Marlins are aiming high in trade talks. The latest report has Miami targeting catcher Francisco Mejia in talks with the Padres. Mejia ranks #32 on Baseball America's new Top 100 prospects list. Last week, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported the Marlins were seeking Keibert Ruiz in discussions with the Dodgers, who have been in hot pursuit of Realmuto for sometime. Ruiz, also a catcher, is at #20 in BA's new rankings. The Twins can't compete with those teams when it comes to young catching talent, but they do have prospects that would surely pique Miami's interest, with three making Baseball America's list (Royce Lewis at #9, Alex Kirilloff at #15, and Brusdar Graterol at #55). For what it's worth, Mr. Frisaro responded to one of my tweets on the topic by stating, "Kirilloff and you have a deal." Now, Frisaro is a reporter and not a front-office exec, so take that remark as you will. But clearly, he's got some insight into the team's thinking, and beyond that, his assertion seems completely reasonable. If it's true, and the Marlins would go for a package headlined by Kirilloff, then... that's something. I'm not saying it's a no-brainer by any means, but it would need to be strongly considered. I theorized about putting together a Kirilloff-centered package for Realmuto ahead of last year's deadline. The match makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons. By bringing in Realmuto, the Twins would add another building block and some major assurance to a shaky core. It'd vastly improve the club's outlook for both 2019 and 2020. Given that he's still fairly young and improving, a long-term extension would make sense, and I wonder if Minnesota might be able to take advantage of its short-term spending flexibility to frontload such a contract. What do you think? Is the biggest splash of this offseason yet to come? Would you be willing to part with Kirilloff as the centerpiece for baseball's reigning top catcher? Click here to view the article

Except this trend also played out prominently elsewhere around the league. If we looked at the entire list of top 50 free agents or so, and assessed how things played out in 2018, I think we'd fine more misses than hits everywhere. Look no further than Colorado's aggressive efforts to power up their bullpen through FA.

The over/under on the Twins in Vegas is 84.5 wins so I'm wondering what basis there is for this, other than outright pessimism.

Why do were care about the money? There's no difference, practically, between spending 3.5M or 1.5M on him. The only thing I care about is the roster spot. But the fact that he got both an MLB deal and a higher-than-expected salary tells us there were other teams in on Perez, creating demand. The Twins didn't agree to those terms for the hell of it. So while everyone's entitled to dislike the Perez move, understand that the Twins aren't alone in seeing something more there. I agree that it's hard to tell what that is right now, but I can assure you that plenty of better pitchers than him on paper will end up with lesser deals.

I left Rodney and Duke off because those are the kinds of low-wattage FA signings we've been seeing this year. So that kinda supports the current approach if anything. They were as good or better than plenty of the relievers who got larger guaranteed commitments elsewhere.

I think they'll push him to the bullpen if he's not effective in the rotation. In fact I wonder if they really intend to use him as a traditional "starter" at all. If he's in some sort of opener/piggybacking role, he's a little more interesting given the bullpen velo spike late last year. And then you've got plenty of flexibility in terms of managing his innings/leverage/etc.

All very valid ^ As I've written, I can understand the desire to avoid prominent free agents. But if you wanna take the frugal route there, why not trade for a big salary, or hand out some front-loaded extensions? Alas, there's still time left for that sort of thing.

Correia was a 32-year-old signed to a two-year deal with the sole purpose of eating innings, regardless of quality. There is no reason to expect the same kind of inflexibility with Perez. We're all obviously aware of his terrible past numbers but the Twins saw something here and clearly they aren't the only ones (otherwise he wouldn't have gotten an MLB deal, much less a somewhat shocking $3.5M guaranteed). One thing I don't really question about this front office is their ability to pull the plug on something that's not working. They don't get overly invested in their decisions. In fact, I think that's pretty much the story of this offseason. They're not forcing themselves to get too invested in anyone. They're trying to strike hidden values and sneaky adds. I don't blame you for skepticism but let's be honest, they got burnt whenever they went the opposite route last offseason, and in fact their best moves turned out to be those low-key sleepers (trading for Cave, signing Anibal, trading for Odorizzi). So I'm cautiously giving them the benefit of the doubt and trusting their judgement for now. That'll change if the majority of these moves fizzle and end up holding back a solid team.

Free agency. It represents a world of endless possibilities. Especially at a time where generational superstars like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are out there, openly available to all 30 teams, the free agent market offers a chance for fans to dream big. Of course, any Twins faithful who fantasized of flashy acquisitions this offseason have found themselves mostly disappointed. Minnesota's avoidance of the traditional free agency avenue has been resolute, almost as if by design. I believe there are reasons behind this approach that don't amount to, "They're cheap".Here are a few experiences that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have had with free agency since taking over the Twins front office: * In their first signature move, they quickly signed free agent Jason Castro to a three-year contract. He was solid in his first year, and the second was a total loss. Now he enters Year 3 as a fairly significant (and somewhat pricey) question mark. * In their second year, they signed Addison Reed, Logan Morrison and Lance Lynn for a combined ~$25 million. Morrison and Lynn were busts, and so to a lesser extent was Reed, who now enters Year 2 as a fairly significant (and somewhat pricey) question mark. * They made a serious bid for Yu Darvish last winter, reportedly offering more than $100 million before falling short of the Cubs and watching the right-hander immediately bomb in Chicago. * They inherited the contract of Ervin Santana, who qualifies as one of Minnesota's most successful free agent signings ever, but saw the downside of that deal as well with $13.5 million of their payroll dedicated to a guy who provided basically nothing in 2018. * They also inherited the contract of Phil Hughes, some of which they're still on the hook for this year. Granted, it was an ill-advised extension rather than Hughes' original deal that went sour, but he's another fine example of the dangers in long-term commitments to veterans – even those that are on top of their games at the time. So now we come to the team's approach this year in free agency. With the exception of Nelson Cruz, none of the players acquired by Minnesota were on those lists fans skimmed through in September and let their brains run wild, because none of them were firmly expected to be on the market. And now most players that did occupy the upper levels of those rankings are gone. Is this by design? Are the Twins attempting to take advantage of a league-wide aversion to spending by capturing quality players who are being unfairly devalued? It sure seems that way. Instead of tethering themselves to expensive, inescapable commitments for players on the higher tiers (which, as we've learned time and time again, carry no assurances) the front office is making deals on its own terms. Martin Perez on a one-year deal plus team option is actually a lot more interesting than those standard Terry Ryan flyers of yesteryear, because it has real upside. Perez doesn't turn 28 until April. If the Twins are able to unlock whatever they see in him (and I have to believe it's more than meets the eye, because other teams were interested too), they've actually found themselves an asset. The same is true of Cruz and Blake Parker, though they don't have the same long-term fit potential. One that does is Jonathan Schoop. He's probably the player we're not talking about enough. The Twins aggressively signed him one week after his non-tender from Milwaukee. He's an athletic defender, one year removed from an All-Star season, and he's averaged 25 homers in the past three seasons. Most vitally, he's only 27. Guys like this don't become available too often. And for teams that want more of a sure thing – such as the Brewers, who elected to move on – maybe he's not the best choice. But within Minnesota's developing strategy, he made all the sense in the world. Unlike the others added this winter, his contract doesn't include a 2020 option, but if he rebounds, blends into the nucleus, and likes it here? Now you might've found yourself a newly minted piece to your core. It's tough to knock any of these deals on their own. But when you look at the big picture it's easy to feel a bit underwhelmed. As someone in the forums astutely put it: "the sum is lesser than its parts." I understand and empathize with the lack of enthusiasm some are feeling. But ultimately, it's not Jed Lowrie or Adam Ottavino that's going to put fans in the seats. Winning will. You may not be jazzed about the caliber of these names. But don't conflate the current front office with the previous regime. These aren't your garden-variety bargain bin signings of the Kevin Correia or Mike Pelfrey ilk. There's a deeper methodology in place, and I'm sure I'm only scratching its surface. From my view, the Twins are hoping they can hit on a few of these gambles while the incumbents rebound enough to keep them hanging in a weak division. Then, around the middle of the season they can more clearly assess their position and their needs. As I concluded on Monday, the silver lining to this resource preservation is that it will give them extreme flexibility leading up to the trade deadline. The pessimistic view is that the Twins are treading water until 2020. The optimistic (and I think more realistic) view is that they're treading water until June or July. Let us not forget: The most impactful, game-changing transaction in the American League over the past two years didn't happen during the offseason. It happened when Detroit traded Justin Verlander to Houston in August of 2017. Given the league's expected landscape this summer, it's not hard to envision similar opportunities emerging in a sea of non-contenders. So, there's something to dream on. Click here to view the article

Here's my problem with the "Wait until the right moment and push your chips in" stance: Nobody knows when that right moment will be. The Twins won 71 games in 1986. They won 74 in 1990.

While it's true that the Twins pushed their payroll to unprecedented heights in 2018, it's not accurate to suggest the front office executed some sort of aggressive offseason plan that fizzled in practice. Instead, they adhered to their "opportunistic" credo, jumping on players who were passed up by other clubs in hopes of surfacing overlooked values. It didn't really work out. And this winter, the Twins have more or less done the same thing.You can make cases that C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop, Blake Parker and (to a lesser extent) Martin Perez are all logical, savvy additions. But you can't make the case that these players were in any kind of demand. Each was optionally let loose by his former team, and all those teams are looking to compete in 2019. The Rays, Brewers, Angels and Rangers deemed these players to not be worthwhile at their projected (non-exorbitant) 2019 salaries, so each made the active decision to move on, via non-tender/DFA/declined option. It is essentially tantamount to the way Minnesota viewed Robbie Grossman. Even Nelson Cruz fell to the Twins at a surprising bargain because the market was lukewarm on him, despite his monstrous offensive production. Seattle didn't show much interest in bringing Cruz back, and Minnesota ultimately found itself bidding against only one or two other teams. And so, when fans question – or at least attempt to critically analyze – the front office's approach this offseason, it's not so much about the collective expense for these players, which amounts to less than $32 million at a time where the team theoretically had upwards of $50 million to spend. It's more about the context of how they were acquired. The Twins have been drawing from the discard pile. Does that mean these moves are all doomed to fail? Not by any means. Personally, I have enough faith in the team's current assembly of analysts and baseball minds that I'm inclined to get behind this strategy for the most part. I like the fact that they've added several players under 30, with every signing other than Schoop coming in the form of a one-year guarantee plus team option. Those are good, team-friendly deals that strike a reasonable low-risk/medium-upside balance. What's been amiss is that clear, decisive upgrade to the pitching staff. Or that landscape-altering trade that charts a bold new direction for this perpetually stagnating franchise. I can't blame fans who feel underwhelmed with what's been acquired thus far – a collection of cast-offs and a 38-year-old DH who settled for less than almost anyone expected. The Twins still have about four weeks before their first full-squad workout in Fort Myers, so there's time yet for further additions, but one gets the sense it'll be more of the same. For better or worse, Minnesota appears content to stand pat and roll with what they've got, mixing in mostly gambles and secondary role players rather than clear-cut difference-makers. The upside is that whatever flexibility they end up preserving through these low-wattage free agent signings will potentially put them in an advantageous position around the trade deadline, should things play out as hoped in the first half. The downside is that they might be hurting their chances of reaching such a "buyer" position to begin with. Click here to view the article

I posted the average payrolls to show there is no validity to your claim that last year's increase was driven solely by the BAMtech infusion. If that was the case it would've been reflected elsewhere around the league. If you think that was some unique situation I suggest you research further; there have been several instances in recent years where MLB teams/owners received large sums of money as part of enormous MLBAM/TV contracts, and in those cases payroll was not affected. What happened last year wasn't a "coincidence." The front office saw short-term opportunities late in the offseason and ownership signed off. There's no reason to think that couldn't/shouldn't happen in this case. I honestly don't know why you and MLR have decided to grind this axe once again. The article suggests the Twins have money to spend and theorizes a $14M deal which would put them around $112M in payroll. I'm not the one confusing the issue at hand.

I'm not asking them to spend at an average or above-average level, I'm asking them to spend at a reasonable level. We're talking about signing Cody Allen, not Bryce Harper. A $115M payroll will be near the bottom 10, if not among it. Again: the average MLB payroll has increased by almost $40M during the Target Field era. Minnesota's spending has remained mostly stagnant. Context is important here.

There is no payroll "cap." All of these restrictions are self-imposed. The Twins can easily afford to spend plenty more than these baselines have established and stay within the ~50% of revenue range. I am confident in that. You and MLR are going to need to produce some actual data and evidence to convince me otherwise. You cite this BAMtech windfall as the reason the Twins boosted their spending last year, which is completely unsubstantiated. Every owner received the same infusion, and the average overall spending hardly budged, which is why I shared those annual league-wide averages.

Ticket sales are no longer an overwhelming component of the revenue equation for baseball teams. Money is pouring in across the league from giant media deals. The notion being suggested above that last year's spending increase was driven by some isolated cash infusion is misguided. The game is flush with money. Also, declining to invest in your team because a lack of quality is deterring fan interest seems like a poor strategy to me.

Average payroll in MLB over the past 5 years (via BP): 2014: $115M 2015: $125M 2016: $130M 2017: $136M 2018: $135M The Twins are currently at $98 million. They have money to spend. Lots.

He lost less than 1 MPH on both his FB and CB. With that drop, he still allowed a .230 batting average and struck out 80 hitters in 67 innings. Sure, I'd love to get Kimbrel. I'd love to get Ottavino. But in practical terms: people have to want to sign here, and the Twins are clearly shying away from multi-year commitments. Allen just makes a ton of sense from that perspective, and after Kimbrel/Ottavino he's the best bet in free agency from my view.

You might be right. What I'm saying is, why not pay whatever it takes to get him on a one-year deal? If someone else is offering 2/16 he'd obviously take the 1/14 offer, right? There's basically no cap to what the Twins could offer him on a one-year deal, and it still aligns with their established no-commitments strategy. If Allen is fiercely determined to get a multi-year deal, even at a far lesser annual salary, then maybe the Twins should stay away. That sends all the wrong signals coming off a season like he just had.

After reaching agreement with all of their arbitration eligible players last week, the Twins have solidified their projected 2019 payroll at around $96 million. That's about $30M below where they were last year (which was just below the MLB average), so needless to say they've got spending flexibility. The back end of the bullpen is the clearest need, and in that market, one name stands out as a fairly obvious fit.From 2014 through 2017, Cody Allen was consistently one of the better relievers in baseball. Serving as closer in Cleveland, he averaged 30 saves per season while posting a 2.62 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, and 12.1 K/9 rate. In 2018, at age 29, he took a sizable step back, posting a 4.70 ERA with career highs in WHIP (1.36), BB/9 rate (4.4) and blown saves (5). His strikeouts were down along with his velocity. It was a troubling season for Allen and it couldn't have come at a worse time for him. But these circumstances make him an ideal fit for the Twins, who evidently aren't interested in any long-term commitments this winter. With another typical campaign in 2018, Allen might've been in line for a three- or four-year contract. But his major lapse creates too much risk for any team to make that leap now. Allen's most realistic hope now is for a high-dollar short-term deal, which is exactly what Minnesota's positioned to hand out. That's just one reason this match makes sense. There's also the team's need for a dominant late-inning reliever, and Allen's familiarity with Twins CBO Derek Falvey, who was Cleveland's co-director of baseball operations when the Indians drafted him in 2011. La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reported a month ago that the Twins were interested in Allen, but obviously nothing has come to fruition as of yet. It's been a slow-moving relief market. Perhaps the right-hander is waiting on Craig Kimbrel and Adam Ottavino – the two names clearly ahead of him in the pecking order – to sign and set precedent. I'm wondering if something like a one-year, $14 million offer might get it done with Allen, who would reel in more than half of his career earnings up to this point (he's totaled about $24 mil) with an opportunity to rebuild value in a prominent role and hit the market again next offseason. The upside here for the Twins is plain to see. But there is downside. It'd mean having $20M-plus tied up in two relievers who were both not very good in 2018. The money isn't really an issue, but the hefty guaranteed contracts mean Allen and Addison Reed will get every chance to earn them, possibly at the expense of worthy younger arms. Adding Allen to a bullpen that includes Reed, Taylor Rogers, Trevor May, and Blake Parker would leave few vacancies. Someone like Trevor Hildenberger, Gabriel Moya or Andrew Vasquez could more easily become blocked even if he proves deserving. The opportunity to try converting a younger starter, like Fernando Romero or Adalberto Mejia, becomes more limited. These aren't necessarily huge stumbling blocks, but they're worth keeping in mind for a team focused on rebuilding via the internal pipeline. Players need opportunities to develop. It's basically a moot point if Allen returns to his pre-2018 form or anything close. He'd significantly upgrade and legitimize Minnesota's bullpen unit. In light of that upside, and given the fact that – even in his down year – Allen's K and whiff rates would've ranked among the best in the Twins bullpen, I think the reward far outweighs the risk here. So I'm only left asking one question: What are we waiting for? Click here to view the article

With all due respect, based on your description of his effort at home plate I'm gonna go ahead and assume you're mischaracterizing whatever comments he made. It takes more than one player to win a ballgame. Cuddyer had one of the team's two hits and was the only one to move past first base. If you wanna criticize the guy do so with some level of intellectual honesty, please.

I'd love to hear Thrylos as the announcer for Game 7 of the '91 World Series. "Here's the pitch... lazy drive to center field... Puckett ranging back... takes a half-hearted leap at the wall... ohhh, looks like it somehow managed to land in his glove. He bounces off the wall and throws a wimpy five-hopper back toward the infield."