DuluthFan

Not to point out the obvious, but the correct move is to bring up Boshers and give him playing time before the trade deadline. He played well prior to his demotion and now needs to reestablish his value. If the team is in a selling mode, you want to feature the players you are moving. Chargois can be brought up after the trade deadline or when a spot has been opened up.

So there is still a possibility.

Plouffe will be under his final year of arbitration next year. Twins daily as well as nearly all baseball reporting websites annually project what players will get in arbitration. Twins daily is usually very close as to their predictions, so there is no need to ask god, just ask a TD writer. Heck, there is probably an estimate for next year's number already posted in the archives. If you think another club hasn't done their due diligence, they have probably run the numbers on all possible arbitration eligible players that they are looking to acquire. His next season's salary can't be that much of a mystery.

One can only hope....

Wonder if that will help them update the roster and payroll pages*. There are still players listed that have been gone for over a year. *pages soon replaced with links to sites that have updated information.

Not necessarily. He had no options left so he would have needed to stay on someone's 25 man roster. Most teams at this point haven't gone through their own pitching depth as they may not have called up all their AAA backups yet. There may have been teams interested in having him sit at AAA but he would have needed to clear waivers. Fien was claimed but he was also optioned to AAA shortly after. At this point Milone has 'additional' trade value versus a week ago, in that he can be traded without the receiving team needing to have an open roster spot to stash him. However at this point he has just as much value to the Twins as depth without needing to have him on the roster.

I have to point out that the multi-year contracts have mostly gone to the elite players, not the marginal, or just average player. Duffy would have to put up elite level, all-star numbers to be considered for a multi-year extension. The Twins especially have been tight with the multi-year extensions for players under team control. You can expect Duffey to be year to year through his arbitration years. The Twins have three starting pitchers under long term contracts already with a potential fourth's pending free agent (Milone) having just been sent to the bullpen. Now the process does have some merit, but they must factor in arbitration salaries which contrary to popular belief is somewhat projectable. Twins Daily and other bloggers and analysts have predicted somewhat reliably the arbitration salaries of many players in the last couple years. You can bet that Fantex can or has done the same. The potential PROBLEM I forsee is if and when Fantex and similar investors become involved in salary negotiations and arbitration. They could push or insist for higher contracts for their clients so they can get paid off. You could potentially see an end to arbitration settlements and more going the distance. No more hometown discounts in contracts or even early signings. Players will be encouraged by their investors to not take the deal but to go to free agency. Taking the Duffey $2.23 million dollar amount and assuming the 10% per year cut, Duffy would need his earnings over his career to be at least $22.3 million dollars for Fantex to break even. I don't see him making that through his arbitration years, so he would need one or two year's worth of free agent money for Fantex to break even. Could he even retire early if he wanted to? It's not like a normal agent's agreement where the agent is paid a portion of the salary. It's a loan from his 'agent' that has to be paid back. Does he have a regular agent as well as Fantex to pay? What if it doesn't look like Fantex is going to be able to collect enough to pay back it's initial investment? Could Fantex perhaps encourage it's client (Duffey) to throw a game or two?

You leave all the pitchers in the minors where they are. You wait until someone is injured at the MLB level and then you call up whomever is pitching well at that time. The Twins are a team who cannot afford to waste depth on the whims of a few panicked fans. Someone will get hurt eventually. They always do. When a move is made, I would start with either Duffy or Myer since they are already on the 40 man roster. If Berrios is called up before september and is sent down before the season ends you will have needlessly wasted an option year when there were available alternatives. The Twins cannot just casually throw away options when situations like this year may come up later. I believe Myer may be out next year.

Rogers was added to the club when it looked like the team needed a long reliever. However the starters have been doing a good job of working into the later innings. While O'Rourke can be of use right now, he is also a player who may be expendable from the 40 man roster if the team needs to add someone (such as a certain outfielder signed to a minor league contract). The additional innings O'Rourke provides could increase his trade value if a move needs to be made.

Announced on pregame show, Plouffe to DL on Tuesday.

That 'dive' looked more like a trip.

This was only the first game of the season. It was being played under adverse conditions. As much as you might want to make substitutions whenever you want, there are consequences. Sometimes letting your players play the game is the best strategy. Pulling Suzuki late in the game for a pinch hitter may seem the right move, but then you have to play a cold backup catcher in the late innings who has not been handling a ball in the wet rainy conditions. Ideal place for misplays to happen.

Longoria after first week: .300 BA, went on to play in all star game, won rookie of the year finished with .272 BA, 27 HR Buxton after first week: .091 BA, finished with .209 BA, looked lost at the plate most of the season. Also injured for parts of the last 3 seasons. It would be foolish to extend a player with those numbers to a six year deal. What's the saying for free agent contracts? "The value is based on past performance." Is a .209 BA worth $24 million over 6 years? Nope. It gets you a one year league minimum contract. If you are a GM in this situation, you play it safe with a one year deal. Image trying to explain a six year deal to the owner if the player ends up spending all three option years moving back and forth between the majors and minors. A player in that situation would not likely command much in arbitration and may even be in a postition to just be cut from the team.

Offering an extended contract to a player who has yet to prove that he can play at the major league level is laughable. While Buxton is a highly ranked prospect, he has not yet performed well enough to be considered more than a pinch runner or late inning defensive replacement. Maybe once he has improved enough to hold a major league job for an entire year. Right now he is only worth a year to year contract at the MLB minimum salary.

Jay Bruce will be paid $12.5 million next year and $13 million next year on his option year ($1 million buyout). I think this Twins team is past one year rentals for outfield postitions. His BA the last two years .217 & .228 with 18 & 26 HRs. Arcia can put up those numbers at his major league minimum salary.

Nunez outperformed Santana offensively and defensively in 2015. That is why you offer him a contract and roster spot. He may never become an All Star, but that is not the position he has. He is a backup that can play once or twice a week and when called upon he can actually play. Until Santana can prove he can play, his potential means nothing. His time is up. If he can't do the job it's time to cut bait. Not all prospects make it in the big leagues. Let him go. It's time. There are others coming up from the minors.

Doesn't Miguel Sano live in the Dominican Republic? This is the off season is it not? Can he not go home during the off season? Why do we need to know what he is doing? It's the offseason. There is no one following around Escobar or Santana this off season. What about Mauer, Suzuki or Dozier? What are they doing? It's none of our business! They can all do whatever they want to do. As long as they report to spring training ready to play, how they prepare themselves, and how they communicate with the public during their time off is up to them.

Simple answer is Mauer (& Plouffe) have seniority over Sano. It is Sano's job to find a role and fit in on the team. If the Twins are going to field a playoff team with the current core group of players, Sano has to establish himself in a position that is up for grabs. Right now that is the outfield. Both Mauer and Plouffe are experienced at their positions. By moving either player to a new position you weaken the overall defense while they try to learn the new position. While Sano has spent time at 3B, he is not better than Plouffe right now. The same goes for Mauer at 1B, Sano is not an upgrade defensively. If you move either player just to accommodate Sano, you weaken the overall defense. Sure, Sano's defense in the outfield will be questionable at first. But it can't be much worse than Willingham, Arcia or Santana. By having only one player (Sano) learning a new position, you won't weaken the defense at two positions while both players learn new positions. Mauer is only under contract for three more years, Plouffe only has two more years under arbitration before he is a free agent and Dozier is signed for two more years. If the Twins are going to try to get this core group of players to the playoffs, it will either be with Sano in the outfield or sitting on the bench. I prefer the outfield.

Wasn't Storen the guy who was upset that the Nationals tried to improve their team by picking up another closer (Pappelbon). Doesn't seem like a team guy, more like a guy interested in himself. I would pass. Seems like a bad clubhouse guy to me.

Fleer didn't have gum, they had stickers. Topps had the gum.

In all of last year's numbers, Nunez was better offensively. If you want pop off the bench then your choice should be Nunez not Santana. Nunez was better defensively as well.

I would take a chance with a one year deal. It would certainly be a better signing than any of last year's relief signings. If he is looking to close though, he would be probably third on the depth chart. For those who would rather go with the minor leaguers first, what happens if they falter? You would have to go deeper into the lower minors for someone who is further away from being ready, or you would have to trade some of those low level prospects in a midseason trade. A free agent signing during the offseason does not cost you prospects, only money and a roster spot. He can be let go midseason if he falters or a minor leaguer pushes him out with his performance.

I believe you are confusing free agents declining a qualifying offer and players under team control being tendered a contract for arbitration. Two separate things. Fien is not a free agent yet. At this point he only becomes a free agent if the Twins do not tender him a contract offer (which they did). Had the Twins not offered him a contract, then yes he becomes a free agent.

Moving Sano to the outfield now is a sign that the organization is making a push for the playoffs. They are trying to maximize value of their current 'core' team. If not now, when? Plouffe has two years of arbitration left. Dozier is a free agent in two years. Mauer has three seasons left. If there is a possibility of playoff run with these players on the roster, then now is the time. If this core of players is not enough, they can dismantle the team next offseason.

Escobar has yet to play a full season at shortstop, so signing him to a multiyear deal is risky. He could take a step backwards when given the starting job. There are also a couple of prospects waiting in the minors for their chances. The uncertainty of arbitration?! There is no uncertainty in arbitration. The team and player exchange numbers. They then have time to come to an agreement before the scheduled hearing, which the Twins are very good at doing. Even if they don't come to an agreement, the arbitration board will choose one of the numbers submitted as the new contract. As long as one team doesn't submit a number out of line with what similar players make, there is no risk of overpaying the arbitration player. Check out the above article. There are projections for what the player will make. Unless the player in question is an MVP candidate, All-Star caliber player, he will not break the bank in arbitration. Remember, the Twins have consistently negotiated settlements before arbitration for years now. Lohse (?) was the last player that the Twins lost an arbitration hearing to. Giving a player a multiyear deal does NOT make him easier to trade or make him a better trade target. The receiving team in the trade would have to agree with a multiyear contract that they did not negotiate. A player working under a year to year contract while under team control is easier to trade since the receiving team can choose to negotiate a number better for their team rather than a number good for the previous team. A year to year player can also be cut with no financial hit for future years. Take Jepson as an example. The Twins traded for him to help last year's team. They can now cut him free or resign him. It's their choice. Had the other team signed Jepson to a longer term deal, the Twins would be stuck paying for him even if they cut him. Arbitration is a good thing. It is like a limited free agency, where there is only one team bidding. You get to deal with the player while not worrying about him signing with another team or having him use the threat of another team's offer to force you to pay more. You get to exchange contract numbers. You will see what the player is looking for. You will get a feel of whether the player is looking to cash out to the max or is willing to negotiate a mutually beneficial contract. Look at the players that are arbitration eligible this year for the Twins. Any or all of them could be cut right now. They could be replaced with minor leaguers or newly signed free agents. The flexibility of allowing players to play year to year under arbitration outweighs signing them to multiyear deals when there is no upside to doing so.