FSP

MLR, You seem to have dealt with some of this payroll stuff before so maybe you could explain why both the posting fee and the contract have to be considered over the life of the contract because I certainly don't get it. The posting fee is a one time payment to a team in Japan, the contract is a yearly payment to the player. They are payed to different entities, for different reasons, over differing amounts of time, and possibly out of different accounts, so why would they both be tied to the length of the contract in the eyes of the IRS.

Agree on Hrbek and Bert, but I don't think it is fair to use Hrbek as the bar for future players. I think they made an exception for him because of the two WS and being a local guy and fan favorite. IMO retired numbers should go to superstars who show a commitment to staying with the team and Mauer is the only one that meets that criteria.

An $11 million per year proven commodity will have only proven to be very average.

Agree 100%. The only thing I care about this offseason is adding long term building blocks, prospects basically, and Abreu and Tanaka are just major league ready prospects. They are young enough to have several good years remaining while we are hopefully relevant while the other FA's will be gone or declining by then. Other than those two we're just throwing our money away to be not quite as bad in the short term, getting a worse draft pick in the process, but doing nothing for the long term.

I don't think that is fair to say at all. In fact, I would suggest that this is precisely why many people are calling for the heads of management. Regarding the original question, I agree that 2006 and 2010 would still have been quality teams but I think most if not all of the others were largely the product of a poor division and unbalanced schedule. The teams were pretty decent but usually 4th or 5th best in the AL even with the unbalanced schedule.

I don't understand why you think they would have traded Alex Gordon. He is good, he is cheap, and he plays LF while Wil Myers play RF. They likely would have just had Myers replace Jeff Francour since he is the worst player in baseball and improved in that way.

I heard Japan "livened" their ball. That is part of the reason why Wladimir Balentien destroyed their HR record. Also why their commissioner stepped down in shame recently.

True, but unless the Twins roll over their excess payroll into future payroll, which they never have before, it makes sense to pay more up front since that money just disappears otherwise.

If the Twins are smart they will post insanely high since that is the only time they will actually be competing with other teams, unless that posting rule changed. The player contract itself will be very reasonable since Tanaka has no leverage and it is easy to pay more than the NPB does. I'd go as high as about 80 million on the posting, its not like the money will be spent on anything else next year anyways.

A different waiver wire pickup?

The Rays traded him for Chris Archer, Sam Fuld, Hak Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos and Brandon Guyer I think. So basically a good young pitcher, a still decent SS prospect I think, and a 4th OF.