nytwinsfan

The first 9, but Vargas has more than 150 ABs and Garver was 31. I think it might be A.J. Achter.

The Twins may already have their Shields. His name is Phil Hughes. One year doesn't make someone an Ace, but I really don't think it makes sense to trade for a Shields like player yet, especially since we have Hughes. We are not at the KC stage of failed rebuild, at least yet. Give it another year or two.

But if he pitches at all like he did this year the next two years, or even one more year, the Twins will have way way less leverage, to the point that he probably won't be resignable. There is a downside to waiting. I also am not the expert on this, but aren't pitching prime years a little later than hitters? I don't think of age 30-32 seasons to be past prime for pitchers, but maybe I'm wrong. He had the 6th best FIP and the 3rd best Pitcher WAR in baseball (because he didn't miss starts). And obviously the best K/BB rate. He also has little injury history/risk. That is definitely an ace this year. With a good outfield defense, he would be a Cy Young competitor this year. And the other thing is that other than the improved BB and HR rate nothing jumps out as being way out of line with his previous stats. And his HR rate has a lot to do with being out of Yankee Stadium and into Target Field, and also with a decrease (although not dramatic) in fly balls. So this isn't a statistical fluke. I just think you have to listen seriously to what he says, especially if he is offering a discount, and especially if he is willing to make it 5 years or fewer.

I'm not sure if anyone has posted on this yet, but Mike Berardino is reporting that Phil Hughes went out of his way to indicate that he is open to extension talks: “I’ve felt really comfortable here,” Hughes told the Pioneer Press on Saturday. “It’s certainly a place I would love to stay if they would have me. I don’t know if that’s something we’ll get into this offseason. If it is, I certainly wouldn’t be against it.” http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/09/27/twinsights-phil-hughes-love-stay-twins-long-term/ I know there is understandable concern that Hughes may regress, based on previous years' performances, but if anything his excellent (to put it mildly) K/BB rate and FIP this year suggest the opposite, especially if the Twins improve their outfield defense with Buxton, Rosario and/or Hicks in the coming years. Plus, he just turned 28, not 34. He is not Josh Willingham. I know many people have posted time and time again on these forums that the Twins should do almost anything to acquire an ace (or even a prospect with a decent likelihood of becoming an ace - if such a prospect even exists). But what if we already have one, and he is willing to sign an extension for something less than it would cost in terms of cash or trade on the open market? Hughes doesn't give any indication of how many years and how much money he would be interested in, but he does seem to legitimately like the Minnesota organization and fans, and obviously also knows that Target Field is well built for his style of pitching. So maybe he'd be able to give a slight discount. Do people think he would go for 5 years (2015-19) for $75 or 80 million? If so, I'd take it. More likely, he'd want six or seven years, which I think is more likely to be the dealbreaker than the $ per year. By 2020 Buxton and Sano will likely be up for free agency. At a minimum, I hope the Twins speak with Hughes about extensions seriously this winter, and see how much he really wants to stay here.

Thanks a lot. I definitely agree it is worth letting him try. This could be wrong, but it seems intuitively like cutting down on errors is something that it is more likely for a player to get better at as they get into their mid-20s (as Plouffe seems to have done), whereas speed, range, and arm strength, probably not as much. So that might be reason for optimism with Santana. If his arm is indeed really strong, what about having him also play some third base at the beginning of next year if Plouffe (1) is still recovering from the broken arm, OR (2) is traded because Terry Ryan gets a great offer this winter (assuming Sano would not be available till mid-season at the earliest). Or would it just make more sense in either of those scenarios to have Escobar play third so Santana can work on his play at short?

Seth, or Parker, I know Santana's sample size for games played at shortstop this year was small, but what do the defensive metrics suggest about him being a long-term option there? Is he (or will he likely be) an average defensive shortstop?

Bonnes, did you major in epistemology or something? This is some profound philosophical ****.

Thanks, that's a really cool article Intramural Legend. Meyer sounds like a really cool, down-to-earth, guy. Great to have people like him on the team.

Thanks, really appreciate it.

I know Seth was out of commission for a day or two, so I am really not trying to rush you guys, but I just wondered when you think the pdf version (whether through Amazon or directly from twinsdaily) will be available. I don't even mind paying a little more (if what Jeremey says is true), but I have my credit card ready to go!

Wow, is that some fantastic news. Dodged a bullet.

For Shortstop, one option is Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, who becomes available in February, and was on the Twins radar as recently as October, 2013. It sounds like Diaz is at least a decent defender, but with a much better bat than Florimon. http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Twins_have_signed_12_international_free_agents_expect_to_pursue_more102213

Has everyone forgot about Aledmys Diaz, the cuban defector? He apparently will be available in February, and unlike Arruebarruena has a bat that profiles as significantly better than Florimon. The Twins were reportedly interested in him earlier this year, before his availability was delayed because he apparently lied about his age (saying he was 23 when he was actually younger): http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/10/offseason-outlook-minnesota-twins.html