chpettit19

I think the no trade clause is a great sign that Correa wants to be here (I mean he was always going to chase the money, but the idea that he was lying about enjoying his time here seems to be refuted by asking for an ntc). The contract structure is better than anything I could've imagined. It's absolutely perfect for the Twins. I bashed the FO for ignoring other players in hopes of him accepting 10/285. And I stand by that. There's no way they thought he was going to lose 2 contracts of 300+ and fall in their laps again. They lucked into this. But I'm glad they did. I hope there's some moves to be made to better balance the lineup (have to trade a LH OF) and add more controllable pitching if possible. I hope they don't go too crazy, though. I still wouldn't be willing to deal Lewis, Lee, or Rodriguez unless they're getting someone like Alcantara (never happening) or Gallen who are controllable past 2025. Don't destroy the little elite high minors (plus Rodriguez) depth they have to chase 2023 without a plan for the rotation in 2024 and beyond.

First of all, welcome to Twins Daily! Second, that feels like a whole lot to give up for those 2 arms. Royce and Rodriguez are both top 100 global prospects. I'd be pretty upset if the Twins gave up either of them for Lopez (only 2 years of control left), and I don't know that I'd really love giving one up for Cabrera, but he has a lot of control left so that'd make more sense to me.

I had to edit that comment. I was behind on my twitter checking. Dan Hayes is reporting they're vesting options at 575, 550, 525, and 502 PAs. If he doesn't hit those marks they become team options. So Correa has no outs, but Twins can keep him if he only gets to 574 in 2028, etc. Looks absolutely wonderful for Twins. Full no trade for Correa.

Everything I've seen is that they're all vesting options based on him getting 502 PAs the season before. No options or opt outs in the deal. It's certainly early so reports may be wrong, but multiple reports are saying they're straight up vesting options based on PAs the season before. Edited: Dan Hayes is reporting they're vesting options at 575, 550, 525, and 502 PAs. If he doesn't hit those marks they become team options. So Correa has no outs, but Twins can keep him if he only gets to 574 in 2029, etc.

Reports are that it's a frontloaded deal. Love that. Looks like it's 36, 36, 36, 31.5, 30.5, 30 then the vesting options kick in (basically has to be a full time player the season before) at 25, 20, 15, and 10. This doesn't make them instant contenders as the key is still health and production from the young guys. Buxton and Correa signed for less than 50 million a year combined with a whole bunch of young position players around them on pre-arb and arb deals is a great situation in my eyes. Young guys need to stay healthy and produce. Same with pitchers. This team's future was always going to be dependant on the young guys stepping up. Correa and Buxton (talent-wise) are awfully nice supplements to the new, young core.

Matches up with Buxton length if I'm remembering his contract correctly.

Passan reporting 6/200 for Correa to Twins with vesting option maxing the deal out at 270.

Passan reporting 6/200 for Correa to Twins with vesting option maxing the deal out at 270.

No. He wasn't. Acquitted means he was found not guilty. He was never charged. Those are 2 very different things. You ever speed and not get a speeding ticket? Drive drunk and not get a DUI? You weren't acquitted of those crimes, you just weren't charged with them. Not being charged doesn't mean he didn't do something illegal, it means the prosecutors didn't think they could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. There are murderers walking our streets today that the prosecutors know committed a crime, but don't charge because they don't feel they could convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt.

You ever know someone who's not around anymore? COULD they BE good people? You remember Robin Williams? He could be so funny sometimes. Oh wait, did I just use could with be to refer to something Robin Williams had done in the past? Just because you really want your way to be the "correct one" doesn't mean it is. More Francona quotes on Bauer: "It was a distraction." Sounds like Bauer was actively doing something that was distracting the clubhouse (it was throwing the ball into centerfield) "You want to fix it. But I don't think you penalize your team." Wanted to help Bauer be less annoying, but couldn't let him hold back the rest of the team. Doesn't sound like him being worried about Bauer maybe being annoying in the future, does it? “Do you make it better, do you stay the same or do you make it worse? The idea is to always make it better. But there’s also an obligation to the other 24 guys in there, too, and you try to balance that.” Again, wants to help Bauer, but he's hurting the rest of the team. Still doesn't sound like Francona being concerned that maybe, it's possible, Bauer will cause problems. You're basically arguing that Terry Francona openly pushed for Trevor Bauer to be traded because he was just guessing he may become a problem eventually. You know what, I'll even concede that (even though I don't believe it). If Terry Francona doesn't want you on his team I don't want you on mine. Francona pushing to have someone off his team is more than enough evidence to me.

I believe the 50 unpaid games is already taken out of his 2023 salary. It's why he's "only" getting 22+ million from the Dodgers. The team that signs him will have to pay the 720k. Or that's my understanding at least. He was due 32 million, and is only getting 22.5 or whatever from the Dodgers to make up for the games they paid him while he was on the exempt list, and not officially suspended. So with the suspension being reduced to 194 it counts every game he sat out, but he was paid for 50 of those games, and thus he is being docked 50 games worth of pay. So it's only the Dodgers salary that is effected here.

From Merriam-Webster: Terry Francona found Bauer could be a problem in the clubhouse. As in, in the past he figured out that Bauer was a problem in the clubhouse. From Cambridge Dictionary: When Bauer was younger he could disrupt a clubhouse. As in, in the past he disrupted a clubhouse. Want me to keep going? There's more dictionaries out there that will show the exact same thing. Francona was speaking after Bauer had been traded and was referring to what he'd already done. He could no longer disrupt the Cleveland clubhouse because he was no longer in it because they found he COULD disrupt it when he DID disrupt it so they traded him for being a problem in the clubhouse. And with the trainers. And with reporters. And with the coaching staff.

Hey now. Let's be fair. It was Francona that pulled him, not Roberts. Give credit to Bauer for being willing to show up maybe the best manager in baseball for the last 20 years.

Yes, "Is Bauer Worth It?" based on what he brings to the table as a person. And then it goes on to list a whole bunch of reasons why we should have no thought that he's going to change who he is, and how he acts, since he hasn't done it in 15 years in the spotlight. You're misunderstanding the use of the word "could" in that sentence. He wasn't using "could" in the "it's possible" sense, but instead in the "past tense of can" sense. They didn't trade him because they thought it might be possible at some hypothetical future time he might be a problem. They traded him because he already was a problem. "Many Dodgers wanted him back?" How many is many? Clearly not enough that the FO cared since they DFA'd him. If the leaders of the Dodgers clubhouse were clamoring for him to be back you don't think he'd be back? The top of the Dodgers organization flew to Phoenix at the end of last week and met with Bauer to give him a shot to show he deserved a 2nd chance. He clearly didn't impress them since he's no longer a part of their organization. Actually, all the reports coming out of that meeting is that Bauer showed no remorse, didn't apologize for anything, and made no attempt to show he was willing to change in anyway. Or, as you questioned in your first post, he showed no signs that the Dodgers would have any ability to get him to "tone it down." If the Dodgers and their top end franchise couldn't "convince him that it'd be in his own best interest to tone it down" why would we think the Twins could? Edited to add: There's also reports that the Dodgers tried to trade him while eating his contract, but no teams would make that move.

I don't know that it hurt anyone's feelings. And I don't see it's connection to bat flips, or even bashing water coolers. He showed up his manager in the middle of the field. I chuckled when he did it, but it's very different to show up your manager on the pitcher's mound than it is to be upset with yourself for performing poorly and smashing a water cooler after you get pulled. There's a reason he's left behind a legacy of not being liked in every clubhouse he's ever been in. Bauer even seemed to agree since he was actually willing to apologize for that throw. Apologized to his whole team after that one.

I think the point of this article is that Bauer won't tone it down. He's never toned it down. He's never showed any sign of even considering toning it down. If him toning it down needs to happen for you, or any fan, or the FO, or ownership, to be comfortable bringing him in then he's not an option. He's been disliked by a large chunk of his clubhouse going back to his time at UCLA. That's over a decade of not toning it down. He's still on social media acting like a jackass. There's no evidence he's ever provided during his 15 years in the public view that suggests he'd ever even consider toning it down. This is who he is.

Who are you referring to? Cuz it can't be the Twins FO. Neither of their leaders went to ivy league schools. Falvey went to Trinity College (that's in the New England Small College Athletic Conference). And Levine went to Haverford College (that's a lovely DIII school in the Centennial Conference). As of 2020, almost half of the league's top baseball execs were ivy leaguers, though. Maybe the problem is the Twins didn't hire ivy leaguers who follow analytics like they're playing stratomatic in their basement. You know, guys like Theo Epstein (he went to Yale and is widely considered one of the best GMs/Baseball presidents of the last 2 decades where he implemented a ton of analytics in his departments which lead to multiple World Series titles).

That sounds about right!

I haven't bashed them for letting him get away, but have bashed them for not knowing 285 wasn't enough to get him and missing on other guys while waiting for a deal they should know wasn't good enough. Them blindly, yes, blindly, falling into a 2nd Correa deal wouldn't change my mind on that, and I'd absolutely not change my tune on the offseason to this point or apologize. If he ends up here, it's not because the Twins were so smart to know that the Giants and Mets would both pass on deals significantly better than theirs. They simply would've lucked into it and that's not worthy of praise.

I'd also very much like a deal along these lines. I'd be willing to do the 10/285 if he were willing to put in language about the ankle in there that takes the Twins off the hook if it explodes in 4 years, or whatever, but I'd much prefer something along the lines of what you're suggesting.

That's one heck of an assumption. You don't think players have money managers, or agents, smart enough to point out the difference in cost of living or taxes between NY and Minneapolis? You don't think the MLBPA is smart enough to figure out that the taxes are different in different states and provide their members with information on how that all works? I'd be willing to bet a whole lot of money that Carlos Correa is well aware of what amount of money he'd actually see from the 12/315 and 10/285 offers based on taxes, cost of living, agent fees, union fees, etc. I bet he's also well aware of how much more he can make in NY on promotional deals outside of his contract. Most players absolutely do look at those things, and pay a whole team of people to make sure they are making the decision they want to make.

Welcome to Twins Daily!

The international signing period starts in just over a week. Already reports that they have deals in place for 2 guys, and with over $6 million to spend they'll certainly sign more than 2. There's your "few low level lottery tickets," and they didn't even have to trade anyone!

I mean I'm willing to trade anyone if the price is right. Is the trade for a young, proven front end starter, or up the middle star, with at least 4 years of control? Sure. Is it for someone they'd need to extend in the next year or two and we know they won't pay market rate so wouldn't extend them? No. I also don't see them as all that redundant. Lee has the hands and arm to be a spare SS (I think he lacks the range to be an ideal everyday guy) until he gets to his late 20s, and I like the idea of having that extra insurance. Miranda can play both corners. And I don't see them going with a fulltime DH anytime in the near future so that gives them another spot to rotate through. I think they both have a really high likelihood of being .280 and 20 HRs type hitters and I want as many of those guys in the lineup as I can get. I don't see much of any redundancies on the infield for the Twins. And, honestly, don't really see it in the OF either. I think Kepler and Polanco are on their last legs, and Kepler may not even be on the roster come March. Gallo is a 1 year guy. Buxton is the only veteran locked up long-term. Don't trust Arraez's knees and he's a no power 1B/DH against righties only (I hate typing that cuz he's my favorite current Twin). Larnach, Kirilloff, Miranda, Lewis, Lee, Julien, Gordon, Buxton, Jeffers, Arraez, Vazquez, Wallner are 12 guys I see being here even in 2024. Maybe Polanco is the 13th position player for that year. Celestino is a AAAA guy to me. Hopefully Martin keeps the momentum from the AFL going and then he'd be the 13th guy. Or, more likely, at least 1 of those 12 doesn't succeed as we hope, and maybe Martin replaces them. Or we know there's always a need for a 14th guy to be ready in AAA cuz of Buxton's health. We can hope Rodriguez flies through the system, but I'm not betting on that (and he's an OFer so not blocked by Miranda or Lee in your question). There's always other guys who pop up seemingly out of nowhere (Steer and Julien types), but I'm not betting on that either. The rest of their prospects are either not even in the system yet (#5 pick this year) or years away (Miller, Urbina, etc.). I don't see any trades that really take this team to the next level. It's either morgaging the future with Lee, Lewis, Miranda types, or not bringing back top end talent for Kepler, Arraez, or Polanco types. It's why I'm so frustrated that they sat out free agency waiting on Correa. They have a solid floor built between veterans and the current prospect wave. What they needed was some high end talent added to supplement them. At this point I think they are who they are. And either the new prospect wave stays healthy and produces or they fail and it's time to blow it up and plan for the next wave in 3 years (and if that's the case I hope its a new FO doing the rebuild). All my thoughts on these position players is echoed for the pitchers. The current wave is here and they passed on all the top end pitchers. Bring in a Fulmer type, but otherwise it's time to sink or swim with the kids. They don't have enough depth to send a bunch away for an arm, and they don't have the big ticket prospects to get a truly front of the rotation arm anyways. Through a lot of their own doing, and some bad luck with health, they're in a spot without many options. Bad year for them to cut payroll, but here we are.

Agree Varland and SWR are the most likely starters, although it looks like Ted went with guys who hadn't debuted yet, and not just guys with rookie eligibility. Not sure why Martin, who's not on the 40-man, would be more likely than Julien, who is on the 40-man, to debut. Only versatility he provides beyond Julien is OF, but there's already 9 outfielders on the 40-man so I wouldn't expect him to get a shot over any of them. Lee is in AA already. He does anything like he did at the end of the year last year for the first 3 months of this season and there's no reason he couldn't, or shouldn't, debut halfway through 2023.