Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

prouster

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,050

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by prouster

  1. prouster
    The number you cite comes from Twins Daily. It's an educated guess. That it's larger than Darvish's actual contract is indisputable, but irrelevant. The actual market played out differently.
  2. prouster
    I won't dispute any of your points, because I generally agree. However, the TD 5/135 figure--like all media predictions--has no grounding in the actual free agent market. Your premise is a hallucination.
  3. prouster
    By the level of vitriol coming from some folks, you'd think Byung-ho Park had been optioned.
  4. prouster
    I see what you're saying, and I agree with a lot of it. However, I think it does matter that the Twins, by Berardino's report, made an offer that was in line with other teams connected to Darvish. By definition, that's a competitive offer. He wound up signing for less than expected, which I think supports the idea that the Twins were serious about signing him. If he signed for 7 years and $200 million, then 5/110ish would absolutely be an unserious offer. From what I've gleaned, the sixth year likely seems to have been the sticking point. I don't think a reluctance to add that sixth year indicates incompetence or a cynical plan to trick the fan base, as many on here are suggesting or claiming outright. Re how the offer fits into club history, it would also have been the largest FA contract for many teams. How many have actually signed $100 million free agents? I haven't done the research, but I'd guess it's less than half.
  5. prouster
    They offered him what would have been the largest FA deal in franchise history by a large margin. Their offer seems to be in line with what other teams were offering until the Cubs sweetened the pot. They tried to sign Darvish. They made a competitive offer. Another team cut under them and got a deal done. Sometimes these things happen. Frustrating, sure. An indictment on the competence and character of the front office? Hardly.
  6. prouster
    The Twins offer came in under some projections. Darvish signed for less than the prognosticators prognosticated. Therefore, the Twins...chickened out? I don't follow that reasoning.
  7. prouster
    Got it. All of these teams are run by liars. Paranoia wins the day.
  8. prouster
    I'm not sure what past teams have to do with this offseason. Terry Ryan isn't the GM anymore. And the Twins have made some good moves to shore up what was a pretty lousy bullpen. I'm almost certain they'll do something to address starting pitching. Darvish didn't work out, and that's a bummer, but he's not the only pitcher on the market, nor are they unable to make a trade or two.
  9. prouster
    What makes you say they knew their offer would be beat?
  10. prouster
    Does that also apply to the front offices in (at least) Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Houston, Texas, and New York? Berardino is reporting that the Twins offer was five years and at least $100 million. That would have easily been the largest free agent contract in franchise history, hardly spineless, and hardly a lie. Even when you play to win, sometimes you just get beat.
  11. prouster
    Whatever. I don't see how offering a guy a contract means they lied about pursuing him.
  12. prouster
    Free agency is a zero sum game, because a player can only play for one team. The Twins made an offer, and Darvish took a different one. How is that spineless? What does any team have to show for their efforts when a player chooses to sign elsewhere?
  13. prouster
    How are strikeouts separate from "actual production"? I'm confused. On topic: I'd have no problem with them using Kepler as a centerpiece for Archer. He still hasn't proven that he can hit lefties with consistency. Let Tampa work on him if it means the Twins get Archer.
  14. prouster
    Right. The actual number of prospects is the same, but the number of high(ish) upside prospects is probably greater due to manipulating bonuses.
  15. prouster
    For me, yes. Owners and ownership groups are unimaginably wealthy whether or not their teams make a profit. All of them are making money literally every moment of every day. Jim Pohlad could live comatose in an iron lung and still be rich on interest alone. I will begrudge them for hoarding wealth accrued on the backs of other people. I will never begrudge a player for using his talents to earn a livelihood. Most aren't taking home 10, 15, 20 million a year. The league minimum is certainly a fine salary, but the majority of players earn it for a couple years and then wash out. MiLB is a separate issue that someone else mentioned, and I think the league's treatment of its minor leaguers is the worst thing about baseball since free agency was introduced--it's a stain on the league and a failure of the player's union. To sum up, I don't feel bad for people who make a few million. However, I will always side with labor, because I think it's an attitude that needs to penetrate every aspect of our society.
  16. prouster
    But what about when a position player needs to pitch?
  17. prouster
    Labor has no intrinsic value. A baseball player's worth is the culmination of various factors artificially imposed on their work. In our culture, we tend to treat these artificially imposed factors as natural. That is, we believe that the Market operates independently of human will, which is simply untrue. It's tempting to say that valuation is a function of supply and demand, but I suspect it's actually a function of power. Right now, the owners have power to set the market, and the players want that power. This is the reason behind every labor dispute in modern history. Who sets the terms of work? That said, player salaries have nothing to do with ticket prices, cable sunbscriptions, streaming sunbscriptions, merchandise and memorabilia prices--i.e. the costs we pay to be fans. Those prices are determined by teams and the league when considering what people will pay compared to the alternatives. Are they more likely to spend $50 for a ballgame or $18 for a movie? $200 for a jersey or some other toy? My point: pay the players more, because their labor supplies the owners with virtually every cent of revenue.
  18. prouster
    Right, but that can be hard to predict in the middle and later rounds.
  19. prouster
    Do you mean that taking Lewis allowed them to offer higher bonuses with their other picks. I agree with that, but the total number of picks would have been the same no matter who they took first overall.
  20. prouster
    Well, you said it yourself.
  21. prouster
    I get your point, but I argue that teams knowingly take on those risks when signing players. It's part of the deal.
  22. prouster
    You're describing free agency. Players with better track records earn more. Players with worse track records earn less.
  23. prouster
    I think the second half of your comment makes the most sense. The first half doesn't line up with what we saw last year, when he overhauled his swing mid season at the ML level. There are also reports out there describing the work he puts in on defense during the offseason. So, I'm not worried about his effort.
  24. prouster
    What if he (or any player) gets sick, injured, or dies during the life of the contract? Should he or his family owe that debt to the team? As a culture, we should strive for more than fealty to the rich.
  25. prouster
    But I thought the offseason already ended after Thanksgiving...
×
×
  • Create New...