Rosterman

Yopu can agmble that Berrios might have a bad season this or next season, thus a lower arbitration. But at some point, once he reaches free agency at his current level of play, he would easily be in the $15 million (today) range. Chances are he will be approaching the $20 a season range. The question is what does it take to keep the guy for four mroe seasons with an OPTION for a fifth. Or do you go and try and get him for 7 years and, say, $100 milion which is a lot of security. But is not a great deal if Jose Berrios escapes injury and pitches for a team that gives him on-field support. There is, sadly, no loyalty in baseball.

At this point just pick up a salary dump like David Price and still keep all of the above players.

Bill Evers is still a coach, too?

It is a competition. Every player has a team/s they long to play for. Agents have a pecking order of teams they contact, and they look for the money. We are a cold Kansas City. Right?

Again, there was the Minny issue on the table. Minnesota or Florida. The problem often is that you MUST lay your best offer on the table right away. There is seldom a comeback, unless you are close enough that the agent thinks he can bluff you higher, or the agent thinks he can bluff the other team because of interest (but that doesn't work as the "second" offer is usually revealed). I'm sure that Twins like Berrios, Sano, Buxton and even Rosario, although they "love" Minnesota, are salivating at the prospect of playing elsewhere, in a bigger market (perhaps player revenue for advertising and such) and nickel and diming your "future" can sometimes work against getting a long-term commitment from in-house players, too.

I would not take on $17.5 million and more if I was in any way concerned about a player's medicals. Of course, it is only money, and the return Texas made was pitiful to the Indians, for the now. I look though at the solid, yet unspectacular, rotation of The Rangers. The rotation has a chance to win 70 games from the starters. Which is all you really need to ask to be competitive, especially in your division. Like the Twins rotation for 2019, lots of good sild innings and starts. But no one being a superstar. Now if the Twins could grab two more starters of the same ilk as the Rangers did.

The Twins need to get better than Gibson, circa 2018. Then they need to be better than Perez in anyway possible. And I will feel much better, then, about the Odorizzi and Pineda signings. Don't get me wrong. It is probably WRONG to assume that players will consistently get better from season-to-season. The best you can usually hope for is that player declines will offset those that do excel. And that it the gamble you sometimes (ofttimes) take on someone like Marco, that he can only get better in the next 1-3 years, rather than sink into oblivion. But you don't know that.

With prospects you are torn. How many pitchers have the Twins truly developed from their farm system, via draft. Especially good solid rotation arms. You can trade. But I think the major discussion on arms is length of contract, Even now, as the Twins look at locking down Berrios who could become easily a $100 million dollar free agent at some point, how much money do you throw at the guy. You don't need superstar contracts to win (see Oakland and Tampa Bay of late), And, seems if you want, you can go after high-priced contracts in waning years with lesser risk (see Grienke, Verlander...look at possibilities of a David Price now). What I keep hating is the Twins attitude of being competitive and maybe just "winning the division." That's fine, you do have to win the division. And with the trade dedline now a hard July 31, you have to stay on your toes to add correct post-season pieces a month earlier than ever before. I still wasn't seeing the fron the office plan coming together until the end of this coming season in the first place as we see how they handle building with true prospects, handling the long-term committments to that talent (be it traded rom outside or drafted internally). But they still have to sell tickets, put butts in the seat, rally around some player branding to excite people, and put butts in the seats...wait, I already said that.

Eliser is not someone you go after if you are a competing team. Of course, you are substituing out Cave for him. And is he better than Smeltzer of Dobnak at this point in time, and how does he compare to other arms in the system? The bigger question, the NOT need for Cave,

Right up there with last year's return of Pat Dean! But hey, he's a lefty.

Good. It gives the Twins a good look at Griffin Jax at AAA. And makes Wander Javier a possible trade piece if he can shine. Youa ctually have to look at a guy and think if he can give you any kind of work in 2020 to keep him on the roster. I think organizations are beyond grabbing someone to keep on the 25-man, then stash back in the minors. There is so much movement in the free agent realm (majors, guys not getting arbitration thus cheaper, minor league free agents, people just getting released because of peckng order). The smart teams figure out a way to pull off minor league trades, especially now going forth.

I'm glad they got a guy at the top to head the "baseball" side of the operation, which includes minor leagues and player development. I imagine ALL work together on setting budgets overall. St. Peter heads all the business aspects, from advertising, branding, stadium operations, marketing and I imagine people inhis department now have to work with people in the "otehr" department on anything related to game play personnel.

One bad year in three stops in the system. We got him in a minor trade for Nick Anderson last season. Wish we still had Nick!

Of course, the Twins have Gibson and Perez and Cron off the books, so right now the team is still below last year's payroll. And with a winning season and solid attendance behind them, they can easily eclipse the highest payroll they have ever had as a team, and probably even push towards $150 million due to some savings in years past. So the argument that they are paying mroe for Odorizzi, which was a choice, and Pineda (they will probably pay close to the same if they get a suspension rebate on the 2020 salary). Again, overpaying for one guy shouldn't keep you out of the market for someone even better.

Wilfredo Tovar returns to Rochester AAA after getting some at bats with the Angels in 2019.

The Cubs still want something in return. Question is do they want immediate (et's say Rosario). Or all future, which is a BIG gamble on their part. But they do get money to re-spend.

Seriously, I would be hard-pressed to go to five years on any playe any more. I would maybe stretch it for the right position player (with an option year or two) if youa re getting them at a decent age. Part of it is just...well Mauer. He was worth the money. But he also hurt the Twins because you basically had to find space, have him play everyday, and at a position you didn't expect him to be at (at least for as long) and in which you probably wanted different production. Money is not an issue. Is Odorizzi worth $17.5 million? No. But you can do it for this year, and he might be motivated to pitch the best season he ahs ever pitched knowing he will go into free agency. I like the Astros idea of taking on a big contract with a couple of years left. All depends on your current payroll situation. But a starting pitcher. 32-35 games. Can he win 25 of those games. Can you team win 25 of those games or more because of the performance of the pitcher? Sure, you want a firebrand for the post-season, but you have to egt to the post-season.

Who's on first? I picture Garver only catching half-the-games at best. So we'd like to keep him in the line up - at first base. Gonzales is also a man without a position. He could rotate at first with Garver, or pull a rotation with Sano at third. I could live with this, if we feel not having a permanent scoop at first will work. Willians Astudillo is also in the mix and with the 26th man spot, a perfect addition for carrying a third catcher who can also play multiple positions and come off the bench. The Twins need one starter, who is better than Pineda or Odorizzi. Period. Then it would be nice to have a second body that, fer sure, is better than Gibson. They will be able to rotate bodies from the 40-man in the early days of the season (Thorpe, Smeltzer, Drobnak) until Pineda comes back. They can decide if Graterol is a starter, too. Hopefully these names will hold fort during the year and into 2021 and not go the way of Gonsalves, Stewart, DeJong, Mejia and Slegers. I would love to see the Twins have a real closer...unless they truly feel May can hold down the job. I would ratehr see Rogers as the lefty setup guy, occasional closer, at best. There is no real need for a Rule 5. The Twins have adequate infield backup on the 40-man (Gordon) or in the wings (Raley/Rooker/Wiel). They have an abundance of outfielders and could even afford to part with Rosario if they can use him to get a rotation arm or surefire closer candidate. If a Rosario position opens, I would like to see Krilloff or Larnach go on fast trak! The team will get better if they sign or trade the best rotation arm available that is better than anyone they currently have behind Berrios. And use some of those prospects for trade bait if you must. Anyone else think it is pretty amazing that the team still has three open spots on the 40-man, and possibly four other spots that could easily be swapped out for...better players?

He's a worthy replacement for Castro. Signed only for a year at a decent salary. He can catch, offer some production. The question is figuring out if certain catchers will catch certain pitchers no matter what. And if you will actually work Garver into the lineup at first base (and occasionally as a DH).

The Cubs are looking for Payroll relief. Would you fancy the Twins making an offer for Lester, Darvish or Hendricks for the remainder of any of those contracts? Lester would be a max of 45 million the next two season.s Hendicks would probably cost less than Bumgarner. Is Darvish worth the flyer? For $81 million? What would the Twins have to give up in trade to absorb these salaries?

The thing is someone will pay for Bumgarner. Do you think he has enough upside to go multiple years (like 4 or 5). It's all a gamble. But if you don't grab him,does someone in your division or league grab him and have the upside. The downside is that he bombs. Hopefully he doesn't in year one or two, which means he is still tradable and that "second place bidder" could still be someone to take his conract off your hands, plus give you something for the future. Yes, you are out a prospect and also money. Right now the Twins are banking on Odorizzi and Pineda being better than they were in 2019, or at least the same (we lose Pineda on the front end rather than the back end this year). Berrios should be better, and the Twins need to sign him up longer term. SO, how can you prove on Gibson and Perez? Getting two experienced arms can go a long way in this scenario,as youcan use the "Pineda-time" to look at Dobnak, Smeltzer, Thorpe and, perhaps, Graterol, as starters for the future, someoneto replace Odorizzi in 2020. None of thise names NEEDS to pitch fulltime in the majors in 2020, but will have opportunities, hopefully, to face major league batters at some point and still work on their stuff to dominate at AAA.

We were excited after 2017. And don't forget that also added Lance Lynn in 2018. The free agents helped. But the Twins, because then didn't compete, did manage to move some for some talent (as well as prospective free agents). Hey, if 2019 didn't happen as it did, the Twins would've been flipping Odorizzi, Pineda, Schoop, Cron and Castro, too for more and mroe prospects, rather than losing them to free agency. Always remember, everyone wants the BEST of the free agents. But everyone does have payroll restrictions, or roster space availability. (Remember now, Pineda needs to hold a 40-man spot thru spring training. He then can go on the suspended list opening the season. The Twins could add someone from the minorleague side. But also remember that when Pineda comes back, unless they are disabled and go to the 60-man, the Twins will have to lose a player, perhaps from the organization as well as as the 40-man. And one more comment on payroll. Some teams (i.e. Yankees) have the ability to release/not play $30-40 million of payroll and not have it hurt them on the field. The majority of teams cannot afford to have that talent collecting paychecks and not producing, let alone outright releasing a body and eating their payroll cost (i.e. the Twins eating Addison Reed's salary, paying for Mike Lamb to play ball for anotehr couple of seasons........).

The Front Office is still remaking the Twins in their own desired image. Last year they finally got to put their own field staff on the diamond. The management of the minor leagues has been shuffled and should be fully revised this coming season. There is still a shakeout on what to do with the star prospects of the old regime (Berrios, Rosario, Sano, Buxton) for how long and how much. I'm seeing that a bigger emphasis is being placed on grooming players for future roles, and I don't doubt that something big might happen. But the timetable I saw for the Twins FLavine regime was 2021. The made some good moves last season. They will do the same this season. Again, the big decision is Sano longterm, at third or first of just as a Twin. How much is Berrios worth...is he a $100 million pitcher. Will Buxton be a Twin forever or pushed by Larnach to anotehr team. I think what they do with Rosario between now and spring training will also speak...take the chance and move him when he MIGHT be worth his most...and for what? They still are getting a feel for the farm system. But I can see them following the Astros format and grabbing a big-money name like Grienke for some prospects rather than signing a guy for 5-7 years and $200 million. They will always be out there at trade deadline, but you carefully think about what they bring now and in the future at what cost. It ain't easy being a general maager. There's three or four stellar free agents. The chances of them coming to Minnesota is nill, unless you have been placing yourself in the World Series year-after-year. And then, like starting pitchers, there ae a dozen teams looking at guys like Odorizzi, Gibson, Pineda who would happily pay less than what they guys got this year. The competition comes in paying more than what the guys got. A player wants money. They want a contract of length. The want to play for a competitive team. They look at location and what other possible revenue opportunities exist for them (ads, spokesperson). They have agents pushing for them to take the biggest contract today.

It is NOT about how much you pay players. It is HOW MUCH you can spend on overall payroll each and every season. A Couple of Points: Teams should spend 53% of revenue on payroll. Actually, they can spend moe than that at a certain point, depending on the profit and success of each seasn. I always blanch at such a blanket statement. If you suddenly make $400 million in a season and can now spend $200 million on payroll, instead of the $150 million spent the previous season on $300 million....you aren't spending that additional $50 million in front office expense. Teams are also willing to reduce their budget when the team under performs during a season. The past two seasons the Twins have had less than normal payrolls (for the time) but have had decent attendance success (plus selling many more full-price rather than season tickets) and better ratings on radio and television. So, in reality, they have pocketed funds that could've been spent on...payroll. When Target Field was built, the Twins were going to try and KEEP their own players. Most of that happened before, rather than now. Yes, the Twins kept Puckett from going to more fruitful pastures, plus locked up hometown kid Mauer. But Hunter Walker, Morneau and Koskie parted ways, Cuddyer took big money. Even Santana took $20 million more to play in New York. If he ahd stayed in Minnesota, he would've been a star. Sure, he should've been a star in NYC, but..... The Twins play lip-service to Big Contracts. They just lost out on Wheeler because they came in at only $100 million and Wheeler wanted to be on the east coast, plus the Twins wouldn't blow-him-away with signifcantly more than $118 million. Last year they missed out on Yu Davish by a few million. But then we hear that folks like Ervin Santana and Kevin Correia jump at Twins offerings because they go above what it looks like they may get elsewhere. Yet the Twins never break the bank (beyond Mauer). Okay, maybe they did this year with Odorizzi getting a big payout. But the Twins can afford it this year, can't they? The thought of tying up funds over $20 million a player for 5-6-7 years truly ahs to be as daunting for the front office as well as fans. Throwing money at a player can work. But also throwing decent money at good players who mesh as a team can also work. Four solid starters can be as good as one superstar and 2-3 also-rans. Last year the Twins five starters started 146 games. All pitched more than 140 innings. They won 53 of their starts and lost 34. A $25 million pitcher might add 8-10 wins and good innings. But you could also have a 5th starter that would take back 6-7 of those wins. I think we are seeing some fine moves by the front office on shorter term deals. I think they will extend our own players, within reason, and what happens with Berrios, Buxton, Sano and maybe Rosario will give us a better idea of that investment, within reason, for the future. But they also are carefully weighing their own draftees vs. patching in quality free agents. Last year they did good, except in the bullpen...but many of those names were also-rans and jettisoned, and the Twins had a couple of failures in guys they thought would contribute (Hildenberger, Moya, Romero. The Front Office was hired and were looking towards 2021 being their limelight year. They had to work with field staff that they finally changed this season. Joe Mauer came off the books and field. The farm system management ahs been reorganzied totally once this season starts. And they have pretty much moved-on from prospects of the old regime.

So do the Twins own the complez and ownership the team?