Minnesota Twins 2014 - ∞: To Infinity & Beyond!

[Grovetown Scotty]

Apparently the Twins got tired of TC always winning the HR contest. Analytics .

Rumor has it the bear head was getting pretty stinky inside and the Pohlads didn't want to spring for a new one.

[J22]

If only they would have waited an extra year to call him up and start his service clock?

[bearpaw28]

Apparently the Twins got tired of TC always winning the HR contest. Analytics .

Rumor has it the bear head was getting pretty stinky inside and the Pohlads didn't want to spring for a new one.

Probably a combination of that, plus the service time clock issue (as noted earlier)

[Beauner]

19 years seems like a really long time to be a mascot.

[Bertogliat]

This is a sign the Twins are saving up for a new starting pitcher!


Woohoo!

[bearpaw28]

It’s a failure,’’ Judge said of Altuve’s home run knee-capping a 103-win season, the Yankees’ first AL East title in seven years and the beating they administered to the Twins in the ALDS. “We talked about winning the division and winning the World Series. No matter how many games we won during the regular season it is a failure.’’ When the Twins get to this point mentally...that & (if in our lifetime)..the PPP sctually spend significant money on quality starting pitching...a 3rd World Series title will then be palatable & maybe even attainable

[Vegasgopher]

Berrios is the only twin selected as a gold glove finalist, there are 3 finalists for each position in each league...

Kinda woulda thought cron would get a sniff at 1b, he's a vacuum over there (and the way we throw we need it)

[Maize]

Kinda woulda thought cron would get a sniff at 1b, he's a vacuum over there (and the way we throw we need it)

What now? I don't know what the number nerds say, but to me, the Twins infield picked up a lot of extra errors this season because Cron wasn't able to cover over mistakes the same way Mauer could(including when it mattered most).

[Slap Shot]

Not sure I've ever visited the site so no idea if these guys are tuned in or not. Yes I'm aware of the lacking 's'.

http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/4-off-the-radar-pitching-trade-targets-for-the-twins-r8567

4 Off-the Radar Pitching Trade Targets for the Twins

More details for their arguments at the link:

Chris Paddack, RHP
Team: Padres
2019 Stats: 146 IP, 3.33 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9
Contract Status: Under team control through 2024

Sonny Gray, RHP
Team: Reds
2019 Stats: 175.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9
Contract Status: Signed through 2022 ($10M/yr) w/ $12M option in 2023

Chris Archer, RHP
Team: Pirates
2019 Stats: 119.2 IP, 5.19 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 10.8 K/9, 4.1 BB/9
Contract Status: Club options for 2020 ($9M) and 2021 ($11M)

Clayton Kershaw, LHP
Team: Dodgers
2019 Stats: 178.1 IP, 3.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9
Contract Status: Signed through 2021 ($31M/yr)

Also: http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/kris-bryant-decision-could-have-ramifications-for-twins-and-byron-buxton-r8569

Kris Bryant Decision Could Have Ramifications for Twins and Byron Buxton

Kris Bryant was a star prospect on the way to the big leagues back in 2015, but the Cubs kept him in the minor leagues to pick up an extra year of service time. At least this is what Bryant is alleging in a grievance field with the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. The decision in this case could have ramifications across the baseball landscape with Minnesota’s own Bryon Buxton.

Bryant’s Case
Bryant is alleging manipulation of his service time that will keep him from reaching free agency until after the 2021 season. Bryant’s agent, Scott Boras, and the MLBPA are arguing that he started the 2015 season at Triple-A, so the club could delay his service-time, a move that is entirely within an organization’s rights.

That spring, he had hit .425 with nine home runs in 40 at-bats and those numbers were no accident. In an interview with Sahadev Sharma at The Athletic, Bryant talked about how he trained differently for that spring so he could put up strong numbers and make it hard for the team to send him down.

“It was so obvious,” Bryant told The Athletic. “‘Oh, he’s gotta work on his defense.’ Stuff like that. But now I can look back on it and just laugh about it because I was told to work on my defense… and I think I got three ground balls in those games that I played. So it’s like, ‘Oh, now he’s ready.’”

He made his big-league debut on April 17, 2015, which meant he only missed 12 days that season. Still, he will fall one day short of being eligible for free agency after the 2020 campaign.

Buxton’s Case
Buxton’s own service time issue doesn’t exactly mirror Bryant’s, but he could have an argument if Bryant wins his case. During the 2018 season, Buxton struggled through multiple injuries and ended the year on the Rochester Red Wings roster. He wasn’t made a September call-up and this choice didn’t sit well with Buxton at the time.

“Yes, I ain’t sugarcoating nothing,” Buxton told the Star Tribune last December. “It kind of didn’t go over well.”

Migraine headaches, a broken toe and a strained wrist cost him much of the 2018 season, but his health seemed to be improving in August with Rochester. He batted .365/.400/.596 (.996) with nine extra-base hits in 12 games and he had every reason to think his performance warranted a September call-up. But by keeping him down, the Twins picked up another year of team control. Instead of reaching free agency following the 2021 season, Buxton will have to wait until after the 2022 campaign.

Minnesota had reasons for keeping him down including a lingering wrist injury, poor strike zone discipline, and not enough playing time at the big-league level. However, Thad Levine admitted service time played a role in why Buxton was kept in the minors.

"I think part of our jobs is we're supposed to be responsible to factoring service time into every decision we make," Levine said. "I still feel pretty resolute in saying that the other three factors were more present for us in this decision-making process than that. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we weren't at least aware of service-time impacts on decisions we make."

Realistically, this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the next collective bargaining agreement. There’s not timeline for a decision in MLBPA’s case for Bryant and there’s no guarantee he will win, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

[Maize]

I think Walker Buehler would be a great off-the-radar acquisition for the Twins.

[Vegasgopher]

Literally ANY of them would be an upgrade

[grothm01]

No chance LA gives up Walker.

[Maize]

No chance LA gives up Walker.

Same chance as getting Paddack, would be the point.

[Beauner]

No chance LA gives up Walker.

Same chance as getting Paddack, would be the point.

Probably would cost a lot to get Paddack. However, as the article asserts, pitching has not been SD's problem.
Their offense has been embarrassing. They're going on 11 consecutive years without scoring 700 runs in a season.

Trading a top young pitcher for top young hitters, especially if SD has other high-end pitching options, is their rationale.
That said, to get Paddack the article says you're likely giving up Lewis or Kiriloff, plus a Rosario/Kepler, plus another prospect.

[Cowgirl]

Yeah, I know they are a couple days late, but some good memories. Everyone should watch them, it will make you smile. I do have to say that I’m glad baseball pants fit a little less like skinny jeans these days.

[Beauner]

The first domino from the Twins staff goes.
Former hitting coach James Rowson was hired by the Marlins to be the bench coach and "offensive coordinator".
Derek Shelton is a likely candidate to get a managerial job. He's got a third interview with the Mets and reportedly has met with the Pirates multiple times too.

Seems likely that both of them are going to bring some former Twins staffers with them.

[streakygopher]

Yeah, I know they are a couple days late, but some good memories. Everyone should watch them, it will make you smile. I do have to say that I’m glad baseball pants fit a little less like skinny jeans these days.

I remember one of Reardon's first close opportunities for the Twins I was cleaning up my boat and listening to the game when he gave up a game losing grand slam. I thought, "Who is this bum?" People thought the Twins were going to be decent, but they didn't even win 90 games that year. Nobody could have predicted they would win a world series. They went into Detroit and shocked everybody with a series win against a great team with big names, including Jack Morris.

[Don Adams Wheel of Justice]

Getting a World Series payoff in '87 was pretty special for me as a 16 year old kid who watched a lot of crappy Twins teams growing up. I would dearly love for any Minnesota team to win a title just to give this generation of kids and younger adults the same payoff.

In other news, one of my greatest regrets is over-serving myself whiskey coke's during game 6 of the '91 series and blacking out prior to Puckett's HR.

[Bonin21]

I was two in 1991. So you wonder why I hate being Loserville my whole aware life.

[Slap Shot]

Hey hold my be- ah eff it.

[Vegasgopher]

I went to 5 games of the 87 series (4 home, 1 road) as a Soph at the U...I literally do not remember how the hell we got to st Lou for game 3 alive or how we made it home..whew, those were the days...

[Cowgirl]

Hey hold my be- ah eff it.

If I recall he almost got another home run ball that night too.

[D2D]

I went to 5 games of the 87 series (4 home, 1 road) as a Soph at the U...I literally do not remember how the hell we got to st Lou for game 3 alive or how we made it home..whew, those were the days...

At least you can remember which game.

[Vegasgopher]

I went to 5 games of the 87 series (4 home, 1 road) as a Soph at the U...I literally do not remember how the hell we got to st Lou for game 3 alive or how we made it home..whew, those were the days...

At least you can remember which game.

They played baseball? Hmmm

[Vegasgopher]

Rocco named AL manager of the year! Absolutely deserved...figured the yankmees guy or Tampa would win

That's 2 out of 3 years with 2 different managers...

[Handyman]

And he didnt have to cheat like the Astros...

[frozen4champs]

[Vegasgopher]

I think that's the right move...

[Beauner]

Significantly weaker SP free agency pool next year.

[grothm01]

Also no qualifying offer.

[gopherguy06]

Twins prospect Ryan Costello found dead in New Zealand. He was 23

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-sp ... mZufy0qzxY

[gopher6]

Twinkies bringing back the baby Blue uniforms

[Bertogliat]

Twinkies bringing back the baby Blue uniforms

Extra nice that I already have a baby blue jersey. Love those.

[Handyman]

I got one last year for $20

[Bigbeer]

Twinkies bringing back the baby Blue uniforms

KFAN said today the Twins never made the playoffs in the years they wore those uniforms....already behind the 8 ball next year

[Bertogliat]

Twinkies bringing back the baby Blue uniforms

KFAN said today the Twins never made the playoffs in the years they wore those uniforms....already behind the 8 ball next year

I heard Buxton was so excited when he saw the jerseys he ran out of the room and straight into a wall. MRI scheduled for early next week.

[Bigbeer]

Twinkies bringing back the baby Blue uniforms

KFAN said today the Twins never made the playoffs in the years they wore those uniforms....already behind the 8 ball next year

I heard Buxton was so excited when he saw the jerseys he ran out of the room and straight into a wall. MRI scheduled for early next week.

Can we still have him DH for the whole year?

[frozen4champs]

WPOS

[ScoobyDoo]

Wow. San Fran took the Twins for a ride.

[Norm]

WPOS

What a great pickup by the Twins.

[Karlsson]

Weren't they already investigating the possibility that San Francisco knew about his injuries and didn't disclose them?

[Beauner]

Kyle Gibson reportedly heading to down to Texas to pitch for the Rangers.

[Beauner]

Weren't they already investigating the possibility that San Francisco knew about his injuries and didn't disclose them?

Yes. Not sure what, if anything, will come of that.

[bearpaw28]

Kyle Gibson reportedly heading to down to Texas to pitch for the Rangers.

Not surprising the way last year went & finished for Kyle. Maybe a change in scenery will help him out. In any event, wish him well.

[frozen4champs]

[Handyman]

I know Gibson was liked...but I wont miss him on the mound.

[Beauner]

Derek Shelton officially hired by Pittsburgh as their manager. Well deserved.

[Slap Shot]

Gibson was a quality guy and I wish him the best.

[frozen4champs]

[Maize]

Love bringing Adrianza back. Perfect for his role as a utility player. Twins also signed Blaine Hardy, which, *fart noise*.

Big decision by this evening is whether or not they want to bring back C.J. Cron. I'd pass. 25 home runs and a league average OPS+ shouldn't be that hard to replace. Stat nerds say his defensive numbers aren't that bad, but put somebody at 1B that can catch the ball, and I'm willing to bet the left side of the infield, which has awful defensive nerd numbers, starts to look a lot better.

[frozen4champs]

[Beauner]

No big surprise on either count there.

[streakygopher]

No big surprise on either count there.

Cron lost me later in the season. He had too many unproductive at bats. No loss far as I'm concerned.

[Bertogliat]

Have the Twins signed any exciting free agent pitchers yet?

[Beauner]

No. None of the big pitchers have signed except reliever Will Smith who signed with Atlanta.
Unless you count 38-year old Adam Wainwright or Kyle Gibson.
Odorizzi signing his qualifying offer is currently the best/biggest pitcher signing made.

[Maize]

Have the Twins signed any exciting free agent pitchers yet?

Twins are one of the teams that have shown the most interest in Zach Wheeler. Somebody already offered him $100M though, so I wouldn't get my hopes up.

[frozen4champs]

[Handyman]

Yankees want Strasburg and Cole...if the Twins want Bumgarner they cannot wait cause if the Yankees miss out on those guys they will overpay Bumgarner.

[Don Adams Wheel of Justice]

Yankees want Strasburg and Cole...if the Twins want Bumgarner they cannot wait cause if the Yankees miss out on those guys they will overpay Bumgarner.

If the Yankees sign Strasburg and Cole, we might as well just hand them the Lombardi trophy now.

[bearpaw28]

Yankees want Strasburg and Cole...if the Twins want Bumgarner they cannot wait cause if the Yankees miss out on those guys they will overpay Bumgarner.

Do you REALLY think the Pohlad Pocket Protectors will actually pony up the money for Bumgarner? My prediction is they’ll say they were really interested and were willing to, but will inexplicably get edged out by another suitor

[Handyman]

I dunno...but if they don't and the bat's don't produce like they did last year the team will be lucky to be. 500. You can't go into the year with these starters. I don't care what the stats guys say.

[JWG]

The Twins know they need pitching, especially with the suspension still running into next season and Gibson going. If they don’t do anything in this arena then we know they’ve thrown in the towel and are happy to sniff relevance every 10 years by accident.

[bearpaw28]

Typical PPP.....BS See below

[bearpaw28]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

[Karlsson]

I've heard the White Sox offered him more money than the Phillies and he chose Philadelphia regardless. If true, not sure what number the Twins would have had to hit to land him.

[Maize]

I don't know. Everything about Wheeler says he should be great, except for what he's actually done on the mound. I know it makes Beauner go stiff, but if you need a Rapsodo machine to tell that a guy is great, he probably isn't. $23+M a year for a guy whose numbers aren't any better than Jake Odorizzi's seems pretty silly.

But there's no salary cap, the Twins were basically printing money at Target Field this year, and they've got to draw a line somewhere if they want to compete.

[Don Adams Wheel of Justice]

We need a separate thread for the cheap Pohlad talk.

[streakygopher]

We need a separate thread for the cheap Pohlad talk.

...and the Committed Recruits topic that has devolved into how old players should be....booooorrrring!

[Handyman]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

Ya know it may have been about more than money. Maybe he wanted to stay in the National League or something.

Jesus Wheeler is 44-38 with an ERA just under 4 for his career. I get he pitched for the Mets but those numbers arent lighting the world on fire and in a league with the designated hitter he could really put up some mediocre numbers.

[bearpaw28]

Fine...but they WERE willing to pay $100 mil over 5 years and came up juuuuuusst a bit short on the do-ray-me, isn’t the common denominator in all these type of situations they fail to close the deal when $ are a substantial factor? Hence, the PPP label until something changes. I’m not holding my breath.

[Zwak]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

Ya know it may have been about more than money. Maybe he wanted to stay in the National League or something.

Jesus Wheeler is 44-38 with an ERA just under 4 for his career. I get he pitched for the Mets but those numbers arent lighting the world on fire and in a league with the designated hitter he could really put up some mediocre numbers.

His fiancee is from the east coast (New Jersey I believe) and he admitted that playing closer to her family was a factor..

[bearpaw28]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

Ya know it may have been about more than money. Maybe he wanted to stay in the National League or something.

Jesus Wheeler is 44-38 with an ERA just under 4 for his career. I get he pitched for the Mets but those numbers arent lighting the world on fire and in a league with the designated hitter he could really put up some mediocre numbers.

His fiancee is from the east coast (New Jersey I believe) and he admitted that playing closer to her family was a factor..

So I guess that means signing MN born high end starting pitchers is what the PPP need to shoot for, since that’s a key factor. That’ll work...oops...ahhh, Houston, we may have a problem

[Beauner]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

Ya know it may have been about more than money. Maybe he wanted to stay in the National League or something.

Jesus Wheeler is 44-38 with an ERA just under 4 for his career. I get he pitched for the Mets but those numbers arent lighting the world on fire and in a league with the designated hitter he could really put up some mediocre numbers.

From what I've read, he wanted to stay out east. His fiancee and her family are from NJ and the rumor is that being near her family was a big factor in where he wanted to play.

As for his career numbers, and aside from the random callout about Rapsodo (which, as far as I can tell, was not used by the Mets - and they fired their pitching coach midseason last year anyways) Wheeler is the kind of guy with a high pedigree that people go crazy for. He's a big strong guy, he's a top 10 pick, throws mid-to-high 90s. He was considered the #1 prospect in the Mets organization for a while, he's got stuff that can be borderline ace quality. He also missed the entire 2015 and 2016 season with injuries and half of 2017 too.
Of his 3 "full seasons" last year was his worst (with a 3.96 ERA, 195 Ks and 50 walks in 195.1 innings). Part of the reason he still got the big deal he got is based on his finish to 2019. In mid June his ERA was 4.94. In September he pitched 34 innings and allowed 7 runs.
He's got the kind of stuff that can make him an absolute stud.
He's also got the injury history that scares a lot of teams. Paying 24ish million a year for a guy who has missed 2.5 out of the last 5 years and is entering the portion of his career where power pitchers seem to have to reinvent themselves a bit, we'll see how his career progresses.

I would absolutely have taken him on the Twins, but (theoretically) if one Zack Wheeler means we couldn't afford to sign Ryu and Bumgarner, then meh. Especially if he wanted to stay out east.

[mnpuckguy]

Let's face it, the Twins are not going to pay whatever it takes to get some quality free agent starting pitching. You can't go deep into the playoffs without quality starting pitching. Spend some money & sign Baumgarner & Ryu instead of rolling the dice on some low budget free agents that won't get you anywhere. If you want to be a top team, you need top end starting pitching!!

[Handyman]

LMAO...for an extra 4 million per year for 5 years (mind you there is no SALARY Cap) Twins could have signed the guy they really wanted...instead they are edged out due to dollars - dokay... they are such frauds...Zack Wheeler, one of the coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, agreed to a five-year contract worth $118 million from the Phillies on Wednesday.

The Twins targeted Wheeler and, according to sources with knowledge of negotiations, offered a five-year deal worth $100 million.

Ya know it may have been about more than money. Maybe he wanted to stay in the National League or something.

Jesus Wheeler is 44-38 with an ERA just under 4 for his career. I get he pitched for the Mets but those numbers arent lighting the world on fire and in a league with the designated hitter he could really put up some mediocre numbers.

His fiancee is from the east coast (New Jersey I believe) and he admitted that playing closer to her family was a factor..

So I guess that means signing MN born high end starting pitchers is what the PPP need to shoot for, since that’s a key factor. That’ll work...oops...ahhh, Houston, we may have a problem

No it means you should do a bit more research before you start spouting off like Common Man. Just admit you got it wrong and move on. If the Twins sign no one you can re-use your (not) creative rant later to the same effect.