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AL Central Notes: Sano, Masterson, Scherzer

By Jeff Todd | February 28, 2014 at 4:29pm CDT

Here are a couple of bullets relating to the American League Central:

  • Consensus top-five overall prospect Miguel Sano of the Twins is headed for an MRI after suffering an injury to his throwing elbow. His agent, Rob Plummer, tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he fears the worst — a torn UCL — although he makes clear that nothing is yet known for certain. Rehab is always an option, though club and player had already considered Tommy John surgery after Sano strained the ligament over the winter. The health of Sano's elbow could have quite a significant impact on his future value, not just due to possible delays in his development, but because some already believe he will not be able to man the hot corner at the MLB level.
  • Though Justin Masterson said yesterday that he thinks he'll ultimately reach agreement to extend his stay with the Indians, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com says that may be hard to reach in reality. A GM told Gammons that the two top starters most likely to be truly available on the open market are Masterson and James Shields. Looking ahead to the potential payday he could land, suggests Gammons, Masterson may be forced to choose between playing in Cleveland and earning market value.
  • The GM that Gammons spoke thought it likely that Max Scherzer would stay with the Tigers. But while the club has reached massive extensions with superstars like Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, negotiating a new pact with Scherzer will be most difficult of all, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. In large part, says Heyman, that fact is driven not only by Scherzer's skyrocketing value, but also his own "cool business stance" towards his next new deal. Detroit has played its part by agreeing to a record arbitration raise with Scherzer and clearing space for a new deal through several big offseason deals. But Heyman says that the reigning AL Cy Young winner has his sights set on matching — or even exceeding — the kinds of guarantees achieved by Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander in recent years.
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Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Minnesota Twins Justin Masterson Max Scherzer Miguel Sano

AL East Notes: Barlow, Lester, Lackey, Rasmus
Main
Minor Moves: Steve Edlefsen, Todd Glaesmann
View Comments (57)
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57 Comments

  1. kungfucampby

    11 years ago

    No way the Tigers keep Scherzer and Cabrera. And between those two you obviously choose Cabrera. Scherzer is not going to age well. Not going to be worth the massive deal he will get from another club. Let him walk and take the draft pick.

    Reply
    • C. McCarthy

      11 years ago

      Amen. Max is unhittable when he’s on, but he’s had one consistent season and good as he was, other than that W-L record (which even he admits is fluky) he wasn’t significantly better than Sanchez or JV (even in a down year). I like Max, but the Tigers would be foolish to buy high on that funky delivery for the long-term because of his 2013 numbers. Save that $ for Cabrera and to plug the holes left by Hunter and Victor. With the new-look defense, even Porcello and Smyly could wind up looking like aces this season.

      Reply
  2. Karl Larson

    11 years ago

    Great, the Twins will lose the only thing that will make them watchable this year.

    Reply
    • Ryan F.

      11 years ago

      Sano probably wasn’t going to make the team out of spring training anyways as the Twins will more than likely want to line up the arrival of these young players at the same time like they did with the Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, Corey Koskie, AJ Pierzynski, Jacque Jones group

      Reply
      • Karl Larson

        11 years ago

        True, but they are losing their fanbase because they don’t realize how good Buxton and Sano really are. They are less optimistic than we are.

        Reply
        • Sky14

          11 years ago

          How do you draw that conclusion?
          If that were true then that is one fickle fan base.

          Reply
        • dean 2

          11 years ago

          They both are not 100% ready for the bigs. They need to develope more. They are the #1 &#3 prospect in all of mlb and when they are ready they will come

          Reply
      • User 4245925809

        11 years ago

        I’d worry more about him not getting the surgery done now and over with. A strain is a tear, there is no such thing as a strain, it’s a tear.

        Remember a couple years ago the Carl Crawford fiasco in Boston where the Sox FO had him rehabbing a “strain” for several months, then he played for the team a couple of months, had to have the surgery anyway?

        It’s just delaying the inevitable.

        Twins have a most valuable “commodity” here.. He’s so young.. Have it now, get him back early, then have him DH a little at the latter part of the season. Why they didn’t do this back in November is weird.

        He wasn’t going to be playing this year for Them anyway, or until late in the season. They really hurt themselves with this maneuver.

        Reply
        • twins33

          11 years ago

          Team doctors and Dr Andrews recommended to rehab it. I agree, it almost never works but it’s hard to just ignore a doctor’s recommendation especially when it’s Andrews, no matter how many times it doesn’t work.

          That being said, Sano’s agent has been interviewed recently. His agent suggested to him that he do the surgery back in November (or whenever) and Sano adamantly said no. And I don’t think you can force someone to do surgery against their will.

          Reply
    • 0vercast

      11 years ago

      Mauer playing 1B will be watchable. It’ll be quite fun seeing what he can do with fresh legs for the first time in his career. I think he’s going to kill it. I’ve been waiting years for this.

      Reply
  3. Tim Williams

    11 years ago

    Maaaaaan, I hope Sano’s results are negative. Really hoping to catch him in Rochester.

    Reply
  4. John Henry's Hammer

    11 years ago

    Every fan has experienced a plummet in the stomach like I just did when I read about Sano. I had the same feeling when Kirby Puckett when blind in one eye suddenly and never played another inning. Sano is young and even if it requires surgery it’s nothing like the Puckett situation. I can imagine the outpouring of emotion when Lou Gehrig’s body failed so suddenly. I’m a Twins fan but I’m saying that every fan has had this happen to them.

    Reply
    • Seamaholic

      11 years ago

      Well, he’s not a pitcher, and it’s his elbow. Worst comes to absolute worst he has to play 1B. But dude can still rake.

      Reply
    • TheRealRyan 2

      11 years ago

      Yeah, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. It’s never good to lose a year of development, but he was most likely going to be a poor defensive 3B even before the injury. His bat will be his meal ticket, great arm or not.

      Reply
  5. Alex A. 29.

    11 years ago

    Kershaw and Verlander both broke out at top of the rotation guys when they were young. Scherzer broke out at 29. There’s no way one year of dominance makes Scherzer more valuable than Verlander or a Kershaw that’s 4 years younger. Maybe Greinke or Tanaka’s deal is more realistic.

    Reply
    • tribe1045

      11 years ago

      Exactly. If Scherzer gets anywhere near as much as Kershaw, then we know those crazy eyes work voodoo magic on hitters and executives alike.

      Reply
      • Jake13

        11 years ago

        Apparently Indians hitters too, they had no success whatsoever against him, or the rest of the team for that matter.

        Reply
  6. Rally Weimaraner

    11 years ago

    Has Heyman ever said anything negative about a Boras client?

    Reply
    • kungfucampby

      11 years ago

      Nope, or else the checks start bouncing.

      Reply
  7. Curt Green

    11 years ago

    The Dodgers will be there to sign Scherzer when the Tigers don’t.

    Reply
    • MilkMeMore

      11 years ago

      Pretty sure David Price is higher on the list which means we will rather wait for dan harens contract to come off and see how the pitching prospects pan out

      Reply
      • Jake13

        11 years ago

        I doubt the Dodgers pay David Price $250 million to be the #3 starter, Dodgers fans are getting ridiculous.

        Reply
        • GrilledCheese39

          11 years ago

          Honestly even as a Pirates fan I’d think that’d be cool to see. They would be the biggest dream team ever. Watch them sign Price and Scherzer.. That’d be a pretty good rotation I think…. Kershaw/Greinke/Price/Scherzer/Ryu

          Reply
          • Metsfan93

            11 years ago

            That could contend for the best rotation ever kept together, if Greinke doesn’t opt out.

            Reply
            • Jake13

              11 years ago

              By WAR the best rotation ever was the 2013 Detroit Tigers, and that rotation is far better than the Tigers rotation

              Reply
              • Metsfan93

                11 years ago

                By which WAR, though? Also, keeping it together for several seasons is a big key. Having a three-pronged beast of Scherzer/Anibal/Verlander atop the rotation for 2012-2017 would be amazing.

                Reply
        • MilkMeMore

          11 years ago

          250MM ? and you dare call us ridiculous ? You guys can pay scherzer that much if you want but all i said is david price is on dodgers radar but wont go broke because he would just be a luxury

          Reply
          • Jake13

            11 years ago

            David Price is young and a top 5 pitcher in the MLB, prices are only going up, he is better than Greinke and look how much Greinke got, no way Price takes under $200. There is a reason Dave Dombrowski is in line to be the next commisioner and on his way to the Hall of Fame, he is the best in the game and whatever he decides to do is for the best. If he thinks Scherzer is worth $250 million then Scherzer is worth $250 million.

            Reply
            • MilkMeMore

              11 years ago

              Greinke got 6 years and Price will be older than him when he hits FA also you originally said $250MM (which is what im talking about), $200MM is completely different. Plus how many pitchers have gotten more than 7 years in FA over the past few years ?
              Kershaw Barely got 200MM over 7 years.

              Also just to troll David Price for $200 is a steal !

              Reply
  8. Sufferfortribe

    11 years ago

    Why does everyone assume Masterson is going to base his decision on how much money he can command? Justin is a Christian, and very strong in his faith. As such, money is not at the top of the list of factors used in making decisions. Family is important, and I’m sure he takes their opinions into account when making decisions. He’s already stated how blessed he feels. And he’s also stated how much he likes playing in Cleveland, and for Terry Francona. Here’s hoping Justin and family are here for years to come. GO TRIBE!!

    Reply
    • Tko11

      11 years ago

      Is this supposed to be some sort of satire? “Justin is a Christian, and very strong in his faith” lol

      Reply
      • Sufferfortribe

        11 years ago

        No satire. Just the truth.

        Reply
      • LazerTown

        11 years ago

        was a good line. I have no clue what being a Christian goes to show about him staying in Cleveland. And if he did go for the big payday, then wouldn’t he make more money to help people?

        Reply
    • 0vercast

      11 years ago

      You speak for all Christians?

      There are a lot of Christians out there, and many of them are very VERY wealthy. Just saying.

      Reply
      • TheRealRyan 2

        11 years ago

        Of course there are very wealthy Christians. Do you know how well it pays in business to market yourself as the Christians choice?

        Reply
        • 0vercast

          11 years ago

          Absolutely. It works in politics too.

          However, the OP said that Justin is a Christian, and as a Christian, he’ll tend to his family’s needs before chasing the money. I gotta say, most families would be better off with some additional money in the bank accounts and trust funds.

          Reply
    • C. McCarthy

      11 years ago

      If you’ve watched any sports in the last 20 years, 9 out of 10 athletes claim to be Christians strong in their faith (every post-game interview starts with “I’d like to thank God” like he’s more invested in the game than dealing with starvation and genocide). And 9 out of 10 times, they follow the money.

      Reply
      • Tom 22

        11 years ago

        Way more than 9 out of 10. Maybe 1 or 2 out of a 100 don’t follow the money, and only marginally.

        Reply
  9. 0vercast

    11 years ago

    There was no chance on Sano making the team out of spring training. Personally, I think it’s very unlikely that he’ll be a MLB 3B for very long, if at all. T. Ryan said he’s weighing in at 6′ 5″ and 250 lbs. That’s not a 3B, that’s a moose. And moose play 1B (taken), RF (taken – Arcia), LF (taken -Willingham, for one more year), or DH (taken – Kubel, for at least one year).

    Furthermore, this could be 3B Plouffe’s last year with the Twins. I predict he’ll be midseason trade bait for a contending team (Yankees) looking for some pop on the cheap. Therefore, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sano was given a shot at 3B, at least for a little while.

    In my opinion, given that 1B belongs to Mauer for the next 5 years (at least), and DH is a lot easier to fill than corner-OF, Sano projects to be a corner outfielder for the Twins. Likely filling the void left by Willingham next season.

    I don’t expect to see Sano this season. He’s done. That goose…cooked. They have been talking Tommy John for a half-year now. Now, a week into Spring Training, his elbow is barking at him. They should have just done the surgery last fall. I’m not happy about this. Seriously, Twins…fail. Major fail here.

    Reply
    • buffalonichols

      11 years ago

      So, the Twins had James Andrews look at Sano’s elbow and he saw nothing requiring surgery, but somehow it’s still a fail? Whatever.

      Reply
      • 0vercast

        11 years ago

        I understand that, and I wished Andrew’s hadn’t said that at the time. How often do these players successfully recover from UCL strains?

        Reply
        • buffalonichols

          11 years ago

          I don’t really know, but I guess I’d assume that somebody like James Andrews would be the one to know the best in a situation like that.

          Reply
        • twins33

          11 years ago

          Rarely.

          I know I’m posting a few days late, but Sano’s agent said Sano “adamantly said no to surgery” back then. I’m not sure a team can force someone to have surgery against their will.

          Reply
    • TheRealRyan 2

      11 years ago

      I know they are putting Mauer at 1B this year, but what about trying him out at 3B? He has the arm and should be athletic enough to pull it off. I think the team might be better off with Mauer at 3B and Sano at 1B.

      Reply
      • 0vercast

        11 years ago

        That’s not a bad idea, but after catcher, third base may be the most physically taxing position on the diamond. Excluding pitcher, of course.

        I want to see Mauer as fresh as possible. 1B or RF seem like an idea fit.

        Reply
  10. C. McCarthy

    11 years ago

    Hope Sano is alright, even as a Tigers fan. Hate to see promising young talent get cut down by injury, and the Central is shaping up to be one interesting race this season!

    Reply
  11. bobbleheadguru

    11 years ago

    Three predictions:

    1. Scherzer will out-pitch Verlander over the next 5 years.
    2. Cabrera will be signed this offseason.
    3. Scherzer will ask for and not get Kershaw money from the Tigers. They will move on with two “Red Sox style” 3 year mid-level deals spreading their risk.

    Reply
    • EightMileCats

      11 years ago

      1. I disagree, but they will both be solid solid pitchers
      2. Agreed
      3. I don’t know that Max ask for that from Detroit. He’s made it known he wants to be in Detroit. That said, not sure its wise to tie up that kind’ve money in 3 pitchers (Anibal, JV, Max)

      Reply

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