11:17am: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the two sides are still far apart in extension talks, and Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish also tweets that no extension is close.
10:54am: The Twins have re-started extension talks with catcher Kurt Suzuki, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). There is a reasonable chance that agreement will be reached, he adds.
Last we heard, an extension seemed unlikely, and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted this morning that traction was nonexistent, but apparently a new effort is underway. That being said, prior reports have suggested that Minnesota could still look to deal Suzuki in August if it holds onto him and cannot nail down an extension. Suzuki’s trade market looks to have dried up significantly, with the Cardinals acquiring A.J. Pierzynski and reports indicating that the Orioles are not interested.
Do not overpay!
Pinto is not a Major League catcher. They need to overpay. That’s been the problem for years with the Twins.
I don’t see why they have to overpay. Suzuki was their third choice for a free agent catcher this offseason. They can pull another catcher off the offseason scrap heap if they have to rather than overpay Suzuki after 3/4 of a season where he’s having a career year.
If we were talking about a corner OF position, 1B, or DH that’s one thing, but catcher is the most valuable position in the game. Most WS teams don’t have catchers off the “scrap heap” or poor defensive catchers (Pinto). We don’t have another good catcher in our system. We need Suzuki. A 3/21 mil contract is not an “overpay” we got Josh Willingham for that. Suzuki is a good catcher.
Who a better fit for Oakland Alex rios or chase utley
Utley by a land slide.
Looks like the Twins are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Either they can overpay a 30 y/o catcher who is having a season he’s very unlikely to reproduce ever again, or they can let a fan/team favorite walk after this season and promote a future DH (Pinto) or a backup catcher (Fryer) to starting catcher.
The Twins almost have to overpay Suzuki so he can catch a handful of promising young pitchers who are coming up in the near future (Meyer/May/Milone/Berrios). I hope the Twins know better than to allow Pinto or a Pinto/Fryer catching platoon to do that. Young pitchers need a semi-consistant backstop, and Suzuki offers that.
Hopefully the Twins and Suzuki can work out something that isn’t too cringeworthy.
Remember that Pinto = Matt LeCroy. Can’t play defense.
That’s a fair comparison defensively, but I think Pinto has far more upside as a slugger.
I’d like to see the Twins throw Pinto’s catchers glove into the burn pile next to Mauer’s and transition him to full-time DH soon, without wasting to much time grooming him in AAA. WIthout the pressure of catching, Pinto has a much better chance of reaching his potential as a hitter. He always seemed so rattled during the games when he caught. You could just tell.
Move Mauer back to catcher. Case closed. It’s not worth spending 10-12 million a year on a mediocre catcher having a once in a lifetime offensive outburst that has stretched an entire season.