The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Mike Morin, per Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage (via Twitter). It includes an invitation to participate in MLB camp next spring, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN adds on Twitter.
Morin, 27, has compiled 174 total inning at the game’s highest level over the past four seasons, working to a cumulative 4.66 ERA. His underlying numbers suggest he has been better than the results, however.
In addition to maintaining a solid combination of 8.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, with a strong 12.8% swinging-strike rate, Morin has allowed only 0.78 home runs per nine innings and has a history of drawing soft contact. ERA estimators are rather bullish, crediting Morin with a lifetime 3.32 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, and 3.42 SIERA.
Nevertheless, Morin’s MLB opportunities have dwindled over the past two seasons. He spent the bulk of 2018 working at Triple-A for the Mariners organization. In 53 2/3 frames for Tacoma, he posted a 3.86 ERA with a familiar combination of 8.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9.
Wow! I’m super stoked about this…..Pffff
wow. original comment!
@ pinkerton…..And your problem is?
He has trollyngitis.
not me buddy.
I just think it’s kind of silly, that kind of response. but hey, who the hell am I?
Merry Christmas!
Enki what’s your problem, twins are giving a guy a chance
It’s a comment based on the absurdity of the signing but I didn’t think it would ruffle your feathers there young boy. Wow! I’d hate to see something really big that gets under your skin. I mean dang bro, we are talking about Mike Morin here. 90% of the people would say….who? I think you are silly and petty for making a big deal out of a simple comment by which I am showing my dismay for the signing Mr. thin skin.
@ Arenado28. Here’s my beef. They have been giving scrubs chances since I started following with my Dad at the old Met in 1974. This is what they always do….sign have nots and has beens or never weres so yeah, I post my dismay. As a season ticket holder and a tax payer, I was sold a bill of goods that the only way the Twins could be competitive was to get that new stadium…then, 1 year after the inaugural season, they tanked and have not come out of the tank with the exception of 1 blip on the radar in 2017 and all baseball prognosticators would tell you that that was an anomaly.
So you can see my negativity coming out from the keyboard because it’s the same old tired hot carls year after year with this team. Here’s a stat that I bet many of you don’t know…The Twins owner is the richest in all of baseball….YEP, more $$$ than the Steinbrenners, more money than the duo or trio including Magic Johnson that own the Dodgers….They are the richest by far and it’s not even close but do you suppose that they re-invest that $$$ into a product on the field? NOPE! But you can get a $15 craft beer and walleye on a stick for another $20 at the wait for it….waaaaaait for it……at the new Target Field. Yeah, I’m chapped at their lackluster ability to bring in some real pieces that can make a difference. But hey, what does an electrical engineer at Gulfstream Aerospace know about anything?
@ Arenado28
Several Minnesotans are sprinkled throughout the newest Forbes magazine list of the world’s richest people — and one of them is Carl Pohlad (Son Jim owns the team now), the wealthiest among Major League Baseball’s team owners.
Four MacMillans — Whitney, Marion, Cargill and John — sit tied for 236th with $4.4 billion each. Their wealth is from inheritance. Next is Richard Schulze of Best Buy. He’s at No. 296 with $3.6 billion.
After that it’s Pohlad (358th, $3.1 billion), whose pockets are the deepest of any team owner in baseball.
The New York Times in November made note of Pohlad at the top of the baseball ownership heap. At that time, the Twins had lost center fielder Torii Hunter to a more lucrative California Angels contract and would later see pitching ace Johan Santana go to the New York Mets deal for a richer deal.
Among Pohlad’s peers on Forbes’ global billionaire list are John Malone (Braves, tied for 553rd, $2.2 billion), Mike Ilitch (Tigers, 743rd, $1.6 billion), and Tom Hicks (Rangers) and George Steinbrenner (Yankees, tied for 897th, $1.3 billion).
As for the rest in Minnesota:
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor (428th, $2.7 billion); businesswoman Marilyn Carlson Nelson and family (553rd, $2.2 billion); DirectTV’s Stanley Hubbard (743rd, $1.6 billion); businesswoman Barbara Carlson Gage and family (553rd, $2.2 billion), and publishing executive Dwight Opperman (1,014th, $1.1 billion).
At the top sits Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett at $62 billion.
Bill Gates saw his fortune rise to $58 billion. The Microsoft chairman fell to third on the list behind Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim, who has an estimated net worth of $60 billion.
The youngest member of the billionaire club is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 23, at 785th with $1.5 billion.
Wire services contributed to this report.
So to all you pundits out there that are telling me that the Minnesota Twins cannot put a playoff caliber team on the field year in and year out……. If your answer is no then our conversation is OVER! And you wonder why folks that follow the Twins are a bit cynical. Or my post to start this thread was a bit….well, cut-throat. As another poster said, the truth hurts.
….
Who in their right mind builds a brand new stadium in Minneapolis WITHOUT a retractible roof.
I hope the hot cocoa is free to paying Twins fans in April & May. From the looks of the way that club is being ran, I don’t think they have to worry about freezing to death during October baseball.
From all of that I’m picking out the ‘hot carl’ reference – hilarious! I feel your pain Enki and I don’t blame you for the bitterness. Twins ownership needs to find a new persona and strategy
@ Full Montilla….
Thanks man, this has been building for over 40 years and still…the same old same old. Not sure why I should expect anything else but I do and love this game. It must be rigged to a degree or something because none of this makes any sense.
@ MetsYankeesRedSox……You got that right but then what most Minnesotans do could be strewn as “sketchy”
Why would the owners wealth translate to the overall payroll? They aren’t going to run the team at a loss. They will continue to have the payroll reflect our place in the market. Carl Pohlad made the majority of his money in the banking industry, not from owning the Twins.
Continuously rank in the low 20’s for attendance and revenue, then that is about where your payroll will fall.
But have you ever been inside a retractable roof stadium? Ugly. They look like cereal bowls, and you’re never really that outside. Just my take.
you seem distraught Enki.
@ gibsonlp
I am aware that he made his money in banking and am also aware that if you purchase rusty nickles to play on your chess board, you will get rusty nickles in return. If you build it, they will come Gibson. When there is success, you don’t tear it down. And don’t give me that operating at a loss trype. Trust me, they are not operating at a loss but spending a little more of your earnings and re-investing in the product equates to future success.
This is a simple product of cause and effect. You won’t fill the stadium with paying customers if you don’t fill the 25 man roster with chess pieces that can get you to checkmate. This is really simple business 101. Why would anyone in the greater Minnesota area drive an hour or 2 and spend a kings ransom for a family of 4 or 5 when the product itself is stale and sub-par? Again, if you build the roster, the fans will come. We do not have to re-invent the wheel here, it’s already round!
Shame on you Pohlads for not pouncing on the best free agent class this game has ever seen. And you wonder why we don’t show up?
@ pinkerton…..
I have not met a Twins fan yet that was not distraught. So yeah, my gears are grinding or say whatever other analogy you want to describe the dismay I / we have over the operations of this ballclub. Minnesota Twins baseball is enough to give me alzheimers…I mean c’mon, do something with that excess of cash and it better not be named Schoop and or Cron!
So we needed a 2nd baseman….why not the young man from Colorado…D.J. LeMahieu? (a career .298 hitter that plays stellar defense – 3 time Gold Glove winner) We have the $$$….Oh yeah, this is the Minnesota Twins we are talking about and they “stay in their lane” What a crock of sheet!
You’re assuming that we would fill the stadium with a competitive team. That was not the case in the 02-08 range when we were winning division titles. We were still roughly 20th in attendance.
2017 is the only playoff team in the new stadium but we were still about 20th in attendance. Minnesota is just about that size market.
While your facts are correct, what you do with them is not so correct. The Twins owners are businessmen and they don’t look at the Twins as a toy to sink endless money into. I believe the owners have increased the amount of money paid to the players since Target Field opened but not enough to your liking. I can sympathize with you to a certain extent but feel that the Twins are at a severe disadvantage because the owners look at the revenue stream and it’s not going to be as big as in Boston, Los Angeles or New York City. The Twins are nowhere near competing for a World Series unless Buxton and Sano suddenly stop getting injured and play up to their long anticipated billing and, somehow, the pitching and defense solidifies. They should be able to compete for the playoffs, however.
^^2010 was a technically a playoff team in Target field as well but the attendance was driven more by the new stadium than by the performance.
This is super on topic. For the record, a cheap team does this. The Twins didn’t want to pay an extra $150M for the retractable roof, and beyond that, ruin the aesthetics of the stadium and views in the process. MLB front loads the Twins’ schedule with away games in April to minimize the cold weather impact.
Side note: The “hot cocoa” is barely “warm cocoa” on cold days so I wouldn’t drink it if they did hand it out for free.
Gibson — I haven’t verified your attendance claims but will take your word. Your comment is missing some context though. From 2002 to 2008, it was the end of the Metrodome. It’s plastic sheen and hefty bag chic had worn off. Fans hated the Metrodome (well most). Most did not want to see games played there. That is why the new stadium was built (who many consider the best in baseball). In the late 80s and 90s successful teams were up at the top in attendance because the novelty of the Dome had not yet worn off.
And 2017 wasn’t exactly a playoff year. It was surrounded by a grouping of near 100 loss seasons. And they limped and lucked into the playoffs that year. To build attendance a winning culture is needed, much like the winning culture during the late 80s and 90s. (Also, Puckett was the first 3 million dollar player if my memory serves.)
@ Gibson….
I guess winning Division titles and getting bounced in the first round rather embarrassingly does not count…..fans are not stupid, you don’t build a roster to get to the playoffs, you build a roster to win the damn thing. I guess we will have to agree to disagree and it’s funny that a team like Milwaukee…….(way smaller than Minneapolis and 30th largest nationwide) can out perform us. What does that say about Minnesota baseball? Minneapolis is 16th largest market in the US and gets pounced by the cheeseheads to the west in baseball attendance. And they too have had just a lean years as we have had. But look at what they did….a small market team with the balls to go out and do what they did with yelich, cain and whatnot.
I’m done beating this dead horse and will just accept the fact that I was born into a state that has to have the absolute worst average of the big 4 (NFL, MLB, NHL & NBA) I won’t even mention that sport that Europeans root for as it is a disgrace! Yep, Minnesota is a joke of a sports town/state and when it’s the less than lady like Minnesota Lynx that are bringing home the bacon in the titles department, you know you are rooting for a joke and a loser.
I’m done…y’all have a nice holiday season.
@ trump16
You nailed it bro! A winning culture has to be established to build your attendance numbers. The Twins do not do that. They tear down and rebuild….rinse and repeat…rinse and repeat! Bla bla bla. No big free agent signings to whip the fans into a frenzy….just the same tired old terry Ryan BS year in a year out. #whatever
Those have nots and has beens won the SERIES in 87and 91. I went to Metropolitan stadium in the 60’s to see both Twins and Vikes. I’ve seen alot better and alot worse!
You’re all fair weather fans. Respect the game or start going to games where they wear skirts and serve cookies
The Pohlads run the Twins as a standalone business; one in which approximately 50% of revenue is slated for payroll, give or take the given circumstances of any given year. I was a long time STH for the Twins as well, and gave up 3 years into Target Field.
The Pohlads are more interested in selling “The Target Field Experience” than they are in winning the World Series (well maybe not financially, but not as “fans”). Every year they tear out more seats, add more restaurants and bars, make great productions on the new food offerings for the new season. I remember an interview, when Carl and Eloise were both still alive (she was the fan), they were interviewing the sons, and none of them had any interest in owning/running the ballclub. So, they’re in the family business, but it’s not really their ‘passion’, so this is the result.
You must have never been to Safeco…beautiful stadium all around.
Enki, the part about putting a playoff caliber team on the field year in and year out, it depends on how one views it. Do they have the money to put a decent team on the field, the answer is yes. Do the owners want to spend the money to do it, the answer is no. So that’s where the difference lies. They haven’t drafted well which hurts. Sano is about as immature as they come. Buxton can run, field and throw, but he can’t hit a beachball.
Sneaky good signing.
It is a minor league signing after all……
Enki is one of those Twins fans who no matter what the front office does, calls ownership cheap. Enki doesn’t realize that every major league team signs minor league free agents – it’s a necessity to fill out the AAA roster, and you never know, once in a while, you strike gold.
Enki was right about 1974, when Calvin Griffith owned the team. But, the Pohlads have been far from cheap. When Kirby Puckett got his extension, it was the richest deal in baseball. When Joe Mauer got his extension, it was one of the richest deals. When the Twins failed to add players downs the stretch in the mid 2000s when they were winning division titles every year, it was Terry Ryan who balked at trading prospects and taking on salary…..not the Pohlads.
Enki forgets that the Twins offered Yu Darvish over 100 mil last offseason. Enki forgets that the Twins had a 132 million payroll at the start of last season. Enki thinks that payroll equals success.
Finally, Enki doesn’t speak for all Twins fans. This one is patient and can see what the new FO is trying to do.
And, by the way – 2019 for the Twins is 100% all about making sure that Buxton, Sano and Kepler figure it out. That’s 1/3 of the line up. Does it make sense to sign a couple players when 1/3 of the line up could be busts? Plus, Castro is coming back from knee surgery and Garver is terrible behind the plate – so that’s 44% of the line up that’s in question. If 2 of the three potential busts can prove that they are not busts, then you add in 2020.
@ wjf010
This Twins fan is twice your age and seen it, heard it and been there done it since 1974. My leather mit is probably older than you are and I’ve heard all this before.
We will agree to disagree and wjf010 speaks for himself. I speak for the folks who have had their hearts shredded for over 50 years and myself. At least I’m not afraid to call out what I see and am certainly not a “yes” man.
Here’s a fair gauge, lets let the fans do the talking and see what the attendance numbers are wjf. We’ll see if there are 2 million fans that share your patient persona……but we all know the answer already.
Good day sir.
Enki doesn’t speak for all Twins fans and that’s okay. He speaks for a lot of us and a difference in opinion doesn’t constitute a need to apologize for him. The front office and ownership doesn’t read these posts, take them personally and crawl into a corner to cry.
There rightfully exists massive disappointment in the organization. No team has lost more games over the past 8 years than the Twins and for every step forward the organization has taken, there’s been an equal step backwards.
Relievers are so fungible and volatile that this may end up being a sneaky signing. I’ve liked him in the past and he’s been good in the past and his peripherals are better than the ERA suggests so who knows
looks like a good signing for the AAA team and some insurance should the need arise…not bad
@ walls17
2018 – 4.0 IP = 6.75 ERA
2017 – 20.0 IP = 6.91 ERA (Between 2 teams / LA & KC)
2016 – 55.2 IP = 4.37 ERA
2015 – 35.1 IP = 6.37 ERA
No thanks!
You can’t argue truths
Truth is only hearsay.
@ gmenfan….BS!
This is the truth on this guy!
2018 – 4.0 IP = 6.75 ERA
2017 – 20.0 IP = 6.91 ERA (Between 2 teams / LA & KC)
2016 – 55.2 IP = 4.37 ERA
2015 – 35.1 IP = 6.37 ERA
No thanks!
Truth BRO! Deal with it
He’s FIP actually pretty good though.
‘15 2.85, ‘16 3.65, ‘17 4.41, ‘18 0.91
Rookie year ERA in ‘14 was 2.90 in 59 innings. Only a minor league pick up that could work out.
FIP is diverging from actual results and has been for a couple years. The metric appears to be broken. Aside from that, FIP should never be looked at in a vacuum. Some pitchers do not perform at their FIPs (cough, Ricky Nolasco, cough).
The track record on Morin is more than long enough. He’s an average strike out reliever with average control who’s lost velocity over the past couple years and pitched to ho-hum performances at AAA. He doesn’t typically give up a lot of hard contact and home runs and that’s all that he brings to the table.
Basically, he’s probably an adequate middle innings eater, but that’s not a position the Twins can’t fill internally.
@ martras
Yep, nailed it. This dude is a Hot steaming Carl and we all know it.
Fungible. I had to look it up. Great word.
He’s had one decent season in five years. He’s good for one inning in mop up. Can not count on him for anything else.
Stud
guess the angels could have trained you better. or that might be your talent’s limit. however, best of luck and hope you get called up some time during the regular season.
Fairly large amount of very recent MiLB signings missing from this website
RHP Jeanmar Gomez – signed with Rangers
INF Donovan Solano – signed with Giants
RHP Tyler Danish – signed with Mariners
INF Gregorio Petit, INF Matt McBride, C Rob Brantly, LHP Jeremy Bleich – signed with Phillies
LHP Danny Coloumbe – signed with Yankees
RHP Daniel Corcino – signed with Dodgers
RHP Carlos Ramirez, INF Phillip Evans, OF Jim Adduci – signed with Cubs
RHP Erasmo Ramirez – signed with Red Sox
There are a lot of minor moves that don’t get publicized or reported by trustworthy sources, and there’s only so much time we can dedicate to tracking these sorts of things down.
What is your source for these agreements?
Solano – @giantsprospects
Danish – @MiLBMariners
Petit, McBride, Brantly, Bleich – @Matt_Winkelman
Coloumbe – @MaxWildstein
Corcino – @DodgersLowDown
Evans – @mikemayerMMO
Adduci/Erasmo – @Brandon_Warne
Not trying to trash talk this website at all, Jeff, I’ve been a follower for years. Just pointing some stuff I’ve been seeing on Twitter out, that’s all!
Didn’t take it that way, was just explaining. I will take a look at these. Appreciate it.
What does any of that have to do with Harper and Machado? 😉
@ Wolf Hoffman……nothing bro because you clicked on an article about the signing of a Twins pitcher.
Fun to watch him mix speeds when he’s on his game. Great guy, very nice family. I hope he does well.
But what this article misses is that Morin only took this position after turning down the offer of Attorney General.
First!
Enkl sums up the feelings of many T’ins fans. Yeah we know that no minor league signing with an invite to ST is a bad signing. Its depth plain and simple. The problem is year after year we get these big promises after another failure of a season and we get retreads for acquisitions. I count our biggest of Schoop as one of these retreads as well. We are left with hanging our hopes on a 1 year wonder like him and told it is an improvement. Sorry but imo he is a step back from who we had in Dozier. Cron is a step back from Mauer. We were told for years that we can’t make another big signing cuz of Mauer. Well now he is gone and the dives into the dumpster continue. Jim Pohlad id this teams problem. Thanks Enkl.
@ jibes717
Thanks brother….another fellow Twins fan that gets it. You hit the proverbial nail on the head. Mauer and his $23/year are gone, Santanna’s option was not picked up, Dozier is gone. Why in the sam h*ll are we not buyers for the mid to upper tier free agents? I understand not going after Harper and or Machado but that is not my beef here. This is arguable the best ever free agent class in the history of baseball and the Twins found themselves with an abundance of cash to spend with Mauers decision to retire. I cannot for the life of me figure out why a multi-billionaire that owns a team does not pounce on the talent rich free agent pool. Throw your muscle and bank account around…after all, you are the richest baseball family in all of the MLB. I attribute it to being lazy!
You don’t make business decisions like the Pohlads are doing and have been doing over the years and become successful.
I’m venting and know that any other hardcore Twins fan…not just baseball fans but diehard Twins fans that have had their collective hearts ripped apart year after year are feeling the same way I do. It just does not make any sense to me at all!
Merry Christmas to everyone or Happy Hanukkah and may 2019 be better for you and yours than it will be for the Twins.
So we *still* don’t get why huge premier FA deals are only ever handed out by the same big market usual suspects or whichever lower tier team decided to try to try to swim with the big fish this year. When does that ever work out? It’s not about IF the buyer’s remorse will set in, it’s a matter of when. Other than a select few big market teams, most teams simply can not afford to miss on a FA deal or they’ll be handcuffed for years with no recourse other than trying to trade the contract away.
Here’s the very painful truth. The Twins could not reasonably be expected to compete this year. A run down at their roster at seasons end.
C – Garver. Castro. Should be adequate.
1B – Austin – Probably not MLB roster worthy.
2B – Nobody
3B – Sano. Big question mark.
SS – Polanco. Unfit to play SS, probably solid 2nd baseman.
LF – Rosario. Solid player.
CF – Buxton/Cave. Big question mark and a 4th outfielder.
RF – Kepler. Adequate historically but questionable plus side beyond that.
DH – Nobody
SP1 – Berrios – Quality #2-#3 starter, but never an ace.
SP2 – Gibson – #4-#5 starter who puts together random surprise years.
SP3 – Pineda – Question mark.
SP4 – Odorizzi – AAAA starter in decline, but under contract.
SP5 – Meija – Probably AAAA starter, but maybe a #5. Out of options.
Depth – Mostly out of option limited upside guys, but there’s still some dwindling hope Romero could develop further.
Bullpen – A couple solid options a couple question marks and some mop up guys.
The honest truth is the Twins had/have major question marks at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, RF and DH. In addition, the team has no ace and possibly no #2 starter on the roster unless Berrios can take another step forward. Romero is the only potential real rotation help possible, and the control issues may prevent him from ever being that top rotation guy. The next high end rotation arm in the system right now is a couple years away.
It’s not a roster you can build. The Twins need to know what they have in Buxton, Sano, Kepler and Garver, The team is also looking to their minor league roster in the hopes it can patch major needs at the MLB level over the next two years. That’s not a favorable position to be in.
You missed a couple signings
They did Sign CJ Cron, He is a first base/DH Type who had a pretty nice year,
They signed Jonathan Schoop to be 2b. He was bad last year, but previously he has put up good numbers.
The also signed Ronald Torreyes who could be a nice utility infielder.
Also you gotta consider La Tortuga in the lineup potentially, dude was fun to watch and put up nice numbers last year.
I think their batting is fine in all reality and there has been rumors about them getting Nelson Cruz. That would fill the DH spot nicely.
it’s the pitching staff that is the biggest weakness imo
Either way yeah they aren’t super scary on paper, I think if the team clicks they could be wild card again like they were a couple years ago, but that is a pretty big if.
I’ve been a Twins fan since I was a kid in the 60s and I’ve never used the term “T’ins” – though I’ve seen it written in comments before. Can you please explain what it means or is intended to mean? I realize it’s a putdown, but why “T’ins?” Thanks.
There is no W in the T’ins. That is what goes with the culture of losing.
I guess, compared to the Vikings? Which team has won the championship if its league??
This guy has a nasty changeup in MLB the Show!!!
Can confirm.
It’s nearly unhittable isn’t it??
It really is. For some odd reason, the pitcher I have the most problems hitting off of in The Show is Adam Conley of the Marlins. You wouldn’t think he’d be all that great but his windup is deceptive and has all sorts of funky velocities. I just got shut out by him last night, it was embarrassing haha.
Same here Eric on Conley. And Finnegan. I try to be patient, but he seems to hit the zone on Legend and/or has great deception.
Adam Conley is like a poor mans josh hader
More AAA fodder and bullpen depth. I’m not convinced the analytics stats are really that helpful is assessing a player’s potential. His numbers don’t look that promising and he seems to have been consistently bad to mediocre.
ALLLRIIIIGHT!!! I love vent time as a twins fan. 🙂
I would love to get some Nick Punto like players. I always liked him. Dozier was batting .220 (at his hot times) that SHOULD be your worst batter on your team…Cruz would be a solid addition. But seriously though….the offense was so horrendously bad. So so bad. Adding any free agent is a plus. Schoop & Cron? If they hit the ball one time next year I think theyll be better than Logan Morrison last year.
Our starting rotation really isn’t THAT bad…We have 3 fighters and Trevor May hopefully.
Why was there no pursuit of Charlie Morton? I mean why not? (Thank you so much for cutting anibel Sanchez last year….) Are you kidding me!?!?
MLBTR: Please stop reporting that the Twins are signing non-superstars to minor league contracts. It’s apparently more than snowflake “fans” can bear.