It seems the Twins are optimistic of reaching terms with one or more of their young core players. According to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune, it’s even possible that some new contracts could be wrapped up and announced “by the end of the week.”
It’s still unclear precisely which players the Twins are pursuing, and which of those are likely to put pen to paper. There is no shortage of conceivable candidates. Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario both stand out as the most obviously appealing targets, but a variety of others could also make sense under the right circumstances.
For his part, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey acknowledged that the club has real interest in extensions this spring. As in most cases, he suggested, the team’s interest is twofold. “Having those guys under control for longer than what they presently are would be a good thing, in our minds,” said Falvey. Likewise, he added, “it’s helpful to know you are going to be able to plan out a number of years with a lot of young players.”
The first deal to hit the books will, remarkably, represent the Twins’ first post-2019 player commitment. While the organization reportedly put a few multi-year offers on the table over the winter, it has yet to spill ink on its pristine future balance sheets. That has been cause for no little consternation from some fans, as the club seems to have quite a bit of unallocated spending capacity in 2019 and beyond.
Setting aside the question whether the organization is doing enough to boost its present roster, it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive it ends up being in reaching new deals with existing players. Falvey did clearly specify a desire to expand control rights, but that’ll likely cost a pretty penny in some cases — particularly, those of Berrios and Rosario, who turned in strong 2018 seasons after reportedly rebuffing prior extension efforts from the Twins.
Sano and Buxton can probably be done pretty cheaply!
Lol
Neither are gunna be interested in negotiating an extension right now. What do they lose by trying to figure things out this season?
Their careers..
I think the twins will welcome their free agency… sano is a beast with a bat when healthy but if he can’t do that in his early 20’s then an extension spells disaster…
Buxton is an injury waiting to happen.. i expect them to sign them for way under any market value.. that makes them good trade chips..
Buxton is an injury that already happened
I’d personally lock up Jose and Eddie automatically, then is Sano and Buxton can prove theirselves then go ahead with them. They should still be able to sign Kimbrel, keuchel, or Machado easily if willing to spend and be aggressive.
They wont sign any of those guys. This is the Twins!
Kyle Gibson for 4 yrs/42-48 mil seems about the right expectation for where this is going.
why would gibson sign so cheap? other than the way things are currently in the ML over 30 need not apply.. His free agency pending will be his only chance to get a contract chances are.. 12 mil a year isn’t even top relief pitcher money
Gibson is already over 30… He’ll be 32 at the start of next season. Also, he’ll regress big time this year.
pennies on the dollar, sign them now while they are scared of the looming free agency..
The Twins are obviously looking to compete around 2020-22. They’re waiting for young players to come up from the farm. So it makes sense that they try to extend some of their young veterans to push them into that window.
Despite all the howling and disbelief in the articles, no team builds a real, sustainable contender off of the free agent market. The White Sox tried it in 2015 with a much better core then the Twins have today. It looked great on paper. Unfortunately for them, the game is played on the field. That mistake not only lost the Sox money, it put them into a deep rebuild the past 3 years, and they’ll need at least another 2 just to see what they have.
The new Twins FO inherited 2 quality players from the last rebuild – (as the article mentions) Rosario and Berrios. They also developed Gibson, Sano, Buxton, May, Kepler, Rogers, and a few others. Decent…..but all teams have guys like that. Maybe a few will still develop to star status, but right now they’re pretty much complimentary players good at a few things, and poor at others.
Am not a fan of Falvey / Levine, but they are going by the book here. Restraint, not panic is needed. Some mis-steps at this time with long-term contracts will put them in the same boat the Padres are in today with Myers and Hosmer (who had nothing on the books when they signed them).
I’m sorry the twins inherited joe, Dozier, Escobar, Rosario, berrios, Gibson, Sano Buxton, May, Kepler Rogers and the rest.. from terry Ryan
They have not drafted a single guy that is ML ready. and as far as building with prospects; its malarkey. no team build with prospect, they depend on free agent signings and trades.. because for every team that claimed they tanked and built from within.. you look at their teams: look at 2 world series champions
Astros: : You had a change of ownership after the 2011season: and a new GM. So what happened before then isn’t part of the ” Tank”: Before 2012 They had Altuve, Springer and Kutchel
If you look at the roster it was: ” Breaking down how the Astros
acquired the 25 players on their World Series roster. — Amateur free agents: 2
— Waivers: 3 — MLB free agent: 5 — Draft: 6 — Trade: 9
with 3 of those Drafted before the “tank”, Kutchel was a 7th round pick ( a lot of luck drafting that low and getting a player), they Drafted Mark Appel # 1 in
in 2013 instead of Kris bryant.
“chron.com/sports/astros/article/How-this-Astros-powerhouse-was-built-11185885.php
The Cubs have even less association between their “tanking”
and the team that won the WS. They had a change in GM in 2011. Of their team on the 40 man ( not playing in the world series) 5 drafted players, ( only Bryant was a major contributor), 15 by trade, 13 by free agents and 5 players from previous
chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-roster-construction-timeline-gfx-20161007-htmlstory.html
Samuel has posted many times on the evils of free agency. He seems like a smart guy and means well. He just has an incredible bias (or blind spot) against free agency. In the world of reality, you need prospects, free agents, and trades to work out to be a contender.
What I think he means is that giant albatross free agent signings are bad. Well, yeah. Of course. But not all free agent signing are like Pujols or Vernon Wells. Sometimes a free agent signing can be as simple as a 39 year old Jim Thome for a one-year platoon role. I don’t think those signings register with Samuel.
I don’t care about the 2015 White Sox. Using one example to make a point is how you build a straw man argument. It is also called cherry picking. Maybe the 2015 White Sox (or the Padres around the same time when they went all in) and failed, but that happens. There has not been one single World Series winner over the past couple decades that did not use or need free agency to win that World Series.
Sometimes the albatross works out, ie scherzer.
@ someoldguy, Tipsy McStagger;
I’m not opposed at all to free agency……
I believe that first a team has to lay down a nucleus of quality young inexpensive players (some acquired in trades), then layer in (pricey) free agents to complement them. That’s all.
Recent statements by Falvey / Levine are in line with that.
Even when Epstein had Boston’s budget he mentioned that he couldn’t afford free agents at most positions.
One reason I’m not a fan of Falvey / Levine is because I’m unimpressed with their trades and free agent signings to this point. They have not made one smart, savvy move I can think of – just a few pedestrian acquisitions. You can layer on Machado or Harper along with Kimbrel to that roster, and IMO that team is not going to be better then the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Rays, Indians or even a healthy Angels team in 2019…….and that’s assuming those players would even consider signing to play there.
My reading of them is that they began a rebuild when they were hired….and that’s WHY they were hired. Like any other new pro sports FO they want their guys in. They’ve only been there a few years – who expects their roster to be dotted with their draftees? There is obviously a long-term plan, and it appears that signing pricey free agents to long-term contracts is premature at this point.
For the record, I don’t see them succeeding. I like what the Tigers and Royals are doing in the ALC. They are going after speed, athleticism, and defensive ability to support their pitchers; and are prioritizing accumulating and developing quality young arms. They are focused on building teams that play solid fundamental baseball in their large parks. In 2-4 years I believe they will rule the ALC, and have a nice run.
Scherzer contract not albatross, it is spruce goose.
The Twins have had the core of “quality” inexpensive players for a while. They’ve been waiting for a core of “elite” inexpensive players from what I can tell. While that would be fantastic, I don’t believe in the idea a team can field a roster of 3-4 All Star caliber players, all young, all inexpensive, all cost controlled for a significant period of time, and all home grown at the same time. It requires a great deal of luck in the draft to have several players wildly pan out at the same time, and probably some luck in trades to boot.
The idea the scenario is reasonable may come from the early/mid-2000s for the Twins where they drafted Mauer and Morneau, and Johan Santana as an indirect rule 5 pick. They also traded a good catcher for what would become two elite assets in Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano and a decent back end starter in Boof Bonser. Then, the Twins had guys like Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer pan out. All at the same time. That just doesn’t happen. Hoping lightning strikes twice is a bad way to run a team looking to compete in my opinion.
I proposed the following to friend:
Sign Harper
Sign Kimbrel
Sign Keutchel
Sign Marwin Gonzalez
Sign Cruz
Sign Cron
Trade for J.T. Realmuto (lose Kepler, Garver and a prospect)
Trade for Yu Darvish and $5M off his contract annually. (costs little in prospects)
Trade Odorizzi away
Trade Pineda away
C – Realmuto / Castro
1B – Cron
2B – Polanco
3B – Sano
SS – Gonzalez
LF – Rosario
CF – Buxton
RF – Harper
DH – Cruz
UI – Adrianza
UO – Cave
SP1 – Darvish
SP2 – Berrios
SP3 – Keutchel
SP4 – Gibson
SP5 – Mejia
BP – Stewart
BP – Rogers
BP – Romero
BP – J. Reed
BP – A, Reed
BP – Hildenberger
Set – May
Cls – Kimbrel
This roster would be available in the $140-150M range, sustainable and ensure a high level of productivity for several years where the Twins could challenge for WS titles. Just my opinion.
This is what my decisions would have looked like prior to the dumpster diving the Twins wound up committing to.
To be fair Bill Smith signed/drafted for Kepler, Sano, Eddie Rosario, Dozier and Gibson. Terry Ryan came back in 2012 after Bill Smith got reassigned.
Terry Ryan quit after a player revolt saying he didn’t want to win.. Bill Smith gets fired after saying he wants more money to win, Ryan start tanking in 2012.. current regime is waiting for the window to be wide open and for them to be projected as the central division champs before they leap.. so buy tickets while we wait for a sure thing… which is what Ryan said and did.. of course in baseball there are no sure things.
@ someoldguy;
I don’t know about a player revolt, I’ll take your word.
I stopped watching them when Sano lost them a game in the 9th inning by misplaying a catchable line drive in RF. The relief pitcher on the mound lost it. Sano was a top prospect that was hitting. He was their best hitter. He’s a 3B. He had no business playing in RF – especially to allow a guy like Trevor Pluffe to continue at 3B.
Add in that all the youngsters coming up were position players. They weren’t developing pitchers….and still aren’t. Berrios looks terrific, and Gibson finally had a decent year. But developing those 2 guys in 6-8 years does not a contender make.
Six weeks before the 2018 trade deadline I was writing here that the Twins were in a rebuild and would be sellers. A bunch of posters insulted me. Alas, that’s exactly what happened.
Until that organization can acquire, teach, develop, and recalibrate pitchers, they will continue in circles.
on 2007 twins traded former GG and All star 2b Luis Castillo when Torii and Johann were talking about making a push for the pennant.. Santana asked to be traded and Hunter was already irritated with the twins for not offering an extension when he asked for one.. the result was Ryan quit, Smith was left to clean up his mess basically forced to trade Johann and Hunter going for the best contract..
Not extending Hunter, the face of the franchise was a travesty. Ownership should be embarrassed, but watching this team since then, I don’t think anything embarrasses the Pohlads.
Extend some and front-load the heck out of the contracts.
Berrios a twin for life. C ya to the rest
Why on earth would he want to stay in Twinkieland?
$
Berrios should be a given, Kepler will be a bargain, and as much as I love Rosario, I don’t trust him… but if the price is right, go ahead.
I would extend all three (but as low as possible on Max), and I would try to sign Gibson for three years.
I just want Joe Mauer back
I want Berrios and Kepler to be extended for sure. Others would be ok too, but those two would be my choice.
Berrios should be locked down. His work ethic is unparalleled. I don’t think he’d sign a long deal, but might sign a shorter one that eats up arb and maybe a year or two of free agency. They still have time.
Rosario is a maybe. A lot of corner outfielders bust out on the scene then fizzle. Give him another year. It could cost them in the end, but could also save them years of paying a premium for average production.
If Sano doesn’t turn it around. Arenado anyone? He’d do well at target. He’d cost a ton, but the twins have a ton of money next year.
Sale and Cole are also available next year.
Gibson is the only other real extension candidate right now.
I think Kepler could be moved. There is a high interest. I like him, but think his production could be matched.
There are three questions here.
1) What Twins player would want to sign a long term contract with a club completely disinterested in fielding a playoff or better team? This applies to Rosario and Berrios.
2) What Twins player would want to sign a long term contract when their value is at it’s lowest spot? This applies to Kepler, Sano and Buxton.
3) Would the Twins want to lock up players who haven’t shown the potential to be more than mediocre in several full seasons? This applies to Sano and Buxton.
So neither Sano nor Buxton likely want to sign a contract with the Twins, and the Twins are probably think “the feeling is mutual.”
While the Twins would likely be interested in extending Kepler, his value might be lower than it could be. I think he’s already shown his floor so it’s not likely in his best interest to sign right now.
That leaves Berrios and Rosario. Why would they want to sign with a team not remotely interested in competing? This is a long term problem for the Twins. They haven’t regularly spent money to keep their best players and they don’t seem interested in competing at a high level. Why stick to Minnesota when you have an opportunity to hit free agency and go someplace that cares about winning?