All Things 2020-2021 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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forever a gopher said:
It’s disappointing that they couldn’t sign him to a reasonable multi-year deal and flip him in a trade.
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Every single team passed on claiming him. He obviously has no trade value at this salary. I don't think it would matter if he made $8 million instead of $10.
 

I may have already posted this, but after the loss of fan revenue last season, the Twins' payroll is probably going to see a significant reduction.

Rosario does a lot of fun things - but the Twins' front office is analytics central. And they see a corner outfielder with an .800 OPS, a relatively low OBP, some base-running and defensive lapses, and looking at a $10-million arbitration award.

So, the choice is pony up for Rosario -
or replace him with a combination of Kiriloff, Rooker or Larnach - at maybe $600,000 a year, with a good chance that the production will be similar or even superior in some areas.

there is a big group of minor leaguers coming up - minor leaguers who have been drafted and/or developed under Falvine. Rosario will not be the only regular to leave in the next year or two.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I may have already posted this, but after the loss of fan revenue last season, the Twins' payroll is probably going to see a significant reduction.

Rosario does a lot of fun things - but the Twins' front office is analytics central. And they see a corner outfielder with an .800 OPS, a relatively low OBP, some base-running and defensive lapses, and looking at a $10-million arbitration award.

So, the choice is pony up for Rosario -
or replace him with a combination of Kiriloff, Rooker or Larnach - at maybe $600,000 a year, with a good chance that the production will be similar or even superior in some areas.

there is a big group of minor leaguers coming up - minor leaguers who have been drafted and/or developed under Falvine. Rosario will not be the only regular to leave in the next year or two.
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Payroll will come down, it's a question of how much. But everyone is in the same boat. There are a lot of really good players who are going to have to take 1 year deals for $5-10 million if they want to play in 2021.
 



BleedGopher said:
Well this would suck. Per Shama:

Rumors persist that Twins DH extraordinaire Nelson Cruz might use his free agent status to join the White Sox who could emerge from the off-season as the favorite to win the AL Central.


Win Twins!!
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I was OK with moving on from him, but much like when your brother takes your toy, I suddenly want him back.
 







Saw this tweet from Aaron Gleeman, who covers the Twins for the Athletic. part of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast.

NEW: Do the Twins even have any real competition for Nelson Cruz? I asked The Athletic's other AL beat writers if the teams they cover might make a run at Cruz and not one said it seemed likely. More than half said there was zero or close to zero chance.
 

tikited said:
Give it to him. They won't but I hope they do.
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If he'll take what Carlos Santana just got from the Royals (2/$16) but I'm guessing he wants like 2/$25 to 2/$30. I'd rather have had Santana in that case.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Saw this tweet from Aaron Gleeman, who covers the Twins for the Athletic. part of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast.

NEW: Do the Twins even have any real competition for Nelson Cruz? I asked The Athletic's other AL beat writers if the teams they cover might make a run at Cruz and not one said it seemed likely. More than half said there was zero or close to zero chance.
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A lot depends on the NL. Supposedly they will not have the DH but nothing is decided.
 



per Shooter:

Good guess: DH Nelson Cruz, 41, returns to the Twins for about $12 million, but for just one year, not two. That’s assuming he’s healthy, and if the White Sox don’t offer more.

A concern for the Twins in considering free agent lefty reliever Brad Hand, 30, from Chaska has to be that he’s basically a replica of their current lefty reliever Taylor Rogers, who turns 30 on Thursday.

It would be greatly surprising if the Cubs don’t pursue peerless Twins broadcaster Cory Provus, who was raised in Chicago and has a myriad of ties in the area, for their TV opening.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Final month could decide Kirk Cousins’ future

The way it looks now, Kirk Cousins’ future in Minnesota could depend on the final month of the season that begins Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay. If Cousins, 32, continues to play well, there could …
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per Shooter:

It would be greatly surprising if the Cubs don’t pursue peerless Twins broadcaster Cory Provus, who was raised in Chicago and has a myriad of ties in the area, for their TV opening.

Win Twins!!
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That would stink to lose Provus. He's top notch.
 

per Shooter:

Look for Justin Morneau to be the Twins’ lead TV analyst next season. There are a lot of former players who turn to broadcasting as an opportunity to stay in the game, but Morneau takes the opportunity especially seriously.

Pssst: The Phillies wanted erudite Twins GM Thad Levine, 49, to be their new head of baseball operations, but Levine chose to remain in Minnesota.

Good news: Although Twins peerless radio voice Cory Provus has been speculated to be a candidate for a Chicago Cubs broadcasting opening, look for him to remain in Minnesota for a ninth season next year.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Twins to name Toby Gardenhire manager of St. Paul Saints

Look for Toby Gardenhire to be named the first manager of the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate St. Paul Saints. And while it’s certainly early, it’s not unreasonable to project Gardenhire, 38, s…
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Well this would suck. Per Shama:

Rumors persist that Twins DH extraordinaire Nelson Cruz might use his free agent status to join the White Sox who could emerge from the off-season as the favorite to win the AL Central.


Win Twins!!
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I just read a whole story on this in The Athletic and they basically said that Cruz is waiting at this point to see if the NL will have the DH moving forward, as it gives him more options. Short of that, they said it is most likely that the Twins will resign him, as he likes it here and this is his preference as it is for the Twins. BTW - I signed up for the Athletic for $1 a week for a yea on a Christmas special offer and it has great Twins and baseball coverage.

IIRC he didn't list the Sox as a strong contender for his services.

Edit (Here is the abovementioned analysis of the chance Cruz ends up in Chicago) -

Chicago White Sox
Chicago signed the Cruz-like Edwin Encarnación for $12 million last winter, but he declined in a hurry. Stud first base prospect Andrew Vaughn, the No. 3 pick in 2019, is nearly ready. José Abreu, the reigning AL MVP, is also a first baseman, so one of them will be moving to DH soon. Cruz in the White Sox’s lineup is nightmare fuel for Twins fans, but they likely have other DH plans.

Cruz threat level: Medium

IMO Sharma is a complete hack who isn't plugged in to anyone or anything. I doubt Sharma knows anything about the aforementioned Andrew Vaughn.

Serious question, when is the last time he had a scoop on the Twins or any other MN Team? He strikes me a worse version of Charlie Waters, lots of meaningless conjecture and worthless tidbits.
 
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Minnesota Twins
Rocco Baldelli had a message for free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz.

“Nelson, if you’re watching (Tuesday’s conference call), which I know you’re not, would love to see you at spring training and I’ll talk to you soon,” Baldelli said with a smile.

Baldelli said Cruz is “at the forefront of our offseason conversations.”

Cruz hit 57 home runs in his two seasons for the Twins, 41 in 2019 and 16 during the pandemic-shortened 2020. He finished sixth in the AL MVP voting.

The Twins also have a hole in the outfield after the team non-tendered Eddie Rosario.

“We don’t know exactly which direction we’re going to go, but a lot of that is because we have multiple options that I think are not just options that fit, but guys that can impact our team,” Baldelli said.

Aside from trying to re-sign Cruz, Baldelli said the Twins “have to stay flexible and find different ways to improve your club going forward.”

“Every year we have to go back home and settle in and retool and prepare to be headed to spring training a better team than you were when you left,” Baldelli said. “Whether you’re talking about our rotation, our bullpen or our position-player group, we’re not going to stop in any way from trying to get better.”

www.chicagotribune.com

Evaluating the AL Central: A look at the offseason plans for the Chicago White Sox’s division foes

The Chicago White Sox have been one of the more active teams this offseason. Their American League Central opponents have noticed. “The White Sox going to get (pitcher Lance) Lynn, and making…
www.chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com
 


BleedGopher said:
per Shooter:

Look for Justin Morneau to be the Twins’ lead TV analyst next season. There are a lot of former players who turn to broadcasting as an opportunity to stay in the game, but Morneau takes the opportunity especially seriously.
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Morneau does a fantastic, in depth job analyzing the game. Makes the pitch by pitch quite a bit more interesting the way he breaks down what's happening on the field.
 


stocker08 said:
The Twins "splash" signing of the offseason? 😋
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Almost no major moves are being made. I can't get mad at the Twins when 25 other teams have also done nothing. There will be a ton of moves once MLB get it's $%^ together and figures out whether there will be a DH in the NL, when the season will actually start, etc. Rob Manfred sucks.
 

per Gleeman:

Why the Twins would be smart to offer Alex Kirilloff a long-term deal right now

Alex Kirilloff’s estimated time of arrival has reached the “any minute” stage. The prized Twins prospect debuted in September for the club in a must-win playoff game against the Astros and by all accounts figures to be a critical piece of the franchise’s future.

That’s why the Twins should consider joining a rising MLB trend and give Kirilloff a long-term deal now, before he’s even played a regular-season game in a Twins uniform, that would extend his time in Minnesota at a more reasonable price than he would likely command later and provide the 23-year-old with security.

It might sound like a bold move, but signing young players to long-term contract extensions before they’re eligible for arbitration, and still several seasons from free agency, isn’t new. It’s a trend started in the 1990s by Cleveland general manager John Hart, who signed Jim Thome, Manny Ramírez, Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga and Sandy Alomar Jr., among others, to long-term deals when they were still somewhat unproven.

Cleveland hadn’t made the playoffs in 38 years when Hart took the GM job before the 1992 season, so developing prospects and rebuilding around a young core was crucial. Hart knew it would be impossible for Cleveland to fight off bigger markets to re-sign players once they neared free agency, so he didn’t wait, quickly offering guaranteed money in exchange for cost certainty and delayed free agency.

“It had never been done before,” Hart said 20 years later, after winning six AL Central titles in six out of seven years and making two World Series. “Our deals were so different because we caught the agents and the union by surprise.”

theathletic.com

Why Twins should offer Alex Kirilloff a long-term deal now

The former first-round pick is a big part of the Twins' future, which means the newest front-office trend might make sense for both sides.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Win Twins!!
 

per Shama:

It could be that Twins DH extraordinaire Nelson Cruz is waiting to see if the NL will use the designated hitter in 2021. A source said a decision on the DH may come by mid-January, and that will impact the number of suitors to sign Cruz to a new contract. The Twins seem likely to be a finalist.


Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per Shama:

It could be that Twins DH extraordinaire Nelson Cruz is waiting to see if the NL will use the designated hitter in 2021. A source said a decision on the DH may come by mid-January, and that will impact the number of suitors to sign Cruz to a new contract. The Twins seem likely to be a finalist.


Win Twins!!
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Deep groundbreaking insight by Shama there...
 

Woo Hoo!!

Cleveland trades Francisco Lindor to the Mets! Don't really give a shit what the Indians got in return, Lindor was a Twins killer. Good to see him GONE. Nice to see some more offseason activity to follow as well. Spring Training not really that far off
 


per Shooter:

It looks like the National League will adopt the designated hitter this year, meaning it could be another month or so before free agent Nelson Cruz, 40, who led the Twins in home runs (16) in last year’s abbreviated season, decides where to sign. The Twins remain the best bet for Cruz for a one-year deal, probably in the $12 million range.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Vikings should trade up to draft quarterback, expert says

The Minnesota Vikings have the No. 14 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. They should trade up to No. 10 to take a quarterback. That’s the opinion of draft expert Scott Wright. “I think they’ve got …
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Win Twins!!
 

Okay. I've been home for some time staying away for Covid. In these times you spend a lot of time on the internet. Well, I guess I reached the end of the internet because I came across a podcast about Barbara Dare, 80's/90's porn star. I guess she had been out of the industry for some 25 years. I'm not going to pretend I don't know who she is. Anyway, it was a pretty good interview and interesting what life was like in that industry at that time. She talked about her relationships outside of the business, Keanu Reeves and others but it came up that she had a relationship with someone from the Minnesota Twins during one of their World Series. She didn't say what year, '87 or '91. My speculation is that is was '91. She said that she broke it off after a trip to Barbados when he wanted her to give up the porn industry. I can only think of one guy that this might be. Scott Erickson. As many old timers would know he was a notorious womanizer back in the day. I even remember talk of a of a local woman sports beat reporter and him in the bathroom at Bullwinkle's. I remember that bathroom, it was not health department standard. I spent a lot of time at the bar drinking beer and eating Coney's.
I know this is gossip but I'd be interested if anyone knows if I'm on the right track.
Just a blast from the past and all in fun.
 

nitramnaed said:
Okay. I've been home for some time staying away for Covid. In these times you spend a lot of time on the internet. Well, I guess I reached the end of the internet because I came across a podcast about Barbara Dare, 80's/90's porn star. I guess she had been out of the industry for some 25 years. I'm not going to pretend I don't know who she is. Anyway, it was a pretty good interview and interesting what life was like in that industry at that time. She talked about her relationships outside of the business, Keanu Reeves and others but it came up that she had a relationship with someone from the Minnesota Twins during one of their World Series. She didn't say what year, '87 or '91. My speculation is that is was '91. She said that she broke it off after a trip to Barbados when he wanted her to give up the porn industry. I can only think of one guy that this might be. Scott Erickson. As many old timers would know he was a notorious womanizer back in the day. I even remember talk of a of a local woman sports beat reporter and him in the bathroom at Bullwinkle's. I remember that bathroom, it was not health department standard. I spent a lot of time at the bar drinking beer and eating Coney's.
I know this is gossip but I'd be interested if anyone knows if I'm on the right track.
Just a blast from the past and all in fun.
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My first thought was:
lXumCTAJIGEJy5z5XX1smwxzLU-92YGaPDDZVXuXeVjclrAdJczruARk9vX4c2PxRJgk-bNY_gMk9uC6rG5HXgFs5ZIYCJcrIoMz0RY2hhx_U0Qg0S4XXG8OhsIZ-XCJ9x6i_Ska_FvyvkEntA

But he didn't join the club until 2000.
 

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