All Things 2020-2021 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole



stocker08 said:
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.
Click to expand...

Morneau is really good. A real baseball education listening to him.
 

Lovin' This Offseason thus far -

Eyeing another deep international haul, Twins sign pair of top-30 prospects

Twins sign two top-30 international prospects – The Athletic


The quest to find the next Miguel Sanó, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco or Max Kepler has netted the Twins a pair of top-30 international prospects this month. A week into the 2020-21 international signing period, the Twins appear close to signing a class of 20-25 prospects led by Venezuelan shortstop Danny De Andrade, MLB Pipeline’s No. 16 overall international prospect.

De Andrade received a $2.2 million signing bonus last week. At least five of the players signed by the Twins received signing bonuses of $350,000 or more as the team spread the wealth among many players rather than commit to a massive signing bonus to just one. The team also signed shortstop Fredy LaFlor for $1.1 million. LaFlor is the No. 28 prospect, according to MLB.com.


“We feel like we’ve got another deep class here,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “It’s not just about the headline-grabbing guys because of the bonuses on the front end. There’s a lot of really good players that are in the middle of that group as well. We feel really good about a lot of that group.”

One of only six teams eligible to spend the maximum on international players, the Twins say they’re close to having committed the $6,431,000 allotted. Falvey said that the Twins want to retain a small portion of their budget in case any players pop up on the international radar after the initial signing frenzy.

Whereas in the past the Twins have committed huge bonuses to one player (minor-leaguer Wander Javier received $4 million in July 2015), this year they opted to spread it out. Shortstop Luis Rodriguez also received a bonus in the $350,ooo-500,000 range this month as did outfielder Reynaldo Madrigal and bat-first outfielder Rafael Cruz.

“You can put a lot of your money into one guy,” Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said. “You have high confidence this guy is going to be an impact, big-leaguer. But if you’re not going to get that guy who you think is an absolute bomber …

“All the way down (this group) we see potential.”

That promise begins with De Andrade, who has spent the past two years working out in the Dominican Republic.


isted at 5-foot-11, 173 pounds, the 16-year-old De Andrade has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order bat. Whether or not he sticks at shortstop or moves over to third base remains to be seen. But the Twins like DeAndrade’s defensive abilities, including his hands and footwork

“Super athletic player, continues to get stronger, more confident,” Falvey said. “He’s such an advanced hitter for his age.”

The Twins’ top three signees are all currently listed as shortstops. But that designation is more representative of the players’ athletic abilities at such a young age. For example, when they first signed Sanó, the Twins also listed him as a shortstop only for him to eventually slide over to third base.

With players being recruited as early as age 14, the international market is based heavily on projections of what a player’s body will look like when they turn 16 and as they develop in their professional careers. It’s wildly unpredictable.

But led by Fred Guerrero, the franchise’s director of Latin American scouting, the Twins have had international success over the years despite that uncertainty. A 2009 class that produced Sanó, Kepler and Polanco is considered one of the greatest international classes of all-time as it yielded three above-average major leaguers, including two All-Stars.

Arraez, who was signed out of Venezuela in Nov. 2013, is the fourth member of the everyday lineup to be a produced by the club’s international system. The team’s 40-man also features a homegrown international signee in right-handed reliever Edwar Colina. And MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Twins prospects includes three more players, including Javier (No. 9) and outfielders Misael Urbina (No. 20) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 25) who were signed out of the international pool.

Falvey said that Guerrero’s past success has led to the team increasing its scouting budget over the past few years.

“We’ve spent a lot of time re-investing in Latin America just to add new resources to help Freddy and the crew that’s down there,” Falvey said. “(VP of player personnel) Mike Radcliff has obviously been a tremendous leader of all that space.

“It’s easy to support Fred’s ultimate decisions and recommendations. We really let him run it. Our group on the ground there is really doing a good job to build up the class each and every year.”
 


I like the Simmons signing too. He doesn't bring a huge bat to the table, but he's still like a .270 hitter over his career which is pretty good these days. Still has some power potential as well but like others have said, defensively we should be a lot better. If Donaldson can stay healthy at 3B and Polanco picks things up at 2B we should have a solid infield.
 



per Shama:


The Minnesota Twins 2021 home opener is scheduled for April 8 at Target Field against the Detroit Tigers. Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners he is upbeat about the potential return of fans to home games after the pandemic made that impossible last year.

“We’re engaged in a conversation with the Governor’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Health about our potential of returning fans to Target Field here in April,” St. Peter said in Monday’s interview. “Additional conversations need to be had but in general we’re optimistic about our ability to return fans to Target Field. It’s to be determined whether that will be in April, or not. We’re working towards that.”

Nothing will be announced soon regarding fans back at the ballpark. “We’re several weeks away, maybe a month away from clarity in Minnesota and our ability to have fans,” St. Peter said.

The most exciting return, of course, would be April 8. “We’re shooting for opening day April 8th but, again, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Health, they’re going to help guide us on this, and we don’t take anything for granted relative to the virus.”

It’s all but certain that whenever fans return, the number of attendees will be restricted. “Whether that’s at 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, again, that’s to be determined,” St. Peter said. “But I think it’s safe to say we will crawl before we walk, we will walk before we run relative to the number of fans we allow into the ballpark at any given time.”


Win Twins!!
 




tmvander said:
I like the Simmons signing too. He doesn't bring a huge bat to the table, but he's still like a .270 hitter over his career which is pretty good these days. Still has some power potential as well but like others have said, defensively we should be a lot better. If Donaldson can stay healthy at 3B and Polanco picks things up at 2B we should have a solid infield.
Click to expand...
I'd consider anything above 100 games from Donaldson to be bonus. That's why having Arrreaz/Polanco available to play 3b is significant.
 

With the Simmons signing, that basically means Marwin Gonzales is gone. Arraez moves into the "super-utility" role, because he has played 2B, 3B, and LF, and could probably fill SS in an emergency.

The way Rocco likes to rest guys and move people around, Arraez could still wind up with 350-400 at-bats in a full season.

This pretty much sets up the position players.

Now, time to shore up the bullpen, and maybe take a flyer on another Starting pitcher. Odo is still out there, and I would be fine bringing him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable salary.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
With the Simmons signing, that basically means Marwin Gonzales is gone. Arraez moves into the "super-utility" role, because he has played 2B, 3B, and LF, and could probably fill SS in an emergency.

The way Rocco likes to rest guys and move people around, Arraez could still wind up with 350-400 at-bats in a full season.

This pretty much sets up the position players.

Now, time to shore up the bullpen, and maybe take a flyer on another Starting pitcher. Odo is still out there, and I would be fine bringing him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable salary.
Click to expand...
Yep, I think biggest needs at this point are bullpen and maybe even signing Cruz. howeda said it best...Donaldson will be hurt a lot. Sano is likely to find the DL once or twice at least. The lineup needs a little insurance and the bullpen a lot.

Unless we can land a starter that's better than Happ I would just be fine throwing Dobnak. Whoever the #5 is won't see time in the playoffs which is where we'll need help. If we sign a closer they will most definitely see time in the playoffs.
 




tmvander said:
Yep, I think biggest needs at this point are bullpen and maybe even signing Cruz. howeda said it best...Donaldson will be hurt a lot. Sano is likely to find the DL once or twice at least. The lineup needs a little insurance and the bullpen a lot.

Unless we can land a starter that's better than Happ I would just be fine throwing Dobnak. Whoever the #5 is won't see time in the playoffs which is where we'll need help. If we sign a closer they will most definitely see time in the playoffs.
Click to expand...

Per The Athletic, the Twins want to sign Cruz and the Cruz camp is likely waiting for the decision on the NL DH, which I would think the longer it lasts the less likely it is to happen; they were waiting on the NL to see if they would increase their pool of suitors and increase their leverage.

My guess is he signs in the next week of so.

Then I want a couple of Righties out of the pen.

This is a buyer's market and the patience that was shown in previous off seasons (when they signed Cruz and the trade for Maeda) is our bailiwick.
 

In-depth article from The Athletic on what the signing of SImmons means to the Twins D -

Just stay healthy.


Major question marks surrounding the health of shortstop Jorge Polanco, third baseman Josh Donaldson and second baseman Luis Arraez, combined with the free-agent departures of backups Marwin González and Ehire Adrianza, made improved infield depth an obvious priority for the Twins this offseason as they look to fend off Chicago and Cleveland for a third straight AL Central title.

At a minimum, they had to find upgrades over González and Adrianza, both of whom struggled in 2020 and could no longer be counted on to provide the type of insurance the Twins needed behind Polanco, Donaldson and Arraez. But it quickly became clear the front office had larger ambitions. It wasn’t just better depth the Twins were after. They wanted to shake up the infield as a whole.

After months of biding their time, confident that good value would eventually shake loose from a deep free-agent class of infielders, the Twins finally did just that on Tuesday, signing four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $10.5 million deal. With one move, they have a new starting shortstop, a new starting second baseman and a new utility man.

How’s that for improved infield depth?

Simmons’ four Gold Gloves are the seventh-most ever and his metrics suggest that actually underrates his fielding greatness. No shortstop has ever had more Defensive Runs Saved than Simmons (plus-191) through age 30, and he trails only 11-time Gold Glove winner Ozzie Smith (plus-239) and eight-time Gold Glove winner Mark Belanger (plus-240) on the career DRS leaderboard.

He’s a big, physical shortstop who attacks balls in every direction with a mix of plus range, uncanny instincts and unmatched arm strength, capable of amazing plays punctuated by jaw-dropping throws. His numbers were merely average in the small sample of last season, in part due to returning ahead of schedule from an ankle injury, but from 2012-2019 he rated plus-30 runs per 150 games.




Hard work and smart positioning by Twins coaches helped Polanco improve at shortstop, but he simply lacks the range and arm strength to ever be more than adequate at the position and even that might be wishful thinking coming off a second ankle surgery. Not only is Simmons a massive upgrade at shortstop, his arrival pushes Polanco to second base, where he has a chance to be a real asset.

Similar to Polanco at shortstop, Arraez is stretched at second base because of limited athleticism, and knee injuries threaten to further reduce his range. For now, the plan is to use him in a González-like super-utility role, where he’ll see plenty of time at second base, along with third base, designated hitter, left field and perhaps even shortstop, although Polanco could remain the backup there.

González started 72 percent of the Twins’ games the past two seasons despite not playing particularly well, so manager Rocco Baldelli should be able to find something resembling an everyday role for Arraez even if he’s not technically a starter. Assuming the Twins aren’t blown away by a trade offer, Arraez will still get 500 at-bats in a full season and added rest might be the best thing for his knees long term.

Five starting-caliber infielders for four lineup spots — plus occasional outfield action for Arraez — is an ideal scenario given the many injury worries. And if Polanco’s transition to second base goes as smoothly as his skill set suggests, the Twins could boast average-or-better defenders at every space on the diamond, including elite gloves at shortstop, center field, third base and right field.

Last season, the Twins ranked 15th out of 30 teams at converting balls in play into outs, including 21st on ground balls. They tried to mask the deficiencies of Polanco and Arraez with clever shifting, but range-based limitations can only be hidden so much. They were as bad in 2019, ranking 22nd on ground balls. That’s going to change with Simmons and Donaldson manning the left side.

Like most great-fielding shortstops, Simmons isn’t a great hitter, but his bat is anything but a negative relative to the position. He rarely walks and averaged just 10 homers per 150 games since joining the Angels in 2016, but Simmons also had the majors’ lowest strikeout rate over that span, hitting .281/.328/.394 for a .722 OPS within shouting distance of the .744 average for all shortstops.

Simmons’ straight-line speed was always lacking relative to other shortstops, and he’s gotten even slower with age, yet he’s been a very efficient low-volume base-stealer, swiping an average of 14 bases per 150 games at an 82.3 percent clip since 2016. His thievery comes via impeccable timing and off-the-charts baseball IQ, taking advantage of defensive lapses by the other team.




Great fielding paired with average-ish hitting made Simmons one of the game’s most valuable all-around players the past five years, amassing 20.9 Wins Above Replacement to rank 18th among all MLB position players and fourth among all shortstops behind Francisco Lindor (24.7), Carlos Correa (21.5) and Trevor Story (21.0). During that time, he averaged 5.6 WAR per 150 games.

At age 31, and coming off a season in which he played just 30 of 60 games, he’s not without risk, but that level of all-around impact at a premium position for $10.5 million is exceptional value in a market where another Twins shortstop target, Marcus Semien, got $18 million for one year, and utility men Jurickson Profar and Enrique Hernández got $7 million per season for multiple years.

They added a potentially great player, dramatically remade the infield to boost both depth and defense without totally sacrificing offense, avoided a multi-year commitment that would have blocked 21-year-old prospect Royce Lewis’ path to the shortstop job in 2022 and did so while seemingly leaving enough room under their (self-imposed) payroll limit to re-sign Nelson Cruz.
 





MLB proposes a 154 game schedule beginning April 28th, universal DH, 7 inning DH'ers and 7 play-off teams per league. I'm fine with all except 7 play-off teams. Make it 6 and expand the 1st round to 5 games. You get the same # of games and don't cheapen the regular season as much.
 

Shama chimes in:

Word is the Minnesota Twins remain optimistic about signing free agent DH Nelson Cruz and free agent right-hand pitcher Jake Odorizzi. A source told Sports Headliners a Cruz deal could be for two years, the Odorizzi contract for one.


Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Shama chimes in:

Word is the Minnesota Twins remain optimistic about signing free agent DH Nelson Cruz and free agent right-hand pitcher Jake Odorizzi. A source told Sports Headliners a Cruz deal could be for two years, the Odorizzi contract for one.


Win Twins!!
Click to expand...
Color me doubtful on both. They are north of $100 million already and that would add at least another $25 million, putting them almost where they were last year ($135-140 million). I don't see the Pohlads going quite that high after losing a lot last year and not knowing what stadium revenues will be this year. I'd say Cruz and a couple cheap relievers and they're done.
 

baseball is a real mess right now.

The Players' Union came out and shot down Manfred's proposal for a later start and a 154-game schedule.

They are basically demanding that the season start on time with 162 games. Apparently the players did not like the reliance on more double-headers to make the 154-game season work in a compacted time frame. And, they are worried that Manfred would try to shorten the season - and reduce salaries on a pro-rated basis - if teams run into covid issues.

That leaves the universal DH, expanded playoffs, and other "new" rules (7 inning DH's, man on 2B to start 10th inning) in limbo.

It's Feb 1st. Teams are supposed to report to camp in a couple of weeks.

and at this point, we do not know - for sure - the length of the season; the playoff format; and the rules under which the games will be played.

No problem. Everything's just fine here. And next year, these yahoos have to try and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

mark it down - there will be no MLB season in 2022. this sport is heading over a cliff.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
baseball is a real mess right now.

The Players' Union came out and shot down Manfred's proposal for a later start and a 154-game schedule.

They are basically demanding that the season start on time with 162 games. Apparently the players did not like the reliance on more double-headers to make the 154-game season work in a compacted time frame. And, they are worried that Manfred would try to shorten the season - and reduce salaries on a pro-rated basis - if teams run into covid issues.

That leaves the universal DH, expanded playoffs, and other "new" rules (7 inning DH's, man on 2B to start 10th inning) in limbo.

It's Feb 1st. Teams are supposed to report to camp in a couple of weeks.

and at this point, we do not know - for sure - the length of the season; the playoff format; and the rules under which the games will be played.

No problem. Everything's just fine here. And next year, these yahoos have to try and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

mark it down - there will be no MLB season in 2022. this sport is heading over a cliff.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid 2022 will be a disaster. They may as well just have their fight now and cancel 2021 instead.

MLB is back to "fine we'll start on time!" but still no resolution to the DH, how many play-off teams etc. Pathetic. Rob Manfred should resign in shame.
 





You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom