All Things 2020-2021 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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WooHoo!!!!!

Let's go get some bullpen help now.

From The Athletic -

Both sides have blinked. The staredown has ended. Nelson Cruz will return to the Twins for a third season.

Multiple sources confirmed the Twins and Cruz agreed on a one-year contract on Tuesday after a drawn-out negotiation this offseason. The team’s MVP each of the past two seasons, Cruz is set to earn $13 million next season, sources said.

Cruz hit .303/.397/.595 with 16 home runs and 33 RBIs in 214 plate appearances in 2020 to pace the Twins, who edged the Chicago White Sox to win the American League Central for a second straight season. In two seasons with the Twins, Fangraphs has credited Cruz with producing 6.3 Wins Above Replacement, including 2.0 in the COVID-19 shortened-season.

While bringing Cruz back to the Twins has always made sense, it has been far from a certainty. Both parties stuck to their hardline negotiating stances and offered little room for maneuvering in the midst of an offseason in which discussions about the coronavirus and how it could impact future revenues have dominated Major League Baseball and its free-agent process.

From the outset, Cruz’s representation wanted to wait until MLB determined whether it would employ the designated hitter in both leagues during the 2021 season. Were MLB to include a DH in the National League, Cruz’s value potentially would have increased as additional teams could bid for his services.

Cruz had drawn interest from both the three-time defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves and defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, sources said. Winning a World Series ring ranks high on Cruz’s priorities, which made both NL suitors very attractive. With that rule change possible, Cruz, who turns 41 on July 1, has spent most of the offseason seeking a two-year contract, which had been of little interest to the Twins.

Nelson Cruz with the Twins, 2019-20
PLAYERGPAAVGOBPSLGHRRBI
Nelson Cruz173735.308.394.62657141
The Twins negotiated hard on their end as well.

On Saturday, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey mentioned yet again that the club wanted to afford Cruz the opportunity to wait for NL teams because he’s earned that right as a free agent. Were Cruz to receive a two-year deal, sources said the Twins would have moved on to other targets and been at peace with their slugger departing.

Though they’ve wanted to retain him all along, privately, team officials believed the league wouldn’t implement the universal DH, which would once again reduce Cruz’s market to AL teams. Were that the case, the Twins gambled that they would stand out among Cruz’s AL suitors for multiple reasons, including the team offering the most money and having the best chance to win.

The Twins also knew that Cruz has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the club, appreciating the welcoming clubhouse atmosphere created by manager Rocco Baldelli as well as the rest and recovery method practiced by the organization. And, sources say Cruz has been pleased with the team’s recent additions of reliever Hansel Robles, starting pitcher J.A. Happ and shortstop Andrelton Simmons.

While there still hasn’t been an official determination, the MLB Players Association rejected the latest offer from MLB to push back the start of spring training and the regular season, a deal that would have included expanded playoffs and the inclusion of a universal DH next season. Both MLB and the MLBPA issued statements on Monday night indicating that spring training would begin on time in two weeks.

With the start of spring training nearing and other top options on the free-agent market beginning to disappear, both the Twins and Cruz had softened their stances.

In recent days, sources said Cruz’s camp had informed the Twins it would be open to a one-year deal. Meanwhile, the Twins, who didn’t want to be left without a viable solution had Cruz held out for the NL, increased the value of their offers, which previously were described as unappealing to Cruz. The Twins were believed to have increased their offers by an additional $2 million over the past week.

With Cruz in the fold, the Twins can now spend the rest of the offseason searching for additional pitching help. Though they added Robles in late December, four of the team’s nine departing free agents were relievers, including Trevor May, Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard and Matt Wisler. Not only did the foursome offer a veteran presence, but it also accounted for 94 2/3 innings pitched, roughly 18.4 percent of the Twins’ staff workload in 2020.

Sources have said the Twins are interested in the services of right-hander Alex Colomé, who went 2-0 with 12 saves and a 0.81 ERA in 21 games for the White Sox last season. With 138 career saves, Colomé would give the Twins another back-end relief option to pair with Robles, Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers. Colomé spent the first six seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, including four with Baldelli, who joined the coaching staff there in 2015. The Twins also would like to add an additional starting pitcher to fill out the rotation and could look for veterans on incentive-based or minor-league deals.
 




Colome is a nice addition. Rogers should make for an effective lefty set-up guy.
 




Great addition, great contract. I’m guessing Cruz helped get him.
 




Relief pitchers seem to move around more than any other position.

Unless you are an elite closer, or the rare elite set-up guy, virtually every other relief pitcher is seen as interchangeable.

You see so many times where a guy will have one or two good seasons, then they have a down year and boom - they're gone.

it's especially true with the long relievers or the guys who work the 6th and 7th innings. those guys just keep getting shuffled around from team to team until they can't land a job anymore.

as far as the Twins, Taylor Rogers seemed like he was off last year. some people speculate that making him the closer meant that he wound up facing more right-handed hitters. Adding Colome to the mix gives the Twins some flexibility. I wouldn't be surprised if Rogers and Colome wound up getting roughly equal opportunities to close games - depending on the opposition. If a team has a lot of left-handed hitters, go with Rogers. if the other team is heavy on righties, run Colome out there.
 

That contract is great. That leaves a few extra million on the table for signing another starter if they decide to do that.
 


Wow -

I'm very happy with Colme onboard; I guess they might try and find more legit help besides arms in the bargain bin to provide extra depth (including Ex-Met Justin Wilson (who I heart, Mets are my NY team and he is a great competitor). Man, I can't wait for some ball right now -

Article from The Athletic (Great info on how Cruz helped recruit Colme and on more possible moves) -

(Editor’s note: This story is updated from the original version with news of Alex Colomé’s signing.)

Now that their offensive anchor is back, the Twins are focused on improving the bullpen. And it didn’t take long for them to make a move.

Minnesota on Wednesday agreed to terms with former White Sox closer Alex Colomé on a one-year, $5 million deal with a mutual option for 2022, sources confirmed to The Athletic, one day after locking up slugger Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal for $13 million. The option is for $5.5 million with a $1.25 million buyout if the Twins decline, making the deal worth a minimum of $6.25 million.

Having previously only added Hansel Robles this offseason after losing four key relievers to free agency, Colomé was near the top of a list of bullpen candidates for the Twins, who are looking to replace Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Sergio Romo and Matt Wisler. Colomé went 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA and 12 saves in 21 games last season for Chicago.

Sources said the Twins enlisted Cruz to recruit Colomé. Cruz’s cousin and right-hand man, Adiel, is close with Colomé, who also spent four years with Twins manager Rocco Baldelli when he was a coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.

With 138 career saves, Colomé gives the Twins yet another strong back-end option to pair with Robles, who closed for the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey.

Colomé, who turned 32 in December, features a cut-fastball that he pairs with a four-seam fastball and recently has increasingly relied on contact. After averaging 9.5 strikeouts per nine from 2016-18, Colomé’s production slipped to 7.7 whiffs per nine from 2019-20.

One advantage the Twins offer Colomé is an infield defense that has improved significantly with last week’s signing of four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons. With Simmons in the fold, the Twins plan to shift Jorge Polanco to second base while moving Luis Arraez to a super-utility role, moves that project to deliver a major defensive upgrade to the club.

Twins' major free-agent signings
PLAYERCONTRACT
Nelson CruzOne year, $13 million
Andrelton SimmonsOne year, $10.5 million
J.A. HappOne year, $8 million
Alex ColoméOne year, $6.25 million (w/2022 option)
Hansel RoblesOne year, $2 million
Even after the Colomé signing, and with only 12 days before the start of spring training, the Twins are likely to focus on adding more to the bullpen.

The losses of May, Clippard, Romo and Wisler have created a massive void in the bullpen in terms of veteran experience as well as innings pitched. The Twins believe they have a great start to the group in Rogers, whom they expect to bounce back after a difficult 2020 season, and Duffey, who has developed into a top reliever.

But the losses created by the departures of the quartet of free-agent relievers means the Twins would have to rely on less-experienced pitchers if they don’t bring in other options. The departing group accounted for 94 2/3 of the 513 1/3 innings (18.4 percent) pitched by the Twins last season. Even with Robles and Colomé in the mix, the gap isn’t quite made up.

While Duffey was second in the league with 12 holds, Romo and May were tied for sixth with 10 each and Clippard was 21st with eight. Then there was Wisler, who was dominant despite a high walk total while working in a variety of roles, including as an opener. Wisler started four of the 18 games he pitched and finished the season with 35 strikeouts and a 1.07 ERA in 25 1/3 innings despite walking five batters per nine innings.

The Twins like the makeup of what’s left of a bullpen that produced 3.5 f-WAR but would prefer more experience.

Though Jorge Alcalá surprised everyone in the organization with a stellar rookie campaign after struggling in spring training 2020, he needs to back it up again this season. The Twins are also high on Cody Stashak, who has a career 3.15 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 40 innings, but would love to give him more time to grow before thrusting him into a permanent late-innings role. Caleb Thielbar, who turned 34 last month, offers a steady option as well after posting a 2.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings in his first major-league action since 2015. And there’s belief that a group of waiver claims and non-roster invitees to camp could produce another Ryne Harper or Wisler with ex-San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Law near the top of that list.

But the Twins prefer even more coverage.

With the schedule increasing by 102 games after COVID-19 reduced it to 60 contests last season and the potential injury risk that comes with it, the Twins want to have myriad options available to cover the workload.

While Robles is also expected to bounce back from his disastrous 2020 campaign, the Twins would be better-positioned with two more arms, hence them casting a wide net. Earlier this winter, the Twins expressed interest in Kirby Yates, who received a $5.5 million base salary from the Toronto Blue Jays with incentives that could increase the deal to $11 million.

The Twins are interested in former New York Mets reliever Justin Wilson, who struck out 23 in 19 2/3 innings with a 3.66 ERA last season.

The Twins have also considered veterans Joakim Soria and Trevor Rosenthal but could be priced out of those options. (UPDATE: Soria reached agreement with the Diamondbacks later Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.) And, they’ve checked on the statuses of relievers Shane Greene, Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy. Sources have suggested the Twins also could try to bring back Clippard, who struck out 26 and posted a 2.77 ERA in a Twins bullpen-high 26 innings in 2020.

The belief all along in the industry is that the Twins are one of a handful of teams around the league who have money to spend this offseason. Multiple external sources suggested the team not only has a decent amount of money available, but they’d be willing to spend it even after taking massive losses in 2020.

That may not appear to have been the case until now as the Twins had only spent $2 million through December. But the Twins have made it clear since November that they always planned to operate this way, waiting out the market to find better deals late that would allow them to stretch their budget.

Since the start of January, the Twins have spent $37.75 million total on one-year contracts for Colomé, Cruz, Simmons and pitcher J.A. Happ. Even though they’ve made three of their biggest signings of the offseason in the last two weeks, all indications are that the Twins still have some shopping to do.
 



Yeah I saw Wilson's name mentioned along with bringing Clippard back. I think we may have a little more money to throw around than we thought so maybe they can attract someone like Rosethall?

Wishful thinking.
 


There might be some potential with Anderson...definitely not a trade that's going to raise eye brows. Wade is a backup and with some of our young guys getting ready to make the jump I think he'll have a hard time finding the field (especially in the 60 or so games Buxton isn't hurt haha).
 

tmvander said:
There might be some potential with Anderson...definitely not a trade that's going to raise eye brows. Wade is a backup and with some of our young guys getting ready to make the jump I think he'll have a hard time finding the field (especially in the 60 or so games Buxton isn't hurt haha).
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Yeah I don’t see any downside to this move. I like Wade but he isn’t a big piece. V
 

I just saw this depressing piece of trivia...

Since 2005, The Wolves have more playoff victories than the Twins. One.
 

tikited said:
I just saw this depressing piece of trivia...?

Since 2005, The Wolves have more playoff victories than the Twins. One.
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Vikings 4-7 in the playoffs by comparison. Note, this includes the results from the 2004 season, playoffs took place in January, 2005.
 



Twins trade LaMont Wade JR. to the Giants for a reliever. Probably a good trade. He was buried here.
 


tmvander said:
Yeah I saw Wilson's name mentioned along with bringing Clippard back. I think we may have a little more money to throw around than we thought so maybe they can attract someone like Rosethall?

Wishful thinking.
Click to expand...

The Athletic said he wanted big dollars as in 2 for ~$10M and the Twins don't favor signing multi-year deals for that amount of coin for relievers, especially in a soft market like this one.
 
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per Shama:

Acquiring new starting shortstop Andrelton Simmons shakes up the Minnesota Twins infield, moving incumbents Jorge Polanco and Luis Arraez to other roles, but both players approved the free agent signing of Simmons before the deal was completed.

Thad Levine, the Twins general manager, told Sports Headliners that manager Rocco Baldelli received buy-in from Polanco and Arraez prior to bringing the Gold Glove winning Simmons to Minnesota. “That’s just the way he manages this team,” Levine said. “He is very transparent. He’s very communicative and he’s very upfront. The response from those guys was resoundingly positive. … I think they both felt they could learn a lot from Andrelton.”

During a nine-year career, Simmons has won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards as a shortstop (2013 and 2014 with the Atlanta Braves, 2017 and 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels). He has also earned six Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019).


Win Twins!!
 

At work, got an e-mail from the Twins Radio Network.

In short - Spring Training games begin Feb 28. The first half of Spring Training, they will be playing 7-inning games. Second half of Spring training, go to 9-inning games.

first regular-season game at Milwaukee on April 1st. (start planning your April Fool's Day jokes). Then the planed day off, and resume on Sat, April 3rd.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
At work, got an e-mail from the Twins Radio Network.

In short - Spring Training games begin Feb 28. The first half of Spring Training, they will be playing 7-inning games. Second half of Spring training, go to 9-inning games.

first regular-season game at Milwaukee on April 1st. (start planning your April Fool's Day jokes). Then the planed day off, and resume on Sat, April 3rd.
Click to expand...
Is there a reason they do this, even when there's a domed stadium? What's the point of a day off after one game when there's no chance for a rain out?
 

forever a gopher said:
Is there a reason they do this, even when there's a domed stadium? What's the point of a day off after one game when there's no chance for a rain out?
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In Milwaukee the roof is liable to get stuck open or spring a leak. 😎
 

forever a gopher said:
Is there a reason they do this, even when there's a domed stadium? What's the point of a day off after one game when there's no chance for a rain out?
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For whatever reason it’s a common practice to have day off after the opener. Never made sense to me either.
 


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