All Things 2023-2024 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread

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GophersInIowa said:
Not bad. He was hurt most of last year. Was really good in 2021. Has good stuff.

twinsdaily.com

Twins Sign Reliever Josh Staumont

Since Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over the Minnesota Twins front office, spending on relievers isn’t something that has been part of the plan. Addison Reed represented the only significant financial commitment, and no other reliever had ever earned a multi-year deal. In signing Josh Staumon...
twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com
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Zero risk high reward. But TOS seems worse than Tommy John these days. I don't know what the successful recovery rate is but it seems low. Sure cooked Phil Hughes.
 


howeda7 said:
Zero risk high reward. But TOS seems worse than Tommy John these days. I don't know what the successful recovery rate is but it seems low. Sure cooked Phil Hughes.
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from what I've read, it sounds as if there are different surgical approaches to thoracic outlet syndrome, and the one they used for Staumont is supposed to have better results.

it's only a $1-million contract. if it works out, it's worth the risk.
 

But if the former Minnesota Twins star does become just the third catcher to be elected in his first year on the ballot, we already know that it won’t be thanks to Peter Gammons, who took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning to reveal that he woke up in the middle of the night remembering that he had forgotten to include Mauer’s name on his ballot.

“I mailed my ballot yesterday. This morning I awakened at 3 a.m. because I left off Joe Mauer,” Gammons wrote. “Lord, I hope I get another chance, either way I decide next December. I left Fred McGriff and Bert Blyleven off at separate times. [No one] is smart enough to say his ballot is absolute.”..

awfulannouncing.com

Peter Gammons haunted by forgetting Joe Mauer on Hall of Fame ballot

Peter Gammons revealed that he accidentally left former Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer off his Hall of Fame ballot.
awfulannouncing.com
 



Iceland12 said:
But if the former Minnesota Twins star does become just the third catcher to be elected in his first year on the ballot, we already know that it won’t be thanks to Peter Gammons, who took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning to reveal that he woke up in the middle of the night remembering that he had forgotten to include Mauer’s name on his ballot.

“I mailed my ballot yesterday. This morning I awakened at 3 a.m. because I left off Joe Mauer,” Gammons wrote. “Lord, I hope I get another chance, either way I decide next December. I left Fred McGriff and Bert Blyleven off at separate times. [No one] is smart enough to say his ballot is absolute.”..

awfulannouncing.com

Peter Gammons haunted by forgetting Joe Mauer on Hall of Fame ballot

Peter Gammons revealed that he accidentally left former Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer off his Hall of Fame ballot.
awfulannouncing.com
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I like Gammons so this isn’t directed at him or his situation. But some of the people that have a vote have no business being voters. There’s Twitter accounts that keep track of voters that publicly post their ballot.

There’s a writer from out west somewhere that showed his ballot and didn’t include Sheffield or Mauer. When people criticized it he started calling people babies and said he’d look at Sheffield again next year. The problem is Sheffield is in the last year on the ballot.

If you’re not going to pay attention and take it seriously, then they shouldn’t be able to vote. It’s gotten pretty ridiculous.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I like Gammons so this isn’t directed at him or his situation. But some of the people that have a vote have no business being voters. There’s Twitter accounts that keep track of voters that publicly post their Use heN
T to To give I There’s a writer from out west somewhere that showed his ballot and didn’t include Sheffield or Mauer. When people criticized it he started calling people babies and said he’d look at Sheffield again next year. The problem is Sheffield is in the last year on the ballot.

If you’re not going to pay attention and take it seriously, then they shouldn’t be able to vote. It’s gotten pretty ridiculous.
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I remember when Dan Lebatard had a Heisman vote and he used to give it to his dad “Papi” to fill it out - funny bit, but ridiculous in the big scheme of things.
 




According to Twins Daily, the Twins are expected to sign two of the top 50 prospects during the International Free-Agent signing period (starting Jan 15). under MLB rules, the Twins can spend up to $6.5-million this year on international players.

these are reportedly the top two players who will sign with the Twins:

Daibel De Los Santos, SS, Dominican Republic. 17 yrs old 6'1" 160 pounds. bats, throws Right
-ranked as the 8th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. Scouting report - plus raw power and a plus arm. athletic enough to stay at SS. shows gap power at plate.

Eduardo Beltre - OF - Dominican Republic. 17 yrs old 6'0" 170 lbs - bats/throws right.
- ranked as the 39th best prospect by MLB pipeline. Currently plays CF. shows good bat speed, runs well and has an above-average throwing arm.
 






Arbitration Update -

Friday is the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to agree to terms on a contract before exchanging 2024 salary figures.

As a reminder, here are the arbitration-eligible Twins: Infielders Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro and Nick Gordon; 1B/OF Alex Kirilloff; C Ryan Jeffers; LHP Caleb Thielbar and RHP Jorge Alcala.
 

Mauer HOF Update -

Welcome back to the Twins Beat newsletter! For this edition, MLB.comreporter/producer Paul Casella is filling in for beat reporter Do-Hyoung Park.

The deadline for casting Hall of Fame ballots has come and gone, though it will still be a couple of weeks until the results are announced.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t check in to see where Joe Mauer stands in his bid to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

While many expect Mauer to ultimately be enshrined in Cooperstown, it's far from a sure thing that he will earn induction in his first year of eligibility. Yet as of Saturday night, he was tracking at 82.1% of the known votes, courtesy of Ryan Thibodaux and Co.’s Hall of Fame ballot tracker.

That puts Mauer well above the 75% threshold needed for Hall of Fame induction, though only 32% of the estimated ballots have been revealed publicly. While more ballots figure to trickle out in the coming days, the official Hall of Fame announcement will be made live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 23.

But with Mauer continuing to hover above 80%, he’s certainly trending in the right direction in his bid to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Adrián Beltré (98.4%) is in even better shape to be a first-ballot selection, while Helton (82.1%), Wagner (80.5%) and Gary Sheffield (75.6%) are also tracking above 75% at the moment.
 

Hopefully we learn more this week about the Twins' TV situation. Another hearing Wednesday in bankruptcy court for Diamond. I've read that the Twins expect to get some answers after the hearing that will determine whether they re-up with Bally for one more year or go with MLB taking over the TV rights.
 

Damn. Just saw that Billy Gardner died this week at the age of 96! "Slick" was a former major league player known as a slick-fielding 2nd baseman. He managed the Twins from 1981-85. Twins had some rough years but gained experience for many of the players that would win two World Series titles. While managing the Twins, Gardner lived in a Super 8 Motel. A real character.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Damn. Just saw that Billy Gardner died this week at the age of 96! "Slick" was a former major league player known as a slick-fielding 2nd baseman. He managed the Twins from 1981-85. Twins had some rough years but gained experience for many of the players that would win two World Series titles. While managing the Twins, Gardner lived in a Super 8 Motel. A real character.
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He did well with what he had to work with. Damn near won the West division in ‘84 until a disastrous final weekend in Cleveland. A better closer than Ron Davis would have resulted in a trip to the playoffs, at a time when only four teams made the postseason.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Damn. Just saw that Billy Gardner died this week at the age of 96! "Slick" was a former major league player known as a slick-fielding 2nd baseman. He managed the Twins from 1981-85. Twins had some rough years but gained experience for many of the players that would win two World Series titles. While managing the Twins, Gardner lived in a Super 8 Motel. A real character.
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Survived by wife of 71 years, Barbara. Wow.

Former Twins manager Billy Gardner dies at 96

He managed the Twins from 1981 to '85, helping develop a core of players that eventually won the World Series.
m.startribune.com m.startribune.com

RIP Slick.
 

GopherVotary said:
He did well with what he had to work with. Damn near won the West division in ‘84 until a disastrous final weekend in Cleveland. A better closer than Ron Davis would have resulted in a trip to the playoffs, at a time when only four teams made the postseason.
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Ron who?

I was a scared 17 year old during that traumatic summer.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Arbitration Update -

Friday is the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to agree to terms on a contract before exchanging 2024 salary figures.

As a reminder, here are the arbitration-eligible Twins: Infielders Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro and Nick Gordon; 1B/OF Alex Kirilloff; C Ryan Jeffers; LHP Caleb Thielbar and RHP Jorge Alcala.
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Twins avoid arbitration with all eligible except Gordon​

www.mlb.com

Twins avoid arbitration with all eligible except Gordon

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins avoided arbitration with six of their seven eligible players on Thursday, when they agreed to contracts with Kyle Farmer, Caleb Thielbar, Willi Castro, Jorge Alcala, Ryan Jeffers and Alex Kirilloff for the 2024 season. Nick Gordon was the lone player with whom the Twins...
www.mlb.com www.mlb.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins avoided arbitration with six of their seven eligible players on Thursday, when they agreed to contracts with Kyle Farmer, Caleb Thielbar, Willi Castro, Jorge Alcala, Ryan Jeffers and Alex Kirillofffor the 2024 season.

Nick Gordon was the lone player with whom the Twins could not reach an agreement, and the potential remains for a hearing at which each side would propose a salary figure to a panel of arbitrators.

According to a source, the Twins’ $6.05 million deal with Farmer for 2024 also adds an additional year of control through a $6.25 million mutual option for the ‘25 season with a $250,000 buyout on the club side, covering what would have been his first year of free agency. Similarly, a $790,000 deal with Alcala for ‘24 also includes a $1.5 million club option for ‘25 with a $55,000 buyout.

Beyond those two contracts, the Twins agreed to more traditional one-year deals for 2024 for Thielbar ($3.225 million), Castro ($3.3 million), Jeffers ($2.425 million) and Kirilloff ($1.35 million), according to a source.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Mauer HOF Update -

Welcome back to the Twins Beat newsletter! For this edition, MLB.comreporter/producer Paul Casella is filling in for beat reporter Do-Hyoung Park.

The deadline for casting Hall of Fame ballots has come and gone, though it will still be a couple of weeks until the results are announced.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t check in to see where Joe Mauer stands in his bid to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

While many expect Mauer to ultimately be enshrined in Cooperstown, it's far from a sure thing that he will earn induction in his first year of eligibility. Yet as of Saturday night, he was tracking at 82.1% of the known votes, courtesy of Ryan Thibodaux and Co.’s Hall of Fame ballot tracker.

That puts Mauer well above the 75% threshold needed for Hall of Fame induction, though only 32% of the estimated ballots have been revealed publicly. While more ballots figure to trickle out in the coming days, the official Hall of Fame announcement will be made live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Jan. 23.

But with Mauer continuing to hover above 80%, he’s certainly trending in the right direction in his bid to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Adrián Beltré (98.4%) is in even better shape to be a first-ballot selection, while Helton (82.1%), Wagner (80.5%) and Gary Sheffield (75.6%) are also tracking above 75% at the moment.
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I’m seriously considering going to the ceremony if he gets in.
 



giving Farmer the option year is interesting.

A lot of people - myself included - expected Farmer to be traded, maybe as part of a package for a starting pitcher. so does the option year mean the Twins plan to keep Farmer - or was it done to make him a more attractive trade candidate?

I think Farmer is a very capable backup/utility infielder who can be a spot starter or fill-in if a starter is injured. but I don't want him blocking prospects like Brooks Lee from coming up and getting playing time. So I think having him part of a trade package makes sense.

we're two weeks away from Twins Fest and the Winter Caravan. you would think the Twins would want something to announce before those events - or otherwise, every question is going to be "why haven't you made any moves during the off-season?"
 

short ornery norwegian said:
giving Farmer the option year is interesting.

A lot of people - myself included - expected Farmer to be traded, maybe as part of a package for a starting pitcher. so does the option year mean the Twins plan to keep Farmer - or was it done to make him a more attractive trade candidate?

I think Farmer is a very capable backup/utility infielder who can be a spot starter or fill-in if a starter is injured. but I don't want him blocking prospects like Brooks Lee from coming up and getting playing time. So I think having him part of a trade package makes sense.

we're two weeks away from Twins Fest and the Winter Caravan. you would think the Twins would want something to announce before those events - or otherwise, every question is going to be "why haven't you made any moves during the off-season?"
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I think their model of having the hot shot prospect get some more seasoning/confidence for the first half of the season worked well with Julien & Wallner and it also delays the service time. As I mentioned at another point, Lee has had less than 700 minor league ABs, with only ~150 them at AAA.

I can easily see Farmer being here the first half of the season and traded at the deadline for another bullpen arm.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I think their model of having the hot shot prospect get some more seasoning/confidence for the first half of the season worked well with Julien & Wallner and it also delays the service time. As I mentioned at another point, Lee has had less than 700 minor league ABs, with only ~150 them at AAA.

I can easily see Farmer being here the first half of the season and traded at the deadline for another bullpen arm.
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that's certainly possible. I was thinking that - if the Twins are really shooting for a payroll of around $125-130 million, then replacing a guy like Farmer at $6-million with a rookie-level salary would help get to that point. same reason why I still think trades involving Polanco and Kepler are possible.

not because they're "bad" players or they couldn't help the Twins win - but strictly from a financial sense.

it ties into the TV situation. originally, the Twins - according to what I've read - were hoping that they might have some definite word on the TV deal this week. but when the bankruptcy court hearing was postponed 10 days, that apparently pushed back any decision on the Twins' TV deal. so now it will be mid- to late-January before the Twins have any idea what their local TV revenue might be and how that will impact the payroll.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
that's certainly possible. I was thinking that - if the Twins are really shooting for a payroll of around $125-130 million, then replacing a guy like Farmer at $6-million with a rookie-level salary would help get to that point. same reason why I still think trades involving Polanco and Kepler are possible.

not because they're "bad" players or they couldn't help the Twins win - but strictly from a financial sense.

it ties into the TV situation. originally, the Twins - according to what I've read - were hoping that they might have some definite word on the TV deal this week. but when the bankruptcy court hearing was postponed 10 days, that apparently pushed back any decision on the Twins' TV deal. so now it will be mid- to late-January before the Twins have any idea what their local TV revenue might be and how that will impact the payroll.
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The current payroll is ~$120 million. If they're truly going to do nothing in free agency, they don't "have" to trade anyone and can keep Kepler, Polanco and Farmer.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
that's certainly possible. I was thinking that - if the Twins are really shooting for a payroll of around $125-130 million, then replacing a guy like Farmer at $6-million with a rookie-level salary would help get to that point. same reason why I still think trades involving Polanco and Kepler are possible.

not because they're "bad" players or they couldn't help the Twins win - but strictly from a financial sense.

it ties into the TV situation. originally, the Twins - according to what I've read - were hoping that they might have some definite word on the TV deal this week. but when the bankruptcy court hearing was postponed 10 days, that apparently pushed back any decision on the Twins' TV deal. so now it will be mid- to late-January before the Twins have any idea what their local TV revenue might be and how that will impact the payroll.
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Agreed - I think Polanco/Kepler are the most likely to be dealt and Farmer costs less and can play all four infield positions and is probably a better overall fielder than Polanco.

Lee will be exciting and we have Jenkins and Rodriguez after him - wow. As one of our Twins’ board historians, can you recall a time with this many ballyhooed prospects in this condensed period (I’m including Royce, Eddie and Wallner as well)?
 

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