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- Thread starter SoapyCy
- Start date
Too much work but Twins did play four free agents last night: Castro, Santana, Grossman, Gimenez. Most of the others are Twin signings brought up via the farm system.
This Yankee team isn't like other Yankee teams from the past. This one was built more like a small market team with Judge, Sanchez, Severino, Green, Gardner, etc. being key contributors. The rest were via trades. Expensive signings like Holliday, Sabathia, Chapman, Ellsbury are key role players but not guys that the team is built around.
I also wouldn't mind Tanaka being let go because eventually Judge, Sanchez, and Severino will need to be paid. Otani is the guy from Japan that is coming over and apparently the Yankees have a good chance, he can DH and pitch.
It's Tanaka's option to opt out, not the Yankees. With his elbow and inconsistency this year I don't think he opts out cause he is unlikely to get a monster contract, would be different if he had a great year this year. Plus for him is that he is still only 28 so he could gamble with it if he doesn't like it in NY.
The Yankees have been very good at developing position players. Most of their best teams have had a core of in-house everyday players that are supplemented with a couple players that came from outside. As a big market team, their big advantage has always been that they can overpay for depth and starting pitching. They hope to develop one or two pitchers and acquire the rest. It usually takes a long time to develop a pitcher that can consistently perform well in big spots. If you can let other teams do that for you, why not. It's a pretty successful formula. It's what the Cubs did, too.
- 2B Brian Dozier - Twins farm
- 1B Joe Mauer - Twins farm
- SS Jorge Polanco - Twins farm
- LF Eddie Rosario - Twins farm
- 3B Eduardo Escobar - traded after one year with ChiSox
- RF Max Kepler - Twins farm
- CF Byron Buxton - Twins farm
- C Jason Castro - free agent
- DH Robbie Grossman - free agent
- RHP Ervin Santana - free agent
Developing starting pitching is a crap shoot. Yankees have had a couple first rounders go Tommy John and go from one of their best prospects to trade bait in a season or two and end up with a little know rookie in Montgomery pitching his way into the starting rotation. There are some steal/deals to be made if you have enough talent in the minors to do it and the stomach for giving some of them up. Red Sox did that with Sales who is great and in an undermarket contract. Yanks did to a lesser level with Gray. Cubs paid a high price (Gleyber Torres and more) to "rent" Chapman but they might have assured their WS by doing it.
Column in the Star Tribune today noted that the Twins plan to develop pitching was looking a little more long term but now the everyday guys arrived ahead of schedule and fans aren't going to be patient with ****** pitching.
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Today the Star Tribune had sports writer Jim Souhan's take on what the Twins need to do. I vacillate between liking his columns or thinking he is a total douche but thought this was at least interesting. Don't maybe buy into all ten points (he should have prioritized them IMHO) but it is interesting.
Anyway, here the article and his ten points:
http://www.startribune.com/here-are-10-steps-twins-must-take-to-improve/449511303/
His point on Sano (physical shape) is something that they probably aren't going to be able to manage. When's the last time a big fat dude that can get by as a youngster on enormous talent has EVER had some sort of epiphany and decided that making millions and millions of dollars is a good reason to get in shape and extend their career and be a better player? If a regular Joe sits around and gets fat and out of shape eating donuts and pizza and his job only requires him being able to computer program, well big deal. Guys whose jobs are to get and stay in shape for athletic, different. BTW, I think the same about C.C. Sabathia and I love C.C. Hey, C.C., want to save your knee and make a run at the Hall of Fame, then drop 30-40 pounds. You're a big strong guy, it's not like you are going to be "weak" and your knees will love you.
And why is resigning Molitor even a discussion item? It is though, which is really weird since his manager peers think he is doing pretty awesome.
/bored Thursday ramble
Anyway, here the article and his ten points:
http://www.startribune.com/here-are-10-steps-twins-must-take-to-improve/449511303/
His point on Sano (physical shape) is something that they probably aren't going to be able to manage. When's the last time a big fat dude that can get by as a youngster on enormous talent has EVER had some sort of epiphany and decided that making millions and millions of dollars is a good reason to get in shape and extend their career and be a better player? If a regular Joe sits around and gets fat and out of shape eating donuts and pizza and his job only requires him being able to computer program, well big deal. Guys whose jobs are to get and stay in shape for athletic, different. BTW, I think the same about C.C. Sabathia and I love C.C. Hey, C.C., want to save your knee and make a run at the Hall of Fame, then drop 30-40 pounds. You're a big strong guy, it's not like you are going to be "weak" and your knees will love you.
And why is resigning Molitor even a discussion item? It is though, which is really weird since his manager peers think he is doing pretty awesome.
/bored Thursday ramble
It is. The Indians developed most of their starters. The Giants have traditionally done a really good job of it. The Dodgers aren't terrible at it and the Rays have been able to do it. I don't think many other teams can say they've developed and held onto more than a few frontline starters over the last 20 years. Cleveland's success is mostly current. They went a long time without many prior to this group.
Robertson was a Yankee farm system guy and they lost him to free agency. They got him back in a trade this summer.
Chad Green was acquired in a trade with the Tigers for pitcher Justin Wilson. He seems like a farm product though since we was not a roster player initially after that trade, was a minor league guy. Totally blossomed as a full time reliever this year. What the Twins saw is what he has been doing all year, 69 innings, 103 SO and era of 1.83.
Even though Souhan writes some decent stuff, he comes across to as an arrogant *******. I much prefer reading Reusse, but he seems to winding down his writing career. (Don't see his column on a real regular basis.)
Agreed about Sano.....Molitor might be the guy who is able to convince him that losing weight will help his stats and prolong his career. Hopefully Sano isn't looking at anyone named Fielder as a role model. Also agree that extending Molly should be a no-brainer, the job he did this season alone is evidence enough to me. He coaxed career seasons out of Rosario, Polanco, Escobar. (Career to date, anyway.)