Pohlad: The offseason isn’t over
Posted on February 6th, 2009 – 12:53 PMBy La Velle
Twins CEO Jim Pohlad (he prefers that term instead of OWNER) on Friday didn’t rule out the possibility of the Twins making a noteworthy move before the regular season began.
“We’re not done. The season hasn’t started yet,” Pohlad said. “Frequently, transactions do occur during spring training so it still could happen. There’s nothing from us that’s saying, `We’re done. Go into the season and keep you fingers crossed.’ ”
Pohlad met with writers for nearly one hour on the 46th floor of their offices at 33 S. 6th St. - the building that overlooks Target Field - in what’s expected to be an annual pre-spring training state of the Twins discussion. The session touched on a variety of subjects, including why the Twins have had such a quiet offseason.
But Pohlad revealed the fan in him when asked if signing free agent third baseman Joe Crede made sense.
“It does to me,” he said, drawing some chuckles.
Pohlad did point out that Crede’s health must be monitored, and Twins president Dave St. Peter, who also was at the meeting, jumped in to add, “It’s a process.”
The Twins are still trying to upgrade at third base and late-inning relief. While Pohlad admitted he’ll approach the front office about adding certain players, he leaves the final decisions to his baseball people. That’s the approach his late father, Carl, took and he doesn’t plan to be different.
“Transactions, I get excited about transactions,” Pohlad said. “I get excited when the Vikings do a transaction, the Wolves or the Wild. You like that kind of stuff from a fan standpoint. So we don’t discourage that. Are we going to go out and say since I like that as a fan, go do it? I don’t think so if it’s not in the best interests of the team.”
While there’s money available to add players, Pohlad pointed out that the payroll will increase significantly after 2009 because several players will be up for arbitration.
The session ended just over an hour ago, but we wanted to give you a little taste of what went on. Check www.startribune.com this evening and the print edition tomorrow for Joe Christensen’s complete report.
151 Responses to "Pohlad: The offseason isn’t over"
sorry la velle the guy is pure bs
Like father like son, CHEAP!!! Pohlad says that after 2009 payroll will increase significantly. What a shame. If only there were something the team could do in the spring of 2010 to meet those costs and then some.
But Pohlad revealed the fan in him when asked if signing free agent third baseman Joe Crede made sense.
“It does to me,” he said, drawing some chuckles.
This is where we see the owner/GM disconnect. The owner appears eager to sign Crede. However (as owner) he should rely on his GM and support staff to evaluate the actually talent.
I’ve always felt that it should be up to the GM’s and scouts to determine what will actually help the team. The only time ownership steps in is to say if they can/can’t have the money to make the move.
But this is a good sign. If Smith and the scouts feel that Crede is the right choice, then it appears Jim is ready to open up the wallet to sign him.
The Twins aren’t done yet? When did they start? I must have missed it.
I love the comment about how the payroll will increase significantly next season. Everything is next season, or tomorrow. Except tomorrow never comes. The fans are merely puppets on a string. Instead of calling Jimbo the CEO or Owner, I would just go with “Puppet Master”.
The Twins aren’t done yet? When did they start? I must have missed it.
*sigh*
Signed Punto, aquired Dickey, signed Kubel.
Again, they have done things…it’s just up to the fans to determine if they do anything to help.
I’m sorry but shouldn’t the owner/CEO, the guy with the money, have final say?
The payroll IS going to increase significantly next season. What you do now will affect how you deal with next year. Unless anybody you would sign will only sign for a one-year contract.
If Management doesnt pony up and Get Crede,and remains Idle This offseason there will be a riot..
from my perspective, it seems that Twins fans should prepare for the idea that the stadium will give us enough increased revenue to keep Mauer and Morneau for awhile, but not much else after that. it seems that people think that we’re going to jump to a 100 million/year payroll once Target Field opens. It may approach that number, but most of the extra salary will go to retaining the M&Ms.
I just forwarded Pohlad’s quote to Common Man for consideration for the 2009 Preposterous Statment tournament.
Oh - wait a minute. Crede IS only asking for a one-year contract.
Crede would have been signed last week if he would agree to some reasonable incentives. $5 million for 500 plate appearances, $3 million for 300 plate appearances, etc. His bad back is a risk, and he has to share that risk.
len 3 did he seem excited with the signing of a new groundkeeper?
that was major off season news!
I’m sorry but shouldn’t the owner/CEO, the guy with the money, have final say?
Like any business, a CEO/owner is going to get the final say in situations involving money. But since it’s difficult for the CEO/owner to fully understand all of the important details…it’s up to his support staff (in this case GMs and scouts) to ensure that he knows enough about specific players to make an informed decision.
Otherwise there wouldn’t be a need for GMs and scouts…the owner would just go out and get whoever they wanted to spend money on.
On a side note, here are the provisions in Eddie G’s new contract with the Rangers… They are odd to say the least.
• If Guardado gets traded to an AL Central or NL Central team, he gets paid an extra 100,000 bucks.
• If he gets traded to an AL East or NL East team, he’ll collect $250,000.
• He can also pick four teams — from any division — that would generate an even bigger bonus — i.e., $500,000 — if the Rangers trade him to any of those destinations.
• But if he gets dealt to an AL West or NL West team? That nets him zero dollars.
Yeah, the owner should have final say, but who to add shouldn’t be his decision. That should be left up to the front office. Now, if the front office screws up, then the owner can just fire them. But otherwise he should stay out of personnel decisions.
Jim Pohlad says “were not done” going back to the stretch drive last year, when did they ever start? Bill Smith and the front office is an albatross plaguing this young team
Management realizes that the Twins will fill seats as long as they are a little better that average. Thats the bottom line of this organization. Show some good things and people will come and Pohlads don’t have to spend much. If everybody is so upset about management being totally cheap than boycot the baseball games. Don’t go to the dome this year. Let the Twins play in front of about 9,000 people a night. Maybe that would open managements eyes to what the people who support the Twins want. Maybe they would spend more money based on the fans showing their displeasure the cheapness of this organization.
The statment that payroll will increase significantly after 2009 b/c of arbitration eligible players begs the question (prematurely, I admit) of the 11 (or is it 12?) players who will become arbitration eligible for ‘10 and ‘11, who should be the club’s priorities? Oh, and then there’s the small matter of Mauer’s contract. This is premature b/c we ought to see what everyone does in ‘09 first. Still, guessing on these priorities is at least as fun as guessing on free agents who will never come here.
$5 million for 500 plate appearances, $3 million for 300 plate appearances, etc.
I could get behind something like this. Only give Crede his full asking price if he can make it through a season with relative ease.
I would give him some leeway, in case he hits the DL for something other than his back.
But I would definately have something in there that if his back injury springs up again he looses a chunk of change.
Cause hey, if Boras says he’s 100% and ready to go, then there shouldn’t be any concern about his back costing him maybe a third of his salary for the year right?
“If Management doesnt pony up and Get Crede,and remains Idle This offseason there will be a riot..”
A riot of Twins fans.
Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Is that like a cat stampede?
Maybe they would spend more money based on the fans showing their displeasure the cheapness of this organization.
The Pohlads run the Twins as a business. Part of this means that payroll is a function of revenue.
So if nobody goes to the games, and revenue drops…you can kiss payroll good bye.
We were 1 game away from the playoffs last season with this same team, now our young pitchers/hitters have an extra year of experience and we have Liriano/Mijares from the start of the season….why is there so much complaining?
Did our divisional rivals make huge moves to get better? Not at all. The Indians got Wood, but don’t have Sabathia anymore…Tigers are the exact same team….White Sox may be worse if anything. I’m praying we get Crede, and i wouldn’t mind giving Gagne a incentive laden contract…but even if we do nothing i still think we’re the division favorite.
It’s not that he said the payroll will increase because of adding players. He said it will be increased because of the arbitration for the players we already have.
I wouldn’t get my hopes up for next season either. 10 players or so are up for arbitration and Mauer needs an extension. The payroll will increase because of that, exactly like he said.
I won’t hold my breathe, but I’m not one of the people demanding that they do something this season either. I was one of the few who knew we’d be a good team last year (though I rarely ever posted here about it). Pitching and defense has been the Twins way for a long time. It was again last year, less defense though. I wasn’t worried about Blackburn, Perkins, Slowey or Baker. I trusted Slowey and Baker the most but I was worried about Livan the most and I was proven right. He even got worse playing for the Rockies.
That being said, I know the Twins don’t really have that much longer to win a championship. And by that I mean, Mauer and Morneau aren’t getting any younger. Something needs to be done in the next five years and they really are only a bat or two away from it. Obviously it needs to be done sooner rather than later.
The turf is going to kill Crede but I’d like to take a chance on him if he’s better than 75%. Maybe even if he is 75%. I haven’t liked or wanted any of the other guys they’ve signed (Livan, Ortiz, Lamb, Everett…etc). This would be the first and it could go wrong, but this is the first one who’s worth the risk in my eyes.
T,
I agree. Any incentives should not be affected by injuries not related to his pre-existing back condition.
“A riot of Twins fans.
Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Is that like a cat stampede?”
No but i imagine a lot of finger waiving and some stern language like “You gosh darn Tiwns”
You’re right, T. One tends to flow from the other. But if there is a bad product on the market (I am not saying the Twins are a bad product right now), shouldn’t the consumers “vote with their dollars” and not purchase the product? To me, that’s logical. It then becomes incumbent on the owners of the product (assuming they want to stay in business) to get the consumer back. Which is exactly what the Twins did at the start of the decade. Payroll then grew accordingly until this offseason. But then, nobody’s payroll ahs gone up much, not even the Yankees’s.
I agree with what you said with how managing personnel on a baseball team is supposed to work. I just wish we were a little like the Steinbrenner’s in that when George really wants someone, he made it happen. I don’t care if we are as extreme as him but I would like us to go out and get someone who can easily fit into our budget or more of a willingness to expand that budget.
Most of you don’t realize that the entire starting rotation, the entire outfield (excluding Cuddyer) and the second baseman area all going to be getting big raises over the next several years? So you really don’t believe that the payroll is going to go up even without a trade? Ok, we lose the Lamb contract after this year, and Redmond will retire some day. That’s about $4M saved, which will be nothing compared to signing half of those guys.
I, for one, would prefer to see Baker, Slowey, Span, and a couple more signed to multi-year deals before too long - perhaps next spring. Yes, we could add Crede or a reliever for 1 year. But if Crede is 1 year, what happens next? How long until we have a replacement who looks good in AAA? If Crede works out, we’ll want to re-sign him for a lot more. If not, it was another Lamb. A 1 year deal makes sense if it means playoffs vs. no, or if someone else is almost ready. Maybe the playoff angle is the key to Crede.
Noteworthy move? Ruben Sierra? Tony Battista? Ramon Ortiz? Sidney Ponson? Mike Lamb? I can’t wait to hear who we’re getting next!! World Series here we come!!
BC of ND,
When I picture a riot of Twins fans, i don’t envision a scene from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
I like the Crede signing connected with plate appearances:
$3m base
$4m - 400 AB
$5m - 500 AB
$6m - 600 AB
+ and additional million for each 25 HR’s, 35 HR’s, and 100 rbi’s. Possibility of $9m.
GW -YES - or even more incentive driven. Except that Boras doesn’t like those deals.
And maybe days off the DL is better than at bats. Otherwise he could claim he was ok to bat but not play 3rd, than we have ANOTHER DH.
Here is some food for thought about payroll spending vs. market size:
I did the following exercise: Took the 2008 payroll of all MLB teams and divided by their market size (data here: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/baseball_markets.shtml ) so you basically end up with a number that describes how much money each team is paying their players per each person who lives in their market.
The premise is that the teams that are paying below average have “cheap” owners, and the teams that are paying above average have generous owners.
Where do you think the Twins fall in the list? cheap? generous? in-between?
Guess which are the 5 more generous teams are and which are the 5 least generous
you’d think poor old calvin griffith still owned the team with how people here are trying to pinch pennies.
the pohlads are the richest owners in the major leagues ($3.6 billion) they will be fine if they sign a few guys that don’t work out! you don’t have to worry about jim and family going on food stamps soon!
I would guess the Twins are average and Boston is the most and Washington has to be the least.
I know this is a little bit late, but I’d like to start the following topic:
QUESTIONS FOR LEN AND JOE TO ASK CEO POHLAD
1)Have the Twins seriously considered signing a Type A free agent this year? If not, will they next year?
2)Have you gotten an offer from Seattle for Adrian Beltre? If so, what was it?
3)Is the approach Vavra has taken with Gomez (watch 60 pitches, identify strikes/balls) a new emphasis of the organization on control of the strike zone by the hittes?
4)What is the timetable on extension talks with Mauer?
5)The Twins seem to have considered upgrading the starting rotation–Kawakami, Uehara, Washburn have been reported as “of interest.” Did the Twins offer Pedro Martinez $7million earlier this off-season? Is Pedro Martinez on the Twins’ radar?
6)You’ve stated that 51-54% of revenue would be spent on payroll. That didn’t happen last year, and looks not to be happening this year. Has that number been revised?
On second thought maybe the Cards are the most.
thrylos -
Are you adjusting for the cost of living in each market?
I haven’t seen a “mock” 2009 lineup for awhile, so here’s what I think would look very nice.
Span CF
Casilla 2B
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Crede 3B
Kubel DH
Cuddyer LF
Young RF
Punto SS
Pretty solid top to bottom, and Crede would definitely give Morneau more protection than Kubel or Cuddyer. I just can’t see playing Gomez every day when you have 3 outfielders that are that much better with a bat.
Have you gotten an offer from Seattle for Adrian Beltre? If so, what was it?
Club personnel cannot talk about players under contract by other teams. It is tampering…
thry: That stat smells like it’s going to be one of those that glosses over several other factors which impact payroll. This would include talent, age, service time, and how many people in that market actually FOLLOW the team.
Mutli teams cities like Chicago, New York, or to a lesser extent regions such as California, could be impacted in odd ways considering that more than one team is essentially considering part of the same market base.
Pete D,
maybe at some point I will do (but with a combination of per capita income/cost of living) plus I will try to add luxury tax + revenue share contributions to make it more fair, but this is a quick and dirty thing…
It has less to do with market size than it does with revenue. It’s all about how much revenue a team has, not how many people live in its area.
I’d guess the Twins are top five in generosity. Is KC #1? Cleveland? Seattle?
T,
yes I need to account for that as well.
so, how cheap are the Twins? 
Maybe Pittsburgh?
Maybe even San Francisco could be top 5…
And maybe days off the DL is better than at bats. Otherwise he could claim he was ok to bat but not play 3rd, than we have ANOTHER DH.
Plate Appearances would be a sufficient measure of playing time. If he’s healthy and playing well, he will get regular starts at 3B.
If his health fails, or if he begins to be ineffective offensively/defensively he will lose play time.
I would account for one trip to the 15 day DL in the calculations, which gives him SOME buffer should he get hurt.
However, the caveat would be if it’s related to his back, then he voids some amount of money.
ok. here are the numbers:
average 19.51
Twins 19.18
Houston 19.04
Arizona 20.35
(the 3 teams closest to average)
Florida 5.62
Mets 6.50
Oakland 6.81
Nats 7.22
Dodgers 7.24
Milwaukee 47.90
St. Louis 38.26
Cinci 37.45
Seattle 33.10
Kansas City 32.74
(no wonder 3 of those owners are pushing for a salary cap)
so, how cheap are the Twins?
If you account for age, the Twins in 2008 probably weren’t as cheap as people expected.
Since it was…what…12 guys that are still in their serfdom years?
I love it that people don’t understand the difference between wealth and net worth.
When they hear that the Pohlad family is worth $3.6B the equate it to mean that the have that much cash around. What it actually means it is what Forbes values their businesses at.
The Pohlad’s own about a dozen businesses and the sum value of those businesses is $3.6B. Some of the value is just a guess because Forbes can only use public information and not all of the Pohlad’s Financial data is public.
It is the same with the DeVos and Van Andel Families (Amway). It is a private company so it’s financial information isn’t made public. Companies like Forbes go by reported sales figures and guestimate the net worth.
When Joe Mauer bought Dick Bremer a Fudgesickle during the Twins Winter Caravan, he officially spent more than the Twins did during the off-season.
nationals are the highest, marlins lowest the twins are little above the middle.
Pete, that was hilarious, post of the day!
How about this:
Span LF
Casilla 2B
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Crede 3B
Kubel DH
Cuddyer RF
Punto SS
Gomez CF
This looks better to me…
I am frustrated, too, but I highly recommend Jayson Stark’s column at espn.com. The free agent market is ice cold, not just for Joe Crede but for Manny, Abreu, Dunn, and about 100 others. There will be deals to be had and everyone is waiting and watching the prices go down, down and down. He also notes how effective the owners have become in thwarting Boras’s time honored strategy of playing off competing offers.
thrylos where did the Rays finish?
What you rubes fail to understand is that the Twins are a business. They are in the business of making money not spending money wherever the fans say.
thrylos where did the Rays finish?
18.25
That’s interesting so you could say the Met’s and Dodgers are cheaper or that they got more bang for the buck.
I like the mock lineup except I’d rather have Gomez in place of Cuddyer and move cuddyer to Right Field where he’s flawless playing off the baggy. Use Young as a DH with Kubel and some outfield.
I think the wait and see approach is a good strategy as long as they are actually going to do something.
Imagine if they actually make an offer to solid players like Dunn (the RH power bat we’ve needed for a long time), Pedro (he’d solidify the 4/5 spot, provide some great mentorship to Liriano and others; this move also allows the push of Perkins to the pen, making it better too), and Crede (even if he only plays about half the year - if we make the playoffs and he plays then, he’s more than worth the money).
I am willing to bet these moves wouldn’t cost more than 15 mill (Dunn 6-7, Pedro 4 mill, Crede 4-5 mill + incentives) and would make the team a contender at a payroll of under 73 mill.
If they wait a bit longer, i bet they’ll even be cheaper.
Now if only they’d actually do these moves…
Hey Thrylos
Looks like of all major sports cities Green Bay would top everyones list by far. As for the cw12 post at 2:11 I like that lineup the best but I would insert Young over Cuddyer. Unless of course it is the Cuddyer of 2006 which I doubt we will ever see again unfortunately.
“Imagine if they actually make an offer to solid players like Dunn (the RH power bat we’ve needed for a long time), Pedro (he’d solidify the 4/5 spot, provide some great mentorship to Liriano and others; this move also allows the push of Perkins to the pen, making it better too), and Crede (even if he only plays about half the year - if we make the playoffs and he plays then, he’s more than worth the money). ”
1. Dunn is a lefty.
2. There is a strong possibility that Pedro doesn’t pitch any better than Perkins next year.
I love it when the blog starts with a barrage from the Angry Children. Thanks for the thoughtful and insightful contributions, ruidoso and Kity Kaat. Now, do you want snack?
Pete
oops - I was still rehashing my frustration over missing out on Burrell. thanks for the correction
as far as pedro vs. perkins - i’ll take one year of a crafty vet and the continued development of perkins in the pen to build confidence any day.
medschoolmatt -
“as far as pedro vs. perkins - i’ll take one year of a crafty vet and the continued development of perkins in the pen to build confidence any day.”
That ‘crafty vet’ put up a 5.61 ERA with a 1.569 WHIP in the National League last year. He’ll be 37 this season, and hasn’t had a healthy season since 2005. Why not let Perkins see if he can improve on last season? And if he doesn’t, the Twins have many in-house options they can try.
When Joe Mauer bought Dick Bremer a Fudgesickle during the Twins Winter Caravan, he officially spent more than the Twins did during the off-season.
They make $8mm popsicles?
Green Bay wouldn’t fit in that example because their market is not contained to just Green Bay, they draw from the ENTIRE state of Wisconsin.
The “crafty vet’ has lost a few points off his IQ.
T
they are called ‘puntocicles’
“They make $8mm popsicles?”
That’s a GOOD popsicle!
What was Pedro’s money pitch wasnt it a nasty changeup like Johan’s?
Green Bay is out of consideration because there is a salary cap in football… (and in basketball and hockey)
Sane
in what way?
all I am saying is for half a season Livan did a decent job in mentoring the youngsters and getting us a few wins. it’d be nice if we had someone of similar regard this year until perkins is truly ready (takes time to develop a 3rd pitch)
Jim Pohlad’s comments are very positive, aren’t they? He said he’s in favor of signing Crede, in favor in general of transactions but won’t override his experts. He daid they will add to payroll, but warned that they will do so with an awareness of future payroll costs related to the core players. In the past, he’s promised to spend 50%+ of revenue on player salaries. What reason has this man given us to doubt this? His wealth? Does the fact that he’s rich make him inherently untrustworthy?
Thry
i’d be interested to see how that study would shape up if you were to include outside revenue (ie TV contracts, memorabilia, etc)
There was a lot of rumbling last summer that Liriano was held down in the minors through July so the club wouldn’t have to pay him a roster bonus. Did they pay him the bonus and if they didn’t, do you think this might make agents like Boras shy away from incentive-laden contracts that are tied to PA with the Twins?
msm,
yeah, I am planning on doing it that too.
It still amazes me that a city of slightly over 100,000 population can sell out every home game since 1959. Obviously some of the most faithful fans in the world. I would expect that most teams would love that following year after year.
BC,
Pedro had three excellent out pitches - fastball, curveball and circle change - almost equally effective.
Liriano started the season on the big league roster. If the intent was to screw him out of a roster bonus, I don’t think he ever would have broken camp with the team.
sweet one thanks for the accounting help. do you really think i don’t understand that net worth doesn’t equal cash? i do understand that this team has been making money, has money and the team or the pohlad family will not go under if they sign a few ballplayers that don’t work out in the end. as a baseball fan i want them to put the best possible team on the field and how much money they make isn’t of great concern to me.
msm,
The Twins pitchers are ready to cut the chord.
Pedro would be a good Hispanic mentor, if only he didn’t take (if he could) a rotation spot from one of our returning five SP’s.
I’d rather bring up Ricardo Ingram as an extra coach and give roster spots to players that the Twins actually need.
The IQ crack was regarding Pedro’s deteriorating stats as a “crafty vet”.
I like how he says payroll will go up next year. But he says it’s because they’ll have more arbitration eligible players, not because they plan on acquiring better players.
In the past, he’s promised to spend 50%+ of revenue on player salaries. What reason has this man given us to doubt this?
Um, his failure to spend 50%+ of revenue on player salaries last year, and so far this year? Two years in which his team contended and expects to contend?
Two years in which he is required to contribute actual cash to the construction of the new stadium?
Is that reason enough to form a shadow of doubt?
Kimdana,
I think it shows that they intend to keep the team together instead of jettisoning the arbitration-eligible players.
Wait it out Twins, keep waiting, just like the Dodgers are doing with Manny. There’s no sense in getting into a bidding war with yourself. Wait it out and watch the price drop and drop.
Yeah, I’m worried that that “process” will be another term for feet dragging while another team comes in and swoops him up.
Thanks sane the circle change is the pitch i was thinking about. I never thought of him as crafty he was always a power pitcher.
USAFChief -
I know that we have differing viewpoints on this, but the Twins had payroll flexibility last year and tried to use it. They were willing to take on Washburn’s bloated contract. They added Guardado. They tried to add Beltre. They cut Lamb, even though he had another year left on his deal. They cut Monroe.
You really seem to be saying ‘Spend money to spend money!’ They were willing to spend the payroll - just not on anything with the sole purpose to get their payroll up to a certain level that you feel they should be at, even if they said they were going to try and use that as a goal.
The way I read Pohlad’s quotes is that he is willing to add payroll - but leaves it in the hands of his baseball people, which I think is a VERY smart way to run a team.
it’s not coming out of our bank account, willi, what do we care? sign crede and take a chance. do something for the fans. he was an all-star last year and has hit 30 homers and is only 30 years old. he should have something left.
Pete D:
Don’t forget the Nathan, Morneau, Cuddyer, and Kubel contracts. With the exception of I believe Nathan, the other three still had more than a few years of “serfdom” before they would’ve actually hit Free Agency.
In all four cases, the Twins showed a willingness to spend money on players within their system who have earned it.
While Cuddyer didn’t earn his money…it’s still demonstrating that they are taking steps to avoid situations such as what happened with both Hunter AND Santana.
Twenty to $25MM per year for mauer. Baker, slowey and Liriano. Nathan (do you let him walk, and have no relief pitchrs?) Morneau.
If you aren’t going to raise the payroll to $80+MM, you can’t have those players all on your team, and have anyone making much more than the minimum. How competitive is that core, if you only have slightly above replacement at most every other position?
It’s a tough balancing act. That’s why I would have tried to strike last year and this, because they could afford to add a player last year and this year. Starting next year, it will be harder to do. That’s why I keep talking about the window of opportunity that was missed last year and so far in improving this year.
[…] Twins Insider – […]
T,
I hope you meant Cuddyer didn’t earn his contract AFTER he signed it. He was re-signed after a pretty good year.
The Twins will do ZIP in 2009. Their excuse will be sorry, we have to sign our own players first. The fans have been suckered for years by Carl and now it’s Jim’s turn. Keep filling the Pohlads pockets Twins fans… The only person who has fooled more people in MN than the Pohlads is the devil himself.
Didn’t the Twins say yesterday they were 90% sure they were set? Or am I mis-remembering?
mww, would trying to striek last year and this year have included keeping Santana at $13.25 million last year and letting him walk this year for the 2 draft picks? That’s not supposed to be a loaded question, I’m just curious.
“The only person who has fooled more people in MN than the Pohlads is the devil himself.”
I thought it was Santa Claus but i’ll look up the stats and get back to you.
WJ, I didn’t think Cuddyer’s ‘07 was anything to merit $8 million per year from a team with payroll concerns. I didn’t like the cntract at the time, and I obviously like it less now.
mike wants wins says,
No you were mis-underestimating the Twins front office.
I dont think its right to be still giving Carl Pohlad crap for being cheap like Kity Kaat did. The guys dead, let him rest in peace, after all its a baseball team for crying out loud, its not like this guy drastically damaged any of you personally or anything. Heres a guy who grew up with nothing worked his tail off is a veteran of the armed forces and purple heart recipient who worked and made a name for himself. I got a lot of respect for a guy like that. And although yes, at times he seemed cheap, if Pohlad didn’t buy the Twins they would have moved to Tampa and then Tampa would have experienced the Kirby Pucket experience and those World Series titles in 87 and 91. Let the guy rest in peace, give it a rest.
Quit talkin’ and start chalkin’…..
“Didn’t the Twins say yesterday they were 90% sure they were set? Or am I mis-remembering?”
The Twins were discussing the “other” 10% today.
That 10% includes the 99-cent Free agent Sale, and the drunken GM trade fair.
No, I’d have dealt Santana. I’d have probably gotten a differen deal, but maybe not. I can’t believe how little they got so far.
going for it last year would have happened at some point during the year when I realized that the team was in contention. It’s nice they tried to land two Seattle players, but there had to be more than just Beltre and Washburn available. I’d have likely spent a lot more money too. But, that’s w/o the knowledge of what other teams were asking for.
I certainly would have called up Liriano 3-5 starts sooner.
I think Crede is worth a flier, but I also thought that about Tony Batista. I guess I’m also worried about the assessment that he was playing about 75%, but we could really use another big bat, and he’s cheap if healthy.
It’s over… ESPN INSIDER is reporting Crede to the Giants. 2 years $10.2m SIGH!!!!
I think the Twins should sign Crede today, and see if they can get a 2-for-1 special from the nice people at woot.com.
hate to disagree kent but carl did cause a few emotional scars with twins fans the multiple times he treatened to move the team and and his willingness to contract the team out of existance. if he had his way there would be no twins!
but i will let him rest now.
Why don’t we move Morneau to 3B and sign a good hitting first baseman…Dunn? Morneau could handle it over there.
Ah. Thanks, mww.
Crede to Giants? I think the sun will come up tomorrow.
My two cents:
Span LF
Casilla 2B
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Crede 3B
DY/Kubel DH
Cuddyer/DY RF
Punto SS
Gomez CF
Is there a link to the Crede signing?
I don’t see anything on ESPN.com that says anything about Crede signing, and I have an insider account. Not saying it’s not true, but I can’t find it.
There is something about a rumor that the Twins are backing off Crede, but BrianK may be a troll.
I don’t think he’s a troll…but I do think he might be a D-bag.
If he signed a 2-year, $10.2million contract, we don’t want any o’ THAT!
If Crede’s back goes south this April, the Twins (or the Giants) will have a hard swallow.
Twins may be backing off on Crede
Joe Crede | White Sox | Interested: Twins?
The Twins are hesitant to give third baseman Joe Crede a $5 million deal, at least for now, even though agent Scott Boras insists his client’s back is healthy, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The newspaper reported that the Twins have been monitoring Crede’s recent workouts in Arizona and “came away believing he was only moving at 75 percent.”
Boras disputed that viewpoint Thursday in an interview with the Star Tribune, saying “Joe Crede has been cleared to play and is ready to compete every day, as any other player would be going to camp, and he’ll be doing so in about 10-14 days.”
A free-agent third baseman, Crede hit 30 home runs for the White Sox in 2006 and 16 more in the first half last season, making the All-Star team. But back injuries limited him to 47 games in 2007 and 97 in ‘08.
The Star Tribune said the Giants and Twins are among the known teams interested in signing Crede, and Boras hinted that at least three teams are in the mix.
In other news, I hinted Boras is a manipulator….
If the Giants actually did offer him a two year 10.2 million contract I would be surprised. I think that there are only two teams interested in him at all and I seriously doubt the Twins would go two years for that kind of money. If anything it would be for a year (with incentives) with an option for the second year.
At least Zigy will go out and get more talent this year.
Much ado about nothing, apparently.
Forget the free agents out there. Go to spring training with what u got and use the money to sign Baker and Liriano to affordable contracts to keep them around. Then approach Mauer about a possible extension. Sign our own guys and forget the garbage free agents.
I just had a really hot lady walk past my office window…
Jake that was the best post all day!!
I can’t see anything that says Crede has signed with the Giants. Two years at a guaranteed $10.2 million??? That is just way too much money for him and if they did they were bidding against themselves I think.
From http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
[February 6 at 4:50pm CST]
…the Twins reached an agreement with reliever Luis Ayala today on a one-year, $1.3MM deal. Ayala can earn another $575K in incentives.
[…] hours after new owner Jim Pohlad assured the writers that the offseason isn’t over, and that the Twins were looking at upgrading third base and late inning relief, we receive news […]
[…] CEO Jim Pohlad says the team is not done, in talking to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He believes signing Joe Crede makes sense, but his baseball people have the final […]
T -
I read your first couple of comments.
I agree for the most part with you, a good CEO puts the right people in the right placed to make the decisions and then just directs them when they need it.
I think the problem lies in the fact that a lot of fans far less passioned, and angry than I am agree with me in the fact that Bill Smith might not be best suited as the GM of this team.
Also while Jim brings up a good point about the salary bump after 2009… the income JUMP in 2010 should compensate for that. And if the Twins are proactive with signing some of the players to longer term contracts now they can avoid a huge inflation each year, and have salaries under control for the most part so they can prioritize the needs with a steady look on the payroll.
But Jim Pohlad’s philosophy looks and reads very sound according to LaVelle’s comments… it just looks that Smith is too conservative, and scared to make a move after failing so badly last year.
Well it’s good to here that they are not done but when are they going to start? Ayala? Give me a break.
I find it funny most people here are drooling over Crede, making it seem like the season would be a wash if the Twins don’t sign him and the Giants fans are praying the Twins do sign him…. (from their message board) “God Bless the Twins! I dont want Crede on this team. Who ever nabs him will pay a bunch of money to see him rot on the DL” *”The Twins owe us big time. Keeping Crede away from us is the least they can do after sùckering Sabean with the Nathan deal back in ‘03.” And that is just from one thread…..
I see it this way. Crede hit 17 HR’s, 55 RBI, and was voted to the AS team with a hurt back last year. Just sign him and get it over with he’ll be alright if he’s moving around at about 75% The Twins have 2 other guys they can throw in there so Crede isn’t getting tired right away. The guy can HIT and it’s not like he doesn’t know the AL Central pitchers
Little Miss Sarcasm,
“And that is just from one thread…..”
EXACTLY!
Little Miss Sarcasm,
“And that is just from one thread…..”
EXACTLY!
That is why it has very little significance.
[…] a press conference yesterday, Jim Pohlad stated that a Joe Crede signing made sense to […]
I think it’s means alot that Jim Pohlad would make,he could have said nothing.He kinda put it all on line by said statement.I think behind the scene,the organization feeling is that,although a division run is possible this year,realistically 2010 is the year they can make a serious run at the whole thing.Save some money for next year’s free agency market.That’s to many of you,the biggest kool-aid statement of all!
it just looks that Smith is too conservative, and scared to make a move after failing so badly last year.
I think some of it is also that Smith may be looking more for 1-year deals so that when those expected pay jumps take place going into 2010, they don’t have too much money wrapped up in various players and have some wiggle room.
That could be why 1-year of Crede sounds like an attractive situation….though they may not like the sound of 5 mil for him.
I still say 5 mil guaranteed if he makes 500 plate appearances. And only 3 mil if he goes on the DL for back problems.
What an ugly list for the Vikes…
2009 PROJECTED FREE AGENTS: QUARTERBACK
February 7, 2009, 2:50 p.m. EST
Here’s the complete list of the upcoming free agents at the quarterback position. First, restricted. Then, unrestricted.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
Gibran Hamdan, Bills.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
Brian St. Pierre, Cardinals.
Kurt Warner, Cardinals.
J.P. Losman, Bills.
Kyle Boller, Ravens.
Todd Bouman, Ravens.
Rex Grossman, Bears.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bengals.
Brooks Bollinger, Cowboys.
Patrick Ramsey, Broncos.
Dan Orlovsky, Lions.
Matt Cassel, Patriots. (Franchise tag.)
Joey Harrington, Saints.
David Carr, Giants.
Anthony Wright, Giants.
Marques Tuiasosopo, Raiders.
Charlie Batch, Steelers.
Byron Leftwich, Steelers.
Jamie Martin, 49ers.
J.T. O’Sullivan, 49ers.
Charlie Frye, Seahawks.
Jeff Garcia, Buccaneers.
Luke McCown, Buccaneers.
Kerry Collins, Titans.
Chris Simms, Titans.
Source: NFL Players Association.
The point of it being comments from just one thread many of people saying they don’t want Crede anywhere NEAR a Giant’s uniform. I don’t know where you guys are getting the idea that you can sign Crede and get to keep both Buscher and Harris as backups in case the super agent Boras wasn’t completly honest in saying he was heathly enough to play on surface turf and he gets hurt again. And the incentive laden contract based on plate apparences is to START at 5.1 million, and Boras does not compromise for most of his clients so these ideas of 1 million per 100 plate appearances would never work for him unless it is on top of his 5.1 base salary. I don’t know, maybe signing Crede would be what the Twins need, or maybe it would be a huge mistake, worst than a potential trading Young-Washburn
Signing Crede for 1-year would be worse than trading Delmon Young in a deal for Jarrod Washburn? Ummm. No.
Little Miss Sarcasm,
I guess my point is that scattered Giants-blog comments don’t have the credibility that the actions of the Giants FO would have.
If the Giants FO bailed out of the Crede bidding, then THAT would be a warning signal. I assume it also would lower the asking price.
There are blog posters in all cities for and against everything, and almost all of them (including me) have absolutely ZERO inside information.
Too tired to read through and see if this has already been discussed but the Giants have offered a minor league deal to Rich Aurelia and he’s mulling it over. If they sign Aurelia, I would think that would significantly affect Crede’s leverage with the Twins.
http://cbs5.com/sports/joe.crede.offer.2.929605.html
According to that, the Giants have also offered Crede a 1 year deal.
yeah just read that, too… ah well.
wonder what kind of money they offered for one year.
But the key is that he hasn’t signed…yet.
nick 34 i like your thinking i have been saying that for years.it could be like years back when the players on the field could hear the people in the seats talking about there plans for the weekend. then maybe just maybe when people dont make these a holes ritch they just might start getting high profile players here
With a lot of people losing there jobs, companies going out of business and people struggling to get by, why should we as fans spend a DIME on tickets if the billionaire Pohlads are not going to add payroll like they promised to improved the team? Could there be a more selfish family out there than the billionaire Pohlads?
