Winter Meetings Monday Morning Update

by Jon Marthaler on Dec 5, 2011 9:30 AM EST in News

This man, we're guessing, will probably not be a Twin. But it's nice to think about.

MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports the Twins have "called" about Josh Willingham, but cautions that at this stage it's nothing more than getting information. (10:51 am)

Let's dive right into this morning's news and notes, as baseball's winter meetings get going this morning.

According to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman, the Twins are part of the Mark Buehrle sweepstakes. MLB Trade Rumors says that the asking price is in the range of $14 million, and Buehrle wants a full no-trade clause. Throw in that there's apparently 14 teams interested (Heyman again, via MLBTR), and that Miami's busy throwing around money right now, and I'd say the chances on this one aren't very good.
Again via MLBTR, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the team also remains interested in Edwin Jackson.That said, right now Buehrle and C.J. Wilson are the prettiest girls at the starting pitching dance, and Jackson probably wants to wait for those two to set the market before signing.
Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 says that Michael Cuddyer is the key to the Twins' actions - whether he comes back will make all the difference in what they do.
Manny Ramirez is coming back, though he'll have to serve a 50-game suspension first. He's right-handed and can DH and "play" left field and - oh, forget it. Nobody can talk themselves into this being a good idea. Also, if the Twins signed him, Ron Gardenhire would probably resign effective immediately.
Speaking of the Marlins, ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that they've signed Jose Reyes for 6 years and $106 million. I would like to make a joke about this being around $1 million per game, but then there's Joe Mauer right there and I should probably shut up. Reyes is the first of the big dominoes to drop; we now wait on Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, and if you can believe it, Olney says that the Marlins are making a run at Pujols as well. This, I suppose, is the kind of thing you can do if you're starting with a payroll at $45 million.
Elsewhere in the Central, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says that the Royals won't be looking for upgrades on the free-agent market. Since they re-signed Bruce Chen, I guess we already knew that.

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Comments

Manny -- Gardy resigning

Necessarily a bad thing???

by Theo77 on Dec 5, 2011 10:46 AM EST reply actions

Erm I'd rather have Gardy on the field than a cheater.

by twinscrazy_german on Dec 5, 2011 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

+1

I want nothing to do with Manny.

by Jesse on Dec 5, 2011 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

But...

we could really turn a profit selling Manny wigs at Target Field while he’s suspended for 50 games…

by Pohshow on Dec 5, 2011 12:08 PM EST up reply actions

Not even at shortstop?

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 5, 2011 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

Not even at substitute janitor

by twinscrazy_german on Dec 5, 2011 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Buerhle

Am I the only one that things that signing him is a bad idea?

by diehardtwinsfan on Dec 5, 2011 11:04 AM EST reply actions

Probably not

But I’d love to have him. That said, after we sign him, he’ll probably break his elbow.

by Gunnarthor on Dec 5, 2011 11:07 AM EST up reply actions

It would be strange seeing him in a Twins uniform.

I don’t know if I could stomach it. Haha. I guess Favre wore a Vikings uniform, I didn’t totally embrace it, but at the time I knew it made the team better.

I’m just for adding pitching. Buerhle wouldn’t be my first option, but we need to make a move for a solid addition to the rotation. This isn’t one of those times I want to wait it out and see how the market develops. Sometimes that works to an advantage, but lately it seems to have been biting the Twins in the rear.

by Pohshow on Dec 5, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

If the Twins had $30 million left to spend,

I’d probably be okay with it. But considering we’re dealing with a chunk of change probably south of $20 million (maybe south of $15 million) to work with, and that’s pre-arbitration raises, it doesn’t seem like a prudent choice.

by Jesse on Dec 5, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

I did check at baseball reference yesterday

And they did have our payroll at $68 million and that does include our recent signings plus Mauer and Morneau. Buerhle would increase that number to about $82 million with a $14 million per year contract.

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by Jessy S on Dec 5, 2011 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

that's wrong...

because it doesn’t include arbitration players.

by DJSkillz on Dec 5, 2011 1:08 PM EST up reply actions

True

But they can’t be added to payroll because we don’t know those totals. We can only budget for arbitration and who knows what could happen. Francisco Liriano could go into arbitration and get a big raise from the Twins because one could argue that the 2011 season was a down year for the Twins.

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by Jessy S on Dec 5, 2011 1:31 PM EST up reply actions

There are esptablished formulas

They can budget within a few million of your total payroll, anyway. You don’t ignore it just because budgeting is not perfectly accurate.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 5, 2011 1:43 PM EST up reply actions

You want to know something

Our payroll will be at about $120 million give or take a few bucks. All I know is that resigning Michael Cuddyer and getting a good starting pitcher are the priorities for the Twins. If Terry Ryan nabs Mark Buerhle for us, so be it. If he trades somebody for a cheap but established starter, so be it as well.

Check out my eBay items.

by Jessy S on Dec 5, 2011 2:22 PM EST up reply actions

Not at 14 million per year

I’d rather take a chance on Edwin Jackson then or bump it up and go long term after CJ Wilson for 16-17 million per year.

Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?

by halfchest on Dec 5, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions

+1

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 5, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

Twins call on Willingham

Supposedly we’re one of 9 teams that called about Willingham. . . not that it means a lot but nice to see they’re interested.

Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?

by halfchest on Dec 5, 2011 11:51 AM EST reply actions

Is that right?

Reyes signed for less than $18 mil/per? That seems way too cheap.

by amiller92 on Dec 5, 2011 11:54 AM EST reply actions

really?

that’s going to be a HUGE albatross of a contract in years 4/5/6 when he’s playing something like 80 games/yr.

by DJSkillz on Dec 5, 2011 12:16 PM EST up reply actions

I'm a bit surprised he didn't get a little more than that

Only because I assumed somebody would just overpay to get him. I think it represents a pretty fair deal though. He’s productive enough to outdo that contract but with his injury history he doesn’t deserve much more.

Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?

by halfchest on Dec 5, 2011 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

albatross...

I really believe that will end up as one of the worst contracts in baseball. It will look good for a year or two, with the bright shiny Miami lights on him and Hanley creating excitement. But it will fizzle quickly.

by DJSkillz on Dec 5, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

I think it will be less than a year for that contract to fizzle.

Besides, I don’t think Jose Reyes is a good player to sign due to his injury history. However, he looks good right now because he appeals to the hispanic community in South Florida.

Check out my eBay items.

by Jessy S on Dec 5, 2011 2:26 PM EST up reply actions

Cause that is the reason they signed him

by twinscrazy_german on Dec 5, 2011 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Haha

Too funny.

But seriously, it’ll be interesting to see what other moves the Marlins can pull off.

by Caulfield on Dec 5, 2011 6:41 PM EST up reply actions

Looks like Cuddyer is likely to stay, according to LaVelle.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/135028968.html

He speculates it would be for two years, which would be ideal.

"I wanted to do it because it's fun, it's fun to do bad things and drive into a car."

by PurplePeopleEaters on Dec 5, 2011 11:56 AM EST reply actions

Agreed anything beyond two would make me weiry

by twinscrazy_german on Dec 5, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

weiry?

is that weary, wiry, wary, weird or weiner-y?

by That'sWhatSheSaid on Dec 5, 2011 12:51 PM EST up reply actions

wary

Jeez, picking on the foreigner for his pronunciation

by twinscrazy_german on Dec 5, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

Weiry just means like a weir

Signing Cuddyer for an overly long contract would make him feel dammed.

by ColossusOfRhode on Dec 5, 2011 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Make him feel like a barrier blocking a waterway?

by spanspanspan on Dec 5, 2011 2:13 PM EST up reply actions

Particularly to catch fish, yes

by ColossusOfRhode on Dec 5, 2011 2:31 PM EST up reply actions

Don't you mean "damned"?

Dammed is something else I think.

by Flip27 on Dec 5, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

Or maybe Cuddy would be damming our river of outfield prospects?

by Flip27 on Dec 5, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

Damming the damned!?

by spanspanspan on Dec 5, 2011 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

It was some rather obscure wordplay on my part

weir /wi(ə)r/ (n.)
1. A low dam built across a river to raise the level of water upstream or regulate its flow.
2. An enclosure of stakes set in a stream as a trap for fish.

by ColossusOfRhode on Dec 5, 2011 3:15 PM EST up reply actions

Sigh

You’re just treading water now.

"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
#OccupyTwinkieTown

by less cowbell, more 'neau on Dec 5, 2011 5:58 PM EST up reply actions

She's walking in a specified way? On water?

Could it be… ?

by spanspanspan on Dec 6, 2011 6:05 AM EST up reply actions

Yes, folks, it's true.

I’m a basilisk.

by ColossusOfRhode on Dec 6, 2011 3:02 PM EST up reply actions

Good read.

Thanks.

I believe Cuddy wants to stay in Minnesota and has just been trying to get the Twins to increase their offer. I’m probably one of the few that wouldn’t mind him staying.

Hopefully, Burton is a sleeper. Could use one or two in the bullpen.

by Pohshow on Dec 5, 2011 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

I don't think you're one of the "few"

I think there are plenty of us.

by ColossusOfRhode on Dec 5, 2011 12:09 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah

I haven’t seen a post where Michael Cuddyer wasn’t celebrated, so I’ll do it here.

I hate that Michael Cuddyer, he is so smug.

Check out my eBay items.

by Jessy S on Dec 5, 2011 1:05 PM EST up reply actions

I didn't read it like that

Lavell said the best offer so far is from the Twins, (2 years, more than $16 million). But that doesn’t mean other clubs won’t make an offer. He listed Boston as a possible suitor. He also hinted that Ryan’s patience is growing thin. His whole offseason blueprint hinges on Cuddyer’s decision.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 5, 2011 12:31 PM EST up reply actions