Terry Ryan has had success finding bargains in winter free agency. Kurt Suzuki was an all star. Jared Burton was a top set up man. Ryan Doumit provided a very good bat. In all three cases, the Twins chose to extend into their thirties rather than sell. It is not possible to know what the offers could have been for those players. They were all performing well enough to be valued by other teams and there would have been offers. All three could point to some aspect of their games or health that had changed their skill level.

Instead the Twins chose to extend.

A look at their performance before and after extension.

Ryan Doumit (Extended through 2014 on 6/29/2012)

Before 229 PA 271/332/443 OPS of 775

After 1003 PA 248/300/406 OPS of 706

A Great Deal From Any Perspective

Jared Burton (Extended through 2014 on 12/6/2012)

Before 62 IP 2.18 ERA 8.0 K/9 2.3 BB/9

After 130 IP 4.08 ERA 7.4 K/9 3.3 BB/9

Kurt Suzuki (Extended through 2016 on 7/31/2014)

Before 348 PA 306/369/391 OPS of 760

After 337 PA 238/294/332 OPS of 626

Is his offense success sustainable?

Who do the Twins buy high in 2015?

Extension Candidate Number 1: Mike Pelfrey

Pelfrey leads the team with a 2.28 ERA after 11 starts. Opposing batters have a .654 OPS against him. Is it his split fingered fastball getting more groundballs?

How is Mike Pelfrey Doing This?

Extension Candidate Number 2: Torii Hunter

Hunter is second on the team with a 757 OPS. That OPS is just slightly lower than his OPS in 2014. He also leads the post game dance celebrations. He is credited with being a great leader for the young players. He is part of an outfield defense that looks markedly improved.

Stick a Fork in Hunter: He's Done

Extension Candidate Number 3: Blaine Boyer

Boyer the Destroyer. He has gone from signing a minor league contract this winter to the Twins new set up man. He has a 2.48 ERA in a team high 29 games pitched. Is his refined change up finally allowing him to be effective against left handed pitching?

Twins Best Kept Secret

The deals for Suzuki, Burton and Doumit were well received. It was believed Suzuki would sustain his offensive success. Burton's history of arm trouble were behind him. Doumit's two year extension was a great deal from any perspective. Who do they extend this summer?