Article: Minnesota Twins Introduce Latest Addition To Lineup

[Parker Hageman]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/3080-Minnesota-Twins-Introduce-Latest-Addition-To-Lineup

[Dantes929]

Can someone explain the out of options thing to me. If Morales agrees to go down to the minors what is the problem? Kind of silly that there isn't some provision for this situation.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I thought I heard on the radio broadcast that he will get some late inning at bats in the next day or two.

[twinsfaninsaudi]

The issue is that by rule he cannot go down to the minors unless he clears waivers, wether he agrees to or not, so another team could claim him, and would claim him. He can't go to the minors unless he clears waivers which is impossible.

[dl3mk3]

duplicate post

[dl3mk3]

It's common practice for teams to send down vets to get game time with the expectation that other teams won't put claims on the player. Boston just diff this with Stephen Drew. If the twins do not take advantage of this 'unwritten rule' they are doing themselves a disservice. Although it could be that this was a request by Morales/Boras and a reason he signed with a team without a better ballpark and odds at making the playoffs.

[mk]

Why is it assumed he would not clear waivers? Wouldn't the claiming team have to take his contract? Didn't he sign with the Twins because no one else offered to give him as much money?

[Twins Daily Admin]

Well, if I was a team competing against the Twins - especially if I was one that they were facing in the next 7-10 days - I don't know why I would agree to not claim him. The Twins face the Blue Jays next. That front office is notorious for not giving a damn about unwritten rules.

 

And while the claiming team would have to take his contract, that doesn't mean that a team wouldn't be willing to do so once they've had a little more time to think about it. And then the Twins are screwed. Not "screwed" as in "they lost a lot of money" because the other team is paying Morales but "screwed" as in "they lost their guy AND they DFA Kubel AND the GM looks stupid to ownership for spending a bunch of money/energy on a guy and then giving him up in a procedural move to an opponent."

[jorgenswest]

It's common practice for teams to send down vets to get game time with the expectation that other teams won't put claims on the player. Boston just diff this with Stephen Drew. If the twins do not take advantage of this 'unwritten rule' they are doing themselves a disservice. Although it could be that this was a request by Morales/Boras and a reason he signed with a team without a better ballpark and odds at making the playoffs.

 

Drew had an option left.

[tjsyam921]

Wonder if they could've signed him to a minor league deal for the same price knowing hell be in the majors in a week or two. I'm sure Boris had no intentions of doing such a thing though.

[SockNet]

If this signing is a statement to the fan base that we are legitimately chasing the play offs, don't we still have issues in the rotation to address? If they are serious, don't they have to get Meyer up to replace Correia or Deduno? Maybe even May for the other? If not I think its just a stunt to try and put butts in the seats.

[dl3mk3]

Drew had an option left.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/what-is-the-point-of-optional-waivers-stephen-drew-boston-red-sox-052114

 

 

I read in multiple articles that he could have been claimed-maybe you have a different source?

[LewFordLives]

If this signing is a statement to the fan base that we are legitimately chasing the play offs, don't we still have issues in the rotation to address? If they are serious, don't they have to get Meyer up to replace Correia or Deduno? Maybe even May for the other? If not I think its just a stunt to try and put butts in the seats.

 

Personally, I love the signing and I don't see this as a stunt, but I agree with you 100 percent that it's going to come down to pitching, pitching, and pitching. I was really hoping Dick or TK would've asked Mr. Ryan about the Meyer/May situation yesterday during the telecast. The only thing he offered up was that they could be considered for the futures game.

[LewFordLives]

Wonder if they could've signed him to a minor league deal for the same price knowing hell be in the majors in a week or two. I'm sure Boris had no intentions of doing such a thing though.

 

I was wondering the same thing.

[Otto von Ballpark]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/what-is-the-point-of-optional-waivers-stephen-drew-boston-red-sox-052114

 

I read in multiple articles that he could have been claimed-maybe you have a different source?

 

That article also references' Drew's one remaining option. I suspect the rules work in tandem -- Drew had to pass through "optional waivers" but he also had to have an option remaining to be placed on such waivers.

[JB_Iowa]

That article also references' Drew's one remaining option. I suspect the rules work in tandem -- Drew had to pass through "optional waivers" but he also had to have an option remaining to be placed on such waivers.

 

If he had an option left, couldn't they have simply withdrawn him if someone claimed him?

 

That would seem to make a big difference from a player w/o options.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Wonder if they could've signed him to a minor league deal for the same price knowing hell be in the majors in a week or two. I'm sure Boris had no intentions of doing such a thing though.

 

Are there guaranteed salary limits to minor league deals? I suspect there are, because otherwise you could sign all of your offseason free agents to minor league deals and delay putting them on your 40 man roster until the end of spring training.

 

I suppose Morales could have done a minor league deal with the full $7 million salary if he makes the 25 man roster, with an opt-out date for, say, one week in the future. Does leave him in limbo for the next week, particularly if he gets injured or something.

[Otto von Ballpark]

If he had an option left, couldn't they have simply withdrawn him if someone claimed him?

 

Yes, that was widely reported. Claiming Drew would have simply forced Boston to keep him on their 25 man roster (unless Boston surrendered him to the claiming team, which would have been odd indeed!).

 

Optional waivers appear to be similar to revocable trade waivers in August. Although perhaps you need an option left to use them? But maybe you only need to use optional waivers before a minor league assignment if you are a veteran with 5+ years service like Drew? Certainly the Twins didn't request optional waivers on Florimon this year, nor did any other team have the ability to force us to keep Florimon on the MLB roster!

 

Kinda makes sense. Those veterans also have a right to refuse the assignment (maybe with the same 48 hour window as the waivers?). And generally the only veterans who get optioned to the minor leagues are usually pretty bad, and it's likely no team would claim them.