Could Plouffe be Nontendered?

[The Wise One]

_{Blake  Swihart played 0 games in the minors before this year.. Of course a more experienced left fielder wouldn't have crashed into the wall and got hurt.    Of course the move to the outfield caused Hector Olivra to go nuts at home, Gosh only knows what will happen to Ian Desmond} 

[Linus]

I posed the question because there is no way, given the circumstances, would I pay Trevor $10 million or more next year. I'm not sure how many teams would which really complicates trading him.

[tobi0040]

Agreed, though I wouldn't have minded that move as much had 3B still been open for Sano.

 

But a lot of this bungled mess is due to a continued belief (a completely asinine one) that just any ol' infielder can play the outfield. Which has failed with Bartlett, Santana, Escobar, Nunez, Sano....and perhaps I'm missing more?

Trevor himself has Played 30 games in the OF.

 

Hopefully a recovering hammy will

Be the catalyst to get him out of the OF. I don't want the catalyst being another Buxton concussion when he is hit like a Mack truck by Sano

[jorgenswest]

In last year's free agent crop, there were few deals to compare to one year and 10 million. If he is the player he was in 2014-2015, then a contract similar to that of Kendrick, Desmond, Rasmus or Utley may be reasonable and surround his arb figure. Span and Parra are also in that neighborhood but over three years so not really a comp. Kendrick was two years.

 

I don't think his arb figure is out of line assuming he performs as expected the remainder of the year. He just doesn't fit the Twins. The Twins would be better off spending that money in a position of need. They should have done that last winter. He would have value to a team with a need. The acquiring team needs to pay both his salary and in players to the Twins though. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of space after the salary to also get much prospect value in return.

[kab21]

Plouffe on a one year deal is worth 10M next season. The biggest decision to determine if he is worth it to the Twins is whether or not they believe Sano can play 3B. Nobody here can really say but I am certain that the FO and coaching staff have an opinion even if they don't publicly state it.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Plouffe on a one year deal is worth 10M next season. The biggest decision to determine if he is worth it to the Twins is whether or not they believe Sano can play 3B. Nobody here can really say but I am certain that the FO and coaching staff have an opinion even if they don't publicly state it.

 

Wouldn't the fact that they continue to put him there whenever Plouffe is out indicate that they do think he can play it?

[jimmer]

Sano hasn't played 3B whenever Plouffe hasn't though.  He's only played there 5 games this year.

 

And having a guy play there a little bit, because he has some experience there, doesn't mean they think he could play there full time.

[kab21]

 

Wouldn't the fact that they continue to put him there whenever Plouffe is out indicate that they do think he can play it?

Sano has started 5 games at 3B and Plouffe hasn't started about 18. Something here doesn't add up.

[DJSim22]

They also said Sano wouldn't play third base at all, that his spot was RF.  And then they put him there for 5 games.  The whole deal doesn't make much sense regardless of what the FO really thinks. 

[jorgenswest]

The play of Nunez and the struggles of the young outfielders may be a factor in Nunez filling in at 3B more often than Sano.

[HitInAPinch]

 

The play of Nunez and the struggles of the young outfielders may be a factor in Nunez filling in at 3B more often than Sano.

Yeah.  Nunez's hitting makes it a need to get him somewhere in the infield on a regular basis.

 

I don't really remember the circumstances on why Sano played 5 games at third.  I do remember management saying that Sano would return to right field.

 

I guess I'm still looking at this season as a season of change. 

[Kwak]

 

Agreed, though I wouldn't have minded that move as much had 3B still been open for Sano.  

 

But a lot of this bungled mess is due to a continued belief (a completely asinine one) that just any ol' infielder can play the outfield.  Which has failed with Bartlett, Santana, Escobar, Nunez, Sano....and perhaps I'm missing more?  

Plouffe should be added to this list. Cuddyer too!  Killebrew, who was a DH before the position was invented--most definitely.

[howeda7]

The Mets would probably take Plouffe right now. His value is minimal and isn't going to change much on 7/31 or in the off-season. Get what you can and move on.

[TheLeviathan]

Sano has started 5 games at 3B and Plouffe hasn't started about 18. Something here doesn't add up.

Fair enough, my mistake. The question remains- why play him there at all if what you say is true?

[kab21]

 

Fair enough, my mistake. The question remains- why play him there at all if what you say is true?

Lack of other options with Nunez playing SS or not being an every day player. that is one possibility.

 

I also don't know what they actually think of Sano but neither do you.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Lack of other options with Nunez playing SS or not being an every day player. that is one possibility.

 

I also don't know what they actually think of Sano but neither do you.

 

No, but I'm also not posting that his height or weight is preventing him from playing there.  In what limited action we have seen, he's been quite alright.  The team has never badmouthed his ability to play there and their reasoning during the offseason was that they just didn't want him to be a DH.  They've continued to play him there in the minors and last year in the majors whenever he was in the field.

 

The evidence is far more in line with the team having too much affection for Plouffe than a disbelief in Sano's defensive abilities.  He should probably be a DH most of the time and a part-time 3B, but he has no business being in RF.  

[LaBombo]

It's hard for me to look at the third base situation and see it as anything other than one more sign that the front office has either given up 2017 already,  or else that yet again it simply doesn't have both its figurative oars in the water with regard to player valuations.

 

It's pretty clear that the organization views Sano as either the awful right fielder of the future or a man without a defensive position.   The only third base prospect in the minors,   Blankenhorn,   is in rookie ball learning how to hit and shave.   The best impending free agent at third,  David Freese,   was about as good as Plouffe in 2015 and is four years older,  so cue sad trombone for that option.

 

So unless the Twins pull off some sort of trade for a third baseman,  they've effectively limited their options to Plouffe and Nunez.   They both projected to slot in this year about halfway between replacement level and the worst 3B's among qualifiers,  although Eduardo's unsustainable BABIP does put him above that level at the moment.  Nunez will be 30 next season,   and Plouffe will be 31.

 

In other words,  the Twins are apparently willing to accept play at third base next year that's probably going to be just a bit above replacement level.   Even playoff teams sometimes find themselves relying on a player or two like that in their everyday lineups.   But it looks to me like the Twins are already penciling in a 2017 lineup made up mostly of 1-2 wins above replacement mediocrity.