Article: The Andrew Albers Circus

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

so you weren't going to add him to the 25 man roster, and then decided to DFA him just a day or so later, like was reported? You weren't going to add Light, but then didn't? Why not wait, and handle it differently? Perhaps it was handled fine, and it's the reporting that is off?

I don't know if the reporting was off, but the rules are so weird that it's hard to make sense of the reporting.

 

This is what we know, and basically what was reported (although generally without the full technical explanation!):

 

1. Albers was added as the 26th man for the second game of the doubleheader Thursday

 

2. Boshers was DL'ed after the first game of the doubleheader, Thursday in attempt to add another pitcher for the second game, but a delayed flight meant that pitcher would be unable to arrive in Minneapolis in time.

 

3. Unable to replace Boshers in time for the second game, Albers apparently lost his 26th man status.  (Correction from my earlier post: optional assignment waivers would not be required to option the 26th man.)

 

4. While the team waited to see if Milone had to go on the DL, Pat Dean flew to Minneapolis early Friday to be ready for that night's game, either in place of Milone or Albers.

 

5. Milone was DL'ed Friday afternoon, and as expected, Dean took his spot for that night's game.

 

6. Now that Dean was able to replace Milone, Albers was DFA'd Saturday and O'Rourke took his spot for that night's game.

 

7. Albers was reinstated to the 40-man roster and optioned on Sunday.

 

Everything was in accordance with standard procedures and practices (even if the players they chose left something to be desired!).

Edited August 16, 2016 by spycake

[Mike Sixel]

Why DL Boshers before you have to, if it means you have to add Albers and DFA him then? Why not just keep Boshers on the roster 1 more day?

 

Why not promote Light, if that was the plan?

 

 

And, as my edit shows, I finally figured out the 25 man thing with Albers...

[twinsnorth49]

 

Doesn't that ultimately make it matter more right now?  If it's a forgone conclusion that Albers will be outrighted after the season and may elect free agency, why keep him on the roster beyond what was necessary (the doubleheader)?

 

And what does it say about Dean and O'Rourke that they were both effectively behind the "designated man walking" Albers on the depth chart?

 

And what does it say about the Twins that we are investing August innings / roster openings in a lost season on 3 pitchers, ages 27, 28, and 30, all of whom have had opportunities before, have very low upsides, and are very likely to be gone for nothing when the season ends?

Sure, but the OP was about figuring out the move, not figuring out why the Twins insist on investing innings in guys like Albers, et al.  That discussion exists in a host of other threads on the site. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

The question I have is once it was known that Light wouldn't get on a flight in time, why not just wait on a move? Don't DL Boshers until after the second game, Albers is still your 26th man, even though Boshers is unavailable.  That way, you can still send Albers down without a transaction after the second game if you have to use him a lot (like they did) and call someone else up, or you can make the same move you did between games.  

 

 

This has likely been said in six different ways already, but why didn't they just leave Albers as #26. Then just send him back? And deal with Buddy as a separate issue?

 

While you are both correct that once Albers lost his "26th man" status, he had to clear optional assignment waivers to be optioned back to AAA, it wouldn't have made any practical difference.  He could be (and was) DFA'd before we requested optional assignment waivers, so he was no longer on the roster while we waited for him to clear said waivers.

 

If they waited until after the second game, they would have optioned Albers to get back to 25 guys, and then DL'ed Boshers and replaced him with Dean.  But they still would have been waiting on Milone's health status before they could add another player, and Milone's health status wasn't confirmed until later in the day Friday.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Sure, but the OP was about figuring out the move, not figuring out why the Twins insist on investing innings in guys like Albers, et al.  That discussion exists in a host of other threads on the site. 

Fair enough, sorry for the tangent!

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Why DL Boshers before you have to, if it means you have to add Albers and DFA him then? Why not just keep Boshers on the roster 1 more day?

 

Why not promote Light, if that was the plan?

See my reply above.  I'm not sure it made any practical difference to do it another way.

 

As for Light, I'd guess the Twins saw their needs shift between Thursday afternoon and Saturday.  As of midday Thursday they needed another pitcher, but not necessarily a multi-inning guy -- they still had Albers who hadn't pitched yet, and Milone was still healthy and set to rejoin the pen after his spot start, plus Dean was rested and ready in AAA if needed.

 

By Saturday, they had exhausted both Albers and Dean, and the injured Milone was no longer an option either.  (Of course, we've spent much of the season without a real "multi-inning guy", and whether O'Rourke is really an appropriate or worthwhile long reliever is a separate matter of debate...)

[gil4]

 

While you are both correct that once Albers lost his "26th man" status, he had to clear optional assignment waivers to be optioned back to AAA, it wouldn't have made any practical difference.  He could be (and was) DFA'd before we requested optional assignment waivers, so he was no longer on the roster while we waited for him to clear said waivers.

I think the only difference it made is Albers is subject to the 10-day non-injury recall rule for being on the 25th instead of 26th man (and I'm not even 100% sure that's true.)  I'd be more upset with Albers returning without someone being injured than I am about any consequences of the rule.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

This has been a great Inside Baseball discussion. But, is there any chance it's been based on mistaken information? Where did we get that Albers was DFA'ed? I think it started with this two word tweet from Berardino - "Albers designated". What if he misunderstood, and/or used a shorthand he didn't think would get parsed so literally?

 

https://twitter.com/MikeBerardino/status/764313276528418820

 

He was definitely DFA'd per the press release and confirmed by Jack Goin on this very message board. Goin is the head of the Twins analytic department in their Front Office. 

 

[ashbury]

He was definitely DFA'd per the press release and confirmed by Jack Goin on this very message board. Goin is the head of the Twins analytic department in their Front Office. 

True story. I'm gonna blame the TD software that, when I clicked to see unread messages in this thread, I was taken instead to the most recent post and I missed Jack's post and everything else that came last night. Sorry for injecting doubt. True story.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

I've never been more proud while reading the comments/message board in all my life. Actual questions, actual suggestions to why moves were made, actual understanding (as best as we can) and discussion of trivial baseball rules. I've "liked" comments on this thread and I rarely click that button on any form of social media.

 

But really, I think I'm just happy I'm not alone in thinking so much about something that doesn't matter.

[gil4]

 

But really, I think I'm just happy I'm not alone in thinking so much about something that doesn't matter.

That's the main reason most of us come here.   

[Doomtints]

I have said elsewhere that the Twins are bizarre with how they handle Albers.

 

They sell him to Korea.  OK, fine, they deem he's not good enough to play in the majors, even as a LOOGY.  I disagree, but I can respect their decision.  

 

They trade for Tommy Milone, who is a slightly worse version of Albers.

 

They bring Albers back rather than try something new.  If he was not good enough for the organization in the past, how could he be good enough now?  This means either sending him away was a mistake, or it means bringing him back was a mistake.

 

They then promote him to the team rather than calling up a pitcher already on the roster but in the minors.  Then they immediately cut him in spite of having roster space.

 

Whatever your opinion is of Albers' ability, the Twins are treating him very badly.  If he is not good enough for the Twins, he deserves some respect and the Twins should let him go.  The Twins are treating him like an expendable ex-girlfriend that they keep on the side.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Doomtints

[Otto von Ballpark]

I don't quite agree with all of that (Milone is not a worse version of Albers, for example), but I do agree that the Twins could have helped Albers much more by letting him seek another MLB opportunity after 2013, rather than cashing him in by selling him to Korea.  (I elaborated on this point in another recent Albers thread.)

 

I don't really have a problem with how they've used him otherwise, assuming they don't recall him again this year.

[jud6312]

 

I don't quite agree with all of that (Milone is not a worse version of Albers, for example)

I'm with you on this one. I'm about the furthest thing from a Tommy Milone fan, but I think he's got a role on a big league team ... preferably one I don't watch. Albers, however, I see no upside to having on a 40-man roster. He strikes me as the kind of guy you stash at AAA and call up if half of your MLB rotation is injured, along with the swing man, the AAA and AA pitchers on your 40-man and one of the other organizational fillers can't catch a flight.