Article: Dozier Debate: Contract Extension? Pace of Play?

[Mike Sixel]

 

This is an interesting ramification of the depressed FA market that I hadn't thought about. Not only as it relates to Dozier but also the other 5 (?) guys the Twins would be interested in talking to about an extension. 

 

Obviously it depends on how he does this year, but I think this FA market would make it more likely that Dozier would take the ~18M qualifying offer. I mean, I don't think he'd get Cain money (5/80M), so if he was a FA right now, what could he expect? 4/60? 3/50? Especially if he had a draft pick tied to him. 

 

Same goes for less potentially stratospheric players like Rosario, Kepler, and Polanco (though I'm a big Rosario fan).... would this market make them more willing to add a couple potential FA years on to an extension? Maybe. Would Eddie take a  Yelich-esque offer of 7/50M, which would buy out two of his FA years?

 

I'd take my chances on 3/50 over taking 18......

[twinsguy14]

I just think waiting on Dosier for a year and a qualifying offer as an option for another year is prudent to see what the youth coming up have to say. Put the money into pitching. Young pitchng. As far as pace of play...Yes, I love baseball and I love it the way it is but, it's not about me or others in our golden years. It's about the youth. The youth that are no longer playing the game. The ones who watch soccer on TV and not baseball. Things need to change for the future of the game. It has to do with pace of play not length of game. The owners seem to know this, the players do not. Apparently neither do the umps. Efforts were made to do less harsh things to force a change in 2016. To start the season, you could see the difference. Pace of play was noticably quicker. All with something as simple as making players get in the box. But as usual, certain players and teams wouldn't comply and umps on their own quit enforcing it. So here we are again. Now we have to go to extremes to enforce what wouldn't get done before. And it needs to happen. For the future of the game I love.

[Vanimal46]

I'm pretty comfortable in Dozier's ability to be productive until he's 35+ years old. His bat hasn't slowed down, and the power he shows should keep him as a .800+ OPS batter, and 3-5 WAR player. Plus, there's something to be said about the Twins needing a "face of the franchise" when Mauer's contract is done. Dozier is already being marketed as the team leader, and for the most part is already the face of the franchise. 

 

I'm not confident in Polanco or Gordon's ability to make up for Dozier's on/off field value and offensive production. 

[frightwig]

Dozier is riding high, coming off his peak years. Signing him to an extension now means paying a premium to lock into a deal that he'd probably like to carry through age 35-36. A year from free agency, he has no great motive to sign unless the Twins do offer top dollar for at least 5 years. And the Twins are smart not to be getting into that with him.

 

Let him play out the final year of his contract. If he's off to a hot start, but the team is struggling, they can explore trade possibilities this summer. If he has another big year and the team is a contender, great--they're set to give him a qualifying offer and collect the draft picks when he signs with the Dodgers. If he has a down year, OK, maybe they can keep him at a discount. But giving him a longterm deal this spring is the last thing they should want to do.

[Mr. Brooks]

I agree 100% here. I would much rather pay Dozier $16-$14 million per year and a TCV of $60 million. Then we can trade some of the extra "wealth" that we have in the infield that is talked about.

 

Gordon + Granite + Hughes for Archer or controllable SP prospects. Granite deserves a shot at a starting job and should have some trade value, Gordon is expendable with Lewis, Polanco, and others in the system, and Hughes would allow for some salary relief while giving someone like TB a back end starter that could potentially contribute and provide innings. If we need to add one of our Relief Pitchers from AAA, then maybe that make sense too.

 

Even as Dozier starts to decline in his older age, he will still be younger at the end of his contract then Ian Kinsler is today. Kinsler is still regarded by many as a above average 2B in the league.

Sorry, but that's just not a realistic trade package for Archer.

Granite is not going to be a starting outfielder. His best shot is to bounce around as a 4th/5th OF'er, or AAAA depth.

And TB has no interest in Hughes, not even if we ate the salary.

[adorduan]

 

I agree 100% here. I would much rather pay Dozier $16-$14 million per year and a TCV of $60 million. Then we can trade some of the extra "wealth" that we have in the infield that is talked about.

 

Gordon + Granite + Hughes for Archer or controllable SP prospects. Granite deserves a shot at a starting job and should have some trade value, Gordon is expendable with Lewis, Polanco, and others in the system, and Hughes would allow for some salary relief while giving someone like TB a back end starter that could potentially contribute and provide innings. If we need to add one of our Relief Pitchers from AAA, then maybe that make sense too.

 

Even as Dozier starts to decline in his older age, he will still be younger at the end of his contract then Ian Kinsler is today. Kinsler is still regarded by many as a above average 2B in the league.

Tampa Bay would block your phone number forever if you called and offered that for Archer.