Article: Minnesota's Winter Of Discontent

[USAFChief]

No they did not. And Garret Cole could realistically be slotted in to start game two, right behind Darvish, with Berrios at three, and Santana at 4 by ?mid-May?

 

We get Kyle Gibson game 2.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Btw, this is how Darvish's contract is structured, per Cot's:

 

2018 $25M

2019 $20M

2020 $22M

2021 $22M

2022 $19M

2023 $18M

 

The Twins were concerned about that sixth year, and Darvish accepts $18 million for it. In 2023 that will be Mike Pelfrey money.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

At $19 and $18 million, Darvish would or should in no way be the highest paid Twin by then.

 

Still not too late to salvage the rotation.

[slash129]

 

Going into the offseason, everybody expected that it would take at least $150/6 to get Darvish.

 

As it turned out, because of a slow market (or collusion), his price came down to $126/6.

 

If you're a team like the Twins, this is a perfect opportunity to get a top FA who normally wouldn't be available to them. All they have to do, the least they could do, is put something interesting on the table to give Darvish something to think about.

 

Try $140/6. It's less than the expected minimum, and a good deal more than the Cubs offer. Or try $126M for 5 years and see what he says. At the very least, they could make the Cubs pay the expected freight.

 

No, instead the Twins float an offer (and make sure the media report on it) that nobody would ever expect Darvish to take, unless the Cubs and Dodgers dropped out of the bidding entirely. They let the Cubs get a steal. And some people insist that the Twins should get props for this. "But they've never bid $100M on anyone before!" Yeah, it's a $100M deal that they knew Darvish was never going to sign. So what was the point?

 

It wasn't a serious offer. Let's be straight about this. It was just a pantomime. A joke.

 

They take us for fools.

 

It's probably more likely that Darvish didn't want to play here for anything reasonable to a smaller market team.  

 

I also think it's likely that the FO did not feel the team is a Yu Darvish away from making a deep playoff run or unseating Cleveland, so they handled the negotiations and how far they would extend themselves accordingly.

 

I haven't read anything on any of the Darvish threads that even pretends to be from a fly on the wall during any negotiations.

 

I wish everyone would stop making up numbers that would have magically put Darvish in a Twins uniform. It isn't like the Twins had the right of first refusal on him.

 

In reality, I doubt Falvey is too worried about how easy it is to pull something over on a group of stat-crazed, pipe-dream GMs like all of us who represent a pretty small percentage of the fans that they are marketing this product to. 

 

They made the playoffs last year, so the majority of the fan base is probably in a good, hopeful place going into this season.  They're the fans that look at a 40-64 record on August 1st and say, "Well, they still have time to turn it around," and then double-down after Kepler hits 3 jacks. Darvish is a blip to them.

 

 

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

I haven't read anything on any of the Darvish threads that even pretends to be from a fly on the wall during any negotiations.

 

I wish everyone would stop making up numbers that would have magically put Darvish in a Twins uniform. It isn't like the Twins had the right of first refusal on him.

We're not making up the Twins reported offer, which had no real chance of landing Darvish in Minnesota.

 

I don't claim to guarantee that a larger offer would have landed Darvish, but there were larger reasonable offers that would have greatly improved our chances. Which I thought was our goal, given we were told acquiring Darvish was a priority.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Hey, if the Twins don't really deserve any blame for their Darvish offer, does that mean they don't really deserve any credit for the Addison Reed deal either? After all, the team just made the offer, they didn't have any control over whether the player actually signed, right?

[ashbury]

For fans, it's largely been a winter of disappointment and letdowns. I hold out hope that a pleasant surprise lies in store, but if they end up with someone like Chris Tillman as the lone infusion for this needy starting pitching corps, my developing faith in this leadership will be shaken.

"Let's not make baseball out to be any more important than it really is. It's just a diversion that keeps us from pondering our own personal hells. So what do you say, folks? How about we kill another three hours on our slow and painful march to the grave? All right, top of the first. Should have a good one here this afternoon." -- Jim Brockmire

[Riverbrian]

 

We're not making up the Twins reported offer, which had no real chance of landing Darvish in Minnesota.

I don't claim to guarantee that a larger offer would have landed Darvish, but there were larger reasonable offers that would have greatly improved our chances. Which I thought was our goal, given we were told acquiring Darvish was a priority.

 

I had to go to the post office one day. Sometime in March 2015. 

 

On the sidewalk outside the front door was a Camera on a tri-pod and a reporter for WDAZ Channel 8 News. As I randomly walked past... I was asked if I was willing to answer a couple of questions for the camera. I didn't want to, I didn't really have the time but agreed... My fault.

 

The reporter was gathering public opinion on a high speed car chase that ended with the suspect getting shot by a University of North Dakota Police Officer. 

 

The reporter asked me "Could the actions of the police officer be considered excessive?"  and then he put the microphone in my face. 

 

I replied: "Someone was shot... that is fairly excessive but police officers will continue to get my benefit of the doubt. It's a real hard and dangerous job. I don't know the circumstances other than it was high speed chase over a couple of counties and that means we have someone who was at the very least an extreme danger to the public over multiple counties and failed to follow the simple instruction that everyone clearly understands... pull over when prompted by the flashing light. I'll give the officer the benefit of the doubt and let his superiors handle it. 

 

That was it... I went into the post office and carried on with my day. 

 

Shortly after 6:00... I wasn't watching the news but my wife was. I heard her go "OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS". I walked into the living room to find out why she said that rather loudly.

 

She said: "You defended that guy in the car chase?"

 

Which of course triggered a lot of explaining on my part... from being absolutely clear that I wasn't defending the guy to being absolutely clear that I was defending our law enforcement officials to having to explain what I was doing at the post office. 

 

While explaining all of this to my wife... my phone starts going off... I'm getting texts from friends going... WTF? FB Messages suggesting I should wear the uniform for one day. My mother in law called immediately to say I looked nice. 

 

I asked my wife to rewind it. I didn't care enough to watch the news as it happened but I was real curious now.

 

The reporter (loosest definition of reporter possible) was trying to force a narrative that the town was divided over the issue. 

 

All he used from my entire opinion was:  "Someone was shot... that is fairly excessive".

 

He was kind enough to lead into my out of context soundbite with "Some residents are adamant that the police officer had gone too far".  

 

In about a second's time... 24 frames? I was placed on the unpopular side of an opinion that wasn't mine... the randomly accidental representative of a criminal and all I wanted to do was apply for a passport.  

 

For about a month after that... I would occasionally run into an acquaintance who would say in passing "Saw you on the News". 

 

 

Anyway... the reason I typed all of that. 

 

I agree with almost everything you are saying on Darvish and I think you are absolutely right ...  BUT... I don't believe we know what was offered or what parameters were discussed. 

 

 

The days of Edward R. Murrow are gone. Commonality in Reporting means nothing. Commonality is an echo. The press are easily manipulated. The audience is easily swayed by emotion. Emotion increases ratings... ratings increases revenue. Rinse and Repeat until facts no longer matter. 

 

I'm watching CNN right now and they had a nice long segment on the hero Florida football coach who was killed followed by a long segment on Karen McDougal and I get it because America's Top Model and CNN are coming out of the same Time Warner tap. 

 

Long way to go to say... don't trust what you are reading. I personally will never hang the front office over anything reported. 

 

I'm simply hanging them because Darvish will be pitching for the Cubs. 

[USAFChief]

I had to go to the post office one day. Sometime in March 2015. 

 

On the sidewalk outside the front door was a Camera on a tri-pod and a reporter for WDAZ Channel 8 News. As I randomly walked past... I was asked if I was willing to answer a couple of questions for the camera. I didn't want to, I didn't really have the time but agreed... My fault.

 

The reporter was gathering public opinion on a high speed car chase that ended with the suspect getting shot by a University of North Dakota Police Officer. 

 

The reporter asked me "Could the actions of the police officer be considered excessive?"  and then he put the microphone in my face. 

 

I replied: "Someone was shot... that is fairly excessive but police officers will continue to get my benefit of the doubt. It's a real hard and dangerous job. I don't know the circumstances other than it was high speed chase over a couple of counties and that means we have someone who was at the very least an extreme danger to the public over multiple counties and failed to follow the simple instruction that everyone clearly understands... pull over when prompted by the flashing light. I'll give the officer the benefit of the doubt and let his superiors handle it. 

 

That was it... I went into the post office and carried on with my day. 

 

Shortly after 6:00... I wasn't watching the news but my wife was. I heard her go "OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS". I walked into the living room to find out why she said that rather loudly.

 

She said: "You defended that guy in the car chase?"

 

Which of course triggered a lot of explaining on my part... from being absolutely clear that I wasn't defending the guy to being absolutely clear that I was defending our law enforcement officials to having to explain what I was doing at the post office. 

 

While explaining all of this to my wife... my phone starts going off... I'm getting texts from friends going... WTF? FB Messages suggesting I should wear the uniform for one day. My mother in law called immediately to say I looked nice. 

 

I asked my wife to rewind it. I didn't care enough to watch the news as it happened but I was real curious now.

 

The reporter (loosest definition of reporter possible) was trying to force a narrative that the town was divided over the issue. 

 

All he used from my entire opinion was:  "Someone was shot... that is fairly excessive".

 

He was kind enough to lead into my out of context soundbite with "Some residents are adamant that the police officer had gone too far".  

 

In about a second's time... I was placed on the unpopular side of an opinion that wasn't mine... the randomly accidental representative of a criminal and all I wanted to do was apply for a passport.  

 

For about a month after that... I would occasionally run into an acquaintance who would say in passing "Saw you on the News". 

 

 

Anyway... the reason I typed all of that. 

 

I agree with almost everything you are saying on Darvish and I think you are absolutely right ...  BUT... I don't believe we know what was offered or what parameters were discussed. 

 

 

The days of Edward R. Murrow are gone. Commonality in Reporting means nothing. Commonality is an echo. The press are easily manipulated. The audience is easily swayed by emotion. Emotion increases ratings... ratings increases revenue. Rinse and Repeat until facts no longer matter. 

 

I'm watching CNN right now and they had a nice long segment on the hero Florida football coach who was killed followed by a long segment on Karen McDougal and I get it because America's Top Model and CNN are coming out of the same Time Warner tap. 

 

Long way to go to say... don't trust what you are reading. I personally will never hang the front office over anything reported. 

 

I'm simply hanging them because Darvish will be pitching for the Cubs.

 

Did you get your passport in a timely manner?

[ashbury]

I think you are absolutely right

Good. I'm glad that's settled. Many Twins fans share your outrage.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Long way to go to say... don't trust what you are reading. I personally will never hang the front office over anything reported.

 

I'm simply hanging them because Darvish will be pitching for the Cubs.

But you can trust what’s not reported by “the media”

 

If Darvish had turned down a larger offer to go play for the Cubs, we’d have heard about it. The MLBPA would have had a holy conniption fit, and the commissioners office would have waived that flag in mighty triumph.

 

The Twins got outbid by a very team friendly deal compared to projections... projections that lead Mr Levine to proclaim Darvish was a priority, and therefore in reach.

 

I hold the FO absolutely accountable for that. If they have the resources, the window is open. They need to take advantage while they can. The opt out excuse is bogus, it’s the best part of the deal, 2 great years of Darvish and he moves on. Great, the odds of 3-6 great years are slim, you sign him to the deal because that’s the cost of doing business.

[Riverbrian]

 

Did you get your passport in a timely manner?

 

Turns out they saw the clip and it slowed the process down. 

 

And coincidentally... I got a couple of speeding tickets and a jaywalking in the weeks to follow. 

 

I'm sure they were all unrelated... The Jaywalking charge occurred in a restaurant parking lot. 

[USAFChief]

Turns out they saw the clip and it slowed the process down. 

 

And coincidentally... I got a couple of speeding tickets and a jaywalking in the weeks to follow. 

 

I'm sure they were all unrelated... The Jaywalking charge occurred in restaurant parking lot.

 

The clip had nothing to do with it.

 

And yes, we know.