According to MLBTR, he is open to resigning with the Brewers. However, he has been linked to teams including the Twins, Royals, Cubs, and Padres within the last few weeks. With their recent trade for Shields and Davis, I don't see the Royals as a contender for Marcum anymore. I see the Twins, Brewers, and Cubs as his most possible destinations, because all of them need a pitcher of his caliber, and I don't see him bolting the Midwest to play for the Padres unless they make him an offer that he can't refuse.

Marcum is definitely worth a decent offer. If he is in the mood for a 3 year deal, of course. Mutual option for a 4th, if he's feeling choosy.

Marcum would have his choice of poor teams to sign with. He might go for a one year deal to find a better landing for 2014.

I think the Shields trade makes them more likely to go after Marcum. They should be going for it now.

 

At the beginning of the offseason I said sign the best pitcher that you can for 3/36 and be done with it. Haren was my choice then but Marcum was my backup plan so I'm okay with this. Right now Marcum and Dempster are the only guys that remotely deserve that kind of money aside from Jackson and Sanchez who should get more.

Twins should do what it takes to get this done. Marcum was my #1 target for an affordable pitcher with good talent. It may take the 3/36 to do this and that should be OK for the Twins.

I would honestly offer an either/or. Either a one year, 14 million deal (with an option and 2 million buyout) or a three year 33 million deal (if the sense is that it is going to require that kind of money). He might like the guaranteed 16 million.

Marcum has always been a guy at the top of the list for me. He has some injury issues (but nothing to major recently) and his k/bb ratio isn't the greatest in the world, but its really hard to ignore the fact that in each of his last 4 seasons he has a 3.70 ERA or lower.

 

I would love to bring him in on a 3 year deal. Ideally we would still have enough left to take a run at a guy like Jackson.

If the Twins can bring in Marcum I would be more ok with the Corriea signing. A rotation of Marcum, Diamond, Worley, Corriea, & Gibson has some pretty decent potential. At least a better look to it than last year...

If the Twins can bring in Marcum I would be more ok with the Corriea signing. A rotation of Marcum, Diamond, Worley, Corriea, & Gibson has some pretty decent potential. At least a better look to it than last year...

 

Even with Marcum I think they bring in another low cost guy on a 1 year deal, Lannan would probably be it.

 

Then you have Gibson/Hendriks waiting in the wings. I think Ryan realizes they absolutely need "legit arms" to fill the rotation, even if a few of those arms are lifetime #5 type guys.

I wouldn't mind bringing in Lannan to fill out the rotation. Obviously someone is gonna struggle and maybe by that time Gibson/Hendriks are ready to contribute. Has Jair Jurrgens signed anywhere yet? He's another guy I'd like to see get a shot to see if he can get his 'stuff' together again. Or is he just a Liriano head-case type?

Multi year deal for a guy with a sore elbow and declining velocity? I don't think so.

I'd rather have Jackson but will be quite happy if they sign Marcum. A rotation of Marcum/Worley/Diamond/Correia/Hendriks to start the season is such a vast improvement over 2012 that the Twins would still probably be a pretty bad team but they might come close to .500.

 

Add in Gibson mid-season and that rotation actually looks pretty good going into 2014 (since I think Hendriks/Gibson will force Correia out of the rotation at some point).

they already brought in Correia so there is no reason to dive into the mediocrity dumpster a 2nd time. Go for Marcum, Jackson or possibly Villanueva or stay out at this point.

Now I have two reasons to root for Sanchez to sign with the Cubs. Get him out of our division and take a bidder away for Marcum

Marcum has stated his desire to play for a contender. Guys who say that sometimes forget when a GM pulls up in their driveway with a dumptruck full of cash. Even so, it seems like the Twins are long shots if it's really important to him, especially after the Span trade.

He wants to play for a contender and yet the only teams he's listed as being linked to are the Twins, Royals, Brewers, Cubs, and Padres? Does he know what a "contender" is?

It's kind of cute, in a sad clown sort of way, how some folks still cling to the hope that the Twins are going to sign anyone better than Correia this winter.

 

I'll gladly eat crow if I'm wrong, but I won't be. Correia was the big FA signing.

Multi year deal for a guy with a sore elbow and declining velocity? I don't think so.

 

yup we only trade for them