Don't Trade Austin Martin

[Cody Pirkl]

Acquired by trade last July, Austin Martin has quickly found himself at the center of trade talks once again for a Twins team short on pitching. The Twins, however, shouldn’t be so quick to flip their newly-acquired top prospect.

It’s reasonable to look at Austin Martin and see a valuable piece that the Twins could use to acquire some pitching, but there are several reasons they shouldn’t be looking to do so.

Redundancy is Overrated
One argument that can be made is that Martin doesn’t appear to be a future shortstop and his future in center field is blocked by the Buxton extension. This could wind up leaving Martin in a utility role. The Twins already have Luis Arraez in a similar position, however, with other players like Jose Miranda and Royce Lewis coming up who could find themselves in a similar spot.

It makes sense to deal from a place of depth, but Martin could bring a lot of value backing up Byron Buxton in center field and Jorge Polanco at second, two players with significant injury histories who could very well miss time at any point moving forward. Luis Arraez can’t fill in for Buxton in center and is stretched at second, not to mention his own injury worries as well.

Martin is a younger, healthier, higher floor and likely higher ceiling option than most players that find themselves in a possible platoon role. Not to mention these issues that involve “too much depth” always find a way to work themselves out when it comes to baseball.

His Value Isn’t That High
Potential MLB caliber shortstops are one of the more valuable assets a team can have in their farm system. It’s a big part of what led to Martin being chosen so high in the draft and what could make him an enormous trade piece moving forward. Tom makes a good point in regards to Martin’s trade value:

Tom’s reasoning behind this is solid. Austin Martin’s 2021 has gone a long way in proving he’s not a future shortstop. Twins fans should be on board with trading him if a team still looks at him as one, as the return would be that much better for a player that’s unlikely to reach that ceiling.

Martin was a longshot to be a future shortstop at the trade deadline, however, and didn't do much to change that idea after the fact. I’d be shocked if a team is still all in on this idea. A team such as the Reds who are in need of a shortstop of the future would likely be more open to paying a higher price to gamble on Royce Lewis panning out at the position because he hasn’t proven otherwise yet. Trading Austin Martin to a team that believes him to be an outfielder or second baseman wouldn’t bring back all that much relative value.

Musical Chairs
There isn’t a lot of baseball logic that goes into this one, but it just feels unproductive to trade the Twins best pitcher for two prospects and turn around and trade the biggest name for a different pitcher who likely won’t be any better than Berrios.

Sure, the Twins will have gotten Simeon Woods-Richardson out of the deal, but it’ll cost other prospects in addition to Austin Martin to acquire any of the big names on the market. If there was any enthusiasm about extending one of these arms after acquiring them then it could be worth the price. It’s hard to find that enthusiasm however and the likelier outcome is trading such a pitcher away at the 2022 trade deadline if the team finds themselves in a similar situation as last year. It runs the risk of beginning a cycle that doesn’t sound all that fun to be honest.

The Twins liked Martin enough to acquire him as a big piece of the Jose Berrios trade and he’s been about as advertised since then. To turn around and trade him for another pitcher with two years of control (the majority of the high-end pitchers on the market) just seems like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. It essentially just swaps out a couple of prospects for a new pitcher who’s likely on Berrios’ level and still leaves a gaping hole in the rotation.

It’s possible Austin Martin doesn’t become the star he was projected to be when drafted. He’s still an MLB-bound player with incredible pure hitting skills and versatility. He could easily settle into a position for the next 5-6 years and be an example of how not quite everything in 2021 went wrong. 

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Twins front office tries to wriggle out of their own self-inflicted mess with the pitching staff. Players on the verge of bringing some much needed excitement to Twins Territory such as Martin should be off the table unless there are extenuating circumstances. Austin Martin should be wearing a Twins jersey by 2022 season’s end.

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[mikelink45]

It is hard to say who to trade and who not to.  The question is what do we need and what do we have to do to get it.  Since we did not go for the FA market we get to the trade market and something has to give.  I consider the Berrios trade to be a failure for the FO.  If we turn around and trade Martin and ??? for a pitcher of Berrios value it really emphasizes that fact. 

[Karbo]

It would take a whopper of a deal for me to trade away Martin at this point. There has only been 1/2 a season to evaluate him at AA ball. As a fan I would like to see what he can do at AAA and then hopefully with the Twins. All the reports say his hit tool is legit. Lets find out.

[miller761]

Who cares about SS. If the kid can hit which is pretty much the consensus and can play 2B and all 3 OF positions and can run and is controllable for the next 5-6 years why would you trade him. The Twin's inability to sign FA players or for those players to want to come to Twins make this decision easy. Keep the kid and put him at the top of the order until he is a free agent.

[jmlease1]

I wouldn't look to deal Martin either, because there's a real question on whether Kirilloff is going to get moved to 1B (where he might be elite defensively and Sano may not have that much time left in the organization) and if Larnach can hit enough in MLB to be a full-time starter. So there are other places for Martin to play. He could be a true super-utility guy (playing any of the OF positions and some time in the middle infield as well) or he could get slotted in LF and the only thing that ever hits the ground in the Twins OF would be rain. His ability to get on base and cover ground in the OF could make him a really fun LF: I think our pitching staff would appreciate the team starting two guys who can play CF in the OF at the same time (three if Kepler sticks around, or Celestino makes the squad at the same time).

I think Martin can hit. His ability to control the strike zone is really impressive at this point in his development, and the only knock on his hit tool is power. Well, he was fighting an injury for much of the year and adjusted his approach to compensate...and power is also the easier thing to add to someone's portfolio as a hitter. I'm much less worried about the guy who controls the strike zone and needs to add power production than the big slugger who can't manage the zone.

I think Martin can hit, and if you can hit they'll find a defensive home. And he's not a guy who can't play D; it's just that his likely best two positions are currently occupied by guys who are better than he is right now.

[DJL44]

Absolutely don't trade him for veteran pitching. The Twins should be acquiring high-upside pitching with lots of team control, not expensive veterans.

[jorgenswest]

Would it makes sense for the Twins to trade Martin and Woods-Richardson for Montas? Would it seem like they don’t have a plan by trading for prospects and then turning around and trading for a pitcher? It would be like trading Berrios for Montas.

How does flipping one starter for another help? It helps because they traded the last two months of Berrios 2021 for the Montas 2023. They weren’t going anywhere in 2021. Why not trade him while his value is high and bank the prospect capital? Why not use that capital for much needed starting pitching?

The Twins need starting pitching. If they can trade Martin for a Berrios like return with control in 2023 they absolutely should do it.

Note: I chose Montas because I was looking for a pitcher that was a close match for Berrios in WAR last year (both 4.1) with 2023 control. There might be a better candidate. Let’s try not to derail a discussion about trading Martin with a debate about Berrios v Montas.

[Ryan_K]

I'd keep him. If he got good marks in CF, then we might have our own Alex Gordon for the next half decade by putting him in LF. That's a good return for 8 months of Jose.

[tony&rodney]

The Twins are sitting on about fifteen pitching prospects and about  four hitting prospects. The team needs at least two experienced starting pitchers. They have eschewed the free agents leaving the trade market to fill the holes. 

The post does a solid job of pointing out why Martin should be retained. Falvey should have received reports regarding the potential for Martin as a future player by now. His value does not appear as high as his potential as a batsman right now. I don't believe he has established himself enough to draw the attention from another club where the Twins clearly benefit. For example, the Reds would not trade Luis Castillo for Martin. Finally, my belief is that the team has other players that could be moved for the pitching capital needed; keep Martin.

[TopGunn#22]

Martin and Woods-Richardson would be a vast (VAST) overpay for Montas.  Those two could probably get you Montas AND Bassitt.  

I think the Twins need to acquire at least one and maybe two veteran arms for 2022 and beyond.  Trading is their only avenue now that the best FA arms are gone.  In Martin and Woods-Richardson I can't see the Twins including them in ANY trades as they have yet to get a good idea on what they have.  I'm all for trading Arraez,  who currently has the highest trade value of any player in the Twins lineup except Polanco.  Miranda, Martin, Lewis are ALL guys that could fill the role of Arraez.  Also, having the positional flexibility Martin, Lewis and Miranda have allows the Twins to consider trading Trevor Larnach or Max Kepler in a package to shore up our acute lack of veteran SP'ing.  The Oakland A's are going to have to field a team next season, as are the Miami Marlins.  Arraez is a good player who is still tremendously affordable who could help either club out at multiple positions.  Trade Arraez.  Hold onto Martin, Lewis and Miranda for at least 2022.  

[Fred]

TopGunn#22 knocked that one out of the park. My thoughts exactly

[Trov]

First, no player should be non-tradable, for the right price.  Part of the article talks about his value will not be there to trade, and if true then of course you do not trade him.  You should never trade someone when value is down, when it could go up, just because you may have depth.  Prospects change in value all the time, if you are not getting what you feel is fair value you never just dump a guy. 

If you do get what you feel is a good value then go with the trade, but it should make sense.  I agree you do not trade him for a 1 year controlled pitcher that is not as good as Berrios.  I do not see any way the Twins trade him in off-season, unless a deal for a young good team controlled MLB pitcher is involved. I find that unlikely. 

Second, part of the article address that he has shown he cannot be a SS at the pro level after 1 year of pro ball.  Maybe the writer knows more than me, or maybe they are just looking at the fact he split time between SS and CF and at SS his fielding percent was not good. 

However, splitting time does not tell the whole story, although organizations want to develop players, the managers are also want to win and show they can win.  For the Twins at AA they had much older Palacios, who is known for his fielding, and was holding his own with the bat this year.  That means the manager had to decided help develop Martin at SS who was having struggles, over Palacios or put Martin in CF.  I do not know the situation in Toronto AA team if it was similar or not.

Regardless, the organization and work with him in ST and during the season to see if he can be a SS.  I do not know if it was a throwing issue, or letting balls through legs that led to errors.  Not all errors are created equal.  If a SS makes a stop in the hole because of good range and makes a throw that gets past the 1b allowing the runner to advance, making the play an hit with an error, that is very different than a routine grounder let through the legs. 

I am not saying he will stay at SS, but to use a single pro season to say no way will he stick there to me is jumping the gun.  All that being said, I think he still should be kept around to either regain value, not that I think he lost much, and to be utility guy that will fill in half the year for when Buck gets injured each year. Martin's OBP is elite which always plays.  Sure, he lacks the power some people want, but that may increase as he hits his prime, but his ability to take walks rarely is taught this far into a career and rarely goes away. 

[Nashvilletwin]

With Kiriloff at 1B, our projected starting OF in 2023 is either:

Martin LF, Buxton CF, Lewis RF with Larnach and/or Celistino in the 4th/5th OF slot, and we acquire in some way a starting SS; or, 

Martin LF, Buxton CF, Larnach RF with Celistino as the 4th OF. Lewis is the starting SS (as we all hope but has yet to be proven). 

Either way we have a young OF with all the players under long term control and all but Buxton making essentially league minimum. We have a great mix of power, OBA, lefty/righty, speed, arm strength and CF redundancy (in spades with Martin, Lewis and Celistino). 
 

I truly think this is the vision of the FO. Martin stays and Kepler gets moved by the deadline depending on progress by the young guys. 

[RpR]

26 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

With Kiriloff at 1B, our projected starting OF in 2023 is either:

Martin LF, Buxton CF, Lewis RF with Larnach and/or Celistino in the 4th/5th OF slot, and we acquire in some way a starting SS; or, 

Martin LF, Buxton CF, Larnach RF with Celistino as the 4th OF. Lewis is the starting SS (as we all hope but has yet to be proven). 

Either way we have a young OF with all the players under long term control and all but Buxton making essentially league minimum. We have a great mix of power, OBA, lefty/righty, speed, arm strength and CF redundancy (in spades with Martin, Lewis and Celistino). 
 

I hope dearly you are wrong; last thing fans need is a Major League looking like AAA or worse AA team.

[Highlander1]

I want to see the young pitchers sink or swim at the major league level before trading any young bats.

[Connor Gould]

Pretty much all arguments for trading Martin are based on the premise that all our guys will pan out and our current MLB guys will stay good. Planning around everything working out is asking for trouble. Also, let’s say we have 11 starting caliber non-catcher bats, that’s not an issue since it’s rare to have all of the guys healthy and we’ve shown an ability to get ample at bats for a lot of guys. So I don’t buy the redundancy argument. So it comes down to do we want to trade a bat for an arm, and in that case, we could just as easily talk about Arraez or Miranda this way. But I wouldn’t do that. I say stick with all our young bats.

[bean5302]

While scouts could be wrong, they're pretty universal on Austin Martin not being suited for center field (range) or shortstop (range/arm).

Most scouts expect Austin to wind up at 2B, but that does assume he develops. Interestingly, Falvey has talked about potentially using Martin at shortstop next year so perhaps the Twins have seen more than the general perception of scouts around the league or the Twins simply don't value defense at shortstop much.

Since teams can talk about trades during the lockout, but they cannot negotiate with players on MLB contracts, it might be exciting to see what happens at the lockout's end. Trades might come in fast and furious like the deadline. I don't have an opinion on whether or not the Twins should trade Martin. It all depends what they get for him.

[Major League Ready]

3 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Martin and Woods-Richardson would be a vast (VAST) overpay for Montas.  Those two could probably get you Montas AND Bassitt.  

I think the Twins need to acquire at least one and maybe two veteran arms for 2022 and beyond.  Trading is their only avenue now that the best FA arms are gone.  In Martin and Woods-Richardson I can't see the Twins including them in ANY trades as they have yet to get a good idea on what they have.  I'm all for trading Arraez,  who currently has the highest trade value of any player in the Twins lineup except Polanco.  Miranda, Martin, Lewis are ALL guys that could fill the role of Arraez.  Also, having the positional flexibility Martin, Lewis and Miranda have allows the Twins to consider trading Trevor Larnach or Max Kepler in a package to shore up our acute lack of veteran SP'ing.  The Oakland A's are going to have to field a team next season, as are the Miami Marlins.  Arraez is a good player who is still tremendously affordable who could help either club out at multiple positions.  Trade Arraez.  Hold onto Martin, Lewis and Miranda for at least 2022.  

Montas and Berrios had exactly the same WAR last year.  We got SWR and Martin for a year and 2 months of Berrios but the exact same players for 2 full years of Montas would be a VAST overpay?

[jorgenswest]

 

3 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Martin and Woods-Richardson would be a vast (VAST) overpay for Montas.  Those two could probably get you Montas AND Bassitt

I didn’t look it up before but Montas (39.6) for Martin and Woods-Richardson (total 40.4) make a pretty good match according to BTV. Bassist would add 17 to the deal. If the Twins don’t believe in Montas then maybe someone like Tyler Mahle who also has two years of control and similar enough WAR.

The cost of acquiring Berrios level starting pitching through trade is vast. I would make that Montas deal but I get why the Twins might be wiser to believe more in the future of Martin.

[WyoTwin]

4 hours ago, Ryan_K said:

I'd keep him. If he got good marks in CF, then we might have our own Alex Gordon for the next half decade by putting him in LF. That's a good return for 8 months of Jose.

This is exactly what I think. I see Martin in LF and Lewis at 3rd in the future. I think the best move for the Twins would be to sign Story. These moves in the long run would create incredible depth to trade from. Keep Martin and use his incredible bat skills to the table setter for years to come.

[Doctor Gast]

4 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Martin and Woods-Richardson would be a vast (VAST) overpay for Montas.  Those two could probably get you Montas AND Bassitt.  

I think the Twins need to acquire at least one and maybe two veteran arms for 2022 and beyond.  Trading is their only avenue now that the best FA arms are gone.  In Martin and Woods-Richardson I can't see the Twins including them in ANY trades as they have yet to get a good idea on what they have.  I'm all for trading Arraez,  who currently has the highest trade value of any player in the Twins lineup except Polanco.  Miranda, Martin, Lewis are ALL guys that could fill the role of Arraez.  Also, having the positional flexibility Martin, Lewis and Miranda have allows the Twins to consider trading Trevor Larnach or Max Kepler in a package to shore up our acute lack of veteran SP'ing.  The Oakland A's are going to have to field a team next season, as are the Miami Marlins.  Arraez is a good player who is still tremendously affordable who could help either club out at multiple positions.  Trade Arraez.  Hold onto Martin, Lewis and Miranda for at least 2022.  

I don't consider Martin as a redundant player. Martin has great value as a true super utility player, IMO you can't enough players that play both CF &SS (areas where we've been weak). Arraez is a redundant player although he has good value on the market, he has little value to us as a starter or as utility player. Arraez's value will continue to drop, longer we keep him so quicker we trade him the better. Miranda, Lewis or Martin would be of more value as utility and they have a much higher ceiling.

[gman]

Martin is considered the #1 or 2 prospect on the Twins depending on what survey you review. 2021 was his first year of organized ball and he had a total 330 at bats. If the future of The Twins is based on developing prospects, rather than signing free agents, why would we even consider trading him UNLESS another team came to us with a totally overwhelming offer. 

[stringer bell]

I think as an offensive player, Martin looks like a top of the order guy—high OBP, perhaps not much power and some base stealing speed. He definitely could be somewhere in the middle defensively (center, SS, 2B) or else corner OF. 
He could perhaps be a replacement for Arraez if he were traded or maybe create a really pesky top of the order if he and Arraez are in the lineup together.  
 

As far as a future corner OF is concerned, I wouldn’t rule out or minimize the future of Larnach. I think he’ll adjust and be a solid corner guy with plus power, perhaps as soon as 2022. Behind him, the Twins have several guys who may step up like Walter and Julien. 
 

Circling back to the OP, Austin is still a prospect, but he’s close to ready with a high floor. He offers skills the club lacks (speed, OBP) which would seem to make him more valuable to the Twins than most other teams. 
 

I guess there are scenarios where he is moved, but I think the price for his services would be quite high. 

[Brandon]

6 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Would it makes sense for the Twins to trade Martin and Woods-Richardson for Montas? Would it seem like they don’t have a plan by trading for prospects and then turning around and trading for a pitcher? It would be like trading Berrios for Montas.

How does flipping one starter for another help? It helps because they traded the last two months of Berrios 2021 for the Montas 2023. They weren’t going anywhere in 2021. Why not trade him while his value is high and bank the prospect capital? Why not use that capital for much needed starting pitching?

The Twins need starting pitching. If they can trade Martin for a Berrios like return with control in 2023 they absolutely should do it.

Note: I chose Montas because I was looking for a pitcher that was a close match for Berrios in WAR last year (both 4.1) with 2023 control. There might be a better candidate. Let’s try not to derail a discussion about trading Martin with a debate about Berrios v Montas.

The discussion is about Martin so if we traded Martin for Bassit straight up and sign Bassit to a 4 year 64 million contract we end up with 2 starting Pitchers for Berrios.  Granted a 2nd transaction with the 4 year contract occurs.  And then A's get a CF.  We probably see about the A's including a reliever in this trade and we include a flyer prospect as well.  

I am ambivalent about whether we should trade him or not.  I think if trading him gets us closer to winning then we should trade him.  Though I can also see us trading Kepler to be the As or Miami's CF the next 2 years along with a prospect or 2 for a starting pitchers with Martin taking over RF or LF.

[TopGunn#22]

My apologies to major league ready and jorgenswest.  The values have adjusted a bit since I last visited Major League Trade Values.  That WOULD be a fair trade.  I'd just rather move Arraez and keep Martin as my LF of the future.  That said, I wouldn't mind moving on from "some" of the young talent the Twins have to acquire a couple of pitchers (SP's) with 2+ years of control who are ready to contribute in 2022.  There are 12-13 young pitchers the Twins value and believe can be solid major league pitchers.  "Some" of them could be included in a package to bring back a Montas or Sixto Sanchez type of pitcher.  Arraez has the 2nd highest trade value on the team next to Polanco and with Miranda, Martin & Lewis SHOULD be included in a package for Montas.  A young corner OF'er like Larnach or Kepler should be part of a deal to acquire a Sixto Sanchez.  So, now that I've revisited the Trade Simulator here are a couple of possible trades I would endorse:

Twins Get:  Montas SP  39.6 value.     A's Get:  Arraez  IF/OF  27.9 and Winder  RHP  13.1  total value:  41.0

Twins Get:  Sixto Sanchez  SP  30.0   Marlins Get:  Larnach  OF  22.9  and Woods-Richardson  RHP  10.9  Total 33.8

In both trades the Twins are slightly over-paying.  We lose Arraez and Larnach as well as two young arms with potential.

We gain a SP the equal of Berrios with 2+ years of control and who has a MUCH more favorable contract than Jose (at this time) and Sixto Sanchez who is ready to contribute RIGHT NOW and would have several years of team control.  We replace Arraez with Miranda immediately, and at the end of the day we're missing Larnach and two good young pitching prospects for the opportunity to have Montas and Sanchez head our staff with Bundy, Ryan and Ober (and possibly Pineda) to upgrade our starting pitching for 2022 and beyond.  We could then use the money we have available to spend (that we didn't spend on FA pitching) on a SS like Story or a versatile bat like Bryant.  

I'm using this an an example of what I'd be WILLING to consider to upgrade the pitching talent with an established arm like Montas and an arm that showed some great potential at the major league level (Sanchez) before injuries derailed him.  I'm NOT eager to send the talent I did packing, as I'm sure neither Oakland and Miami are.  But to GET something good, you have to GIVE UP something good.  Both deals accomplish something for each club.  Oakland gives up a good young pitcher in Montas but gets back a versatile bat in Arraez and a young arm with great potential in Winder.  The Marlins get a young corner OF'er who very well could figure things out and be a fixture in their lineup for years and an arm back to replace Sanchez in their stable who in 2 years could be on the big league roster.  Miami can't find enough innings for ALL those young arms they've got.  Woods-Richardson gives them a couple of years to see where they're at with their current bumper crop of young pitchers.   

[Dman]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

 
 

Circling back to the OP, Austin is still a prospect, but he’s close to ready with a high floor. He offers skills the club lacks (speed, OBP) which would seem to make him more valuable to the Twins than most other teams. 
 

I guess there are scenarios where he is moved, but I think the price for his services would be quite high. 

I tend to agree with you.  The Twins do not have much for speed in the system so Martin is more valuable than others would be.  Granted he isn't a burner as MLB has his speed rated at 55 but the only guys we have that are faster would be Lewis and Cavaco who aren't exactly proven hitters.  Pretty much everyone else is average or below average.  Having a good eye at the plate and an elite hit tool also makes it tough to want to get rid of him.

I also don't see the Twins turning around and trading for Montas or some other pitcher on a two year deal who they won't extend because of years or whatever.  I mean if they wouldn't extend one of the most durable pitchers in Berrios I can't see them ever doing it.  If it is going to be a trade it will need to be in the form of the Odo or Maeda deals.  A super young prospect whose potential looks good but is unknown or a highly rated relief pitcher with maybe some C prospects thrown in.  We have seen the Twins deal young talent for players with Gil for Cave and Yanoa for Garcia.  If there is a trade to be made that is how it will get done IMO.

Like the Rays and A's they are loathe to trade close to ready future assets for a few years of control of players who they cannot or will not extend.  Given the Twins trade history I think Martin is very safe to stay a Twin,

[Nashvilletwin]

4 hours ago, RpR said:

I hope dearly you are wrong; last thing fans need is a Major League looking like AAA or worse AA team.

Yeah, like Kepler and Arraez or Gordon or Rooker are going to be the answer in the corner OF positions. Or should we use our precious trade or FA capital on the corner OF when there are so many needs on the mound - both SPs and RPs - let alone at SS? LOL.

We have two legit top OF prospects in Martin and Lewis who should debut late in ‘22. The goal should be to develop them into legit major leaguers. Larnach and Celestino should be solid 4th OFs at worst. 

[RpR]

57 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

 

We have two legit top OF prospects in Martin and Lewis who

Should stay in the Minors till they show they will not be embarrassed in the Majors.

[Nashvilletwin]

RpR, I agree with that. Happy New Year. 

[Wax off]

First I heard of this was on the Athletic. Anyone let me know if someone came up with this idea before Dan Hayes.

If not, Hayes is suspect. This sounds like something the organization is leaking because they got caught flat footed in regards to free agency and are now desperately searching for pitching. Enough so they're willing to lose Martin to acquire someone not as good as Berrios, and with no history with the team like we had with Berrios, nullifying any net gain we might have received in that trade. Berrios was saddened to leave the team, unless I'm mistaken.

If Hayes is carrying water for the organization and doing journalism in bad faith he should be fired immediately and run out of the profession.

And if the Twins are seriously considering this, Falvine should be fired for mismanagement and callousness to the fan base. Berrios was not only a fan favorite, but also worthy of a contract extension on merit alone. If Buxton hadn't been injured, Falvine would have been happy to send him packing rather than sign him to a very team friendly deal.

The cracks are becoming apparent with this FO. They've had success before, but this last year, their mistakes are aggregious, save for Buxton who they would have traded even despite the discount. Only his injury status at the deadline prevented them from jettisoning another fan favorite.

And what's the point? To save millions on homegrown, talented fan favorites so they can sign Colomes and Happs types. Don't make reasonable offers early in FA so we can end up with whatever is left?

This FO is faltering. They're being clever by half. They better get their act together or the success that they've had will be forgotten after a few years of mediocrity.