Are the Twins an unattractive destination for FAs?

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 minutes ago, KFEY93 said:

I hope you're being sarcastic. 

What? No, I'm definitely not serious.

[Melissa Berman]

This is an interesting topic- I've never viewed MN as being an unattractive landing spot for FAs necessarily. Yes it's cold during the off-season and early season, but unless the players have families with kids in school, I don't think they hang around here much. More so I just see it as a function of being a "small market" team with less money to throw around than say, the Yankees. If it's us vs then going after a FA, they're going to have more money and a better track record to throw the FA's way. Also, I don't think it's controversial to say we don't make a good effort at going after bigtime FAs typically. The Donaldson contract was an exception to this and that's why it made such a big splash.

[cHawk]

3 minutes ago, MelissaB said:

This is an interesting topic- I've never viewed MN as being an unattractive landing spot for FAs necessarily. Yes it's cold during the off-season and early season, but unless the players have families with kids in school, I don't think they hang around here much. More so I just see it as a function of being a "small market" team with less money to throw around than say, the Yankees. If it's us vs then going after a FA, they're going to have more money and a better track record to throw the FA's way. Also, I don't think it's controversial to say we don't make a good effort at going after bigtime FAs typically. The Donaldson contract was an exception to this and that's why it made such a big splash.

Welcome to TD!

[Rhino and Compass]

A couple of general thoughts. Baseball free agency is basically a bunch of guys looking for jobs, and a bunch of employers looking for employees. It's not an auction, and while salary is important, just like for us, it's not the only thing. Many players do have family considerations, and most players are from one of the coasts, or from the south. The player population from the upper Midwest is lower, and in that basic regard, I don't believe Minnesota has the same appeal to a lot of players who would want to be closer to home. Second, it is easier to attract players as a contender. Sure, the Twins keep making the playoffs, but their postseason track record has to be taking a toll on their reputation. 

Posters have been laughing off the climate factor, but it illustrates another point. People don't know as much about Minnesota as we think. Many of us have been to Florida or Texas or California or New York, but there aren't many reasons for someone to come to Minnesota. I've met people in California who wondered if we got around in snowmobiles all the time, or what we do for fun in the Midwest. I suspect someone who comes here for 3 nights a year in August doesn't really get many of those questions answered, Also, don't forget that we are all acclimated to Minnesota. Look at Byron Buxton or Eddie Rosario from Georgia and Puerto Rico, bundled up on a 50 degree night in May. That's 2 months into the season, and that IS cold for 80% of players.

There is a money factor, but I also believe that for many people that don't have a concept of Minnesota or the Twins would want more money to come here than with other options, and I think the Twins resist handing out big contracts to free agents because they are worried about having to pay a "Minnesota" premium to get them to come. Paired with their traditional frugality, I think the organization is always gun-shy about giving out contracts. Still, it's probably a two way street, the Twins want to pay too little, and some FA's want too much to come here. We are stuck with the FO, and the FA's are then gone, so we only have the FO as a punching bag. 

[Unwinder]

6 minutes ago, Rhino and Compass said:

Sure, the Twins keep making the playoffs, but their postseason track record has to be taking a toll on their reputation. 

I guess, but only four teams out of thirty can win a playoff series every year. That may give Minnesota the disadvantage behind a team that's won a playoff series in the last couple of years, and MAAAAAYBE a free agent is going to think we're under some sort of playoff curse, but recently making the playoffs a few years in a row is still much better than all but a handful of teams can claim.

[Sousy]

1 hour ago, MelissaB said:

Yes it's cold during the off-season and early season, but unless the players have families with kids in school, I don't think they hang around here much.

That seems to be generally true.  We've seen the social media posts from players in the offseason; they're usually going back to wherever home is and not staying in the Twin Cities.  

The one exception (maybe?) might be Buxton - when he signed he mentioned wanting to stay in Minnesota while kids were in school, go fishing and all of that.  I presume that means he was considering making his permanent residence in the Twin Cities somewhere.