You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2394-1991-Off-Season-Review

Even in hindsight, the Smiley trade was the right move. Their window was closing and they needed to make one last playoff push before the core players were still productive. Neagle would not have made much difference in the mid-late 90's. Instead of a wretched team they would've only been really bad.

Overall assessment C+ after a championship! What have you done for me lately!!

 

The Twins were so good that year... memories of that season sustained me through most of the 90s

Yeah, 1992 was a pretty decent offseason. Well aside from letting Jack Morris walk through a giant loophole. It was a pretty typical offseason for a champ, they retained most of the players from the winning club and signed a big time free agent to fill the hole of the departing big time free agent. Had the wild card been enacted two years earlier the Twins would have been in the playoffs and then, who knows.

One thing I never fully understood is why Morris left after one year. Wouldn't it be extremely enticing to stick around in his home state and pitch for the defending World Series champs? Or did the Twins not make much of an offer for him to stick around? Clearly he made the right choice though, winning two more World Series immediately thereafter.

My recollection is that it was all about the money. Toronto offered him more, and more of it was guaranteed. This was when MLB minimum was in the neighborhood of $100K, so a difference of around $1M, which I think it must have been, was a big deal, like $4-5M would be today.

Check out this page at: 1992 Minnesota Twins Roster - Majors View A real good overview of the 1992 Twins (go backwards to see 1991, forward to see 1993). Correct me if I am wrong or not, but didn't the Twins trade Sorrento (on March 28th) because he was basically out of options and was the 26th player and was traded to Cleveland and later that same day Hrbek injured his shoulder to start the season on the disabled list...meaning Gene Larking or Randy Bush had to play first. Sorrento was the odd man out with Larkin, Hrbek, Bush, Chili Davis et al on the roster.

My recollection is that it was all about the money. Toronto offered him more, and more of it was guaranteed. This was when MLB minimum was in the neighborhood of $100K, so a difference of around $1M, which I think it must have been, was a big deal, like $4-5M would be today.

 

Yes, it was all about the money at this point with Morris. The Twins had offered him considerably more than Detroit, and Morris also earned a bonus. Coming off the World Series, the Twins hoped he would take the same salary, but Toronto gave him a million bucks (almost) signing bonus besides matching his Twins salary. I remember him on his negotiation tour the year before with his big fur coat and acting like a hired gunslinger going to different towns looking for a job!

Randy Bush had to play first.

 

I meant to bring this up in another thread, but it had escaped my attention until recently that Randy has made his way pretty far up the Cubs front office hierarchy.

Eric F'ing Fox

Eric F'ing Fox

 

I can't remember the details, but I remember thinking the same thing a little over 20 years ago. I hope he had his middle name legally changed to that.

For what Morris did for that team, Pohlad should have matched any offer to keep him. Who can blame him for taking the money at that point in his career? Instead Pohlad told him "It's a business" and let him walk. Pohlad was the villain, yet Twins fans booed Morris. Evidentally Minnesotans always expect local players to give the hometown discount (unless your name is Joe Mauer).

And concerning Gladden, he had a down year, but he was a winner. What he offered went beyond the stats sheet. Would have loved to see that entire team kept in tact another couple years.

Smiley would have been a great pickup in addition to retaining Morris, but not replacing Morris. He melted in some important starts where you know Morris would have risen to the occasion.