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Good write up, but I feel like signing Cruz is a no-brainer. The one position the Twins appear to be fully set at for years to come is DH, so there's no need to sign an expensive long term player there when worst case scenario the spot can serve as a mostly off day for a rotation of sluggers.

My choices - RookerLarnachWhoever we are restingSpend the money on a pitcher.

Where is the option for the case against both? Rather than spending ten plus million on Cruz or much, much more for the other guy, how about spending $600K on one of the young kids in the system? That would also open up a spot to rotate several of their big bats in the regular lineup thru the DH spot. Seeing that the Twins have pulled their offer to Cruz off the table, got a feeling looking internally is high on their list.

Rotating internal options is a better option because it gives a chance to rest established players like Sano and Donaldson. It creates more opportunity for younger players who are ready to be called. I don’t want Rooker and Larnach to sit on the bench. It is also more cost effective. I loved the Nelson Cruz years but last year should be the last.

Safely Cruz for me. Ozuna is a good hitter but very likely will never match his 2020 output. Moving forward I expect him to be a ~.280 hitter, ~.330 OBP with 30-35 HR a year. That's only a modest improvement over Eddie Rosario. Ozuna is very poor defensively as well, and it just doesn't make sense to me positionally to commit 4+ years to Ozuna. We'd have to juggle guys around basically each year to make space for Kirilloff/Rooker, enable a potential Sano switch to DH or Donaldson switch to 1B/DH, etc I wouldn't say no to Ozuna, but I don't think he's a very good fit here at all to be honest

It's really hard to compare anyone to Cruz in this context. Cruz was very good until he turned 35 when he became phenomenal. I doubt there has ever been a player that improved their career stats between the age 35-40. Trying to compare Rooker is hard to do. Does anyone remember the scene in Money Ball when Billy Beane explains to the staff they can't think in terms of replacing Giambi with one player. I think that applies here. It's not if we can replace him. Can we build a better team by investing elsewhere?

Mlb.tv and a vpn. If you have a somewhat tech savvy (or experienced in google fu) friend that lives outside the region they can set up openvpn on their router and give you the client files. You can also just buy vpn service and choose a server outside the region and then mlb.tv won't block you.

In his age 24 season (2019), Rooker OPS'd .933 at AAA. In his age 24 season (2004), Cruz OPS'd .989 in A+, and .919 at AA. Based on this, Rooker would appear to be more advanced than Cruz at a similar point in their careers--why would we be so quick to assume Rooker can't possibly come close to Cruz' production? This is not to say I think he well--I am reasonably certain Nelson Cruz will put up better numbers in 2021 than Rooker. Will those numbers be far enough better to offset the extra millions Cruz will earn, and the decreased flexibility the Twins will have to endure?

I've said it elsewhere on this site, but I think it's never a good idea to sign a DH to a long-term contract. A short-term deal locks down an effective bat for the roster but offers long-term flexibility with how you use the full 25+ roster over a few years. There are always exceptions of course, but a David Ortiz only comes around so often (fortunately).

Cruz. I don't like the idea of signing long term DH only contracts unless you're getting Edgar Martinez or David Ortiz. And I don't think Ozuna is either of those guys. And while he can technically play the OF, so can I. You can put me out there, but I wouldn't be helping the team. Ozuna is a DH only moving forward and I just don't think he can replicate his 2020 stats for full years moving forward. Cruz is likely not a 162 game DH this year even. I think his end of the year slump was caused largely by his ailing knee, but as you get into your 40s you don't become less likely to have joint pain. I think he still has a good year in him and some classic Boom Stick stretches where he can carry the offense, but don't think I'd pencil him in for all 162. But he's still useful to have in the lineup and in the clubhouse on a 1 year deal. Part of his usefulness is that counting on the young guys to come up and replicate anywhere close to his numbers, or even provide above league average DH numbers, is not a smart plan going into a year you're looking to contend. Rooker has never put up Cruz like numbers in the minors so why would we think he'd suddenly do it in the majors? He looked really good for a week in the majors, but that literally means nothing. The league is going to have scouting reports on him now and he's going to have to adjust from the jump this year. It's time for the young guys to start getting their chances, but don't do it without a safety net. Cruz provides a nice 1 year (throw in an option year again if he really wants it) safety net for the kids. He can get the majority of the DH ABs as long as he's proving to be useful while also helping mentor the young kids. Cruz and Donaldson are both professional hitters who have shown they're more than willing to work with the young guys and disseminate the wisdom that have helped them both produce at very high levels. Put Cruz in the DH spot for 2021, but give him some regular rest while cycling other guys through to keep him as healthy as he can at 41 years old and getting everyone who needs/disserves them regular ABs. Cruz is the perfect veteran safety net as the team works to contend while continuing to look to be competitive for the years to come.

Ha ha! True but I got the tv free as it was rejected by the avid indoorsmen who inhabit my basement (they got new TV's). It's not really the money is is the whole business model where customer loyalty is rewarded with jacking up the rates. It creates animus,I mean who likes their cable or satellite company? And $175 is just plain wrong especially considering all the commercials you are expected to sit through.

wRC+ takes ball park into account. Story playing half his games in Coor's field is considered has a significant impact on wRC+

Since I now live far from Minnesota, I am signed up for the MLB broadcasts and I don't miss a game.

How do we trade for a free agent?

Neither

Keep Cruz until he burns out. Make him a member of the coaching staff when he begins to rust. He is still a stud.

I seriously only need live TV for Twins games. That's it. Everything else I can find elsewhere or don't really care enough about to pay for at all. So not only is the cable package more expensive than a streaming service, I wouldn't be using it at all for a big chunk of the year. If a traditional cable provider would allow customers to go month-to-month, I'd go for that. In addition to simply not needing a cable package for much of the year, I'd be concerned Sinclair would pull FSN off the provider I have within the term of my contract. I believe that happened to Dish customers. Sounds like you're finding other value from your cable package, just trying to explain where I'm coming from.

Mlb package and a VPN gets it done for me. The radio isn't a bad way to follow a game when on the boat though.

Cruz and the Twins are waiting to see about the DL in the NL.... if it does go... Cruz will have many suitors and likely will not be back... if it is a no go we can go with a 2 year deal with a mutual option on year two.... at a reasonable price. We have other in house options if he does not return as well as a ton of FA that will be looking for jobs. More importantly we need to secure a SS and let Polanco be our super utility guy. Best for him and best for the team. Also have to work on one more starter and 3-4 more relief pitchers. We are in a VERY good spot so we should all relax and let our FO continue to do a great job. Patience at this point is in the Twins favor....

I truly enjoy the listening to games on WCCO. Like you Tom, I invested in the simplest, yet effective hand held radio last year. WCCO here at home and 103.5 or 94.3 while up at the lake (depending on weather). Nothing like sitting on the lake in the evening casting or jigging as Gladden and Provus talk you through the game, or sitting in the screened in porch during a thunderstorm. I truly miss Gordon's voice. Aside from that, how crazy would it be for the Twins and Wolves to go in on a TV station together? All kidding aside. This might be Dunning-Kruger Syndrome at it's finest, but the money to be made off of this, control of the airwaves, deciding what gets played, etc. would all be so beneficial to the fans. Or is this a headache s-storm the owners wouldn't want to embark on? I'm just so sick of Sinclair. They place the blame on YouTube and Hulu, but YouTube and Hulu do the same right back. Just dumb, because this is all due to rich people wanting to get richer.

Maybe you should have put a smaller TV in the garage and kept DirecTV?

Yeah. The Cave lock is where he lost me. He's willing to set a very high bar for "lock" by leaving off Polanco and Arraez because of trades (certainly possible, but not likely). OK Fine. I disagree, but whatever. However then he still has Cave in there as a lock, ignoring the very real possibility that the Twins sign a 4th OF that's a better fit for this roster (Right-handed, plays good CF), which would likely mean Cave isn't on the roster.

*Throws holy water at Cody Pirkl*. THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!!

Do you expect trades or do you think the Twins will roll with what they have?

Cruz at $16 M is probably a tipping point of not signing him. If the universal DH doesn't come thru, which as time passes less likely it will happen IMO. We can sign him for considerably less, which should be our plan A. If we sign for less, we should be able to trade for an under paid SS or SS/CF utility (a FA might be then out of our budget) plus a pitcher Cruz's stats has been great these 2 yrs. 2020 when most hitters slumped w/o the juiced ball, Cruz still put out respectable #s. Beyond the stats Cruz is the heart & soul of the team. Odds are that Cruz can`t maintain his great stats but his heart & soul will still be there. I can see where you are coming from, Cody & I believe it'd be a great plan B

(shhhhh)

reddit

I think Cleveland is being smart. They know they would have a hard time contending this year so why lose a ton of money trying with the possibility of few / no fans. They will have a clean slate to start building again with low payroll and plenty of young players.

The real question is who do we drop from our roster to make room for 40 pens? The stapler?

I know this is absurd, but why not be absurd.... Castillo AND Gray

I see your point but will also have to disagree. There are a couple major points the NBA AND the NFL have over baseball. (Though popularity and viewership has been declining somewhat recently). Revenue sharing in these sports, particularly the NFL, are much more balanced than they are in MLB. That creates a more solid floor and ceiling for each franchise. And it becomes even more important for each franchise to draft and sign smartly and just run said franchise better. I refuse to take sides in MLB labor situations because I think both sides need to "smarten up" to understand the future health of the sport. If profit sharing was more equal in MLB, a salary cap actual works, because you then also have a concrete floor that all teams have to maintain. Today, forgetting covid adjustments, just think of a $200M payroll cap but a $75M floor. There might be fewer 5-7yr deals for $25-35M per, but like the NBA...who's roster size is closer to MLB...minimum contracts would be closer to $1M plus. Shorter FA regulations, which I would endorse with a new system, means players reaching FA status earlier. They might not get the HUGE contracts we talk about, but they would also gain at least as much $ in the long term by signing smaller contracts in their 20's vs the current arbitration years, etc. Both sides need to be smart enough to realize change takes place. I DO place some onus on the MLB union. What's more important? A small collection of players making BIG $, or EVERYONE seeing a rise in their potential $ earnings? I personally feel the union is absolutely focused on a power play for top earners vs a more balanced system and earnings for everyone.