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  • Joe Maddon is Out in Tampa. Could Twins Get Him?

    Nick Nelson

    By Nick Nelson

    A compelling new twist was added to the Twins' managerial search on Friday, when it was announced that Rays skipper Joe Maddon has opted out of his contract in Tampa Bay, becoming a free agent.

    Minnesota is the only club with a current opening. Will they take advantage of this unexpected opportunity and aggressively pursue the heralded longtime manager?

    Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today Sports

    Twins Video

    Let's be clear from the get-go: a match in this case is unlikely.

    For one thing, Maddon would be exorbitantly expensive; Mike Scioscia and Joe Girardi are the highest-paid managers in the game presently, earning $5 million and $4 million in 2014 respectively, and Maddon -- being viewed by many (including myself) as the best in the biz -- could command a higher salary than either.

    There's also the matter of Maddon's preference. Even if the Twins are willing to pony up, will the 60-year-old want to join a club that is amidst such a brutal drought?

    There was some initial speculation that Maddon could follow former Rays GM Andrew Friedman to the Los Angeles Dodgers, although Ken Rosenthal tweeted definitively that this will not be happening. And really, firing Don Mattingly -- who's under contract -- after a 94-win season would be pretty ludicrous.

    Still, there are more likely destinations than Minnesota, even though this is the only present vacancy. Plenty of teams would undoubtedly be willing to set aside their current skipper to make room for Maddon. The Cubs, coming off an 89-loss campaign under Rick Renteria, seem like an early favorite.

    All that being said, even though they're in deep with their present group of candidates, the Twins would be foolish not to at least reach out to Maddon and explore a potential match. He has a reputation as being forward-thinking, analytical, and beloved by players and coaches alike. He has experienced immense success with a small-market franchise in Tampa that the Twins should be modeling themselves after. And he really knows how to run a pitching staff.

    What do you think? Is there any chance Maddon ends up in Minnesota?

    Nick is a co-founder of Twins Daily who's been writing about the team for more than 15 years.
    Follow Nick Nelson on Twitter: NickNelsonMN

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    Featured Comments

    JB_Iowa

    JB_Iowa 2,540

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    LaVelle E. Neal III ‏@LaVelleNeal  · 4m4 minutes ago 
    Spoke to someone close to Joe Maddon within the last 90 minutes. Twins have not contacted him yet.

     

     

    LaVelle E. Neal III ‏@LaVelleNeal  · 3m3 minutes ago 
    But several other teams have touched base and Maddon's camp has reached out to several teams. That's hilarious, considering only 2 jobs open

     

     

    I don't find it hilarious that the Twins haven't inquired unless they've made a decision .... nope not even then.  But not sure if this means they haven't contacted his agent.

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    gunnarthor

    gunnarthor 11,234

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    I think the Twins job would be a great opening for nearly all managers and Maddon would be nuts to not want it.  BUT he likely has better options/more money elsewhere.  He'll get 5-6m or more a year and the Twins aren't going to spend that on a manager.  (Heck, they won't spend that on a LFer next year).  

     

    I still think it'll be Molitor but Lovullo could get it.

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    tobi0040

    tobi0040 4,125

  • Provisional Member

    • Posted

    If the Twins don't even reach out to contact Maddon's agent, it can only mean one thing... they've already made a decision and an offer and it has been accepted. Just waiting to announce.

     

    I think another explanation is out there too, and the article alluded to it.    $$$$$$$$$

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    jokin

    jokin 4,237

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    Wow - the hyperbole is flying even for TD standards.  The part I love best is that TR is getting blamed for stuff already - might be a new TD record.

     

    We'd be better taking the money and putting it towards the best FA starting pitcher.

     

    No one has posted anything unrealistic or non-evidentiary in this thread.  Ryan has been around long enough for any Twins fans to understand and grasp Shakespeare's phrase-  "What's past is prologue..."

     

    There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Ryan would actively and seriously consider such a hire- as much as many of us would see it as a master stroke. 

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    jokin

    jokin 4,237

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    I find it fascinating everyone is spelling his name correctly. 

     

    Not everyone did, but I think it tells you his string of baseball excellence has helped his confusing name penetrate the collective bad-speller psyche.

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    bird

    bird 6,083

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I think the Twins should be given the benefit of the doubt for at least the weekend.

     

    And hey, if Maddon's agent is reaching out to teams, but hasn't reached out to the one team that has a vacancy, well, maybe he doesn't want the job?

    Good one.

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    mbents

    mbents 19

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Think about what you just said for a moment.

     

    "once Maddon is hired by the Dodgers or Cubs"

     

    Pretend you're Joe Maddon for a second. Under what situation would you choose the Twins over the Dodgers or Cubs?

     

    Let's check the options:

     

    - You can choose beautiful LA, which is baseball crazy and has a payroll roughly equivalent to the GDP of Spain

     

    - You can choose Chicago, which is even more baseball crazy and has a fantastic farm system, smart ownership, and you'd be a golden god if you brought a championship to Wrigley Field

     

    - You can choose Minnesota, which has a great farm system, kinda mostly likes baseball when the Vikings aren't playing, and has a pretty sweet stadium when it's not snowing

     

    Makes the choice pretty easy. If the Dodgers or Cubs open their managerial position, I don't see the Twins nabbing Maddon if they back up a Brinks truck and promise him half of Edina.

     

    Yeah.......that wasn't really meant to be taken seriously. It was just a joke about what we've heard in the past, when a free agent we had hoped would sign with the Twins ended up signing elsewhere. I agree with all your points and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. I do think Maddon ends up with the Dodgers, even if it means sitting out 2015, but I also hope the Twins reach out to his agent just to see if there's any interest from him at all.

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    Steven Buhr

    Steven Buhr 2,279

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I think the Twins should be given the benefit of the doubt for at least the weekend.

     

    And hey, if Maddon's agent is reaching out to teams, but hasn't reached out to the one team that has a vacancy, well, maybe he doesn't want the job?

    Excellent point.

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    LaBombo

    LaBombo 14,240

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Would love it but I can't see them paying a manager that much especially with them still owing Gardy $2M for next year.

    I would actively seek to organize a boycott and protests if the Twins make ANY relevant decisions based on a tiny sum of organizational pocket change owed Ron Gardenhire, let alone made the mind-bogglingly stupid mistake of passing on Joe Maddon.  I would be more likely to expend time and energy on following whatever team Maddon went to if that happened than a Twins organization with only a faint interest in winning.

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    USAFChief

    USAFChief 58,010

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    I think the Twins should be given the benefit of the doubt for at least the weekend.

     

    And hey, if Maddon's agent is reaching out to teams, but hasn't reached out to the one team that has a vacancy, well, maybe he doesn't want the job?

    Which, if true, tells us more than a little about how this pretty universally admired manager views the Twins job, IMO.
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    JB_Iowa

    JB_Iowa 2,540

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I think the Twins should be given the benefit of the doubt for at least the weekend.

     

    And hey, if Maddon's agent is reaching out to teams, but hasn't reached out to the one team that has a vacancy, well, maybe he doesn't want the job?

     

    I would be fielding calls not seeking out employers if I was Maddon and his agent.  We're not talking about some mid-level corporate job -- Maddon can wait for the offers to come to him.

     

    A bit of an arrogant view?  Perhaps, but Maddon is a prime commodity.  He is the "sought after" not the "seeker".

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    darin617

    darin617 835

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Not gonna happen. For 2 simple reasons. The first is the Twins are too cheap to spend more than $2M for a manager. The second reason is why would he want to waste his time and talent to manage the Twins. Everyone should take a couple of steps back and hold off on the manager hiring and clean house on the upper end.

    The sad part is he might actually like the challenge to turn this club back into contenders but if course the Pohlad boys need that extra $3M more every year and don't care about winning. If you can pay $23M for a 1B that has no power and hopefully can at least get back to hitting .300 you can pay $5M for a man to turn this club around.

    Paul Molitor is not the answer.

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    JB_Iowa

    JB_Iowa 2,540

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    It has to suck to be Rick Renteria right now. Poor fella.

     

    Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN  · 43m43 minutes ago 

    Rival executives believe that if Joe Maddon winds up with the Cubs, the Rays will investigate the issue of tampering.

     

     

    May not help Renteria, though.

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    LaBombo

    LaBombo 14,240

  • Verified Member

    • Posted (edited)

    It has to suck to be Rick Renteria right now. Poor fella.

    The minute Maddon hit the open market life began to suck at least a little for somewhere between a half and a full dozen current managers.

    Edited by LaBombo
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    LaBombo

    LaBombo 14,240

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I would be fielding calls not seeking out employers if I was Maddon and his agent.  We're not talking about some mid-level corporate job -- Maddon can wait for the offers to come to him.

     

    A bit of an arrogant view?  Perhaps, but Maddon is a prime commodity.  He is the "sought after" not the "seeker".

    That's not even halfway to arrogant.  That's just the reality of the market and of his perceived value as the nerdy David who's been slaying AL East Goliaths for years with nothing but a laptop, a sling, and a pouch full of pebble-sized salaries.

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