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The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will run out at midnight, December 2nd. It is possible that the players and owners will be willing to extend the current deal for a week or so, but most likely, there will be a quiet period while the two sides negotiate a new CBA. The hope, of course, is that an agreement can be reached before spring training is set to begin in mid-February so that no games are in jeopardy of being missed in 2022.
Because of the uncertainty, it has become clear that many free agents really want to have some certainty about where they will go, and how much they will make, when the agreement is reached. In recent years, free agent signings didn't really get going until much later in the offseason, a month or even two later. Many of the biggest free agent deals have already been reached, and the thought is that the next two days could be fast and furious.
If it weren't for the magnitude of what a work stoppage would do for baseball and its fans, it might be funny to point out that maybe MLB should consider having a lockdown/labor situation every year at this time in an attempt to make the offseason more like the NFLs!
Will the Twins participate in this flurry of activity, or will their front office show patience and see who is available after there is a new CBA? Many years, that is not a bad strategy. But with so many of the best free agents signing early, will there even be anyone left to sign that can help the Twins significantly in 2022?
Of course, the Twins did make the one move that they absolutely had to make. They have an agreement with outfielder Byron Buxton on a seven year, $100 million deal with intriguing, creative incentives. More important for both Buxton and Twins fans, the deal includes a full no-trade clause.
The deal also had little, if any, effect on what the Twins can spend on their needs. And they have needs! They need pitching, for sure starting pitchers, but possibly even a couple of solid, veteran relievers. They also need a shortstop. Free agents at those positions have been flying off the availability list. Here's a quick look:
Shortstops (ranked by MLB Trade Rumors)
1.) Carlos Correa hasn't signed yet. Will he sign with the Yankees or stay with the Astros?
2.) Corey Seager agreed to a 10 year, $325 million deal with the Texas Rangers on Monday.
3.) Marcus Semien agreed to a seven year, $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
4.) Trevor Story remains unsigned. The Yankees have seemed like the right fit, but suddenly on Monday the Rockies expressed interest in him returning, which is kind of weird.
5.) Javier Baez reportedly is nearing a six year contract with the Detroit Tigers late on Monday night (or early Tuesday morning is more accurate).
OK, the Twins were never likely to sign any of those shortstops and all of the other free agent shortstops remain available and they will be much more cost efficient.
The Twins focus is, and should be, primarily on pitching and specifically starting pitching this offseason. Frankly, the free agent market for pitchers has become rather limited, at least in the top tier or two. Here is a quick look at the free agent pitchers that have signed already and the few that remain available.
Starting Pitchers (ranked by MLB Trade Rumors)
1.) Kevin Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
2.) Robbie Ray signed a five-year, $115 million contract with the Seattle Mariners on Monday. The Twins were one of five or six teams linked to Ray, but he's headed to the Northwest.
3.) Max Scherzer signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the New York Mets on Monday.
4.) Marcus Stroman is still available. The Twins have shown minimal public interest in him, but hopefully they will have some conversations.
5.) Eduardo Rodriguez signed a five-year, $77 million contract with the Tigers early in free agency.
6.) Carlos Rodon is still available, and some reports have indicated the the Twins may have some interest. Should they? With his injury history, anything more than a one-year, make-good contract would be too much.
7.) Jon Gray signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
8.) Anthony DeSclafani signed a three-year, $36 million deal to stay with the San Francisco Giants.
9.) Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Houston Astros.
10.) Alex Wood reportedly was nearing a two-year deal worth at least $20 million to remain with the Giants over a week ago, but to this point, the deal is not completed.
11.) Steven Matz signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals last week.
12.) Clayton Kershaw is still available. With his injury situation, it makes no sense for the Twins to be interested. Also, it makes more sense for the future Hall of Famer to stay a Dodger.
13.) Yusei Kikuchi is still on the market. There have been some reports of Twins interest, but several teams are interested as well, including teams back in Japan.
14.) Noah Syndergaard signed a one-year deal with the Angels.
15.) Alex Cobb has not yet signed, but as of Monday night, he was nearing a deal with the San Francisco Giants.
16.) Zack Greinke is still a free agent. Another probably Hall of Famer may be intriguing, but his complete lack of velocity should be a red flag for the Twins.
17.) Corey Kluber signed a one-year, $8 million with the Tampa Bay Rays.
18.) Danny Duffy is available. Like others this far down the list, there is probably more injury risk than it's worth. That said, there is something to the 'there's no such thing as a bad one-year contract."
Those are the starting pitchers in MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 free agent rankings. Beyond that, there are the likes of Tyler Anderson, Johnny Cueto, Rich Hill, James Paxton and Michael Pineda all remain available. None are really very intriguing due to some combination of age, injury history or ineffectiveness.
It will be interesting to see if other starting pitchers get non-tendered on Tuesday. It has been leaked that the Tigers intend to non-tender lefty Matthew Boyd who was considered good a couple of years ago. In fact, the Tigers could have traded him for a big trade package. Instead, they'll lose him for nothing.
So, I would certainly think that the Twins quest for high-level starting pitching will likely have to be acquired via trade. The Twins certainly have the prospects or big-league players to acquire pitchers. It's just a matter of if they want to give up their own young arms or give opportunities to their internal candidates.
So, what's going to happen on Tuesday and Wednesday? Will the free agency frenzy continue over the next two days, and will the Twins make some moves?
Discuss the rumors and deals of the day below. Should the Twins sign any MLB deals, we will be sure to post an article quickly.
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