The 12 Free Agents of Twins-mas: Part III - Pitchers

This three-part series covers the twelve free agents that the Twins should spend the remainder of their payroll on this holiday season. In case you missed it, Part I and Part II are currently available for your holiday reading pleasure. As usual, you know the drill. Feel free to sing along. No swans a-swimmin’ were harmed in the making of this list.

*Disclaimer: although it may appear otherwise, this is not a fan page for former Toronto Blue Jays.

Eighth FA of Twins-mas: Aaron Sanchez

2019 Salary: $3.9M

Twins should Offer: 1 year, $5M

It’s hard to believe that Aaron Sanchez is only 27-years-old. He’s already got a shared no-hitter under his belt and was a major contributor to the Jays’ playoff run in the mid 2010’s. For the first time in his career, Sanchez is a free agent. He was traded to the Houston Astros in July and subsequently nontendered in the offseason. In fact, Sanchez was the only player in this offseason to be nontendered by the Astros. Sanchez had a less than extraordinary season with the Jays and Astros. In 27 games, he posted a career high 5.89 ERA and 1.622 WHIP. Since his All-Star bid in 2016, Sanchez' career has been marred by injuries and he has not posted an ERA below 4.25. For the second time in his career, Sanchez posted a negative WAR, at -0.3. To add further insult to his injuries (pun intended), Sanchez held a career low 1.7 SO/BB ratio. As a point of reference, Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda, and Randy Dobnak held a 3.82, 3.36, 5.00, and 4.60 SO/BB ratio in 2019, respectively.

Sanchez’ tank appears to be on empty. However, there are several indicators that he’s got at least 30 more miles in him.

First, Sanchez appeared to have found his groove once again during his short tenure with the Astros. During his debut, Sanchez, combined with his former teammate Joe Biagini, reliable reliever Will Harris, and Chris Devinski, to throw the franchise’s 12th no-hitter, this time against the Seattle Mariners. Prior to the trade, Sanchez was 3-14 with a 6.07 ERA in Toronto. Numbers aside, the Houston Astros made several pitching adjustments with Sanchez that may be directly correlated with his flash of greatness. With the Blue Jays, Sanchez relied much on his sinker, which constituted approximately 37% of his pitches. However, after his trade, Sanchez switched his pitch selection to more fastballs and curveballs, much like Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Charlie Morton’s adjustments in Houston. The Astros took note of Sanchez’ high spin rate and velocity and encouraged him to throw more four-seamers up in the strike zone to elicit more pop-ups and swings and misses. Paired with Sanchez’ curveball, this pitching adjustment can be recipe for disaster for opposing hitters. (Visual via CBS Sports)

Unfortunately, Sanchez went down with a shoulder injury and a subsequent surgery shortly after his trade, so there has been a very little sample size to indicate that his new pitch selection will make a large impact in his numbers. However, a newly repaired shoulder and a change of scenery, paired with his improved pitching selection, could be all the power-righty needs for an impactful comeback.

It’s easy to forget that Sanchez was once the No. 3 prospect in the Jays’ organization and the 44th best prospect, overall. While no promises can be made about Sanchez’ pitching potential, we can promise that plenty of blister tape and petroleum jelly will be available in Minnesota.

Ninth FA of Twins-mas: Will Harris

2019 Salary: $4.23M

Twins should Offer: 1 year, $4M

With the addition of Tyler Clippard, the Twins have a good bullpen. However, with the addition of Will Harris, the Twins would have a great bullpen. The 35-year-old had the best season of his career in 2019. In 60 innings, Harris had a 1.50 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and just six home runs in the year of bombas. Harris was equally brilliant in the postseason. He didn’t give up his first run until Game 6 of the World Series and held an impressive 1.86 ERA and 11 SO’s in 11 innings as the bullpen anchor for the Astros. While Harris isn’t the biggest or flashiest name on the market, he quietly held the crown as the most consistent reliever for the Astros last season.

If these numbers and statistics aren’t enough to convince the Twins to add Harris to the bullpen, one person should be: Brusdar Graterol

What does Brusdar Graterol have to do with Will Harris? First, Harris’ addition to the bullpen can alter the trajectory of Graterol’s career. In 2019, Graterol was called up to be exclusively used in the bullpen. However, 2020 represents a fork in the road for the young flamethrower. According to a recent Twins Daily article by our own Seth Stohs, the Twins have numerous options for Graterol in 2020. If the Twins cannot get an impact starting pitcher for next season, the Twins need to get creative with the their best pitching prospect. Adding Will Harris to the bullpen gives the Twins a chance to utilize Graterol as a starter and takes his bullpen obligations out of the picture. Right now, no one is sure of what Graterol can handle on his plate, whether that’s a full six innings as a starter or a few innings paired with Randy Dobnak or Lewis Thorpe. However, having one extra arm in the bullpen would give Baldelli the flexibility to test Graterol in essentially any role with the pitching staff, without the obligation to send him to the bullpen should one of the bullpen arms become unavailable.

Signing Harris to just a one-year deal adds no risk or financial burden to the Twins and can provide clearance for Graterol’s future. Right now, the Twins can pick up Harris on a bargain, while the market is slowly shifting away from the biggest names to the second, and lower, tiers of pitching. As was said in Part II, the best time to strike on a steady reliever like Harris is when the iron is cold and unattended.

Tenth FA of Twins-mas: Collin McHugh

2019 Salary: $5.8M

Twins should Offer: 1 year, $6M

In many ways, Collin McHugh represents the best of both Aaron Sanchez and Will Harris’ worlds. Unlike Sanchez and Harris, McHugh pulled double duty for the Astros in 2019 as both a starter and a reliever. Like Harris, McHugh is one of the leaders of the second-tier pitching market. At 32-years-old, McHugh still has a few more prime years left in him before the ship sails.

In 2019, McHugh had a 4.70 ERA and eight starts with the Astros. His high ERA was largely contributed to by his 8 starts, where he put up a 6.37 ERA in 41 innings. After being delegated to the bullpen, McHugh established his reliability as a reliever and ended the season with a 1.232 WHIP, 2.73 SO/BB, 0.4 WAR, and 82 strikeouts in 74.2 innings.

Like Sanchez, McHugh follows the Astros’ not-so-secret formula of high-spin fastballs and curveballs. This has elongated the longevity of McHugh as a starter and an effective long-reliever. As a best-case scenario, McHugh can be a fourth starter for the Twins, behind Berrios, Odorizzi, and Pineda. However, as a worst-case scenario, the righty can be delegated to the bullpen, as was done by the Astros in both the regular and postseason. As a former member of the Houston Astros’ pitching school, McHugh’s pitches have been adjusted to largely match those of Verlander, Cole, and Morton. Therefore, like Sanchez, the Twins would be receiving a finished pitching project in McHugh.

You can make essentially the same arguments made above for both Aaron Sanchez and Will Harris for Collin McHugh. McHugh is the total package that the Twins need to address the need for starting pitching, while potentially adding further flexibility to the Twins’ bullpen.

Eleventh FA of Twins-mas: Felix Hernandez

2019 Salary: $27.9M

Twins should Offer: Minor League deal

Truth be told, I had initially saved this eleventh spot for another veteran, looking to make a comeback, such as Francisco Liriano. However, over breakfast on Christmas Eve, a friend and fellow Twins Daily reader convinced me otherwise (if you’re reading this JD, you win).

King Felix Hernandez is one of the best pitchers of all time. The former Cy Young winner and six-time All-Star spent 14 years in a Seattle uniform. Hernandez pitched a perfect game on August 15th, 2012 and an immaculate inning on June 17th, 2008. He holds the title for the most strikeouts ever by a Mariners pitcher and was a force to be reckoned with for much of his career. However, the second half of the 2010’s was not a friendly time for the royal. Hernandez quickly transitioned from reliability to liability.

Hernandez hasn’t had an ERA below 4.00 since 2016, his last run as an All-Star, and he posted a negative WAR for the second time in his career in 2019. At his peak, Hernandez had an astonishing 7.2 WAR in 2010. Hernandez combined for fewer wins from 2017-2019 than he did in 2015. Hernandez also had a career low 57 strikeouts. On top of that, Hernandez has seen a myriad of injuries, from shoulder inflammations to calf strains.

King Felix saw the rise and fall of his prominence in the rainy city. What could possibly be next for this veteran? Although his future is cloudy at this point, there are a few things that are certain:

1. Hernandez is looking to make a comeback

2. Very few teams are willing to give him a contract to make that comeback

Much like Greg Bird in Part I, there are little to no expectations for Hernandez. He isn’t expected to have a season on par with Max Scherzer. Although Hernandez has made it clear that he has no plans to retire, teams are seemingly forcing an early retirement for King Felix by simply keeping him out of the game. Therefore, there is one questions that teams ought to ask themselves: Can Felix Hernandez pull off a comeback?

Let’s evaluate both scenarios. In the more likely scenario to most, Hernandez doesn’t make a comeback. If the Twins sign him to a minor league deal, there is absolutely no financial risk involved. Furthermore, Hernandez can serve as a mentor and veteran figurehead for the young players developing in the Twins’ minor league system. His leadership can be an invaluable asset to the Twins’ prospects. Unlike other teams who need a fourth or fifth starter immediately, the availability of pitchers such as Dobnak and Thorpe alleviates any pressure there is for Hernandez to perform.

In the best-case scenario, Hernandez does make a comeback. Even if his comeback is momentary, the Twins can be known as the team to put King Felix back on his throne. In this scenario, Hernandez can be an important asset to the Twins’ rotation, adding the veteran arm that the Twins desperately need. Although it feels like Hernandez has lived seven lives, he is still only 33-years-old, so a comeback is not out of the question. If anyone can pull off a comeback, it’s a player of former dominance, such as Felix Hernandez.

It’s impossible to predict what the next part of Hernandez’ career will look like. It’s painful to see such an important pitcher in recent history labeled as “washed up”. The Twins should be the team to give a platform to set up Hernandez for a potential comeback and a new pitching career after Seattle. Like Sanchez, maybe all Hernandez needs is a change of scenery and another chance to compete. We’ll never know unless he gets one more chance on the mound.

Long live, King Felix.

Twelfth FA of Twin-mas: Bartolo Colon

2019 Salary: No contract

Twins should Offer: Anything

Big Sexy.

‘Nuff said.

Are there any free agents that you would like to see on Opening Day? Drop a comment below.

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