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  • The Best Free Agent Signings in Twins History

    Cody Christie

    By Cody Christie

    Nelson Cruz clocked his 40th home run over the weekend and in the process became a member of the 400-home run club. Earlier in the year, I wrote about his unlikely quest for 400 home runs with the biggest caveat being that he didn’t hit his first home runs until he was 26 years old. Now he’s on the brink of one of the best seasons ever for a 39-year old player and it certainly looks like the Twins stole him on the free agent market.

    So how does Cruz stack up against the other top free agents in Twins history?

    Image courtesy of © Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

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    Nelson Cruz (2019)

    Baseball Reference WAR: 4.0

    Cruz has smashed almost every designated hitter record in Twins history. He became only the third player in franchise history to hit 40 home runs following in the footsteps of Harmon Killebrew and Brian Dozier. He set the team’s DH records for home runs and RBIs and will add to those totals with a handful of games remaining this season. The influence of Cruz goes well beyond the numbers he has put up on the field as he has served in a mentor role to many players on the Twins roster. There’s no doubt in my mind that Miguel Sano wouldn’t have hit 30 home runs this season if not for the mentorship provided by Cruz.

    Josh Willingham (2012)

    Baseball Reference WAR: 3.3

    Willingham doesn’t get as much reignition for his impact because he played on a pair of bad Twins teams. However, his 2012 campaign was one of the best in franchise history for a free agent signing. His defense was atrocious in the outfield, but he clubbed 35 home runs and collected 110 RBI, both career highs. He’d be out of the league after two more seasons, but it doesn’t take anything away from his first year in a Twins uniform. Like Cruz, he was credited with being a mentor to other players and he helped Brian Dozier turn in to a power-hitting threat in the years that followed his signing.

    Jim Thome (2010)

    Baseball Reference WAR: 3.6

    At his signing,Thome was near the end of a career that led him to be enshrined in Cooperstown, but he had a little magic left in the tank during Target Fields’ first season. He hit 25 home runs, but it sure felt like a lot more with his foul pole shot and walk-off hits to help the club. Target Field was packed on a nightly basis and Thome was certainly helping the club on their way to the AL Central title. Heck, even Sports Illustrated did a story on him that season and it takes a lot for them to make their way to Minnesota. He hit his 600th home run while in a Twins uniform, but his impact on the club was felt long after he had left the city.

    Jack Morris (1991)

    Baseball Reference WAR: 4.3

    Jack Morris only played one season in a Twins uniform, but it was certainly a memorable one. He went on to be an All-Star that season and pitched one of the greatest games in baseball history. At age 36, it would be his last All-Star appearance and it would be the last season he pitched over 245 innings. He led the American League in games started for only the second time in his career and he had 10 complete games to his credit by season’s end. He was a workhorse on a team that needed starting pitching help to reach the ultimate goal. Other pitchers like Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson were able to outperform expectations that season and maybe Morris and his example were able to play a role in helping the team.

    These are just a few of the team’s best free agent signings. Who was left off the list? Who would you rank as the team’s best free agent signing? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

    Cody Christie is a Twins writer and content contributor. His writing can be found exclusively at Twins Daily and his voice can be heard on radio stations throughout the Upper Midwest. Outside of the Twins, he is a father, high school teacher, and avid runner.
    Follow Cody Christie on Twitter: nodaktwinsfan

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    VATwinsFan

    VATwinsFan 2,377

  • Provisional Member

    • Posted

    None of these come close to being the best but were still significant IMHO.

     

    Chili Davis (1991-92) -- huge numbers in the first half of the 91 season.

    Kenny Rogers (2003) -- was with the Twins for only one year but was a key part of that year's rotation

    Brian Harper (1990-93) -- everybody knows about him, right? Batted over .300 and had 269 RBIs in his 4 years with the team. Plus he had some memorable plays at home during the 91 WS.

    Henry Blanco (2004) -- don't laugh too hard. He took over as starting catcher after Joe Mauer got hurt early in the season and did a pretty nice job for someone who was signed to be the backup catcher.

     

    Morris won a WS game 7 -- he's got to be the best signing.

    Cruz comes in second.

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    JAWS33

    JAWS33 30

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I love watching Cruz play this year and he has been huge.  Thome was a great signing as well.  However, the Twins don't win a World Series without Morris. 

     

    IMO, that makes him far and away the best Twins free agent signing ever.

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    jmlease1

    jmlease1 6,071

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Chili definitely comes to mind; 3.3 bWAR in the first year, 2.0 in the second year and really filled a need on the club (much like Nelson Cruz did; as I recall DH was one of those positions we weren't doing great at in the early 90's). Thome was great, but not as reliable as Chili.

     

    Do you give extra credit for team performance? Chili was an offensive catalyst on the team that won a title. Jack Morris was the pitching catalyst in the same year (good year by McPhail!)

     

    Brian Harper probably wins this one in total bWAR, but never had any really big years, just 5 straight really solid ones.

     

    Ervin Santana is an interesting question: more limited first-year impact followed by two stellar seasons which is time here colored by a disastrous final season.

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    diehardtwinsfan

    diehardtwinsfan 14,830

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

     

    Nelson Cruz clocked his 40th home run over the weekend and in the process became a member of the 400-home run club. Earlier in the year, I wrote about his unlikely quest for 400 home runs with the biggest caveat being that he didn’t hit his first home runs until he was 26 years old. Now he’s on the brink of one of the best seasons ever for a 39-year old player and it certainly looks like the Twins stole him on the free agent market.

    So how does Cruz stack up against the other top free agents in Twins history?Nelson Cruz (2019)
    Baseball Reference WAR: 4.0
    Cruz has smashed almost every designated hitter record in Twins history. He became only the third player in franchise history to hit 40 home runs following in the footsteps of Harmon Killebrew and Brian Dozier. He set the team’s DH records for home runs and RBIs and will add to those totals with a handful of games remaining this season. The influence of Cruz goes well beyond the numbers he has put up on the field as he has served in a mentor role to many players on the Twins roster. There’s no doubt in my mind that Miguel Sano wouldn’t have hit 30 home runs this season if not for the mentorship provided by Cruz.

    Josh Willingham (2012)
    Baseball Reference WAR: 3.3
    Willingham doesn’t get as much reignition for his impact because he played on a pair of bad Twins teams. However, his 2012 campaign was one of the best in franchise history for a free agent signing. His defense was atrocious in the outfield, but he clubbed 35 home runs and collected 110 RBI, both career highs. He’d be out of the league after two more seasons, but it doesn’t take anything away from his first year in a Twins uniform. Like Cruz, he was credited with being a mentor to other players and he helped Brian Dozier turn in to a power-hitting threat in the years that followed his signing.

    Jim Thome (2010)
    Baseball Reference WAR: 3.6
    At his signing,Thome was near the end of a career that led him to be enshrined in Cooperstown, but he had a little magic left in the tank during Target Fields’ first season. He hit 25 home runs, but it sure felt like a lot more with his foul pole shot and walk-off hits to help the club. Target Field was packed on a nightly basis and Thome was certainly helping the club on their way to the AL Central title. Heck, even Sports Illustrated did a story on him that season and it takes a lot for them to make their way to Minnesota. He hit his 600th home run while in a Twins uniform, but his impact on the club was felt long after he had left the city.

    Jack Morris (1991)
    Baseball Reference WAR: 4.3
    Jack Morris only played one season in a Twins uniform, but it was certainly a memorable one. He went on to be an All-Star that season and pitched one of the greatest games in baseball history. At age 36, it would be his last All-Star appearance and it would be the last season he pitched over 245 innings. He led the American League in games started for only the second time in his career and he had 10 complete games to his credit by season’s end. He was a workhorse on a team that needed starting pitching help to reach the ultimate goal. Other pitchers like Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson were able to outperform expectations that season and maybe Morris and his example were able to play a role in helping the team.

    These are just a few of the team’s best free agent signings. Who was left off the list? Who would you rank as the team’s best free agent signing? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

    Click here to view the article

    How does Phil Hughe's first season here not make this list?

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    notoriousgod71

    notoriousgod71 3,481

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    None of these come close to being the best but were still significant IMHO.

    Chili Davis (1991-92) -- huge numbers in the first half of the 91 season.
    Kenny Rogers (2003) -- was with the Twins for only one year but was a key part of that year's rotation
    Brian Harper (1990-93) -- everybody knows about him, right? Batted over .300 and had 269 RBIs in his 4 years with the team. Plus he had some memorable plays at home during the 91 WS.
    Henry Blanco (2004) -- don't laugh too hard. He took over as starting catcher after Joe Mauer got hurt early in the season and did a pretty nice job for someone who was signed to be the backup catcher.

    Morris won a WS game 7 -- he's got to be the best signing.
    Cruz comes in second.

     

    Blanco is key.

     

    He had more career postseason home runs than Mauer and was the starting catcher the last time we won a postseason game.

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    Otto von Ballpark

    Otto von Ballpark 20,320

  • Community Leader

    • Posted

     

    Noticeably absent are the couple of Japanese and Korean free agent signings in recent years. Yes they were definite busts, but it was always worth a try.

    Perhaps they would have been mentioned if the article title had read "Bust" instead of "Best".

     

    Perhaps the article would have been deleted then too. And whoever posted it would have been sacked. :)

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    Otto von Ballpark

    Otto von Ballpark 20,320

  • Community Leader

    • Posted

     

    Henry Blanco (2004) -- don't laugh too hard. He took over as starting catcher after Joe Mauer got hurt early in the season and did a pretty nice job for someone who was signed to be the backup catcher.

    I think Blanco pretty much played like a backup catcher, just in more at-bats. 60 OPS+, -0.4 bWAR. Maybe he was a crazy good pitch framer or something, I suppose.

     

    Joe Mauer got hurt on April 6, 2004. The Blue Jays signed Gregg Zaun on April 9 -- without Blanco in the fold, would we have signed Zaun instead? Zaun went on to post a 96 OPS+ and 2.3 bWAR that season for the Jays.

     

    Not that it probably would have made much difference in the end. Although you could argue we should have signed someone like Zaun anyway, even with Blanco, and our season wouldn't have had to end with 41 year old Pat Borders on the field...

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