The C.J. Cron Conundrum

Move Sano to 1st now and sign Mike Moustakas to play 3rd. Moose would probably be  12-14M year. It could be part 1 of shoring up the defense. Part 2 is a pipedream that a Cubs fan came up with to trade Arraez to Chicago. Then they could sign a defensive SS and move Polanco to 2nd.

 

 

I sincerely hope that a healthy CJ Cron returns, perhaps with a base salary of $5-6 mil with bonuses based on games played, performance etc. to get him up to the. $ 7.5-8 mil figure. In his absence no one compared to his defensive work when healthy. The Twins rotated Sano, Marwin and Adrianza at 1st in his absence and they were all mediocre to say the least, bringing about a sharp decline in fielding prowess , especially on stretches and scooping short throws. In the old days, 1B was for an inferior fielder, but no more. I think that was what was missed most about Mauer in 2019 - his glove at first.

I'm fine with either option. But I think it makes sense to bring him back. Now if we get Donaldson at 3B.....

I am guessing that the FO thoughts are similar to that of Tampa's last year. He's a good player but we can get quality production at less cost from within the system and using the savings for other needs.Sano could be the new first baseman and then we could put the cheapy at 3rd.

If he’s just a bench bat against LHP, with some occasional run at first base, sure. But, I think we can/should do better than Cron as a primary option (it’s the will that worries me).

 

Watching him drop balls against the Yankees in the playoffs is forever etched in my mind. If I remember right, one would’ve gotten us out of inning and multiple runs were scored after. Not blaming the series loss on Cron, but he had some huge miscues that certainly contributed. Not to mention his thumb caused him to be a black hole in the lineup.

Let Cron go. Marwin,Ehire,Turtle,Wade can platoon at first. Leave Sano at third. Spend the 7 million on pitching

Maybe Mauer spoiled me, but I didn't see much of a defensive benefit of having a CJ Cron at 1B. Not only was his glove work questionable, so was his range, or lack thereof.

 

The good news for the Twins is that he has no more thumbs. Both should be in tip top shape moving forward.

I am in the let him go camp.  Then if you do not sign a top tier third baseman, you can rotation the rest of the moving parts thru 1B.  Also gives you the option of moving Kiriloff there or Rooker if either forces he way into the Twins lineup.  Flexability is key.  Also would rather spend the money on front line starting pitching.

Looks like we will let him go and I agree. Adding $25M per for Donaldson looks much better by subtracting Cron's $7M. Leaves a Sano/Garver/Gonzalez rotation at 1B. Improves the defense greatly at 3B - gives us another slammer bat. The Donaldson signing and the release of Cron only eats $18M next year. Plenty of money left for pitching. I like this direction. I want to see Garver get 500 ab's next year. He needs another part time position to do that.

I think they may let him go on arbitration, but I think he'll still be in the mix to come back at a lower number. I'm not opposed to that; I do like Cron and would like to see him back. I think his D was better than advertised, especially before the injury, and I think he's a credible hitter (interesting and different approach than a lot of guys too; he hits line drives rather than fully embracing the "launch angle" revolution so he might be someone who isn't impacted significantly if there's a ball reversion).

 

That said, it's not like there aren't guys who can fill the role.

 

I'm not so enthusiastic about the idea of "meh, just platoon it with Marwin, La Tortuga, Adrianza, and whomever else is on the roster today", though. None of the guys named there really hits well enough to be a true asset at 1B, Marwin is the only one who might be a plus defender (not sure if either of the other two is even average, though 1B D isn't usually a big difference maker). there seems to be a level of "who cares, it's only CJ Cron" to this exercise, and that could be a mistake. 

 

making yourself a contender is often about players turning in star performances, but it's also about raising your floor and not having terrible performers suck up a ton of time. Even with the injuries, Cron wasn't bad (1.4 bWAR); Astudillo for all that he's stupendously fun was much less valuable ( -0.2 bWAR). the Twins did a great job last year in "raising the floor" on their team and not giving ABs to bad players. Cron's ceiling might not be super high, but his floor is pretty solid, i think.

 

Let Cron go. Marwin,Ehire,Turtle,Wade can platoon at first. Leave Sano at third. Spend the 7 million on pitching

No thank you. I don't even want Wade or Turtle on the 26-man roster. They're both fine as 27th-man depth.

 

I'm also of the philosophy that $8million is nothing in MLB money, especially on a one-year deal. Sign pitching and keep him. Why gamble when you can get a relatively sure thing at a set cost?

 

But I won't be crestfallen if he's gone, either.

I'd bring him back rather than platoon existing guys there (Marwin, Ehire, Astudillo). Astudillo should not be in the lineup regularly and Marwin's ops is okay for your utility guy but not a regular Ib. 

 

If we anticipate signing either a 3b or different 1b, then let him go, otherwise I'd rather have Cron starting opening day than Kiriloff, Rooker, etc. Rookies usually have growing pains. Most aren't like Juan Soto or Luis Arraez. 

If the Twins truly do spend all the extra money on pitching then I am fine if they let him go.  If they end up in the second or third tier for pitchers and don't spend then Cron insurance would be nice.  If they do try and shore up third base then I would be fine letting Cron go as well.  For me it just depends on what they do before I would want them to just let him walk.

Add me to the list of those that believe he should be brought back, assuming the reports on the condition of his thumb are positive.  My opinion doesn't matter, however, and we will see what the Twins opinion is next Monday.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if they are having contract discussions this week in an attempt to sign him to a reasonable one year contract...whatever reasonable means in his case.

 

I do recall seeing a player who appeared to me to be very good defensively during the first half last year.  I also recall being surprised when that defense went south later in the year when he was battling that injury.  I am a bit surprised that an injury to his right thumb affected his glovework at first, but expect anything can happen when his right thumb was barking.

This was a missed opportunity...

 

“The CJ Cronundrum”

I would let Cron go, Move Polanco to 3rd, as it is an easier defensive position that SS where he was one of the lowest ranked defensive players in MLB.  Short could be picked up, by one of three people in our system Adrianza, Nick Gordon, or even soon by Royce Lewis.  This plan saves more money for starting pitching!  Phil

If he’s fully healthy, I want him back. If that thumb injury is still lingering, I’ll pass. He was a key to the offense in the 1st half of the year and would have been a guaranteed tender if he didn’t get hurt.

 

I would start working Rooker at 1B too. His bat is MLB ready, so they should work on getting his defense ready too.

CROM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could go either way with Cron. I actually thought he performed well defensively at 1st. Especially when healthy. I would much rather have him there than Sano. I really don't like Sano at 3rd either but until Cruz vacates the DH spot, opening that spot for Sano, Sano is a liability on the field no matter where he plays. I can live thru another season with Sano at 3B, Cron at 1B and Cruz at DH. Just improve the PITCHING!

I guess if his thumb is healed, I have no issues with keeping him for one more season.

Rooker is not ready for prime time yet. I wouldn't totally sell Wade or Astudillo short just yet. they both have very good plate discipline...something any lineup would love to have in abundance. Wade is young and learning. And he can run. Turtle is great insurance as a utility guy. He is not a throwaway. My opinion...Cave is the throwaway.

 

I think Twins will give Sano one more full year at 3rd base and hope he's healthy.

 

Move Sano to 1st now and sign Mike Moustakas to play 3rd. Moose would probably be  12-14M year. It could be part 1 of shoring up the defense. Part 2 is a pipedream that a Cubs fan came up with to trade Arraez to Chicago. Then they could sign a defensive SS and move Polanco to 2nd.

This. Though I'd skip the trade Arreaz part. Or sign a SS and move Polanco to 3B.

Rooker's AAA numbers look good until you see he struck out 35% of the time. You have to assume that number will go up in the majors too, unless he can work on that, I have a hard time seeing him just being plugged into 1B.

Well, yeah, I guess he’s basically Sano in AAA... I’m penciling him in at 1B in AAA, not for the MLB squad. I don’t see room for him in the outfield now or in the future, so he might as well learn to play 1B,

See if Cron will play for his 2019 salary. Otherwise the FA market isn't great either. Thames and Moreland look like a couple of the better options. But would either be better than Cron? I don't see our own prospects as quite being ready yet so Cron might be our best option.

 

As for Sano, I agree with another poster that said he is really a negative no matter where he is on the field. I for one don't like the thought of him being given 1B out of spring.

Is there a better option available for $7M and is he available on a 1 year deal? Hey, if you can upgrade at 3B, that's not a bad way to go but Cron for another year until (hopefully) one of our AAA guys forces their way onto to the team is a good plan too.