The Twins avoided arbitration with Delmon Young, agreeing to a one-year, $5.375MM year, according to the team. Young had filed for $6.25MM, while the Twins had countered with $4.65MM, as our Arb Tracker shows. The sides agreed to a deal just south of the $5.45MM midpoint.
Young, a former first overall pick, broke out in 2010. The 25-year-old hit .298/.333/.493 with 21 homers. He earned $2.6MM in 2010 and is eligible for free agency after 2012.
Jose Bautista, Rickie Weeks and Hunter Pence are now the only arbitration eligible players who aren't yet under contract for 2011. Bautista and Weeks are negotiating multiyear deals with their respective teams and could avoid their scheduled hearings.
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune first reported the agreement (Twitter link).
Would have rather heard a three to four year deal announced.
It still could happen, but probably not likely since it took this long just to get the one year done.
The thing to consider is that the Twins have a lot of OF’s that aren’t too far away. Who knows if they want to give any of the three (Young/Cuddyer/Kubel) any kind of long term deal. I could see two not on the team next year..and not just the obvious two (Cuddyer & Kubel). It could be any combo. I feel Cuddyer is most likely to stay as long as he takes a discount. He might not even have to take a discount since the Twins seem to love him so much (that would be a mistake).
I wouldn’t be terribly upset to see Delmon shipped off to Oakland for one of their young pitchers (Brett Anderson, please? Yes, I know we’d have to kick in some sweeteners).
His stock is pretty high right now, given he’s coming off his best year to date, and still relatively cheap.
The ceiling is still very high for Young. On a side not, it’s good to see this guy mature a bit and keep his attitude/personality in check. That bat incident with the umpire was childish
It wasn’t just the bat incident, it was walking into the Twins clubhouse on Day 1 and cranking his music. Morneau was pretty public that the veterans get to choose the tunes, and Delmon didn’t know his place. He rubbed more than a few guys in the clubhouse the wrong way his first year or two.
But yes, he has matured.
That ceiling is part of his value in getting someone good for him. We’ve got a glut of OF – why not deal to a team with a glut of SP? Sure, Delmon could end up playing at an All-Star level for many years – but so could Hicks or Benson, and they’ll never get the chance. Unless we let Cuddyer/Kubel walk – in which case we don’t get anything in return to address an underwhelming rotation.
Good post. I had never heard about the music incident.
Is Hicks ready this year or are you thinking Kubel, Span and Cuddyer in the O.F. with Thome the everyday D.H.
I’d rather keep Young because he is a potential superstar, still pretty cheap, and the Twins need all the right handed hitting they can get.
Hicks hasn’t even reached AA, he will be at LEAST another year and a half assuming he makes big strides. The Twins will take it slow with him.
Also, ask the Twins and they’ll tell you Kubel is our everyday DH and Thome is just a bench bat and fill in DH. Letting Jimmy rest payed off last year once Morneau went down so I’m guessing they’ll stick with that plan.
Hicks isn’t ready.
If you can get a front end rotation guy now for delmon, you can live with kubel/cuddy/span in the OF, and thome dh. Then in 2012 just bring back one of kubel/cuddy.
You might be able to live with that OF but Kube’s knee’s certainly won’t. He’s just not a guy you can put in the OF everyday over the course of the season.
Revere is ready…. He could fill in for Kubel and Span and all them to rotate. Therefore not relying on Kubel in the OF everyday and letting Thome rest. But Delmon isn’t going anywhere this year, in my opinion.
I’m much more of the opinion that we should ship off Kubel for that pitching depth than Young.
Kubel gets us “depth”. Another blackburn.
Young could get us a front end guy. I think we need a #2 SP much more than a #5.
Yea but Young *potentially* gives us a power right handed bat with average. That’s what this team needs right now. If we trade Young this year and let Cuddy walk next year, our biggest right handed bat is who? (seriously, I even went to the Twins roster to find our next biggest RH bat, and the best I could do was like, Repko or Yoshi).
That’s fair. Its not an ideal situation.
But if the twins need an ace, they’ve got to give something. You don’t bring in brett anderson or gio gonzalez while only giving up a dh in a walk year (kubel).
Danny V!
(this better post this time)
I could see the Twins bringing back Cuddyer. After all, Hicks and Morales are still at least two seasons away from making it to the MLB, and Cuddyer, as a right handed bat, provides some balance to the lefty heavy lineup.
I could also see the Twins using Cuddyer as a utility player in the future, given his experience at multiple positions.
I was thinking more like Benson and Revere (maybe even Tosoni if he’s not injured), not guys who are for sure much further than a year away. Benson and Revere could be up by the beginning of 2012. Either could be up even quicker, but I hope not. They both need AAA time.
I like Revere (minus his arm) but he makes me nervous. I just get this feeling that he’s not going to be a good major leaguer. Most say Juan Pierre is his ceiling which I would agree with. I just have a feeling he won’t hit that ceiling. Hopefully I’m wrong. And minus the K’s he puts up, I love everything about Benson. He looks like a stud.
The reason I think they’ll bring Cuddyer back is because they love him in the clubhouse. He’s the most veteran guy on the team (as far as being a Twin his whole career) and he does seem to be willing to do anything. I just hope it comes at 50% off of what he’s making now.
I wouldn’t mind bringing Cuddy back in, but I can’t stomach the idea of him getting a raise. $13MM/year for him is out of the question. He’s already making eight figures in 2011…
Unless the Twins are really dumb, which they are at times, I don’t see that happening at all. I really can’t see him getting more than 10 total (5 per) for two years. If you can get him cheaper, even better, but I think five is fair enough.
I’d love him at 10 over 2 yrs, but I don’t think that’s realistic.
I’d be happy with 18 over 2, but not anything higher than that.
Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s realistic or not. He is getting older, OF’s from the minors are getting closer and he always says how much he wants to be a Twin for life. Plus, for the most part, the market still seems to be down. He just might be the best OF available next year though (completely guessing, I don’t know what the FA OF market is next year).
I think we can get a good discount on those alone, not sure whether he’d take it though. I’m leaning more towards that he would.
Exactly. How many teams would love a right handed bat who’s gonna hit 20+ homers, push 100 RBI in the right lineup, and hit around .280? Sounds similar to another free agent right fielder who recently got a massive payday this year…
Granted, Cuddy is a bit older than Werth, and doesn’t have the steals, but it’s not the worst comp out there in terms of raw offensive numbers. Throw in Cuddy’s versatility, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a few teams out there willing to go $30M/3yrs for him. That’s why I say I wouldn’t go past $18M over 2 – on an annual basis, it’s a 10% discount. But I can’t expect a guy to leave much more than 10% on the table. As Spreewell famously said, “My kids need shoes!”
That’s a good point. I can definitely see him getting interest from quite a few teams which would drive up the price. I really think it will ultimately come down to if he wants to stay or not.
I don’t know if he can put up those stats though, at least not for us. It seems like the Target Field factor really got to him. He used to be really good at home, but this year he was only slightly better at home than away.
I feel like he’ll be .270-.280 BA with 15-20 HR’s and 80-90 RBI’s this year. A healthy knee might help boost his numbers too. I don’t know how much of it was the park and how much of it was him not feeling well for a long time…or just having a not as good/consistent year.
He’s also likely to slow down as he gets older, but I can see teams having no hesitation in giving him two years plus an option year. That doesn’t seem outrageous at all.
I just don’t know if he’s worth much more than $10 million guaranteed total right now. I guess I’ll have to see how he does this year. If he doesn’t improve on last years numbers (better than the numbers I gave him) my mind won’t change on that.
If they do bring Cuddy back, I would like to see it as a Nick Punto like contract;
2yrs/$8 Mil with an option for a third year.
The only way he gets a raise is if the Twins offer him arbitration. Now that I think about it, will Cuddyer be a Type A or B free agent after this season?
He’s been able to be a utility guy by necessity, but he’s not a prototypical utility man. Trust me, Gardy didn’t run him out there at 2B last year because Mike is agile. And he isn’t getting any nibble or quicker with age.
He’s average in RF, competent at 1B, below average at CF, but poor at 3B, and a desperation move at 2B.
Granted, that’s still nice to have *any* degree of versatility – but he’s no Nick Punto (who, for all his faults, could actually play solid 2B/SS/3B).
The team is probably in a spot where they’ll risk paying a little extra in order to see if the real Delmon is the 2010 vintage or more 2008. If he thinks the answer is 2010 then he’s probably in a spot where he’d rather roll into his last arb year after having established himself while playing regularly on a team that won’t suck. If they can’t see eye to eye on a multi-year deal then splitting near the mid-point and getting togther next winter seems best for everyone.
I’m glad this is over and slightly leans more towards the number the Twins offered.
Twins 33, you are right about more outfielders on the way. If Young stays with the Twins long-term, his future might be as fulltime DH, given his defensive liabilities.
I’ve always held a soft spot for this kid – maybe because of his brother and “The Dugout” material they provide – but even with his breakout season last year I don’t know that he’ll ever be embraced by the Twins fanbase. I’d guess there’s 9 fans ready to ship him off of last season for every 1 that wants him extended. He seems to have grown up quite a bit, is working harder than ever by all accounts and has become a good clubhouse guy. I think the combination of his past, what they gave up to get him and the current depth of OF prospects has people ready to ship him at a moment’s notice, when he could be very special. Guys like Cuddyer and Hunter were given years to develop, I don’t get the impatience with Delmon.
Good observations. I don’t think the anti-Deli sentiment is 9-1, but there’s definitely some eager-to-hate undercurrents.
I think you hit the sources pretty good, too. But you gotta realize that True Blue Twins fans embrace this team as a blue-collar squad. Hustle, defense, doing little things right. Deli has never shown that – his hustle is average, his defense poor, and then there’s that whole glaring attitude history. Throw in that we paid a King’s Ransom, and the fact that even the Twins own clubhouse didn’t embrace him, and you have a fan base that isn’t ready to adopt him anytime soon.
Deli started his career with some very public squabbles in the clubhouse. When Mr. Niceguys Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer have to take him out to the woodshed over his “I get to pick the music, this is my clubhouse” ego, he’s not going to endear himself to many people who read Jim Souhan’s column about it. Even this past year, the “feel good” story has been “Delmon has finally started listening to the coaches, and he’s gotten alot better!” just highlights what a bad attitude he’s been in the past.
Good for both sides, absolutely didn’t wanna see a 3 or 4 year deal yet.
The issues with Delmon Young are his absolutely awful defense and his frequently terrible thinking at the plate. Yes, early on last season, when he came in an obvious 25 pounds lighter, he looked like he could get to a couple more balls than he had before. But that didn’t last and by the end of the season he covered less ground than anyone I have seen playing outfield for the Twins in the last 25 years. A cannon of an arm, but who cares since he so often fired it to the wrong base. I don’t know how many times he bailed out a struggling pitcher by swinging at a first pitch breaking ball to kill an inning, but it seemed to happen too often. He has no patience.
The reason Hunter was given time to develop was because he played with grace and style and those Twins teams weren’t going anywhere anyway. Cuddyer got time to develop because he could put on so many gloves and because he plays so hard. Delmon runs like … I don’t want to say it, and so often it is hard to tell whether he is paying attention.
Maybe his hitting last season was the new bottom for him. Maybe the Twins could bring up Revere and put him in left along with Span in center and then give Delmon 60 lateral feet to cover in right. Play him really deep and let his arm compensate for his legs. I think twinsfan222 is right on though — right handed DH is the spot for Delmon Young in years to come. Can the Repko baloney, bring up Revere and let him run.
I agree with a lot of that… But it is spelled bologna (could care a less about grammer just saying). It is nice sometimes to not have someone watch a fastball right down the center of the plate on the first pitch. He does need more patience though.
My fear is that Delmon has already had too many big league at-bats to suggest that he will change and develop that patience. It is likely that he is who he is going to be.
Maybe Revere will play well in AAA until July and let the front office feel comfortable enough to use Delmon as the centerpiece of a move on a topline starter. Gardenhire says he wants more speed and defense and we know the Twins still need a pitcher that makes you believe he will beat the Yankees in October.
Oh, and yes, bologna. Go ahead, embarass the English major.
Danny V!
Why, oh why, did this post all the way down here when I hit reply to someone. No wonder it didn’t show up.
Danny V!
Cuddy, Kubel, and Thome are likely walking after this year. Please keep Delmon around to be our full time DH for the next few years while calling up one of the prospects or signing Cuddy for a one year deal as a stop gap. IMO the ideal situation for the Twins. Dont give up on Delmon yet, I can see a huge future at DH for him. Span, Revere, Cuddyer (Hicks, Benson maybe) with Young DH. sounds good to me.
Kubel is gone for sure, and Thome will probably retire, but don’t short sell on Cuddyer. His ties to the community and organization are as deep as you’ll find in baseball. He’s the longest tenured Twin by a mile, and team’s don’t just wantonly part with a clubhouse leader.
If he’s willing to be realistic about his value, a 2-year deal with an option is pretty likely. If I had to bet, I’d say 65% chance he’s back next year, and not just on a 1-year deal.
i just don’ understand all the Delmon hate. This guy continually gets big hits late in games and everybody rags on him. Cuddy, to me, is the odd man out. I know he’s the team leader and a good guy and all that, but he doesn’t seem to come through. He leaves a TON of guys on base and rarely gets hits when they matter. He hits solo home runs when the Twins are down by five and pops up when they’re tied. Seemed like a few times a week Delmon would get big, multi RBI hits.
I don’t think most people hate Delmon. I know I don’t. I think he’ll continue to improve with the bat, not so much the defense though, which is why he probably should DH or at least go back to RF which is the position he had played all his life before we put him in LF.
I could see them trading him while his value is high though. If one of Revere or Benson come up, at least one guy is going to be the odd man out.
The reason I say I’d have a hard time believing it’s Cuddyer is not because I think he’s insanely better, it’s just that the team loves him so much. He wants to be a Twin for life and the Twins constantly gush over him, which is why I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays and Young & Kubel go. You have your opinion of Cuddyer (what you posted and I agree that he does do those things), but the Twins just don’t see him that way. They don’t have the same view of Cuddyer as you do. They absolutely love the guy.
I think Delmon will be in Minnesota for a good amount of time. He is finally blossoming into the superstar he could eventually be and, in my opinion, is the right handed power bat that needs to follow up Mauer and Morneau. Trading him would be an incredibly idiotic move at this point of his career.
If Delmon was traded, these are the guys that the Twins have that would have to step up.
-Hicks is at least one year away from the bigs and very easily could be two seasons away.
-Morales is still raw and needs to continue to grow in the minors for a while.
– Arcia came out of no where with his amazing season last year and before I’d rely on him to be a future outfield stud, I’d want him to follow last year up with another good season.
– Revere could be an option but he should stay in AAA for 2011. He is definitely not an upgrade over Delmon at all.
– Benson is the guy that I still think will replace Cuddyer at some point. He is the most MLB ready OF that Minnesota has, in my opinion.
bleacherreport(dot)com/articles/567060-the-minneso…
Here is an article I wrote a while back about the Twins lineup in 2012. Check it out.