Though right-hander Kyle Gibson at one point looked like a clear non-tender candidate for the Twins this offseason, his revitalized performance in the season’s second half makes it look far likelier that he’ll return. The 29-year-old former first-rounder limped to a ghastly 6.29 ERA with 5.9 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent ground-ball rate through the season’s first half and was even optioned to Triple-A Rochester back in May. However, he’s logged a brilliant 2.83 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 50.6 percent grounder rate in 54 innings across his past nine outings.
Asked by 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson on his latest podcast if Gibson would be tendered a contract this winter (audio link, with Levine joining around the 27-minute mark and discussing Gibson at 37 minutes), Levine replied: “Starting pitching — and quality starting pitching — is at a premium. … Depth is tantamount. We are aspirational of being a playoff-relevant team moving forward. Those types of teams need to have a wealth of starting pitching options, and I think Kyle Gibson has established himself as very much a part of that equation moving forward for the Minnesota Twins.” Gibson is earning $2.9MM in 2017, and while there’s still of course time for things to change, it sounds like he’ll be retained and earn a slight raise on that figure for the 2018 campaign.
More from the AL Central…
- Indians slugger Carlos Santana admits to Zack Meisel of The Athletic that he put a significant amount of pressure on himself early this season as he entered a contract year. Santana struggled badly through the first 10 weeks or so of the 2017 campaign, but he credits first-year teammate Edwin Encarnacion — who had a tumultuous free-agent experience himself last winter — for getting his mind into a better place and turning his season around at the plate. “He told me to keep playing baseball and enjoy the (season) and play hard every day and don’t think about it,” says Santana. “He is a good influence for me and my mind.” Meisel notes that Santana hopes to remain in Cleveland — FanRag’s Jon Heyman wrote the same yesterday, as he has at various points this year — though the Indians will have some tough roster decisions to make with relatively limited finances. (A second deep playoff run, of course, wouldn’t hurt their financial outlook.)
- Jason Kipnis is expected to start in center field for the Indians as soon as this Sunday, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Bradley Zimmer’s season-ending injury created an opening, and it was reported earlier this week that Kipnis would get a look there in his place. A center fielder in his college days, Kipnis isn’t exactly unfamiliar with the position, though it’s been seven years since Cleveland moved him to second base. Manager Terry Francona tells Hoynes that the training staff has to sign off on the decision still, though he adds that it’d be a surprise if they didn’t, given how healthy Kipnis has looked recently as he nears the end of his rehab from a hamstring injury.
- Jose Abreu has made it clear that he hopes to remain with the White Sox even amid the team’s rebuild, writes MLB.com’s Phil Rogers. Chicago values his leadership and productive bat, Rogers notes, and he wonders if the team would make a four- or five-year offer to Abreu to keep him around this offseason. There’s no indication that there have been any actual extension negotiations between the two sides, though Rogers suggests that both Abreu and Avisail Garcia could make sense as longer-term pieces in Chicago.
- Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star took an excellent look at the remarkable late blooming of Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield. As Dodd points out, Merrifield is one of just seven players in the past 50 years to debut after his 27th birthday and compile five wins above replacement in his first two seasons. The others on that list were all established stars in other countries before coming to the United States (e.g. Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Abreu, Hideki Matsui). Dodd tracks Merrifield’s minor league career, noting that he was passed on entirely in the Rule 5 Draft along the way. It’s a must-read column that is rife with quotes from GM Dayton Moore, Merrifield’s coaches from his amateur days, several of Merrifield’s teammates and, of course, Merrifield himself. Now 28 years old, Merrifield has broken out with a .285/.324/.463 batting line, 17 homers, 29 steals and quality defense at second base — likely cementing himself in the Royals’ lineup for the 2018 season and beyond.
Whit Merrifield is one of the best second basemen in baseball in my opinion
I like Merrifield but I’m not sure I’d put him in with Altuve, Cano, Murphy, Pedroia, LeMahieu, Kinlser, Kipnis, and Dee Gordon. Plus I think some of the young guys like Jose Ramirez, Ozzie Albies, and Yoan Moncada will or have already passed merrifield
Umm, Starlin Castro is much better than half the second basemen you listed
According to the numbers guys Merrifield’s on field performance is top 3 in all of baseball at his position. The other guys are potential and just names.
Schoop is better than all but 3 of those guys.
Um Brian Dozier is better then half of that list.
Does Kipnis have decent speed? Can he read a ball as soon as its off the bat and efficiently run a path to where is going to drop? I bet hes going to miss a few catchable balls. I dont really know him so maybe others can fill in if he would be decent outfielder?
If Cleveland was smart they’d shut Kipnis down for the rest of 2017. The only way Kipnis should see the field is if he buys a ticket to a game. He’s been absolutely terrible when he has played
By that logic, you should not be commenting because you’ve never contributed a single useful comment. So take your own advice and shut your comments down.
Bravo!! Well said.
Hahaha
U MAD?
Ralph: Typical childish response. Try sticking to baseball, instead of insults.
Outstanding, Rwm!!!
Kipnis was drafted as center fielder in college. He’s probably not Dom DiMaggio out there, but he’s not Matt Adams either.
I can’t believe clevelands internal options at 3rd are worth moving kipnis to center field. Any defensive upgrade they get from Diaz/urshela will most likely be negated by kipnis’ D in center and that’s not a knock on kipnis.
Yep it’s definitely a weird situation. But I guess if there is something wrong with the tribe, it would be their outfield depth is questionable at best.
That’s before you factor in offense. I’m sure if you played chisenhall in center you’d get more offensive production than Diaz/urshela although his bad D might negate that value. idk but I’d do go with some combo of chisenhall/Greg Allen/ajax before I’d turn to kip. But I don’t manage the Indians and they’re doing alright so far.
Cleveland almost won a world series last year with Raj Davis as their center fielder, and he’s awful defensively. Kipnis will be adequate.
Their pitchers are striking out more than 10 a game and they have a well lower than average 33.6% FB rate with only about 1-in-3 going to Center.
He would get a couple balls in his direction, no doubt, but the infield is definitely seeing a lot more each game. And since they would otherwise need break up the Double Play Duo of Lindor & Ramirez, it would be a pretty big blow to the club to put him back at 2nd.
I think this move signifies two things. First, getting the playoff versitility experiment out of the way when wins don’t matter as much (as opposed to in playoffs like with Santana last year) and Second, possibly signifies the end of the Kipnis time in Cleveland if he doesn’t show he can do it at a passable rate for next season
Abreu should stick around during the Sox rebuild because contention is not as far away as some people may think. He’s is a very productive bat, entering his prime, and keeping him around for 5-6 more years will keep him in the timeline of their perennial contention. Avi, I’m not so sure about. I feel he will test the market when he becomes a FA after 2019 season, and there are more than plenty options in the minors for the Sox(see Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert). I say trade Avi this offseason while his stock is super high, and keep adding Blue chip prospects through trades such as this. IMO
It all depends on the type of deal they get offered. It’s a win/win for the White Sox. Either keep a very good player or add 3 top 100 prospects.
I forgot, how many years are left on Abreu’s contract?
It’s insanity Cleveland’s tinkering around throwing Kipnis in the OF. This dumb experiment defies all logic when you consider the playoffs are right around the corner…..well, by then, Cleveland will be gassed anyway. They’re playing every game rn like it’s game 7 of the WS
They haven’t played a single game like it’s game 7 of the world series during this streak. They have been crusing teams so throughly they have hardly had to exert much effort at all. And shoot, in yesterdays game (the first they have been losing post the 6th inning) they had 2 Sept callups (1 who hasnt played above AA) scheduled to PH as the 2nd and 3rd out in the bottom of the 9th.
As far as Kipnis, the other options are breaking up the Lindor-Ramirez DP Duo or sitting Kipnis on the bench for the playoffs. So experiment with versitility whIle wins don’t matter much or plan to sit one of your main guys for the important games… yeah, how dumb of them to think of ways to get Kipnis in the game!
You’re really saying that Cleveland can’t win in the postseason because they’re on a winning streak right now and they might get tired? Really weird argument, even for you
Ralphie, that is the way professional sports are played, like it is game seven. You just let everyone know that you have never played sports at any level unless you consider laying on your couch, drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon running your yap a sport.
Advice, get out from behind the computer, move out of your parents basement and try being a productive member of society instead of just sitting on here pretending to know it all.
Another comment about Ralphie the little Troll, Rwm!!! Outstanding and probably spot on.