Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey tells Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the team isn’t ruling out the addition of an established hitter in free agency. Asked specifically about the possibility of adding a slugger such as Nelson Cruz, Falvey spoke in general terms about the “trade-off” of adding an established bat to “take pressure off other guys in the lineup” at the expense of allowing some younger options to develop or receive a legitimate chance at playing time. The Twins have some options at designated hitter in the form of C.J. Cron and Tyler Austin, though Falvey was also clear in indicating that the Twins “feel like there’s still an opportunity on the board to bring in someone who will help our lineup.” Whether that ultimately leads to a move remains to be seen, but adding someone of Cruz’s caliber to a lineup also featuring Cron, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Jonathan Schoop would give the Twins quite a bit of power potential in 2019 and add some stability to a group that is in need of several rebound seasons (Sano, Schoop, Byron Buxton).
More from the division…
- As part of his latest mailbag column, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press takes a look at what the addition of both Matt Moore and Tyson Ross means for Daniel Norris’ future with the Tigers. As Fenech notes, the pair of additions sends a message to Norris that he won’t be guaranteed a starting job and will need to force his way into the rotation. Once considered one of the game’s premier pitching prospects — Norris ranked as a Top 20 overall prospect per both Baseball America and MLB.com in 2015 — the now-25-year-old Norris has just a 4.61 ERA in 252 innings with the Tigers. His development was undeniably slowed by a frightening battle with thyroid cancer in 2016, and Norris also underwent surgery to repair a groin tear earlier this season. Fenech adds that “behind-the-scenes, [the Tigers] have not been bashful in their views that Norris needs to take a step forward, and soon.” Detroit controls Norris through the 2021 season.
- Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said it has yet to be decided if the money saved so far in the offseason trades of Edwin Encarnacion, Yan Gomes and Yonder Alonso would be reinvested into the 2019 roster, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That’s not to say that Cleveland has decided not to spend any of its newfound resources, however, and it’s perhaps unsurprising that any top-ranking exec would decline to make firm promises when it comes to spending a specific amount on the roster. Hoynes goes on to suggest that a bullpen addition such as Adam Ottavino doesn’t seem particularly likely if the pitcher in question hopes to sign for something near Andrew Miller’s $25MM guarantee, however, casting a bit more doubt on Cleveland’s spending capacity. All that said, the trade market would present innumerable paths to improving the roster in an effort to gear up for a run at a fourth consecutive division championship, and there will certainly be more affordable bullpen options as the offseason wears on.
So basically the Indians are going to nickel and dime a bullpen and outfield together, enough to barely go .500 and win the division, get blasted in the post season again, and COMPLETELY dismantle next off season. That’s what I got from Chris Antonetti.
I don’t think they will nickel and dime, but I think they do something in trades. Bullpen arms come out of everywhere. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a bullpen.
I cannot think of a worse place to dump a bunch of free agent money than the bullpen. Should they go spend $90m on Craig Kimbrel just so they’re not viewed as cheap?
No but 25 million on Ottavino is reasonable.
Exactly, the savior of their bullpen last season was taken from the AAA scrap heap.
I heard Antonetti do an interview on WTAM about a week or so ago and he was asked “Do you have a set budget for 2019”?
Simple, basic question, right? He very quickly said “No, we have no budget for 2019”. Andre Knott (who is a huge Indians homer), laughed and said: Seriously? You have no budget for the upcoming season and you are in the process of making moves for the 2019 roster right now? He responded, that nope, the Indians have absolutely no set budget for 2019.
At that point, Antonetti lost all credibility in my eyes and is clearly in “gut the payroll” mode. Ridiculous that this team is stuck with such lousy ownership.
“Ridiculous that this team is stuck with such lousy ownership.”
Apparently the GM was told by the owner to make statements like this so the owner Larry Dolan will not become the focus as he should.
Dolan like Robert Nutting (Pirates) are two of the worst bloodsuckers in MLB
Over the years I’ve started to realize there are more bad owners than there are good owners. And I don’t think it’s close
Define a good owner? Please give some examples too
Did we really expect him to say anything different? The way the Indian have operated over the last few years doesn’t look like a team with a hard budget and they are willing to add to it later. They added 4.5-5 million each year (plus any future commitments) after the season started mostly in trades. And they have shown that they will make big signings if the price is right like with EE. Granted the EE deal didn’t work as planned but when those rumors started everyone figured it was “due diligence” and they waited for the right price and did it.
Looking at payroll numbers there honestly isn’t a single player the Indians couldn’t sign if they wanted to do it including Harper and Machado. According to spotrac they had an adjusted payroll of about 142.5 million for 2018. After including the money projected for Lindor and Bauer they would be looking at about 107 million for 2019 before any potential Kluber trade. That’s 35.5 million lower.
The problem is where do you spend it? The big needs are outfield and bullpen. Outside of Harper the free agent market isn’t too exciting. Adam Jones has declined. Pence and Cargo are getting old. Markakis had a career year at 35. Pollock is like a right handed Brantley as far as injury concerns. Unless they shock the world and go all in on Harper that need is most likely filled by trade. The other area of need in the bullpen is probably the worst investment you can make long term. Look at all the guys who got paid really well last year and had horrible years. Perez was one of the best relievers on the team and got paid a fraction of that. If the market drops on relievers it might be worth signing one. And you don’t want to deplete your farm system too much but trading for a guy having a good year might be a better option too.
Just because they are “gutting the payroll” doesn’t mean they are trying to lose. In fact, not only have they decreased payroll, they have created a better team (if you believe in WAR) then prior to the trades. They have extended their competitive window With all the youngsters and just because they say there is no budget, doesn’t mean he’s not being honest. You’re not listening. It’s about trimming payroll and continuing to find the best pieces that will help the Tribe contend. Small market Indians can not afford EE to be a mediocre DH with little 1b skills. Gomes will only decline, why not get something for him that may make a difference later. Roberto and Haase will do just fine. It’s about being more efficient, not about saving a dollar…
That’s what happens when nobody attends games
In the article, there were no quotes, comments or information from Chris Antonetti. This was pure speculation from Paul Hoynes.. What he wrote.. may be right.. or may not be right… but, it wasn’t from the Indians front office..
Yup or take advantage of weak div and get blasted in wc game
The only way they’ll spend even mid-range type money on a free agent is if they package Kipnis with either Kluber or Bauer and get Kip’s ridiculous $15M 2019 salary off the books. I don’t begrudge the man for what he makes, but CLE can not afford that salary based on his ever-shrinking productivity.
Yes, and I predict the Indians hire Bob Uecker to broadcast their games in 2019 and bring back Wild Thing.
The Indians front office is so laughably cheap. The way this team is built there is no excuse not to spend right now. This is just bad for baseball.
They’re a small market team that operates like others; Oakland, Tampa, Milwaukee. I think they do a pretty good job operating within their means and remaining competitive for several years in a row.
The Nationals do not have a TV contract.
The Nationals pay taxes on their payroll.
And what has that got them?
To be fair to the Nationals…they choke with the best of them. They are probably the best at that.
Don’t confuse luck with a good plan. For the first 15 years of Dolan’s ownership of the Indians (2002-2016), they had a lower payroll than the team had way back in 2001.
They just so happened to draft and sign Lindor, Ramirez, and steal Kluber in a trade with San Diego; coupled with the White Sox, Tigers, Royals, and Twins all going through a simultaneous rebuild all at once, which made Cleveland very good from 2016-2018.
The run probably ends after 2019, when they finally completely gut the payroll and give away Kluber, Bauer and then Lindor sometime in 2020/2021.
Cleveland’s ownership is horrendous, in spite of the success they’ve had in the AL Central the last 3 years.
Small market team or not the current situation they are in is what teams work to accomplish through a rebuild. They are literally at the threshold and are retooling because their owner is too cheap. There’s something wrong with that picture.
Nobody in Cleveland attends games– what do you expect?
Nor should they. The Indians were sold out for years, then Larry Dolan announced they would “not have a $90 million payroll” and followed that comment by refusing to resign Manny Ramirez and then refusing to resign Jim Thome and continuing in the future with CC Sabathia and then Cliff Lee.
Here we are twenty years later and the Indians payroll is just now approaching $90 million. Cleveland could run a $130 million payroll and make money but not enough profit to satisfy Larry Dolan.
Same deal with Robert Nutting in Pittsburgh.
So move the team to Miami and have zero attendance.
I don’t see Cruz as a good fit for the Twins. Are they a win now team where Cruz would put them over the hump? I don’t think so. In that case, let young bats get reps. I think the best fit for him would be either the Astros or Rays.
Why wouldn’t they be a win now team?? Worst division in baseball. Make a few moves and hope they work out better than last off-season.
How are the Rays a win now team but not that Twins?
@ kleppy12;
Because the Rays have quality pitching.
The Twins don’t need yet another 1B/DH – their starting pitching needs 2 quality arms, and their bullpen needs at least 2 more.
Tampa won 90 games last year and lost no major pieces. They also have the money and prospects to add a bunch of talent if they chose to. Tampa’s Achilles heel at this point seems to be that they’re in the same division as BOS and NYY.
I’m a Twins fan, and to be fair, you are right. The Rays are in a better spot right now, mostly because of their success last year and because they have Snell. The only spot of contention I have with your statement is that the Twins likely have MORE money to use. In fact, the Twins have no contract commitments past 2019! Whether or not it would be smart for them to blow a bunch of money on anybody left in free agency is certainly up for discussion. I’d rather they lock a few guys up on long term deals first (Berrios, Gibson, Rosario).
The Twins literally had about everything in the world go wrong for them last year and actually made the playoffs the year before. The Twins have more cap space than the Rays and play in a much weaker division. Again, if the Rays are a win now team so are the Twins.
Norris would be the perfect fit with the Brewers
I see the Brewers as a contending team (for the post season), so why would they take a risk on a questionable pitcher? I think the Giants, Angles, or Pirates would be the best fits if they wanted to trade him. But given the Tiger’s are not looking to win this season, give the kid another year there to see what he can do.
Well at this point I think he would be a better pick up then Fulmer plus I believe the Brewers need a lefthander to break up the righthanded rotation. I also know the Brewers lost their pitching coach but the new one does do a good job and good ideas.
Better pick up than Fulmer? If only we could remember this conversation 5 years from now.. I’m not saying your wrong, just can’t believe I would ever read that! I personally think exact opposite.
Cleveland is in an interesting position. They have the worst division in baseball locked up, and in a lot of ways the playoffs are just a roll of the dice.
Not locked up, it’s the day after Christmas! Twins not far off especially if a couple guys play to 2017 form.
The Indians were shuffling around and still won the division by 13 games.
That’s a lot to make up in one year.
It was 13 games last year. Cleveland has made several moves, thru trades and players leaving in FA, to move themselves closer to the pack. A team like the Twins won’t need to make it all up.
No mention of pitching for the Twins, awesome.
Jose Berrios is a #2-3 starter
Kyle Gibson is a #4-5 guy.
Jake Odorizzi is a AAAA stop gap.
Fernando Romero is an unknown quantity.
Adalberto Meija is a #5 or AAAA guy.
Kohl Stewart is probably AAA caliber.
Aaron Slegers is AAA caliber.
Michael Pineda is probably a #3 starter if he’s able to sustain his comeback.
None of them have options and consist entirely of MiLB roster filler, emergency depth and middle/back end rotation arms. Impact arms are expensive and risky so don’t look for the Pohlads to sign off on adding them.
Martras, don’t let facts get in your way here. As to whether a certain pitcher is a # 3 or just “MiLB filler,” sure, that is your opinion. But “[n]one of them have options”? That’s easy to look up and you are just wrong. Just those that you named above:
Berrios has 1 option. (They obviously won’t be using that, I’d hope.)
Romero has 1.
Stewart has 3.
Slegers has 2.
You didn’t mention Gonsalves, who struggled in his first action with the club last year, much like Berrios did when he first came up, and he has 2.
Another interesting pitching prospect who could make his appearance this year is Lewis Thorpe, who has 2 options.
And let’s not rule out a free agent signing. The Pohlads generally defer to their front office on personnel moves and have signed off on many pitching acquisitions in past. Santana was an impact arm, for example.
Lastly, I have to chime in here: Odorizzi as a AAAA stopgap? What? Gibson as a #4 or 5? Is Verlander a 3 for you??? Geez.
Gibson is probably a 4 and odorizzi a 5 on a good team. He was undoubtedly too harsh on your rotation but it does have more back end guys then front to middle of the rotation arms at this point. Have to see what the young guys can do because a few of them have the potential to be more.
Well, in this day and age of super rotations, sure, Gibson might be a 4 on a really good team, but to me, he is the prototypical 3. And Odorizzi is a perfect 5. I’d be ecstatic if he were the Twins’ #5 starter in 2019! Of course, this is assuming last year’s production. And I agree with your sentiments about the young guys. A few, particularly Stewart and maybe Romero, may actually be fantastic out of the pen. That would save the team from having to spend on bullpen pieces, which don’t have a great return on investment in general for the Twins’ top brass in recent years..
So tired of the chicken bleep Twins FO not doing anything to improve the club. They have more money to spend then ever and more prospect trade chips than ever. Instead they sit on the money and prospects that will only bloom after they leave the Twins. Baseball has been sad in Minnesota since Falvey and Levine came. Reminiscent of Kahn with the Wolves.
so correct: prospects best value is as trade chips because so few of them have successful MLB careers. Target field has been the goose that laid the golden egg for pohlad, unfortunately, that money went mainly to profit and not team building as promised when they were whining for public funds for a stadium.
Doesn’t really matter what Cleveland and other small market teams do. As long as teams like Boston, LA, NYY, Cubs, etc spend astronomical amounts on buying the best players available, it’s gonna be next to impossible winning a World Series.
“it’s gonna be next to impossible winning a World Series”.
Kansas City Royals say hi!
“Next to…”
Exactly, teams like that have to hope the stars align in their very tight window to win before it all falls apart. Those teams could never sustain it, especially if they don’t spend wisely. The big boys could eat salary and get out of bad deals quickly while the smaller market teams get crippled.
One team in last 20 years
Not quite, the Marlins have won the world series twice in just over the last 20 years
And are a disgrace, spending and then blowing up the franchise, then snookering the locals to pay up for that albatross of a stadium that remains mostly empty.
Don’t mix “nickel and dime” with being creative. This one area where the organization is very good at. Relievers can be found anywhere, and it is one area that is constantly moves and shifts. Yes, it is nice to have proven stoppers like Miller, but he is a classic issue. Great for about one year out of the two and a half we had him, all for nine million. I would rather have them trade a starter and get a few guys, some positional and some relief in order to keep a few more dollars for when one of the big name feee agents has to take a price cut.
How about we start D Norris out with pitching a full injury free season…….baby steps. Gotta learn to crawl before you walk.
Each day, I log on to this site to check and see if the Twins have made any effort to improve their roster…once again they have not.
Please don’t wait until the end of the offseason to sign “good deals.” Logan Morrison and Lynn were really…really…really not so great signings. There’s many reasons to why these “good deals” go unsigned for so long.
I liked the Lynn signing. Still do. He wasn’t ready out of the gate, but that happens. He was cheap and the Twins were able to flip him for some value. It somewhat makes up for forfeiting talent just to get Nolasco and Hughes off the payroll.
LoMo was a terrible choice. He was a knee jerk reaction to management who are too easily influenced by shiny new stat concepts.
In my head, a good signing, plays well for your team in the now. In the Twins situation, they wanted to make the “playoffs” again. They didn’t make the playoffs. They traded their team. They tried signing some solid talent. They failed.
38 home runs is a “new stat concept”?
Still paying Hughes I believe.
I’m not sure what young talent the Twins have who might develop into a passable DH at this point?
Tyler Austin (27) is a AAAA cast off who’s already questionable to make the 25 man.
Cron (29) is coming off a career year and is due for regression (like LoMo last year).
Buxton’s (25) fans would be excited if he managed a league average bat.
Sano (26) being moved to DH means the front office has failed to develop him and there have to be serious questions about his MLB viability at this point.
Rosario (27) has the tools to be a plus corner outfielder so sticking him at DH is a shame.
Scoop’s (27) bat really doesn’t play at DH, even if he rebounds.
Most of these “young” guys are now in their upper 20s, all are out of options, and most of them are on their last chance to stay in the big show. They’re not “developing” players. They’re developed. Either they perform or they don’t.
In reality, it looks like the Twins are already conceding 2019 because they have unlimited question marks and they’re too risk averse to balance the roster by sending off potential for known value. With the Tigers in the middle of re-tooling, and the White Sox committed to competing, the Twins won’t find the task of catching and then passing better teams in the AL Central an easier prospect in 2020+
Correct: The White Sox are beginning to tool up for the run, the Tigers are probably a year behind them and the twin are in the rebuilding, wait til Lewis and Kirilloff get here mode..
@someoldguy
Cleveland is the favorite but is moving in the wrong direction.
The Twins took a step back, but have the talent to contend in this division.
Chicago is trying to convince themselves that they are ready to contend, but the trades of Sale, Quintana, and Eaton haven’t had the hoped for result.
The Tigers are treading water while waiting for their prospects to prove themselves.
Kansas City is looking bleak, as they begin their rebuild.
Sad to see a franchise like the Indians throw in the towel so early. Clearly the team to beat and now no longer if another team gets hot. Tired of the small market BS. They are a Professional Team in the Major Leagues. They gave up before the contracts expired and started selling off. Other than their 2 relievers who were mediocre at best last year this team should of re-loaded instead on unloading.
Throw in the towel? You do realize the season doesn’t start for 3 months? Plenty of time to add pieces, whether through trades or free agency.
Sounds like you plain don’t like them, Bubba.
They’ve already dismantled a quarter of their roster and are looking to trade their best player, seemingly for financial reasons. They definitely have thrown in the towel and are going to be happy getting demolished again in the division series again.
give cron constant at-bats and he’ll surprise everyone with good numbers.
Twins need a TOR Ace for their staff. How about this trade with the Dbacks? Greinke for off-loading both Reed’s and Castro’s salaries ($16.5M), and Romero, Gonsalves and Graterol.
Absolutely no way they would get that package for Greinke. Not even if ARI ate every cent of that massive contract.
We remember Terry Ryan and the year he put together what he called his ” thumpers”. Yes he got his thumpers, they hit a lot of home runs. 200 of them. They also had 103 losses. Seems the pitching and defense was abysmal.
For all the talent the Blue Jays traded from 2012 to 2015 under AA, they have collectively done little to make Jays fans regret the big shots AA took. Syndergaard is really the only guy I miss, and even his MLB career has been disappointing (in a sense) considering his injuries have cost him so much time.
Norris, Hoffman, Nicolino, Marisnick, D’Arnaud, Wojciechowski were all thought highly of (and I’m probably missing a couple) when they were traded away but I haven’t missed any of them to a great extent… but of course Jose Reyes, RA Dickey, JA Happ (the FIRST time), Josh Johnson, and Tulo didn’t do much either.
Teams have ALWAYS traded players on the dollar, even when Player “A” was making 60K a year and Player “B” was making 70K……nothing new here, in what the Tribe is doing. They’re trying to contend now AND plan for the future; I can’t see the criticism of that method of operation at all. They intend to be good today and good tomorow.
You’d rather the endless “tanking”, “rebuilding” and (now) “re-imaging” marketing garbage other teams are putting out there?
After the dust settles, they’ll be a bunch of lower-impact-yet-still-valuable guys out there, likely for cheap. Adam Jones, Denard Span, Derick Dietrich come to mind; I’m sure there are others.
Like all limited revenue teams, the Tribe has to make hard choices. At least they’ve shown the courage to make them; MOST teams don’t.
@ bobtillman;
I see them doing the same thing as you. They’re simply taking a step back to bring in some younger players and developing them.
But what we see both in the comments above and apparently in local’s buying tickets for 2019 is the fans mindset……
The Indians were one game away from winning a WS. Since then, they have been slowly sliding back. The fans know that Bauer and Lindor have refused to talk contract extensions, so they’ll be leaving in 2 and 3 years (and possibly Rameriz – 2022 is a team option)…….along with Kluber if he remains on the team going into 2019. The fans see some nice players behind them, but at this point they’re not star quality. Without the Indians making a big push in this window, it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy – the fans wait to buy tickets until they see action…..the ownership will not give the green light to take action as fans are not buying ticket’s for 2019.
One other thing – 2 years ago the Cleveland Cavaliers were an NBA power. Kyrie Irving walked, and then Lebron. Today the Cavs might be the worst team in the NBA. Local fans are not going to invest their money – and even in Cleveland MLB tickets are ridiculously expensive – in a team heading south……especially when after 93 years the Browns actually hired a professional FO……who in turn brought in an exciting, competent NFL QB……..and make no mistake bob, Cleveland has been a football city since the early 1960’s.
What befuddles me is fans who drool at the mouth when owners fool them that tanking and all that stuff is legitimate, but get mad at what the Tribe’s FO is doing. Income disparity is real; yes, everybody’s making money, but some are making decidedly less. And it doesn’t matter what a franchise like Cleveland does; they’ll never make Red Sox/Yankee money.
So the Indians are reacting in the way you SHOULD react. Nothing was sadder than watching the Royals (a pretty good franchise) self-destruct after opening their window. And I get that the fanbase is great and loyal, and Moore didn’t want to upset anyone. But he should have been thinking a little bit forward…..in other words, doing exactly what the Indians are doing.
Two facts are upfront. One, they’re going to win their division this year, with or without Kluber. Two, their farm system has some interesting pitchers, but, as you said, not impact-types. And the positional guys are decidedly “meh”. They need to reinvigorate their pipeline.
“…they’re going to win the division this year…” is an optimistic opinion, and won’t be a fact until it happens. They are currently the favorite.
@ stymeedone;
Agreed.
But the problem is that 3 teams are early into a rebuild, leaving the Twins. I’ve saw the Twins play in 2018. Even when their announcers tried to dress it up, they knew the team was bad.
The thing about the Twins is this – they’re in a stealth rebuild. Oh, they’ll put out teasers about getting this veteran or that one, but they’re not trading 4-5 prospects for a couple of name veterans that won’t have much impact on a team with little starting pitching and next to no bullpen.
Derek Falvey learned from his ex-boss – Mark Shapiro – how it’s done. Spend 3-4 years getting the high veteran salaries off the books. Pull in some stopgap players on short-term contracts to patronize the fans. Keep the guys in the farm system you like, and start bringing in your own draftees and international signings. That fans and media will not realize you’re rebuilding until you bring the first batch of youngsters up. Falvey’s Twins are doing exactly what Shapiro’s Jays did…..just 2 years behind.
Antonetti knows what’s going on – he worked with both Shapiro and Falvey. He knows the Twins are not a current threat. That’s why he’s dangling SP’s for trade.
It is nice to read some decent comments about the Tribe like yours bobtillman! So many don’t have a clue what they are talking about and just want to crush the Dolans. I think the Tribe will make some more moves and be just fine!
For the sake of the entire MLB..please be true.
I can understand some kinda hesitation toward signing Cruz if “playing it safe” and “waiting for your core to show up” is your philosophy, but not when it comes to the Twins bullpen. I don’t care if it’s one addition, the FO needs to make some sorta of improvement(s) to the pen, preferably a closer.
If it were my choice I’d “buy low” on Cody Allen and hand him a 2yr deal, dude’s been one of the most consistent relievers in the game, up until now, although I believe it’s nothing more than just a down year.
It would be a mistake for the Tigers to give up on Norris too quickly… he’s got a quality arm and just needs some continuity to bring it all together… with 250 MLB innings under his belt, it’s safe to assume he knows the ropes far better now than ever before. The obvious mistake the Tigers are making is putting undue pressure on him (and this 2019 team will be anything but a pressure cooker situation because they are going to be horrible) and they likely have unreasonable expectations for him. The reality is, he’ll be pitching on a team with an absolutely terrible defense behind him, and he will regularly be hung out with no run support from the equally putrid offense. A 4.50 ERA would be impressive on this team.
There’s no reason to trade Norris, as he currently has little value. If he can’t provide value, however, play someone else.
Interesting opinion..if you’re insinuating that this team is what is keeping Norris down, then everyone else on the roster must be a complete vegetative state.
Whether or not Nelson Cruz is a good fit, or not, should be the least of the Twin’s worries. What the FO should be worried about is what the rotation will look like in 2020, because without Gibson, Odorizzi, and Pineda, all we got is Berrios. Meaning we’re either gonna need to make a trade for a proven starter, that’ll likely involve some of our pitching prospects, or sign Julio Teheran, Jhoulys Chacin. Sonny Gray, etc next offseason.
What would it take to get Max Kepler off of the twins? I wonder, Sean Newcomb and Kyle Wright?
Popular opinion seems to be that virtually every owner is a miser save for a few big market elites who are altruists with a heart of gold and an open checkbook. Right.
Most teams simply can’t sustainably blow money on free agency or similarly priced extensions without severely limiting their long term outlook. They can afford a FA contract when you sift through the numbers but they cannot afford for that FA to ever perform at anything less than their best.
No such thing as Nickel and Dime operations anymore , 90 mil roster for an area with barely a million people within 20 mile radius. Thats why Cleveland is in the Central div White Sox are the ugly sister in Chicago and have the operating capital of a small market team. Go to the games and enjoy them ! Besides players aren’t motivated to win WS anymore. 50 years ago the winners share meant an extra seasons pay , now its only worth a new car or some bling.