The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Mike Morin, per Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage (via Twitter). It includes an invitation to participate in MLB camp next spring, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN adds on Twitter.
Morin, 27, has compiled 174 total inning at the game’s highest level over the past four seasons, working to a cumulative 4.66 ERA. His underlying numbers suggest he has been better than the results, however.
In addition to maintaining a solid combination of 8.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9, with a strong 12.8% swinging-strike rate, Morin has allowed only 0.78 home runs per nine innings and has a history of drawing soft contact. ERA estimators are rather bullish, crediting Morin with a lifetime 3.32 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, and 3.42 SIERA.
Nevertheless, Morin’s MLB opportunities have dwindled over the past two seasons. He spent the bulk of 2018 working at Triple-A for the Mariners organization. In 53 2/3 frames for Tacoma, he posted a 3.86 ERA with a familiar combination of 8.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9.
Wow! I’m super stoked about this…..Pffff
Relievers are so fungible and volatile that this may end up being a sneaky signing. I’ve liked him in the past and he’s been good in the past and his peripherals are better than the ERA suggests so who knows
looks like a good signing for the AAA team and some insurance should the need arise…not bad
@ walls17
2018 – 4.0 IP = 6.75 ERA
2017 – 20.0 IP = 6.91 ERA (Between 2 teams / LA & KC)
2016 – 55.2 IP = 4.37 ERA
2015 – 35.1 IP = 6.37 ERA
No thanks!
You can’t argue truths
Truth is only hearsay.
@ gmenfan….BS!
This is the truth on this guy!
2018 – 4.0 IP = 6.75 ERA
2017 – 20.0 IP = 6.91 ERA (Between 2 teams / LA & KC)
2016 – 55.2 IP = 4.37 ERA
2015 – 35.1 IP = 6.37 ERA
No thanks!
Truth BRO! Deal with it
He’s FIP actually pretty good though.
‘15 2.85, ‘16 3.65, ‘17 4.41, ‘18 0.91
Rookie year ERA in ‘14 was 2.90 in 59 innings. Only a minor league pick up that could work out.
FIP is diverging from actual results and has been for a couple years. The metric appears to be broken. Aside from that, FIP should never be looked at in a vacuum. Some pitchers do not perform at their FIPs (cough, Ricky Nolasco, cough).
The track record on Morin is more than long enough. He’s an average strike out reliever with average control who’s lost velocity over the past couple years and pitched to ho-hum performances at AAA. He doesn’t typically give up a lot of hard contact and home runs and that’s all that he brings to the table.
Basically, he’s probably an adequate middle innings eater, but that’s not a position the Twins can’t fill internally.
@ martras
Yep, nailed it. This dude is a Hot steaming Carl and we all know it.
Fungible. I had to look it up. Great word.
He’s had one decent season in five years. He’s good for one inning in mop up. Can not count on him for anything else.
Stud
guess the angels could have trained you better. or that might be your talent’s limit. however, best of luck and hope you get called up some time during the regular season.
Fairly large amount of very recent MiLB signings missing from this website
RHP Jeanmar Gomez – signed with Rangers
INF Donovan Solano – signed with Giants
RHP Tyler Danish – signed with Mariners
INF Gregorio Petit, INF Matt McBride, C Rob Brantly, LHP Jeremy Bleich – signed with Phillies
LHP Danny Coloumbe – signed with Yankees
RHP Daniel Corcino – signed with Dodgers
RHP Carlos Ramirez, INF Phillip Evans, OF Jim Adduci – signed with Cubs
RHP Erasmo Ramirez – signed with Red Sox
There are a lot of minor moves that don’t get publicized or reported by trustworthy sources, and there’s only so much time we can dedicate to tracking these sorts of things down.
What is your source for these agreements?
Solano – @giantsprospects
Danish – @MiLBMariners
Petit, McBride, Brantly, Bleich – @Matt_Winkelman
Coloumbe – @MaxWildstein
Corcino – @DodgersLowDown
Evans – @mikemayerMMO
Adduci/Erasmo – @Brandon_Warne
Not trying to trash talk this website at all, Jeff, I’ve been a follower for years. Just pointing some stuff I’ve been seeing on Twitter out, that’s all!
Didn’t take it that way, was just explaining. I will take a look at these. Appreciate it.
What does any of that have to do with Harper and Machado? 😉
@ Wolf Hoffman……nothing bro because you clicked on an article about the signing of a Twins pitcher.
Fun to watch him mix speeds when he’s on his game. Great guy, very nice family. I hope he does well.
But what this article misses is that Morin only took this position after turning down the offer of Attorney General.
First!
Enkl sums up the feelings of many T’ins fans. Yeah we know that no minor league signing with an invite to ST is a bad signing. Its depth plain and simple. The problem is year after year we get these big promises after another failure of a season and we get retreads for acquisitions. I count our biggest of Schoop as one of these retreads as well. We are left with hanging our hopes on a 1 year wonder like him and told it is an improvement. Sorry but imo he is a step back from who we had in Dozier. Cron is a step back from Mauer. We were told for years that we can’t make another big signing cuz of Mauer. Well now he is gone and the dives into the dumpster continue. Jim Pohlad id this teams problem. Thanks Enkl.
@ jibes717
Thanks brother….another fellow Twins fan that gets it. You hit the proverbial nail on the head. Mauer and his $23/year are gone, Santanna’s option was not picked up, Dozier is gone. Why in the sam h*ll are we not buyers for the mid to upper tier free agents? I understand not going after Harper and or Machado but that is not my beef here. This is arguable the best ever free agent class in the history of baseball and the Twins found themselves with an abundance of cash to spend with Mauers decision to retire. I cannot for the life of me figure out why a multi-billionaire that owns a team does not pounce on the talent rich free agent pool. Throw your muscle and bank account around…after all, you are the richest baseball family in all of the MLB. I attribute it to being lazy!
You don’t make business decisions like the Pohlads are doing and have been doing over the years and become successful.
I’m venting and know that any other hardcore Twins fan…not just baseball fans but diehard Twins fans that have had their collective hearts ripped apart year after year are feeling the same way I do. It just does not make any sense to me at all!
Merry Christmas to everyone or Happy Hanukkah and may 2019 be better for you and yours than it will be for the Twins.
So we *still* don’t get why huge premier FA deals are only ever handed out by the same big market usual suspects or whichever lower tier team decided to try to try to swim with the big fish this year. When does that ever work out? It’s not about IF the buyer’s remorse will set in, it’s a matter of when. Other than a select few big market teams, most teams simply can not afford to miss on a FA deal or they’ll be handcuffed for years with no recourse other than trying to trade the contract away.
Here’s the very painful truth. The Twins could not reasonably be expected to compete this year. A run down at their roster at seasons end.
C – Garver. Castro. Should be adequate.
1B – Austin – Probably not MLB roster worthy.
2B – Nobody
3B – Sano. Big question mark.
SS – Polanco. Unfit to play SS, probably solid 2nd baseman.
LF – Rosario. Solid player.
CF – Buxton/Cave. Big question mark and a 4th outfielder.
RF – Kepler. Adequate historically but questionable plus side beyond that.
DH – Nobody
SP1 – Berrios – Quality #2-#3 starter, but never an ace.
SP2 – Gibson – #4-#5 starter who puts together random surprise years.
SP3 – Pineda – Question mark.
SP4 – Odorizzi – AAAA starter in decline, but under contract.
SP5 – Meija – Probably AAAA starter, but maybe a #5. Out of options.
Depth – Mostly out of option limited upside guys, but there’s still some dwindling hope Romero could develop further.
Bullpen – A couple solid options a couple question marks and some mop up guys.
The honest truth is the Twins had/have major question marks at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, RF and DH. In addition, the team has no ace and possibly no #2 starter on the roster unless Berrios can take another step forward. Romero is the only potential real rotation help possible, and the control issues may prevent him from ever being that top rotation guy. The next high end rotation arm in the system right now is a couple years away.
It’s not a roster you can build. The Twins need to know what they have in Buxton, Sano, Kepler and Garver, The team is also looking to their minor league roster in the hopes it can patch major needs at the MLB level over the next two years. That’s not a favorable position to be in.
You missed a couple signings
They did Sign CJ Cron, He is a first base/DH Type who had a pretty nice year,
They signed Jonathan Schoop to be 2b. He was bad last year, but previously he has put up good numbers.
The also signed Ronald Torreyes who could be a nice utility infielder.
Also you gotta consider La Tortuga in the lineup potentially, dude was fun to watch and put up nice numbers last year.
I think their batting is fine in all reality and there has been rumors about them getting Nelson Cruz. That would fill the DH spot nicely.
it’s the pitching staff that is the biggest weakness imo
Either way yeah they aren’t super scary on paper, I think if the team clicks they could be wild card again like they were a couple years ago, but that is a pretty big if.
I’ve been a Twins fan since I was a kid in the 60s and I’ve never used the term “T’ins” – though I’ve seen it written in comments before. Can you please explain what it means or is intended to mean? I realize it’s a putdown, but why “T’ins?” Thanks.
There is no W in the T’ins. That is what goes with the culture of losing.
I guess, compared to the Vikings? Which team has won the championship if its league??
This guy has a nasty changeup in MLB the Show!!!
Can confirm.
It’s nearly unhittable isn’t it??
It really is. For some odd reason, the pitcher I have the most problems hitting off of in The Show is Adam Conley of the Marlins. You wouldn’t think he’d be all that great but his windup is deceptive and has all sorts of funky velocities. I just got shut out by him last night, it was embarrassing haha.
Same here Eric on Conley. And Finnegan. I try to be patient, but he seems to hit the zone on Legend and/or has great deception.
Adam Conley is like a poor mans josh hader
More AAA fodder and bullpen depth. I’m not convinced the analytics stats are really that helpful is assessing a player’s potential. His numbers don’t look that promising and he seems to have been consistently bad to mediocre.
ALLLRIIIIGHT!!! I love vent time as a twins fan. 🙂
I would love to get some Nick Punto like players. I always liked him. Dozier was batting .220 (at his hot times) that SHOULD be your worst batter on your team…Cruz would be a solid addition. But seriously though….the offense was so horrendously bad. So so bad. Adding any free agent is a plus. Schoop & Cron? If they hit the ball one time next year I think theyll be better than Logan Morrison last year.
Our starting rotation really isn’t THAT bad…We have 3 fighters and Trevor May hopefully.
Why was there no pursuit of Charlie Morton? I mean why not? (Thank you so much for cutting anibel Sanchez last year….) Are you kidding me!?!?
MLBTR: Please stop reporting that the Twins are signing non-superstars to minor league contracts. It’s apparently more than snowflake “fans” can bear.