Twins righty Michael Pineda is set to hit free agency this winter, but he again made clear that he hopes to re-sign with the team following last night’s victory. Pineda stressed to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and others that he “loves” Minnesota and would be happy to return — echoing previous comments about his hope to continue calling Target Field his home. Manager Rocco Baldelli also voiced his own hope that the front office will be able to come to terms on a reunion with Pineda, calling the big righty a “pillar in our clubhouse” and extolling Pineda’s leadership qualities.
There’s no indication the Twins and Pineda have begun extension talks, but Minnesota has already re-signed Pineda once. He’s spent the past four seasons in the Twins organization, playing on a pair of two-year deals ($10MM and $20MM, respectively). It’s been a mixed bag of a season for Pineda, who sports a 3.62 ERA through 109 1/3 innings. He’s missed time due to both an elbow injury and an oblique strain, the former of which surely curbed interest in him at the trade deadline.
Pineda’s average fastball is down to a career-low 90.9 mph, and his 19.2 percent strikeout rate is also a career-low. He’s allowing more hard contact than ever before, both in terms of average exit velocity (91.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (46.1 percent). That said, Pineda is also sporting one of the best walk rates of his career (4.6 percent), the best first-pitch strike rate of his career (69.7 percent) and continues to be one of the best in the game at inducing swings on pitches outside the strike zone.
The Twins have an obvious need for rotation help next season. They traded away Jose Berrios for a pair of high-end prospects at the deadline and lost righty Kenta Maeda to Tommy John surgery. Rookie Bailey Ober has stepped up and laid claim to a 2021 spot with a quietly solid debut campaign. Right-hander Joe Ryan, whom they acquired from the Rays in exchange for Nelson Cruz, has been excellent through the first four starts of his own career. Minnesota has plenty of near-MLB prospects as well — Jordan Balazovic, Jhoan Duran, Josh Winder and Matt Canterino among them — but there’s no experienced starter returning to next year’s staff with Maeda likely to miss the 2022 season.
Minnesota figures to pursue multiple veterans in free agency and via the trade market this winter, as owner Jim Pohlad has already emphatically declared that even after trading Berrios, his club isn’t planning on embarking on a rebuilding effort. A Pineda reunion wouldn’t be the marquee addition for their staff this offseason, but he’d give the team some continuity from a leadership standpoint and some innings at the back of the rotation behind whichever higher-profile arms the Twins ultimately pursue.
Of course, Pineda voicing his own desire to return in no way guarantees the interest will be reciprocated, but Baldelli’s comments at least indicate that he’ll be making his own pitch to the front office to keep Pineda in the fold. Given the injuries Pineda has battled and the drop in fastball velocity, it’s possible the Twins’ front office will simply decide it’s best to move on. At the same time, however, those factors will limit Pineda’s appeal on the market and could force him into an affordable one-year pact, which could pique the club’s interest.
Probably big enough to literally be a pillar in the clubhouse lol….. all jokes
I think they can find leadership elsewhere, and at a lower cost. And I actually like what Pineda has done for the Twins over the last few years, but it’s not enough to give him anywhere near 10mm again.
Is 10 million really that much of a overpay. If he pitches 180 Innings and had a era around 4 is that bad?
That’s a big if though – he’s never hit 180 in a season, and I’m not sure if he can be expected to suddenly become durable at 33.
Not saying I wouldn’t be onboard with a return, but they’ve already paid him $30 million for less than 300 innings.
One year at a lower guarantee plus larger, attainable escalators for IP, with a mutual or vesting option would seem to be a good deal for both sides.
I’m surprised baldelli is still around tbh
He’s considered a “players nanager” and he’s hip to the analytics, but his instincts and in-game situational managing have been very questionable to put it nicely.
Obviously, it’s time to see what they have in Balazovic, Duran, Winder and Canterino….sink or swim. LFG
Yes that’s a good idea. Let’s trust the 4 prospects who have all been injured or currently are injured this season. LFG
I think if enough of them had been healthy enough to build up innings this year they would consider it.
But Balazovic is at 97, Duran is at 16, Winder is at 72, and Canterino is at 23. They also lost Enlow for the year.
After missing 2020, I don’t think you can count on any of them to get much over 120 next year.
They’ll get opportunities, as will Sands,Strotman, Woods Richardson and Vallimont, but they’ll need at least a couple of proven arms – top of the rotation if it’s “retool,” out innings eaters of it’s “rebuild.”
I’d like the Mets to get Baldelli, he would fit NY perfectly and he would be a 1000% better manager than Luis Rojas
You clearly haven’t watched much of Baldelli. Zero passion, has no baseball instinct (only goes off of what the spreadsheet says should happen in a given situation), has favorites that he runs out there even if they’re terrible, and doesn’t even know the rules. He would totally botch a double switch, he forgets he can’t go out and visit his pitcher twice in an inning without having to pull them.
Mitochondrial channelopathy is a rare cell disorder that affects ions in neurological “pathways” and causes severe muscle fatigue and can be life-threatening, but Baldelli was diagnosed with a moderate form which can be managed with medication and diet.
So there’s that. Honestly, he’s smart and an excellent athlete whose career never took off.
He has yankees, PED’s and a DUI in his past, the trifecta of shame. Oh, and pine tar. Wow. Some pillar.
If he has grown up, good for him, I wish him well.
Minnesota should definitely bring back Big Mike! A small piece to a bigger puzzle. Twins need to be aggressive with finding durable starting pitching. No more re-treads (happ, shoemaker etc) proven arms with plenty left in the tank! I’ll be honest, as they sit right now, I can’t see how they start next season in a better position having lost their best hitter and their best pitcher! They have work to do!
Man. Everytime I hear Pineda name I remember we traded him to the Yankees for the biggest bum in baseball
If they re-sign Pineda, it needs to be in addition to a bigger signing. But signing SP’s to big money contracts is not usually a good investment. That’s why it’s more important to see what they have in their young guys, and give them more opportunities to fail (or succeed) at the highest level.