Loyalty

Twins fans around the world have over and over voiced frustrations with management’s loyalty to players who aren’t very good. I can start naming names–and these are just guys named off the top of my head–that the Twins have been loyal to in spite of their numbers: Luis Rivas, Christian Guzman, J.C. Romero, Kyle Lohse. They’re all gone now, of course, but at one time they were highly-prized prospects that never really lived up to the expectations. Some fans complained that these guys were given too many chances. After a couple of years of the same stuff, it was clear to fans that these players were never going to realize their potential, and still the Twins held on for another year or two.

Yet, at the same time, Twins fans have been watching the crazy wild shopping spree that is the 2006-2007 off-season, and realize very quickly that there’s no way the Twins will be paying those types of salaries. There simply isn’t the money for it. As we try to figure out how the Twins can structure contracts to keep as many of our current favorite players with the team, it’s often mentioned, “Well, he might take less money to stay here. Other guys have done that.”

We expect guys to be loyal. We expect them to stick with us and love us the way we love them.

Loyalty is a two-way street. You have guys who choose to be loyal to a team. On the other hand, you have teams that are loyal to players. Loyalty has good points, and bad points. I don’t like the bad side any more than the rest of you. I’ll complain bitterly when the Twins keep pitchers in the rotation in spite of inconsistent performances (I can name two from the Twins in 2006). I don’t like misplaced loyalty any more than the next guy. However, I have to grudgingly admit that I want my players to be loyal to me. If I expect some loyalty from them, I have to be willing to be loyal myself.

The complaint might be that the Twins were loyal to some of these guys too long. I wonder, though: How long should a team be loyal to their once-prized prospects? What if the Twins had given up on Micheal Cuddyer after a number of mediocre years? His batting average and home runs were not that much greater than what Guzman or Rivas produced (albeit Cuddyer had more power). How long should anyone be loyal in spite of the statistics? When do you give up and realize things are never going to change? Seven seasons passed before Bradke played for a winning team.