Mere moments after I published a post about the Twins still being able to take a conservative approach to the offseason, Jose Berrios signed an extension with the Blue Jays, and not long after that, Ken Rosenthal reported that most industry insiders expect Byron Buxton to be traded. That is a lot of bad press. I changed my mind, the Twins need to do something before this offseason gets away from them.
The consensus was that Jose Berrios wanted to test the free agency market, and the Twins didn’t like their chances at retaining him. His deal would have been very large for the Twins, though not unreasonable. I believe that Berrios got similar offers from two teams, and recognized his market was not going to be drastically different on the open market. Darren Wolfson has also reported that the Twins were reluctant to give Berrios 7 years, which I wholly endorse. Pitchers are frail.
But then, the Buxton nes comes as a slap to the face. Most Twins fans on the various message boards across Twins Territory have fallen into two camps. Either the Twins are cheap, or the current front office is garbage and needs to go. The Buxton situation is so confusing that I am lead to believe that we don’t have some crucial bits of information.
The Twins have paid players before. Josh Donaldson is making 21 million bucks a season. They have tried to give $100m contracts to other free agents. I think the Twins are calculated and conservative, but they aren’t necessarily cheap. So are the numbers that were reported incorrect? That was one of the 4 scenarios that Nick Nelson speculated on.
I share Nick’s opinion, that it is likely that Buxton, one reason or another, though I suspect there are many, simply doesn’t want to stay in Minnesota. It’s not entirely a nefarious thought. Anyone who has watched a game in early April would note that Buxton is visibly uncomfortable in the cold weather. He has a young family that he may want to be closer to grandparents. Of course, there was play time manipulation so blatant that I thought it was an intentional scheme to make him a more viable trade candidate.
Whether or not the numbers are accurate, it seems like the low numbers being leaked to the press could have only come form an agent who was looking to embarrass the team, and that speaks to sour grapes. Continuing to negotiate through the press makes both look bad, especially after Buxton was so gracious over the summer, and thats why we haven’t heard any updated numbers. If I am reading the tea leaves, Buxton didn’t want to be in Minnesota in the first place, and he feels a certain animosity for the organization.
Both stories hit a little hard for a Twins fan base that still remembers Carl Pohlad’s mid 90s Twins, and the threats of contraction. There is less reason to be suspicious of the current organization, and all the reason to be wary of the facts at hand.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
