Late last week, there was a debate induced, initially, by Nick Nelson over whether or not Twins fans should be frustrated with the course the Twins have taken this off-season.More specifically, the question was asked if people should be frustrated with Terry Ryan.
I think the question leads to unfair conclusions that this off-season has been entirely about Ryan and his decision making process, when, in my belief, the course the twins have taken has more to do with the market and the perception of Minnesota and the Twins. People just didn’t want to sign here.
Look at Scott Baker, one of the first free agents to sign, who took an offer from the Cubs to go to a different version of a bad team. Look at how much the Twins had to pay to get Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey to sign here. And those were the only two that signed here on a MLB contract, when the Twins had a lot of cash to work with and many holes to fill.
One of the things in business that will make you successful is if you are able to cut your losses and move in a new direction as the situation warrants. After assessing the situation, and opting not to throw good money after bad anymore, Ryan opted to begin a rebuild, It was the prudent move to make, even if it wasn’t the one that he had initially intended.
Of course, the prospect of a rebuilding team eventually compounded the problem, because veterans know their time is limited with rebuilding squads, and their brief time with that team will ultimately not be successful. Players that are willing to hitch their wagon to the Minnesota train via free agency should be cherished. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau made commitments to play in Minnesota. Ryan Doumit and Jared Burton made commitments to play in Minnesota again after spending time here. The rookies and young players that will be coming up here will be excited to have the opportunity to play here. And those rare free agents that are coming here of their own volition definitely want to be here.
The way the off-season has played out, it’s clear for one reason or another that Minnesota is not a destination that many players want to go. There is a group, however, that do want to be here, and have signed contracts to stick around, or will excitedly make their Major League debuts this year. Some players were traded into this organization, even if they didn’t want to be here in the place, but they are still going to go out there and try. I honestly believe that this is the best team that the Twins were able to put together, and it had nothing to do with the team being tightfisted with their cash.
This is the group of players that actually wanted to represent Minnesota, for better or worse. It’s not their fault that they might not be very good this year. It’s everyone else’s for not wanting to come here. So go be good fans and show those jerks what they are missing by not playing in Minneapolis.
But yeah, the Twins are going to suck this year.
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