LaVelle: Two Twins Officials Say They Have Offers Out All Over the Place

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Originally Posted by TwinsFanInPhilly

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Originally Posted by Jocko87

I have a very reliable inside source here in Wichita that told me Pelfrey has the Twins at number 1 on his list. Boras and the money are apparently the sticking points but they are pretty deep into negotiations. I'm told the arm feels good and he has his velocity back so who knows, definitely worth kicking the tires if the price is right.

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I don't want to make it sound like I am questioning you, but I'm trying to figure out what is the Wichita connection, if any?

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Yeah, high school and college at Wichita State. I live half a block from the park and work with a very very close family friend. I didn't press to much about the velocity thing, whether it just feels zippy or on the gun. I can ask more later. I don't want to speak out of turn but I believe that he has some non-baseball reasons to want to be in Minnesota as well so that plus a pretty damn good chance to make the rotation would make sense. If he wants to be there it should help with the Boras effect. I'd take him in a heartbeat if the money makes sense.

Pelfrey is an interesting case, if you can get him at 1-2 million or so, he could provide you 190-200 IP at the back end of the rotation. It's weird because he has always underpreformed, maybe a change of scenary (out of a miserable NY Mets org) could be just what he needs to turn it around a bit.

I would be thrilled if he could give the Twins about 200 IP and a 4.15-4.30 ERA in the 5 spot. (It certainly beats giving someone a higher contract for the same basic potential performance.

With Pelfrey and Worley the Twins could basically lock up 2/5ths of the rotation more or less on the cheap. That would allow them to potentially hand out 2 10+ mil contracts for the #1 and #2 spots.

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Originally Posted by Jocko87

I have a very reliable inside source here in Wichita that told me Pelfrey has the Twins at number 1 on his list. Boras and the money are apparently the sticking points but they are pretty deep into negotiations. I'm told the arm feels good and he has his velocity back so who knows, definitely worth kicking the tires if the price is right.

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Was your very reliable source non other than the great
thrylos98?

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Originally Posted by Jocko87

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Originally Posted by TwinsFanInPhilly

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Originally Posted by Jocko87

I have a very reliable inside source here in Wichita that told me Pelfrey has the Twins at number 1 on his list. Boras and the money are apparently the sticking points but they are pretty deep into negotiations. I'm told the arm feels good and he has his velocity back so who knows, definitely worth kicking the tires if the price is right.

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I don't want to make it sound like I am questioning you, but I'm trying to figure out what is the Wichita connection, if any?

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Yeah, high school and college at Wichita State. I live half a block from the park and work with a very very close family friend. I didn't press to much about the velocity thing, whether it just feels zippy or on the gun. I can ask more later. I don't want to speak out of turn but I believe that he has some non-baseball reasons to want to be in Minnesota as well so that plus a pretty damn good chance to make the rotation would make sense. If he wants to be there it should help with the Boras effect. I'd take him in a heartbeat if the money makes sense.

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I'll take your word on it... If So... I hope it happens because Pelfrey is one of the guys I'd like to see in a Twins uniform.

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

I'll take your word on it... If So... I hope it happens because Pelfrey is one of the guys I'd like to see in a Twins uniform.

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I really don't understand your affection for junky contact pitchers. Pelfrey, Lannan, Nick Blackburn circa 2012, and Jason Marquis are all extremely similar numbers wise. High WHIP, Bad SO/BB, and 4's ERA. They're all #5s at best when they luck out and when they don't you'll be screaming at the TV.

Are those guys all bad? I guess not, but they aren't good by any means.They were non-tendered for a reason, however, and that's because they aren't even worth 4+ million. Pitching is the last area that a FO should ever cut corners on budget wise. Right now, Minnesota has plenty of money to sign two very good pitchers. The Twins need front line, good starting pitchers. Signing those first two would be more of the same. If Pelfrey pitches for us next season I will feel lowballed and backstabbed by the Pohlads.

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Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

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Originally Posted by Rosterman

The Twins are in a position that if they make an offer, it better be their best, 'cause no one is coming back to them and saying "so-and-so will, how about you going to this."

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Yes, they will. An agent's job is to get his client (and himself) as much money as possible. You call back all teams that made an offer in an attempt to drive up the price.

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I find this to be an interesting point of discussion. What process actually leads to the most money possible? I think keeping teams in the dark might be the best strategy -- that way, the player/agent are the only ones who know the true market, and the teams have to guess at market and might overshoot it. Basically, unless the player/agent has a special relationship with a team/GM, you let them bid blindly the whole time. That means simply disregarding any low-ball offers -- it's almost certainly a waste of time to negotiate with those clubs. You may only come back to a club if you're at a decision point and you have two or more similarly competitive offers (if you come back to a club at all -- optimal strategy may be never).

Given this, I am guessing the Twins do not make many offers ever, and probably almost zero offers to anything above bargain-basement free agents. All indications are that they know the free-agent game but choose not to play it.

If anyone has any information otherwise though, I'm all ears. It's a fascinating process, I'm sure.

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Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

I'll take your word on it... If So... I hope it happens because Pelfrey is one of the guys I'd like to see in a Twins uniform.

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I really don't understand your affection for junky contact pitchers. Pelfrey, Lannan, Nick Blackburn circa 2012, and Jason Marquis are all extremely similar numbers wise. High WHIP, Bad SO/BB, and 4's ERA. They're all #5s at best when they luck out and when they don't you'll be screaming at the TV.

Are those guys all bad? I guess not, but they aren't good by any means.They were non-tendered for a reason, however, and that's because they aren't even worth 4+ million. Pitching is the last area that a FO should ever cut corners on budget wise. Right now, Minnesota has plenty of money to sign two very good pitchers. The Twins need front line, good starting pitchers. Signing those first two would be more of the same. If Pelfrey pitches for us next season I will feel lowballed and backstabbed by the Pohlads.

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Thats ok... Cuz I don't understand it either...

I guess it comes down to my expectations and trying to keep them reasonable right now... If it was my money... I'd target the guy I liked best and spent unreasonably to get him. Someone under 30 and for at leadt 3 years... Jackson or Sanchez I guess.... Because Greinke would have blown the whole budget. After Jackson or Sanchez... We still need more and that is where... Pelfrey comes in... Along with Marcum and Villanueva...

Pelfrey has been inconsistent but he's had some decent years and we need arms. We gotta roll the dice on someone.

As for Lannan... He isn't on my list... It just seems like he is on Terry Ryan's list... Therefore Im curious why they didn't just include him in the Span trade.

The reason I prefer Pelfrey over a guy like Marquis/Blackburn/Lannan is because I still remember a few years ago when he was a top 30 prospect....i know...i know... It's a really dumb reason to hang onto, but the idea that there is still maybe a shred of upside there intrigues me to signing him to a 1 year/2 mil contract over a a guy like Marquis and Lannan.

Pelfrey is bad, but not as bad as Lannan. That is pretty clear. He just looks like a mess out there with a career 1.59 K/BB rate. Good god.

The pile to pick from is getting kinda... (Put your adjective here).

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

The pile to pick from is getting kinda... (Put your adjective here).

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Not really. Sanchez, Greinke, Jackson, Marcum, Dempster (puke) are still out there.

The dumpster will continue to be full of back end guys like Lannan, Pelfrey, Webb??, Liriano etc, so there is no rush to overpay and sign any of these guys.

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Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

The pile to pick from is getting kinda... (Put your adjective here).

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Not really. Sanchez, Greinke, Jackson, Marcum, Dempster (puke) are still out there.

The dumpster will continue to be full of back end guys like Lannan, Pelfrey, Webb??, Liriano etc, so there is no rush to overpay and sign any of these guys.

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Lavelle...(I trust him more than most)... Said that Marcum is about the only guy on that list that the Twins are still in on. If that's true... I really hope we land him.

Double post sorry!

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

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Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

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Originally Posted by Riverbrian

The pile to pick from is getting kinda... (Put your adjective here).

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Not really. Sanchez, Greinke, Jackson, Marcum, Dempster (puke) are still out there.

The dumpster will continue to be full of back end guys like Lannan, Pelfrey, Webb??, Liriano etc, so there is no rush to overpay and sign any of these guys.

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Lavelle...(I trust him more than most)... Said that Marcum is about the only guy on that list that the Twins are still in on. If that's true... I really hope we land him.

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A Dickey,Marcum,Diamond, Worley, Gibson rotation would look pretty good to me ;)

Also I could have sworn I read somewhere the Twins were the "mystery" team on Sanchez.

If that was the case... There wouldn't be a mystery team anymore.

Dickey... That guy was a human knuckleball for us. All those years... Gardy wanting a knuckleballer for the dome. They finally get one in Dickey. He gets a couple of innings here and there and is so so. They let him go... And one year later he goes nuts for the Mets.

The knuckleball can screw up your timing at the plate... And Dickey the human knuckleball sure was mis-timed in Minnesota... That guy could be our contract problem right now. One year away from the breakout,