https://www.yahoo.com/sports/indians-team-president-seems-pushing-francisco-lindor-door-212247476.html

The Indians could have been the best franchise in baseball the last 20-30 years if their owner wasn't the cheapest in the land.  Awful.

The Twins would rank up there as well, especially the 2002~2010 version...

Knee jerk reaction (as well as pointless and possibly wrong) is that I would sooooo much rather have Lindor than Manny. Lindor has always been one of my favorite players to watch. How old is he? 

12 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

The Twins would rank up there as well, especially the 2002~2010 version...

I don't think the Twins really compare. The Twins had a few stars. Mauer was incredible, Morneau, Santana, Liriano before his arm exploded. But they mostly just had a bunch of mediocre players who did a professional job. They got rid of Johan at the exact right moment, and they didn't lose any star players to free agency.

1 minute ago, Roughneck said:

I don't think the Twins really compare. The Twins had a few stars. Mauer was incredible, Morneau, Santana, Liriano before his arm exploded. But they mostly just had a bunch of mediocre players who did a professional job. They got rid of Johan at the exact right moment, and they didn't lose any star players to free agency.

I agree 100%.  If anything, the Twins of the '00s were overachievers, given the composition of their rosters.  Look at the talent that has gone through Cleveland and left because of money and without winning a title.

14 minutes ago, LittleHurt05 said:

I agree 100%.  If anything, the Twins of the '00s were overachievers, given the composition of their rosters.  Look at the talent that has gone through Cleveland and left because of money and without winning a title.

The Indians signing Belle to a longterm deal before 97 would have killed them longterm, but they win the World Series with him in 1997 and possibly again in 98. Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner went from looking like first-ballot hall of famers to falling off the face of the earth after both got money, and that probably made things worse. But Cliff Lee, Sabathia, Manny, Thome. They had way too many superstar players who they couldn't keep in house.

Did anyone think Lindor would stick around after his 6.5 were up?

1 minute ago, mqr said:

Did anyone think Lindor would stick around after his 6.5 were up?

I don't know, but it makes the worrying about the Sox taking Yonder from the Indians and giving them more money to spend look more foolish. They are still going to trade Kluber and not extend Lindor. Yonder's 9 million will just stay in the owner's pocket. The Indians are going to sleepwalk to the division title this year and maybe next year if the Sox still aren't ready, but they have no intentions of winning a championship.

So, we let Manny opt out after 3 years and sign Lindor?

Sounds good to me. /pipedream

6 hours ago, Roughneck said:

I don't think the Twins really compare. The Twins had a few stars. Mauer was incredible, Morneau, Santana, Liriano before his arm exploded. But they mostly just had a bunch of mediocre players who did a professional job. They got rid of Johan at the exact right moment, and they didn't lose any star players to free agency.

They let David Ortiz go...that was part of my theory.  They were too cheap to stick with him when he got a bit more expensive.

5 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

They let David Ortiz go...that was part of my theory.  They were too cheap to stick with him when he got a bit more expensive.

I read that they soured on Ortiz because he couldn't hit the other way and sacrifice. The "Twins way." The Red Sox made him huge by letting him be a dead pull hitter and, uh, getting him the right prescriptions.

22 minutes ago, Roughneck said:

I read that they soured on Ortiz because he couldn't hit the other way and sacrifice. The "Twins way." The Red Sox made him huge by letting him be a dead pull hitter and, uh, getting him the right prescriptions.

I love [orange] juice. Frank Thomas was twice the hitter this cheater was.

 

Edited February 6, 20197 yr by zisk

4 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

They let David Ortiz go...that was part of my theory.  They were too cheap to stick with him when he got a bit more expensive.

Too cheap. Ortiz wasn't all that good in Minnesota. The most HR he hit was 20 after 6 years there. He didn't start hitting HR until he got to Boston.

 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/04/04/former-twins-still-regrets-releasing-david-ortiz/x9aJz1CgCePxODxQqnZH4I/story.html

Forgot the fact he should have been part of a Mariners superteam.  Ozzie and Tom Kelly have a lot in common with their veterans, but it's impossible to believe Guillen and Ortiz wouldn't have gotten along well.