Friday, September 11, 2009

Misperceptions

Any time a team acquires a new player with a remotely accomplished track record, the move seems to incite the fan base. So, when the Twins were rumored to be after free agent third baseman Joe Crede late in the offseason, I wasn't surprised to see numerous fans brimming with excitement over the possible signing. And when the Twins actually signed Crede, I wasn't surprised to see folks repeatedly pointing to his 2006 season and gushing about how much his powerful right-handed bat could help put the Twins over the top in the Central division. Similarly, the Twins' deadline trade for Orlando Cabrera was widely lauded by fans who noted that he was a two-time Gold Glove winner who has perennially played in October in recent years.

Surely, the media contributes to this sensationalized view of nearly any new player acquisition. Shortly after the Twins added Crede, the Star Tribune published an article proclaiming the signing as "low risk, All-Star reward," which is a little misleading to say the least, and other media outlets have falsely painted Cabrera's addition to the team as a charge that has rejuvenated the shortstop position and No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Of course, Crede's been nowhere close to an All-Star and Cabrera has only added to the team's woes at the second spot in the batting order. Neither of these developments should come as any surprise. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to downplay expectations for both Cabrera and Crede on this blog, and sure enough both have played almost exactly up to my expectations. Cabrera continues to show his age and has been a defensive liability (earning the deserved nickname "Caberror") while hitting just .261/.286/.394 since coming over from the A's. He has been an out machine in front of the league's best hitter. Speaking of out machines, Crede has broken down due to injuries for a third straight year and hasn't been very productive anyway, as his .229/.293/.421 hitting line with 15 home runs and 48 RBI puts him in position to finish the year with numbers almost identical to the unimpressive ones I projected in March (.255/.300/.425, 12 HR, 50 RBI).

The troubling thing is that there a rumblings that the Twins may bring back at least one of these players for next year. A recent Star Tribune column noted that Cabrera "made a quick impression on the Twins after getting traded from Oakland on July 31, leaving some insiders saying the team should hurry and re-sign him to a two-year contract extension." That would be an immensely bad idea. The shortstop market will be thin this offseason, but the Twins need to find a better solution than committing to a 35-year-old Cabrera for even one more season. There had been some sentiment that the Twins might seek to bring back Crede on another one-year deal, but fortunately that seems to have been squashed by his latest ailment.

Interestingly, the acquisition that seemed to have drawn the littlest fanfare -- the signing of Carl Pavano -- has been by far the most beneficial to the club. If there's one impending free agent that the Twins should go out of their way to bring back next year, it's him.

9 comments:

Dan said...

I agree! Pavano has been nothing but steady and, based on players' comments, seems to fit into the club house pretty well. I would definitely not mind if he were added to the 2010 rotation.

Anonymous said...

Sure, Crede didn't have an all-star year, but he still out-performed the Buscher/Harris combo with far superior defense.

Nick N. said...

Impossible to say how Harris/Buscher would have performed given regular playing time. The Twins ended up being forced to lean on them and other options for nearly half the year anyway because Crede can't stay healthy.

mnworldseries09 said...

if the twins let carbera go you;ll roo the day, you cant put a price on leadership i mean look at how the ptchers have done since they got pavana. they just needed a vetran. & the young guys like gomez and casila need a vet like that. & what doesn it hurt to keep him i mean better him than some no namer.

Schruender said...

Wow "low risk, all-star reward." That is laughable. I think fans tend to get excited when they've heard of a guy especially when that guy has beaten their team in the past. Seeing that he came from another AL Central team, it was easier to fall in love because people only focus on him when he's hurting the Twins.

Also, bringing back O-Cab would not be good if you are a believer in team chemistry. He does not have a reputation as a good teammate. Just ask Keith Foulke's wife...

Schruender said...

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showtopic=37499

Nick N. said...

Also, bringing back O-Cab would not be good if you are a believer in team chemistry. He does not have a reputation as a good teammate. Just ask Keith Foulke's wife...

He does speak Spanish though, which apparently warrants a two-year extension.

Bryz said...

Don't forget the comments of how Cabrera has been a "good influence on Gomez and Casilla."

Unfortunately the Twins are already stuck with Punto for another year, so I don't think it would be a good idea to commit 2+ years to Cabrera. Besides, Punto seems to enjoy even/contract years lately, so why don't the Twins just tell him he's a backup infielder, then shift him to starting SS after a month? (I'm partially joking).

It frustrates me that the Twins (especially Gardy) judge talent the traditional way.

Gloryrose Dy said...

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