The Twins so far appear to be taking a "prove-it-first approach" for the '19 seasonGETTY IMAGES
The Twins’ current payroll stands at $94.4M for '19, below their '18 total of $115.5M and "trailing the current league average" of about $119M, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Twins Exec VP & Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey said that the team now has a "chance to add players," in part because "all of their primary players who were eligible for arbitration have been signed" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/27). In Minneapolis, Phil Miller noted the profit margins for Twins Owner Jim Pohlad have "widened considerably over last year" due to the expiration of Joe Mauer and Ervin Santana’s contracts, as well as the team’s decision to "adopt a prove-it-first approach" for '19. Twins Senior VP & GM Thad Levine said, "We’re laying in wait right now." Miller noted cutting costs "isn’t exactly a brilliant ticket-selling strategy." However, Falvey said that it is a "temporary condition, the result of empowering cheap young players rather than being cheap about acquiring players." He added, "Buying wins just through free agency is a little bit of fool’s gold. You need to invest in the group that you have" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/27). Also in Minneapolis, Michael Rand notes the Twins "aren’t locking themselves into high-priced long-term free agents this offseason." Rand: "I can’t say I blame Falvey and Levine for the strategy, nor would I blame a Twins fan who wasn’t banging on the door of the ticket office after examining the plan" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/28).
CUTTING BACK: In Cleveland, Paul Hoynes noted the Indians have spent the winter "subtracting instead of adding to a roster that has won more games than any team" in the AL over the last six years. Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said, "We had franchise-record payrolls the last few seasons and ownership invested a lot in the team and the path we were on was unsustainable. So we did need to reposition ourselves financially, which we were able to do with a series of moves earlier in the offseason and provide ourselves that necessary financial flexibility." Over the last three years, the Indians have had franchise-record payrolls of $135M in '18, $124M in '17 and $96M in '16. They currently have an estimated $100M committed to 16 players (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 1/27).
