The American League is showing some creative free agent signings this week. Nelson Cruz joined the fold in Seattle. By overpaying for Cano, Seattle had shown the league that they could be a premium free agent destination. Minnesota tried to do this through a thrifty contract. They hoped to sign some declining veterans to help their young team through the day to day grind. Seeing how the Royals grew up before our eyes, overpaying for some aging star with community ties seemed prudent. Unfortunately, it blew up for the Twins in the initial moments
Tori Took Less Than 24 Hours
Prying him for the Tigers, Tori Hunter once again returned to the Twins in a one year deal totaling ten million dollars. This was not meant for his skill set that is rapidly eroding. Did you know that his fielding prowess as quantified by the Ultimate Zone Rating was third worst among almost everyday outfielders in the American League? No he is supposed to bring leadership to the youth movement going on in Minnesota. Now with everyone captivated with how the Royals got to the World Series, most teams centering on youth and their farm systems have renewed hope these days. Ownership brought Tori in to be a leader and that has already blown up in their faces in rapid fashion.
Press Conference Wild Pitch
Being a fan favorite from a decade ago, Tori Hunter has a following in the Twin Cities. They want to hear what he thinks on a multitude of subjects in and out of the game. Now being the first press conference, the media probably should have stuck to the game but Hunter had some spicy things he said on a variety of subject in the past. Someone wanting a scoop decided to bring up his past revelations on gay marriage. With Dale Scott coming out of the umpiring closet, some leniency might have been given but the veteran player went right into foot to mouth mode. Before we knew it, the reporter was called a prick by the newly acquired player the Twins had hope for leadership.
Now it is too soon to label him as baseball’s Steve Nash. The Twins expected the decrease in production. They were paying for him to be the face and the man at the tiller for their young ship. His job just got much harder. As a result, no action should really be taken on Minnesota futures for the playoffs. Once viewed closer to a possible buy, now the status of the Twins are a hold until Tori can show what value he still might have for these Twins.
