When it comes to the Minnesota Twins and money, I'm conflicted.
For proof, here is a transcript of a conversation I recently had with sources close to myself:
Left brain: Most of the biggest contracts in baseball history were busts, or disappointments. The biggest contract in Twins history — the $184 million Joe Mauer signed for — contributed to a near-decade team slump. The Twins should never weigh themselves down with that kind of contract again.
Right brain: Imagine what one great pitcher could do for a team that won 101 games without a true ace. Imagine facing the Yankees with someone like Gerrit Cole pitching Game 1, followed by Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi.
LB: That's the thing about free-agent spending — it always sounds good at the time. Remember: The conventional wisdom surrounding Mauer was that the Twins couldn't afford to not sign him. They would have looked cheap and shortsighted. Then they signed him, and looked foolish and shortsighted.
Last winter, the Phillies and Padres spent a combined $630 million on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado and missed the playoffs; Harper's old team, the Nationals, made it to the World Series. Craig Kimbrel, the most accomplished closer on the market, signed midseason with the Cubs, who missed the playoffs.
The 11 biggest contracts in MLB history have combined to win one World Series while the player was under that contract — in 2009, when Alex Rodriguez won a ring with the Yankees.
The Los Angeles Dodgers outspend almost everyone and haven't won a title since 1988. The Yankees have won one since 2000.