Mid-day talker: Grading Twins' free agency moves from 2012-2014

The second era of Twins GM Terry Ryan began in the offseason following 2011, a disaster for which former GM Bill Smith was largely blamed.

Since then, the Twins have tried to dig themselves out of that hole, with results that, at their kindest, haven't been seen yet in terms of results. The Twins followed 99 losses in 2011 with 96 losses in both 2012 and 2013, and they could very well lose 90 again this year.

The basic blueprint in recent seasons has been as such: try to figure out which young players can make an impact, bolster the minor league pipeline and try to supplement with free agent talent in the mean time. We're here to rate that last part: how have the Twins done in free agency for the past three years. We'll give each player/acquisition a grade and then grade free agency overall:

2012:

Josh Willingham: Had a career year in 2012 (35 HRs, .890 OPS) before injuries and regression caught up with him in 2013 and 2014. Even in those last two seasons, before being traded to the Royals, Willingham got on base and had power streaks. If a marginal "win" in baseball costs about $5 million according to many in the sabermetrics game, and Willingham posted a WAR of nearly 5 in his time here, the Twins got decent value for his relatively modest 3-year, $21 million deal. Grade: C+

Ryan Doumit: The Twins ended up paying Doumit $6.5 million over two seasons before dumping another year at $3.5 million on Atlanta. He was below average as a catcher and outfielder, but his offensive production (averages: 16 HRs and 65 RBI in two seasons) was certainly decent. He's been bad for the Braves, meaning the Twins probably got rid of him at the right time. Grade: B-minus

Jamey Carroll: He was worth $8.8 million to the Twins in 2012, FanGraphs says, and he was only paid $2.75 million. He was less successful in 2013, when his salary was $3.75 million (the Twins traded him to the Royals), but overall he was as advertised. Grade: B.

Kevin Correia: He signed for 2 years, $10 million. FanGraphs says he was worth about $10 million to the Twins in that time. So the value wasn't bad. That said, it certainly can be argued the Twins could have achieved similar results with a younger pitcher. Grade: C.

Mike Pelfrey: The Twins took a one-year flier on Pelfrey for $4 million. He had a 5.19 ERA in 29 starts, but his FIP was 3.99 per Baseball Reference and somehow FanGraphs thinks he was worth $10.9 million last season (is this thing broken?) The Twins rewarded him with a new two-year deal worth $11 million, and it's been nothing short of disaster so far. Grade: D-plus.

2014:

Ricky Nolasco: The big-money pitcher has been bad when he wasn't been hurt, and hurt when he wasn't bad. For $49 million over four years, he has a lot of catching up to do. History suggests he'll be better in future years. For now, though, this has been a bust. Grade: D.

Phil Hughes: The opposite of Nolasco, Hughes has been the brightest spot in the Twins rotation in years. He's had top-of-the-rotation stuff, and it's been paired with top-of-the-rotation production at a relative bargain (3 years, $24 million). Grade: A.

Kendrys Morales: Remember when the Twins had a quaint notion of contending this year? That's why they signed Morales, who was a flop before they flipped him to the Mariners. Not a bad gamble and they got a decent prospect. It just didn't really work. Grade: C.

Jason Kubel/Bartlett: Did not work. Grade: F.

Overall, 2012-14: The Twins have done decently in free agency with position players (except for the low-cost failures of the Jasons this year), while the pitchers have been spottier. Nolasco and Pelfrey are major black marks right now, and only Hughes' brilliance is saving the Twins' foray into the pitching market from being an outright disaster. Ryan and co. have done a fairly good job not locking position players into too long of terms, with the idea that there are minor league players waiting in the wings to take jobs at low costs. One could argue the Twins haven't done enough in free agency to be competitive these past three years, but one could also argue that a few more wins these last few years wouldn't have made a difference anyway and that saving their money until the team is (hopefully) more competitive in the future is a fine strategy. The real proof will be in what happens if/when the time comes that the Twins look like contenders again. Will they re-open the wallet?