Tuesday afternoon update: Hawkins, Everett
Posted on July 29th, 2008 – 2:41 PMBy Joe Christensen
Heading over to the ballpark after working the phones today. Nothing Earth shattering to report, but a couple tidbits:
(*) The Twins are competing with the Tigers for LaTroy Hawkins. Lots of bullpen issues for the Tigers and they were interested in signing him last winter.
(*) La Velle and I have spoken to different Dodgers people who say they have no interest in Adam Everett. At least not in a trade. Team had a meeting this month to discuss shortstop options, and listed Cristian Guzman (before he signed his latest deal), Jack Wilson and Ronny Cedeno. Everett’s name didn’t come up.
Updates to come…
Update (3:20 p.m.)
(*) I was on Charley Steiner’s radio show (”The Baseball Beat,” XM 175) today, when the earth started shaking all around him. Turns out, Southern California was hit by an earthquake today — magnitude 5.4 — but Charlie’s OK.
(*) Ben Revere has missed the past three games at Class A with an ankle injury. Was told it wasn’t serious on Sunday, but he has yet to return to the lineup. Benny, of course, is batting .399.
(*) Anthony Swarzak has been promoted to Class AAA Rochester and will make his first start for the Red Wings on Wednesday at Pawtucket.
(*) Was told Charley Steiner’s quote when they came back for the next segment was, “Joe Christensen shook the ground with his words.”
Well, I do have that effect.
162 Responses to "Tuesday afternoon update: Hawkins, Everett"
Thanks for the update.
Heard you on Charlie Steiner today pre-quake. Nice job.
What is the deal with the Twins dominican summer league team? Are they Twins property? Some good numbers on some of the guys but I’m just wondering if it’s more high school level.
Any word on what they would have to give up for Hawkins? Hopefully nothing more than a low-level prospect.
If the Tigers are interested in Hawk does that mean the Twins would be willing to give up a little more to not only get him but keep him away from the Tigers?
Any news on Kouzmanoff’s availability?
Nice to see another uneventful deadline for the Twins.
Joe, chances the Twins make a move for offense:
.01 percent or less than .01 percent?
Nice to see the continuing endless whining about from the fans about the trade deadline as well. LOL
i would think they would want the tigers to get hawk. is anybody shocked that nobody has made a big offer for our has-beens? (lamb, monroe, boof and everett) feel free to add others!
Nora says:
July 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Nice to see the continuing endless whining about from the fans about the trade deadline as well. LOL
I don’t see any whining … except from you.
nice to see Mrs Blog Monitor jumps into all the blogs as quickly as possible to keep order 
The real question is what should we give to the Tigers to make sure that they take Hawkins. We seriously don’t want him back on this team…especially in high leverage situations. We have plenty of guys that can pitch in blow out games, we need a Neshek replacement, not a washed up Hawkins
I don’t see anyone in the trade market that would have a impact on the Twins this season. No sense giving away prospects for loaners with nicks and dings.
“…we need a Neshek replacement…”
Neshek - There is No Substitute.
I was reading “trade rumors” on ESPN. Not one mention about the Twins. We can’t even get a sniff of at least a rumor?
imo beltre would be a great add but only for prospects like, swarzak, manship, duensing guys like that which we have plenty of with the young staff we have now only so many spots.
Macloed,
we had Hawkins and Everett yesterday…
dont they need to make a roster decision today on everett
I read a report on Yahoo that there’s an outside chance that Neshek may be back this year.
1. Hawkins is terrible and would do nothing to help the Twins.
2. Kouzmanoff is terrible and I’d be much more comfortable keeping the platoon of Harris and Buscher then having Kouzmanoff on this team.
3. The Twins are terribly run when it comes down to it. They never make deals to make the club better, deadline or not. They have had a glaring hole at third base since Koskie left and have yet to even attempt to fix the problem. Liriano is in the minors pitching lights out the last 2.5 months and yet they keep a scrub like Livan in the rotation and horrible pitchers like Boof, Bass, ad Reyes in the pen.
Twins need a new GM, one that’s not part of the Minnesota Twins boys club. Someone that is a free thinker and is willing to make the deals needed to make this team actually a legit World Series hopeful.
They also need to change their drafting philosophy. Quit drafting so many arms and actually draft some sluggers for a change. Also, they have to get over their fear of letting sluggers pull the ball. Everyone saw how Ortiz was just an average player here and once he went to Boston, and they let him pull the ball, he’s done nothing but hit homer after homer.
twayn says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
“…we need a Neshek replacement…”
Neshek - There is No Substitute.
he’s a mediocre pitcher with a stupid delivery. he’s easy to replace, the twins just don’t need to. they need bats !!!
BC,
Is one-in-a-billion and “outside chance”?
“Is one-in-a-billion an “outside chance”?
Typo!
Nico says:
Blah, blah, blah
And then I look at the standings and there are the Twins 1.5 games back, 11 games over .500 in a REBUILDING year and I wonder who to believe, Nico or the Twins FO.
Captain America says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I don’t see anyone in the trade market that would have a impact on the Twins this season. No sense giving away prospects for loaners with nicks and dings.
Beltre…one of the 3rd base options in Colorado…Teixeira…even Blalock would all be great additions. It’s nice the Twins can win at home, but almost every team in baseball can. When the Twins spend the majority of August on the road, and they still haven’t filled the HUGE third base hole with anything resembling a real major leaguer, then you will all see just how mediocre this team really is.
Nico,
I understand.
LIFE STINKS!!!!
So who are we going to give up for Beltre? Livan? Boof? You have to give up something good to get something good. Who are we going to give up? They will want pitching and Livan and Boof aren’t going to cut it.
gobbledygookguy, add Livan to your heap of puss-heads.
Nico, you ARE brilliant. I’m glad I don’t need to keep saying those things. Thank you for a brief respite!
Nico,
I know how to cure all those problems.
Shoot yourself!
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Nico says:
Blah, blah, blah
And then I look at the standings and there are the Twins 1.5 games back, 11 games over .500 in a REBUILDING year and I wonder who to believe, Nico or the Twins FO.
why is it a rebuilding year ?
because they lost an overrated outfielder, an crappy pitcher, and an elite pitcher that didn’t win a ton becuase the offense never scored for him ??
this isn’t a rebuilding year. if it was, Livan wouldn’t have been signed, Garza wouldn’t have been dealt, Nathan would’ve been dealt, and Liriano would’ve been on the Major League roster a month ago.
not sure where you got that foolish idea that it’s a rebuilding year, it simply isn’t.
Win at home and split on the road. The Twins are doing that. The Twins are a little under .500 on the road but they are still near the top of the league in that stat. Wouldn’t people be a lot happier if they just supported the team and didn’t spned so much time complaining about everything?
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
So who are we going to give up for Beltre? Livan? Boof? You have to give up something good to get something good. Who are we going to give up? They will want pitching and Livan and Boof aren’t going to cut it.
Blackburn, Manship, and someone low level prospect.
sane “Is one-in-a-billion an “outside chance”?
In the words of Lloyd Christmas “So your telling me i got a chance”
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Win at home and split on the road. The Twins are doing that. The Twins are a little under .500 on the road but they are still near the top of the league in that stat. Wouldn’t people be a lot happier if they just supported the team and didn’t spned so much time complaining about everything?
support mediocrity? why? that’s why the teams in this state never win anything. too much supporting mediocrity and not enough criticism of how poorly run all of them are.
IowaTwin, I’ll tell you what you do to fill 3B. You offer Coloardo Gomez, Slowey, and a frontline, low-level prospect like Davies or Robertson or Manship from our Ft. Myers arsenal of arms for Atkins. You then slip him between Mauer and Morneau and you begin mashing AL teams night in, night out.
Each of those Twins players is now a spare part in some sense and can be replaced, even if I do like Slowey. And 3B is one of the toughest positions in baseball to fill.
Again, why do they want Hawkins? He’s been terrible for a couple of years. Ugh. Signing Lamb, Everrett, Livan and trading for Monroe wasn’t enough dead weight (your mileage may vary on Livan)? What does Hawkins add to this team, other than the worst ERA on the team?
When you are playing with a team made up of mostly early 20 year olds, it’s a rebuilding year. It simply is.
BC,
“In the words of Lloyd Christmas “So your telling me i got a chance”
Thanks!
“Dumb and Dumber” at its dumbest, right?
Lala,
Who is Davies?
Can Atkins bring Coors Field with him?
IowaTwin: so they should just not try to get better and go for it when they are 1.5 games out?
When do they go for it? Will those players be old enough next year, or do they need to wait another year (umm, isn’t this what Hunter and Santana complained about, and Morneau said it would be nice to break this cycel)?
Sorry, I’m typing too fast. Should’ve been Devries, as in Cole, another gun at Ft. Myers.
So you give up Gomez and Slowey and replace them with a third baseman. Span goes to center, an injured Cuddy goes to right(or Monroe, the bench player, goes to right) and we call up Liriano to fill Slowey’s spot correct? So we weaken our outfield and rotation to acqire a thirdbaseman hitting .263 away from Coors. Good idea.
Atkins doesn’t need Coors field. He’ll have the Dinky Dome.
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
When you are playing with a team made up of mostly early 20 year olds, it’s a rebuilding year. It simply is
couldn’t be more wrong. Tell that tot he Brewers, Rays, Marlins, D-Backs, Rockies, etc. Age has nothing to do with anything. Hell, tell the Packers that they aren’t allowed to compete this year because they are too young (youngest team in the NFL with or without Favre).
Did I say those specifics at all? You said it was a rebuilding year, and they should do nothing to get better (at least I believe that was the implication).
Atkins is a stud. Don’t kid yourself. And we don’t weaken our outfield a bit. You stick Kubel in right. Gomez can’t hit. Who are you kidding.
Besides, we’re not trading for Atkins batting average. (Although it’s a huge upgrade over the offensively overrated Gomez.) We’re trading for his glove, his power, and his RBI skills. Get it?
I’d make that trade in a minute.
mike wants wins says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
IowaTwin: so they should just not try to get better and go for it when they are 1.5 games out?
When do they go for it? Will those players be old enough next year, or do they need to wait another year (umm, isn’t this what Hunter and Santana complained about, and Morneau said it would be nice to break this cycel)?
How do YOU know that any move they made would make the Twins better. What if Atkins can’t hit away from Coors(like he’s showing), what if an acquisition disrupts the chemistry(which is what’s fueling this team). Making moves just for the sake of making moves isn’t necessary. There really aren’t many, if any, trades to be made that will greatly improve this team. Last year, yes, this year no. One good setup man is all this team needs.
And if you think Slowey is better than Liriano, you’ve got issues.
You’re right, Atkins replacing the tandem of Harris and Buscher wouldn’t be an upgrade on either side of the ball. Neither would be having Jeter replace Punto, I suppose.
Are you aware that they use a humidor at Coors Field now, IowaTwin? Are you aware that most players hit better at home?
Interestingly enough, Buscher has a higher average and higher OBP than Atkins and isn’t that far behind in slugging. He doesn’t have the HR numbers but he’s doing just fine.
Nico,
You’d prefer Blalock to Kouznamnoff…?
Are you aware were getting similar production from Busher WITHOUT giving up our other talent? Face it, fans want trades because they are exciting.
I don’t. But, I am in agreement with the Twins front office when they state they have few if any impact players (hitters) in the minors. They themselves said that, not me..
You don’t know one way or the other. For all we know, the dome could collapse tonight and they have to play all their games on the road for the rest of the year.
Ah, your last sentence tells what you think, and why you think trading for a hitter doesn’t make sense. You don’t think they need one. If all they need is a set up man, then you must not think it is a rebuilding year.
I think they are still one, maybe even two, hitters away. They look somewhat like the teams earlier this decade, good enough to beat the bad teams, but not good enough to win it all. I think it makes sense to try to get better. Of course, that depends on the price, which none of us ever know until a trade happens.
I was responding to your statement that it was a rebuilding year, not a year to be in contention. I think when you are 1.5 games out, it is not “just” a rebuilding year. I think when you have a shot, you should go for it, and not live in fear of next year. For all we know, 2 of the young guys get hurt next year and they don’t have a rotation. You just don’t know the future, so when the present offers you a shot, you should go for it.
That’s my philosophical belief about competitive sports.
come on rubes.. just enjoy the season..
when your team trades your Cy Young winner and adds Livan “the human batting cage” you replace a proven veteran CFer with a energizer bunny that is half Livan’s age
you are rebuilding BUT because you play in a crappy division where everyone has underachieved and fallen apart including spring training anointed WS champ Tigers you can compete
“What is the deal with the Twins dominican summer league team? Are they Twins property?”
That team is comprised of players signed by the Twins from that country. Most are 16-18 years old, and they play there until (and if) the team deems them ready for the GCL or E-Town. I know Yohan Pino played there for a couple of years before coming over. If I’m not mistaken, the Twins basically house these players, work with them, educate them (English, etc.) and then give them an opportunity.
WE NEED A GUY LIKE KEVIN MILLAR! HE CAN HIT FOR POWER, IS A VETERAN WITH WS EXPERIENCE, CAN PLAY 1ST OR DH, AND HE IS A RH BATTER!!! THE CRAIG MONROE EXPERIMENT IS OVER! I THINK HAVING LIRIANO IN THE MINORS WILL MAKE THE TWINS PITCHERS THAT MUCH BETTER… THEY WILL ALWAYS BE LOOKING OVER THEIR BACKS!
Please. Atkins is hitting .411 against lefties. Buscher doesn’t even PLAY against lefties. Atkins has also hit half his home runs on the road.
From 3B you want power and RBI. You don’t care about BA and OBP, per se.
But, you’re right, Buscher is better than Atkins. Nothing Garrett has done in the past three years means squat.
I think the Twins will make some kind of a deal right before the deadline. I think it will be like some of their off-season deals, where they will get someone nobody ever expected they would get.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Twins basically house these players, work with them, educate them (English, etc.) and then give them an opportunity.”
Seth can i send my kid there?
You know, IowaTwin, some people–like you–are afraid of change just because its change, even if it’s change for the better. I’ll bet you’re one of those people that thinks a CD with a 5% annual yield is a great investment, huh?
BC,
Brilliant, i was wondering the same thing… i am trying to teach him to bat Lefty too, they could help with that
catching up… someone would actually give up Carlos Gomez (22), Kevin Slowey (23) and someone like Manship, Robertson or Guerra for Atkins??? That’s just crazy talk! (And note - DeVries, as nice as his year has been, is not in the same level of prospect as the others mentioned.
someone actually said that the twins should go after Kevin Millar??? That’s crazy talk!
“Seth can i send my kid there?”
For a visit?? Probably.
Seth,
as a bench guy, I’d love Millar
Does anyone know why they promoted Swarzak and does that mean anything?
Gman,
they promoted Swarzak because Duensing is pitching in the olympics.
Shawn imagine the money you could save and potentially make from it.
Hey Seth when are you on Jacks show again?
Lala72 says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
You know, IowaTwin, some people–like you–are afraid of change just because its change, even if it’s change for the better. I’ll bet you’re one of those people that thinks a CD with a 5% annual yield is a great investment, huh?
You know Lala, I just happen to live in a place called reality where it’s not always as easy or guaranteed as your average Playstation MLB game.
I certainly agree with Seth at 3:48 and 3:49.
“they promoted Swarzak because Duensing is pitching in the olympics.”
It sure as hell was not based on merit!!
it seemed we were going to talk about baseball, instead of each other, for awhile there, didn’t it?
Beltre would be neat, but he ain’t cheap!
Hawk’s all-right, but not the Gardy type!
Eric Milton’s looking & Kenny Lofton’s bookin!
If it were up to me, I’d stick with what we see!
IowaTwin, now you’re trying to support your illogical comparison between Buscher and Atkins with foolishness. You need to wisen up about baseball. If they Twins could acquire Atkins for Go-Go, Slowey, and one of their Ft. Myers starters, they’d be crazy not to do it.
That’s reality. Not Brian Buscher becoming an all-star.
“the Twins basically house these players, work with them, educate them (English, etc.)”
Is Tony Oliva teaching English?
Lala,
Don’t forget, Buscher is five times more proven than a hack like Garrett Atkins. I mean, you can pretty much pencil in that .310 average with 6 HR for the rest of the season based on his previous 187 career ABs.
How can anyone argue that Atkins wouldn’t be an upgrade over Buscher? There’s a reason that Garrett Atkins is a household name among baseball fans and bats fourth of fifth in the lineup, while Brian Buscher has been in the Minors until age 27 and bats 7th/8th behind guys like Lamb, Monroe, and Harris.
Lala,
get over your Aitkins obsession, it’s not happening.
Take care, Iowa. Best of luck in the conservative lane.
BTW: Watch for Livan to be out and Liriano to be by Friday.
I’d love Atkins, but Go-Go/Slowey and a Ft. Myers pitcher?
maybe if you took Gomez or Slowey off it would be a fair trade. Atkins is good, but not THAT good.
“as a bench guy, I’d love Millar”
Has he done much more than Monroe (other than get regular at bats)?
“I think they are still one, maybe even two, hitters away. They look somewhat like the teams earlier this decade, good enough to beat the bad teams, but not good enough to win it all. I think it makes sense to try to get better. Of course, that depends on the price, which none of us ever know until a trade happens.”
I think too many fans are concerned about home runs. The Twins are last in homers but near the top in offense and other hitting stats. Does it really matter how they get the runs across? The Twins are 1.5 out of first, 2 out of the wild card and (for fun) only 7 back of the best record in all of baseball. The Twins organization must know a thing or two about what they are doing.
“If they Twins could acquire Atkins for Go-Go, Slowey, and one of their Ft. Myers starters, they’d be crazy not to do it. That’s reality.”
No, thats stupidity!
I’d not include Slowey in an Atkins deal. I’m not 100% certain Atkins is great, and giving up a number 3 pitcher, plus an OF and a good prospect is too much for my blood. And, I’m not even a huge Slowey supporter….
Eesh… I’m with Shawn. If I’m in Bill Smith’s chair and the Rockies call and offer Gomez/Slowey/Prospect for Atkins… I hang up the damn phone.
Is Atkins an upgrade over Buscher? Just going on baseball acumen, most likely. But once you factor in giving up Slowey, Gomez and a top prospect, no chance. Price is always a factor.
Millar is hitting .245 with power and 55 walks…. i’d say he is an upgrade to Monroe.
I wouldn’t mind giving Ruiz a shot as a bench bat either
Does anybody actually think we’d trade Gomez, an extremely young raw talent whom we haven’t even had for a year? That’s like the ideas earlier this year to trade Delmon Young. If you give up on a guy after 1/2 of a season, how many players do you think would ever want to be a Twin?
Atkins may be better than Buscher.
But Atkins is NOT better than Gomez, Slowey and Manship. (plus relegating Buscher to the bench)
That’s suicidal!
Well, they are successful this year, but it is somewhat in spite of their work.
Casilla is only here due to injuries.
Blackburn is only here because Liriano was bad.
Span is only here because of injuries.
Buscher is only here because of injuries.
Lamb and Monroe are terrible.
Livan is bad.
It’s not like they are above criticism. It also would be really boring on these sites if we didn’t speculate, and offer opinions, and discuss baseball.
I hope we don’t trade Gomez, i am tired of retiring jerseys and buying new ones.
My buddy and I were having a Twins convo yesterday and here’s our conclusion: The FO is afraid to add a veteran player in their prime because they’ll end up like the Marlins. The 2 WS teams had a young core, but needed a few veterans to secure a playoff run, but after 1991-92, the franchise was doomed through the Pat Mears era. So now they stick with the “stay competitive, but don’t put all the chips down” mode. As a business owner, which is what this is all about, wouldn’t you rather continuously make money while not spending it all? And does this business model mean the Twins are just hoping they can get some luck in October with whatever players they have? IMO, their philosophy is just make it to the playoffs and maybe get hot, like the 2002 Angels.
All apologies for the long post.
Iowa,
All that may be true, but they struggle against LHP (despite last night’s abuse of Buerhle) and look completely overmatched by teams like Boston and NY when they play them.
Fans do place too much emphasis on HRs, but the Twins organization also doesn’t place enough emphasis ON them.
Buscher has been fine (excluding his pathetic defense), but adding a bat like Atkins or Beltre makes everyone around them that much better - especially Justin Morneau (assuming a 3B acquisition bats fifth).
However, all this is probably a moot point anyway. Does anyone honestly see the Twins acquiring a third baseman before Thursday?
The biggest moves this team will make will probably be trading Bonser for a prospect, DFA’ing Bass, calling up Liriano, and moving Perkins to the bullpen.
Oh, and signing LaTroy or calling up Korecky… yeeha.
mike wants wins,
Actually Blackburn is here because Perkins wasn’t ready out of ST. Blackburn beat out Perkins for the last spot.
Liriano was never coming up out of ST.
“IMO, their philosophy is just make it to the playoffs and maybe get hot, like the 2002 Angels.”
IMO thats EXACTLY what their philosophy SHOULD BE!
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
How do YOU know that any move they made would make the Twins better. What if Atkins can’t hit away from Coors(like he’s showing), what if an acquisition disrupts the chemistry(which is what’s fueling this team). Making moves just for the sake of making moves isn’t necessary. There really aren’t many, if any, trades to be made that will greatly improve this team. Last year, yes, this year no. One good setup man is all this team needs
good god, what has this world come to !?!
team chemistry ? blah. Atkins wouldn’t disrupt anything. furthermore, if the twins egos are so fragile that bringing in offensive would destroy the team, then they shouldn’t be in the majors anyway.
this whole team chemistry argument is absolutely ridiculous and should never be used again. seriously, they are all grown men, getting paid a boat load to play a kids game. screw this team chemistry b.s.
But then they become the Atlanta Braves. Do we prefer just getting there or would we want to win it once every 20 years? I don’t know, just askin.
whoops, my bad….
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
How do YOU know that any move they made would make the Twins better. What if Atkins can’t hit away from Coors(like he’s showing), what if an acquisition disrupts the chemistry(which is what’s fueling this team). Making moves just for the sake of making moves isn’t necessary. There really aren’t many, if any, trades to be made that will greatly improve this team. Last year, yes, this year no. One good setup man is all this team needs
good god, what has this world come to !?!
team chemistry ? blah. Atkins wouldn’t disrupt anything. furthermore, if the twins egos are so fragile that bringing in offensive would destroy the team, then they shouldn’t be in the majors anyway.
this whole team chemistry argument is absolutely ridiculous and should never be used again. seriously, they are all grown men, getting paid a boat load to play a kids game. screw this team chemistry b.s.
We pride ourselves on getting in the playoffs 4 of the last 6 years, but did anyone really think we were going to the WS? With young players in the playoffs your odds aren’t good against NYY, BOS, and LAA.
I guess I felt we could go somewhere with Santana and Radke, but not so much this year…or next year barring a quality veteran acquisition.
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Interestingly enough, Buscher has a higher average and higher OBP than Atkins and isn’t that far behind in slugging. He doesn’t have the HR numbers but he’s doing just fine.
wow, great. Atkins plays daily, against righties and lefties. Buscher plays only against righties and has played a limited amount. Also, Buscher is a butcher at third base, Atkins is very good fielder.
You can’t compare the two, so don’t try.
“team chemistry ? blah”
Abviously Nico, you haven’t spent much time playing competitive sports.
“But then they become the Atlanta Braves. Do we prefer just getting there or would we want to win it once every 20 years? I don’t know, just askin.”
Get there every year and win it every 10 years would be a reasonable accomplishment for the Twins in a 30-team race, where only eight teams make the playoffs and only one team wins it.
Steve from Fridley says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Nico,
You’d prefer Blalock to Kouznamnoff…?
I’d prefer Atkins, Beltre, or giving Luke Hughes a try over both of them.
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
“team chemistry ? blah”
Abviously Nico, you haven’t spent much time playing competitive sports.
just my entire childhood
Getting to the playoffs has to be the goal. Once there, it’s all a crap shoot. It wasn’t that long ago we swept the Red Sox in the Dome.
Haha, your entire childhood. I’m sure team chemistry in a teeball team isn’t overly important.
IowaTwin says:
July 29th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
“team chemistry ? blah”
Abviously Nico, you haven’t spent much time playing competitive sports.
team chemistry may mean something when you’re not getting paid, but in the Bigs, you are getting paid to do a job, and if you can’t do that because of a new player on the roster, then you clearly aren’t focused on the job at hand and you have no business being in the Bigs anyway.
Luke Hughes is a worse defensive 3B than Buscher.
His best position is probably OF and he is trying to improve at 2B and 3B.
or took 3 out of 4 from the sox at the dome
“Anthony Swarzak has been promoted to Class AAA Rochester and will make his first start for the Red Wings on Wednesday at Pawtucket.”
There’s only one or two comments on this?
This seems like something the Twins would do if they were about to promote a starter out of Rochester, doesn’t it?
Any names come to mind as to who that could be?
But we won’t get their 10 straight years, so when we do shouldn’t we do our best to win it all, rather than just “hope” to?
IowaTwin, I wouldn’t say it’s a crap shoot. There aren’t many teams winning the WS without solid starting pitching (with veterans) and solid 3-4-5 hitters (more solid than Mauer-Morneau-Kubel/Young/Monroe/?)
USAFChief…yes…Duensing is going to the Olympics…
In a team game, team chemistry ALWAYS means something. If guys don’t play for each other then they are, well, the Tigers. The Yankees are proving that buying names can make you good but not great. The Red Sox teams have been great because they have good players AND great chemistry. Why do you think they want to get rid of their best hitter now? Because he’s ruining the clubhouse.
SethSpeaks says:
July 29th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
someone actually said that the twins should go after Kevin Millar??? That’s crazy talk!
Millar would be a great get for the Twins, especially if it comes at the expense of Monroe, who should’ve never been signed in the first place.
Chief,
It was earlier pointed out that Swarzak was promoted to replace Duensing. (Olympics)
USAFChief,
Normally you would think someone is getting promoted, but in this instance someone is unavailable (Duensing) because he is playing in the Olympics.
“Millar would be a great get for the Twins, especially if it comes at the expense of Monroe, who should’ve never been signed in the first place.”
Again, just trades for the sake of trades. One washed up bench guy for another. The grass is always greener until you get over there.
sid says:
July 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Luke Hughes is a worse defensive 3B than Buscher.
His best position is probably OF and he is trying to improve at 2B and 3B.
Hughes’ offense more then makes up the difference in errors. Also, I believe Hughes’ errors are primarily throwing. That can be fixed, plus Morneau can scoop just about anything.
“I’d prefer Atkins, Beltre, or giving Luke Hughes a try over both of them.”
I’m with you on the Atkins/Beltre part at least.
swarzak hasn’t really pitched all that well at AA, so it’s obvious they are trying him out at AAA to see how he responds and see if he’s worthy of a september call up for bullpen duty. not a bad idea, this team is going to need some fresh arms down the stretch.
Swarzak is replacing Brian Duensing in Rochester’s rotation. Duensing is playing for the US Olympic team.
That and Rochester is already short on SP having had Graves, Cali, Daigle and so on start games for them.
It would be nice if it was a sign Liriano would be with the Twins soon, but it doesn’t look like it.
USAFChief says:
July 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
“Anthony Swarzak has been promoted to Class AAA Rochester and will make his first start for the Red Wings on Wednesday at Pawtucket.”
There’s only one or two comments on this?
This seems like something the Twins would do if they were about to promote a starter out of Rochester, doesn’t it?
Any names come to mind as to who that could be?
- that makes sense too. i thought maybe they were gearing swarzak up for a september call up, but your theory makes more sense. i heard Frankie L. was close to coming up but i can’t find any info on him anywhere.
Was told Charley Steiner’s quote when they came back for the next segment was, “Joe Christensen shook the ground with his words.”
My guess is Joe C. delivered another of his unfulfilled prophecies…”Send Go-Go to minors, Twins playing ‘very well’ (prior to losing five of next seven against White Sox and Cleveland), watch out for Tigers, etc.” and the Earth shook.
whale,
i think its more that the Twins have no one else at AA that could move up.
Iowa,
And who says Atkins would do anything to disrupt chemistry? I think the team would welcome another big bat. Nathan said it last year, and he’s said it again this year. Morneau would love a feared hitter batting behind him. The pitchers would love the thought of some potential extra run support.
Are you making arguments just because you like Buscher? There’s really no merit to the chemistry argument, because we’re not talking about a Manny Ramirez, Milton Bradley, or Jose Guillen type.
Teams welcome improvement when they’re in a pennant race. Atkins would have nothing but a great attitude most likely, leaving a team that’s 6 games out and 9 games below .500. The same applies to Beltre.
Hasnt Danny Graves started a few games recently at AAA? And Humber is in the pen, I am not really sure they have a 5 man rotation even before Dunsing leaves for China.
what is the scoop with Swarzak’s call up in Rochester? He was not exactly lights out in New Britain…
How about Livan and Lamber for Wilson Benement and Hawk?
I’ve never played professional sports. But, I’ve heard reporters and former players talk about the importance of chemistry. Most of the former players I’ve heard say it is nice, and they enjoy the year more, but production is more important than chemistry. There are exceptions (Bonds), but when I’ve heard former players discuss this, they say the whole concept is vastly over rated.
Maybe I just hear the players that say that, it is all anectdotal anyway.
Ryan,
that looks like a crappy trade…. but still…. sold
John Donovan of CNNSI.com wrote this concerning a Twins trade that they “would like to see…”
“Milton Bradley (Rangers) to the Twins
The Twins need a big bat badly. And this season, they don’t come much bigger, badder and battier than Bradley, who has 19 home runs and the fourth-best OPS in baseball. Give up Boof Bonser. Throw in Livan Hernandez. The Rangers will take any pitchers that you can give ‘em.”
1 new guy, especially a good player and a character guy will not hurt chemistry at all…. may even help it
Adding Atkins is good for chemistry.
Subtracting Slowey, Gomez and sending Buscher to the bench would blow up in the Twins faces.
That’s BAD chemistry!!!!
thrylos- I think it is because he has been at AA for a while, so the Twins promote him to see if a change in scenery helps. Otherwise I have no idea… other than New Britian’s starting rotation has been a major disappointment and no one else deserved it, so they went with seniority.
Bradley to the Twins…nothing but welcomed by the Chemistry Police I’m sure.
Matt,
That is a trade i could support…. just don’t tell Milton that Lefevre went to school at Minnesota
The only 2 “starting pitchers” in Rochester, after Duensing departure would be Liriano and Mulvey. People like Graves, Cali, DePaula & Humber have been starting games for Rochester…
Still, Swarzak was not the most deserving pitcher out of New Britain to go to Rochester. I bet that after Liriano is up with the Twins, a couple more Rock Cats pitchers will be called up
RyanW: I think Humber has made a couple of starts recently, and been surprisingly decent, but maybe it is only 1 recent start.
Clearly the Twins have few actual prospects in AAA right now (especially with Deunsing going to the Olympics), and Swarzak is being moved up because of those SPs at AA, he was the one they felt would not melt down the most in getting a promotion he did not deserve just yet.
Too bad Manship hasn’t been better at AA…. then they could move him to AAA.
Shawn in Binghamton says:
July 29th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
1 new guy, especially a good player and a character guy will not hurt chemistry at all…. may even help it
That’s all fine and good but my point is Buscher is doing a pretty good job and I don’t see where +Atkins -pitching is better than +Buscher +pitching. Are we going to get any trade, for a true power bat, done without giving up our pitching? We all saw what elite pitching costs and we are on the verge of an elite staff without the cost. It is cost prohibitive to give that up for a guy we have to pay 12 million a year plus lose the pitching.
I love Atkins, but he is good and still realitivly cheap. I do not see the Rox giving him up. I place all Atkins speculation in the same catergory as Hanley Rimerez speculation- the pipe dream catergory.
If we wanted Atkins, we should have dealt for him when he was batting .225 last June.
Matt,
“The Rangers will take any pitchers that you can give ‘em.”
But the Rangers can get much more than Livan and Boof from other teams, so that writer is just playing fantasy bullshit, just like our little blog.
Honestly, other than Beltre (or better) I would rather not even deal any talent for a bat. I would rather shore up the pen. I would go with Jon Rauch.
I wouldnt mind Milton if he sat at home and teleported to the batter’s box every time he was up. But if he has to actually interact with players, coaches, fans and the media… no thanks.
Besides, do we need more outfielders?
RyanW,
Rauch was dealt last week or so to Arizona…
thrylos- my bad. You are correct. I have been out of town, I must of missed that one.
I’ll try to not let that happen again…
bag hawk, bring up fl and use perkins as your set-up. reyes,he-gone.
[…] LaTroy: Tigers & Twins Both the Tigers and Twins are interested in LaTroy Hawkins. I would think that the Tigers would have more of an interest especially with […]
Texieria for Kotchman (plus a minor leaguer)
The truth is that the market for relievers is just not there. That said, here is the ERA of the Twins’ pen by month:
3/4: 3.54
5: 3.94
6: 3.27
7: 5.27
The biggest culprits for that are:
Reyes: 1.50 June, 7.36 July
Crain: 1.35 June, 5.87 July
Bonser: 7.71 June, 10.12 July
Bass: 2.35 June, 7.45 July
On the other hand Nathan, Breslow and Guerrier have been steady.
I think that addition by subtraction might be the solution here:
Guerrier gets the full time 8th inning role.
Breslow is the spot lefty.
Perkins moves to the pen as the LH in the 7th and 8th with Liriano in the rotation.
Crain is used as the RH specialist.
Bonser is kept as a mop up
and Bass and Reyes go…
Bass/Bonser and Reyes
The pitching has been bad at both AAA and AA this season. AAA lacked a #4 and #5 starter, so now its the recently-promoted Swarzak, Mulvey, spot starter Humber, Franchise, and punt. AA has recently-promoted Manship, formerly-demoted Rainville, spot starter Mullins, spot starter Pino, and punt. Go Miracle!
Guerra to AA?
My guess is DeVries gets the promotion, maybe even Sosa gets sent back up, but not Guerra, who has been inconsistent.
I would agree… DeVries or Alex Burnett… but probably DeVries since he is a little older…
[…] sentence you never thought you’d hear, courtesy of Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune: “The Twins are competing with the Tigers for LaTroy Hawkins.” Any return on him is a […]
The Tigers need Hawkins more than the Twins need Hawkins.
Maybe if we DFA Bass they’ll take him instead. Worked for Rincon…
Gomez is a green as grass kid with an unlimited upside. He’s still learning, and he’ll keep on learning. Let’s give him another full season in the majors before we through him under the bus.
Also, let’s not get too carried away with Denard Span as some sort of out outfield savior until we see how well he’s hitting come September.
Colorado arent going to be sellers. Atkins isn’t going anywhere.
Colorado have been “hot” lately and are ONLY 6 games out in a VERY WEAK NL West.
Regards,
HELLO POHLADS AND SMITH!
WITH your low 55 mil payroll, you can affrod a star power hitting 3B..its what you need the most!
McPhail will ok the trade. Huff earns 8 mil and worth it.
Twins give up 10 game winner so Far Hernandez and his expiring 5 mil per yr
contract and should trade Everett for SS there and Lamb to fill in at 3B.
Thats 10 mil going and $8 mil comming.
Hello!
MAKE THIS DEAL TODAY!!!!!!!!!
what is the scoop with Swarzak’s call up in Rochester? He was not exactly lights out in New Britain…
Swarzak has had two consecutive very good starts (as has Humber). He’s been down there for a year and over that year, he’s been very good, with one slow period in May and June this year.
Trade Liriano for help, the Twins don’t think he’s good enough for their major league roster. Maybe Hawkins and Ian Kennedy.
Yep - Hawkins with the Pussycats and one more tee off pitcher for the Twins. DO NOT TAKE THIS GUY! HOW EMBARRASSING WOULD IT BE?
