Comments on: Twins offseason: Day 2 musings

By: If I ran the club....

If I ran the club.... — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:09:32 +0000

Ken Rosenthal writes:
The Brewers’ J.J. Hardy is realistic about his future with the club, knowing he likely will be traded to make room at shortstop for Alcides Escobar, one of the game’s top shortstop prospects.

In fact, Hardy recalls being impressed by Escobar the first time he saw him, when Hardy was rehabilitating a shoulder injury at the Brewers’ spring-training facility in Arizona in 2004.

“(The Brewers) had brought over a ton of new kids from the Dominican and Venezuela, all 16 and 17 years old,” Hardy says. “I picked out Escobar out of all the guys. I didn’t even know he was a shortstop. But he was having fun, smiling, laughing. I gave him bats and gloves. The next thing I knew, he was the shortstop who was going to take my job.”

Hardy, though, should be in demand. He led National League shortstops with 74 RBIs, ranked fourth among all shortstops in on-base/slugging percentage and was third overall at short in the plus-minus defensive rankings at Bill James Online.

#1 need Left Side of infield & right handed bat
jj hardy ss Milwaukee 26 years old
2008 24hr 74rbis .283 ba
2007 26hr 80rbis .277 ba

By: Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:53:53 +0000

I think Punto will be this year’s version of Carlos Silva. Even at 31, Punto is one of the younger free agent infielders out there. A team that hasn’t seen him everyday, but only heard the hype, will offer him a big salary. I see Tolbert taking over Punto’s role.

By: fcmlefty

fcmlefty — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:25:38 +0000

GusRichards:

I think it’s a dream, but I like your line up!

I do think you need to swap Macri for a 12th pitcher though. I too hate the thought of 12 pitchers, but that is what they do now.

By: TJ...S

TJ...S — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:12:14 +0000

What about Robinson Cano as a viable trade option this offseason? I think he would give us a very good bat in the lineup and also a decent defensive 2B. I do like what Uggla could bring, but the amount that Florida would want for him would be alot. I think the Yanks wouldn’t want as much for Cano, but hey I could be wrong.

To comment on Punto, I believe he is the best option for a utility player we have on the team. What do you need with a utility player? DEFENSE!!!! He is the best defender on the team at any position in the infield. He could even play in the outfield. He is invalueable, but again I could be wrong. Also Gardy won’t get him in the lineup as much as he has had to if they have a viable infield and guys who stay healthy.

By: You've Got To Be Kidding Me!

You've Got To Be Kidding Me! — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:57:28 +0000

my ideal infield would be a-rod at 3rd, hanley ramirez at short, and Dan uggla at 2nd.

By: Dave T

Dave T — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:48:49 +0000

Red dog didn’t start many games because Mauer kept insisting on playing. Good thing for the Twins that he did — Mauer basically won tbe batting championship by pulling away from Pedroia et al in September. How tired could he have been if his average kept going up?
What I heard was, Morneau wasn’t just tired in the last two weeks of the season, he was injured (knee).
With Neshek coming back and Mijares pitching so well, I don’t think we need to do anything about our bullpen other than make a decision about who to let go.
The infield is almost as big a mess at the end of the season as it was in the beginning. Sure, we can move Casilla to SS, but would he be any good there? And Punto is a reliable SS, but doesn’t have enough range. We are too close to a championship club to settle for “might work”. Buscher’s clutch hitting does not make up for his bad fielding, especially on “swinging bunt” plays where he has to bare-hand the ball and throw on the run.
We ought to be able to trade for an infield worth having. My ideal infield would be Beltre at 3B, Jack Wilson at SS, Casilla at 2B.