Wednesday morning update: Blake, Bartlett and Young
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 – 8:04 AMBy Joe Christensen
(*) This is my fourth offseason covering the Twins and the first time I can remember them closing in on signing a significant free agent, the way they are with Casey Blake. Now, they just have to fend off the Dodgers.
I know there are concerns about Blake’s age - 35 - but he has averaged 598 plate appearances over the past six seasons. He lives in Indianola, Iowa and seems like a great fit.
Don’t overlook his versatility. You could pencil him into the starting lineup at third base, but he could move to left field, right field and first base, if injuries arise. He even played some second base for the Dodgers during the playoffs.
(*) Sometimes you see a trade rumor that just leaves you shaking your head. Danny Knobler is a well-respected, veteran scribe and has countless contacts around the game. I made calls to Twins and Rays sources, and from what I gathered, the Rays very well could have called the Twins to let them know Bartlett was available, probably in an attempt to get Denard Span.
As Knobler said, the talks didn’t go very far. The Rays do need an outfielder, and they are ready to turn shortstop over to prospect Reid Brignac. Bartlett was voted their team MVP, but he’s going through his arbitration years, and the Rays are deep with talented shortstops with Brignac and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Tim Beckham, coming through the system.
(*) I know everyone wonders if the Twins truly are shopping Young. Let’s just say I get the feeling they’re listening if teams are interested. They have five legit starters for three outfield spots and DH - Young, Span, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez and Jason Kubel.
I think the Twins would move Young in the right deal, but with his value down from a year ago, they’re also in no hurry to give him away.
294 Responses to "Wednesday morning update: Blake, Bartlett and Young"
1. Blake is a terrible fit here other then he’s cheap and the Twins are never willing to spend money to improve the club.
2. I’d love to have Brignac here, but I wouldn’t give up Span for him. They can have Young back and they can keep Bartlett too.
3. positionally, sure, the Twins have 5 legit starters, but only because Cuddyer’s arm is so good. He is very mediocre at the plate. Center fielder numbers from a right fielder won’t get you very far in the Majors. It would be in the best interest of the Twins to deal Cuddyer.
4. I wish the Twins weren’t so damn cheap. The Twins need Juan Cruz in that bullpen. Hell with draft picks, this is the year to give a couple up and go get Cruz and O-Hud.
I would laugh if the Twins traded Young for Bartlett.
I just hope that Smith isn’t out to prove anything this year, and doesn’t do anything rash.
The Rays can’t trade Bartlett. He’s more valuable to them than that Longoria fellow! /sarcasm
Longoria and Beckham on the left side of the infield? All they’ll need then is a Lohan and an Alba to finish out the infield. Perhaps a Cuthbert and a Fox as the battery.
Good to see them close to getting Blake. Let’s hope the Dodgers end up putting more into keeping Rameriez so Blake can slip by.
Not to mention he’d be a legit backup 1B, which would help Morneau get an occasional DH (or less often) day off.
Blake is a terrible fit here other then he’s cheap…
Blake made 6.1 million last year. Only Mauer and Morneau made more than that with the Twins.
if they sign blake do they have room for both harris and buscher? assuming we get a ss (probably resign punto) and tobert is the utility guy isn’t that one to many infielders?
Blake is the best fit for us at third. Good player and just costs money. Then we can go out and make a trade for a big time SS and really make an impact on next year. If we are going to trade and outfielder let it be Cuddy. The young guys are just to good to move.
I don’t know if I’d laugh or weep bitterly. Not that I love Young, but he’s still got way more value than Bartlett did.
I’ve got to object to Blake being called a significant signing. He’s technically in the same class as Livan Hernandez and Ramon Ortiz as a type B free agent.
Granted, I see him having a much bigger (positive) impact than the other two combined, but it isn’t as though the Twins are suddenly in on Orlando Hudson or Teixeira
Is Blake really a “significant free agent”? I would probably argue that he’s as big as anyone they have brought in since maybe Molitor, but I don’t think significant would describe that move. I am fine with them signing him. I don’t think he’s worth the three years or the money he’ll get. I’m sure he’d fit in nicely. The reality is that if they sign him, it is as a 3B. LF and RF are both covered, with depth, and 1B is a position that should be covered at least 155-160 games a year. So, I do think that his ‘versatility’ isn’t worth a whole lot, unless Gardy is just being silly.
I do agree on Young… Regardless of what many people think, he does still have a lot of potential. If he can start lifting the ball more, he’s got a real chance to be very good. Trading him at this point would be pointless, UNLESS they were absolutely overwhelmed.
Span for Bartlett would be an annoying move… not to mention dumb for the Twins.
I would love to hear more rumors that the Twins are pursing JJ Hardy. I really wonder what the Twins would have to give up to get him.
Getting Blake would be good because:
1-He fills the 3b spot
2-He is productive
3-He is verstile
4-It lets the farm system develope another 3b
5-It makes others available for trade(Harris,Buscher)
6-Our OF surplus can be traded for relief help
7-WE DON”T HAVE TO GIVE ANYBODY UP FOR HIM!
I still like the Buscher/Harris third base platoon. We should be looking to trade an outfielder for a shortstop… but definitely not Young for Bartlett!
GW - how much trade value do you figure that the likes of Harris and Buscher have?
Secondly, would you really trade any of the Twins five OF for a reliever??? What would an example be?
With Blake at 3b our lineup improves. Any solid defender can play ss — our most immediate need becomes bullpen help. I’d like an upgrade at ss too, but we’d have to break up our starting staff to do that.
Seth - I don’t have any examples — maybe a combo of Buscher/Harris/ and one of our of.
Blake at 3b and JJ Hardy at SS? That would be swwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Seth, I think Blake would be a significant signing for the Twins since it would be further evidence that they’re willing to make moves more than just picking up scraps after all the top names are signed.
It ultimately comes down to if the Dodgers will overpay him or not. The Twins are going to make him a 2-3 year offer and that will be that. But I could see LA pulling an LAA and throwing WAY too much money at him simply becaues they “can”.
It’s why I wish they’d figure out they need Manny so they don’t have the funds available to overpay for Blake.
Hardy for Perkins and maybe a high minor league reliever? Their fielding is atrocious too, and the Twins always have plenty of that to spare.
BTW: If that CBS article has even an iota of truth…it should tell you what the Rays REALLY think if they’re willing to trade their “MVP” Bartlett and wouldn’t mind getting “castoff” Young back.
Yesterday I said Bartlett was on the verge of becoming the next David Eckstein. I changed my mind, he IS the next David Eckstein. Especially if the NATIONAL MEDIA is now considering him to be the biggest reason the Rays made it to the World Series.
Wow, Dan, that’s a heaping helping of negativity there. Blake might not be a huge signing, but he would make significant impact on the team. Nobody said anything about us getting Brignac for Span, so I’m not sure where that came from - the article mentions Bartlett for Span (which is an equally bad deal - Span is going to be a great Twin). Cuddyer might not be Puck, but he’s hardly “mediocre” by any conventional measurement. And finally, if you’re bothered so much by the Twins being “cheap”, you might as well jump off the bandwagon now. That’s not going to change. They are what they are, so you might as well accept it.
I do find it comical, however, that the Rays are thinking of trading their MVP, Mr. Bartlett, already. I find it comical because so many posters here seemed so ready to attribute the Rays’ success to Bartlett and Garza, as if those guys would have gotten the Twins to the promised land if only we’d kept them - and now they’re ready to part with ol’ Jason. I guess he wasn’t so important after all, eh?
GW - my point was that there is no way I’d deal one of those five outfielders for any reliever (OK, maybe someone like Joe Nathan or something, but…)… So I wasn’t thinking of adding Buscher or Harris to the deal.
I mean, one name is Huston Street. I would not trade any of the five outfielders straight up for him.
JJ Hardy discussions all begin with either Baker or Slowey. I wouldn’t do it, but thats the fact.
Blake would be a SOLID upgrade at 3b. He also takes professional at bats and would probably give Delmon Young a little protection towards the bottom of the lineup.
Would the Twins ever consider bringing David Ortiz back from Boston via trade to DH? The Sox would of course have to eat some salary, but man, talk about a fun summer at the dome with that potential basher in the middle of the lineup.
Signing Blake does give us some versatility for trades, buys us time for our own 3b developement, and most importantly - - allows us to keep our starting 5 pitchers in tact, while allowing a few minor league starters to develope.
“Would the Twins ever consider bringing David Ortiz back from Boston via trade to DH?”
No. How many more home runs did Ortiz hit than Kubel this year? And as Joe C pointed out, hitting in the Dome was the most difficult place in the AL in 2008 while Fenway Park was the easiest.
Cuddyer for Putz might make too much sense for both teams to happen.
“Signing Blake does give us some versatility for trades, buys us time for our own 3b developement, and most importantly - - allows us to keep our starting 5 pitchers in tact, while allowing a few minor league starters to develope.”
Agreed. it all really just comes down to cost-benefit analysis though.
I like Blake. An everyday thirdbaseman who can play two or three times a month at first to keep Morneau fresh. It’s clear Morneau was a hurting puppy at the end of last season and they’ll have to give the guy a break once in a while.
As for trading outfielders, I’d trade Kubel. If we could get Bartlet for Kubel I’d do it in a heartbeat but I would think Tampa would be looking for more than that.
As far as whether Blake is a “significant signing”, it is probably a step above Livan and Lamb last year, but that’s about it. I guess significance is relative… I would say signing a Dunn, Texeira, Ramirez, Sabathia et. al. would be significant…
“Cuddyer for Putz might make too much sense for both teams to happen.”
OK, thrylos found one that I might consider… nicely done. Not sure I would do it, but that’s a fair example.
seth
You wouldn’t trade cuddyer straight up for Huston Street? I would, in a second. Wouldn’t even have to think about it. It’s not that i hate cuddyer or anything, but he has an injury riddled past, with one solid year mixed in.
Bartlet for Kubel
ouch. I think that people have short term memories as far as .700 OPS performances are concerned… If healthy, Machado could be as effective as Bartlett on the field and probably better with the bat; but I hope that the Twins can do better than that.
2 or 3 years of Blake’s salary - then he’s gone. We can easily afford it if we quit signing deadbeat hasbeen’s.
Seth,
I just cannot get too excited about Kubel, he is so hot or cold or injured. This may be the outfielder the Twins should consider trading along with a young pitching prospect to get the JJ Hardy deal done.
With regards to Joe C’s comment about the dome being the toughest ballpark to hit in, I’m not sure how much I would read into that stat. Not sure the ballpark itself was the cause.
Brewers would be silly to pass on a serviceable starting pitcher (Perkins/Blackburn maybe) and expect the Twins to give up a Baker or a Slowey for Hardy when they know they have Escobar coming up. These are two teams that can really help each other fill some holes.
Young, Kubel, Cuddyer=tradeable
Gomez, Span = not at this point
Do people remember that Mike Lamb was the #2 free agent 3B on the market last offseason? #1 was A-Rod. That one just didn’t work out… I don’t put that signing in the same category as the Livan Hernandez, Tony Batista, Ramon Ortiz, Sidney Ponson signings.
And no, I wouldn’t consider Cuddyer for Huston Street. Street wasn’t as good as people thought he was when he was good, and just last year, he lost his closer’s role with the A’s. He’s missed time with injuries as well. I’ll take the every day guy any time.
Also, I just think we are overblowing the Twins ‘need’ for a reliever.
lars - when was the last time that Kubel was injured? when was the last time that Ortiz was injured?
And I don’t really put Kubel into the OF category (even though I do). He is the team’s DH, so although he’s in the OF discussion, he’ll DH most games.
GW - I would say that, as with any deal, they are all tradable depending the return. However, if we’re saying it’s too soon to deal Gomez and Span, how is it not too soon to give up on the youngest of the three, Young?
How about trading Cuddyer to Colorado for Huston Street. They just dealt Holliday, and have Corpas to close, they could use another stick. It would fill needs of both teams, especially if Colorado trades Atkins, because Colorado would have no RH offense left.
Let Buscher and Harris have 3B, get a SS and bullpen help.
I still think the Twins have a great power bat in Delmon Young and are going to regret trading him if indeed that is what they are thinking.
He is going to hit 40 hrs and 100 RBI’s for somebody in the near future. He’s only 22 years old! Give him a chance, look how long it took Kubel to put together some consistent numbers and he is 26.
Kubel tied Morneau for the team lead last season with .199 isoP. If you have a team that has a hard time hitting for power, if you trade Kubel, you better get someone like Dunn next year to DH or trade him for a power RH DH (which is not going to happen, that’s why Kubel is pretty much needed in this team)
“It’s not that i hate cuddyer or anything, but he has an injury riddled past, with one solid year mixed in.”
As opposed to that Street fella who never misses any time with injuries, right?
And I agree with Spiney… if you aren’t willing to part with Baker or Slowey, don’t even bother bringing up how great it would be to have Hardy. The Brewers will demand one or the other as a starting point for Hardy. Expecting them to trade a SS of his calibre for a back-of-the-order SP is unrealistic (not that being unrealistic is uncommon around here).
GW,
I’d trade Span before Young.
Just hope the Twins don’t part with Span. He has only a half year in the bigs, but I think he has the makings of potentially the team’s best OF and leadoff hitter. IMHO would trade Delmon or Go-Go before Span. No one will want Cuddy due to contract and average ability…
I don’t think we should assume the Brewers will trade Hardy to make room for Escobar. Getting rid of Bill Hall and moving Hardy over to third makes more sense. Unless the Brewers can land a big fish, like Baker.
PEOPLE! Enough with the Adam Dunn (non)speculation! The Twins already have too many outfielders, one of which already strikes out at a 150/yr clip. Adam Dunn AINT GOING TO HAPPEN. DBacks just got burned on Dunn (losing Buck, Owings, PLUS not even offering arbitration meaning they won’t even get any draft picks back when he signs elsewhere)…. Twins won’t make that mistake.
Seth, Gomez is the youngest 
but point well made. If this team were to trade Perkins, Valencia, Mijares, Hughes, Blackburn, Liriano, Delaney, Slama et. al. there will be outcries that the Twins were “trading the future away”. Well, DY is younger than all of them
Good point on moving Hardy to third…. they could also potentially move him to second to replace Weeks. Nevertheless, i’d think they would rather swap Hardy for a starter. They aren’t going to get nearly as much for Weeks or Hall for that matter.
What would be so wrong with platooning Span and Gomez for another year? That would give us some options on the bench.
My whole point with bring in an established veteran hitter like Ortiz or Dunn is that the Twins need some “thunder in their lineup.” Other than Morneau does anyone else really put fear into an opposing pitcher. Now granted Mauer is a great hitter but he has very little power at this stage of his career.
“if you aren’t willing to part with Baker or Slowey, don’t even bother bringing up how great it would be to have Hardy. The Brewers will demand one or the other as a starting point for Hardy. Expecting them to trade a SS of his calibre for a back-of-the-order SP is unrealistic (not that being unrealistic is uncommon around here).”
The problem is that a lot of the posters around here forget that there are 30 teams in MLB and, therefore, the Brewers (or whoever the potential trading partner is) don’t have to settle for the best deal they can get from the Twins.
Why would we platoon Span? The guy put up serious numbers and earned a full time spot. Gomez…well…he had a .296 OBP, so that’s good, right? Oh wait, that would be a good average.
As for Bartlett, it was the LOCAL WRITERS that voted him the team MVP. It wasn’t a national award and it didn’t come from the team FO. The award may actually maKe the team more interested in trading him since it can be used to help his arbitration case.
GW says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Signing Blake does give us some versatility for trades, buys us time for our own 3b developement, and most importantly - - allows us to keep our starting 5 pitchers in tact, while allowing a few minor league starters to develope.
Twins have no third basemen to develop so that’s a weak argument. It’s not like the Twins have a Braun or Longoria or even a Zimmerman or Gordon. Instead of drafting almost ready college third basemen, they continue to draft pitching and outfielders. I wouldn’t mind seeing Luke Hughes given a chance to be the every day third baseman, but by no means is he the solution to the problem.
Keeping the starting 5 in tact?? I’d be excited if it were 5 good pitchers. However, it’s Liriano, Slowey, and Baker and scrubs. Perkins and Blackburn are entirely expendable.
saam says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 am
“if you aren’t willing to part with Baker or Slowey, don’t even bother bringing up how great it would be to have Hardy. The Brewers will demand one or the other as a starting point for Hardy. Expecting them to trade a SS of his calibre for a back-of-the-order SP is unrealistic (not that being unrealistic is uncommon around here).”
The problem is that a lot of the posters around here forget that there are 30 teams in MLB and, therefore, the Brewers (or whoever the potential trading partner is) don’t have to settle for the best deal they can get from the Twins
1. It won’t take as much as you think to get Hardy.
2. hardly any teams actually need shortstops, so the Twins would be bidding against almost nobody.
Jake,
You have to remember that Span was not a great minor league player and it takes time for the pitchers in the league to get to know a hitter. Having said that, yes, Span had a nice half year, but time will tell whether or not he can make the adjustments necessary to be a productive big league hitter. Let’s not rush judgement on this kid yet. Gomez on the other hand has star potential written all over him, he just needs to harness his talent and the coaching staff needs to be patient as well.
hardly any teams actually need shortstops
There are several teams that don’t “need” first basemen who would suddenly be very interested if the Twins decided that Morneau was available.
Same case here. Teams may be content with their current SS. But if they know Hardy is available for trade they won’t hesitate to throw their names in for consideration.
Whats up lars? Morris has sticky fingers
Look I’ve always liked the idea of adding Casey Blake….until he turned thirty-five!
Trading any of our starters would be bad!
Trading Span for Bartlett would be horrible….unless the rays through in Balfour!!!
If the Twins could land Balfour even if it were in a staight up trade for one of our outfielders we will win the division and compete in the playoffs!!
We don’t need to upgrade at third(unless we can get Atkins). We need an eigth inning guy who strikes out about 12 per 9 and walks about 1.5 per 9. Ala Balfour not Cruz.
Dunn would be the 2nd or 3rd best hitter on the roster if they signed him. Who cares about SOs? OBP and SLG are the measures of a good hitter, not how many times he strikes out.
As for Blake being a significant FA? Maybe. He was tied for 8th among all 3B for OPS last year. His age is a concern. But, he should be a perfect fit for this roster - RH, 3B, good SLG%. I’m not sure I’d use significant, but he’s more of a real player than anyone they’ve signed recently. They have plenty of money. Plenty. The biggest issue is age. I’d say it is worth a roll of the dice at this point, but it isn’t my money.
Span was a great minor league player after he had lasik. Pretty hard to be a great hitter with poor vision(ask Kirby).
Bring back David Ortiz?
Great idea!
He can wait for his at-bats while talking to his old batting instructors and mentors, Tom Kelly and Gardy.
Who the hell thought of that idea?
The twins will never get Hardy!!
The Twins will never have a power hitting SS until they draft one!!
T says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
hardly any teams actually need shortstops
There are several teams that don’t “need” first basemen who would suddenly be very interested if the Twins decided that Morneau was available.
Same case here. Teams may be content with their current SS. But if they know Hardy is available for trade they won’t hesitate to throw their names in for consideration.
a lot more teams need first baseman then teams that need a shortstop. also, hardy isn’t an elite shortstop by any stretch of the imagination. I think the people posting here are overrating JJ quite a bit. Hardy is far too inconsistent to be as good as everyone here seems to think he is. He’d be a huge upgrade for the Twins, but that is because the Twins have such a giant black hole at shortstop.
If you think thirty-five is old you should see some of the guys I work out with at the gym. It’s all about how you take care of your body, and Casey Blake in my mind could be very productive for another five years. Look how out of shape Delmon Young looks and he is only 22! But I still think he is going to be a stud in this league in time.
I suspect a lot of the league’s teams would be happy to have “scrubs” like Blackburn and Perkins in their rotation. Our embarrassment of riches in terms of young starting pitching might not be completely appreciated by some here, but I don’t think you can write off any of these guys as “scrubs” yet. Blackburn’s performance in that playoff game against the ChiSox told me a lot about his heart, and that’s as important as raw talent at this stage in a young player’s career. I just don’t think those guys are as replaceable as some might think - and, if one of them were to be traded, make it Perkins. To me, he seems the least likely to become really good.
Maybe the Twins should offer Manny 5 years 100 million.
“Twins have no third basemen to develop … I wouldn’t mind seeing Luke Hughes given a chance to be the every day third baseman”
Aren’t you contradicting yourself (again)?
from Rotoworld:
Agent Jim McDowell said the Dodgers and Twins are leading the way in the pursuit of free agent Casey Blake.
“I’ve had pretty regular conversations with the Indians, but I wouldn’t say they’ve been as persistent as the Twins and Dodgers,” he said. McDowell expects Blake to receive a three-year deal. We expect the team that signs him will regret it after a few months
exactly what I’ve been saying since the Blake rumors started. a slightly better Tony Batista does the Twins no good.
The roid days of 35+ star ball players is over! The guys at your gym might be ripped at an advanced age but so is Evander Holyfield.The fact remains your vision goes, your hands slow, and you become more suseptable to injury when your over 35.
Walter Johnson says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:20 am
“Twins have no third basemen to develop … I wouldn’t mind seeing Luke Hughes given a chance to be the every day third baseman”
Aren’t you contradicting yourself
no. Luke would be most useful at 2B. He isn’t the answer at third, but he’d be better then Buscher/Harris I’m sure.
the Twins don’t have an answer for third. well, they do, but our idiot manager wants him in the outfield instead of third base where he belongs. really, Mauer should be moved to third base.
Why is no one talking about Joe Crede.
His defense is far superior!
Is his back going to end his career? Has anyone heard anything?
We need an eigth inning guy who strikes out about 12 per 9 and walks about 1.5 per 9.
Nathan last season had 9.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9…
I would be willing to settle for 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 for someone to set Nathan up. Those are the numbers that Boof had last year…
“Span was a great minor league player after he had lasik.”
Denard Span was close to falling off the Twins radar before he came to spring training last year and showed us something. He was marginal at best while in the minors.
Dan,
Why would you want to see Hughes as the everyday third baseman if “he isn’t the answer at third”?
Moving Cuddyer back to third would give you another Tony Batista caliber 3B.
Who is our catcher if you move Mauer to third? I agree that Mauer may be the answer down the road, especially if he has more knee problems. But if you do it now you have to fill a hole at catcher. Creating one hole to fill another isn’t gaining any ground on the problem.
Span had Lasik surgury last off-season because his inability to see the ball had him falling off the Twins radar. Since the surgury no one has been able to consistantly get Span out at any level.
“Mauer should be moved to 3B”
That rids us of a gold-glove catcher at the most critical defensive position, but we gain a below-average defensive 3B.
How can anyone type with their head that far up their @#$.
Trade Cuddy for Bartlett
Blake made 6.1 million last year. Only Mauer and Morneau made more than that with the Twins.
T, didn’t Nathan make about $12M last year? Also wasn’t Cuddyer’s salary about the same as Blake’s?
Who is our catcher if you move Mauer to third?
in 3 years: Ramos, Soto, Pinto (take your pick)… Before that, moving Mauer to 3B makes no sense.
thrylos…
I always read your comments and agree with most of what you say, however remember when the end of a Twins game went Balfour in the seventh, Rincon in the eigth, and Nathan in the ninth?
We need serious strike out type pitchers at the end of our BP.
Yes Bonser does definately have the STUFF to be that kind of guy, but he needs to stop throwing that slider in the upper 80’s. If he would just stick to his slower breaking pitch and his fastball then he’d have a chance. He can’t locate his slider and it’s too close to his fastball in velocity(ala Lohse).
Plus, don’t forget how many times a Blake swing of the bat has beaten the Twins. Why not have him on the field for us instead of against us for a couple years?
Walter Johnson says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 am
Dan,
Why would you want to see Hughes as the everyday third baseman if “he isn’t the answer at third”?
Moving Cuddyer back to third would give you another Tony Batista caliber 3B.
Who is our catcher if you move Mauer to third? I agree that Mauer may be the answer down the road, especially if he has more knee problems. But if you do it now you have to fill a hole at catcher. Creating one hole to fill another isn’t gaining any ground on the problem.
1. what part of Hughes would be better then Buscher/Harris don’t you get? Why rotate 2 guys at a position when you can put one there and have a roster spot open for someone else. The problem is the Twins need power in the lineup and Hughes won’t give the Twins the 25-30 homers a year they need.
2. Cuddyer is actually quite a good fielder at third. He shouldn’t have been moved from there in the first place. The guy was drafted as a shortstop. He can play anywhere.
3. moving Mauer isn’t creating a hole at all. his fielding is overrated. he had no business winning the gold glove. Redmond can handle the job. or sign Greg Zaun to rotate with Mike. Texas has 4 catchers, BS could trade for one them. there are options.
Another thing people keep forgeting is that Perkins was a strikeout pitcher all through the minors. Last year, for reasons I don’t know, the twins had him stop throwing his slow breaking pitch. That pitch had always been his strikeout pitch. If he brings it back or gets his new harder breaking pitch mastered he could be as good as Baker, Liriano, and Slowey.
Casey Blake is 35 with numbers .274/21/81
J.J. Hardy is 26 with numbers .283/24/74
Hardy is not overrated. Get him.
I agree that Blake would be the best short-term solution because it gives us alot of trade flexiblity.I think Escobar would fit in better to what Gardy trying to do better than Hardy.In the age of free agency,no team in baseball can solve all it’s problems in one off season.Does any one knows if the new ball park is pitcher friendly or hitter friendly?
Dan, were you aware that Hughes was so bad defensively at 3B in Venezuela that they moved him to LF? He would be a strikeout machine right now if he came up in 2009.
Cuddyer was bad at 3B defensively and offensively. Also, he hasn’t played there in 3+ years. Doesn’t make sense anymore.
Redmond couldn’t handle every day duties at catcher. Mauer at 3B just isn’t an option. Can he play there? Has he ever played there? Do you think playing 3B is just easy?
“a slightly better Tony Batista does the Twins no good.”
Tony Batista’s career numbers :
.251/.299/.453
Casey Blake’s :
.264/.334/.447
If that is a ’slightly better Tony Batista’, then Justin Morneau is a slightly better Mike Jacobs.
Mike…
Blake isn’t going to do that to us anymore because he’s too old. Just look at him he’s…..old. He’s just so old.
Blake had a pretty solid career with the Tribe; he specialized in beating the Twins.
What does Minnesota need him for?
Anyone out there know Blakes career number at the dome?
studboy,
Bonser’s slider was ok last year. He had problems with his fastball and esp. his changup. Hitter hit:
.325 off his fastball
.126 off his curve
.228 off his slider
.412 off his changeup.
Most of the hits off his fastball were when he threw it when behind in the count and was serving fat ones. If he trusts his breaking stuff when behind the count he will improve.
(Perkins had a similar problem, btw). Someone needs to teach the pitchers that when 3-1 on a count, it might be better to throw a slider or a curve, even if it draws a walk, rather than a fat fastball that might get a double or more…
SethSpeaks says:
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 am
Dan, were you aware that Hughes was so bad defensively at 3B in Venezuela that they moved him to LF? He would be a strikeout machine right now if he came up in 2009.
Cuddyer was bad at 3B defensively and offensively. Also, he hasn’t played there in 3+ years. Doesn’t make sense anymore.
Redmond couldn’t handle every day duties at catcher. Mauer at 3B just isn’t an option. Can he play there? Has he ever played there? Do you think playing 3B is just easy?
1. Hughes’ fielding isn’t any worse then Buscher’s and Luke has a better bat.
2. Cuddyer started out slow at 3B, but before they moved him to the outfield, he was doing an excellent job there.
3. trade for a Texas catcher. sign Zaun. Redmond could handle at least half the season behind the plate. he’s a better fielder then Joe and a much better game caller. Joe could learn to play 3rd. The Twins won’t be competing for the World Series next year anyway, it would give Joe a full season to figure out 3rd before the team moves into the new stadium. He needs to move out from behind the plate sooner then later.
Blake’s career numbers in the dome:
.253/.305/.444, 10 HR, 37 RBI (225 AB)
Moving mauer to 3rd makes no sense. You’d be replacing Buscher/Harris with a catcher (Mauer stays in the lineup, but you add in some catcher who’s going to hit 250 wtih less HRs than Buscher/Harris), in terms of hitting. That makes the team worse. How would that make the lineup better?
I’d prefer they go get a young SS or 2B or even 3B. But, since I don’t think they’ll deal from their position of strength to get better (they’d rather have depth than have great players but be thin), Blake might be the best option.
If they don’t start competing for the WS soon, Mauer will be broken down, Liriano and Baker will be arb eligible, and Nathan will be in his mid-30s.
“Cuddyer is actually quite a good fielder at third. He can play anywhere.”
“Mauer..his fielding is overrated. he had no business winning the gold glove.”
Amazing stuff!
“Mauer..his fielding is overrated. he had no business winning the gold glove.”
On top of that he’s “slap-happy”.
some more food for thought about Blake, because I can’t avoid the comparison:
Blake last season, age 34:
.274/.345/.463
“significant” Twins free agent singing 3 year contract in 2005, stats season before joined the Twins (age 33):
.313/.348/.489
“Hughes’ fielding isn’t any worse then Buscher’s”
Hughes’ FPA at 3B last year was .888 at AA and .911 at AAA.
That’s beyond horrible.
Buscher will play better 3B than that, after he is dead.
I know a scout in another organization who commented that he thinks Span’s vision improvement is the real deal. He always had good hand-eye coordination when he saw the ball, now he sees and reacts better thus the improvement in average and OBP.
Regarding SS, Hardy would be nice but Milwaukee will want 1-2 of our top arms - probably not worth it. Keep hearing Atlanta wants a bat, maybe Delmon for Escobar?
I think the tiny foul ground and short power alleys indicate Target Field could be a hitter’s paradise. There are some factors like air flow patterns and whatnot that are hard to predict in advance, so things could turn out differently, but foul popups reaching seats more often gives hitters more chances.
Hughes .888 FPA at 3B is disgusting!.
Slow-pitch softball third-basemen play better than that with a bottle of beer between them and the bag.
sane,
Hughes was a second baseman (decent fielding one; career FP: .968 in 162 games vs FP: .923 in 156 games @ 3B) who was converted to third baseman by the Twins. A third baseman he is not, but could be a 2B/1B/OF utility type in a major league team.
Could Hughes play 2B right now, moving Casilla over to SS?
Is Kerry Wood going to priced out of our range if we sign Blake and fill SS internally or with Punto?
Did Valencia improve his defense in the AFL?
I don”t think rumors of Bartlett coming back or even interest are reliable. Seems the Twins were ready to move him last year as they did.
Still a good trade for the Twins!
Win Twins!
To Joe C.
The Twins pathetic free agent signings over the years has skewed your mind. Calling Casey Blake a “significant free agent” is a joke. Although I’ll take him in a heart beat over what we have. He could easily be Mike Lamb II.
To Joe C.
The Twins pathetic free agent signings over the years has skewed your mind. Calling Casey Blake a “significant free agent” is a joke. Although I’ll take him in a heart beat over what we have. I just hope he doesn’t turn into Mike Lamb II.
thrylos98,
I understand.
I was replying to the @#$% who stated that “Hughes fielding isn’t any worse than Buscher’s” at 3B.
I played 3B for a long time, and was definitely not a professional 3B.
However my FPA was NEVER as bad as Hughes’ .888.
Buscher, Cuddyer, Joe Nathan and Jesse Crain are all better 3B than Luke Hughes.
Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. Have insider info on Blake. His neighbor in Indianola, Iowa tell me he will never play for the Twins b/c he doesn’t get along with Gardenhire. So…if money’s close. Torre vs Gardy…Blake is NOT coming to the Twins.
Blake would be a solid upgrade at 3rd, offensively and defensively. Plus, he is proven durable. I hope we get him -for the right price of course. Comparing him to Batista, who was a washed-up has been at the time while Blake is coming off another productive year, is like comparing apples to peas.
Span for Bartlett??? BS should be fired if he made such an inane move but I would hope that if this is seriously the offer the Rays made, BS laughed out loud at them.
One name to keep an eye on is Mr. Crosby of Oakland
Wow…..anyone who says Joe Mauer’s defense is over-rated should be banned from all further talk on the subject of baseball for the simple reason, they have no clue.
I am a Cuddy fan but to say he was a good 3rd baseman is comparable to saying that Minnesota has a warm climate.
The Twins need to sign Casey Blake and trade for JJ Hardy. Putting those two right handed hitters into the Twins lineup will give them a solid group and a real chance to win the division and advance in the playoffs. Another reliever would be nice too.
Casey Blake just makes too much sense not to sign. He fits perfectly with their plans. He is not a terrible defender, solid average. Take a 3 year rolling average of his #’s he should hit .275/.350/.447 with .962 fielding % at 3b.
This would be a significant FA sign from the standpoint of he is the best available. I personaly think this would be a great move.
Seriously everyone, Blake is not coming to the Twins. Stop talking about it. He WILL NOT play for Gardy.
Ron Burgundy,
My neighbor knows everything about me, just like Casey Blake’s neighbor knows everything about him.
Right!
In this case, I hope the neighbor is correct.
If Casey Blake is out, sign Grudzielanek, move Casilla to SS, and thank you, Casey Blake!
I saw Hughes play a number of times in AA. I don’t believe he played 3b in any of the games….. He did play DH a couple times…. that might tell ya something about his 3b ability.
Shawn,
Hughes’ .888 FPA at 3B would explain why he was playing DH.
The left-fielder was probably exhausted from fielding balls that went past Hughes at 3B.
Gardy player / manager.
3B solved
Sid,
Well technically my source is not a neighbor, but Indianola is a very small town…everyone’s a neighbor. It’s actually one of his wife’s best friends. Maybe Casey tells his wife where he’s playing next year…
I don’t care who we sign either 3B and/or SS. Whatever it takes so that Punto isn’t starting either position next April is fine with me…
Ron,
More likely:
Casey’s wife tells HIM where he’s playing next year.
So Casey Blake’s wife’s best friend knows more than Casey Blake’s agent.
Hmmmmm!
Hughes was the dominant offensive player in most games i attended however. 
Blake’s agent has said it’s basically between the Dodgers and the Twins. Do you think, as an agent, you would eliminate one of the bidders for a contract? C’mon sid…you’re better than that.
I think the Twins should sign Manny Ramirez to be DH, then go get Sabathia and Burnett, which will allow us to trade Baker, Slowey, Young, and Cuddyer, plus a couple prospects to Milwaukee for Braun and Hardy. Then our lineup will be Span, Casilla, Mauer, Ramirez, Morneau, Braun, Hardy, Kubel, Gomez.
While the Twins are doing that, I will use my new-found power of making the impossible happen simply by wishing for it to overnight become the World’s richest man, end all the world’s war and violence, and invent a car that can travel 3000 miles on a single tube of toothpaste.
Dan G:
Your views intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
How about Pridie for Bartlett? That would be a fair trade at this point.
Take a 3 year rolling average of his #’s he should hit .275/.350/.447 with .962 fielding % at 3b.
Rondell White’s 3 year rolling average before he signed with the Twins was .289/.341/.476 and White was a year younger than Blake.
caveat emptor
I bet Casey’s wife wants him to play for the Twins instead of LA.
Didnt we pretty much just make that trade only in reverse?
Get Blake - he’s the most sensible 3B option out there right now, cheap and short term while still providing production.
If Sabathia walks from Milwaukee trade Harris or Cuddyer with Blackburn for JJ Hardy.
Then pick up a good middle reliever somewhere - Type A or not (what’s a couple draft picks - they’re hit or miss anyway).
Give Young one more year and see if he can finally reach that power potential.
Ron,
You’re right.
Agents will routinely avoid the truth to help their clients.
So, Blake’s agent may know more than his wife’s best friend, but is much less likely to truthfully disclose what he knows.
Now, the only questions I would have, are:
Whether his wife’s best friend is over-estimating the significance of Blake stating that “Gardy is a pain in the @#$$”.
OR if Blake actually stated that “he will never play for the Twins b/c he doesn’t get along with Gardenhire”, doesn’t Gardy realize that he doesn’t get along Blake?
If so, why are the Twins bidding real money for a guy who doesn’t get along with Gardy?
Hasn’t Gardy informed BS of that piece of info?
Does Gardy think that all players like him?
Has he forgotten Kyle Lohse and JC Romero?
Yeah, women hate LA.
Casey Blake will play for the Twins (or anyone else for that matter) if they give him a 3-year deal.
My newsletter says that as long as a Pohlad owns this team, the Twins will be between 15 and 25 in payroll (with a much greater likelihood of being closer to 25 than 15), and will try to build from within in the hopes that enough young talent, with a seasoned veteran and superstar sprinkled in, will coalesce at once and result in a title (think Florida Marlins circa 1997 and 2003). Anyone who hopes for the Twins to do something flashier is fooling themselves, and should probably locate their nearest mental health institution
Getting Blake makes sense because it is an upgrade at third (how large of one is debatable), and takes nothing off the table for a move down the road on a shortstop or bullpen help, as well as leaves our farm system intact for mid-year trades/backfilling.
Roy, Hardy would be great…but the Brewers will want pitching to replace what they’ll lose on the mound this off season. I’d like to think we could send them Boof and Perk, but they’ll likely want probably 2 of 3: Baker, Slowey, Mijares. Don’t think I could give the arms up. They don’t need a corner outfielder so we can’t give them Delmon. They might go for a centerfielder plus another arm, but not sure I’d do that either…
What’s the latest on the Braves multi-player deal? I don’t think any scenario I’ve heard involves the SS Escobar. They pick up a pitcher in Vazquez, but earlier MLB trade rumors said the Braves also wanted a bat. How about Delmon to Atlanta for Escobar? Don’t know if he’s the power solution, but a good SS and maybe Blake will hit 20…?
Valencia is the third baseman of the future. He will be ready in two years, so a two-year deal for Blake with a club option is worth it.
Hughes can’t even play third for his team in the VWL. The Twins want him there and a Twins coach is there. But he was hurting the team too much with his stone hands, they moved him to the outfield. He has no future as a major league third baseman. He’s a probable replacement for Randy Ruiz as the extra righty off the bench if there’s room for such a player on the roster.
Sid why are you even conversing with a guy named Ron Burgundy. If his name was Joe Piscopo i would believe him.
cmathewson, moving stone-hands Hughes to left field sounds like a carbon copy of Delmon, except Hughes can hit more HR’s.
BC of ND,
I’ve never told anyone before, but my name isn’t really Sid.
I know sid but you do know who Ron Burgundy is right?
Hey, Ron Burgundy is my nickname!
Valencia is the third baseman of the future. He will be ready in two years
Valencia can field 3B in the majors now.
Valencia is an average hitter at AA level now (he still strikes out too much) and way overmatched at the AFL (AAA level). The transition from Ft. Myers to New Britain brought more challenging pitching with which Valencia had a hard time. I think that he needs to make huge strides to be ready by 2010-11. If in 2009 in New Britain he puts up the numbers he put in Ft. Myers last season, then I would believe that he might be the third baseman of the future. If he doesn’t, then he will be another Plouffe in my book.
He is not a spring chicken any more (he is 24) so he better start producing at higher levels sooner than later before he is ordained as the future third baseman of the Twins…
E7,
Hughes a carbon copy of Delmon?
Except Delmon was a #1 overall draft choice who was the #1 prospect in ALL OF BASEBALL.
Hughes has NEVER been in BA’s top 30 TWINS prospects.
Not a good copy.
Ok here’s what I don’t understand I am looking at these rosters spaces that we currently need to field we are looking at a decent B average 3rd baseman. Which is fine if you like average. What I cannot understand why any team is not picking up on this is what about the Twins either trade Cuddyer and Buscher or Cuddyer and Young for Melvin Mora. The guy is a great player, probably the most underated 3rd baseman in the Majors. The guy plays on a crappy team and still knocks in 104 RBI’s. What about we take that and put him on a better team and who knows that might just turn into 120-130 RBI’s. Also granted I am not bashing Blake at all any upgrade at 3rd can be a help. But Blake is had 85 RBI’s last year thats 19 fewer than Mora and he’s in our price range why not fork out an extra million and get a career .280 hitter. I just don’t understand why I am not GM of this team!!!
Sid: true but they both are considered good hitting prospects that suck in the field. The only difference could be that Hughes might actually hit some home runs~
BC,
Sure, but I believe whatever my anchorman tells me on the Evening News.
Even if its Will Ferrell!
Thrylos98,
Caveat Emptor,
What is your point about Blake and White? How are they the same? With White it was injuries. Blake and White have nothing to do with each other. Was Casey Blake on the DL last year with a significant shoulder injury? NO
Frankly, I’d rather have Mora than Blake and I don’t think that it will cost more than Buscher and a low prospect to get. (Young + anything or Cuddyer + anything will be way overpaying) Mora has one year left in his contract and the Twins will end up spending less for him than for Blake, while receiving at least equivalent production
OK sid just checking
“He is not a spring chicken any more (he is 24) ”
Wow Thrylos now i really feel old. I thought Valencia put up some good numbers in the AFL why do you say he was overmatched?
Bubbagumpj,
Mora’s defense makes him an unlikely 3B for Gardy.
Blake can play defense.
Bubba, I like Mora too, but he is old like Blake and would cost us players. Blake is just cash…
Maybe would just have Gomez and Span play the outfield - with their speed they could pretty much cover from line to line. Then, we could do the softball thing and have either Hughes or Young play “short fielder” right behind short or second…
e7 maybe check the stats:
young at 18 hit 25 hr in a, at 19 hit 26 in a combo of aa and aaa.
hughes at 20 hit 7 in a, at 21 hit 4 in a+, at 22 hit 9 in aa and at 23 hit 18 in aa and aaa.
not sure how you figure he would be a great power hitter and so much better than young?
What is your point about Blake and White? How are they the same?
Older veterans signed (or about to be) to 3 year contracts.
White passed the examination of the Twins’ doctors, played in more games with the Twins in 2006 than with the Tigers in 2005, but his numbers dipped to .246/.276/.365.
Blake did not spend much time in the DL the last 2 years (unlike RW the years before he joined the Twins) but sat down a couple times last season for a week at a time with “lower back tightness”. In 2006 he missed a month with angle and abdominal issues. So he is not a stellar example of health. Because of his age, chances are that he will not put similar numbers last year and will severely decline in 2010 and 2011.
I am just not sure that it is a smart decision, that’s all…
Signing Blake is fine with me. But, then I think the Twins should try to obtain Brian Roberts. I have read somewhere that they have tried to get him in the past?
I would then shift Casilla to short. Insert Roberts in the 2 hole and move Casilla down in the order.
This soldifies the Twins up the middle and solves the opening at SS.
It would also give the Twins insurance just in case Span has the sophmore jinx at the plate. In that case, you could then shift Roberts to leadoff and move Casilla to the 2nd spot. It gives them options.
What would it take? Harris( if Blake is signed ) and one of our pitching prospects in the minors. I’m not sure, but he could be worth while to pursue.
. I thought Valencia put up some good numbers in the AFL why do you say he was overmatched?
.209/.254/.270 0 HR, 5 RBI, 7 BB, 25 K in 115 AB are not good numbers in any level
Old, so you consider a 36 yr old hitting 104 RBI’s and has a way better batting average than Blake will have. He’s the same age as Blake, so whats the difference, you would rather have Blake for his defense then a bat that can drive in runs. The last thing I checked Offense in baseball is a hell of alot more needed than Defense. So all those times we had runners stranded in scoring position or we lost by at least 1 run which was like ten times last year you would rather think that Defense wins games. Sorry buddy but this isn’t football defense in the MLB doesn’t win championships and I would rather take a mediocre fielder and have a great power hitter for four or five years than the other way around.
Thrylos:
You need to break out Valencia’s AA hitting by month. He struggled the first two weeks after his call-up, going something like 2-24. After that, he hit like ha had in A+. He was the team’s best hitter in August, and that includes Luke Hughes. He’ll probably start back in New Britain and angle for a midseason call-up, as he has done the last three years. If he stays on that track, he’ll be ready sometime in 2010, perhaps for a September call-up.
Blake
Mora’s defense makes him an unlikely 3B for Gardy. Blake can play defense.
2008
Mora: .960 FP, .777 ZR
Blake: .957 FP, .768 ZR
I don’t think you can pay too much attention to the AFL. It’s a few games in a foreign environment. Some guys struggle with that, others thrive. Valencia’s history is to struggle for a couple of weeks until he gets comfortable with a new team. Tolleson put up great numbers in AFL, but I would bet $100 that Valencia will have the better career.
thrylos your right i got him mixed up with Tolleson.
GGG, sorry my attempt at a little sarcasm. Maybe even Hughes with less HR’s in his minor league career would hit more than Delmon has in his major league career. Bottom line is I don’t think either one is our silver bullet when they are half a player (no defense).
i’ll let this go after this post, i promise, but may twins management have learned from last offseason:
if smith had done NOTHING in the offseason, the roster would have featured:
rotation: Santana, Garza, Baker, Perkins (and then Liriano with Perk back to pen) and Slowey/Blackburn. Santana/Garza/Baker would have been quite the playoff rotation, no?
Span as all-year centerfielder, Bartlett at ss, etc.
And now they’d have the draft picks after the other new york team signed santana this winter.
So, on one hand, you get a world series shot and a couple of top draft choices, while on the other you lose Bartlett and Garza but get Young and Gomez. Tough call.
May they follow the taoist way this offseason and do little to gain a lot.
for bp, Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster. The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others.
are the white sox into full rebuilding mode?
The fact that DY hasn’t been a real power hitter has very little to do with power.
He has fantastic bat speed and has hit some monster shots.
He is several swing corrections away from becoming a real power hitter.
Whether he will make those corrections is unsure, but to compare his actual “power” to that of Luke Hughes is ridiculous.
I would be ok with Blake at third as long as that was not our only move of the off season. But as we all know if they sign Blake that is probably the big splash that management thinks they need to make to keep the fans paying for tickets.
If they sign Blake and go out and trade for a Hardy or a 2 bagger and slide Casilla to short, that would really be a sign that they are serious about contending next year. Not that this core group of players isn’t good or good enough to win the division but at some point you can’t be satsifed with just winning the division.
thrylos98,
Blake is a better fielder than Mora - FPA difference of .003 has no significance.
Tolleson put up great numbers in AFL, but I would bet $100 that Valencia will have the better career.
In 2002 Ryan had 2 players who were arbitration eligible and played the same position (DH), but money to keep only one of them. He placed his bet on LeCroy having higher upside than Ortiz and we all know how that went
“The fact that DY hasn’t been a real power hitter has very little to do with power.”
Correct, it has to do with the gray matter between his ears and his own stubborness to change. Ultimately, these may be bigger issues long term for Delmon than any physical ability or shortcoming. He’s kept his temper in check and should be commended for that, but I don’t think management would say he’s the most coachable guy.
sane,
I am not even looking at the FP. Zone rating (and revised zone rating), both last year (.777 vs .768 ZR) and career-wise (.769 vs .749 ZR) shows that Mora is at least similar if not a better fielder
gobbledygookguy: Yes, I think the age has caught up with the Sox. Time to re-build. They say Ozzie is better with young, hustling line ups than the slow, lumbering type. This is his and Kenny’s chance to rebuild and re-mold. Rebuilding will have to work or it will finally end up driving Ozzie nuts and out of Chicago.
Can someone tell me why we pitched to Thome in the 1 game playoff. If we put him on base he is slow and would clog up the running game. He only hits HR’s. Why did they pitch to him? Casey Blake would be awesome for the Twin’s
Sane,
I agree on DY. I think we need patience with him. His stats, at the plate, were solid in 3 of the last 4 months last year. If he can get it going early next year, his numbers will improve. Maybe he should start spring training right now to get him warmed up, LOL.
AG,
Well said, the Twins need to add more than just Blake.
malachy - good post. You’re right, we would have been better without Billy’s off season moves. Unless Santana’s swan song would have been too much of a distraction. I’d take the players we lost over the ones we got. Garza/Bartlett over Young, Span over Gomez, etc…
That line up and rotation you posted would have pushed us over the White Sox - and even the Rays since they would be without a couple key players.
Any way to go back in time…?
Hey Ron Burgundy,
Your source pooped in the refrigerator and ate a whole wheel of cheese. I’m not even mad… that’s amazing.
young hits like the twins hits. line drives, hit the other way, that is how vavra coaches. he hits a lot like mauer, only mauer has more plate discipline. i’m sure if young changed to a hr type swing he has the power to do it, but would probably hit 25-30 hr’s, strike out 150 times and have a .250 ave.
you don’t find many guys who hit 25-30 hr and have a .290 ave.
[…] Around the Majors – […]
Can anyone tell me what that thing that was growing off of Mark Mcgwires neck was.
columbo, Delmon might evolve as a hitter, but he is only half a player (terrible defense). If you are going to be that bad a corner outfielder, it helps to be a hitter like Manny.
Delmon will probably get better as a hitter, but should be a DH. He doesn’t hit enough HR’s to be a full-time DH yet, might have to platoon with Kubel.
…Or better yet, trade him to another team that thinks he’s a 5 tool player with a high ceiling and get a great SS in return.
I love the hindsight that is “Span would’ve been in CF all year.”
Throw that possibility out there at the end of 07 season and suggest it was a good thing? Yeah…you’d have been run off the blogs faster than somebody name “Nick Punto’s My Hero”.
Face it, Bill Smith doesn’t have a Crystal Ball. Had he known that both Casilla and Span would’ve rebounded in 08 like they did…it may have changed things a lot.
That’s why the Twins were looking for somebody like Ellsbury/Cabrera/Gomez in a Santana deal…becaues they had 0 faith in Span.
And neither did most of these blogs (myself included)
We should keep the skippers little buddy!!! He is the most athletic Twin in Minnesota Twins history
Thrylos, LeCroy was not arbitration eligible until 2004. I agree that letting Ortiz go was a mistake. It would be similar to nontendering Kubel at this stage. But what does that have to do with Valencia and Tolleson?
E7,
Agreed…DY is not the best fielder. Though, if your going to hide someone in the outfield, the best place is leftfield. Maybe he will take over for Kubel down the road…if he develops into a power hitter. I just think as a hitter ( at his age )we need more time to evaluate him.
T,
Span was going nowhere and with Torii leaving, the Twins were forced to 1) take Pridie in the Garza trade, and 2) include a centerfielder in any trade discussions with the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets.
. But what does that have to do with Valencia and Tolleson?
Choices (and bets).
At some point the Twins will probably have to chose between the 2 of them. And they are different players (one is a middle infielder and the other a SS/2B).
You are willing to bet that Valencia will have a better career than Tolleson. I might actually take you up on that bet, but you should define what you mean by a “better career”. A couple comments up there, someone wants to trade Delmon Young for a middle infielder. I am willing to bet that Delmon Young would have a “better career” than any middle infielder he would be traded for (if defined in terms of career RBI, HRs, etc) and it will be a pretty good bet. If “better career” is defined as a combination length of play in the majors, awards won, all star selections etc., I would say that at this point Valencia and Tolleson (even with Tolleson about 9 months older) have about the same probability of bettering each other (with Tolleson actually a bit ahead) based on performance at the same level of play…
Next year I want Punto to start sliding into the dugout after each inning
head first with thumbs straight out no doubt…
I hate to keep bringing this up, but you have to consider Delmon’s ankle injury when you discuss his fielding ability, most of which centers around how he looks running. An ankle injury is especially tough in a game like baseball where you are standing around for long periods then have to break for a ball. It’s not like basketball where you are moving around constantly and you can keep an ankle loose. I’ve stayed in games for whole quarters with no treatment after spraining my ankle. As long as you keep moving around, you can do it. Once you stop, however, then you’re in for it.
When Delmon had time to move under a ball, he stepped gingerly and looked awkward. When he had to cover ground and turn it on he looked fine (like when running the bases).
No one slides quite like the great Captain Dirt
Nick Punto’s My Hero: Now that was funny… LOL
We should also require Delmon Young to run into the side of the dugout after each inning…
DY runs like the guy competing in the javeline throw on Revenge of the nerds
Walter, the ankle sprain makes a difference I’m sure. I was only a junior college left fielder so I’m no expert…but Delmon just seems hesitant and stiff. The ankle probably had something to do with it, but even early in the season he looked like an aging fielder already.
I’ve seen it posted that he has gained some weight in the last year and although I’ve never seen him on a scale, the pictures seem to indicate that trend. He has a big frame and the lumbering style can’t get better with age, especially if he takes after Dmitri at all.
I think when you have extra outfielders, a guy like Delmon could still get his 500 at bats but with much more time at DH. Its not like Kubel is the second coming of Dave Ortiz. They could share a lot more.
…still if I could trade Delmon for a proven shortstop like Escobar, I’d do it. Unlikely to happen, but that would alleviate the surplus outfielder and fill a huge infield need.
are the anti young people the same ones that didn’t like garza because he “was a head case”, “won’t take coaching”, or is a “cancer in the clubhouse”? seems like the same negative things said about young were said about garza the yr before. i’m just not sure it’s the same people.
Delmon’s lack of power isn’t due to hitting the other way too much with line drives. He hit the second most ground balls of any MLB hitter last year (as a percent of balls in play). It’s hard to hit HRs if you hit the ball on the ground.
Nick Punto’s My Hero: I’m dying here now…Diet Coke about came back through my nose on that one….
I’m afraid the batting average for Delmon goes down in 2010 when he can’t hit those dribblers up the middle on the Metrodome carpet anymore…
wonder if this is really a move to fill 3b so they can trade beltre?
Mariners signed infielder Russell Branyan, who had been with the Brewers, to a one-year contract.
No word on the terms, but it’s probably not worth more than $1 million or so. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik made it sound like Branyan would get a chance to be the primary first baseman
Unbelievable!
recent survery of who has the best America League FO:
1) LAA
2) TB rays
3) Boston
4) Yankees
5) Chic WS; Twins (tie)
of course the above is based on W/L after 162 games and not really a survey. But if you move down LAA, Boston, Yankees, and CHicago for spending their way out of lots of problems, then it is like this:
1) TB
2) twins
3) LAA
4) Boston
…..
12) KC
13) Yankees
14) Seattle
Twins for all their stupid mistakes, still have a great oraganization.
columbo: I actually don’t think left field is the best place to hide a below average outfielder in the dome. It actually has larger dimensions than right field so requires more speed. There’s also a fence to learn to time/jump. Lastly, the lights behind home plate glare directly at the leftfielder’s field of vision with medium pop-ups. I only played there once in junior college, but its tough.
If you’re going to keep Delmon and try to hide him a little, right field would be a better spot. The only trickery is playing balls off the baggy, but that’s more of a timing issue than an agility issue.
Delmon’s lack of power isn’t due to hitting the other way too much with line drives. He hit the second most ground balls of any MLB hitter last year
I’ve heard that propagated quite a few times recently, but it is not true. Just got the Bill James book in the mail, so I have access to the numbers:
Highest GB/FB ratio:
Schymaker: 2.88
Theriot: 2.80
Ichiro: 2.54
Jeter: 2.45
Yunel Escobar: 2.35
Christian Guzman: 2.15
Delmon Young: 1.98
Fred Lewis: 1.95
Greg Blanco: 1.89
Ellsbury: 1.85
Mauer: 1.74
B.J. Upton: 1.65
Reality check time. To all of you Delmon Young supporters: The guy is trouble! He doesn’t listen to the coaches. He is a lousy fielder and he doesn’t fit in the clubhouse. Would I trade him to get Barlett back? Yes, in a minute. But don’t think that the Rays are dumb enough to take back Young and his baggage. As for Casey Blake. I like him, but not at $6 Million a year for a 35 year old player. The Twins need to make a deal to get J.J. Hardy and platoon Buscher/Harris at 3rd or move Cuddyer there if they can’t trade Delmon Young.
Howry signs with Giants
Miller, Trevor with Cardinal
Thrylos, do you read the back of cereal boxes and your insurance policies at night for fun too?
TC,
You have no idea whether Delmon listens to the coaches or fits in the clubhouse, unless you are hiding in the locker room toilet stalls.
TC, I agree with your post on Delmon, but how do you get Hardy without giving up the front-end of our pitching rotation? That’s what Milwaukee will want. Yes, we need an answer to SS and more power, but giving up Baker, Slowey or Mijares would be too steep.
How about Delmon to Atlanta for Escobar. Not as much power as Hardy, but has some poke and is a good, young SS. ??
We’s still need more power, but I guess you hope Blake hits 20+ HR’s.
From what I can see Blake must be the guy we need. Reason being he was a bench player here and yet everyone remembers him, so being a good fit seems right for 3rd base and the clubhouse. We all know that they screwed up when they let him go.
sy,
Do you ever read any sport pages or listen to sports talks shows? These “expert” reporters have said the same things that I have repeated in my posting. I’ll be the first to admit it if I’m wrong about Delmon (and I hope for the Twins future I am), but, please tell me what you know about Delmon that the professional reporters, who have access to the toilet stalls in the Twins locker room, don’t know?
TC,
“Expert” reporters (a definite oxymoron) tend to favor players who give good quotes or sound bites.
Delmon is an introvert who does neither of those things.
Introverts generally don’t fit in perfectly with the frat-house atmosphere and clubhouse pranks.
I have read Vavra quotes that he has worked extensively with Delmon and his hitting improved as the season went on.
The reporters are not tracking what adjustments Delmon and Vavra are attempting to make nor how (and why) they are working or not working.
To all of you Delmon Young supporters: The guy is trouble! He doesn’t listen to the coaches. He is a lousy fielder and he doesn’t fit in the clubhouse.
TC, do you have any particular sources other than “sports pages and talk radio” (links please and of beat reporters not opinion pieces) which mention that Young “does not listen to his coaches” or that he “does not fit in the clubhouse”?
If not, it’s just hearsay, and I would suspect a lot of it has to do because of the fact that he is the only african-american player currently in the team who was not drafted by the Twins.
Prove me wrong.
thylos98 says: “If not, it’s just hearsay, and I would suspect a lot of it has to do because of the fact that he is the only african-american player currently in the team who was not drafted by the Twins.”
….?
I just Googled “Delmon Young” and “uncoachable”. I mostly get links to blogger’s comments. The sports page comments that mention “uncoachable” talk about Matt Garza.
I would think all of the talk by annoucers during the playoffs about the trade being so much in favor of the Rays, Bartlett MVP, Garza, etc., Young would take personal. At least I hope, so this off season, he is working hard and losing weight to help any ankle issues, etc…
What about Griffey for DH?
thrlos98,
So you are calling me a racist because I don’t like Delmon Young as a player? Good comeback.
Janet Griffey is old and expensive and personally I would rather have Kubel.
E7,
I have a better idea for Delmon. Instead of moving him to RF, have Young move over and play near the left field line. Shift Gomez and Span towards left and center respectively to cover more ground. Tell Delmon he can patrol a small area of left field. Better yet tie a rope around the foul pole to Delmon, so he cannot stray out of his zone…LOL
jimmby bee,
How much do you think he will sign for?
TC,
I think thrylos98 is saying the negative comments regarding Delmon that you referred to were may have been racially motivated, not you personally. That’s how I read it anyway.
Delmon’s fielding is terrible and I have never seen a singles hitter as a permanent DH.
jimmy, who the heck is “Janet Griffey?”
Janet I am not sure but his minnimum would be higher then Kubel’s. I was a huge Griffey fan prior to going to the Red’s. I am sorry to say but it is sad to watch Jr turn into a Sr.
Hey Thrylos, thanks. I had read that on espn or cnn, I believe, so I just took it as fact. I assumed (heh) that if they posted it, they’d fact check it. Oh well.
According to fangraphs, Delmon is #6 in all of MLB in GB%. He’s #3 in all of MLB among OFers in terms of GB/FB ratio.
You can’t hit HRs by hitting the ball on the ground.
I like to compare him to other OFers, not c, 2B, and SS, but others don’t agree. Everyone has their ways of looking at stats.
Look I am asking myself a question? Janet, Griffey… sorry about that self I promise I won’t do that again
Delmon Young Positives:
1) Good enough to be in ML 2 yrs despite only 23 y.o. 2)bats nearly .300 on both fastballs and offspeed pitchs. 3)has untapped exceptional (not just average) power. 4) if you give him HALF of the benefit of doubt you would any other player *cough *cough kubel *cough *cough, you would expect him to improve steadily for next few years
Delmon Young Negatives:
1) not an extrovert 2) not a great for TV and 10pm news personality type 3) not a pretty boy 4) seems only interested in the game thats going on 5) has this incident from minors of throwing a bat so is continously labelled as having a temper or being a bad guy 6) hasnt worked the media 7) hits over .300 on first and second pitches but is remembered for the .600 nonhit average.
Cant we just give this kid a break? he’s already better than Kubel and Cuddy. We havent had anyone like him since Darryl Ward.
WJ:
I still dont get it. Where is the logic in this claim? Was criticism of RoWhite also because he was an African American not developed in the twins organization?
Frankly I his comment is from left field (bah-dum - pshhhhh)
WJ:
I still dont get it. Where is the logic in this claim? Was criticism of RoWhite also because he was an African American not developed in the twins organization?
Frankly I think his comment came from left field (bah-dum - pshhhhh)
Harris and Delmon had 118 RBI and scored 137 runs accounting for 255 runs (minus HR’s).
Bartlett had 37 RBI and scored 48 runs for a total of 85.
The Twins gained 207 runs (minus Harris/Young 17 HR’s);
or a net gain of 190 runs.
This doesn’t account for Bartlett’s defense (how much better than Punto?) or Garza’s pitching (how much better than Blackburn or Perkins?)
The trade was not that uneven, and Young’s upside vs. Garza’s upside still TBD.
sorry for double post
TC,
I am not calling you a racist. As WJ said, I feel a lot of the unsubstantiated rumors about Young would have not been there if he were wight or was a Twins farmhand.
Now, there is a huge difference between “I do not like DY” you just said and that “there are reports from insiders that indicate that Young is A, B and C”, you said earlier.
If it’s your personal opinion state it as that and it’s fine and we would agree to disagree; otherwise, I’m still waiting for these reports…
Miscalculated.
255-85-17=153 run differential.
Sane,
I agree,I don’t think the trade was that uneven, it was being publicized that way - especially during the playoffs.
sane,
Please quit confusing the issue with the facts.
Regards,
GCOkemos,
No. I didn’t get the part about “not from the Twins organization” either.
All I ever heard about Rondell White was that he was a great teammate and an all-around class act. If Rondell was criticized, it was due to his on-field performance, which is the way it should be.
sane I think that DY has tremendous upside in having a high avg that will only get higher. How do you think the Twins will use a bad fielding strong armed durable singles hitter in years to come? I always wondered what would happen if Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn played on the same team. This could be my chance to see something really neat
Everyone needs to lighten up on Delmon. Forget about who you or “they” think he is, and look at who he is. Which is a young talented OFer who hits for a good average and should produce more power as he gains experience. His defense is usable in the OF, not spectacular, but serviceable. They are not dying to get rid of him, but if the situation presents itself, they would consider.
I have read many times by experts that Nick Punto is uncoachable. Does BC Beneke count as a source?
thrylos98,
It is my opinion that Delmon’s potential will never be fully realized as a Twin. I have based this on watching his performance on the field in 2008 as well as reports from insiders. As I have stated, I hope that my opinion is wrong for the sake of the Twins and their fans. I respect your opinion and agree to disagree
Garza had a greal ALCS and everyone was pissed.
He had a bad WS game and the pitch forks didn’t go away.
sane,
agreed. Another way to look at it would be by looking at win shares that equalize batting and pitching and take into account fielding
Min: Young 14+ Harris 11 = 25 + Pridie
TBR: Bartlett 13 + Garza 13 = 26
but also you have to look at the ages (at the beginning of last season) :
Min: Young 22 + Harris 27 = 49 + Pridie
TBR: Garza 24 + Bartlett 28 = 52
If you factor in the reality that if Garza were in the Team, Blackburn (who was Garza’s replacement) had 10 wins shares, the trade looks that much better for the Twins
so, the trade is looking better for the Twins by the
I’ve reached my DY limit in this thread. If you want to know how I think about him, I suggest you read this (which I didn’t write, but captures my thoughts):
http://twinsfanatnicks.blogspot.com/2008/10/delmon-young-as-trade-piece.html
One good quote:
“Yet, as he rose through the minors, Young’s power numbers started to wane, and he hasn’t totaled more than 13 home runs in a season or posted an especially impressive slugging percentage since 2005, his second year as a pro. What this indicates, to me, is a guy whose raw talent and physical prowess made him a man among boys in high school and in the low minors….”
If Young had put up the numbers he did with the Twins in 2008 and the Rays in 2007 for some AA or AAA team, where most players his age are playing, I can’t image how much people would be calling for Bill Smith’s head for not bringing him up. But, because he puts up the same numbers for major league clubs, he is a “disaster”.
mike wants wins Great article
Walter Johnson,
Well put.But that won’t change any minds, DY’s a BUST at 23.
Regards,
I hope DY has some back-up career plans. Maybe he can follow his dad into the military.
Gammons has an article up that points out that there are just a boatload of corner OF/DH types available as FAs and in the trade market. Not exactly a marketplace that’s liable to allow the Twins to get even decent value for Young (or Cuddyer/Kubel for that matter). I can’t advocate “selling low”.
JA, I agree with you that the Twins are probably not dying to get rid of Delmon but would consider the right deal. However, I don’t agree that Delmon is a serviceable outfielder. IMO he is the greatest liability in left field for the Twins since Mickey Hatcher.
What concerns me most is that he seems physically like someone that is 33 not 23. People age/mature/decline at different rates. I don’t see him getting better defensively at all - he moves like an old guy already. To Mike’s point above, maybe he’s peaking already as a hitter too and the power just isn’t there at this level. He may not have the “high ceiling” and “massive upside” I have seen many post.
He seems to be a lot more of a risk than he was a year ago now that we have seen him in action for a year and that is why I’d move him for the right deal.
One last thing, I agree with jimcrikket, if you can’t get value for him, you need to keep him around and see what happens.
Credit to Delmon Young: He has been a model citizen during this past season with the Twins. There haven’t been any outbursts or controversy at all, even when Carl Crawford was just begging him to start a fight.
As a fan, I want to really like the players- a little effort could go a long way to get people to cheer for him to do well. I’m convinced that if Young talked to a PR person, volunteered with kids, or tried somehow to show Minnesota fans that he is excited to be a Twin, either in interviews or through a web site, lots of us would get off his back.
Especially since he did actually have a pretty good season, considering his youth and nagging injury.
Jon Heyman, SI “says the Giants asked the Brewers about J.J. Hardy, but Milwaukee doesn’t want to move him. So Brian Sabean moved on to Cantu.”
Jon Heyman, SI
“The Giants and Marlins have discussed a trade that would send talented young left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to Florida for hard-hitting infielder Jorge Cantu. The Giants have inquired about some others who could possibly play third base for them, as well, including the Brewers’ superb young shortstop J.J. Hardy. However, it appears Milwaukee has little desire to move Hardy, making the Giants look into Cantu, who was an excellent, low-cost pickup by Florida last year. Cantu batted .277 with 29 home runs and 77 RBIs for Florida after being released by the Reds last winter. Sanchez went 9-12 with a 5.01 ERA in 29 starts for San Francisco.”
Sounds like Perkins could get it done for Cantu, Go for it.
Thanks Janet. How does Perkins compare to Jonathan Sanchez and is SF specifically looking for a left-hander?
SF is looking for the same SS and 3rd.
Sounds like they will get Renteria for SS.
I don’t know much about Sanches other than Stats which seem to match with Perkins.
So what’s the inside scoop on Cantu? Looks like he has some pop but is he a total hack in the field? Where would you play him - 3rd? I see he’s played a few positions but his fielding % is not so good.
Cantu had 95 RBI, not 77.
Also, what is his contract status - FA, under contract, arb..?
Cantu was signed as a FA by Florida in Jan. ‘08 so he must have at least a year left if they are talking trade.
Cantu was slated to move to 1B for the Marlins (he is a defensive liability at 3B) with Uggla moving to 3B and the newly acquired Bonifacio taking over at 2B. Cantu has a decent bat but he is just plain bad at 3B (.937 FP, .720 ZR; Buscher’s numbers: .938 FP, .774 ZR)
Cantu is arbitration eligible and under club control for another year.
He has a career .971 FP at 2nd.
Yeah, maybe not….
here is another tidbit about DY from the
ND paper:
Gardy is either misquoted or simply inane.
thrylos98, that link requires a PW. What did Gardy say?
“Those three guys (Gomez, Span and Cuddyer) need to play every day,” said Gardenhire, in Fargo to speak at an agricultural trade show. “Delmon is in the mix. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a talent. But to me, those three guys should be your outfield and then you go from there.”
Why is that inane?
1. You should never make negative public statements about your players (and Gardy has been guilty of that many times)
2. You should never say who is going to be your starting outfielder in December, before Spring training, before the roster is set. This smells prejudice and it is stupid not to only count but name your eggs before they hatch
3. Young outplayed both Gomez and Cuddyer last year a fact that Gardy either does not realize (which means he does not have baseball sense) or ignores (which means he is prejudiced).
Any way you cut it, it’s bad, but at least it happened in a proper forum (a bull trading show)
in regards to the potential casey blake move: i like it for several reasons.
1. he is a solid BASEBALL player. he is a great “clubhouse guy” (yes, in baseball, it matters).
2. he is versatile. you never know what injuries/slumps will occur over the course of a season. also… it is absolutely VITAL to find someone who can be give our MVP a breather from time to time.
3. our currest 3B do not fit the twins “mold”. i know that brian buscher earned the nickname “brian butcher” over the course of the season. at the time i defended him because he was the best the twins had, but his defensive struggles force the twins to find someone that knows how to field a ball. blake is old, he’s probably lost a bit of range, but he’s smart and he can make the routine plays. he will also make it a lot easier on morneau at first.
4. the platoon of harris/buscher was fine… last year. although very impressive with the glove, harris’ strikeouts (LOOKING!) were annoying and alarming. blake would be a great compliment to the lineup from the right side of the plate.
I agree totally. What purpose is there in saying what he said? All I can think of is he’s trying to play up Cuddyer to draw interest. But that would be something Smith would have had to put him up to.
thyrlos-
i find gardy’s comments about the OF situation very, very alarming. i’ll take the opposite point of view and say that this only emphasizes that delmon may indeed be a problem within the clubhouse. on numbers alone, yes, cuddy should be the guy to go. but cuddy is a team “captain”, and yes, things like that matter in baseball. just as cuddy is vital to the twins clubhouse, might delmon be on the opposite end?
i like delmon. i have always defended him and look at him with the utmost optimism. but this isn’t looking good for him.
another possibility- maybe gardy is simply trying to light a fire under the ass of a seemingly emotionless delmon young.
Cuddy can still be a team captain without declaring that he must play everyday and certainly not that he has to play everyday in the outfield.
Maybe he meant to say Cuddyer was in the mix. He only said “those three guys” need to play in the outfield.
Whatever is going on internally by a managers point of view in ANY organization should not be made public knowlege. Totally unethical.
Not to mention how it hurts the employee, but the organization as well — on many levels.
Any respect Gardenhire may have earned has just plummeted.
Jason Stark, ESPN
“The Twins and Dodgers both have essentially been told that if they’ll add a third year to their two-year proposals, they can reel in third baseman Casey Blake. It will be interesting to see whether either says yes. So far this winter, the only teams that have given free agents deals of three years or more are clubs that were retaining their own player (the Cubs with Ryan Dempster, the Yankees with Damaso Marte). The Dodgers, obviously, would fit into that category with Blake.”
Gardy has already burned enough bridges with players arranging from superstar level (Ortiz) to serviceable+ major leaguers (Romero, Lohse) to budding stars (Garza, Liriano) with his bullheaded judgmental closedmindedness. And this organization rewarded him with a non-deserved extension. If he messes up with Young, it should be the last straw…
There were several comments up there about Young being ‘politically incorrect’ with the “press” and they were fair. He is 23. Gardy is 50. If you put things into perspective, he should be held into a higher standard than people half his age (but he is not, because if he is, he will not grand interviews. Tell me the last time a beat reporter openly criticized any coach/manager in any league; I get it, they need their job, but the front office should see this and act accordingly…)
It’s a decent move to go after him but we need to remember that the flexibility doesn’t give us flexibility up the middle. If we get Blake it can’t be the only move of the off season: http://twinsmvb.com/?p=173
There is no way David Ortiz would ever come back here. He hates Terry Ryan, and although he is no longer the GM, I just don’t see it happening.
Jamie,
hate is a strong word, but Ortiz had some really choice words in his book about Gardy, Kelly, Ulger and Ryan (and he is right… he proved it in the diamond)
i wouldn’t trade gardy, kelly, ullger, or terry ryan for ortiz straight up. he was straight-up worthless while he was with the twins.
thyrlos,
couldn’t disagree more. gardy has earned the right to do whatever or say whatever he wants because it is HIS baseball team, and a damn good one year in and year out. i don’t even want to imagine the state the twins would be in without him and his coaching staff.
i wouldn’t trade gardy, kelly, ullger, or terry ryan for ortiz straight up. he was straight-up worthless while he was with the twins.
ok. for a moment let’s agree that he were worthless while with the Twins.
So you attribute his maturation into a superstar with the Red Sox to:
a. divine intervention/magic/whatever supernatural phenomenon you prefer
b. Getting out of a slap everything into the opposite field philosophy
or
c. luck
I don’t know about you, but I do tend to believe that b. was likely the case…
what do you think?
I’ve been gone for over 8 hours and I’m glad everyone has stopped posting how Blake will be a Twin. HE’S NOT COMING, please stop talking about him. He will be a Dodger…60% of the time I’m right, every time
I may be missing something but why is everyone so against punto at ss. two years ago he played injured almost all year with a rib injury or something like that, and it showed, but last year he hit pretty well when he finally got into the line-up regularly. he made great plays at every position he played.I always feel very comfortable with him at ss. I haven’t looked it up,but how many errors did he commit last year??
Wow! This proves how bad a deal the Delmon Young trade was, the Rays are now willing to rub our faces in the trade by suggesting we should give them Span for Bartlett! wow rub our face in our huge mistake from last year! i bet Bill Smith recovers
Ron Burgundy says:
“I’ve been gone for over 8 hours and I’m glad everyone has stopped posting how Blake will be a Twin. HE’S NOT COMING, please stop talking about him. He will be a Dodger…60% of the time I’m right, every time”
I’m going to hold you to that.
ortiz benefits from that big fence in left at fenway, because he can go the other way. he should thank tom kelly.
I’d trade an OF to TB, but TB would have to give up Bartlett, J. Guzman (3B hitting .947 ops in winter ball, blocked by Longoria), and one of TB’s pitchers for long relief (Niemann, Hammell)… Otherwise, I really think platoon matchups should allow enough abs for all 5 guys, with rare DH appearences for Morneau and Mauer (Keep Gomez away from tough RH, Span and Kubel from Tough LH (they hit rev lh pretty good)- when in doubt, leave DY out, lol! (Cuddyer at 3b still dances in my head- he should have Blake’s offense, and the same range, with just as good of an arm, just needs his glove to cooperate…..)
wouldn’t trade gardy, kelly, ullger, or terry ryan for ortiz straight up. he was straight-up worthless while he was with the twins.
ok. for a moment let’s agree that he were worthless while with the Twins.
So you attribute his maturation into a superstar with the Red Sox to:
a. divine intervention/magic/whatever supernatural phenomenon you prefer
b. Getting out of a slap everything into the opposite field philosophy
or
c. luck
I don’t know about you, but I do tend to believe that b. was likely the case…
what do you think?
D. = “Vitamins” (his numbers are going dooown…..)
BTW, Sanchez is a flame-throwing LH with a ton of potential, not a nibbler like perkins- AND J. Cantu is a free-swing K machine, who is not pretty with the glove- better with Buscher- who has deceptively solid offense, with the same horrific defense that Cantu would bring- if we could get cantu for perkins, that’s be ok- if SF trades Sanchez for him, they’re clueless!
1. Off-season speculation is awesome, everyone clinging to the smallest of baseball news, running on fumes.
2. The Twins would benefit from Blake, not worth arguing.
3. The Bullpen won’t be shored up in any real way other than a symbolic weak signing. The shortcoming last season was a fluke of the 24 of 30 road game streak. And don’t be so quick to forget that the Twins have a glut of pitching prospects ALWAYS. Mijares, Humber, Swarzak etc…
4. They won’t trade any piece of the 5 man, it’s just too valuable. (even though i dream of Blackburn for Yunel Escobar, i know that we can’t always count on the farm to replace a good arm immediately.
5. They’re going to sit on Young and if he develops DH him. Kubel is good, but too much of a liability against LHP. It’s too painful.
6. They’ll bring back Punto.
