Update: Twins could splurge for Penny; answer won’t come until Monday
Posted on August 27th, 2009 – 1:52 PMBy Joe Christensen
The Twins are among the teams interested in Red Sox pitcher Brad Penny and would consider claiming him off release waivers instead of waiting for him to become a free agent, major league officials told the Star Tribune today.
Penny told the Boston Herald on Wednesday night that the Red Sox have granted him his release, but as of this morning, Penny had yet to be placed on release waivers. The Red Sox are expected to designate Penny for assignment tonight, to make room on their roster for reliever Billy Wagner.
There is speculation Penny will clear release waivers and land with a National League club — with the Rockies and Marlins both reportedly interested – but the Twins will consider taking on his contract, knowing it will cost them between $1.11 million and about $1.44 million for the rest of the season, depending on how many innings he pitches.
The Red Sox tried passing Penny through trade waivers but reportedly pulled him back after he was claimed. To release him, they must pass him through release waivers, with teams in the American League getting first dibs in reverse order of their records. (This is amended below.)
Though Penny is 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA, it will be tough for the Twins to pass on him. They have serious holes in their rotation and Monday is the deadline to add players who can be eligible for postseason rosters.
Note: There are also indications the Twins are considering a move for lefthanded reliever Ron Mahay, who was designated for assignment by the Royals. Mahay went 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 41 appearances for Kansas City.
Update: Class AAA Rochester shortstop Trevor Plouffe was selected to play for Team USA in the World Cup next month, joining former Twin Terry Tiffee.
Update: The Red Sox announced that they have released Penny, making room for Wagner, but I’m told Penny won’t be a free agent until he clears release waivers. This is a key point, since there was speculation this morning that the Red Sox were trying to steer him toward an NL team.
Update: Since Brad Penny was placed on release waivers today, we won’t know his new destination until Monday, as the waiver period lasts two full business days.
Yes, Penny can refuse to join the team that claims him and become a free agent, but he would forfeit the remaining $2.6 million or so (with incentives) he can earn under his current deal. So I think it’s safe to assume Penny is headed where he’s claimed, and if he goes unclaimed, he’ll have his pick.
I received an education today on release waivers and will include more details in my story for print editions. Let’s just say it’s interesting with the Twins and White Sox currently tied in the standings. One key point is that release waivers are different from trade waivers.
If multiple teams place a claim on Penny, he will go to team from either league with the worst record. With trade waivers, the claim is first awarded to the team in that player’s own league with the worst record. And if two claiming teams are tied in the standings, the player goes to the team with the worst record in the previous year. (Insert coin flip joke here.)
Update: ESPN is reporting that the Twins might have been the team that placed a claim for Cubs starter Rich Harden. We haven’t been able to confirm this, but since Harden will be a Type A free agent, the Cubs are probably looking for decent talent in return. My take: There’s a far stronger chance the Twins end up with Penny than Harden.
437 Responses to "Update: Twins could splurge for Penny; answer won’t come until Monday"
Very interesting. I don’t see him as the single piece they’re missing, but he’s certainly an improvement over 3/5ths of the people they’re throwing out there now.
This is just sad. A guy with a 5.61 ERA would be considered an upgrade. I don’t disagree with the signing, necessarily, and I know ERA is an overrated statistic. I just think it’s depressing how far the pitching staff has fallen this year. Ouch.
the twins rotation goes from bad to worse (and more expensive).
please don’t.
So tell me again why we should jump all over Penny and his contract for a month but it would have been foolish to do that with Jon Garland?
Either way, both of these guys have ERAs which put them right on par with the rest of our starters. The difference is none of our current starters, except Pavano, make over $1 million per year.
Who’s first in line for him, the Twins or White Sox? I know the team with the worse record gets to claim, but since they have the same record, what is the tie breaking criterion?
While I agree with how sad the Twins rotation is, I do hope we get Penny and that he pulls it together for the fall. After all, he is a pending free agent and maybe a new start will allow him to make his case for a new contract somewhere next year.
Probably because Garland would be more money.
Can he play 3rd when Crede is hurt and Harris get shafted by his manager and #8 gets to play?
Considering the way Smoltz pitched for St.Louis(great!) we have to pick-up Penney if we can.Smoltz was mishandled in Boston and proved it to the Cards.Penney is most likely a similar case.Go Get Him!!
my 2:07 post was just a gut reaction.
having proceeded to look at his 2009 game log i have concluded that this guy has NO business pitching in MLB.
out of 24 starts for the bosox, only 3 has he allowed less than 2 ER.
out of 24 starts not ONCE did he make it out of the 7th inning.
oh and on a more humorous note. 2 starts ago against texas they stole 6 bases while he was on the mound. wtf?
Penny Pre/Post All Star game ERA:
2009 - 4.71/7.82
2008 - 5.88/10.00
2007 - 2.39/3.84
2006 - 2.91/6.25
2005 - 3.43/4.48
Too bad it’s not April, we might have something good to look forward to. The guy is a second half black hole.
Garland Pre/Post All Star ERA:
2009 - 4.53/4.38
2008 - 4.20/5.99
2007 - 3.92/4.61
2006 - 5.37/3.61
2005 - 3.38/3.65
Not exactly Greg Maddux but at least he’s had SOME success in the second half throughout his career. I’m in favor of Garland.
Gee, great another pitcher with an era over 5+. Just what we need
Actually I run some number and right now with his Boston numbers, Penny would be third (behind Baker and Pavano) in the Twins’ rotation
(here: http://bit.ly/1HsNWY)
but…
Who’s first in line for him, the Twins or White Sox?
The WSox, because even though they have same record, the Twins are ahead 7-5 in the head to head games…
Who are some other pitchers that could be available??
But isn’t Peavy coming back soon to solve all the White Sox problems???
Penny: 10 quality starts in his 24 starts.
Garland has 17 quality starts in his 26 starts.
Penny has gone at least 6 innings in 13 of his 24 starts.
Garland has gone at least 6 innings in 22 of his 26 starts.
Garland has been much better and much more consistent.
What happened to the infamous phrase “the front office has given us the go-ahead to add payroll if it helps the team”
Didn’t they try to get Washburn last year even though they knew he was owed about $10 million this year?
“The WSox, because even though they have same record, the Twins are ahead 7-5 in the head to head games…”
Maybe it’s a bluff to get the White Sox to take him..
obviously this blog has made garland easily available to the twins… but have the dbacks?
I don’t get the interest, or why it would be hard to pass on him. If he gives up 6 runs a game, and Swarzak gives up 7, do the odds of a Twins victory really change?
Jason -
“So tell me again why we should jump all over Penny and his contract for a month but it would have been foolish to do that with Jon Garland?”
Because Garland is under contract for next year - and would have a $2.5 million buyout. Garland would cost more than twice what Penny would.
“I don’t get the interest, or why it would be hard to pass on him. If he gives up 6 runs a game, and Swarzak gives up 7, do the odds of a Twins victory really change?”
To a team that has averaged over 5 runs a game in August, yeah - it does increase the odds. Fewer runs allowed give your team a better chance to win. Period.
Plus, nab Mark Redman (he is a free agent) and you got 3/5ths of the starting rotation (and the backup catcher) of the 2003 WC Marlins
ES16, that is the dumbest thing I have heard, a bluff to force the White Sox hand to take him? Why would we want them to take him? Would the Twins brass be sitting around the round table laughing at the White sox because they were able to bluff them into taking Penny?
A washed up schlub with a 6-ish ERA? Sounds like Twins material to me.
Yeah… I dont like this either
Let’s be honest. I love the Twins, but even if we do make it to the playoffs this year, we will not do anything, the other teams are too tough…lets begin looking at next year and trying to add some long term players. Get Hardy, Webb, Figgins. Think about this:
Span CF, Hardy SS, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer LF, Valencia 3B, Young RF, Figgins 2b
Pavano, Webb, Baker, Slowey, Blackburn
Pen: Nathan, Neshek, Bonser, Perk, Guerrier, Mijares, Slama
REALLY? DON’T GET THE INTEREST IN HIM? Try Gabino again? Or bring up Swarzak and try him again? Give Dickey a shot? Manship? Humber? If this isn’t a guy the Twins should go after than who should they go after? Garland? fine give it a shot.
When you are forced to start Armando Gabino because 3 of your pitchers are on the DL you take a chance on someone like Penny or Garland.
Oooooooh mah Garshk. Brad Penny. I have a Dodger shirt with his name on the back. I could simply iron a Twins patch over the front of the shirt.
I’d rather have Penny on the mound in September than some guy name Gambino.
Mighty Casey-
I believe Garland has cleared waivers and is available to be traded.
JK,
I was kidding.
No, it’s Garbino, just ask Bert.
JK-
The Twins have a hard enough time signing ONE decent player in an offseason. What makes you think they are going to go sign four? (I believe Pavano is a free agent at years end)
B-Good,
Bert also said Ty Wiggingson last night…
ES, really? Sounds like you are back pedaling. But good one though (dripping with sarcasm)
JK,
Nice defeatist attitude. Don’t watch the rest of the season then.
I’m tired of all these people who post line-ups with a bunch of people the Twins will never get.
If it’s only for one month i say go for it what have they got to lose.
B Good, we can dream can’t we? Think of the possibilities with a line up like that! Then our manager can play head games with them, be inconsistent with the lineup and threaten to have LNP take their place because he is a baller. But the good news is, it will be outdoors.
Under the circumstances, Mahay could be a good pickup for the bullpen. For one, he’s another lefty. He has lots of experience and would be an improvement over the inexperience out there now.
But it would also mean having to make a trade with the Royals, which I don’t believe has EVER happened.
Bad to expletive.
How do you know ES? Hardy is a possibility! As for the rest of the season, do you think we have a chance to do anything in the playoffs? We can be the T-Wolves and be one and done with this line up! What does that do? Extend the season one week longer, with embarrassing results (remember Oakland). Why not try and do something? And why not look ahead. Maybe defeatist, but looking ahead as a realist.
Stop analyzing this situation like it’s a long-term stategic move. The Twins need starters to start games. He is no more/less likely to pitch for a loss than any of the other guys eligible for these rotation spots. The difference to me is that he’s an outsider, who won’t be around next year, and I don’t really care if he gets beat up and is forced to finish a blowout that he started even if he has to pitch 120 pitches to get there. I don’t want that heppening to the young guys.
Grab him . . . and pick up Garland as well. Both cheap for the rest of this season. I’d rather have a Baker/Pavano/Penny/Garland/Blackburn(?) rotation than the garbage we’re throwing out there right now.
We will never make the playoffs or my name isn’t Waylon Gardy!
Punto is better than Hardy people
the Twins are considering a move for lefthanded reliever Ron Mahay,
hmmm…
.318/.348/.773 Detroit Tigers’ team line against Mahay
.375/.438/.607 Everyone’s line against Mahay after the AS Break.
No thank you. Get Delaney/Slama up before that
Let’s hope they go for it - there’s nothing to lose except about a million bucks of the team’s payroll. He couldn’t possibly lose any more games than the combination of Gabino, Manship, or Swarzak.
For everyone who slams the FO, at least it sounds like they’re trying to improve the team. There’s little else to do at this point in the season.
I hope that was a joke Casey!
Let’s not forget Garland pitches in the NL West, a division built on pitching, where as Penny has been facing NYY and TB all year.
Is it possible that Penny’s ERA is that high because he plays in a strong division? Imagine what any of our starters’ ERA would be if they played in the AL East.
Steve, they can be slammed, because this is a little too late. They wounds are gaping and band aids will not work. They should have done something during the season when it mattered. Again, look at what should have been done earlier than giving them kudos for trying something a little too late.
Punto is better than Hardy people.
Hardy people are great..they are tough and can withstand many things. They are survivors.
Hardy is a power-hitting SS without power. He strikes out a lot. He has zero base-stealing capabilities. He struggles defensively.
Sounds nice though, until you think about it logically.
I admit he still may be better than Punto 
“we can dream can’t we?”
Yeah, but tell your dreams to your shrink.
Don’t annoy the public.
JK,
And whom do you suggest we dangle in front of the Brewers’ managment to lure them into trading Hardy? Delmon Young? How about the ever popular trade bait of Humber and Mulvey? Or wait, I’ve got it, how about Liriano or Perkins? Give me a break.
I’m sure Garland would be like another Blackburn/Pavano/Gabino. At least Penny is more of a power pitcher, which I really feel like is what the Twins are lacking. I understand that Garland has the better ERA, but Penny has been somewhat unlucky this year.
Punto is better than Hardy-if you are talking about looking liking a moron diving into first base or bunting.
Penny can pitch deep into games and save the pen a lot of work even if he does give up a few runs. Beter to have him pitch in the 5th, rather than Kepple, Crain and Manship and co.
There’s no harm in claiming him. What’s a million bucks to a team $15 million under budget? Trust me, that million won’t effect Joe Mauer’s new contract. He’s only 31 maybe he can string together 5-6 good starts, which is all we’re asking. Prior to his last two terrible starts, he had about a month stretch where he was decent.
If you want an example of how bad the Twins pitching staff is, guess who has the 4th BEST ERA on the season after Nathan,Mijares and Gurrier……Luis Ayala.
@ Thrylos: I saw that on MLB Trade Rumors. I completely agree with you.
Isn’t garland something people use on chritmas trees?
If i was dreaming it would be Hanley Rameriz
If i was drinking it would be Hardy.
These blog posts are so funny…How many of you were going on and on about dump Cuddy/ How may were in the Span sucks category 2 years ago? Forget about Casilla last year VS early this year vs now. now it’s sign some great starting pitcher but don”t take a chance on anyone else. You should all be thankful you have a team with a chance. I could go on but I am sure you will do it for me.
This is terrible. We are discussing which 5+ ERA pitcher is best for the club. How about NONE. We don’t need any more of those.
ES, it will not take a lot to get him, since he is down in the minors,maybe if you followed baseball, you would have know that. and can take a prospect to get him. ES, you should know that we cannot get anything for any of those guys you mentioned, even if we packaged all of them together.
JK, keep on dreaming. If people don’t like it, they can ignore your posts.
Not real thrilled about Penny, but what are the club’s options? I know Garland cleared waivers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s there for the Twins’s taking.
Hardy is a power-hitting SS without power. He strikes out a lot. He has zero base-stealing capabilities. He struggles defensively.
Sounds nice though, until you think about it logically.
Are you daft? Or just not very familiar with JJ Hardy?
He’s having a bad age 26 season, no doubt. But he’s not ‘without power.’ And he doesn’t ’struggle defensively.’
He does strike out a bit–who cares?–and he doesn’t steal bases–who cares?
I would be extremely happy if the Twins could find a way to get JJ Hardy at SS for his age 27, 28, and 29 seasons. It would be worth any player in the Twins minor league system to try that. Any player.
Makes me wonder who it would be if you were huffing, BC.
8/26/2009 WAH WAH DO SOMETHING ANYTHING BE CREATIVE WAH WAH ANYONE IS BETTER WAH
8/27/2009 WAH WHA DONT DO THAT WAH WAH TYPICAL TWINS WAH WAH I WOULDNT WAH WAH
Regarding Hardy vs Punto: Hardy had a terrible season and still outhit Punto by a good 20-30 points with much more power. But the difference is all about age/potential. Hardy is a young player who had past success and had a bad year. There’s every reason to think he’ll bounce back and have good years in the future. It’s the same reason to start Casilla over Punto even though they have similar #’s at the moment.
Punto is a player on the wrong side of 30 with declining arm strength and range. He’s never been good offensively ranging from medicore to terrible and there’s little reason to think he’ll suddenly improve at his age. Instead, he’ll likely only get worse.
Boneyard says:
August 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Makes me wonder who it would be if you were huffing, BC.
I would stick with Punto. hmmmmmm
“We are discussing which 5+ ERA pitcher is best for the club.”
5+ is far better than 7+, 8+, 9+, Swarzak, Gabino, and Humber.
Yup, that’s about it, Too Nice. Although was that really nice?
Casey, get your facts straight, in 07, HArdy was .277, 26 hr and 80 RBI, 08 he was .283 24 hr and 74 RBI, this year, he was .229 (one reason he was sent down) with 11 hr and 45 RBI. Fielding % is around 97-98% and he is only 27.
JK,
Just because they sent Hardy down, doesn’t mean they don’t value him. They just wanted to shake things (him) up. They’re not going to give him away for a prospect.
Too nice, what does “wah wah” mean?
Classic, BC.
JJ Hardy is always greener on the other side
As for Penny, for a million+ bucks I’d take a shot. We just sent Armando Gabino out to start a game in the middle of a ‘pennant race.’
Armando Gabino. He has a grand total of 13 minor league starts in his career. Five–FIVE–in 2009. Last start prior to 2009? 2006 in the Appy League.
Teams serious about contending do not allow themselves to be put in the position of starting Armando Gabino in August.
in for a penny, in for a ?????
WAH WAH is an east coast variant of BOO HOO
Hardy might be a good acquisition for 2010 as a change of scenery type of trade for someone like Perkins (and maybe a prospect). I think that this would be a fair trade for both sides.
Well, just wait ES, you will see he will be had for prospects and low level ones at that. They really like Escoabr, but you already know that with your vast knowledge.
Wawa is an east coast convenience store…
half penny, two penny????
Are you daft? Or just not very familiar with JJ Hardy?
i may or may not live in wisconsin and watch the brewers play about every other day. male brewer fans have a strong hatred towards hardy that rivals only that of a certain nick punto. female fans love him however, despite the fact that he has been demoted to AAA Nashville in favor of 39 year old Craig Counsell and something named Alcides, who apparently is the future at that position.
He does strike out a bit–who cares?–and he doesn’t steal bases–who cares?
i care because the twins need a SS who can get on base and run around. they have mauer, morneau, kubes, and cuddy to provide RBI. they don’t need that out of the 2-hole. or 9-hole. perhaps in rochester though?
mine eyes have seen his struggles defensively. although he would be an upgrade over harris and cabrera, no doubt.
Try the apple fritters at Wawa. And the lemonade. The best, Jerry! The best!
Maybe he’ll be our lucky Penny.
t98,
“Hardy might be a good acquisition for 2010 as a change of scenery type of trade for someone like Perkins (and maybe a prospect). I think that this would be a fair trade for both sides.”
You say (daily) that Perkins is totally worthless, but you think “that this would be a fair trade for both sides”?
That is freaking hilarious!
JK,
So you think the Brewers are just going to kick a 26-year-old, who has hit 61 HRs in the last three years, to the curb and trade him for a box of balls and a bat boy?
Too nice, are you boo hooing us as fans?
“He struggles defensively.”
Hardy is an elite defensive SS. Only 2 shortstops had a higher plus/minus in the entire MLB(Rollins & Escobar).
It sure would be nice to have a SS who can throw a ball chest high to Morneau (other than Harris).
What about Liriano for Hardy this offseason? Both players need a change of scenery.
Here is a link in case anyone shows interest in a career at Wawa.
See a Penny, pick it up?
Twins have been thinking of proverbs.
You say (daily) that Perkins is totally worthless,
No. I say (not daily) that Perkins is a below average starter in the AL. The rest is hearsay… He might be a decent starter in the NL and in another team. You got 2 people who are young and do not fit their current teams’ plans. Good opportunity
Gosh ES, I don’t think I said that, but sure, whatever you say. Sorry if I added depth and stats to the conversation, but you have added nothing of worth. The state of baseball is prospects. Someone will give them prospects from A or AA, they do not want a person to sit in the minors if they can get something for him and move him. We have seen what happens to teams that hold out for a lot, or ask for too much. Again you already know this though.
Throw the penny in the fountain and make a wish. A penny saved is a penny earned.
Really?! Another ‘once a good pitcher’ experiment? Jason Jennings is now available too! Remember we were thinking of signing him from Colorado a couple years ago…ouch! Seriously, put the ball boy in before these guys!
Brewers will want pitching for Hardy, plain and simple. Not sure which combo gets it done but I wouldn’t mind seeing Liriano in those talks.
I believe I read in these parts it would have taken Slowey at least to get Hardy.
The Brewers have Hardy’s replacement already, and he’s supposed to be good. Hardy has value and would be under team control through 2011 (thanks to the Brewers sending him down a few weeks ago).
Would the TWINS be getting a Penny Pincher??
Thy, well said, seems that AL pitchers who struggle do well in the NL, and Perk or Liriano may do well in that case. Lohse is a good example
1902 - George Wood moves to rural Delaware County, PA and begins to operate Wawa Dairy Farms. The area is known as Wawa and takes its name from the Native American word for a Canada goose in flight. (Hence the logo with a goose)
Shaun,
Yes, Slowey was once thrown around for Hardy, but that was before HArdy was sent down. Liriano may do the job now
I think last offseason that the Twins would have had to give up Slowey plus a mid/low minor leaguer for Hardy who was coming off a season where he hit .283 with 24 HRs and an elite year fielding.
While he is under team control an extra year, I still feel his value has plummeted and could be had for Liriano straight up.
Matt
Nobody wants Garland. Get over it!
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Whats Penny’s era if you don’t count the games pitched against the Yanks and Rays? Pitching in that division is a nightmare!
You think Penny is the only pitcher in the majors with an ERA over 5? With the usual exceptions, the pitching throughout baseball is so crappy. Penny’s no worse or no better than most of whats out there. Go ahead, roll the dice. Can he be worse than what we’re getting on a game by game basis? As for Mahay, the Twins generally have good success with situational pitchers. Say what you will about Gardy, but he’s pretty good with those guys. Again, what is there to lose? It’s not like the team has to marry them.
Although Penny is smart, I think I would rather have her uncle’s Gadget arms robbing home runs or Gadget legs to help run out an infield hit.
JK,
I don’t think the Brewers will be throwing all of their eggs into the Escobar basket, just yet. He’s hitting a whopping .244 with three errors in 12 games.
Look at the shiny new Penny
I hear if you throw a Penny off the top of the Empire State Building when it lands it can crack concrete or possibly kill someone when landed upon.
I heard Jim Kaat was available as well.
Anyone remember Penny from Pee Wee’s Playhouse?
ES, yes, but Escobar is also near the league average both offensively and defensively at the age of 23. He will be their leadoff hitter of the future and there will not be room for Hardy. With that being said, would enjoy seeing Hardy here, could be a great move. We would probably have to give up very little to get him, because he will not play in the majors again with the Brewers.
Wawa looks like the kind of place the new president would invest.
Actually Waylon, that is not true, a penny will almost never make it down to the ground from that height without being blown into the buidling, slowing down its speed and eventually tumbling to the ground as if it were thrown from 10-12 feet off of the ground. The only way to do that would be to add a tube from the top of the building to take out the outside forces that impede the downward progress of the penny
“Whats Penny’s era if you don’t count the games pitched against the Yanks and Rays? Pitching in that division is a nightmare!”
Penny’s ERA vs. the following teams:
Bal: 7.71
LAA: 5.11
CLE: 13.50
DET: 4.50
KC: 5.40
NYY: 7.20
OAK: 12.60
SEA: 3.00
TEX: 7.15
TOR: 5.09
ATL: 3.00
WAS: 4.77
FLA: 0.00
TAM: 5.40
That’s pretty bad against every team in the AL except Seattle and Detroit.
BC and Waylon are doing well today.
this is probably what the tampabay star and tribune blog comments section looked like when they got garza and bartlett last year 
Looks like a bad Penny could turn up in the Twins’s clubhouse.
JK,
Are you an excellent driver?
Branden, don’t even start with that. I was fine with Garza, but why trade away Bartlett!? We would not be having some of these conversations!
I’ll bet Todd Tichenor would be a Penny pincher.
The Hardy boys knew what to do with a Penny
Only in the driveway, ES.
ES, I will bite at this slam I am sure you are waiting to give, so have at it.
Boneyard,
Slow on the driveway.
Got me there Boneyard, good one.
Just so you know I’m only joking.
Of course! The correction, ES. I’m getting old . . .
Classic ES! What have you added to this conversation? Any facts? Any insight? Anything of value besides showing a lack of understanding of baseball? Jokes are not even your strong suit because they are old and reused. This is still rather enjoyable nonetheless.
Boneyard, I know, sarcasm adds to these blogs, and one cannot be too sensitive. What is better than talking ball with fans.
A penny for your thoughts. If a person gets a ticket to the first game next year they can say they were the first person to ever sit in that seat.
I hear if you throw a Penny off the top of the Empire State Building when it lands it can crack concrete or possibly kill someone when landed upon.
Waylon -
Mythbusters tested the myth and concluded:
A penny’s terminal velocity is too low and its mass too small for it to penetrate human skin - let alone penetrate concrete or asphalt. Even when fired from a rifle, the penny was unable to penetrate concrete or a ballistic gel dummy’s skull. By comparison, a real bullet fired from the rifle caused severe damage to the dummy.
Well, the bullet part is from the duh?! files, but we’re only focusing on the penny.
Just for the record, JK, I think Hardy would be a good pick up if the Brewers were reasonable, which they might not be. Hardy could be a bust, but there is a lot of upside there. There’s risk in everything, and I personally think this would be a good risk for the club to take.
I’m guessing Brad Penny wouldn’t penetrate someone’s skull, but I’m sure he’d flatten it.
Please don’t waste any money on Brad Penny. Put all your money toward the “Joe Mauer Contract Extension” fund. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t do this Twins!!
Another good driver, ES.
Anyone remember Pennywise the Clown?
A penny for your thoughts. If a person gets a ticket to the first game next year they can say they were the first person to ever sit in that seat.
I was at the last game at the old Met and the first (regular season) game at the Metrodome.
Excellent, D-Luxxx.
We solve the bullpen by moving Liriano and Perkins there…
We now have Nathan, Liriano, Geurrier, Perkins, Mijares, Delany and Slama for next year
Baker, ____, _____/Blackburn, _____/Blackburn, ______
We need to fill those gaps maybe Pavano as our 5th we need to find guys that can be 2nd and 3rd sp quality. Sign Webb/Lackey…
Webb/Lackey, Baker, ____, Blackburn, Pavano
or pitchign starts to look not so bad…
Nice D-Luxxx
You’re right. There would probably be more of a crush factor than any penetration.
i beleive u forgot slowey.
Penny would be a good quick fix, he will be hyper motivated on pitching well for a chance at a little money next year. Mahay had been solid for KC although not lately and can surely outdo Humber in the pen and give us another lefty. DO both of these and also add Garland and I can see a greater than 50% chance at the playoffs.
Boneyard, it would be a good pick and a risk worth taking. WHo knows. I think if we got Hardy and went after Webb, that would help out a lot, but who knows Livan is still out there and can be had for very little.
Find a Penny pick it up.
Against Detroit he’s had good luck.
a re-hash of my August 18 post on a LENIII post:
The season is certainly over. (update: not so fast, scottz! the season is only most likely over.)
Needs for 2010, in no particular order or level of blame:
1) Trade Jason Kubel. His attractive contract makes him a great asset, as does his bat. Relieves the five outfielders on the roster problem. (update: I stand by this option, but will revise this - OF types that would get us the most value in a trade are Kubel, Cuddyer, and Span. I’d only trade Span if it were for an equal leadoff hitter at another position where the Twins lack. Someone like Brian Roberts, but I think the Orioles OF also has a lot of young talent, so that probably isn’t a good fit. Cuddy’s trade value is probably pretty high right now as well, but given he is right-handed, I think Kubel is the better trade bait. Delmon and Go-Go would not give us much trade value, so I would not want to sell low on them.)
2) Say goodbye to Mike Redmond, player. Say hello to Jose Morales. (update: this is a no-brainer. If Mauer signs an extension, then perhaps Morales or Ramos can be added to our trade asset pile, although keeping all of them would give Gardy the three catcher option he seems to prefer but never can have, with either Morales or Ramos DH’ing when Mauer catches or Mauer DH’ing when either of them catch. Keeps Mauer fresh at a demanding position).
3) Re-sign Orlando Cabrera. (update: I will also stand by this. I think he has really helped Casilla step up, and that is a very good thing.)
4) Count down the days until September 1, and if you aren’t within 4 games, then get Slama, Delaney, Manship, Valencia, and whomever else into games as much as possible. (update: looks like due to Crede’s back and some pitching deficiencies, we may need to do this anyway. I doubt Gardy would put 3B into Valencia’s hands, but I’d give the kid a chance. Harris isn’t exactly hot, and Punto is Punto. Throw him into the fire, and see if he floats, or some mixed metaphor like that.)
5) Sign an everyday second baseman, and decide which one (perhaps two) of Punto, Harris, and Casilla you want on your team. (update: I stick with my preference of keeping Harris and Casilla mainly as role players, and eating Punto’s contract. I know it is $4 million. But it was a bad $4 million. If they can trade him, trade him. I’m willing to sell very low there.)
6) Acquire a quality starter. Perhaps this is via a Kubel trade, perhaps a free agent. Whatever. Just make it happen. (update: or replace Kubel with Cuddyer or whatever. but I stick with this.)
scottz
25 man roster =
OF = Young, Gomez, and 2 of (Kubel, Cuddyer, Span)
SS = Cabrera (or Hardy)
C = Mauer, Morales, and Ramos
1B = Morneau
3B = Valencia
2B = everyday 2B (free agent or trade)
IF subs = Harris Casilla
SP = Baker, new GOOD SP (free agent or trade), Slowey, Blackburn, cat fight for 5th spot
BP = Nathan, Mijares, Guerrier, and 5 others, and I don’t care who they are if they can be relied on somewhat regularly.
Perkins has no future as a reliever!
LHB hit .350 against him!
Don’t ask for the Twins to pick up a good free agent starter. They’ll dig up another Sidney Ponson.
Bring on Pino!
Twinsfan, move Liriano and get something for him. what about Neshek and Bonser? Slama maybe, Delaney, no chance if Neshek is healthy. Pavano will probably move on. WOuld be nice to keep him, who knows
twinsfan,
add: Slowey, Neshek, Bonser, Crain and you got a huge jam…
I’d rather have a glut of pitching than not enough.
Scottz, you are willing to trade our best outfielder in Span? Who takes his place? Trade Kubel? Who takes over at DH? What about Neshek? Three catchers? At what expense (position wise)?
Boneyard…glut of pitching? We just have a glut.
oh right forgot about them
so if we did that without the trades its
Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, Pavano, Bonser? Liriano? FA ?
CL-Nathan Long Reliever-Perkins
MR-Guerrier, Liriano, Neshek, Bonser/Crain/ Slama/Delany
Trading Span for an infield leadoff hitter that is equally as effective would be ideal.
PLEASE do NOT re-sign Cabrera. He doesn’t get on base, he has no range, he has no arm. Other than that, he’s pretty much the perfect baseball player….
Six starting pitchers twins fan? Liriano is the question mark along with Perk, who knows if they will remain. I like Perk, because he is the only one with an attitude and will pitch inside consistently…until Anderson says otherwise.
Twins BP next year IMO
Nathan,Neschek,Mijares,Liriano,Guerrier,Dickey,?(Could be Crain,Keppel,Bonser,or a FA)
Twins starting rotation 2010
Baker, Slowey, ?,?,?
Also move Morales to 2b and ramos to 3b lol
trade some of those extra relievers for hardy and sign webb lackey and we look like
C-Mauer 1B-Morneau 2B-Morales SS-hardy 3b-Valencia ramos (eventually) Of-span, gomez/young, cuddyer DH-kubel
SP-Webb/lackey, Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, Pavano
Bullpen-Nathan, Guerrier, Mijares, Liriano, Neshek, then 2 of Perkins/Crain/Slama/Delany/Bonsor
I like that team a lot!!!!
JOn…again, trade Span? Our only versatile, good hitting, good range, good speed OF. Seriously, you would want Gomez, Young and Kubel in the OF?
JK-i was saying maybe liriiano or bonser in that spot
I like Perk over Liriano as a SP.
I like Liriano over Perk as a RP.
I would keep them both.
good, more garbage from other teams….i dont know about the rest of you but im sick of it
JK-we have cuddyer too
If Bonser can return to his 06 form I’d like to see him get ANOTHER chance to be a SP.
Morales back to 2B? Tough transition to go from catcher in the minors to 2B in the majors. Again, Pavano will not be back and Crain needs to go. Would be nice to get Lackey, but do we even have a chance?
I meant Cuddyer instead of Kubel. Why trade Span, again, he is our best OF, hands down.
JK,
As I said, I’d be willing to trade Span if we got an equal leadoff hitter in a position we are weak at (a leadoff 2B, for example). Gomez would take over in CF. The leadoff hitter would be whoever we got for Span. However, as I also said, I stand by the option of trading Kubel as the best trade bait for us. DH would be more “by committee” than this year, but my scenario would require the sitting outfielder (Young or Gomez) or one of the sitting catchers (Morales or Ramos) to be the DH.
Yes, Neshek can absolutely come back under the scottz scenario, assuming he is healthy again.
The three catchers is at the expense of infield flexibility. However, keeping Harris gives you 4 position backup (1B, 2B, SS, 3B), and Casilla gives you 2 position backup (2B, SS in a pinch). Cuddyer (assuming he isn’t the one traded) gives a possible backup at 1B, and in a very rare pinch at 2B or 3B. I think the biggest problem with this whole scenario I’ve laid out (for position players) is that it relies heavily on Valencia. However, given the reliance on Crede for this year and his inability to stay healthy, it doesn’t seem like this would be much different than this year.
Only players that the Twins NEED to get rid of are Punto, Redmond, and Buscher.
All 3 have NO redeeming qualities. I think they should shop Cuddy also, but I doubt it will happen.
There is no such thing as a lead off hitter who is equal to span! He’s quickly becoming the best lead off in the league. Unless you think the Twins can land Reyes.
JK, getting rid of a very good defender and leadoff hitter would not be easy. But if we were getting an equally good middle infielder and leadoff hitter, would you not be open to that?
scottz i think we train ramos and morales to be ss/2b/3b/1b capabilities…
Scottz, first, never speak in the first person, second, our Dh would suck if we got rid of Kubel. Our outfield would be very soft without a good hitter. Youa re talking about OF who currently have BA around the low to mid 200’s. Makes no sense to do that as of now, even getting a top infield leadoff hitter, which there are not too many out there. If Casilla does well, keep him and bring in Hardy with Valencia ad keep the OF in tact with all 4 and concentrate on SS and pitching.
shazel, LNP really busts his tail out there. That’s a redeeming quality. But other than that . . .
Scottz, no, not open to that at all. Who is equal, and again, look what happens to our outfield. If Span and Kubel are gone, who is a back up out there? Who do we have to bring up? Your scenario makes us weak.
Why is there still talk about that waste of money LNP? He is done, but look, we fooled the rest of the league in signing him because of Gardy’s love of LNP.
Would rather give up Gomez, but unfortunately, no one will want him.
Good posts, alot to talk about, wish we were in a different spot and talking about how well our rotation was doing.
Only players that the Twins NEED to get rid of are Punto, Redmond, and Buscher.
All 3 have NO redeeming qualities
buscher is the best hitting 3B in the twins organization right now.
JK, I’ll accept if you don’t agree, but I’m not sure you’re grabbing all of what I’m saying. I’m not saying trade Span AND Kubel. I’m saying KEEP 2 of (Span, Kubel, and Cuddyer). Trade 1 of them, as these are the only three with high trading values and we have 1 too many OF. If we trade Kubel, we don’t trade Span or Cuddyer. If we trade Span, we don’t trade Kubel or Cuddyer.
I’d have to look around to find somebody worthy of trading Span for. (I think Brian Roberts would be a great candidate, but like I said, I don’t think the Orioles have a need for another OF…I could be wrong.) I don’t think it would be easy. It also is not my first choice. Just an option that I think should not be off the table.
scottz apologizes for speaking in the first person.
we all do realize that ben sheets is on the market right?
Only players that the Twins NEED to get rid of are Punto, Redmond, and Buscher.
All 3 have NO redeeming qualities
buscher is the best hitting 3B in the twins organization right now.
what are you smoking? valencia is the best hitting 3b in the twins organization
Cubs have placed R Harden and A Heilman on waivers.
The local radio station is claiming one team has claimed both.
Harden could be intriguing long term.
Casey, I didn’t go back and look at the stats, but I’m not so sure Buscher is the best hitting 3B in the system. What are the criteria you’re using? Still, I get your point that he’s not completely worthless despite being terrible in the field and lacking in power and being slow and, well, you know.
Yes, Harden please thank you.
Both players were were claimed by NL teams according to Ken Rosenthal … Hoffman was placed on waivers and was claimed by an unknown team (Twins?)
DickyBuzz,
Ronsenthal reported that an NL team claimed Heilman an that it was not know who claimed Harden. The Cubs pulled them both back after the claim.
Thrylos 98
Thanks for the info. I am not a Penny or Mahay fan. The right SP could very well be the difference.
Scottz, If Kubel is dealt, who would DH? Gomez? Young? I probably would not agree with you, since Kubel, Cuddy, Span, Young and for some reason Gomez gives us a balance and good back up/sub etc. So I resppectfully disagree with you, because getting rid of one makes us very weak, for a middle infielder who will cost a lot more than one of these players.
Again, Prior is out there along with Hernandez, probably Milton and Scott Erickson as well (who does want to come back) They will cost less than Lackey, Penny, etc
Casey, I didn’t go back and look at the stats, but I’m not so sure Buscher is the best hitting 3B in the system. What are the criteria you’re using?
he had a lot to do with the 2008 success of the twins. his stats prove he can handle MLB pitching. moreover he was very successful with RISP… he struggled as a bench player this season before he got sent down. with crede likely out for the year i’d like to see buscher plugged in 4-5 times a week. i’ve seen more than enough of this harris guy.
Please, everyone, quit bringing up Hardy. Thank you.
Casey, Valencia is hitting .300 in AAA whereas buscher is .202
Casey is not very mighty when it comes to stats. Buscher is soft and is where he belongs. Harris can be good if Gardy took his thumb out and actually played a lineup consistently. Harris can be good with frequent starts. Buscher cannot hit MLB pitching, he was successful last year because they did not have enough on him with scouting reports.
you can certainly make a case for Valencia. Buscher hit .319 and .311 the past two seasons at AAA while he got more consistent AB. He has also proven he can hit MLB pitching, whereas Valencia has yet to do so. i wouldn’t mind seeing either everyday at 3rd for the Twins, but in the final month of a pennant race i give the edge to the more experienced guy.
perhaps your point is valid and buscher has completely tanked since last season and he is only capable of a .203 at AAA. i’d like to see him given a fair shot though.
JK-
no response. take 3 seconds to compare harris and buscher’s stats and it’s not even close who is the superior hitter. not even close.
This team is built for 2010 and has been geared that way since they broke dirt at the new park and any moves that will make a difference long term will come next year with the stadium and extra cash. We can still hope Punto is benched and we pick up a arm or two.
Alexi Casilla is sensational. Incredible how people gave up on him so fast. He has every baseball skill.
I think Punto’s bat will return. He can hit. He’s proved that in the major leagues. His fielding is second to none.
Since Cabrera will likely not be brought back, I see a Casilla-Punto middle infield duo in 2010. I know Gardy would be happy with that. The fans should be excited about and pleased with that combination.
Casey,
Buscher .227, Harris .262 you are right, not very close
Bunting - No more Punto talk, I cannot believe you even said that!
ESPN is reporting that the Twins have claimed Rich Harden off waivers from the Cubs. This is a huge move if it sticks.
Bunting, can Casilla do this all year? This is the second year he has been up and down, we cannot continue this with a middle infielder. Casilla has been helped a lot by Cabrera, and played horribly with Punto.
Buscher .227, Harris .262 you are right, not very close
if that is all we are going off of, then yes. my bad.
JK,
Casilla and Punto didn’t hit well much of this year, but they did last year. I see their bats coming back. The fielding, the range and the speed is there.
I can’t wait to hear from Ben.
Casey, 6 HR to Buschers 2, 31 RBI to Buschers 11.
Punto is hated by some people on blogs, but he is highly regarded inside of baseball. Jim Leyland, Ozzie Guillen. Lots of knowledgeable guys have given him accolades. Gardy sure likes him. He’s injury prone. His hitting is inconsistent. There is still much to like.
Ozzie is bipolar and Leyland has nicotine on the brain. Gardy is finally seeing what a team can do without this person on the field or taking swings. Do you remember the movie Lucas with Corey Haim? Well, Punto is Lucas
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Twins deal for depth at SS in the off-season. Maybe a strong AAA prospect. They lack organizational depth at that position.
If they can get a strong SS prospect for Young or Cuddyer they should trade. Both are best as right fielders, and the Twins don’t need two.
Gardy likes speedy, rangy infielders with sure hands. That is the kind of player to look for. Hitting is secondary.
What about other goof ups we have had recently, namely Breslow and Garett Jones, we never gave each a chance, especially Jones.
Bunting, it is hard to tell if you are joking with what you are saying. Because it sounds as if you are ok with getting rid of hitters for infielders who cannot hit? We already have a lot of those and you are wanting someone we already have a lot of?
JK,
Ha. I don’t know anything about bi-polar and nicotine brain.
Never saw Lucas, but I’ll check into it.
JK,
I think Casilla and Punto CAN hit. They have the ability.
Some managers like hitters in the middle who hopefully can field. Gardy prefers fielders who hopefully can hit. Having a guy who can do both well is best, but there aren’t many like that, and they tend to be pricey.
Garrett Jones was bad in the outfield. The Twins had Morneau at first and Kubel at dh. There was no room for him.
Penny, yes. Mahay, please, no.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, it looks like the Twins have claimed Rich Harden and a trade is still alive. The Twins and the Cubs have until Monday to reach an agreement and the Cubs can pull Harden off waivers if an agreement is not reached by then.
But we kept Buscher? Anyway, just thought I would throw it out there, but we cannot get it back.
Wow, if we pull of a deal for Harden, things will be looking up for the Twins next year, we would need one more veteran arm to go with a rotation of Baker, Slowey and Blackburn.
Thanks for that update, thrylos. Can’t hurt.
Bunting,
Sorry, but Punto cannot hit and it is gradually getting worse each year. We cannot go into next year with him in the line up and look at how well Casilla has done with a good all around shortstop in Cabrera. Punto made Casilla worse…just an opinion.
Only a small story on Harden, who are we giving up?
Wouldn’t Harden look amazing in a Twins uniform for the rest of this year? When he’s healthy, he’s one of the top pitchers in the majors. Then you can all stop complaining about Punto.
thry will fill us in, he is good.
JK,
I highly doubt if Cabrera mada Casilla better. Dan Gladden tried to imply this when he interviewed Casilla, but Casilla didn’t seem to bite. Casilla is a nice young man and very confident in his own abilities.
mlbtraderumors is reporting Red Sox have released Penny– so he is a free agent now.
Bunting, Just looking at the stats BLNP and ALNP. It says a lot. Steve, why would we ever stop complaining about Punto? He makes 4.5 million per year, that opens him up to a lot…well, actually we should rip Gardy and the FO.
Where does the report on Harden and the Twins come from?
MLB.com reports that it is unlikely that Harden would pass through waivers in the NL. Updated 3 hours ago.
Blaine…old news
Please post a link on the Twins-Harden story. I can’t find anything.
Bunting, go to ESPN and search for Harden, it is a small story but the Twins are said to have claimed him.
Thanks.
Sorry Blaine, read your post incorrectly.
Now Harden is a legit pitcher with legit stuff.. We will see what happens. Harden is still very young.
The Harden report is also linked by MLBTraderumors - I guess you could stop complaining about Punto because the starting staff would be shored up a little, and his 0-fers wouldn’t be as glaring…
I still don’t understand what the big deal with Punto’s salary is - you’re not paying it, and it hasn’t prevented the team from adding other pieces.
harden will be amazing…put him with webb next year!
Harden would look great in a Twins uni.
But I will never stop complaining about that overpaid bum known as Nick Punto, or as I like to call him…..”The Worst Offensive Player I have Ever Seen.”
The man can’t even lay a bunt down correctly. And he’s making that salary. One of the great mysteries in life.
JK,
If it’s the ESPN story by Bruce Levine, it sure sounded uncertain. We will see how good his source is.
I didnt think Twins went after starters unless the ERA was over 5.00?
steve it could be used for other pieces, yet we are stuck with a bench player for yet another year. I am paying for it going to all of the games abd the stadium next year. He is taking a roster spot from someone who could be more important to our team
I’ll bet the Harden story is bunk. I can’t see how he clears all the NL teams. Almost impossible.
It is gaining steam Bunting, MLB is reporting it, and soon more will be. If it is on the news tonight, that will be something! This is something to get excited about though.
The Twins just need anybody who can throw some innings. It doesn’t matter if his ERA is above 5 because our bullpen is now solid and we can hit, so let’s just get a veteran who can eat some innings to keep us afloat.
i dont care what it takes (as long as its not Valencia or a major leager not named punto, Gomez, Harris, or pretty much any of the recent triple A call ups) Get it done, you will impress mauer, and resign Harden and Mauer next off season, add one more solid pitcher and some bull pen help (mahay counts as help) we will instantly become a world series contender. This year even, Harden may be enough to put us over the top. If worst comes to worst offer him arb and get 2 other solid pitchers on the market. If u want stronger fan support for the oppening of Target field we need one or two more all-stars hopefully being sp’s for our team.
Harden ,Webb, Baker, Slowey and Blacky
Now lets get JJ Hardy, with Valencia, Morneasy, and Casilla, along with Young in Right, Cuddy in left, Span in CF and Mauersy at C with Kubelsy at DH, sounds good
Who would you have in mind to take Punto’s roster spot? Someone from the minors? He’s now a bench player who gets a start once a week when everyone’s healthy. Maybe it’s a lot to pay for a guy like that, but I doubt that amount of money will prevent the Twins from signing a free agent this offseason. It’s not like the Twins and CC Sabathia were only 4 million apart on a contract this year!
JK,
Are you talking MLB or mlbtrade rumors?
Matt, remember, we will have Bonser back, along with (hopefully) a healthy Neshek, along with Mijares, Nathan, Guerrier and Slama, along with Perk or Liriano in the pen, sounds good to me.
Bunting, trade rumors…I know, you don’t have to say it.
Right Steve, but he takes away 4 million from our salary in which I believe we are 23rd or 24th in the league, so as we all know, we do not spend money and this hurts us.
Only a small story on Harden, who are we giving up?
That’s a good question. Here is the situation:
a. Harden is a Type A free agent after this season (he is signed to a $7M contract so the Twins will be responsible for about $1.5M of that)
b. If he goes to another team, the Cubs will get a supplementary pick and either a 1st round pick or another supplementary pick (if he signs with a team with a low record, like the Mets).
c. the Cubs just got a new owner, so there is flux there.
d. The Twins would have to better those 2 1st round picks, so I suspect that the trade would be for 2 decent prospects in higher levels of the organization or 1 decent prospect in high levels (or a young MLB player) and one in lower levels to make it work. Most likely they will all be PTBNL
JK, okay I won’t say it.
thrylos at 7:34 post has more inside info than you guys can imagine. Not final until details and trade personel are worked out. Thrylos will let us know…. He knows more than all of us combined.
thrylos,
There is NO STORY on the Twins and Harden. Except one anonymous source quoted by Bruce Levine of ESPN.
Do you know of anything else?
JK, you didn’t suggest who would take Punto’s “place” on the roster, or how the Twins’ FO might better spend that $4 mil.
Of course the Twins payroll is small, but that fact and Punto’s contract are not really related.
Yeah, I know something. You’re smoking 6 kinds of whacky tobacky if you honestly think the Twins will put forth any effort to pick up either Penny or Harden. This is the most ridiculous blog topic ever. Who makes this stuff up?
Dr Don the boot shiner…Just kidding. So Thy, we don’t know if Harden is coming here or not and we would have to give a high level prospect…one being a pitcher (most likely?) Liriano? Plouffe? Not Revere, Hicks, Parmalee? Who do we have on the minors that others would want? Hopefully not Guerra (Pitcher in the Santana trade)
Yes I did Steve, who cares who takes his place. Once again, we in Minnesota have duped everyone in our prowess of talent. See Childress, TJack and Brewster
Bill, it is on ESPN and mlb trade rumors for Harden.
Thy, I know Plouffe, Hicks, Revere are not pitchers, did not mean for it to sound that way.
I’m a little confused at your football analogy. TJack is about to lose his job, and if Chili doesn’t take the Vikes to the Super Bowl, he should lose his too. I don’t follow the Gophers, so I can’t comment on Brewster…
But seriously, how would you spend that $4 mil that Punto makes?
Perkins and a couple solid minor leaguers for Harden
Do you know of anything else?
I am digging info as we speak. Need to cross reference a couple of more things and will probably post about it over the weekend, but:
a. I would not be surprised if the “anonymous source” is someone from the White Sox organization (they could have claimed it if the Twins’ passed)
b. what the Twins would give is pure speculation. Minor leagues not on the 40-man roster can move freely now (see: Hamburger for Guardado, 2008)
Interesting to see how it will pan out, because with a $3M investment the Twins can end up with 2 starters who will not only help the team in September, but might help them make some noise in the post-season as well.
“ESPN and mlb trade rumors”
It’s a ESPN reporter’s story attributed to an anonymous source. mlb trade rumors picked up the ESPN story.
mlb.com is NOT reporting the story.
Nick Punto is more likely to win a batting title than Harden pitching for the Twins.
Harden would have to clear all NL teams before the AL teams would have a chance to claim him. With the shortage of pitchers, I can’t see that happening. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.
Bunting….Listen to thrylos.
Bunting, of the teams still in the race, who would claim him and pay him? Steve, I would use that money to sign Mauer, a pitcher, a middle infielder, again anyone but him.
Doc,
I hope the story has some credibility, but I can’t see it. I’ll happily be wrong though.
Los Angeles, Colorado, San Francisco, Atlanta, Florida.
Chi Trib is saying Natl teams have claimed Rich Harden..
DrDon, you sound like Gardy and Punto, with their relationship…sorry, cheap shot. Brasky, things can happen, and this may just happen, especially if it is out there, with the Twins being mentioned. That never happens by chance.
If he is a free agent after the season, he isn’t that expensive for one month.
It would go ATL and FLO, but why, I thought about Colorado, oh well, looks as if this story is almost done, back to Penny. We could go after Harden in the offseason
I like Rich Harden over Brad Penny
ok… seems like bad news: on of my sources say that a NL club claimed Harden. We’ll see
brad penny sucks…but would make us better
JK - you can’t get all (or even any) of that for $4 mil!
why don’t you guys listen to Joe C instead of rumors on espn… duh.
harden gave us hope..maybe in the offseason, along with prior, hernandez and juan berenguer
Brad Penney does nothing for the Twins.
If your ERA is near 6.00(the last 2 years) how many innings are you really eating up..
Looks like he is a little over 5 innings a start. Humber, Perkins, Liriano, Blackburn, Manship, Dunceing, Mulvey, Straker, Smitson and Butcher can all do that…
Steve, you said how I would use it, and yes, I do know you cannot even get possibly one of those, but was saying it could be used for those signings, instead of paying someone to sit on the bench. Sorry, I will type slower and use different language next time for you.
i could live with this next year…harden, webb, slowey, baker, pavano…. that would be a nice mix and would take alot of load off a bullpen -hopefully something like this will come to be true by spring training
Mighty, nice hiney buffing with Joe C.
Penny wise … pound foolish.
i cant imagine no nl clubs claiming him..has to be numerous clubs that would be interested, imho- would be nice to get lucky on this end tho
we need to be proactive in the offseason to get this team better. Trade for Bartlett…please
Mighty, nice hiney buffing with Joe C.
it’s his job to cover all-things minnesota twins. if he says the harden thing is unlikely, i believe him.
good for you mighty…do you really think he is working right now? he probably has a life, unlike most of us.
considering he updated his blog not too long ago i’d assume he is working.
DrDon and Thrylos98, sittin’ in a tree
K - I - S - S - I - N - G!
who knew Plouffe and Tiffee were soccer players!
thinks anyone who agrees that punto and casilla are the answer to the infield should stop DRINKING THE COOLAID and get away from the COMET !!!!!!!!!!
Kubel….the first time I heard that I was to young to laugh, so I rolled over in my crib and $hit. Get a life, little boy.
With all of this talk, it sounds like we are all grasping at straws here and have similar thought patterns…the Twins (whether we like it or not) are out of contention and are becoming the desperate prom date one hour before prom to hopefully make the night special.
DRDon, clean it up, so crabby. Silence would have worked for Kubel, you gave him what he wanted.
Good, what he said was more uncalled for, JK.
Alaska…thank you, Punto is a total head scratcher! 4.5 million dollars!
Ok Dr Don, but don’t go to his level…get sarcastic…Kubel is probably playing World of Warcraft asking his mom for some meatloaf and getting ready to score at a funeral tomorrow.
What about Hardy for ss next year?
JK, you are absolutely correct…Little Kubel spewing meaningless drivel.
I’m just curious about this and I can’t even remember his name, but what happened to the hard throwing reliever that we got. I know he was sent to the minors to work on his control. Is he anywhere on the radar anymore? Is it worse that what we’re marching out there right now?
Morillo, I think.
Well, we can only wait and see what will happen with the waiver wire overnight. We can only hope for the best.
I have always been a big fan of Hardy. I am a little puzzled what happened to him this season but if the Twins could bring him in right now for a reasonable price I would do it. Punto is a good utlity player but in no way a starter and I think the love fest is starting to come to an end with him and Gardy.
Rich Harden equals pitching equivalent of Joe Crede
Justin, even for one month?
Is Harden that bad?
I’ve been posting for a while now that Harden would make a great FA target this winter.
But, I cannot imagine any circumstance where the Twins end up with Harden now.
“Thrylos will let us know…. He knows more than all of us combined.”
DocDon,
If you don’t know anything, how would you know if anybody else knew anything.
You are obviously guessing.
Thrylos,
I read that you thought the Twins should go after Ardolis Chapman (SP).
Is there any indication that they are going to make an attempt, or was it just speculation on your part?
Great another retread! Lets bring back ramon ortiz, and Livian(throw it down the middle and watch it fly 440 feet) Hernandez– twins are pathetic and oh by the way-enjoy next year, it will be the last Mauer will be with the tigh wad twins!!!!!!!
Hardy is slow and can’t steal bases. Looks like a deer in the headlights at the plate and everyone wants him. He’s got a rocket arm when he reaches the ball. He has to play half way in the out field to get enough room to react to the ball for the lack of speed. But hey we’ll take the pitching. Go Brewers!
R.A. Dickey would be a cult classic here though.
Pass on Smoltz and Pedro but pursue Penny? That is a little confusing but we are talking about Bill Smith(dumbest SOB this side of the Mississippi).
Mahay? Is that a good sign if in 41 appearances he only has 2 actual decisions? Or does it just mean he’s giving up other guy’s runs?
As far as Penny goes, the reaction here is further proof that people purposefully never recommend who should be brought in, simply because that way no matter what the FO does it can be labeled as the “wrong” thing.
Because I can assure you that even those suggesting Garland would magically find some reason to hate that move once it was made as well.
Tis the nature of the beast.
shazel: You pass on Smoltz because he’s friggin’ old, and you pass on Pedro because he hadn’t actually pitched all year.
Penny is younger than Smoltz and could come right in and pitch, where as Martinez would’ve required time in the minors.
I wonder if the Twins could sign Harden to a long term contract? If he was willing then I think the Twins should give up what the Cubs want for him.
Would harden want to sign long term with the Twins? They’re only now this season getting heavy into their new philosophy. I think the key for the Twins in the FA market will be the lock up Mauer long term. That would hopefully get the message out about the Twins paying the bills on quality players.
Smoltz bombed with the Red Sox. Compare Penny’s stats against the AL with Smoltz’s, and I’m sure you take Penny. But then again, he is John Smoltz, and he has been known to kick some ass…last decade.
I read that you thought the Twins should go after Ardolis Chapman (SP).
Is there any indication that they are going to make an attempt, or was it just speculation on your part?
Not even speculation… just wishful thinking. This team can use someone like Chapman (but so would 29 other teams)
T
I agree that signing Mauer should be the priority. If i was Mauer before i signed away the most productive years of my career to the Twins I would want to see that the Twins are doing something to make the team better. Signing Harden long term would go a long way in that regard. The problem for the Twins would be getting Harden to believe it as well.
BC of ND,
Yes, it would be nice to sign Mauer first, but it may be a case of the chicken and the egg. Mauer may want to wait and see if the Twins make any significant additions before he signs his name on the dotted line.
i think its time for mlb to have 10-15 day contracts like the nba…give some of these retreads a chance without having to sign them to year long contracts etc…sure would make things easier, i think…think theres ever any chance of this??
Your right ES16 and to be honest the rescent signings of Morneau, Nathan and Cuddy are a sign that the Twins are trying to keep a strong core of players together. The problem is these guys alone are not enough.
mj1
The difference between the NBA and MLB is that other NBA teams don’t own the rights to the players they sign to 15 day contracts.
Game day, and not much chatter or new blogs on the Strib.
With neither of Crede or Liriano, this team’s chances at post-season are almost nil.
If Blackie and Swarzak can pitch near perfection, then there would be decent hope.
Ya never know……..
BC of ND,
It may not be enough, but it is close. Think of how different this season would have been if the Twins’ five starting pitchers had pitched at or above last year’s levels. Right there, that’s the difference in the season.
romer.
Swarzak is in Rochester.
Swarzak is in Rochester until someone takes out the Garbagio.
ES16
Your right, the twins are close to being a very good team instead of just a good team. I think that’s what frustrates us all so much.
I found this on yahoo sports today and thought it was funny.
“You think right-hander Jeff Manship(notes) looks good? Wait til you see brothers Penn and Brink, and distant cousin Sports.”
BC, wait’ll you get a load of his sister, Oneups.
if this season falls short, which it really has already, i am one who would really consider the twins trading morneau. i say that only if he could bring us 2-3 solid frt liners- people we could depend on for a few years- a blockbuster deal for the twins, otherwise all deals are off. i like morneau, but the twins need better players and morneau along with mauer is not enough…the other thing is that i believe mauer will be the twins next great first baseman with morales, or ramos becoming the next catcher…i like the idea of mauer at first base that ends the pounding that hes been taking for the last few years…i know alot of fans think trading morneau is nuts, but this team has talent but needs more high qaulity people, the type that a morneau could bring and the same could almost be said for nathan, by cashing him in and going with slama, as the time for nathan to start slipping and not being the awesome closer he is now, is not far down the road….nathan and morneau are big players in this org, but maybe worth more to the twins and twins future by involving them in a couple of blockbuster trades….jmho
I don’t know what will happen with the pitchrs, but since Crede is hurt, hasn’t hit at all since the ASB, and they Twin$ could use a 3B or bench player, maybe they should, you know, DL the guy and call someone up….I really don’t get why they would NOT do that at this point. That’s a lot easier “trade” to make than some of the other ones we are talking about right now. Indeed, having someone on the bench (so we don’t end up with someone that has not played in the INF in 3 years in there again) has to be more valuable than having no one, doesn’t it?
mj1, I’d rather he move to 3B, and Morneau stay at 1B. I know it is sacrilege, but if I’m signing a guy to one of the largest contract in baseball history, I want him healthy for those 6-8 years, not just the first 3-4.
credes back is locked up according to the twins and they dont put him on the dl…makes no sense, as even if he feels better hes not going to be field ready for some time and hes as brittle as a window pane….please dl the guy and get a healthy body in here to strengthen this bench- be it huber, morales, valencia, tolleson- maybe even slama would be better than a locked up crede….
yes mike i agree, and if the twins dont trade morneau, which i doubt they will but i just think about it anyway, i hope they do move him to 3rd base if he can play that position well enough…i can see him at 1b easier than 3b, but who knows, maybe hed be a great 3b
Mauer may want to wait and see if the Twins make any significant additions before he signs his name on the dotted line.
Wouldn’t singing him long term be a “significant addition”.
Not to mention it’s tough to make too many significant additions without knowing how much will be tied up in keeping Mauer around for the rest of his career.
Because let’s say the Twins go sign some “signficant” FAs, or make a “significant” trade (quotes used since everybody’s definition is different), but then Mauer wants some ungodly amount of money (let’s say he wants A-Rod Money since that’s the high-water mark).
That’s why it’s not as easy as “sign Mauer” or “get more guys to please Mauer”. Because it has to be a two way street. The Twins need to know what Mauer wants so they can plan their spending accordingly, and Mauer needs to know what the Twins are willing to go spend before deciding if he wants to commit.
Joe Mauer will move to 3B in 1-2 years, as soon as Wilson Ramos is ready for the MLB. That kid looks really good, he’s currently in AA.
Wait wait wait…move Morneau to third? While we’re at it, why not move Gomez to 2B?
One problem with moving Mauer to 3B is he is an elite defnsive catcher. Up the middle defense is crucial. I say leave him at catcher and DH him when he needs a break.
Joe Mauer will move to 3B in 1-2 years,
Agreed. I’d move him this offseason, but it’s just a matter of time.
When was the last time Mauer played 3B at any level? Does anyone know? Of course, it would be a very easy transition for him, I’m sure, even if he’s never played 3B. I mean, playing 3B well in the bigs is easy.
Incidentally, while we’re on the topic of moving Mauer and all sarcasm aside, why not move Mauer to one of the corner outfield spots? Who knows where the club will be thin in 1-2 years?
im just not convinced mauer could play 3b well enough- i can see him as a natural 1b, almost perfect for 1b, but 3rd? maybe, im just not sure-but i do know he cant continue to catch forever
I think the Twins should try Punto on the mound. He couldn’t be any worse than Anthony Swarzak. I mean seriously, Swarzak was giving up HR at a higher percentage per pitch than guys throwing in the HR derby.
I think he’s a good enough athlete, has good hands and a good arm, that in a year or two he’d be a good third baseman.
Solves many problems, not the least of which is keeping him on the field every day in the short term, and lessening the wear and tear on his body in the long term.
It’s nice to have a great offensive catcher, but the problem is he needs a day or two off every week, which means you DH him, which means he doesn’t really get a day off, and also means you take your regular DH out of the lineup.
My point is this: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We ain’t broke at catcher right now. We don’t know for sure that Ramos is the replacement if Mauer is moved. Maybe if Ramos and Morales prove themselves, it might make sense. Also, having to sit a regular DH (unless that DH is someone like Big Papi of 2006) once a week is not that big of a deal, particularly if the pitcher you’re facing that day is a pitcher said DH wouldn’t mind not seeing. Mauer is not just a great offensive catcher, he is also really, really good defensively. we should keep that in mind.
Look, it’s not unprecedented for a great catcher to move to 3B. Think Johnny Bench. But I’d want to be sure I had a real good major league backstop to replace him first.
“Swarzak was giving up HR at a higher percentage per pitch than guys throwing in the HR derby.
The guys throwing in the HR derby were facing hitters who had ruined their swings in the HR derby.
Swarzak had to face “un-ruined” hitters.
Unfair disadvantage.
I think we should sign Nick Green in the offseason as a pitcher. He could also back up Punto at SS.
“He could also back up Punto at SS.”
That’s like being a stand-in actor for Sir Lawrence Olivier.
Mauer to 3B won’t happen in one offseason. But it’s something I’m sure the Twins would look at doing over the course of a few offseasons.
Heck, if the Twins extend Mauer, you could see him playing 3B in one or two Spring games and then again later on in the season if the Twins fall out of contention.
thrylos98 says:
August 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Hardy might be a good acquisition for 2010 as a change of scenery type of trade for someone like Perkins (and maybe a prospect). I think that this would be a fair trade for both sides.
——-
Great another guy who can’t play a lick of defense and strikes out so much that even the Brewers put him in the minors.
Shaun in Chicago says:
August 27th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Brewers will want pitching for Hardy, plain and simple. Not sure which combo gets it done but I wouldn’t mind seeing Liriano in those talks.
I believe I read in these parts it would have taken Slowey at least to get Hardy.
The Brewers have Hardy’s replacement already, and he’s supposed to be good. Hardy has value and would be under team control through 2011 (thanks to the Brewers sending him down a few weeks ago).
————-
Yes, because we all know we dson;t need any more options at pitcher, ets go get a minor league short stop!
And people here blast Smith daily…
Exactly, sane. Punto is that good.
How does moving Mauer to third, acquiring Hardy, and other position player ideas solve the real problem of the team: STARTING PITCHING?
I heard that old Lawrence could “pick it” back in the day.
DrDon says:
August 27th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
thrylos at 7:34 post has more inside info than you guys can imagine. Not final until details and trade personel are worked out. Thrylos will let us know…. He knows more than all of us combined.
———-
No, he doesn’t. But its nice to see he has a pet.
How does moving Mauer to third, acquiring Hardy, and other position player ideas solve the real problem of the team: STARTING PITCHING?
How do any of those things PREVENT addressing the pitching?
It doesn’t, Chief. At least I don’t think so.
Derek do you ever get the feeling your living in the past?
This just in, Chief. Moving Mauer to 3B will affect the ocean tides. That is why the Twins have resisted doing so to date. Also, acquiring Hardy could negatively impact relations with North Korea (as if they’re not bad enough already). So, it’s pretty easy to see how if those moves have such global implications, they could easily prevent the Twins from acquiring more pitching.
Is this potentially the worst Twins rotation since the mid-90’s? Baker is fine, and then…. Potentially 2 mlb rejects in Pavano and Penny/Mahay and at the moment some combination of Humber/Duensing/Gabino/Blackburn/?
This organization spends years putting together some of the best pitching in baseball, only to let it slip away as they improve the once wretched offense to respectability. Its like playing tug of war. Probably just a money thing. But its like they sat up there in 2006 and just said, “Alright, we need to get some bats on this team… screw it, we’re all in.”
What if Valencia turns out to be the next Mike Schmidt? Then where would they move the brittle 26 yr old Joe Mauer?
All those suggesting Mauer move to 3B are forgetting one important fact: Mauer doesn’t want to move out of the catcher position. I would say that unless he has a knee or other injury that prevents him from catching, he will be a catcher for much of his career.
Not to mention, how do you know he would be a decent infielder? There is no relation between being a good catcher and being a good 3B.
Not to bash the guy, but everything I’ve read on Valencia suggests he will be under average in the MLB. Granted, I’ve never seen him play.
As for those worried about losing a great defensive catcher, Ramos’ defensive skills, 50 games into his MiLB career, were compared to Pudge Rodriquez and he continues to show tremendous skill behind the plate.
He also has been a great hitter at every level so far… Mauer looks atheltic enough to play 3B, but who knows.
That’s what I would do if it were up to me.
Thank you for your 1:07 post, BC.
MLB Rumors is saying the Twins are close to a deal with Mahay.
Your welcome Boneyard. I agreed with what you said earlier about never knowing from year to year where the weak spots will be.
On second thought, BC, based on bloggers’ evaluations of Valencia and Ramos in the minors, the Twins should absolutely move Mauer to 3B, nominate Ramos for the All-Century Team at catcher, and trade Valencia to an unsuspecting team for a bucket of balls and some pine tar. Get ‘er done, Bill Smith!
Derek,
Present a better option than JJ Hardy. Yes he’s in the minors NOW but he still has upside and the added bonus of an extra year of team control.
It’s very interesting to listen to some bloggers on here. Some will never be satisfied. penny and/or harden would be upgrades to our rotation no matter how you look at it. you can’t realistically have a playoff push with several rookies in the rotation. penny and harden have both been there before, and they would help down the stretch. if we really want to try and make the post season, i think we would have to get one of those two..but it’s frustrating reading some of the posts on here. people want bill smith to make a move, then when he does it’s not good enough. if he doesn’t make a move, people say he should have and dropped the ball
Boneyard i have a better idea they could move Valencia to catcher and Mauer to 3B because we fans think they would be better there.
With Mahay coming in, I would guess the Twins would get rid of Humber. He’s been worthless in every opportunity they’ve given him.
But then where would Ramos (otherwise known as the Second Coming of Pudge Rodriguez) play? 2B? No, that’s where Morales will play. Arrrgghh!
ES16
Do you think that Mahay would help just because he’s a veteran?
Mahay could help because he’s ambulatory, breathing, has actual experience in the big leagues as a pitcher, and has an ERA under 5.00, which is more than you can say for most of the staff right now.
Mahay deal is done. Twins will pay him less than $100,000.
Well at least this won’t cost the Pohlads anything, thank god for that.
Boneyard,
I agree. Plus, I’m sure playing for a crappy team like the Royals has an effect on his performance. He might pitch better with something to pitch for.
At least this won’t cost the Pohlads anything, thank god for that.
twins aquired Ron Mahay according to mlb trade rumors and Buster Olney
double post
Well i guess you have to Mahay while the sun is shining.
That’s the spirit, BC, although I doubt there’s as many Mahay puns as there were Penny puns, but we’ll see.
If Ramos is such a great player why would we want him to get beat up? We’d better move him to 3B as well.
Mahay could help because he’s ambulatory, breathing, has actual experience in the big leagues as a pitcher, and has an ERA under 5.00, which is more than you can say for most of the staff right now.
This. You’re not going to find a Rivera type closer, or a Sabathia type starter on the waiver wire this time of year.
But what you will find is plenty of options that are upgrades to our current crop of minor league fillers.
And to those of you saying “Nothing can be worse than *insert player*” well here who have it. Somebody who isn’t *insert player*
Ron Mahay was totally good in 2004
all right Bill, I’ll consider this a nifty aquistion if you go out and get a starter (or two) to go with him. (im worried bill will consider this done).
What’s interesting is that it’s now twice this season that the Twins have dealt with teams within the division (albeit through waivers)
That’s something we didn’t see much of during the TR days.
There you go, Beenny. Ramos and Mauer could platoon at 3B.
all right Bill, I’ll consider this a nifty aquistion if you go out and get a starter
Why stop there? Why not only consider the starter nifty if Smith also goes and extends Mauer’s contract.
But then, that’s only nifty if Smith also releases Nick Punto.
Which if course is only nifty if you give a mouse a cookie.
There you go, Beenny. Ramos and Mauer could platoon at 3B.
But then who would catch? The Twins would need somebody reliable, but not too expensive should he get hurt.
How about Mike Redmond?
Excuse my fat fingers, Benny. That misspelling was a total accident. Sorry.
Not Redmond, T. He’s too old and liable to get hurt easily behind the plate. How about Harris?
Oh, wait, I forgot. Valencia is behind the plate. Duh.
Redmond can play 3B and Mauer could move to SS. I think they should covert Ramos to a pitcher, but they could let him hit on days he pitches.
Oh, wait, I forgot. Valencia is behind the plate. Duh.
What about making Morneau the catcher? He used to do it in the minors didn’t he?
Well i guess you have to Mahay while the sun is shining.
Clubhouse PoD leader.
How about switching Mauer and Cuddyer? How different can throwing out runners be to gunning down guys from RF?
Convert Punto to pitcher. And I’m only half-joking.
any guess how long it takes for joe or len3 to have a mayday story up?
BC’s 1:43 Mahay while the sun is shining was awesome. I’m jealous.
Can anyone explain Punto’s lack of arm strength? I’m not trying to rip Punto here, but I thought he used to have a very good arm. Now on every throw it seems like it’s headed for the dirt right in front of Morneau. It seems like his strong defense (the one area he has proven to be major league caliber) is starting to turn into a liability. Any thoughts?
“But then who would catch?”
With the current starting rotation, no pitches are getting through to the catcher anyway.
Leave it vacant.
matt,
Maybe it’s just a lack of confidence and he’s not throwing as hard for fear of throwing the ball away.
“Can anyone explain Punto’s lack of arm strength?”
After arm-wrestling Gardy for his playing time, he has nothing left for the game.
Matt,
Actually Punto has a rifle arm. However, he has to throw soft like that, because if he threw the ball as hard as he could, he’d break Morneau’s hand.
sane, I don’t think that’s what Punto was doing with Gardy for playing time.
BC’s 1:43 “Mahay while the sun is shining” can’t be challenged.
Creativity is unsurpassed in the history of the award or the Academy.
Definitely Oscar-worthy.
btw, what is the name of our statuette?
Oscar?
Emmy?
Tony?
Potty?
Maybe Punto’s arm is tired from signing autographs after the game.
Sane,
A “Nicky”.
How about “the Pohlad”?
Much better, ES.
btw, what is the name of our statuette?
I recommend the “Chiefy”.
I would like to thank all my fans, the acadamy, and especially farmer Olsen for explaining to me when the best time is to “Mahay”.
If the award is a “Nicky”, the statuette can be a full-size Punto likeness.
Easy, BC. Keep the speech on the teleprompter. You’re the ‘clubhouse leader’ but you haven’t won yet.
It’s going to take a monumental effort to top your entry though, I grant you.
If the award is a “Nicky”, the statuette can be a full-size Punto likeness.
Ha!
But can we afford to pay $4M every year for our award?
BC of ND: You like me, you really, really like me!
“Splurge.” That’s funny. It’s $1.2M in a six BILLION dollar landscape; it’s $1.2M in relation to the Twins $175M in total revenues.
It’s hardly “splurging.”
“If the award is a “Nicky”, the statuette can be a full-size Punto likeness.”
That’s not much of a statuette.
Good one on you 2:32 post, WJ.
The “Nicky” statuette should portray a head-first sliding Punto, with the 1st base umpire already walking back to his position after the “out” call.
“Twinkie Town” blog headline (below) would be a strong PoD contender if not for BC’s entry, and if not for, uh, y’know, not actually being posted here and all…
“If it’s Friday, it must be roster move day.”
You guys are on a roll today-makes it easier for me to laugh when my boss asks why we spend more for hurricane strength windows! (as I look at the gulf right now)
LEN reporting that the Twins obtained Jon Rauch from the D-Backs. No mention of Mahay.
“The “Nicky” statuette should portray a head-first sliding Punto, with the 1st base umpire already walking back to his position after the “out” call.”
Or it could be a likeness of Punto walking back to the dugout with his head down, after striking out.
It has to be the head first slide; that would really portray how Nicky busts his tail out there.
“Rauch and Mahay in one day”
Rockin’ Mahay!
What a great day.
When do we play?
All the way, hey!
Whadda you say?
Rockin’ Mayhay!
(repeat chorus)
“Rauch and Mahay in one day”
Rockin’ Mahay!
What a great day.
When do we play?
All the way, hey!
Whadda you say?
Rockin’ Mayhay!
(Bridge)
Into the fray
Rauch-sie and the ‘hay
Into the fray
Can they go every day?
Into the fray
hey hey hey
Into the fray
Wait…what’d we pay???
Good job, Chief!
We are (potentially) Elton John and Bernie Taupin……only STRAIGHT!
Elton John’s GAY??!!
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
This was posted 90 minutes ago. Smith is a busy boy. Good to see.
ESPNChicago sources confirmed reports that the Minnesota Twins were awarded a waiver claim on Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Rich Harden, and that the San Francisco Giants are the team that was awarded a claim on right-hander Aaron Heilman.
In both cases, the teams have until noon on Monday to agree to a deal. The Cubs can also let the players go for the waiver price of $20,000 or pull either player back from waivers.
Players reclaimed by the team that put them on waivers are not eligible to be put back on waivers for 30 days, rendering them essentially untradeable with just over a month left in the season.
Harden is 8-7 with a 3.99 ERA this season in 22 starts for the Cubs. Heilman is 2-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 57 relief appearances entering Friday’s game against the New York Mets.
Elton John’s GAY??!!
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Why would there be anything wrong with being happy?
I just scanned and didn’t this posted: According MLB Trade Rumors Pino the ptbnl for Pavano
