A Little Hot Stove Talk
Posted on November 14th, 2008 – 1:53 PMBy La Velle
Joe C., Mrs. Joe C., and almost-ready-for-prime-time Baby C. (due date next month) are away for the weekend. And I am finally free of writing Gopher football-related stuff to get back to baseball.
I’m glad. The football SID is blaming my presence for their losses to Northwestern and Michgan, and one elderly local sportswriter yelled at me,“you are the Kiss of Death,” moments after the loss to Michigan.
“If I’m the Kiss of Death,” I replied. “Pucker up.”
Anyway, I’ve been asked to join Mr. Phunn on The Fan at 4:20 today to talk Twins and hot stove baseball. Little did I know then that the producer also lined up Twins manager Ron Gardenhire to join us for the segment. That’s right, Gardy, Phunn and III at 4:20 today on The Fan. Should be entertaining….
Don’t have any major news to report, yet. But I’m 99 percent sure I will have a free agent update here around 5 p.m. I know that doesn’t help those of you headed for happy hour, the cabin, deer-killing or to Madison for the Gophers loss, er, game against The Badge. But I need to verifty one more thing before spewing it out into cyberspace.
113 Responses to "A Little Hot Stove Talk"
Darn it La Velle now I have to wait for that nugget…at least the Twins have options unlike the past few years. I wouldn’t mind seeing Kouzmanff here, although his walks and strikeouts are scary.
Manny Ramirez, 9 years, 250 million.
Of course, the great Ron Gardenhire who we’re stuck with through 2011 would probably bat him 9th behind LNP.
I’ve got my fingers crossed for Kip Wells!
1. Sid hasn’t had anything useful to say about Minnesota sports in 2 decades.
2. Putting your best baseball writer, no offense Joe C, on Gopher football is appalling. Gopher football is like high school sports in Minnesota minus hockey, the only people that care are parents of the players. If the Gophers actually got to a Rose Bowl, or even challenged for the Conference, maybe people would give a damn.
3. Gardenhire is a terrible in-game manager and is the reason the Twins haven’t won a World Series yet. It’s unfortunate he was re-signed. Now I am forced to count the Twins out until 2012 at the earliest.
4. The Twins need to sign Orlando Hudson today !!! Move Casilla to short, and deal for Atkins or Beltre. Also, Juan Cruz needs to be signed asap. He’s the best reliever on the free agent board and the Twins are short 3 arms in the pen.
5. PLEASE BILL SMITH, DO NOT BRING BACK PUNTO !!!
I will dial you up on the i-phone at 5:20
Evan says:
November 14th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Manny Ramirez, 9 years, 250 million.
Of course, the great Ron Gardenhire who we’re stuck with through 2011 would probably bat him 9th behind LNP.
Are you insane? Manny is 36. Signing him til he’s 45 is absurd. They wouldn’t even sign Jim Thome for 10M a year, what makes you think they would blow 27.77M a year on an aging ManRam?
Twins Suck.
Dan, I think Evan’s tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he posted that.
I bet the free agent news, based on the Twins past, is that they are bringing back Rondell White for 5 years $100MIL
Why are people that post on here so ridiculously stupid?
I bet Lavelle’s nugget is Casey Blake. I have a feeling they are going to sign him. If ever the Twins would throw money at somebody, it would be Blake who I believe would give them a discount since he is from Iowa.
“jama says:
November 14th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Why are people that post on here so ridiculously stupid?”
Wow, ironic.
I would much rather overpay $$ for Blake than talent and $$ for Atkins.
the anicipation is killing me.
cuddy at 3rd and we get yunel escobar.
resign nick “the stick”
Does anyone know if the yanks are shopping Cano for pitching? I know his stock is down…
Iowa
Please tell me how that is ironic? Do you know the definition of ironic? You just added yourself to the list
I think the Yanks would listen on Cano, they are trying to sign 2 pitchers via Free Agency
Everyone who is on here bashing Gardy, are a bunch of winers. For god sake this guy a great manager. The fact that you all think you know anything about baseball is beside me.
Honestly can any of you say something nice about this Twins team. All I hear is Bill Smith sucks, Gardy is an idiot, Mauer is just a singles hitter, Punto is horrible. Lets face it you guys aren’t Twins fans, just a bunch a negetive ridiculous idiots who just love to listen to yourselves talk. Get a life or follow a different team.
Ok I am done I have said it, anyone who agrees please voice your discontent to these fools.
Thanks
GO TWINS!!!!
GC
I agree on Blake- Atkins.
Yanks are buying pitching, it will be fun to watch them slowly sink in the East. That team is broken and Nick Swisher? OMG
Jama
if the twins were to trade ANY starter.
Wouldnt Baker be the guy they would be most willing to trade?
i would think he is the closest to getting a big pay raise.. and i would think slowey, perkins and the rest of them still have some team control for a couple more years.
or.. am i completely wrong?
MH
They won’t trade Baker. No worries there.
The Twins first mistake of the 2009 season was resigning Gardenhire and the coaching staff. They have hampered the Twins for the past two years with their foolish manipulation of the starting lineup and pitching rotation. The Twins need new leadership and management’s inability to recognize it will cost the Twins for the next three years.
wow this is just gotten off on the wrong foot today. some of the comments on here are pretty out there.
tom
yeah.. i guess i blame gardy for losing the coin flip and not making the playoffs.
i also blame gardy for the twins contending and being way way way above average this year..
not to mention. i blame him for the team trading luis castillo when we were still in the playoff chase.
oh.. and for all the big trades gardy has made at the trade deadline.. i mean.. seriously.. what is he thinking?
gardy.. what a fool.
this is my response to everyone who thinks gardy is doing a bad job.
ha
take a look at the
yankees
mets
tigers
mariners
and any other team that was expected to contend this season.
The Yankees and Red Sox not winning the division this season were beautiful treats. I kind of wonder how the owners feel now about not trading for Santana?
I think the backlash in spending for the Yankees this year will be hilarious, and it will look like like the 700 billion dollar bailout has a better chance of actually working than the Yankees trying to buy contention again.
hmm.. so.. not much is being reported in the world of sports today..
I write for the FireGardy.com blog and even WE were happy to see Gardy get his extension.
How can people actually be so angry about having a manager who is consistently in the top 2 or 3 in the league?
Sure he makes bad in game decisions and his comments to the media are usually either bafflingly dumb or hackneyed to the point of being useless, and he doesn’t seem to treat the young players fairly, but the players like him and the team wins games pretty consistently.
We should be happy Gardy’s going to stay with us. We could have Ned Yost or something, and then we’d really have something to complain about.
Let’s just get a couple big powerful lefties who will hit fly balls to right in Target Field (which is where the wind will probably always be blowing out!) and we should be ok.
Anybody in on trying to sign Giambi? i know he’s interested in going to the bay area again, but he could come here, fill in the DH, spell Justin at 1B, etc. i think it would be an awesome signing.
ANyone know about Uggla’s availability from the Marlins? i saw one story about Marlins wanting to keep him now, but that would be a good trade. i dont know about Hardy, he’s streaky…trust me from having him on fantasy teams!!
Beltre please, somehow!
I’ll even say this: if we have Giambi, it would offset not having a power hitting 3B.
MH
I think Baker is the least likely pitcher to be traded. The Twins are going to have money to spend when they get into the new stadium so I don’t think that will be an issue. He has been the most consistent starter the last two years. If you really wanted to get a return I think the Twins should at least see what they could get for Liriano.
beltre is in a contract year..
so he will want to put up big numbers!
Juan Cruz would be outstanding to get on this team, but does anyone think that management will pay 4-6 million a year, and probably a 3-4 year deal on a reliever?
I mean with all the prospects that they have rotting in the minors because our starting 5, and our closer are locked now for the next 3-4 years.
“Why are people that post on here so ridiculously stupid”
That would be ironic because one poster branded all members of his own group (of posters) as “ridiculously stupid”.
If 3B is still unresolved going into spring training, I say the twins invite G-man for a tryout. I think he has a little gas left in the tank.
What would the realistic cost be of trading for Beltre vs trading for JJ Hardy?
The reason I ask is that alot of people seem to be pretty high on Valencia as a third base option in 2010 and beyond. However, there doesn’t seem to be as solid of an option in the minors to fill SS. Because of that, I’d definitely prefer picking up Hardy to play short for the next few years. If had him at short, the platoon of Harris/Buscher would not seem bad at all for another year at 3rd…
We need to re-sign Punto. His 53 RBI’s in his last 897 plate appearances are going to be sorely missed if we don’t resign him.
Why would we sign Giambi? We have a DH already…Jason Kubel. You put him back out in the outfield (where there is no room anyway) and you highly risk him getting hurt again. He had a decent year and is in the prime of his career. Use the money that you idiots would sign Giambi with and sign Blake, resign Reyes (now that Neshek is done) and I am intrigued by the idea of Orlando Hudson. If not Hudson I would love to see a trade for Hardy. Trade some of that pitching for him…Brewers need pitching
RF Span
2B Cassila
C Mauer
1B Morneau
3B Blake
DH Kubel/Cuddy
SS Hardy
LF Young
CF Gomez
tony batista? haha.. haha. remember them days?
Let’s try not to talk about Tony Batista ever again…..
I think that last year was Gardenhire’s best year since 2002, and that might even be revisionistic on my part. The losing to the Beotchsox on the last day from Thome (who should have been in his 5th season as a TWIN!) just hurt too much.
So Gardenhire deserves every penny he got, and is going to get.
People seem to forget we live in Minnesota… we live in an area with some of the worst coaching and worst management in professional sports. As a fellow blogger pointed out, at least we don’t have Al Davis, but still.
McHale, and the moron crew in the Timber puppy camp. Brad Chill-jack and Darrell Bevel couldn’t diagram a way to wipe themselves. Jaque (I can’t understand every 4th word) and the Wild under achieve year after year and get away with it because it’s hockey, and hockey fans are like nascar fans… they just like the spectacle of the sport and winning and losing doesn’t matter. Brewsters was 1-11 last year, brought the program back after years of Mason… Pre-Tubby Smith Gophers basketball teams were so bad that 9th grade girls teams would talk smack about how they could kick their asses!
All Gardy’s done is win games, put together rotations, and bullpens… helped Justin Morneau become a great fielding MVP in the American League, and while he has spent too much time in the bathroom with Nick Punto he has always provided a quality product (ok except when Boof Bonser started games)…
Un,
The option in the MAJORS to play SS is Casilla.
chad.
my bad..
otis nixon?
ha
AMEN BC Beneke
MH
Rodell Whi….
no more tony batista talk… ugh…
It took 10 years to get people to stop bringing up Otis Nixon (the man who looked like he’d died in 1982 and someone forgot to tell him)…
Let Batista talk go the way of the dinosaur…
jus as I’m hoping the Punterrible one will be gone for good as of Springtraining
Butch Husk-
LaVelle,
Please make sure they put your conversation on FAN on Demand today. I live in Fargo and they are playing High School football all day here on the FAN so I can’t listen. Thanks
lets keep this simple and sign blake, and castro if possible…i was under the impression that ss was casillas best spot, so if thats the case, why not move him over and let tolbert have 2nd as his bat seems solid and he is going to be a good one i feel….i dont nec think he has to be a utility guy or am i all wet…the little we got to see of him last year was pretty impressive….i would love to see hardy but not at the expense of any of the 3 starters of baker,slowey,liriano, ….trade delmon (only because of his weight or future weight problems)only for equal value in return as far as a bat goes…do not trade span, gomez or any of the rest of this teams nucleus….cuddyer??? im out to lunch on this guy..just dont know what to think….
i have not heard this discussed at all by the twins so i doubt it happens..
but.. since someone just mentioned casilla at short..
is there any chance harris is at 2nd, casilla at short next year?
then maybe we do go get a beltre/atkins?
then if harris can’t handle 2nd next year the job goes to tolbert?
and valencia is at 3rd in a couple years?
this is just me thinking to much again
I am fine with them bringing Punto back as long as it’s in a utility role. That is the best role for him and he will still get plenty of PT on this team if that is the case. If he wants to start….don’t let the door hit you on the way out Nick.
Phil Nev
PEOPLE STOP TALKING ABOUT GARRET ATKINS!!! Atkins is horrible away from Coors. Sure his power is still good but average is horrible. I know we are not looking for average but you have to remember he will be switching to the American League. Much better pitching. His defense is not great either. Does everyone forget he got moved to first this year!! I know Helton was hurt but he was no gem at third..just average. Sign Blake so when Hughes and Valencia are ready they can step in. If we can’t do that and the Beltre trade doesn’t work, platoon Buscher and Harris. If anyone says that is a bad idea go to Aaron Gleeman’s page and read his reasoning.
GCOKemos!
Positivity Damn it!
And get creative if not!
Remember when the decided to play Chip Hale instead of Todd Walker?
Remember when Gary Gaetti found Jesus, and forgot how to play 3rd base?
I mean how about people talk about how we let a fat, lazy, out of shape, and absolutely wonderful man who didn’t take the game or himself seriously in DAVID ORTIZ go…
When he goes to the HOF as the first DH (which it’s either him or Frank Thomas)… he will have to thank Terry Ryan for making him a MAN, and that’s hard for Terry NO BALLS and 3 strikes to do since he lost his manhood somewhere along the lines.
I’m not normally a praying man, but if You are listening; Please, Superman, don’t let the nugget LEN III has be that the Twins resigned nick punto to a 3 year contract.
if we want to get serious for what this team needs RIGHT HANDED POWER, 3B, SS, and a strikeout pitcher in the pen…
Power - it is possible if they just stay with the same players they could be better because Cuddyer and Young have to be capable of tripling the lack of power they showed this year.
But if you can get Garrett Atkins for Cuddyer and prospects… you do it in a heartbeat.
You can then turn around and trade Blackburn or Perkins (my two favorite pitchers on the team), Robertson, Tolbert, and Benson to the Brewers for JJ Hardy
If you can’t trade prospects and Cuddy for Atkins, then…
a 3 year deal to Casey Blake for 19 million dollars.. (7.0 in 2009, 7.0 in 2010 and a mutual option for 5 million for 2011 with a 3 million dollar buyout)…
Kevin Ma…
Carmelo Cas…
THIRDBASE
Are cuddy / twins brass against moving him to 3B? It just makes so much sense. Especially if we are considering trading for Atkins.
SS/2B
Hardy would fit - but would cost a bundle. I think it makes more sense for the brewers to trade Hall not JJ…We could move Casilla to SS and trade for a 2B. And depending on how the yanks FA signings go - perhaps a swap for Cano?
Giambi has been underated ever since the steroid flap, but his numbers have been great since. Kubel in my opinion is not an above average DH. He’ll never “break out”. sorry. you want someone who will provide synergy for Mourneau and we hope that’ll be Young eventually but for now we need a proven. if we sign him, we can leave 3B as a platoon, and go get Hardy with all the marbles we have. keep Casilla at 2B. for all the money we waste every year on 3 crappy free agents for $3-6 mill, we could get one Giambi.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but noone pitches around Kubel or Cuddy. They do around Mourneau, but you cant if you have them stacked back to back. Only problem is that he bats left. But i think he is seriously devalued right now. he hasnt hit for average in 6 yrs, but the man can mash.
Let’s move Kubel to 3B, it makes about as much sense as moving Cuddy there.
Twins have tried Harris at 2B and it didn’t work so well. Casilla will be the 2b in 09, and Cuddy won’t be at 3b.
I would like to see Blake at 3b over Atkins or Beltre personally.
And I would find it hard to believe that the Twins trade any of the young starters unless it brought a lopsided deal the Twins way
wow, why did it show me danimals email account?
Shawn,
Dude, your email just showed up on my screen. i think whoever posts shows up now.
GCOkemos says:
November 14th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I would much rather overpay $$ for Blake than talent and $$ for Atkins.
I certainly hope the Twins don’t agree with you. Atkins is superior to Blake and much much younger.
weird
No one pitches around Giambi anymore either! He’s gonna command $8-$12 million a year probably too. You really want to pay that for a porn star mustache and a few more long balls than Kubel is going to hit. Remember..Giambi 37 years old. Kubel 26 years old. Most players hit their prime at 26-29 years old. Kubel is a stud and IS going to break out.
TJ…S says:
November 14th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Everyone who is on here bashing Gardy, are a bunch of winers. For god sake this guy a great manager. The fact that you all think you know anything about baseball is beside me.
Honestly can any of you say something nice about this Twins team. All I hear is Bill Smith sucks, Gardy is an idiot, Mauer is just a singles hitter, Punto is horrible. Lets face it you guys aren’t Twins fans, just a bunch a negetive ridiculous idiots who just love to listen to yourselves talk. Get a life or follow a different team.
Ok I am done I have said it, anyone who agrees please voice your discontent to these fools.
Thanks
GO TWINS!!!!
If anyone is an idiot it’s you for accepting the status quo and being happy with mediocrity. The people pointing out the uselessness of Ron want a winner in Minnesota, not a mediocre team just happy to make the playoffs when they actually get there.
MH says:
November 14th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Jama
if the twins were to trade ANY starter.
Wouldnt Baker be the guy they would be most willing to trade?
i would think he is the closest to getting a big pay raise.. and i would think slowey, perkins and the rest of them still have some team control for a couple more years.
or.. am i completely wrong?
isn’t the idea to win games? keeping Baker is a must. dealing Blackburn and/or Perkins would make the most sense.
Chad,
Giambi doesnt do much differently between LH and RH. Kubel sits against LH and sorry…. he’s not in Giambi’s class. the old man hit 32 HR last year. Seems like Toronto and Oakland in the lead for him….
sirsean says:
November 14th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I write for the FireGardy.com blog and even WE were happy to see Gardy get his extension.
How can people actually be so angry about having a manager who is consistently in the top 2 or 3 in the league?
1. then your site if a fraud and you should shut it down.
2. he simply isn’t a top 3 manager and never will be. idiot sports writers vote based on win totals. it’s how Lee undeservedly won the Cy Young. It’s how Colon won it over Santana in 05. Also, it’s how Ron gets voted high in manager of the year when the Twins are winning with talent and nothing that Ron is doing.
BC Beneke says:
November 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Juan Cruz would be outstanding to get on this team, but does anyone think that management will pay 4-6 million a year, and probably a 3-4 year deal on a reliever?
I would do that in a New York second. Cruz is the best reliever on the market this year. He would be an awesome fit on this team. Little Pedro is pitching like Pedro in a relief role and has done it his entire career. Juan has just been a terrible starter.
Dan,
it’s not that I wouldn’t do that deal on Juan Cruz.
It’s about would the Twins brass?
I mean they are sitting with so many pitching prospects I can’t believe that they haven’t dealt a bunch for players they could use already, so having them… and with Humber, and Bonser being out of options I see them in the pen and them not spending money for the bullpen.
Dan,
The Twins do not have the same amount of talent that a lot of other teams do, and they keep winning enough to be a good team.
This year the Twins were projected to win between 67 and 74 games.
Normally I am not a Gardy fan by any means, but he had a fantastic year last year.
I will not forgive him for Bonser, Punterrible, or not being able to say anyone’s name (morneau-zee - that crap pisses me off), but this was a fantastic season by Gardy
Dan
yes. you are right.. the idea for the twins is to win games.
so.. want to explain to me why johan was traded? he knows how to win games..
why did we let hunter go? gold glove defense?
why dont we ever make a trade at the deadline?
something tells me its about MONEY..
thus.. that is why i asked if we would trade baker..
rumor is the braves deal for peavy is off. they were offing escobar and 3 other players. while blackburn isn’t considered an ace like peavy maybe him and a prospect for escobar to fill our ss hole for several yrs. peavy’s era is a full point higher on the road and facing a pitcher 3 times a gm, kind of makes me think he isn’t as good as advertised. bill it would be worth a call!
They won’t trade Baker.
They tend to like Baby Radke (slowey)
Liriano is practically untouchable
That leaves Blackburn and Perkins (the mentally toughest pitchers on the entire staff) that will most likely be on the trading block to bring in a SS, or 3rd baseman.
Gobbly…
1. Santana
2. Webb
3. Peavy
4. Sabbathia
5. Halladay
And that’s no offense to any of the other great starters like most of Boston’s staff…
I will have a free agent update here around 5 p.m.
Donuts to dollars (unfortunately) the Twins re-sign Punto 3 years/$11 mil (the last year an option year)
News from Colorado: Dan O’Dowd reportedly indicated that he’d like to keep Atkins and might listen to discussions if he gets a top of the rotation pitcher.
http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/11/as_the_atkins_reports_turn.html
ain’t happening
LaVelle is on his game on the radio today.
And no Chicago Bears crap so far!!!
BC Beneke says:
November 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Dan,
it’s not that I wouldn’t do that deal on Juan Cruz.
It’s about would the Twins brass?
I mean they are sitting with so many pitching prospects I can’t believe that they haven’t dealt a bunch for players they could use already, so having them… and with Humber, and Bonser being out of options I see them in the pen and them not spending money for the bullpen.
sit on all the prospects you want, doesn’t mean they can do it in the Majors. I’d much rather throw some cash at a proven dominant player like Cruz and then go with a kid. Especially with all the money the Twins have to spend. I’d imagine the payroll this year could go up to 80M if the Smith spent everything he was allowed to spend. Smith has 15-20M he can play with right now.
BC Beneke says:
November 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Dan,
The Twins do not have the same amount of talent that a lot of other teams do, and they keep winning enough to be a good team.
This year the Twins were projected to win between 67 and 74 games.
Normally I am not a Gardy fan by any means, but he had a fantastic year last year.
I will not forgive him for Bonser, Punterrible, or not being able to say anyone’s name (morneau-zee - that crap pisses me off), but this was a fantastic season by Gardy
Actually, the Twins do have better talent the majority of MLB teams. Ron just doesn’t use it right.
Twins should win 95 games this year regardless of who they sign. Super easy schedule.
Dan says: I certainly hope the Twins don’t agree with you. Atkins is superior to Blake and much much younger.
You think so?
Atkins offensive numbers have been going the wrong way since his breakout in 2006. K’s have increased, BB’s decreased, and OPS has decreased.
And his road splits are absolutely embarrassing: 2008 Road OPS = .661 !!
Blake is older, but his numbers are pretty consistent. Id say he is a better buy than Atkins. And wont cost pitching.
Is Atkins younger? Sure. Is he better? - I would say the proof is in the pudding, my friend.
Dan,
At the beginning of the year, did you think the twins should make the playoffs?
its 5:13….
MH says:
November 14th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Dan
yes. you are right.. the idea for the twins is to win games.
so.. want to explain to me why johan was traded? he knows how to win games..
why did we let hunter go? gold glove defense?
why dont we ever make a trade at the deadline?
something tells me its about MONEY..
thus.. that is why i asked if we would trade baker..
1. Johan was dealt because spending 22-25 million a year on a guy that plays once every 5 days when you have a payroll under 60M just won’t work.
2. They let Hunter go because he isn’t worth the money he wanted and certainly isn’t worth the money Anaheim gave him. Gomez and Span are better fielders then Torii anyway.
3. they don’t make deadline deals because of the little payroll. they don’t want to give up prospects for an expensive player that won’t fit in the payroll. look for that to change some starting next year when the Twins make a ton of money off the new stadium. the payroll will likely be 85-100M yearly in the new stadium.
rujellis says:
November 14th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Dan,
At the beginning of the year, did you think the twins should make the playoffs?
last season? no chance
this season? if they don’t Smith and Garndehire better be fired.
Juan Cruz has HORRIBLE control problems.
Yes he can be lights out after he walks the bases loaded and gives up a couple of hits.
if we could to a 1 year deal maybe 2 years, for about 4 or 5 million. I would go for that.
But lets stop talking about Blake as if he is goin to make a huge difference. He is goin to hit 270 with 15 to 20 HR’s and 70 RBI’s. He is goin to play below average defense.
I think he is the best free agent 3B out there, but he isnt going to be the reason we win a playoff series.
GCOkemos says:
November 14th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Dan says: I certainly hope the Twins don’t agree with you. Atkins is superior to Blake and much much younger.
You think so?
Atkins offensive numbers have been going the wrong way since his breakout in 2006. K’s have increased, BB’s decreased, and OPS has decreased.
And his road splits are absolutely embarrassing: 2008 Road OPS = .661 !!
Blake is older, but his numbers are pretty consistent. Id say he is a better buy than Atkins. And wont cost pitching.
Is Atkins younger? Sure. Is he better? - I would say the proof is in the pudding, my friend.
OPS means very little in my book.
Atkins has more career homers on the road then at Coors, that means something.
Atkins can hit anywhere and would fit nicely in the Twins lineup. Blake can’t field and at his age, he wouldn’t be here long. Unless the Twins draft some big time slugging third baseman this year, Blake just isn’t a good fit. Twins need a long term solution at the position. Not a stop gap until the next over the hill third baseman is signed.
Janet says:
November 14th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Juan Cruz has HORRIBLE control problems.
Yes he can be lights out after he walks the bases loaded and gives up a couple of hits.
have you actually watched him pitch? I watched every D-Backs game last year.
When Juan misses, he misses close. Anderson can fix that. What he can’t teach is 34 hits in 51 innings along with 71 Ks in those 51 innings.
I am pretty sure cruz is a type A free agent. I wont say its impossible but Minny is not going to give up their 1st round draft pick for an 8 million dollar set up man
But I wish they would
Dan I watched every D’Back game as well, he is a head case, I stand by my comments. The D’Back’s had closer issues all last year and still do. They went to everyone under sun but Cruz because he is just plain wild. He is not in the closer’s conversation, which any picher should be with 97 mile + stuff, but again he is not because he can’t control his stuff.
Maybe Anderson can make a difference.
I am getting antsy. Where the heck is LEN III?
Just checking back to look for that 5 pm teaser. Glancing at a couple of the comments, I can see things are ugly as ever in the comment section.
As for you being the Kiss of Death for the Gophers, LEN3, I guess I’d just have to point out that the Gopher football program has been dead much longer than you’ve been anywhere near them.
Janet says:
November 14th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Dan I watched every D’Back game as well, he is a head case, I stand by my comments. The D’Back’s had closer issues all last year and still do. They went to everyone under sun but Cruz because he is just plain wild. He is not in the closer’s conversation, which any picher should be with 97 mile + stuff, but again he is not because he can’t control his stuff.
Maybe Anderson can make a difference.
Turning you most dominant pen arm into a closer just opens up an even bigger hole in the pen. That’s why Cruz wasn’t made closer. He’s extremely effective in a setup role and would be counter-productive to move him out of it.
Since they had no plan of Scherzer starting every 5th day last year, he should’ve been the closer for the balance of the season.
Dan says: Twins need a long term solution at the position. Not a stop gap until the next over the hill third baseman is signed.
True. What of this Valencia character the twins have in the minors?
For what it would cost to get Atkins here, his numbers are too risky, IMO.
If we are going to trade for a 3B, I would go for Kouz before Atkins.
GCOkemos says:
November 14th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Dan says: Twins need a long term solution at the position. Not a stop gap until the next over the hill third baseman is signed.
True. What of this Valencia character the twins have in the minors?
For what it would cost to get Atkins here, his numbers are too risky, IMO.
If we are going to trade for a 3B, I would go for Kouz before Atkins.
Kouzmanoff is an even worse fielder then Blake. If you want your third baseman to make a ton of errors that would undoubtedly cost the Twins games, then Kouzmanoff is the guy for you.
twins making a deal?
New post is up. Nothing blockbusting but a little bit of an update.
I’m just trying to figure out if Blake is the way to go.
Blake is acceptable. The question is: pay Blackburn to get Atkins (that’s a big assumption on my part) or bring in Blake? I’d rather have Blackburn and Blake than have Atkins. I’d rather have Buscher/Harris and JJ HArdy, however, if we can only fix one position.
Why would the cost of Beltre compared to Atkins be much different?
Beltre is the man the Twins are targeting, they will get him unless they lose a bidding war and they do not have to give up anyone in the present rotation to get him.
Colorado is dreaming if they think a GM will pay a top of the rotation starter for Atkins. Iam Stewart cannot play defense either, but his glove is better than Atkins, that is why the Rocks played Atkins at 1st instead of J Baker.
They well recognize Atkins glove limitations, he has fall down range.
Juan Cruz is indeed a type A free agent. As far as whether he has control problems, his K/BB last year was 2.29 and K/9 12.37. In 2007 Neshek had 2.74 K/BB and 9.47 K/9.
I think that Cruz would be an adequate replacement but I doubt that the Twins will give up their 1st round pick.
Doug Brocail (non-type A or B) with a 8.39 K/9 and 3.05 K/BB last year and needing probably just an one-year/$3 mil contract (he made $2.5 mil last year) might be a more feasible choice…
Casey Blake smells a little like Mike Lamb
Gardy rocks. Anyone who thinks otherwise should go watch baseball somewhere else save Tampa Bay. Gardy consistently gets the most out of players that would probably not be playing in other markets. I like the guy who pointed out we could have Ned Yost. You can get mad at him when he has a talent laden roster and loses consitantly. Sounds like someone else in the Twin Cities…
Dan says:
Kouzmanoff is an even worse fielder then Blake. If you want your third baseman to make a ton of errors that would undoubtedly cost the Twins games, then Kouzmanoff is the guy for you.
Atkins career FP at 3B = Kouzmanoff career FP at 3B = .954.
Granted, Kouz was a butcher in 2007 (.932) - but he was hell of a lot better his year (.974)
Good for the D’Back’s AND Twins that Juan Cruz is a type A free agent.
For ever 1 good outing he gives you 2 bad outings. He will strike out the side one night and blow up the next night. He is just too inconsistent. I would not want him on my team
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BC, I belive that your the one who had the team projected at 67-74 wins,,I even think that you had them at ,,77, if I remember right, I think a lot of us had the team at 83-87 I know that I was one,,But for me it was just a lucky guess, A good feel or whatever,
Dan
How can you say that Gardy is a poor manager when all he does it take average overall talent and put them in the playoffs or serious contention year after year. Please tell me the name of one, just one, “baseball god” who is available out there that would do a better job than Gardy has done. If Gardy where given the talent that some of the big market teams get on a yearly basis, we would be talking dynasty. Oh, by the way Dan, you are an idiot!
Dan
I read that you say the Twins are winning on talent alone. With a couple of exceptions who on last years team would start for established teams.
2 Mauer granted would start for anyone
3 Morneau anyone but St Louis
4 Cassila great year but would only start for75% of AAA teams
5 The Platoon boys….don’t get me started
6 The best guy was Punto who even you want to get rid of
7 Young the Twins did not win any games based on his “potential”
8 Gomez exciting and fast and a pretty solid with the glove but scary with the arm. Will be a good player but he won maybe a handful of games with his play alone.
9 Span great year which should be the start of a very good career. Still, he would be the extra outfielder for many playoff qauality teams.
The twins won with quality (not great) pitching and timely hitting. Take away a dozen timely hits this past year and the Twins were nowhere near the playoffs.
The Twins need more talent!
Can someone give me a link to update?
Just returned from the AFL title game where the Phoenix Desert Dogs (Twins team) came from behind in a big way to beat Mesa 10-4. The dogs scored the last 9 runs of the game.
Danny Valencia had a big game going 2-3 (he was intentionally walked Morneau style in his last at bat) with a triple and and a single. He was responsible for 2 runs and 2 RBI.
Steve Tolleson struck out twice, but also had a stolen base and a run. He looked good in the field, nipping a Solar Sox runner at first with a very strong throw (I should know, I was sitting right behind the first baseman!!!).
Dustin Martin played solidly in the outfield. He was 1-5 at the plate with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
Jeff Manship was inconsistent on the mound. Had a good first and third inning but an average second inning where he gave up a run and escaped a scoring situation with a double play. His fourth inning og work was terrible. The Solar Sox hitters really hit the ball hard all over the field (and on one occasion–out of the park).
Rob Delaney looked okay. Seems to have a nice arm.
Anthony Slama and Tim Lahey didn’t make it into the game.
All in all, Valencia looked very professional at the plate and in the field and Martin impressed me with his fielding.
Something tells me that Valencia might not only get a real good look in spring training, but may have a good shot of making the team….even if Casey Blake is signed.
