Live from Chicago
Posted on November 26th, 2008 – 11:23 AMBy La Velle
I’m in the Windy City for Thanksgiving and want to wish all of you a Happy Turkey Day.
It was a year ago during my final stage of tapering for Thanksgiving dinner when we all found out that Torii Hunter had agreed to sign with the Angels. Ugh. I remember scrambling to get reaction from Twins players. Michael Cuddyer was the first one to call back.
“Hey, this is Cuddy,” he said. “First of all, you better give Torii a lot of grief for making you work on a holiday.”
I’m crossing my fingers that there won’t be another shocker this year. All the signals point toward most teams waiting for the big money to be spent so the squeeze on the second-tier free agents can begin. We’ll see. All it takes is for one or two teams to dive in to get everyone spending.
Joe C. is monitoring Twins news. I’ll jump back in just before the winter meetings begin. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!
Finally, for your consumption: I know President-elect Barack Obama is a big White Sox fan but this is taking it a little too far.
121 Responses to "Live from Chicago"
Let’s hope the Twins offseason train gets rolling and soon …
I know its early, but; Most. Boring. Offseason. Ever.
What about all those scintillating 40-man roster moves?
It sounds like a lot of teams seriously are standing back and waiting for the big money guys to find a home.
The Angels reportedly are getting a bit frustrated waiting for Texeria to decide what he’s looking for…as they’re also looking at Sabathia.
Once those two (and Manny of course) find homes, things will pick up.
And none of the players will want to sign anything until they see what the “highwater” mark is. Because they want somebody to overpay one of the three names above so they can go “Well look at how I compare!”
mlbtraderumors.com is saying the Twins could be the “mystery team” interested in Furcal.
If the Twins move on Furcal, I would be all for it. Max 3 year deal. LaVelle-Have you heard anything on Furcal?
An addition of Furcal and Blake would really please the majority of Twins fans.
Some Twins fans just like to be displeased no matter what happens.
Compared to last year, no news is good news.
When is Blake going to sign with the Twins? I hope this doesn’t drag out until after Christmas.
“could be”?
“mystery team”?
“interested”?
That’s not exactly going out on a limb with the verification of a fact.
But, I guess that’s why they call them “rumors”.
thanks for the reminder La Velle..
I remember waking up last year Thanksgiving morning. Checking some emails and checking out some sports updates from the night before.
top headline was hunter signing with the angels. Ahhh what a way to start the morning.
Now a year later its obvious the twins are in a better position without him.
anyways..
is there a reason for the hold up on the twins offer to Casey Blake?
Are we waiting to hear if Atkins will come available?
it was a couple weeks ago that reports came out saying we were going to get something offered to blake. was that the twins attempt at getting colorado to offer atkins?
oh yea. thanks again for the update La Velle. Have a Happy Thanksgiving as well
Is it possible that the owners are actually considering the possible effects of the slowing economy on MLB future revenue, and not making ridiculous offers to free agents? I imagine no, but maybe a few of them are actually sane. What happens if the automakers (pickup trucks, really) stop advertising on TV? At what point do the networks walk on their sports contracts? Those big buck, long term deals could come back to haunt sports - just like condos in Vegas.
Now a year later its obvious the twins are in a better position without him (Hunter).
Don’t be ridiculous.
Fran
you think the twins should have given hunter that contract?
A happy T-day to you as well Len3. I predict that you will be reporting that the Twins have made the shocker signing of the off season by bringing in Teixeira. The turkey will sit very well for all Twins fans tomorrow.
[…] Twins Insider – […]
Of course the Twins shouldn’t have given Hunter that contract. But that doesn’t mean the Twins are better off without him.
i guess its my personal opinion we are better off without him.
whoops
Would the Twins be better off with Hunter if he were free? Gee, I think so, but I’m not 100% sure…
happy turkey day LV3. alarys sunday? probably won’t make it back in time. can i have your spot? have a good one in chi-town.
Isn’t George W a big Rangers fan? If so this could only be good news that Obama is a whitesox fan because the Rangers have been crap for the last 8 years oh wait they’ve been crap forever nevermind.
yeah.. its my opinion that we are better off without hunter.
twins didnt need to give that type of contract.
sure the knock on gomez is he can’t hit a breaking ball, he stikes out to much, he bunts are ridiculous times. things like that.
but lets be real here.. the twins knew that when they traded for him. and the majority of fans probably knew that as well. so when he strikes out on a breaking pitch game after game, at bat after at bat. sure i get annoyed.. but he is 22 with huge upside. and hunter is 33 and doesnt hit breaking pitches.
and defensively.. yea i love watching hunter go get it. but gomez is not to terribly far behind in that aspect.
another stunning, informative, thought provoking post by the great lavelle…what an effort that was….its pretty sad that us twins fans have to go elsewhere to get news, rumors and bits to have a decent discussion about our favorite ballclub……well at least we have joe c…no complaints there…..
Fran
you think the twins should have given hunter that contract?
No. But that’s very different than saying “it’s obvious we are in a better position without him.” I’m a big Go-Go fan, but if you swap 2008 Torii for 2008 Carlos, the Twins are very likely the division champions. He was a big reason the Angels ran away with their division and that their playoff run was a short one certainly was not Torii’s fault.
mj1,
Nice cheap shot!
Here’s another cheap shot.
24 responses in one hour.
Looks like it was thought provoking to those capable of thought.
No wonder it didn’t work for you.
The Twins are notoriously close-lipped concerning what they’re thinking and doing with regard to trades/signings, so it’s no surprise that there isn’t much “out there” at this point. Could be that they’ve made some offers to guys like Blake and Furcal (though I’m doubtful about the latter), but those players and their agents aren’t going to rush to sign anything at this point.
I don’t look for the logjam to start breaking until the Winter Meetings, with the possible exception of the Free Agent closers out there. There are far more players than teams with needs in that area, so I suspect someone will get a little nervous about being shut out and will sign as soon as any respectable offer is made.
fran
yea i can agee with that.
hunter was a nice right handed bat for the angels.
their pitching wasn’t to shabby either.
also. if the twins bullpen doesnt blow so many games down the stretch the twins would have been in the playoffs..
its 6 in one half a dozen in the other.
Let’s hope we can get someone in the Rule 5 …
SOMETHING!
what do you expect from this cheap Carl and his management who are always forced to somehow pull together scraps and retreads in an effort to put together a team that constantly over achieves, instead of rewarding that effort by the team by going out and getting a couple of top producers in key spots
So Kevin,
List 2 examples please
Regards,
only 1 team has signed a free agent that was not their own. Are 28 other owners cheap too?
kevin, how many businesses do you own that you operate in the red? why would pohlad be any different? do you think he made his money by listening to people like you? bash him all you want if he doesn’t spend when the new ballpark is open, but think logically; baseball is a business just like anything else…
So when is the Rule 5 draft? It would be nice to snag another Johan.
I believe the Rule V draft is December 11, at the end of the Winter Meetings.
Rafael Furcal would be awesome to pick up
La Velle, have a great Thanksgiving as well. What’s your thought on equal value for Delmon at the moment? In MLB circles, what would GM’s be willing to give up? By the way, your Bears are going down on Sunday night.
In the words of Karl Gerbschmidt…
Fallll down Chicago Bearrrs. You’re not in first. Ha ha ha ha.
As a taxpayer in Hennepin County, I am paying for his stadium, and I gain nothing from it financially. Dont tell me that the county gains more tax revenue from people coming in from out of town, blah, blah blah.
Carl may not like operating in the red, I do not like my money taken for his business venture. If he wants to work in the free market system, do it all the way, without taxpayer helpl.
Having said that, since I am paying for his stadium, I maintain and will use my right to criticize him for being cheap.
Furcal and Blake both? Never happen. One or the other maybe, but not both. My money would be on a Blake signing
The news of Torii leaving last year is as good as it gets for offseason news for the Twins, Losing someone who is only consistent at swinging at pitches in the dirt!!! Hey how bout this for a blockbuster trade….Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie to the Rays for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett….
How bout thiis trade DY for Furcal heads up.
La Velle What do you think of the 1976 Chicago White Sox uniforms complete with collars and short shorts
http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/pictures/timeline_1976.jpg
No one is asking Pohlad to spend like Steinbrenner. I think what people are asking is that he recognize that the Twins are not just another business. The team is an important part of the fabric of the community. At least that’s what he argued when he was begging money from the State to build his new stadium. The value of his business will dramatically increase as a result of the new stadium. Therefore, whether or not he operates in the red in 2009, his business is going to have a fabulously successful financial year. Perhaps he could free up some of this money to put the team in a better position to not only compete, but be a championship contender.
That being said, this might not be available with this crop of free agents. The team’s best chance to win is for Liriano to fully return to form, Delmon Young to realize his potential, and the young starters to continue to improve. I for one can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
What about Blake and Cabrera? I think both would be decent.
Having said that, since I am paying for his stadium, I maintain and will use my right to criticize him for being cheap.
And since I am also paying taxes as part of the stadium referendum, allow me to go ahead and cancel out your opinion with my own.
Oops.
only 1 team has signed a free agent that was not their own. Are 28 other owners cheap too?
But…but…stadium!….uh….public funding…!….uh, BRETT BOONE!
I have no problem with people calling Pohlad cheap it’s just that it gets old and spending money on players doesn’t guarantee your team will win see Seattle and Detroit from last year. I for one wouldn’t want the Twins run like the Yankees and Red Sox because being the underdog makes it a lot more rewarding when they beat those teams.
Kevin,
The Twins are not the only business your tax dollars are going to. Close your eyes and throw a rock in any direction, you will probably hit one.
T - Pohlad has Smither’s (BS) syphon gas out of the players gas tanks while they have practice’s and also during games. Gooooooooooo contraction
BC, I agree with you. It is better to watch a team grow together from player being called up from the farm system than it is buying a team. Look where it has gotten the Yankees. Look at Arod. The guy is good during the regular season, but he is the worst player in the world in the post season.
jimmy bee furcal is a free agent.
GGG He would fit in perfectly with the Twins. High avg and no power. Peeeerfect……
Your right on Rob and I think watching players develop from year to year is probably the most enjoyable thing for me but then again I’ve always put winning secondary to the actual competition I guess I’m dumb.
I don’t actually want Furcal. I am looking at his stats and he batted .71 points higher on his 2008 avg over his career avg going into a contract year. I don’t want to get Beltre’d with a bad contract. Pick up Blake he is cheaper and provides more power.
I just hope we get someone to play 3rd, we all know they are going to sign Punto.
T
I’ll second the motion that I am paying taxes as part of the stadium referendum and additionally we spend lots of money every time we visit the cities on food, lodging, shopping excursions, etc. Kevin needs to take a chill pill and realize that he alone is not footing the bill for the new stadium - I will be happy to cancel out his opinion. I say we get Blake and then deal for JJ Hardy - get it done BS - Go Twins!!!
live chat on mlb trade rumor!
I love Furcal, but not at the top end 4/52 mill rumors
jimmy bee i was wondering why you wanted to trade young for a guy who’s a free agent?
delmon for yunel escobar
that is the only way i trade delmon..
unless of course its for wright reyes and beltran
Interesting thing on Furcal he didn’t play in enough games last year to qualify for the ESB rankings and therfore any team signing him will not have to forfiet a draft pick but i’m sure he’s going to get 4 yrs and $60 mil no way the Twins can match that.
GGG my bad please accept my appolgies. Can we trade DY for “Pumpkin” The Thanksgiving Turkey? We can’t keep DY he must be traded now and for something. How bout a can of corn? Pete Rose? A 1976 Chicago White Sox jersey???
The Twins won’t get Furcal, because one of the other teams in the running will give him some outrageous contact, well over his real value.
so people think they make a couple of trips to the cities each year and spend some sales tax money they are contributing? They dont do it every day.
Someone made a good point. The Twins are NOT a normal business. If they want to take money from the public coffers, they should not expect to run the income statement like a normal privately run business
bring back guzman..
haha..
can anyone see that happening?
if you dont like paying taxes..
move
end of conversation
Kevin If you think taxes are high now wait till you are completely broke when obama Bin Ladin takes charge. You will be paying taxes so high that mac “n” cheese and Tang will seem like fillet mignon and champagne.
so people think they make a couple of trips to the cities each year and spend some sales tax money they are contributing? They dont do it every day.
Except for the part where I live and work in the area…so I do.
Oops.
But the next part will be some line about Kool-Aid, or just being dumb taxpayers…proving that it’s not about paying the taxes vs. not paying the taxes and all about “My opinion is right and therefore more valid than yours.”
Give it up Kevin.
blah, I totally agree. Yet cheap Carl, while begging for money from the public for a stadium, was all too happy to contribute money to the obama campaign.
I never said my opinion was more valid. But it is just as valid as anyone elses.
Kevin it doesn’t matter how cheap Pohlad is cause as soon as Obama takes office you won’t be able to go to games or have food or electricity or even clothes for that matter.
“If they want to take money from the public coffers, they should not expect to run the income statement like a normal privately run business”
You mean like Halliburton, Vanguard, Wall Street and the Automakers.
I never said my opinion was more valid. But it is just as valid as anyone elses.
Except when your opinion glazes over the facts. As you have blissfully ignored each time its been pointed out.
Pohlad-bashing is boring. But go ahead, kids, and bash away. You have a scintillating opinion to share with us. Most of you ignore all positives and vastly overstate the negatives. And that diminishes the effectiveness of your arguments. But, for God’s sake, please don’t try to be fair-minded and balanced.
carl pohlad is cheap.
thanks for bringing up the obvious
do the twins ever sign a big name free agent? make a big splash in free agency? no
so why complain about?
just need something to do?
I am so sick of p*ssies like kevin pissing and moaning and thinking they have a right to spend pohlad’s money, because they pay a miniscule sales tax to fund the stadium. “I pay for the stadium!” they whine. In order to pay for $45, per year, of the new stadium, do you know how much you would have to spend on taxable goods in Hennipen County each year? $30,000. Get over it, A-holes. I know Pohlad is cheap, but paying less than two-tenths of a penny on each dollar of taxable goods you buy does not entitle you to whine about how you, personally, bought nasty old Carl a stadium. Take your “I’m a martyr” sob story somewhere else.
Also, Kevin…if you don’t feel your opinion is any more valid, what was the purpose of this statement?
so people think they make a couple of trips to the cities each year and spend some sales tax money they are contributing? They dont do it every day.
Also, Kevin, while Pohlad did donate money to the Obama campaign, you fail to mention he also donated far more to McCain.
alright.. so i dont think anyone envisions guzman coming back.
which is good. i was hoping we wouldnt add him.
but what is the deal with oakland and furcal?
don’t they still have crosby?
if crosby could stay healthy i wouldnt mind him short for a year or two
First of all, that is not true. He did not give far more to the McCain campaign.
Second, 300 plus million is not chump change. Cheap Carl has 300 million more because the public, many of whom dont care about baseball as those of us in this room do, were forced to pay.
Given that, Carl does have an obligation to put a team on the field and not pinch pennies. Again, just my opinion.
Third, I am against public financing for Halliburton or Chrysler or AIG or whatever just as much.
“do the twins ever sign a big name free agent? make a big splash in free agency? no”
Finish last like the Tigers?
No!
Waste $300 million on payroll like the Yankees?
No!
Get the least results with the most payroll and talent?
No!
Satisfy their fans and bloggers?
No!
Is “Cheap Carl” supposed to be clever? I mean, they both start with C…but they’re not even similiar sounding enough to roll off the tounge.
At least Wolves fans were able to come up with “McFail”.
But then again, that team’s sucked for so long they haven’t had much else to really occupy their time.
this is getting stupid!
baseball!!!!
Hey gobble anything interesting on the mlb trade rumor live chat i can’t get into that at work.
Kevin, you do have a legitimate argument. It is compromised by the name-calling, you stupid piece of crap.
Just kidding.
Can we talk baseball and not about Carl please. Carl is old news, lets move on!
Alternative reality scene. After Twins 2000 69-93 season Pohlad appoints group of Twins fans that have called him cheap as GM and gives them $250 mil budget per year.
1st move. Pick Mark Prior #1 in 2001 draft since bonus price is not an issue. Decent career but injuries have definitely put him on the down swing. Like all big spending clubs the Twins sign AJ to a long term deal after his all star season. Result = no Mauer, no Bonser (he was key in the 2006 pennant run), no Nathan, and no Liriano. Actually, it wouldnt have been all bad cuz no AJ and the White Sox probably don’t win the 2005 world series.
2nd move sign some big name at 1st base and trade prospect Morneau for some relief pitching.
I could go on but it would take too much space and effort.
End result
$250 million payroll with a Baltimore Orioles lineup
Kevin
What do you approve of taxes being spent on?
Also, on the campaign contributions, i stand corrected. He did donate more to obama. I thought i had read it was the other way around.
kevin,
Your argument is only compromised by the fact that your audience here is sick, tired and bored by the never-ending Pohlad roasting. Its just difficult to hear it over and over being used as an excuse for the Twins not winning the World Series.
The FO and field staff are capable of overcoming the budget issues if they ignore that excuse and do their jobs at a high level.
And that would be a much more interesting baseball-related subject.
Dantes, you make some fair points. My beef is not with Twins management. They seem to do pretty good given the tight leash they are on.
My beef is with the budget they are given. If they did as good as they have with a tight budget, I believe they could do better with a moderately larger (read: not Yankees type budget).
They could strategically fill a couple of holes with solid performers to make us not only a contender for the division, but for a WS championship.
I trust the front office to make shrewd moves. When they are forced to take a roll of the dice on retreads and has beens, it is not cost effective either.
Kevin did you hear how copper wire was invented. Carl and his son were arguing over a penny and actually stretched it (the penny that is).
I hear that CP makes side money by booking Reyes as a Fernando Valenzuela look alike.
Come on Kevin be creative with Pohlad’s frugel ways. La Panta would look better if he could afford a new dead rat to put utop of his melon but no good Pohlad preffers LaPanta to be viewed in this way……
kevin,
With a higher budget and no improvement in player evaluation, the Twins FO would have signed Livan, Monroe, Lamb, Everett plus four more dogs from the same pound.
While I am happy a stadium is being built, and will gladly pay the extra .15% in sales tax, I do think that Hennepin county got hosed by being the only county in MN to pay for the stadium. However, if thaat was the only way to get it done, I applaud the Hennepin county commisioners for stepping up to the plate, so to speak.
I have a great question. Will the taxes go down after the new ballpark is done? If not what will the tax be switched over to pay for next after the new Target Field is complete?
Pols want Mets park renamed Citi/Taxpayer Field
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/11/25/mets.citigroup.ap/index.html
Any ideas of what Target field should be named. Hennepin County Field would be preffered
Jimmy, how about “We Ripped off Taxpayers by Sayign a News Stadium would allow us to compete” Field
Hennepin County Field I personally like. Why should Target get the name? Anyone? When will the taxes go back down if ever?
I thought you said you we’re taking some time off…:P
Happy Turkey Day old buddy. I hope the Chi is treating you well. See you when you get back!
Livan Ponson field
Trade:
1) Either Delmon to Atlanta for Escobar (they say they need a hitter, we need a SS). Or,
2) Gomez to Milwaukee for JJ Hardy. They need a centerfielder, we need a SS.
Solves the 4th outfielder problem and preserves our pitching.
Joe C. added an interesting link about Obama at the end of his column. I’m thinking today’s posters would have a seating chart of Pohlad haters-Punto haters.
HERE IS A FUTURE STARTING LINEUP FOR THE TWINS THAT COULD BE WORLD CHAMPIONS.
BATTIN ORDER:
1. RF SPAN L
2. SS CASILLA S
3. C MAUER L
4. 3B VALENCIA R
5. 1B MORNEAU L
6. 2B HUGHES R 7. DH KUBEL L
8. LF YOUNG R
9. CF GOMEZ R
STARTING PITCHERS:
1. BAKER R
2. LIRIANO L
3. SLOWEY R
4. PERKINS L
5. BLACKBURN R
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE LINEUP. IF THE TWINS ORGANIZATION CAN KEEP THOSE PLAYERS AND PLAY THEM REGULARLY, THEY ARE CERTAIN TO BE WORLD CHAMPIONS-MAYBE MANY TIMES.
How would you order the the value of our current four outfielders? Here is my order and the reasons why
1. Span- most versatile in the field and great lead off hitter
2. Gomez- great range, will he ever hit? Give him some time only 22
3. Young-Again only 22 and hit .290 last year… give him some time on defense, upside potential great
5.Cuddy- good club house guy but average outfielder with big contract. Currently at his peak.
Suggestion- trade Cuddy (while he still has some value) lose the contract, trade for one of the available shortstops i.e. JJ hardy.
Sign Blake- he is a known commodity and can certainly play another 2-3 years though he is now 35. The money you save from Cuddy’s contract goes to Blake.
Problem is they will never trade Cuddy
cuddy should be rated 4 not 5… sorry we can’t count in connecticut.
my tax dollars go for lots of things ill never use ie the guthrie libraries ets so why do people bitch about a tiny bit for twins fans? i agree public money sh not be used but it happens everwhere so either tax money or no twins and pretty soon no vikings if no stadium for them.
Can we stop talking about tax dollars etc and Kevin can you please go away.
We have your point. Over and Over again.
Tom maybe you should join him.
Steve
I still maintain that if there’s one outfielder who should be traded, it’s Span.
His OPS came down each month little by little, the six HRs were a fluke (he only had 10 in his entire minor league career), and while his plate discipline and speed are for real, his hitting likely wasn’t. Span’s K:BB ratio was going in the opposite direction at the end of the season, and while everyone was wowed by how nice of a season he had, I don’t believe for a second that he’ll repeat it.
He’s capable of a pretty good year, but he shouldn’t be untouchable and he’s going to bring in the biggest haul out of any of our outfielders because of his 2008. It’s better to sell high on him than sell low on Delmon or Gomez, in my opinion.
I think Span can only turn into a disappointment if we keep him around, because expectations of him now are completely unreasonable (thank you Dick, Bert, ESPN, and the Minnesota media).
I don’t think the Twins would move him anyway, so it’s a moot point. I hope he proves me wrong in 2009, but I just don’t see it happening.
I’d prefer to hang onto Gomez and Young, and move Span if we’re going to dump an OF. I know a lot of people around here don’t place any weight on minor league stats, but I just don’t see how a guy can go from having a career OPS under .700 coming into this season in the minors and then jump to an .820 OPS in the majors. I don’t think he’s nearly as good as he was in 2008, and trading him now would net us a huge return.
Several teams are looking for a good outfielder. I’d love to get a solid third baseman, a decent bullpen arm, and a high-level pitching prospect for Span, then swing the prospect and Perkins for J.J. Hardy and sign him long-term… but I’m just in dreamland at this point.
E7…
Gomez won’t get us Hardy, and Delmon probably wouldn’t get us Escobar.
I don’t understand the Escobar obsession anyway. Isn’t the whole point of adding a right-handed bat for it to be one to protect Morneau?
Yunel’s a nice player, but he’s not going to be particularly scary to opposing pitchers.
If the Braves are hesitant to include Escobar in a trade for Peavy, I don’t see them giving him up for Delmon alone anyway.
Could be right Steve, may be wishful thinking on my part. I think you’re right that Milwaukee will want something different than an outfielder….probably 2 pitchers for Hardy. Not sure I’d do it …
Instead, if I were GM I might trade for Escobar to cover SS, but yes we need a power bat in the middle of the order. Not perfect, but that could be signing Blake as a stop gap for a couple years. If we did that and traded Delmon for Escobar, I do think we’d be a better team overall. And we wouldn’t give up any pitching…
What would do..?
Hey LEN III,
I’ll be down in Chicago next weekend, for the Dave Koz show at the Chicago Theater. It’s always cool to go check out the windows of Dayton’s/Marshall Field’s/Macy’s, the Daley Plaza with the big tree and German shoppes and of course, Michigan Ave.
We always make it a point to get the best pizza made anywhere, usually Gino’s East. But, you can’t go wrong with Lou’s, Giordonos or Uno’s.
We were thinking of trying out a place called called Heaven on Seven for some cajun stir fry. Have you been there?
Chicago around the holidays, a very cool place!
I don’t view trading Perkins or Blackburn and replacing them with Swarzak/Humber/Duensing as much of a downgrade.
I agree Escobar makes us a better team, but he’s not the right-handed bat everyone’s looking for, and I think Delmon has a far better chance of becoming that bat than Escobar does. Maybe the 30/20 hype isn’t realistic anymore, but I see no reason why Delmon Young can’t be a 20/20 player with a .300ish average and a cannon in (hopefully) right field. That’s certainly nothing to frown at.
I like Escobar a lot; I think he’s going to be a good player, but not what we need right now. I guess what I would do (haha, isn’t talking about completely unrealistic scenarios fun?) is try to trade with San Diego… but not for Kouzmanoff. I’d target Chase Headley and Heath Bell. Ship them Span, Perkins, and Bonser (three re-building pieces as opposed to one young stud and a solid reliever) and then sign Furcal.
Furcal
Casilla
Mauer
Morneau
Headley
Young (in RF)
Kubel
Cuddyer (in LF)
Gomez
Completely not plausible, but a nice lineup with solid defense. A combination of Humber/Swarzak/Duensing can take the #5 spot in the rotation, with the others taking spots in the bullpen. Bell sets up Nathan, a role he’s comfortable in and has had great success with.
I think having a combo of Mijares, Bell, and Nathan at the back of your bullpen is about as solid as you could get.
Again, never in a million years, but if these blogs were for serious possibilities only, where would the fun in them be? 
Always good to dream. Nice to hear a different angle than the usuals that are out there. Hey it could work…
I could live with any of the above except parting with Span. He’s only been good half a season so far, but he’s looking like the real deal all of a sudden. His style of play and stats look a lot like Ellsbury. Who knows maybe the Lasik surgery made a huge difference? Still think he’s our best defensive outfielder and leadoff hitter. But Span, Delmon or Gomez may have to be expendable to pull off any multi-player deal. No one’s going to take Cuddy…
Lew Ford looked like the real deal after his first full season too. Not saying Span’s destined for the same fate, but there have been several Twins who looked like the real deal before falling apart quickly.
Span’s our best option to lead off, but I’ll take Gomez in the outfield any day. I think either way it’s pointless to discuss, because they’ve both become so popular that trading either would upset a lot of fans. I just don’t think Denard’s ever going to be the player people think he is right now. He can be a good player, but I’ve seen people comparing him to Puckett, calling him a future all-star, etc.
But I agree… definitely always fun to dream. Headley, Furcal, and Bell in 2009!
Could somebody please give us something to chew on?
Phillies interested in Punto. Twins can’t let him leaev or infield defense will be lost.
Is it March yet?!?
First of all, I’m still at odds as to why any of the current outfielders need to be traded. I also fail to see why so many people view four starting outfielders as a problem. Four starting outfielders seemed to work out pretty well for the Angels last year. But if one were to get traded, I agree with Steve from Fridley, I think Span would be the best candidate.
With 8 million left on his contract and an injury plagued 2008, Cuddy has very little if any trade value. If he comes back and plays another season, he would probably have much more trade value next season.
Young and Gomez are cheap and still have tremendous upsides. Gomez really shortened up his swing toward the end of last season. Young was a completely different hitter in the second half versus the first. Both players could be poised for breakthrough years in 2009. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing them blossom somewhere else.
Of the four, I think Span’s numbers last year were about as good as we’ll ever see. The best we can hope for is that he can maintain that kind of pace. In other words his trade value is about as high has it’s likely to ever get. The big question is the eye surgery. Did it have a real impact on Span’s hitting, or were his numbers last year just a fluke? It’s enough of a question to make a trade worth considering.
Hope you had fun in Chicago La Velle! Absolutely gorgeous weekend down there… well, til Sunday.
Did you move to Chi Town permanantly?
