Nick Punto signs with Twins, plus an update
Posted on December 11th, 2008 – 12:20 PMBy La Velle
Infielder Nick Punto has signed a two-year $8.5 million contract to remain with the Twins. He’ll make $4 million in 2009 and 2010, and there’s a $5 million club option for 2011. Punto is expected to be the Twins ’ starting shortstop in 2009.
The deal, wrapped up late last night at the Bellagio hotel, is the Twins’ biggest move during the winter meetings. Punto came to the winter meetings and spoke with 16 of the 30 teams, with three or four emerging as serious options. In the end, he was too comfortable with the Twins to leave.
Punto said he wants to help the Twins make a long playoff run.
“I feel like we got really close last year,” he said.“I have a sour taste in my mouth from that last game in Chicago. We’re looking forward to next year.”
The Twins are still looking for a offensive upgrade at third base, but Twins GM Bill Smith said that the team isn’t afraid to go to spring training with Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris as a platoon there.
Word is that the potential deal between the Cubs and Padres involving Jake Peavy has fallen apart. Cubs infielder Mark DeRosa, who can play third base, could be an option for the Twins. The Phillies also are interested in DeRosa.
Update on Beltre: Just heard that the Twins, indeed, are on Adrian Beltre’s no-trade list. That usually means the clause would have to be bought out in order for the player to waive it. It would be another hurdle if the Twins approach the Mariners about a trade.
It’s a slick move by Beltre and his agent, Scott Boras, if they recently added the Twins to the no-trade list. They listen to the rumors….
588 Responses to "Nick Punto signs with Twins, plus an update"
what the F.
ehh…
Who said the Twins would sit on their hands?
Within one hour, the Twins added a AAA pitcher (Jones) and a AAA shortstop (Punto).
How can anyone be disappointed?
What a day to be a Twins fan! lol
Is sid being sarcastic?
Matt Tolbert could replace Punto for 1/8th the cost.
This was all Gardy’s doing and I hope that for once he is held accountable if Punto does not produce at SS next year. What a waste of $4M a year…
What news, it hasn’t even made MLBTR yet… nice.
I’m sure he had serious offers from other teams, I would like to hear them…
Good to know we still like to waste millions on mediocre talent while blocking cheaper mediocre talent from playing…
I hate the twins FO and Tardy, I really do. They will do nothing, while the rest of the division gets better. They may trade Young for a couple of jock straps, while Cruddy bats .250, with 11 home runs and 0 range in the outfield.
Punto is a better than average reserve, but a below average starter. He was terrible at SS last year (he is much better at 2b or 3b in the field). Look at his zone ratings and he made some game costing errors toward the end of last year.
booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Wow…Two more seasons of head first slides into first. Aren’t we the lucky ones?
The Twins are constantly disgusting the fans with the bargain basement and temporary acquisitions that take the team nowhere. There would be alot more interest in the team if they could just once acquire a really top notch player to help the tean win. But it never happens because the Twins organization is satisfied with just being not quite good enough, and only good enough to keep some of the fans interested.
Wow Twins Front Office…….Way to Ruin another season for your fans again.
punto is the best infielder the twins have (besides 1b)… that’s why they signed him.
Punto has been pretty decent when he has to fight for a job - 2006, 2008. It’s when he’s given the starting job (2007, now) when he sucks
If Punto forgoes his traditional massive slump, then I am okay with him at SS. I hope this signing, though, doesn’t rule out the Twins from looking for other options…Punto is a tremendous back up
this stupid franchise will never learn.
seriously, they should’ve learned their lesson when they had Denny Hocking. You can’t make a starter out of a pile of crap. This is an even bigger waste of money then Livan or Monroe last year.
The only reason I can come up with for the Twins to pay a useless scrub like that 8 million bucks is on some road trip Ron must’ve cheated on his wife and Punto took photos and is blackmailing the Twins.
Punto is no better then Hocking, serves no purpose as a starter, offers very little coming off the bench, and this signing is evident the Twins are once again having no intentions of making a playoff run.
What a disgrace!!
rghrbek,
do you think that the FO and especially Gardy understand what zone rating is? I bet that Gardy does not know how to boot up a computer… check that 400 page advance scouting 3 ring binder in the dugout next time there is a televised Twins game if you don’t believe me. All it matter to him is that Punto is a “gamer”. This team is run like a minor league club from last millennium…
You may run like Mays, but you hit like s**t.
The Twins need to acquire Adrian Beltre to play third base and later DH. The Twins have got to put out some money or they are not going to seriously improve and be taken seriously as a contender for the Central Division.
hopefully this is just part of a sign and trade deal with some gullible team. twins paid 7 million more then he’s worth!
“I have a sour taste in my mouth… ” nicky that would be dirt form needlessly sliding head first into 1b.
the twins made a playoff run last year with punto, but signing him is throwing in the towel for next season?
I like this move if the Twins do, in fact, go get a third baseman. I would also like the Twins to move Casilla to short and use a combination of Harris and Punto at second. I don’t want Punto to be the starting shortstop, but I don’t think it is as bad of a move as everyone is making it out to be
They’re willing to give Punto $4mil (who should be a utility player), but won’t give Blake $3.5 mil to be at worst a utility player in year 3. Stupid
The Situationer says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
If Punto forgoes his traditional massive slump, then I am okay with him at SS. I hope this signing, though, doesn’t rule out the Twins from looking for other options…Punto is a tremendous back up
you’re wrong. simply put, the Twins don’t spend 4 million a year for a backup.
The Twins could put the fear into alot of teams with the acquisition of Adrian Beltre hitting from the right side at clean up between Mauer and Morneau.
I think the signing of Punto and keeping Cuddyer will do absolutely nothing to help the team improve in the future.
somebody called me out earlier today because i called our front office inept…well let me repeat that now…the minnesota twins front office is very inept… we went to the winter meetings to sign a guy named punto….how can it get any more exciting for a true twins fan… just tell me, isnt this just better than we could have expected…they have really outdone themselves this year…man, can spring training start tomorrow?? i cant wait…
Beltre is not the player the Twins need.
They are better off with Buscher.
Punto is not Hocking at all. Punto can both hit and play the field.
His speed on the bases adds to fire of this team.
With this pitching staff, this will be a dominant year for the Twins.
maybe not so much a new DH, but let kubel swing the bat. dont handcuff him with “twins baseball hitting 101″ i have a feeling thats what happened to delmon last spring.
you guys are liking punto’s signing now but when he bats around .200 again this year, you guys will be calling for his neck! 4 million a year for a .200 hitting, wise investment! way to go bill, chance to upgrade your SS and you stick with Punto, bill sounds just like terry ryan Jr…. punto as utility guy, good signing, punto as everyday SS, bad signing! GO Soxs!
right on hew
Mighty Casey says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
the twins made a playoff run last year with punto, but signing him is throwing in the towel for next season?
let me clarify, if they actually do make the playoffs this year, this signing is evident that the Twins are just happy to be there and don’t actually give a crap if they win.
Only the Twins would be dumb enough to make a starter out of that pile of crap. Punto is good enough to start for exactly 0 teams in the Majors and the only reason he’s starting here is because there is no cheaper franchise then the Twins.
Hell, even the Royals are spending money. They intend to get Furcal or Cabrera. Hell, even the Nats plan to spend money. They offered a huge contract to Teixeira. Twins are a joke.
hew says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Beltre is not the player the Twins need.
They are better off with Buscher.
Punto is not Hocking at all. Punto can both hit and play the field.
His speed on the bases adds to fire of this team.
With this pitching staff, this will be a dominant year for the Twins
you’re as clueless as the Twins front office.
What a horrible signing! Paid wayyyy too much for a utility player / defensive replacement.
Tell you what–if Punto slugs over .400 in any year of this contract, I will buy everyone here a beer (if of legal age).
spending money doesn’t win championships, plain and simple. see the yankees/mets/angels/tigers for this decade.
…like i said before, Punto is the best infielder the twins had this year. not bringing him back would have been too risky.
Whoa…that’s my post above where is says “Howard”…for some reason it put his info in.
Typical Twins action, we like our own better than anyone esle’s. I don’t mind Punto as a backup but not as an everyday player, and they BETTER go out and find a 3b, don’t give me “but Twins GM Bill Smith said that the team isn’t afraid to go to spring training with Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris as a platoon there.” That might be the worst news of all. Great just great.
You guys are funny! “Kick You in Your Punto”! That’s funny. I can’t believe they want to pay him 4mil either. But they let too many ss options get away and now they panicked thinking they were going to have no one for ss. The best we can hope for is that they’re getting him as infield insurance in case they aren’t able to get their targets (if they have any) signed or traded for. It sure sounds like they’re going to stand pat for next season though. “We’re not afraid to go into next season with Buscher and Harris at third”?! BS may not be, but Twins fans are.
whitesuxfan4life
ozzie loves punto..
that should be upsetting to you. now you get to listen to ozzie talk about him all day. everyday for 2 more years.
ha
Mighty Casey says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
spending money doesn’t win championships, plain and simple. see the yankees/mets/angels/tigers for this decade.
…like i said before, Punto is the best infielder the twins had this year. not bringing him back would have been too risky.
you’re wrong, but thanks for playing. Also, apparently not only have the front office not learned anything from having Hocking around too long, but you and the front office didn’t learn anything from having Mientkiewicz around too long. All glove, no bat, does this team no good at all.
Oh Crap!
thrylos98, I agree the Twins and Tardy go on gut feelings more than anything. Ben you are right, we need Beltrae and then sign him up for a 2 year extension (if possible). DeRosa should no longer be an option, as he is basically Harris, just a slightly better hitter, and he’s 34.
Mighty Casey: Nobody anticipated how bad the division was last year, plus Cleveland got nailed with injuries. The Twins were lucky (and good too. Punto was a small part of that. The division will be better, the Twins, of course, are status quo. If you don’t try and get better and improve, then how can you expect to achieve more? GoGo is suddenly gonna get it and hit 25 bombs and steal 30 bases with an OPS of + .350? Ah…no.
And Blake was to spendy for 3 yrs?
i’m just wrong? period? good argument…
Well the silver lining is that this means we will not be giving up any players for an overpaid Jack Wilson or Miguel Tejada…
Or giving up too much money and a #1 pick for Orlando Cabrera.
I just wish I didnt have to watch him swing at a bad pitch, duck his head after popping up then flip his bat any more. I hate that.
SS with at least 500 innings played ub 2008.
Range Factor…
#1)5.22 Tutowitzki
#2)5.08 Jack Wilson
#3)4.92 Nick Punto
#X)4.59 Michael Young
#X)4.52 Jimmy Rollins
#X)4.48 JJ Hardy
#X)4.21 Jason Bartlett
#X)3.61 Jed Lowrie
Hummmmmm……….
Word is that the potential deal between the Cubs and Padres involving Jake Peavy has fallen apart. Cubs infielder Mark DeRosa, who can play third base, could be an option for the Twins. The Phillies also are interested in DeRosa
sorry LEN3, with the re-signing of the inept Punto by the inept front office, DeRosa simply isn’t a big enough bat to make trading for a worthwhile move.
Punto isn’t terrible, but he’s shouldn’t be a starter. I would much rather use Tolbert as a utility and spend an extra $7million/year to get Furcal.
I’d take an average SS who can hit versus an above average defensive player who can’t hit.
Casilla produced twice as much offensively in 1/2 the time..
i like the signing because punto plays amazing defense..
but 4mil a year tells me he will be starting.
so pencil him in at SS.
do the twins trade delmon for adkins?
trading delmon for ANY 3rdbaseman.. will not improve our lineup.
but now we have a starting SS. 5 outfielders, and harris, busher for 3rd
ahhh?
Well, this will pretty much set the tone on the Stribs for the next year or so. Regardless of what else the FO does the rest of the way out.
I have a hard time believing we couldnt have done this for much cheaper 3 months ago.
actually casilla and punto’s offensive numbers are very similar.
Bullwinkle says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
SS with at least 500 innings played ub 2008.
Range Factor…
#1)5.22 Tutowitzki
#2)5.08 Jack Wilson
#3)4.92 Nick Punto
#X)4.59 Michael Young
#X)4.52 Jimmy Rollins
#X)4.48 JJ Hardy
#X)4.21 Jason Bartlett
#X)3.61 Jed Lowrie
Hummmmmm……….
range is a bunk stat.
Nick Punto….bunt to win.
so there it is, that’s the big move…so predictable. yawn……and casilla belongs at shortstop, not second. what is the obsession with nick punto? ugh a new publically financed place to play and they aren’t operating any different. of course the media won’t hold them to anything because the twins are so full of “nice guys”. the front office should save their owner some money and skip the winter meetings from now on.
There are several players who consistently did nothing to help this team win games when they counted most, and Young and Punto are two of them. I remember a long stretch in late summer where Gardy kept batting Punto and when he had a chance to deliver a big hit, Nearly Hitless Nick failed time and again. The division should have and could have been won with a stronger bat in the lineup.
btw, casey blake… Is 36 NEXT YEAR!!! GET OVER IT!! why would you pay someone with like 2 good seasons a ton of money for 3 seasons?
MH says:
December 11th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
i like the signing because punto plays amazing defense..
but 4mil a year tells me he will be starting.
so pencil him in at SS.
do the twins trade delmon for adkins?
trading delmon for ANY 3rdbaseman.. will not improve our lineup.
but now we have a starting SS. 5 outfielders, and harris, busher for 3rd
ahhh?
no, the Twins have a starting catcher, a starting 1st baseman, 3 starting outfielders, and a starting DH, they have AAA mediocrity at 2B, SS, and 3B.
I can’t believe the Twins can give Punto a 2yr $8 million dollar contract and not give Casey Blake a 3yr $18 million dollar contract. Just dumb.
F’in GREAT!! Nicky P as the Starting SS. Come on. Like anyone was going to give him 4M per year as a backup/starter. We overpaid like the yankees did with CC. Oh well here is praying that we can pull off an upgrade to 3B and DH.
This is the new worst move in Twins history. I now lead the fire Bill Smith bandwagon… What the F! is this franchise thinking? Is Bill Smith taking notes from Kevin McHale?
Best signing in years Punto is worth every penny.
Trade Thrylos98!
What a crappy thing to throw at me right before lunch. How am I supposed to eat now? Seriously, I feel sick to my stomach….
Yeah, I have to agree that this make DeRosa less interesting to me. I liked him if you could play him at 2B, move Casilla to short.
But I am not sure how DeRosa is all that much better than a Busher/Harris platoon.
Dan
Thanks for copying and pasting my comment.
i felt leftout.
its good to know i am in the loop.
Wow settle down folks… pretty sure Punto batted around 280 this past season and turned in some spectacular plays. He is a clubhouse guy and has a lot of energy, a great move by the Twins keep up the good work! We could have kept Adam E maybe that would have made you people happy. Oh by the by didnt the Twins play 162+ ? A lot of other teams packed it in in August, be thankful and hopeful…. we could be watching the ” Las Vegas ” Twins remember.
Not a very exciting signing, but Punto IS reliable. But what the Twins have been saying for years, and what we all know, is that we need more P-O-W-E-R in the lineup. When/If that will come this offseason is anyone’s guess.
My guess is that this will be the most significant move the Twins make. I’ll still root for them in ‘09 regardless, but we do need to obtain some more power this year so that Morneau can benefit.
8 million for Punto? Gads
I have never been a huge Punto fan, but really this is not that bad. He is a decent SS, and an OK hitter.
Dan,
I think it will be alright! You can hop of the ledge now. Your devastation is apparent if not overdramatic, but I think it is okay to let it go.
Bullwinkle: Gleeman broke this down at the end of last year. His numbers came up significantly different than those. His criteria used the range rating, but also zone rating, and a couple others, which put him at 8th or 9th, just in the AL. I will try to find the archived article.
Days like this make me feel frustrated as a Twins fan. I know how it works with the Twins and $$$, but c’mon Punto is not what the Twins should have as their ideal starting SS.
I have no negative comments. I just can’t believe it. I’m in shock. 4mil a year for nick punto. This should be SI’s Sign of the Apocolypse this week…..
I think 4 mil per over 2 years was the market for Punto. The Phillies and Mets would have done at least that…
That dosnt make it a good deal, however.
two 2008 stat lines for comparison:
Player 1) 385 ab, 58 r, 22 xbh, 50 rbi, 31 bb, 45 k, 7 sb, .281/.333/.374
Player 2) 338 ab, 43 r, 25 xbh, 28 rbi, 32 bb, 57 k, 15 sb, .284/.344/.382
One of these players hit in front of the inconsistent (at best) and erratic Carlos Gomez, while the other sat hit in front of the American League batting champ. One of these players made 12 errors at 2b, while the other made 10 errors on the season at a much more demanding SS position. Add the fact that Punto (player 2) is a “gamer” or a “spark” and he is definitely worth the money. (player 1 is Alexi Casilla)
You guys who were bitching about the Twins inactivity at the Winter Meetings owe everyone an apology.
How I long for the boredom of yesterday!
Lets go back to doing NOTHING!!!!
I hope Bill Smith is fired! He is now on par with Kevin McHale in my eyes… it has only taken him two years to make more bad moves than Terry Ryan did in his entire freaking career (until the last 18 months of his tenure)… For the love of all things holy this man needs to be fired and replaced…
Branden, why pay someone for 2 good seasons when you get 0?
Never before has tenacity alone been rewarded so highly.
The Twins front office must look at that Eric Milton-to-Philly swap as the best trade in team history.
How very disappointing.
The twins have a brand new stadium coming next year and a good group of young players to build the future around, and their solution to SS is Punto?? thats embarrassing. They should be trying to build excitement for this team and trying to build a winner, but thats not going to happen with Punt Dog as a starting SS.
MC,
Overall the numbers are similar I suppose, with the exception of the one production stat.
RBI Punto 28
RBI Casilla 50
Does anyone on this blog honestly think that the Twins wouldn’t be a better team with Harris or Tolbert at short??? Punto has had 5+ years to prove himself as a Twin and he’s had one decent season.
I’d like the signing if it was for 1 year 2 million and the manager was not Gardy.
See, I told you guys we didn’t need Furcal. Who needs offense anyway? Bet Furcal signs for 4 yrs 40 million.
UZR/150 (min 125 innings at SS)
Augie Ojeda 39.4
Mike Aviles 29.2
Alfredo Amezaga 28.4
Jed Lowrie 21.0
Alberto Gonzalez 20.8
Marco Scutaro 19.3
Luis Cruz 15.0
Maicer Izturis 13.9
Omar Vizquel 13.8
Jimmy Rollins 13.4
Orlando Cabrera 13.4
Jack Wilson 12.7
Erick Aybar 12.6
Cesar Izturis 12.5
Brendan Ryan 12.4
J.J. Hardy 12.2
Nick Punto 12.0
Augie Ojeda (yes that Augie Ojeda) signed a $750K contract with the Diamondbacks yesterday.
Reading some of the posts (negative ones on Punto signing) seems to reflect that …
a. They haven’t been Twins fans long
b. Don’t understand Twins player use and development methodology
c. Are dreamers
d. Probably complain about everything
Come on people….. you have to admit he is tremendous at defense and he hustles on offense. He’s as solid as it gets in the infield. Give him a break.
This is almost as disappointing as the 1-0 loss to Chicago to end the season last year…ouch…
simply put.
the punto signing is getting bashed because everyone had high expectations. everyone thought the team would make a move. get a power hitting SS.
but its the twins we are talking about.. come on. build a bridge and get over it
Nick Punto!! Lavallie that is a joke right. Why Why Why!!!!
I can live with the Nicky Pucko signing if we make a lot more moves. The only issue is there isn’t really a 3B FA out there worth anything so we have to trade. An the value of Cuddy ,DY or Kubel aren’t as high as we need to improve. Would love to see the Twins make the big move and get Beltre and Dunn.
A lineup of
Span - L
Casilla -S
Mauer - L
Beltre - R
Morneau - L
Young/Cuddy - R
Dunn - L
Punto - S
Gomez - R
Now that is a lineup that can produce.
at least we won’t trade for Jack Wilson now.
I agree with Frankie
You are all idiots. The Twins don’t need to hit home runs to win games. They have proven that year in and year out. The Twins play the game the way it was meant to be played. They rely on great pitching, defense, bunting, team speed, and awesome chemistry. Not one Twin ever takes a play off on offense or defense — and that is why they are successful. Say all you want, critics. Nick Punto is a great Twin. If you don’t how the Minnesota Twins do things with their farm system and how play the game of baseball — you are absolutely crazy. I trust the front office and I always will. In the meantime… I will let the Yankees continue to buy great, expensive players and watch them continue to choke in the big city. Sweet.
Go Twins!
If we add an infielder through a trade, we have to get rid of one… how many can you have? Name another team that has 5 below average infielders.
My guess is Buscher or Tolbert would be part of a deal…
hey hey hey yoke. dont be thinking i want punto on this team. i hate little niky punto more then anything on this planet, next to lew ford, and jason tyner that is. i was just simply saying that casey blake is garbage, and stop crying over the dodgers making the mistake of giving hima 3 year deal.
Twins ownership and front office should be embarassed. The PUBLIC taxpayer finances the new stadium for one of the RICHEST owners in baseball and our BIG signing is NICKY PUNTO ? Cant wait to see him hit .240 and slide into 1b 20 times next year. Hell , we dont need a Bletre / Mike Lowell or Michael Young……..we got NICKY !!!!!!!!!!
Next thing I’m gonna see on the SWtar/Trib site will be about some monster extension for Boof ” Balloon Boy ” Bonser.
good signing - and i’m betting he could have signed for slightly more elsewhere - not easy to find a guy who can play three infield positions very well and has had a full season as a .300 hitter, more or less (and, yes, a .200 hitter - but i’m choosing to cherrypick my numbers).
now, they do need a righthanded bat with some pop, preferably at 3b. if they don’t do that, then this was a poor signing in that it limited their options of getting said bat at SS. we’ll see.
Is there another team in baseball that can break the heart of it’s fans worse every offseason only to have us continue to rally behind the boys?
The players have to not only beat the other teams, but they have to overcome the handicap of having an idiot running the team, and a cheapa$$ owner!
Carl, your golden pyramid is almost complete…
Just remember it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a Pohlad to ever see another World Series
Why doesnt Cuddyer try hard to be a team player I know he has but really think about it if he applied himself and tried to play 3B the twins could be good with team they have.
A lot of good teams don’t necessarily have great hitting short stops. Punto doesn’t have to be J.J. Hardy or Derek Jeter at the plate. If he hits .275 and steals 20 bases, he’s doing his job offensively. That, coupled with great defense and tremendous leadership skills, the Twins were wise to sign him. If the front office is able to address the hole at 3B, the signing is all the better.
Well, I know there’s at least one person happy about this news. Because now Schizo Herb and his 12 Alternate Personalities can come on here and post that the Twins should trade Punto without looking like a moron.
Bring Back Dougie Mietcheview he will play third
Is there another team in baseball that can break the heart of it’s fans worse every offseason only to have us continue to rally behind the boys?
Their called the Cubs.
Adding Beltre along with Punto adds defense to the leftside. It also adds the needed HRs. Plus adding Dunn into the mix is an upgrade over Kubel. Who can be on the bench for depth in OF/DH.
An as for the Twins not needing the HR. Just remember the last game of the season. With only Morneau as the guy who could hit one out like Thome.
WTF!
Why in whatever do they INSIST on signing BELOW average players for ABOVE average $$$…
Bernice-
The twins dont need to hit homeruns to win games? oh ya really? how many playoff series have the twins won in the last 15 years? how many times have they got to the world series?
I know its a free society but you people should really just follow another team. This is a decent job to sure up the defense… AND yes you can shove your zone rating in your ear. Is that not the statistic that somehow ranks Delmon Young as an outfielder who covers a lot of ground? Not a bad sign and I assure other teams probably would have given him 5.5 or 6 million especially in the NL.
yeah this guy can’t run the bases or know when there are 1 or 2 outs in an inning!
I can count the 3…sign me up for 8.5 million!
Nick Punto hit .263 with RISP. Alexi Casilla hit .237 with RISP.
I am not sure why the twins can’t just use Tolbert. He’s just like Punto only he is a good player.
Punto earns 4 mill
Casilla 450k or so
Frankie,
I have been a Twins fan for over 20 years. I am sure I am not the only one who understands that the Twins develop most of the MLB roster through their farm system and aren’t big spenders.
I don’t rip on the Pohlads, I don’t even rip on Gardy too much. I like Delmon Young.
But Nick Punto isn’t a starter. It seems like this signing signals a “surrender” by the Twins in terms of making a real move to upgrade the SS position.
So don’t insult Twinsfans who aren’t Nick Punto fanboys.
gross…..I hope this is not the big signing.
carl pohlad might be the richest owner, but the twins revenue is in like the bottom 5 teams in the league, we’re not going to be scoring mark texiera anytime soon. maybe if we can sell the team to mark cuban, this will change.
“Punto said he wants to help the Twins make a long playoff run.”
So wait, he is signing with Philly?
Mr. Smith, you are making it harder everyday to be a Twins fan. This team has accomplished nothing it has set out to do prior to the winter meetings, yet we added $4 million in salary. I like Punto, but he is not what we need.
Good move by Bill. Punto can play multiple positions, is solid with the bat and plays great defense.
Just because we signed Punto doesn’t mean we’re done. Long way to go in free agency. This is just the start. Now Bill can focus on a 3B.
AHWWW come on guys, over the next two years he might contribute about 70rbi’s. That’s only about $64,000 per rbi. Geez, somebody help me pickup my jaw off the floor please! I think I’m gonna be sick!
Cleans keyboard and monitor of lunch and bile.
I suppose he’s better than Wilson, Tejada, Cabrera or any of the other available options. But it’s just depressing to think I’m going to have to watch him stumble and bumble his way for two more years, minimum.
Is there another team in baseball that can break the heart of it’s fans worse every offseason only to have us continue to rally behind the boys?
…you fairweather twins fans “rally” behind them because they consistently put out a good baseball team.
I’ll agree that Punto is a very good defensive player but he isn’t worth 4.25 mil. Take about 3 million of that and add to the offer on a third basemen and you have one of the best in the league. Punto’s offense doesn’t justify this price. He’ll probably make a great fielding coach someday but this is out of line.
The rest of the division must be shaking in their boots.
BOOOOO…Way to waste money Billy Smith. You are ruining a Twins team and now have that much less money to spend on real talent. Billy Smith is an idiot…but I bet ANYTHING Ron Gardenhire, who is Nicky’s buddy, had something to do with this.
thrylos98…..ya have to use a minimum of 500+ innings to get any valid data from the UZR. 125 innings is like being on the field for 2 outs per game.
Mighty Casey - what were Punto stats in ‘07? Don’t bother, we all know he was terrible. Nothing wrong with signing this guy, but unless the team adds a threat at 3B (See Beltre), the Twins look to be doing it on the cheap again. Yeah it’s fun competing, but wouldn’t it be fun to actually have a shot at a title? This team proves again, the goal is to be just good enough to make the play-offs, but not willing to spend just a little more to put the team over the top.
the guy has contributed to pennant winning teams & if you love your over thinking math nerd moneyball defensive stats so much and you read the book then you also obviously feel that the playoffs are a crapshoot. So I guess getting there is what matters right, which is what we do better than most teams in the league. Its not the end of the world, I would like to have Michael Young & Beltre on the leftside too but lets keep this in perspective. This guy is a punching bag on here for no reason other than he is not a power hitting shortstop. News flash,most of those guys went out with the steroid era. If we get a 3b man and hit Punto 8th and he plays great defense cool, we can live with that.
I have a hard time believing Nick Punto is a “great clubhouse guy.”
He comes off as a guy that hurries to get out of the shower to campout by Justin Morneau’s locker so that he dosent get left behind when the rest of the guys go out for a beer.
Are annoying ankle-biters good cluhouse guys?
Did Gardy not pay attention in cluch situtations Punto was AWFUL. It seemed that both his glove and bat were bad in cluch sitations.
$4 million a year for Nick Punto? This is sad.
This entire message board is ridiculous. The Twins do not need to hit home runs to win games. They have proven that year in and year out. The Twins — as opposed to most MLB teams — play the game right. They have always relied on great pitching, defense, bunting, team speed, and chemistry. No Twin has ever taken a play off on offense or defense. That is why the Twins are successful. Nick Punto is a great Twin. If you don’t love how things are done in the Minnesota front office and if you don’t like the style of play in Minnesota — you are absolutely crazy. This is great baseball. In the meantime… I will let the Yankees continue to buy high priced studs and watch them continue to struggle and get boo’d in the big city. Sweet.
Go Twins!
Now if we can just wrap up D. Reyes to a long term contract we will have had quite a trip to Las Vegas!!!
Nick Punto = Denny Hocking
YUCK !!!!!
Well, this will save me $140 for cancelling the MLB ticket. I just cannot stand the thought of listening to Bremer and Blyleven gush over a guy that consistently does the little and the big things wrong for another 2 years. Smith obviously is in over his head letting his manager bully him into such a fruitless move.
Frankie…
I have been a Baseball fan since birth. My father took a picture of me with a baseball in my hand at the hospital. I have been a Twins fan that whole time… so I grew up watching those god aweful powder blue uniforms and the CRAP that filled them in the late 70’s through the mid 80’s. I have watched this team grow, but don’t tell me that this team wins without bringing in players from outside!
In 87 they traded to get Dan Gladden and Jeff Reardon. Signing Juan Berenger, and Joe Neikro. They also picked up Don Baylor at the deadline… They also took advantage of a very weak and mediocre American League that year.
In 91 it is true that Scott Erickson and Knoblauch came up, but signing Chilli Davis and signing Jack Morris…
You have to bolster the lineup, and you have to add depth to the bullpen…
Little Nicky Punterrible does not address a need on this team. Casilla at SS and Tolbert at 2nd Base would have been a blessing compared to that idiot and his head first slides into 1st base, and his having to dive for everything because he can’t be in the right position. Call it as it is, and not as it appears on Sport Center… Punto is a weak hitter that does not help the lineup and his defense is over-rated beyond a steroid enduced Mark McGwire homer!
Correction I am sick now, my friggen math was off thats about $114,000 per rbi if he gets 70 of them over the next two years.
Nick Punto hit .263 with RISP
and is that supposed to be “good”? (Casilla hit .253 with RISP, btw)
How many players have you seen to bunt for a double play?
With LNP at SS we really need a bopper at 3B to compete with the big boys. Otherwise we’re just trying to catch lightning in a bottle.
bernice wagner says:
December 11th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
This entire message board is ridiculous. The Twins do not need to hit home runs to win games. They have proven that year in and year out. The Twins — as opposed to most MLB teams — play the game right. They have always relied on great pitching, defense, bunting, team speed, and chemistry.
how nauseating. where has that bullcrap your spewing gotten the Twins in the playoffs????? blah.
of the cities in the US that have a team in the 4 major sports, the Twins Cities have gone the longest without a title. Well folks, it ain’t changing this year with the no offense Wild, the division 3 Timbercrappers, the no QB Queens, and the completely inept Twins.
Wow. I say that if the Twins make the playoffs this year, all the negative nancies on here don’t get to claim to be fans. Way to support your team no matter what.
I can’t wait for Punto to bat .212 as our starting SS! Keep Harris at short, I’ll take his bat over Punto’s. Obvioulsy Punto has better D and head first slides, but for 4.25 mill a year, c’mon, that’s terrible.
my argument is that punto is the best infielder the twins have.
“The Twins are still looking for a offensive upgrade at third base, but Twins GM Bill Smith said that the team isn’t afraid to go to spring training with Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris as a platoon there.”
I think that says it all right there see you April 1st.
BC- come back from the ledge buddy. This is nothing like the Wolves… this is a pretty minor move that will not destroy the team/franchise…
I just became a Royals fan with this Punto signing…
Some of you guys should go start rooting for the Yankees. Sounds like you want to the Twins to field a fantasy team.
thank you Dan. The Twins style of small ball has not gotten them anywhere in the playoffs
Punto has been pretty decent when he has to fight for a job - 2006, 2008. It’s when he’s given the starting job (2007, 2009?) when he sucks
I have been a Baseball fan since birth. My father took a picture of me with a baseball in my hand at the hospital. I have been a Twins fan that whole time… so I grew up watching those god aweful powder blue uniforms and the CRAP that filled them in the late 70’s through the mid 80’s. I have watched this team grow, but don’t tell me that this team wins without bringing in players from outside!
In 87 they traded to get Dan Gladden and Jeff Reardon. Signing Juan Berenger, and Joe Neikro. They also picked up Don Baylor at the deadline… They also took advantage of a very weak and mediocre American League that year.
In 91 it is true that Scott Erickson and Knoblauch came up, but signing Chilli Davis and signing Jack Morris…
You have to bolster the lineup, and you have to add depth to the bullpen…
Little Nicky Punterrible does not address a need on this team. Casilla at SS and Tolbert at 2nd Base would have been a blessing compared to that idiot and his head first slides into 1st base, and his having to dive for everything because he can’t be in the right position. Call it as it is, and not as it appears on Sport Center… Punto is a weak hitter that does not help the lineup and his defense is over-rated beyond a steroid enduced Mark McGwire homer!
the guy has contributed to pennant winning teams
Interesting statement. The only Twins team that won the AL Central when Punto had more than 330 AB a season was the 2006 team. The other 3 times he had more than 330 AB a season (2005. 2007, 2008) the Twins did not win. As a matter of fact, there is strong evidence suggesting that the more AB Punto has, the lower probability for the Twins to win the pennant…
This signing is a travesty and a sham and a mockery….it’s a traveshamockery!
guys and girls…
He is really really good with the glove. So many times he makes the super play. He is as common a regular on Web Gems as any other player. Yet everyone remembers the one throw that pulled Morneau off the bag. I understand not trusting his bat because 07′ was so incredibly painful to watch but c’mon. He lost his confidence for a season. It happens to some of the greats. Now he is a MLB starting shortstop, has the glove to which he earned it and if he hits anywhere .275 he is well worth the contract we signed him for. Would you rather have Jack Wilson and his worse bat, double the contract, and give up prospect(s) for him?
I swear he is a target simply because of his name.
Oh no! Dan just jumped.
the twins can’t afford to take risks on a big-name free agent. most free agents are busts anyways. that would hinder the twins for years. better off saving up for mauer and morneau.
Can anyone think of a team with a worse hitting every day SS in MLB right now??? There may be a couple but I can’t think of any.
Casey,
You also have to take into consideration that one of those players was a 24yr old rookie and the other a 31yr old 6yr vet.
Casilla performance is very good at this point in his career, Punto’s is not.
Merry Christmas Nick Punto….Honestly, this is a joke right. Can anyone really justify signing him to THAT much??? Economy being what it is…Nick should accept a mid level managers pay of about $200k per year and be happy he isn’t working at Walmart as a greeter.
The old man Carl is off his meds again. He is signing the wrong player (especially at a cost). I’ll go recruit a 12 year old to play better then punto. If you ever watch his post game remarks. After he has a poor fielding day he doesn’t take the blame. He just says we all could have played better. Man up and tell the world you are terrible.
I think Punto has taken a lot of punishment from you local fans. I am happy to see him back. he is a great defensive player. Sure his numbers are not as high as we fans would like but then agian, both of the 87 and 91 teams had a low batting average player on their teams and it paid off.
By the way, VOTE BRUNANSKY FOR TWINS HOF
Did he lose his confidence in 2005 when he hit .239 as well??? Or how about 2004 when he hit .253, or even 2003 when he hit .217??? Sure, he hit .284 this year, but the frosting on the cake was .210 in 2007.
I’m pretty sure Punto will be the 4th highest paid non-pitcher on our team now behind Cuddy, Mauer and Morneau.
“Infielder Nick Punto has signed a two-year $8.5 million contract to remain with the Twins. He’ll make $4 million in 2009 and 2010″
Can I have the extra $500k?
Some of your comments are really funny, seriously. Be careful though. Punto has shown he CAN play well, particularly on defense. A few years back he also had good numbers at the plate and, relative to other shortstops, last year was not so bad either. Crow won’t taste so good to some of you if he puts a couple decent years together. Remember, as a nine hitter, his role at the plate is to get on base or move the runner over and he was better at that last year relative to the average shortstops in the league. Whether or not he’s worth 4 million a year depends on intrinsic values like clubhouse leadership and the role he plays among his younger teammates. Some of you would rather the Twins spent twice as much for a player with only marginally better value, especially when the entire ball player is considered. Sometimes the glass is half full, too.
This has to be a joke. Don’t get me wrong, Punto plays hard, but 4 Mil per year is a joke. This guy has more unproductive, 240ft fly ball outs than any player in MLB history. Has never hit for power or average and is a slightly better than average fielder. He is a utility reserve infielder at best, and these guys are a dime a dozen, no make that about 600K per dozen per year. Wow! How about taking the 4 mil and getting a third basemen or DH with power.
Bernice Wagner appears to be Gardy in drag.
What a joke. You’ve been suckered again. Next year it will be there was no free agent worth pursuing and then the first 3 years in the new stadium we must sign our own players first. MN Fans are the biggest suckers in the world.
Wake me up when this nightmare is over.
the twins will never trade for beltre, its all talk to make you think they are trying.
I’ve said for two weeks that signing Nick Punto would be the Twins “big offseason move.” Now, either I’m brilliant (and we know that’s not true) or this team is way too (depressingly) predictable.
I guess it’s nice that the team considers their loyal, ardent fans wants, considering 98% of Twins fans despise this guy as a player.
This is what the new ballpark will bring us?
Prediction: Punto will hit .215 up until the break, Gardy will say he just needs time, and FINALLY Billy Boy will run out of patience and look at acquiring a real everyday SS. Then, we will have spent $8.5 million on a utility player no one can stand.
BTW: There’s no way 16 teams had SERIOUS interest. I’ll bet it was only the Twins and Phillies, the team he used to play for.
This day turned to diseased thanks to Bill Smith.
Could we please get a real bat into this lineup?
The cheap owner will pocket all the money he made last year off of selling off our biggest names, and then get his huge check from Target.
I think it’s time to sell my stock in Target… they were a great company, but affiliations with the Timberwolves and the Twins… seems diseased.
Wow, 170 responses in 1 hour all for the Punto signing. Love him or hate him the Twins win with him.
Way to go Twins! Go out and grab the bottom of the barrels!
well said, lakeseven
Screwed the Pohlads.
…we don’t need to spend money and hit homers like the yanks and red sox
it’s not like the yanks have 26 titles, and 4 since we won our 2…
it’s not like the sox have 7 titles, and 2 in the past 5 years…
oh wait..
the Twins “build” teams to maybe make the playoffs. sickening.
Berniece … how did you suddenly change your name to Lakeseven?
A little early for an April fool’s joke La Velle.
another piece of news: David Shinskie, RHP who played for Ft. Myers and New Britain last season was drafted by Toronto in the minor league portion of the rule 5 draft and assigned to AAA Syracuse
Bor-ASS is a prick and bad for baseball. The man is like the Wal-Mart of agents…he and Drew Rosenhaus should get together and shoot each other.
Punto blows more dick than cocaine.
What a joke. You’ve been suckered again. Next year it will be there was no free agent worth pursuing and then the first 3 years in the new stadium we must sign our own players first. MN Fans are the biggest suckers in the world.
Actually, Ryan, the Twins don’t win with him. That’s why there were no playoffs this year or last, when he was an everyday player. Only 2006, and that was a downright miracle.
The number of amazing plays Punto makes is only equalled by the number of stupid plays he makes.
Can we please get a reaction from LEN3 on this signing??? I’d say it’s 75%-25% here…$#@@%#$%@ pissed - somehow not upset…
Welcome to the Brokeback Twins for 2009.
Billy Boy making some NOISE in Vegas.
Now, just sign Scott Erickson for $2 mil a year, then sign my buddy Dennys “meatball slider” Reyes for 6 years, and call it a day. Look out AL Central.
This is getting annoying fast
Dont get me wrong I love the Twins, but for the people on here who say the Twins win and their a great team. What exactly have they won since 1991??
Buscher+Harris at 3rd. Punto at short. Somebodys getting fired next season.
I can hardly wait to hear from Smith how Punto is a vital piece to the puzzel… $8.5 mil. You freaking clown!!!
I wonder how Justin Morneau feels about this trade and Billy’s “lack of fear” about entering Spring Training with the same worthless tandem at 3B. Morneau, while making an appearance a month ago, carefully went on record as saying the team has promised to upgrade the left side of the infield while moving one outfielder from the roster. Now, he’s left with the same guy he and Joe can’t stand having in the line-up every day.
Here is how the Twins can salvage this atrocity
Trade pitching for a 3B - Perkins, Humber, Mulvey, etc should all be in play. Get someone who can impact this lineup, they need it - Wiggy would fit in just fine and wouldnt be that expensive
Trade Cuddy for whatever they can get - a team out there would appreciate him, we can even offer to pay part of his salary and only take back a mid level prospect in return
Sign Pat the bat Burrel (my guess is he’ll be less than 10 mill and can be had for less than 3 years) and put him in DH. He can back up Morneau at 1B if needed and his HR would push Morneau to hit more than 23/year (and he’d protect both him and Mauer).
Sign Colome - if not for his awesome name, he looks like he might be a solid contributor and replace some of the pitching they give up in a deal and would only cost about 1 mill.
Give Gomez some time at AAA - he needs it
Twins look like this opening day
Span CF
Mauer C
Morneau 1B
Burrel DH
Wiggy 3B
Kubel RF (he’s actually not bad there)
Young LF
Casilla 2B
Punto SS
Harris/Buscher/Redmond/Gomez on the bench
Pitching - depends on the trades, but if Perk and Humber are gone, I give a shot to Mulvey/Duensing/etc.
BP - Colome, Bonser, Guerrier, Mijares, Nathan, Breslow, Crain (one of those are gone either in a trade or AAA but still, not bad).
How long will the fnas put up with these cheap batsards?
[…] Twins Insider – […]
Too bad about Beltre, then he changed his team approval list and No Twins! Then we would not want him then….
Win Twins!
Edit above^
Gomez would start the year at AAA, his spot would go to someone (not sure who) until he refines his bat, then he’d be up and possibly start.
[…] http://www.startribune.com – […]
Looking at all the Punto love on this board, and knowing that while at a game, when he comes to the plate, the dome is eerily quiet, why in the hell would this idiot WANT to play here? Because, perhaps, this is the only MLB job he can have, like many of us have been saying for years???
There’s something strange going on between Gardy and Punto. This is beyond a father and favored son on the little league team. This is some kind of romantic thing.
Totally sick of our off seasons. Shoot me in the face.
Bend over Twins fans… here comes the punchless 2009 retread twins…
The one thing that Smith cannot be accused is for being “cheap”. He made a career utility player the fourth paid position player in the club. Spendthrift, yes, bad decision, yes but not cheap.
Punto is to Gardy what Denny Hocking was to T.K. Ah Nicki, rub my neck, it’s sore from supporting my large melon. I’ve seen major money pis.ed away in Vegas but this is unprecedented.
For those of you that laughed at my “inside info” yesterday, that Punto would be our SS and Buscher/Harris would platoon at 3rd, I say HA!
Matty, how’s Ava doin?
5′9
I was asked to make a list of people that if they were out of their profession would make the world a better place.
1. George Bush Jr
2. Bin Laden
3. Michele Bachman
4. Scott Boras
5. Kevin McHale (atleast I’d be able to enjoy my favorite team again)
I want to add Bill Smith to the number 6 spot on that.
you all forget the silver lining that gardy doesn’t have to find someone new to mow his lawn.
Ryan,
The twins do win with him….until we get to the playoffs and we play teams that have 7-8 really good hitters and we have 3-4. Pitchers don’t pitch to our good hitters come playoff time cause we have so many below average hitters in our every day lineup..
This isn’t the NFL where defense alone can win championships. We need to score runs to win. Anyone with time on their hands, find our what the Twins runs scored/game in the playoffs is since 2000.. I bet it’s lower than most playoff teams..
Everyone in our division improved except the Twins. Pohlads are a-s-s-h-o-l-e-s…
MC: “actually casilla and punto’s offensive numbers are very similar.” “Nick Punto hit .263 with RISP. Alexi Casilla hit .237 with RISP.”
Don’t delude yourself into thinking LNP is actually a plus for the Twins offensively:
2008 - Casilla
98 games
385 @ bats
58 runs
50 RBIs
45 SOs
281 BA
2008 - Punto
99 games
338 @ bats
43 runs
28 RBIs
57 SOs
284 BA
For Punto’s career:
611 games
1857 @ bats
245 runs
140 RBIs!!!!
345 SOs
252 BA
His greatest RBI year was ‘06 when he only managed 45. Otherwise, he has been a solid contributer in the 20s. And let’s not forget how many times he got on base last year only to be thrown out on bone-headed, stupid base-running gaffes, or the no. of times he failed to advance the runner because he could not lay down a simple bunt…
Boooooooooo Billy Smith! BOO!
Lala…
I have been saying it’s all about the bathroom caulk for a long time.
What a bunch of whiney babies.
Remind me, again, how the White Sox are improving?
Jase STFU…
How many players have you seen to bunt for a double play?
Luis Castillo once bunted into a triple play. 
I’d actually argue signing Punto was the smartest thing Smith could do.
Look at all the traffic he’s driven to the Strib by signing Punto. All of these Twins fans who will come in 10-15 times a day to write about how much they hate Punto and how Smith should be executed.
Just look back at last year. There’s more traffic here when the Twins lost than when they won. So naturally having Punto on the team increases fan interest (even if it is the rabid house burning kind)
yeah. whiners
I think there is something to Bill Pohlad making Brokeback Mountain and the love affair between Gardy and Punto…
We should have signed him to a one year deal because he only plays bad on contract years. The other years he is horrible.
these meetings may not be all lost at that…dont forget that beyond signing punto which is real big, we may get scott erickson back also..i bet you almost forgot that…now you twins can feel a whole lot better about these meetings
“It’s a slick move by Beltre and his agent, Scott Boras, if they recently added the Twins to the no-trade list. They listen to the rumors….”
I didn’t know they could add or remove teams from their lists whenever they wanted. Boras is a snake.
This news of Punto’s signing is like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone.
Jon, I did not laugh at your info, I cried and hoped that you were wrong but knew in my heart that was the most likely outcome.
Kay is right on…
I have not read all of the messages and it took me a long time to scroll down the list of negativity so I apologize if someone has said this before but, PUNTO SUCKS. I can live with the B. Harris and Buscher platoon if we get a solid 2B or SS. This is a panic move and Gardy should worry about the 25 guys he is dealt with and not be lobbying to bring back his LPN ball shiner.
I’m I the only person that thinks we should make a play for Joe Crede. Yes, I know about the injury concerns, and that Bor-ass is his agent. But he has a great glove, with right handed power. Give him a 2 year incentive laden deal. No prospects, just cash. Apparently we have tons of dough if LNP can make $4MM+/per.
Gardy needs a “bowling” partner on those long road trips.
Frankie,
Come on, try being a twins fan for 31 years, and every year we pick 2-3 has beens, and never will be’s. But hey, you just probably bandwagon jump anyway. Seriously, it just shows how cheap Pohlad is, and how they waste money on low level guys, and then appeal to our kind nature to support “our” players. This is Gardy’s boy, andf that’s why we resigned him. Watched him have two errors in one game last year at Kansas City. He is not that gold glover he once was, and never will be again. Sad day for a True Twins fan.
So, how do we all feel now about Gardy’s extension?
Bill Smith needs to either stop letting Gardenhire make the personnel decisions or fire him and bring in his own manager.
Love Punto when he is playing well, can’t stand him when he plays like dog crap. He is a $2 million a year player tops. And that is being generous.
thrylos98, you were right. Should have waited until the end of next season to decide on the extension.
Am I the only person that thinks we should make a play for Joe Crede? I know about the injury concerns, and the fact that Boras is his agent. But he’s exactly what we need. Great defensively, and has right hand power. What’s not to love? Give him a 2 year incentive laden deal. No prospects, just cash. Apparently we have tons of dough if LNP can get $4MM+/per.
Fire Billy Smith and hire Punto’s agent as GM. Anyone that can get a mediocre utility infielder $8.5 million is a genius. On the other hand, the person who signed Punto to $8.5 million is a complete idiot. Like I said, there are 8.5 million ways to spend the money more appropriately for this team. Want to pay him $500k/yr…fine…okay signing. But $8.5M!!!!!!!! And if this is guaranteed with no performance clause..Billy Smith is worse than an idiot.
Stop whining Twins fans. Punto is stellar defensively, provides a good bat from both sides of the plate, fearfull speed on the bases, and he’s loved in the club house. He’s one of the major keys for this club to have any chance at winning an AL Central title. Without him, the Twins would be ridiculed next year when they would be low on infield depth and he would be having a great year somewhere else. GREAT SIGNING!!!
Did you say bowling partner or blowing partner???
What a waste of money. Nothing will change. I question what Punto has on Gardy. If they think he is the answer, It will be another long year. Every year we hear that they want to add a bat to fit with or after M & M. The answer is always the same. Has beens like Lamb and Everett. Putting some punch in the lineup this year would sell tickets for the new ballpark. I’m just so disappointed with this.
This is the worst day of my life. For those people that defend Nick Punto about his great defense, here’s a message to you: WE UNDERSTAND HE PLAYS GOOD DEFENSE. GET A CLUE!!! The boy can’t hit, produce, be productive, be a good situational hitter, things that help WIN games, not just have good fielding and PREVENT losing. It’s Gardy’s and the Twins complete mental make-up: Play not to lose instead of playing to win. We’ll probably always be around .500, but we’ll never be good enough to win it all.
$8.5 million is fine…if it is a 5 or 6 year deal.
TJ Just…
Is that the epsiode where it felt like every twins fan’s heart was breaking, that they felt the need for imodium before going to the next game, and slamming pepto like it was jack daniels and we were all 19 again?
Yeah I remember that episode… because that’s how it feels today. God I hate Nick Punto!
kickinthewhateverpunto-The worst part of keeping Punto is that it brought fire Punto out of whatever cave he has been hiding in since Punto had a good year in 07.
this is perfect… get the idiot clowns that call themselves twins fans to write off next season (like every off-season) and then sneak up and contend again. i love it.
Punto signing is fine; no Pittsburg reject or prospect from Phillie…please don’t trade Young unless Twins get power 3B in return or the ideal set-up man!
I like the San Diego third baseman…hope that TRADE happens today!
The Twins will never get to the Series with Gardy, Punto and Cuddy. I’m sick of them and sick of this crap. Suckers, enjoy paying way too much to watch these bums in the new stadium by the garbage burner.
4 of 6 years the Twins have gone to the playoffs and last year they fell one game short. Just think of the AL titles and possible rings we’d have here if the Greedlers knows as Pohlads spent some money.
RICHEST OWNER IN AMERICAN PRO SPORTS.
Bpaw…
We as twins fans should have put a stipulation in that the Twins can’t go to the new stadium with Punto on the roster.
Does anyone think that know he is making bigger cash he will stop sliding in head first into 1st Base?
Many of you are ragging the Punto resigning, but given what Gardy has worked with and what he has accomplished the last couple of years, I think his judgment on the matter deserves a little more respect, IMO.
Also, the Twins have not held onto good clubhouse guys in the past and it came back to hurt them! That may very well be part of the equation as well!
And since when do FA signings make a serious contender…not very often!
How many playoff series have the Twins won in the past 10 years???
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tigers acquired right-hander Edwin Jackson from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday for outfielder Matt Joyce, Detroit’s second trade in three days at the winter meetings.
An optimists view on the signing.
And since when do FA signings make a serious contender…
1991
Jack Morris
Chili Davis
Who cares if the Twins make the playoffs for the next 5 years if they don’t or can’t win it all… That’s like being happy to get to third base with a chick after going out for 5 years…
Ahhh to be in Minnesota where ‘goodguyism” always trumps strategic thinking and rationality
Hank why don’t you go rough up the suspect to a JC Penney’s catalog or somethin.
Losing is never an option. Phhu-ck second place….
After seeing the headline I thought it was a joke, then I relaized it wasn’t. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse I read these threads where people thought this makes sense. This might be the worst signing I have ever seen. Punto is the worst player on our team, I may include the bullpen catcher on this one. I would rather watch Trevor Plouffe play SS than committ 8MM to this piece of garbage. Spark plug? More of a butt plug. Keep him on the bench for def replacement, that I am fine with. He does have a great glove, but absolutely nothing else……nothing! You really bombed on this one Mr. Smith! JOKE!!! I would like to see Ryan Zimmerman in a Twins uniform now, especially if they get Texeira.
The reason I do not like this is that it takes away our ability to add a 2B (Hudson, Gruz, DeRosa) and move Casilla to SS.
Again, name another team that has 5 below average infielders.
thrylos,
this isn’t 1991 where you can go out and rent a premier pitcher in baseball for one year. especially not the twins.
How does LNP make the rest of the division better? He’s an extra 3 outs a game… add an extra inning on to any starter’s game and they get an extra 5 million a year in the next contract.
When every game is one inning less for the Twins thanks to Punto… every other team is playing at an advantage over us… that’s how everyone else just got better.
get a petition for smiths resignation going and count me in….
Punto blows goats.
5′ 9″, 200 lbs? Unless you are an NFL running back or hit like Kirby Puckett, you need to diet.
mj1 is right. Fire Smith now…
“Many of you are ragging the Punto resigning, but given what Gardy has worked with and what he has accomplished the last couple of years, I think his judgment on the matter deserves a little more respect, IMO.”
Really Olsonto??? So you’re saying when Harris was at shortstop, and the Twins won 17 of 18 games, but then got benched when Punto came of the DL, and the Twins promptly had an 0-6 road trip, that was a great coaching move? You’re right, Gardy is a genious and Punto plays GREAT defense therefore Gardy is the best manager ever.
Why waste the money. Should have gone after Cabrera. Punto is a waste. Was hoping he’d go somewhere else.
Mighty Casey,
the Twins can go out and “rent” a premier third baseman for a year this off-season and sign a very good reliever to a 2 year contract…
Delmon batted .305/.343/.444 with 10 homers and 54 RBI. For comparison, after May 31, Torii Hunter batted .275/.342/.461 with 14 homers and 52 RBI with the Angels.
Let’s trade Delmon! Maybe we could sign Lew Ford for $10 million a year. Or what about giving Gomez a huge extension? He batted just over .250 last year.
Keep up the great strategy.
For all you-Punto is a stellar defender, and clubhouse guy–we have a bunch of those guys–look at our team. Tolbert or Punto??? Harris or Punto?? Punto is not the answer for either! Add 8 million, and the Twins look like friggin idiots again!!! How can you defend this. We want our team to win, and it’s fans that agree with this that are the problem. Nice guys have nothing to do with winning ball games. We won’t even know their bad guys unless the media makes them out to be.
p.s. The guy who wants Crede, I agree, although Atkins (if we can trade a few minors for him would be ebtter) at least there would be some potential w/ Crede!
Olsonto… when do free agent signings help a team win?
Look at both Florida Marlins championships
the 91 Twins
The signing of Greg Maddux by the Braves may be the greatest signing in the history of professional sports
The Yankees signing of Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens
The Red Sox signing of Curt Schilling
The Blue Jays signing of Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, and Jack Morris
The Padres signing of Steve Garvey in 84
Just to name a few off the top of my head.
Over/under for the percentage of the fans who are going to boo Punto at his first AB next season?
hank thats not very fair to the goat….
thrylos,
i don’t know hte list, but i don’t know of any premier 3b out on the market right now? is there?
…same with relief pitching - what’s out there that would be appealing? relievers are so “hit or miss” anyways that giving a reliever a big contract is very risky. the twins rely on building their ‘pen within the organization. it’s worked well (not so much last year), so i hope some guys step up. (mijares was a bright spot, and i look for bonser to bounce back. someone has to step up)
AJ Pesh…keep one thing in mind….2nd place (another words ..loser)
Let me get this straight. We give Punto 4 mil a year, with an option for a third year of what will undoubtedly be a .250 hitter. But, no Mr. Casey Blake, we won’t give you a third year at 5 mil to actually produce. Let’s hope they can get a guy like Garrett Atkins and hopefully make a positive move this off season. Man. My head hurts.
Terrible. F.
Okay I’ll say this, better Punto then Adam Everett.
Twins in the last five years with Punto: 92–70 in 2004, 83-79 in 2005, 96–66 in 2006, 79-83 in 2007, and 88-75 in 2008 (438-373) .540 winning percentage with Punto on the roster.
And the Cabrera idea is a terrible idea. He is getting chased out of Chicago.
And I hope they take a chance and sign Crede. That guy kills the Twins.
The worst part is we can not complain that Pohlad is cheap with this one, becasue there is no way we get 8 million dollars worth of baseball from LNP…
Once again the Twins disappointed the fans. Every year, they push the fans further from enjoyment. Last year we got rid of Johan and Torii, now we fill a huge hole with a perennial backup. I will guarantee we will start the season with Harris at third and Delmon/Kubel at DH(depending on the pitcher). Now that they’re getting a new stadium on our dime, they don’t care about the fans demands of a quality product on the field. Can they honestly say that Nick f’n Punto is a quality player at the most important position in the infield!? I am so sick of this garbage! The fans need to stage a walk-out or something to show that we demand more from our team!!! Who’s with me?
Olsonto, you’re exactly right…the Twins have failed to advance in the playoffs by bringing in free agents. Not because of the strategy, but because of the FREE AGENTS! We sign CRAPPY players! This one stings worse since a CRAPPY player got 8MM!!! If we were to sign some talent and spend some fricken money, we might just get passed the ALDS! PUNTO sure as hell doesn’t put us in a better position I will tell you that! Once again, JOKE
BC, so we should sign Manny and should have signed CC?
Is this pending a physical……….
I think Billy over-steered last off-season and under-steered this time.
If he somehow pulls off getting a quality 3B without giving up too much, then maybe we’re okay….otherwise, we’re looking 3rd place in ‘09.
Everett signed for 1yr and $1 million. Is Punto really worth $3 million more. I would take the Everett signing and save the $7.5 million for another player.
It’s liking kids picking teams and one kid picks all his friends, even though they are not the best players, so he doesn’t hurt their feelings.
Okay here is a thought.
If he’s soooo horrible why were 16 teams looking at him? The phillies wanted him to take CHASE UTLEYS PLACE while he is attempting to get better.
You idiots need to realize we aren’t the Yankees,Red Sox,Cubs. We can’t flash our money around and get big names. Punto is seniority and he is a gamer, and when we lose it isn’t JUST because of him you need to remember that. If I remember correctly the only person that was on base during the last game was him. But I could be mistaken so don’t rip me apart on that.
I am very glad they signed him. We need a good defence at ss and I think we need a power hitting 3rdbasemen more than a ss. And tell me if anyone gets hurt who would lets say, play second? Or third? Tolbert is good but he isn’t THAT good, and busher? No thank you. I’d LOL my ass off if I saw him try to play SS.
i think a petition to bill smith would be one smart way of communicating with that moron …let him know how we feel….anyone interested and know how to put one together…
Sheesh. How many false names can Nick Punto post comments under?
Lol at Walter’s post
true that
Now all they need to do is dump Young and Harris for ‘nice guys’ and we’ll be set
Is this a real stat:
Nick Punto hit .263 with RISP. Alexi Casilla hit .237 with RISP.
Punto only had 28 RBI’s. You have to have a tremendous amout of suckability to only drive in 28 runs if you hit a reasonable .263 with RISP. Casilla had 50 RBI’s, in only a few more at bats. I guess it makes sense, because if a runner is on second and Punto does get a base hit, he won’t score because the outfield is playing shallow, which doesn’t allow the runner to score from second.
Walter Johnson,
Manny Ramierez and CC Sabbathia happen to be my two least favorite players in baseball.
Yes bring in Manny Ramierez. I hate him terribly, but that bat in this lineup! FORGET ABOUT IT!
That bat wins championships. Nick Punto should clean toilets.
Is Punto some kind of Lady’s man?
We have all the female fans on here supporting him, and all the guys bashing him.
If one more person defends Punto by calling him a “gamer”, my fist will go through my computer screen, back through your computer screen, and hit them in their gamey face.
Signed,
Angry At The World
once i saw gardy make that statement that if punto signs he starts …..thats when i knew it wont be long til he signs…wasmt much for nicky to think abut at that point—-
ive never been a punto hater, as i love him as a backup and late inning defensive guy, and he can play 3 infield spots and the outfield if needed, thats wonderful and a great bench guy, but thats it…bench guy—not an f’n starting shortstop…..why is that so hard to get into gardys head…
AJ - he walked or had an infield hit most of the time.
Punto is Gardy’s man.
AJ Pesh says:
December 11th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
If one more person defends Punto by calling him a “gamer”, my fist will go through my computer screen, back through your computer screen, and hit them in their gamey face.
Signed,
Angry At The World
AJ - you are a gamer for saying this 
BC I sense some jealousy? Haha.
And he can clean my toilet.
I didn’t mean that in THAT WAY, yeesh.
…..men
He is entertaining to watch, and you can see how much he truly loves the game.Plus he makes Justin Morneau slushees, he can’t leave or canada’s daily routine will implode. Maple Syrup everywhere’s. No way jose’.
If he’s soooo horrible why were 16 teams looking at him?
he is not that horrible as a utility infielder (which is the role the other 15 teams were looking at him) I heard that he had serious conversations with 3 other teams: Phillies, Yankees and Mets. I am sure that Rollins, Jeter and Reyes would have been the starters for those teams.
He is a below average option for a starting SS and only the Twins offered him a starting job.
Medschoolmatt - I just punched myself in the face.
Punto pops-up too much. Especially with RISP. AJ Pesh is right. 28 RBIs is an awful number. I’ve said many times that every team needs a Nick Punto - ON THE BENCH. And not for $4M a year. As a starter Punto will also prevent younger players from getting a shot. My only hope is that the Injury God will once again look favorably on the Twins next season. Injuries usually seem to end up working out for the best with the Twins.
Karlee, you’re an idiot! 16 teams would look at me for god’s sake. The Phillies needed a TEMPORARY solution if Utley misses any time. We are using it as a PERMANENT solution. By the way, we CAN flash around some money, Pohlad is richer than any other owner in baseball. He’s just a cheap bast**d!! You don’t sign players because of their seniority or the fact the he’s “gamer”, big friggin deal!! Will his seniority hit home runs? If he makes an error, is it OK cuz he’s a gamer? Don’t think so. WASTE OF MONEY!!!
About this “gamer” thing: Gardy used the word “gamer” to describe Wiggy (it’s back in one of LEN3’s vegas updates)… betcha he’ll be the starting third baseman next year…
Punto and Blackburn for Jason Donald
BC, Punto thinks if he signs in under a female name, nobody will think it is actually him posting all the wonderful comments about himself.
BC, there is at least one female fan here who would like to sign mj1’s petition to Billy Smith.
I wonder if they ever refered to Mike Lamb or Tony Bautista as a “gamer.” I would guess not.
DOA (haha) - Don’t forget his ‘leadership’ by showing the youngsters how to slide into 1st and to throw a temper tantrum when he can’t hit a lazy curve
Fake hustle=$8.5 million per year.
BC - Those are some gullible women!
Kay, make that two
I have an entirely different view of how the Twins could compete with the larger market teams in future years. Because they have a smaller payroll and don’t seem to be able to complete with the rest of baseball for top players to bolster the roster enough to put them over the top, I suggest that the team identify their top prospects earlier and bring them up to the major leagues much sooner than they usually do. I think the Twins could help themselves by bringing up Valencia to play third base and Hughes to play second base. They could move Casilla to shortstop. Players like Hughes and Valencia would learn at the major league level rather than at the minor league level, and the rewards could be very profitable for the Twins. Some of the best teams ever were teams that brought along a crew of very young players together. Take for example the Dodgers, Giants, and Blue Jays, the Reds, Orioles, Red Sox, and Athletics. The Twins would have to start teaching at the Major League level rather than continuing their passive role as coaches. Hughs and Valencia are head and shoulders above the rest of the prospect for third and second base. The Twins need to excellerate their development by allowing them to play and learn at the major league level.
Karlee,
I have been married for 10 years… of course I’m jealous of the guys that get the girls… But I’m pretty sure that might be one of the reasons Punto needs 8 million dollars…
So he can get girls too.
“50 dollars an hour… they get paid to do the wild thing…”
By the way Karlee, Punto wasn’t the only one on base in the playoff. Harris, Cuddyer, and Span were also on base. Punto had 1 walk to get on base.
Thry - lets only hope that’s true (as long as he didn’t give up young for him)
And you think signing father time aka casey blake would of been better?
This is what the twins do:
A: Sign people who used to play for us, and didn’t do well every time they played for us. But we think HEY maybe THIS TIME he will do good. He’s a vet now.
B: Sign people based on additude.
Punto can’t hit homeruns, I’m quite aware of that. Nobody flips out when mauer doesn’t cover the plate all the way, or when other people make mistakes. Remember how everyone HATED Kubel in 07 then in 08 he got good and everyone is bowing to him thinking he’s god sent? Same with Punto, a lot of people were very happy with his performance last year. And Last time I checked last year we had a winning record while Punto is playing, and a losing record when he wasn’t.
It isn’t just about how good you are. It’s how you mesh with people. If you play with someone who is a pompous ass, you will probably do way better and be more comfortable if you were close friends with a team mate.
Nick is like the in-club mascot.
I like him, and that won’t change.
*steps off soap box*
Unlike alot of the fans herein, I actually don’t mind Pinto. The real problem is that now BS and the FO can and probably will kick back in their chairs and say they did something, which they really didn’t. I’m betting, and I hope I’m wrong, that this is the one “big” offseason move they make. Wait a minute - I forgot - we get powder blue puke uni’s on Saturdays. yippee ki-yo, ki-yay, mf…
BC Beneke-I’m not a lady and i support him.Tolbert to Utility and sign Beltre.I hope you get a year’s worth of posting in because like last year,you will be in hiding by mid-season if the one’s you like to rip,success.That’s why have said for 2 years now,that you are invested in them doing poorly!
Every year I get more and more convinced that I should be cheering for the White Sox. I don’t want to believe they gave a Punch-and-Judy hitter like that $4 million. Seems like that should have been part of the money offered to a real ballplayer. But, I suppose Gardenhire wanted to keep him around for his tremendous upside. I’ll ask again. Is he Gardy’s pinochle partner or what?
medschoolmatt,
after the 2 moves today, the 40-man roster stands firmly at 40. That includes 13 pitchers if you add the 5 starters from last year, Mijares, and the relievers without options (this includes Jones). Something has to give…
Kay… like I said yesterday… I like your style!
And Walter…
I am always BC.Beneke on here, or Expression451 elsewhere…
Never anything else. My ego is too big to post under someone else’s name.
You can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a donkey.
I think Redman and Cuddyer will be happiest with Punto re-signing. Last time I looked Redman, Cuddyer and Punto are not the core of this team.
Merry Christmas Twin fans. What’s next ? 4 mill for Bret Boone?
Karlee
Love your passion, but Punto is a rather expensive mascot (TC the bear would also like a word with you - heck even he can hit the ball as shown in the mascot game)
Yes he can field, yes he has ‘grit’ and he ‘cares’ (*cringes*) but I won’t stand for a guy with his make or break mentality. I also won’t stand for someone who thinks hitting .300 to get himself on base and hitting lazy grounders/texas leaguers in RISP situations (at 40 points lower I might add) is ok.
He did not earn a 1.5 million dollar pay raise with 2 years guaranteed. He did not earn the starting job by default (even if Tolbert/whomever beat him out in Spring Training).
I hope he proves the majority of us wrong, but I believe he’ll be nothing more than a good glove and a below average bat for the rest of his career.
Karlee-
First things first, attitude is spelled with 2 t’s, not 2 d’s. Second of all, don’t ever compare Punto with Mauer. EVER!! I’m not even going to explain that. And you’re last paragraph doesn’t make sense. “If you play with someone who is a pompous ass, you will probably do way better and be more comfortable if you were close friends with a team mate.” Are you saying that you’re going to play better than someone who’s pompous ass? Do you think Punto would be better than A-Rod if they played together cuz he’s an ass? I guess I don’t understand your statement.
I think GM Billy Smith’s record should be scrutinized more carefully. Last year, he did absolutely nothing to help the organization except give away some talented players. Currently, he is acting like a slug again by doing nothing to help the team at the Winter Meetings. He may not be a good fit for the job as GM. All the team got last year for Santana, in effect, was Carlos Gomez. It was probably the most lop sided trade in baseball history. The Twins are not only a small maket but the GM has a small brain.
i lot of you guys are bitching about this move but think about the same people would bitch if they traded for jack willson Miguel Tejada or signd Cabrera Orlando because Punto in my mind is better then Willson and i wouldn’t want to give to minny players for him i like Tejada but he has lied about his age about using steriods and he is like 34 and i wouldn’t want to give up to minny good players for him eather Cabrera is a type A freeagent so we would of lost are first round draft pick to the sox there is only one SS i wanted but i knew the Twins wouldn’t sign Furcal, Rafael beacuse he has been injures alote lattely and he wants 4 years i do like Punto he was my last option but welcom back Punto hope you have a good season and both ny teams wanted him
Im not mad about resigning him, in fact, I like punto as a club house guy and a good utility player. The amount of money is terrible. however, some people on here are unhappy saying the rest of the division is getting better, but that is what everyone said LAST offseason. We were predicted to finish 3rd or 4th in the Central and almost made the playoffs. I like our starting pitching, bullpen needs some serious help though.
I am willing to see the twins have just an OK year and see them use the new stadium as a springboard for landing some free agents next year (not that this will happen at all, but you never know).
Look who gets taken care of with big contracts? Cuddyer got taken care of. Redman got taken care of. Now Punto has gotten his. Check the cliques on the Twins and see whose the three names above are in.
Some of you ‘experts’ are so hung up on Punto and his season last year (2007). Besides a handful of shortstops-Reyes, Ramirez, Rollins-he is about as good as the rest. I would rather keep him then bring in an Adam Everett, et al.
You guys are ridiculous. You say punto sucks, and that the Twins are cheap. So you’re saying that spending 8.5 mil on a crappy shortstop is cheap? You can’t have it both ways. Punto might not be worth 4 million a year. But where else are they going to get a shortstop? He’s probably a top 5 defensive SS. And when he hits and gets on base, he scores runs. He’s a good player. Free agents always get overpaid. It just shows you the shortage of talent and the amount of teams looking to fill holes. This is a solid deal because it stops the team from losing one guy who can contribute and having to do that much more work to find another. You guys really don’t understand how competition in MLB works, do you? When you’ve got 30 teams looking to fill the same position, not every team is going to get a top of the line guy. Jesus.
Geno,
Just because you are not a lady doesn’t mean you are right. And we can’t sign Beltre… we’d have to trade for him. He put us on his no trade list though so we’d have to pay more to get him, and have him for one year when Valencia is at least 2 years away…
Just doesn’t seem like either move was very good to me. But then again… what do I know… I was wrong about trading for Elsbury, Lowrie, Masterson and Kalich last year for Santana. And I was apparently wrong when I said that trading Garza for Delmon Young was a horrible idea, and when they included Bartlett and Mourlon in the deal I just about puked in my mouth…
However I did think signing Mike Lamb might not be a bad move… I am not perfect, but I will take my beliefs to the bottom of the ocean long before I follow the Bill Smith koolaid drinkers.
The Twins record will not improve until they get rid of some serious slug who are holding the team back. The slugs are Ron Gardenhire, Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto, and Boof Bonser. Those four are the most over-rated collection of bums ever assembled on a team. What makes the situation ever worse, is that the organization markets them to the fans as assets, when in fact they are serious liabilities. I’m sure opposition teams don’t mind seeing any of the four of those bums on the Twins roster.
I would like Punto in the role he should be in, as a utility player. Obviously that is not what the Twins have in mind for that kind of money. I guess Gardenhire’s approval will get the Twins to sign somebody the caliber of Punto. My guess is that he is afraid to ask for someone any better than that, because he will be shown just how far his opinion will get him when it comes to the Twins and the parting of Mr. Pohlad’s money
You have to have a tremendous amout of suckability to only drive in 28 runs if you hit a reasonable .263 with RISP.
Once Punto was a more regular part of the lineup, I do believe he was hitting behind guys like Kubel/Cuddy/Young. Comparred to Casilla who was hitting behind guys like Punto/Gomez/Span.
Put the same hitter behind those two groups and I guarantee you that the same production would score more runs with the second group on base than the first.
I am getting tired of the retyping my name in again… come on STRIB!
And Last time I checked last year we had a winning record while Punto is playing, and a losing record when he wasn’t.
Punto was out in May and June. The team went 32-24 (.571) in those 2 months. The rest of the season the team went 57-50(.532)
Lil Nick allows every 10 year old to dream about playing major league baseball. 9 million dollars to play defense and hustle! Only the twinkies. He’s good enough that he can play SS and 3rd base at the same time. We can have 2 Dh’s or even better GO-GO can play rover! Now that we’ve signed our power hitting shortstop– we have no other holes to fill!
I think the Twins need to ask Roger Dorn or Pedro Cerrano to come out of retirement and sign with us…
What a bleeping JOKE! If this is what the Twins are going do with their “limited” resources, count me out.
Just out of curiosity BC….is somebody required to hate everything that happens in order to not be classified as a Kool-Aid Drinker? Or can we just have our choice of what we like and what we don’t?
Now it’s clear to my why Bartlett was included in the Young trade and Casilla moved to 2nd. Gardy needed to keep SS open for Punto. Whatever his reasons, Gardy clearly believes that Punto should be the starting SS no matter what.
The Twins organization makes too many mistakes to compete effectively. Here are of few of the most obvious ones:
1. Not obtaining Adrian Beltre to play third base.
2. Signing Ron Gardenhire to an extension.
3. Signing the over-rated utility player Nick Punto.
4. Not trading the jinx Michael Cuddyer.
5. Waiting until all the quality prospects are taken to try to obtain some players who will help the team win more games.
With the twins and owner CC, this is about as exciting of news as we can be used to expecting from winter meetings
yea, we resigned LNP, lets celebrate the great coming season that will result from this blockbuster signing
We should ask Roger Dorn to come out of retirement and sign him to play third. He doesn’t “olay” the ball anymore.
i know some people will be mad when i ask this but i know we have 5 starting pitchers but how about signing Brad Penny to be one of are starters and moving down Glen Perkins or Nick Blackburn to the ball pen and i think Jason Jones can be a good in the ballpen and do you think Nomar Garciaparra would be willing to come of the bench
Leif -
We’re just saying that we couldn’t spend an extra 3.5 million to get Blake (Twins offered two years and $14 million while Dodgers nabbed him for a three-year, 17.5 million deal). Yet we can spend $8 million on Punto. Tolbert is a poor man’s Punto at a fraction of the cost.
No, I obviously don’t understand how the MLB works. But I do get sick of hearing they are in a great position to pick up a bat, when they end up just signing Punto. I hope I am proved wrong.
bart Beltre has the Twins on a list of teams that he can not be traded to
This offseason is like a re run, the move no one wants the Twins to make is the one they do make.
I’m not saying that Nick Punto is god’s gift to the mn twins.
I know he isn’t an AMAZING player.
Somewhere inside of me I want him to do well, and he did well last year. And I can easily compare mauer to punto. They both like chocolate milk.
Okay mister lets correct my grammar, see that shows your weakness. You attack me with your spelling skills. It’s cute.
You need team chemistry, that is what I was trying to make you understand but I guess you can’t fully put point a and b togethger. It’s okay you seem like quite the damaged goods. Maybe you need some chocolate milk.
Here’s the thing, we did great last year. Best team with risp. I say why make it better? If we played that game in the dome (WHICH IT SHOULD HAVE, AGH) we could of won. All you fans want more more more. If something works whats worth fixing?
You know what we really need? Starters who can play 6 solid innings. And another Pat Neshek plz 
*tear*
Oh yeah and a better DH than Kubel.
“Punto came to the winter meetings and spoke with 16 of the 30 teams…” They said, who is Nick Punto???
1. Not obtaining Adrian Beltre to play third base.
At this point, Seattle could ask the Twisn for Punto in the Beltre deal and it wouldn’t mean a thing if Beltre said no.
But see, aren’t you glad they resigned Punto? Now you don’t look like a moron when you suggest they trade a free agent…
thrylos98, Nick was still on the bench cheerleading right beside Redmond.
Just wait Twins will contend again.
At least we aren’t the Mariners!!!
it wasn’t the 3.5 million it was the 3rd year the dorgers gave him 3 years and a option for a 4ht the offered 2 years and a option in the 3rd the Twins gave Blake a good offer he wasn’t willing to go down to a 2 year and in a optin and the twins didn’t want to give a 3 year deal
bart and evreyone out there that still wants Beltre
Yesterday, La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune heard about no-trade problems for the Twins with Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. Today, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has further detail:
When [the Twins] attempted to investigate a possible deal, they discovered that — since the last time they’d looked into Beltre during the season — he’d added the Twins to a list of teams on his limited no-trade clause. Twins officials were somewhat surprised, though it’s not unusual. When a player sees a team showing public interest in trading for him, they will sometimes amend their no-trade to include that club and then use it as a bargaining chip down the road. Usually, some kind of cash settlement is needed.
If players can freely swap out or add teams to their partial no-trade clause, why do such clauses exist? Did Scott Boras negotiate some type of flexible no-trade clause, or are all partials like this? I don’t have the answers, but Baker says this is a “workable” scenario in regard to the Twins and Beltre. He seems to be the best available third baseman. Any team acquiring him gets him for one year plus probable Type A draft pick compensation if he’s
What other choices did the Twins have to play SS?
Don’t say Harris.
That’s laughable.
GUYS WHY ALL THE HATE?
Relax. Calm down. Breeeeaaattthhhh. There’s plenty of time to make deals. They don’t have to be made at the winter meetings.
A bigger concern to me than LNP and finding someone for 3B is finding a shut down 8th inning guy.
Re-reading that Beltre news….isn’t an NTC agreed upon at the time of the contract signing?
Because to me, if Beltre was somehow able to ADD the Twins recently due to rumors…that should require him to sign a brand new contract.
If he just called up the M’s and said “Oh, I’m deciding I don’t want to go to the Twins either.” and that’s added, that doesn’t seem legal.
And I doubt the Mariners would suddenly rewrite a guy’s contract in the middle of trade talks.
Re-reading that Beltre news….isn’t an NTC agreed upon at the time of the contract signing?
Because to me, if Beltre was somehow able to ADD the Twins recently due to rumors…that should require him to sign a brand new contract.
If he just called up the M’s and said “Oh, I’m deciding I don’t want to go to the Twins either.” and that’s added, that doesn’t seem legal.
And I doubt the Mariners would suddenly rewrite a guy’s contract in the middle of trade talks.
T-
When I cannot understand how people can keep supporting the management of the team I go to my background in psychology and the first thing I think of is Jim Jones or David Koresh, or that idiot that lead 24 people to believe that they could get on a space ship on the other side of the hail bop commet… or maybe the scientoligists? Xenu would be a better freaking SS than Punto…
So you don’t have to agree with me or disagree with me, but when I see people that constantly support the management and don’t question them at times… it stinks to me. Sorry if I offended your sensibilities T. I’m sure I’ll do it again so try not to take it personally.
I just want to say ‘thank you’ to Dano.
His posts make me laugh out loud–an entire 300 word post without a correct spelling, a punctuation mark, or even a pause for breath!–and I need that today!
LOOK AT IT THIS WAY….
WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ADAM EVERETT - WHO THE TWINS SIGNED LAST OFF SEASON TO PLAY SHORT OR NICK PUNTO???
As long as they don’t sign a LIVAN AND A LAMB they will have a better Winter Meeting season than they did last year.
POHLAD & BILL SMITH: Please don’t insult us. I know that you know we will come to the dome this season regardless of how much money you spend - AND WE WILL COME IN DROVES when Target field opens. DO US A FAVOR THOUGH, SINCE YOU ARE NOT GOING TO INCREASE PAYROLL THIS YEAR - LOWER TICKET PRICES…
FUNNY HOW TICKET PRICES HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY RISEN FROM 2005 TO 2009 BUT THE PAYROLL HASN’T.
Oh, and don’t get me started with the prices they want in the TAXPAYER BUILT Target Field.
Quite a racket the Pohlad’s have, isn’t it!!!
Karlee- I correct you on your spelling because it’s annoying to read stupid mistakes. Oh, and thanks for calling me cute. I actually agree with your pitching comments. We’re going to miss Neshek cuz he’s the best bullpen guy (besides nerve-racking Nathan) we got. I hope he can recover his form when he pitches in 2010.
Silverfox- Completely agree.
So now we know… if you’re looking for a slick-fielding singles hitter who can hit .250 during a good year but likes to get picked off or get thrown out trying to advance to third on a grounder in front of him and absolutely is the WORST SAC BUNTER in the league despite having the reputation for being able to do so and likes to slide into first despite 5th-graders being taught that it’s faster to run through the bag… it’ll only cost you $4.25M a year. Bomb.
I think the Twin are putting the rest of the division on notice that they are going to be a serious threat to win the division and have really impoved themselves by signing Nick Punto to a two year contract. Punto strikes fear into the opposition by his presence in the lineup. His power can be tremendous. The opposing teams know if the game is close and the Twins are running out of relief pitchers, Punto can be brought into the game to pitch. His 110 mph fastball is legendary around the league in batting practice sessions. The Twins have been reluctant to put him in a game as a pitcher because the catcher has great difficulty seeing the fastball. I think Gardenhire is planning on putting Punto into the cleanup spot in the batting order to hit between the two lefties Mauer and Morneau. Punto is probably the top young prospect in the American League.
jb,
Thanks for the Seattle look at the Beltre NTC. I’m seriously hoping somebody can get more info on the legalities of this. A player “amending” his NTC doesn’t seem legit, as you’re essentially allowing a player to remold his contract to suit his needs.
Because a “flexible” NTC as the article suggests to me that Seattle would’ve been dumb enough to grant Beltre the power to add ANY team that Seattle was talking to.
Which essentially makes it a full NTC.
i have a gut fealing that the Twins will pull off a Trade with Astros for 3B Ty Wigginton
I don’t like this but if they pick up a good 3rd basemen and Punto keeps the average above .270 I am alright with this but they HAVE to land a real third basemen. Its better than paying Jack Wilson 8 million.
21. Twins Jason Jones, rhp, Yankees
Skinny: Big-bodied 26-year-old throws four pitches for strikes and competes; fringy fastball augmented by cutter, split-finger pitch.
Good work Schizo Herb. You’re actually trying a new approach with your trolling.
T,
I’ve heard of players who have the ability to update their NTC at times.
2009: Another year of pop ups, head first slides, boneheaded baserunning moves, big batting slumps, etc. from Gardy’s favorite, Nick Bunto.
The key words are cheap and mediocrity!
T
The standard No Trade Clause has always been an amendable portion of the contract… This is due the ever changing landscape of MLB, the change in sucess in teams and direction of franchises. It can be amended any time. The only thing that can not be changed with the NTC is the # of teams on the list. If they agreed on 10 teams then, it would have to be 10 teams now or a new contract would have to be put in place.
It appears Kevin McFAIL now contracts with the Minnesota Twins in addition to his Timberwolves duty judging by this signing. WTF???
is Pat Neshek on the 40 man roster evean though he just had Tommy john or is he on the 60day
Thanks for the heads up adam. That makes more sense than just adding a team.
So now the question was, who got knocked for the Twins…and what is the frequency with which the NTC can be traded.
Hmmm…Leif asks where else we can find a shortstop (better than Punto). How about: Tolbert, Harris, Casilla, Machado, My Grandmother, Chuck Norris, A Toaster, Steam, Karlee, etc etc.
are you kidding me???!!! 4 million for a hustling waterboy…..i would of thought that with the economy the way it is we (twins FO) would be saving there money not throwing it away…whats next we accept scotty e offer to come back and serve bp for Central division…..good grief…glad i cancelled my season tickets!!!!!
T, in ‘07 Punto spent most of the year batting 2nd in the line-up. He knocked in 25 RBI’s that year. You can stick him anywhere in the line-up and he is just not going to be that productive offensively.
OH MY GOD, AJ, you made my day!!! I can’t stop laughing!!! Priceles.
The way this team settles for mediocrity is so freaking annoying. Almost as annoying as their stubborn refusal to admit to it.
t
to the best of my knowledge the contract would include language that defines the frequency of change. I would assume in Beltre’s case, he can change it anually (possibly bi-yearly).
Dang it, I meant Priceless. Don’t need Karlee correcting me.
Boras always puts those into his contracts…
And the teams can be changed before the beginning of each season.
That way if you say you don’t want to go to the Devil Rays and they become a playoff team… you can change your mind.
Boras is the antichrist, but he’s smart.
Adam: yup. Most limited no trade contracts allow the player to reset the Teams yearly, typically right after the WS, which is the unofficial “end” of a given season.
forget about Beltre! if he doesn’t want to play here - then why bother??
and no more of the joe crede talk, he’s got a bad back and playing on the Dome floor would be brutal.
Disappointed Once Again - And when I said “etc” at the end of the sentence about many more shortstops better than Nick Punto, I didn’t mean “and more”. I literally meant the letters “ect”. Just cut them out of paper, and put it at the plate. Best case scenerio: take a walk, and not hit into a double play.
AJpesh: funny, I laughed at “a Toaster”…
Seriously, for those who still dont understand, you dont pay Nick Punto $4M a year anymore than you would pay a janitor at your neighboring high school $500K to clean toilets… you can find a kid to do the same job for 1/100th of the cost… THAT is the point.
They really should just move Casilla back to short and start Tolbert/Harris at 2B, you take your lumps, mistakes, and errors (however much they are looked down upon by your manager)..and pocket the money you are saving… extend Mauer’s contract (expires in 2010), work on offering your pitching staff contracts and sign good prospects in the draft and actually give them $$ to sign with the team… what waste.
Where’s Terry Ryan when you need him?
This Bill Smith guy is a real joke!!!
Mike
To be clear - I thought it was obvious - It isn’t that Beltre put us on the NTC list because he doesn’t want to come here, he had the Twins put on the list because if he gets traded here (And rumors indicate that is entirely possible) he would be paid to allow the trade….
OH, AND BORAS WOULD GET 10%. CROOK.
Is it legal to put Punto’s actual glove at shortstop? At the very least we can put a “Punto” jersey next to it…I think the Twins might go after Coomer or Gaetti to man the hot corner.
Guys like Boras-hole have ruined baseball. I’m wondering if these players taking the big contracts think at all about the thousands losing their jobs each day, guess it doesn’t matter, the average joe won’t be able to afford to buy tickets anymore.
I mean WTF? I havent read through all of the posts, but there shouldnt be one person that says this should have happened. He is a back up utility player, thats it. It doesnt take major league execs to understand that. He wouldnt be a starter or the Phillies or any other team, but he will be for the Twins. What a joke, this team is always one or two players away from being a contender. Always!
hey guys, I think AJ is onto something with the toaster as our new shortstop:
http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/brave_little_toaster_rescue_small.jpg
Dano,
Right now Neshek is on the 40-man roster. He has not been placed on the 60 day DL as of yet.
Why do I see Wigginton turning into another Mike Lamb or Craig Monroe? I wish I could be optimistic about dealing for him, but I can’t.
Kevin McFail made me lol, nice.
And dissapointed, I’m glad we can agree on something.
Can’t we trade boof and cuddyer for a 3rd basemen?
You know what I like? Last year whenever I went to games people chanted for Punto, and most of the time he did come thru. And those obnoxtious guys by the right field foul pole in the upper deck who scream punto, I think I’d miss them most.
“Coach, you need 9…”
“My team is on the field!”
Can we get a hitter to play Short or 3rd? Can we? Ever?
Could we have traded for one at last years trade deadline?
How about a reliever at the trade deadline last year?
We would have been in the playoffs if we would have done something to help this team, but of course we never do.
As long as Morneau, Mauer and Nathan are here people will still go watch them, however, they will never be better than an average team unless they add players around these guys that are above average, not just average.
Hunter and Johan had the same issues with this team. Never add any above average players to help the stars. Oh well, they took more money somewhere else, good for them, but they were right!
Wigginton is a very good hitter… His problem has been his health. He is usually a little overweight and that has seemed to him not being able to play a full year. When healthy I would take him, but the price to get him might be too high (ISN’T IT ALWAYS???)
The only “move” the Twins really had to make this offseason was to not resign Punto. Instead, they not only signed him, they overpaid him by about $3.5 million.
Fearless perdiction-Tolbert and Macri outplay Punto and he is gone by midseason.
LOL @ MarkW - great movie
I’m wondering what I could sign for. I’ve made a couple of “All Tournament” teams during my tenure on my “D” league co-ed softball squad…And yes, I can play ANY infield position. Should be worth at least $1.75 million…Mr. Smith, drop me an e-mail, please.
Woo Hoo… now that we’ve locked in Punto hopefully they cut Harris… or trade him for a new vacuum… cause there isn’t a hoover on this planet that sucks harder than Brenden Harris.
Dan in Iowa: we can only hope that Punto gets hurt again by “hustling” or being “aggressive” while stealing bases… then perhaps Tolbert/Macri will get their shot at playing and saying “Hey Bill, you paid Punto $3.6M more dollars to do what I can do, and I can do it better!”
LaVelle,
Any reports on any other teams out there making big moves?
Karlee says:
“…Somewhere inside of me I want him to do well…”
That’s hot.
I really don’t care if Beltre put us on a list to not be traded to. How about calling up the Astros and looking for a combo of Wiggy and Miggie. I know we just signed Nicky Pucko for too much money but take a look. He could back up Miggie, Casilla and Wiggy. Miggie could also DH and I would guess the Astros would pick up part of his salary.
Maybe a Buscher, Cuddy and an SP.
Gives a lineup of
Span
Casilla
Mauer
Miggie
Morneau
Wiggie
Kubel
DY
Gomez
This on days Punto is on the bench where he belongs. Plus if Casilla was a flash in the pan it adds depth.
Relax, everyone.
Nicky will be giving some of that $8 million back, when he pays for the naming rights to the new stadium.
“Nick Punto Stadium”
For the Love of God - Please come back Terry Ryan!
The Twins will do as they always have, wait for the cream of the crop to be signed or traded and then scrape up the leftovers. Is Tony Batista available? Maybe they should see if Koskie would like to return?
Silverfox: I can play all positions and do it after a 6-pack of Grainbelt… that’s gotta be close to $2M over 3yrs, with maybe a 4th yr option!
Maybe you and I could shore up the left side of the infield for the Twins!
jaybell…
That is just wrong…
but it made me laugh.
Billy Smith was molded after Terry Ryan. Remember, Ryan traded Castillo to the Mets for Sal Butera and who?
“He wouldnt be a starter or the Phillies or any other team, but he will be for the Twins. What a joke, this team is always one or two players away from being a contender. Always!”
I’m far from a Punto supporter. But this statement, and many like it, are false.
Is Punto a top SS in the league? Absolutely not. But he probably would start for a handful of teams. Off the top of my head - Oakland, San Diego, Colorado, Boston, Tampa Bay, Houston, both Chicago squads, Pittsburgh, and perhaps others - would have been better off last year with Nick Punto as their starting shortstop than the options they went with.
After hearing the Punto signing news today I could not wait to get home and read the blog. I cannot believe the ongoing angst and down rite hate for the guy. I guess he’s just the perpetual whipping boy for all things bad about the Twins, Gardy and the FO. I still think there is plenty of time for the Twins to make some of the moves we all hope for, so take a deep breath and hang in there. Can’t wait for the season to start..
WHERE IS TERRY RYAN ANYWAY?
Do you think he is fishing off the coast off Florida saying, “THEY DID WHAT? LITTLE NICKY PUNTO?”
LaVelle,
How sure are you that it is $8.5M? Is it possible that it is $850k? I mean it is just a decimal point. I am sure it was just a simple accounting mistake.
I will wait for your clarification on the correct dollar amount.
Thanks.
Geez this is absurb getting Punto back is this the best Smith can do…….. Whatever.. Yankees go get Sabathia and Brunette and we get two minor league players today…… This sucks.. Common twins give us some hope.
WTF? Terrible, terrible, terrible signing. I thought we finally got rid of Punot. Nice guy, sure, but man oh man does he hit like sh**!
holy crap, the majority of you on here are clueless. punto drew interest from 16 gm’s - HALF of all gm’s. he made it known he wanted multiple years and $4M per and still all the interest…but the twins are ‘inept’ for signing him. what about having a super utility infielder is so appalling? check out stats compared to casilla (whom i’ve NEVER heard complaints about)
punto - .284/.344/.382 99 games
casilla - .281/.333/.374 98 games
wow look pretty similar huh? maybe you should quit whining just for the sake of whining, and applaud the twins for a smart move. and stop overreacting like the apocalypse is coming-the offseason just started. until then, stop filling the comment section of this blog with garbage
pete… after reading the post, I would assume that you are joking that Nick Punto is not better than Bobby Crosby (OAK), Khalil Greene (SD), TULO??? (COL), BARTLET??? (TB), Terriot (CUBS) & MIGGY??? (HOU). He isn’t even better that Julio Lugo or Jed Lowrie in Boston. You either have a sarcasm that flies over my sadistic mind or you watch absolutely NO baseball.
Travis- how did Punto do in the tie break game against the White Sox…. he screwed it up, just like he always does. The guy can’t be relied on. Not a clutch bone is his body.
Was that Brunette the Yankees got specifically for Sabathia or the team in general? “Common”, I really wanna no. LOL
We want offense! Thats it, thats what people want on this blog. That is why people get mad.
Many of you might not know this but:
Nick Punto had one of the worst statistically seasons of all time in 2007, in major league history.
what I find amazing is how some of you people keep saying we need to get Beltre. Did you not read the article carefully? Beltre does not want to come to Minnesota. He has Minnesota on his no trade clause.
I don’t want to see that clubhouse cancer on this team anyway. He’s overrated and he strikes out way too much.
as far as Punto goes, we overpaid. PERIOD. He’s a good backup, and that’s it. He is NOT starter material. If this team goes south and finishes 4th or worst, it’s time to hold someone accountable. Fire Smith!!!
MarkW - Let’s do it. We can give the Twinks a discount for a package deal. You want short or third? Wait, we could just rotate every other inning.
werbellik - No one here “hates” Punto. We “hate” the fact that the Twins are spending $4 million per year on a painfully average player. To put things in perspective, Mauer made $6.25 last year.
Glad to see Punto back. If the Front Office wanted to solidify defense on the left side this is a good sign. A banjo hitting SS is a good thing.
A banjo hitting 3B would be a disappointment.
I love how every winter the blogosphere writes that the Twins have the dumbest front office in baseball.
Travis,
Punto isn’t a guy who hits for power he is a utility infielder nothing more or less. Why are people in Minny so ok with being avg? No wonder we never win in this state. What pisses me off is we build the twins a stadium and they cannot be aggressive an signing some top free agents.
Tulo was hurt most of the year wasn’t he? Khalil Greene sucked donkey balls and got traded with his big contract. Punto out hit Bartlett and plays better defense. Just to start.
Hey,check this out.
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809273559068
How many SS’s can do that?
To do list:
1) Trade Cuddy for whatever you can get for him
2) Trade for Wiggy or another good 3B (not even great, just give me someone who can hit and play the bag ok)
3) Sign Pat the bat (he’s gotta be going for less than 10 mill - we can afford him!!)
Travis…
Twins fans just can’t forget the 07 season. and the twins have signed Nicky not as a utility player but as the starting SS.
Second, Cassilla’s BA dipped towards the end of the season because of a wrist injury and Punto is always going to be that idiot that constantly slides into first when everyone who’s ever played organized baseball knows that that is fundamentally wrong and slower than running through the base. Punto only gets away with it because him and Gardy are secret lovers.
anyone need a ride to the funny farm, I am going to hijack the twins bandwagon to make sure we have enough room for everyone.
travis - the report said that “Punto spoke with 16 of the 30 teams”. It said nothing about “drawing interest”. It is not considered “drawing interest” when you ask a team representative if you can park their car.
432 responses. Let’s go for 500. We can do it.
SILVERFOX,
I AGREE WITH YOU 100%…..
TWINS ARE ON THE CHEAP AGAIN. I AM STARTING TO THINK WE GAVE THE WRONG PRO FRANSCHISE A SPORTS STADIUM. WILF SPENDS MORE MONEY IN THIS STATE AND HAS NO PROSPECTS OF GETTING A NEW STADIUM AND POHLAD IS GOING TO GET A NEW STADIUM THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING FOR AND HE WILL POCKET THE MONEY. LETS BUILD A NEW STADIUM FOR THE VIKES AT LEAST THEY WANT TO WIN.
“what about having a super utility infielder is so appalling?”
Nothing travis. But you don’t pay $4 mil/yr for a super utility infielder and you don’t pay $4 mil/year for a guy who averages 25-30 RBI’s/year. Also, as you note, he is a super utility guy, however, in Gardy’s eyes, he is our starting SS. And that is wrong.
BTW, you left out some important numbers in trying to compare Punto to Casilla offensively - take a look at my 1:41 post or just go to mlb.com and have a look yourself. Punto is an offensive liability.
werbellik -
I disagree… I think most people hate that the Twins front office continue to make moves like this. Most people love a hustling, good defensive shortstop. But he is a AAAA shortstop. That is it. I love Punto’s versatility, good speed, tremendous hustle.
This angst is against the $60M payroll that we were promised would be increased when every Minnesotan paid their tax dollar to fund Target Field. At the time the payroll was nearing $70M. We were told the payroll would be $20M higher than that amount going into the new stadium. It wont even be close to that amount.
WHERE IS FURCAL? WHERE IS BEN SHEETS? WHERE IS PAT BURRELL? AJ BURNETT?
With the revenue stream expected to increase nearly 20% after next season why are we not even a option? The White Sox are going to get better, every one know that. The Indians got Wood, the Tigers got a starter… EVEN THE ROYALS are listed in rumors…
THE TWINS FRONT OFFICE HAS LIED TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA SAYING THAT IF WE BUILT THEM A STADIUM THE PAYROLL WOULD INCREASE…. WELL POHLAD’S THE STADIUM IS LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM BEING COMPLETE… YOUR TIME IS UP.
Werbelik…
How’s it going?
> If he hits .275 and steals 20 bases
He’s hit over .275 twice in his career and has never stolen 20 bases. Nobody should expect from Punto what he’s never delivered, that’s just wishing.
He is a good defensive player (not great) but defense tends to age faster than hitting. Most players are at their best defensively in their early 20s, not early 30s.
He’s injury prone and has played more than 135 games only once - which was also his worst season in the majors.
Punto was so awful in 2007 he helped cost the Twins a chance at a pennant. He’s had two decent seasons for the Twins - 2006 and 2008. He was injured and/or awful in 2005 and 2007.
He’s not going to improve his game, more likely it will decline as he ages.
This was a terrible signing, as no-doubt-about-it bad as signing Craig Monroe and Livan Hernandez was last season. Punto might earn the paycheck one of those two seasons but he’s just as likely to be completely worthless. A good GM doesn’t pay a premium for that, he lets Tolbert play instead.
Kouzmanoff hit 24 homers last year in Petco. That is great! If we had him playing along side Punto and Punto was making $1.5 mil a year, yes I would be fine with that.
The fact is that it wont happen, we wont get a 3rd baseman, we never do. And Pete D, those other teams have 3rd basemen that hit! They Hit! That makes up for a poor hitting short stop. Kouz, Youk, Aramis, Longoria to name a few. That is the difference Pete D!
Since when do players that have no power, never have stolen more than 17 bases, never bat .300 and play adequate defense get multi-million dollar contracts from a middle of road budget team in a supposed bad economy. I forgot when Gardy loves you and the fans get excited for head 1st slides. Do they not look at his 2005 and 2007 seasons and see that this guy is average utility player at best. And does not deserve to be the 5th highest paid player on the team (as of today), or even get more than 300 at bats in a season. A disappointed season ticket holder.
MEDSCHOOLMATT,
Nice to know you agree with me in trading Cuddyer.
werbellik - No one here “hates” Punto.
I don’t think that’s entirely true. Not speaking for myself. But there are some people here who have voiced some pretty heated opinions of the guy.
Not to the point of wishing death upon him, as that’s usually reserved for comments regarding Pohlad.
So what is the Bill Smith report card at these days?
Everett/Monroe/Lamb: F
Santana trade: C
Garza trade: D
Punto contract: D+
Just think if we could undo the Garza trade right now…at the time I didn’t have a problem with the Garza part of the trade…more the Bartlett part of the trade.
I think the biggest failure as an organization last year was to not correctly assess the progress of Span.
adam -
I just looked at last year’s numbers, that’s all. For example, I don’t think that Punto is better than Lowrie. However, the Red Sox gave 1050 innings or so to the combination of Julio Lugo and Alex Cora.
Look at the names you posted -
Punto - .284/.344/.382
Tulowitzki - .263/.332/.401
Crosby - .237/.296/.349
Greene - .213/.260/.339
Bartlett - .286/.329/.361
Theriot - .307/.387/.359
Tejada - .283/.314/.415
Now, batting is only part of the equation, but depending on the defensive metric you use, Punto is equal to, or better, than all of these guys.
So, no, my post was not sarcastic. It was realistic. There are some BAD shortstops out there. Punto turned in a good season, and I would rather have him than a guy like Jack Wilson or Orlando Cabrera.
chris - last time i checked, they don’t hand out contracts based on one game. if you name me more than just one game that he hasn’t been ‘clutch’ i might believe you…but with the way the twins played down the stretch in 2008, i would venture to say not many of them are.
IOWA TWIN -
I dare you to find one MLB exec (other than a Twin) that would take Nick Punto over Jason Bartlett, Troy Tulo, or a healthy Khalil Greene as their STARTING SHORTSTOP!
Mell,
Sell you tickets. Pohlad doesn’t want to win that is obvious. Why cannot the twins spend some money getting Punto back does nothing for me. If I was a season ticket holder I would be very disappointed. Every year we sign stupid free agents like Hernandez,Batista,Lamb, Everette and I am sure there are more..
Instead of spending money on these players why don’t they spend money on a couple really good players that make a difference.
A few years from now the last place Twins will play in a half empty stadium, breathing in soot from the garbage burner. But they will have “good clubhouse guys” and will “play the game the right way” under the watchful eye of Manager Ron Gardenhire. Sad.
Anytime Punto comes up to the plate with bases loaded and no outs…. double play… you can count on it everytime.
What a sad outfit!
I am an accountanting manager in an office. I have two options to promote someone to Senior Auditor: I can do an external hiring, or I can promote the guy in the office with the most seniority. This guy in the office is a gamer. He hustles to and from the bathroom well. Sure he uses a crayon to complete his TPS Reports, but he’s a good office-house guy. He may not be very productive with how we do our budgeting, but I like his versatility when it comes to making copies and scanning papers. Look, the bottom line is the guy battles his tail off. Who needs production in the workplace? The choice if obvious: I’ll promote The Gamer!
I hope everyone can realize that the post at 4:09 by ‘5forFighting’ is by me.
Hack, I don’t think the Twins will be in last place with M&M + the rotation. I guess KC could get a clue but that’s a stretch…
Cancelling my season tickets as we speak. Fllod hte phone lines folks. Take a stand!!!
Punto! Two more dead seasons with Gardenhire’s favorite boytoy.
Pete D,
Thanks for the info.
5 4 fighting (and the rest)
first to be clear - I like Punto
I can not believe all the people who think he among the top 20 shortstops in baseball? Can he be? No!
I want him to do well… I want him to put it together and get close to a .340 obp, stop trying to hit the ball off the baggy and end up hitting week pop ups to 2nd, and dare I say, even hit close to .290… HE JUST WONT.
Note to Pat Reusse….is it too late to give Bill Smith the Turkey of the Year?
Alot of negative Punto out there and i am not too happy about it either….
But at least it isn’t Jack Wilson
Bill Brasky,
Good job…… The only when the twins will get it is if twins fans stop settling for this BS every offseason.
So instead of throwing in a 3rd guaranteed year for Blake, we decided to throw away 8.5 million on punto. What the f is the management thinking!!!
I wish they would they would quit being stubborn and just move Cuddyer to third base if they are not going to sign anybody of significance.
“I want him to do well… I want him to put it together and get close to a .340 obp, stop trying to hit the ball off the baggy and end up hitting week pop ups to 2nd, and dare I say, even hit close to .290… HE JUST WONT.”
You mean just like he has 2 of the past 3 years?
Look - I know he was HORRIBLE in 2007. But is that the norm or the aberration? The Twins feel that the ‘real’ Nick Punto is the 2006 and 2008 Punto. You feel that it’s the 2005 and 2007 Punto. I guess we’ll find out.
Would you really be upset with the deal if he reproduced his numbers from last year?
Hey all you idiot Twins fans…listen up! I suppose you think we should spend huge $$$ on players to make our team SO MUCH BETTER. That really worked well for the Detroit Tigers last season. As a life long Twins fan, I am glad you are not running this team.
Go Punto, Go Twins!
more the Bartlett part of the trade.
Bartlett put up numbers comparable to Harris and Punto. Don’t let TB’s apparently obsession over him sway your decision.
As far as assessing Span…nobody saw that coming. That’s why everybody (EVERYBODY) thought a CF was a must have part of any deal with Santana.
Here’s how I see it:
Lamb - F (blocked Buscher, never got the bat going)
Everett - F (we didn’t expect him to hit, but his noodle arm was directly responsible for a few loses this season)
Monroe - C (Didn’t take over DH role like we needed him to, but get some big hits in a few big spots)
Young - B (Didn’t explode out the gate, but showed progress as the season went on. No attitude problems as everybody expected there ot be)
Harris - B (Couldn’t secure 2B or SS, but settled down at 3B. Combined with Buscher to produce an upgrade over previous 3B options)
Gomez - C (Couldn’t secure the leadoff spot, showed progress during the season but still was awfully raw in tight situations)
Jury’s still out on the Santana trade, since three of the pitchers haven’t made their trip to the bigs yet.
I miss Garza, but don’t think he’d have ever overcome whatever mental block he had with the Twins (similar to Lohse).
Punto? - Who knows? Based on his 2007 production it’s a mistake. Based on his 2008 numbers it’s servicable. Since none of us can read the future…who knows.
Signing Punto is great start. You have to keep your core players so you don’t have even more holes to fill. Why is having a player who gives more than one hundred percent all the time, has the best glove in baseball, and is a team member everyone likes…a bad thing? We still can sign a SS and have Punto as a back up for any other infield position incase of injury. I heard all this crap last year and the Twins come with in one game of making the play-offs in what we thought was a rebuilding year. If it’s so hard being a Twins fan…Don’t be one. What a bunch of whining babies! Maybe Punto can teach Gomez how the hell to bunt.
pete..
yes, I would be dissapointed… a .345 OBP is Average (this includes all hitters - bench players & starters)… I am not satisfied with average. I want the Twins to win. I know the argument is that they DO win. The problem I have is that we have an opportunity to be VERY good this year and this just points to the fact that we are satisfied as an organization to be not quite good enough.
Cancelling my season tickets as we speak. Fllod hte phone lines folks. Take a stand!!!
Are you going to leave the Strib boards too? After all, you’re flooding them with comments, which will lead to advertising revenue.
If the Twins stop generating revenue for the Strib, maybe they’ll start pressing the team to improve the product to drive more fan traffic here.
Tyrone, you freaking clown. We’re not spending 1/5th what the Tigers did. We’re talking a few million. Get a clue loser…
Typical Twins, low budget, 8.5 mill what joke. Punto must have pictures on Gardy. Everyday guy, let’s look at his stats when he plays everyday. Scott Erickson next?
I like the Twins but this move to sign Punto leaves me thinking if Punto can make plays in the feild but can’t bat then who is his backup?
Punto teach Gomez how to bunt? I think that would be the other way around.
The commentary here is reminiscent of the “eunichs in a harem” story (told to me by Isaac Asimov): They know how it’s done, they see it done all the time, but they can’t do it themselves.
All you people that are losing your mind over this…would you change your opinion if tomorrow the Twins traded for Beltre? Until you see the final product it is awful hard to judge. Punto isn’t a bad player, but we do need an upgrade somewhere on the left side. Only 3rd is left now….
Who says Punto has the best glove in baseball? He certainly makes easy plays look difficult most of the time especially on leaping grabs that a decent sized short stop would have caught flat-footed. Punto has shown that he is not a clutch player and hit well below the team average with runners in scoring position including an OPS of .665 in that situation. Punto should not have been resigned for more than 2.5 million a year and his presence on the team will probably mean that the team will not be going after a SS through a trade or free agency.
adam -
If the presumed worst hitter on the team is average, then you have a pretty damned fine offensive team.
The Phillies won the World Series last year while getting nothing offensively from the catcher and 3B positions. The Rays had below average offensive production from their left fielder, shortstop, and second baseman.
The Twins can afford to have Nick Punto in the lineup if he hits like he did last year because of his defensive abilities. In fact, if the entire squad outside of Morneau and Mauer were average offensive players, I think, with the pitching staff they have, the Twins could compete for a playoff spot.
Of course you want the best players. It’s the best way to win. However, it doesn’t seem like an upgrade over Punto was really available. So why not upgrade at a different position? It isn’t like the offseason is done tonight.
Astro’s looking to shed payroll and will be moving Wiggington. Perfect trading partners with the Twins.Wigginton is a 3rd baseman with a good glove, decent average and good power[23 hr’s in 386 ab’s] The astros indicate their needs are a backup infielder(Harris),a 5th outfieder(Pridie) and an affordable starting pitcher(Humber/Bonser/ ++ Prospect)This would provide the twins with a power 3rd baseman. The Twins would be adding payroll but it should be within their budget. If Wiggington works out, the Twins could try to extend him. If not, he will be a type A or B free agent in 2010 and the twins would receive draft pick compensation.
LAS VEGAS — The Yankees, who are pressing for pitching and have money to burn, have re-entered the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes, SI.com has learned.
And we just signed a washed up SS. Way to go Smith. What a clown…
“THE TWINS FRONT OFFICE HAS LIED TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA SAYING THAT IF WE BUILT THEM A STADIUM THE PAYROLL WOULD INCREASE…. WELL POHLAD’S THE STADIUM IS LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM BEING COMPLETE… YOUR TIME IS UP.”
Adam, I think you are jumping the gun. If the Twins FO does not continue to increase payroll leading up to the opening of the new stadium, I too will be disappointed. However, signing Punto today does not equal no payroll increase for the foreseeable future. Let’s see how the the rest of this off season goes and then critique the situation…
I have been and always will be a Twins fan. I am excited about the signing of Punto. No, he may not be the best hitter in the league or the best shortstop. Yet, he still has the ability to play a good game. So you don’t like the head first slides, get over it. If you noticed, other players were trying that out last season. Personally, I would rather have a concussion than a broken leg, at least you would only be out a week at tops, not 6 to 8 weeks.
Punto is a good player and a great person for the ball club. Anyone who is a true fan will see that and hope he does have a better year. Others who aren’t a real fan, go ahead and keep down grading him. You were never a true fan to begin with
Here’s another way of looking at the Punto signing. If he hadn’t played for the Twins, but were a free agent finishing a year with another team, would the twins be offering him $8.5 million to be their starting shortstop?
For all the benefit the Twins get from having an above-average C, they give it all back by starting Punto.
Punto resigned. I’m fine with that. At least he has the range to play SS.
Unlike Harris. He can also actually play 3rd. Unlike Buscher. Beltre out of the picture? Good. The price would be too high for a 1 year rent a player.
So Ken, you think the Twins are going to get in the Tex sweepstakes? You need to get a large dose of reality pills.
“THE TWINS FRONT OFFICE HAS LIED TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA SAYING THAT IF WE BUILT THEM A STADIUM THE PAYROLL WOULD INCREASE…. WELL POHLAD’S THE STADIUM IS LESS THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM BEING COMPLETE… YOUR TIME IS UP.”
Adam, I think you are jumping the gun. Signing Punto today does not equal no more payroll increase for the foreseeable future. If the Twins don’t continue to improve their team because they won’t increase payroll, I’ll hold them accountable. Patience….
“Werbelik…
How’s it going?”
Good BC, how about you? I have read most of today’s posts and I see you have not lost your passion!
Punto isn’t great, but he’s definitely not as terrible as all the imbalanced hacks on here say he is.
people didn’t have much of a problem with those stats, defense, and hustle when they were named Greg Gagne……
werbellik–
I heard the “the offseason isn’t over yet, let’s wait until opening day” line all last year. And what was the payroll last year?
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!
Nick’s signing is Christmas present! Hurrah!
Burrell has like 1 suitor that seems serious - the Reds. Surely we can beat them, right?
1) Trade Cuddy for whatever
2) Sign Burrel (he’d be less than 10 mill, slide him into DH, he makes Morneau and Mauer better)
3) Trade for Wiggy - we can get it done
That’s all we need to do. Kubel can get time at DH and at RF and share with Young. My IDEAL lineup is this:
Span CF
Mauer C
Morneau 1B (he’s made himself a 3)
Burrell DH
Wiggy 3B
Kubel RF
Young LF
Casilla 2B
Punto SS (where he belongs in the lineup)
Gomez is on the bench for defense OR he starts the year at AAA - he needs to refine that bat more.
Terrible, terrible, terrible waste of money.
How do you give the guy a $2M raise when we was worse than he was playing at $2M per year.
This makes absolutely no sense to me. I guess this is why I’m a Twins fan, same old mediocrity.
Glad to so you back Punto, no matter what all these negative nancys say.
“werbellik–
I heard the “the offseason isn’t over yet, let’s wait until opening day” line all last year. And what was the payroll last year?”
To be fair, the Twins did spend on Morneau and Cuddy last year while attempting to sign Santana and Hunter, neither of who wanted to be here. Also, although the Twins have implied that payroll will rise some prior to entering the new ball park, I believe they have also maintained that the new revenue from the ball park does not arrive until the Twins are playing there.
Roh Roh Shaggy.
Ty Wiggington and Alex Rodriguez are the only third baseman that are going to salvage our offseason now…actually, A-Rod was a joke, he would destroy our salary and clubhouse with Madonna’s crappy singing. Wiggington is the man we need. Anybody who says otherwise is wrong…PERIOD! (why does that seem wierd putting a period before the “period” and exclamation point behind the “period”???)
The Royals also selected left-handed pitcher Jose Lugo from the Triple-A Rochester roster of the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 draft and traded him to Seattle for cash.
He’s worth what?
…PERIOD! (why does that seem weird putting a period before the “period” and exclamation point behind the “period”???)
There is no good reason.
Colorado is reportedly willing to deal Atkins to Philly for top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco. Does this mean that they’re insisting on either Baker or Slowey from the Twins?
I heard that the Twins felt they had to sign Punto ASAP, because they missed out on Lamb and Everitt, and did not want to lose out on all three of their offseason targets in the span of a week.
I don’t have the same disdain for Punto as some of you, but I also think 4mil/yr for him is way high. I was not against bringing him back, this is a lot of money for a utility guy (apparently a starter now). Yes he plays great defense, but his offense is quite suspect (see 2007 season). It’s a crazy world when a player with a .252/.319/.352 career line gets this kind of pay day.
I do not understand all the Punto hating. He is a very good fielding SS who will hit in the 270 range. There is nothing wrong with that. Personally I like Harris at 3rd. Not a big bat, but a good glove, cannon arm, and 260-270 hitter. Tolbert can back up both 3rd base and SS. He may even be able to win the starting position. Buscher, IMO, should not be routinely on the field. Good hitter, scares me dfensively. The Twins were among the top teams in the American league in scoring last year. I seriously question the need to trade away D Young or starting pitching for a power hitting 3rd basemen. The one thing the Twins really need is another solid arm in the bullpen. Not a power hitting corner infielder. The Twins lost a lot more games last year because they were unable to replace Neshek than because they lacked power at 3rd base.
Colorado is reportedly willing to deal Atkins to Philly for top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco. Does this mean that they’re insisting on either Baker or Slowey from the Twins?
This was reported as a no go.
I heard the “the offseason isn’t over yet, let’s wait until opening day” line all last year. And what was the payroll last year?
They aquired Gomez, Young, and Harris. Then extended Nathan, Cuddyer, and Morneau.
Just because you choose to ignore it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Kai…Baker would be a steep price, but I think I could stomach seeing Slowey dealt for Atkins.
Though I don’t think either Atkins or Slowey would be traded “straight up”…there’d have to be minor leaguers included on both sides.
Nice one T!
T,
Slowey is the better pitcher of the 2, but either is way too much for Atkins. If they take Perkins + prospects, fine. If not, they can keep him.
This is a bad move. Because Punto is not good, yet Gardy will run him out there 159 times.
However, don’t bitch about the money. The Twins are well under thier budget, and it’s obvious they’re not going to come close to spending it all. So whether they signed him for $500K or $4 million is largely irrelevant unless you are a Pohlad heir
I’ve heard that Philly doesn’t even want to talk about trading Carlos Carrasco regardless of the team.
How about holding Bill Smith accountable??? The guy is teflon. His last blockbuster will be to re-sign Eddie Guardado. What an absolute joke of a GM…
If you aren’t going after Beltre or Garrett or Hardy or Kouz from SD, then for God’s sake take a flyer on Joe Crede at 3b!!!!!! Yes, yes I know about his back problems but platoon him with Buscher and ship Harris.
I am all for todays offense metrics I just do not believe as of yet the defense metrics have caught up.
I am old school and remember Elmer Valo.
Strong believer in defense first at SS and Catcher. If the Twins were not going to get Hardy or Escobar. I would prefer LNP.
I also like Furcal but I would not offer a 4 yr deal.
I also believe it is still possible BS will fix 3rd with Beltre, Donald or DeRosa the Twins can wins a WS.
In 2009 Casilla, Span, Gomez, Cuddyer, Kubel and DY (Hopefully still a Twin) will have better years along with the starting 5.
With pitching depth they will be in great position to make a June trade to put them over the hump.
I do find the no trade clause interesting for Beltre, I do believe they are a player form him, it makes no sense for Seattle to hang on to him.
Elmer Valo. LOL DickyBuzz, you are old.
Dicky - he and his agent made the choice they don’t want to deal with the Twins. Therefore, we shouldn’t even make an effort anymore.
Donald - AA prospect, hasn’t even played a lick in AAA, got hot in AFL, all of a sudden looks good? No thanks.
DeRosa - another rentaplayer. would love him, but the Cubs seem adamant in keeping him. If they’d take humber or something, yeah try it; other than that, no way.
You failed to mention Wiggy - yes he’s a bit injury prone, but he makes a lot of sense for us.
I also fail to see how all of those guys (save Casilla) have better years when there are 5 guys for 4 spots. They’d need to do fair rotation, but even then how will that work out? Cuddy, Young, Span, Gomez against lefties, Kubel, Young, Span, Gomez against righties?
What I don’t get on here is that people who don’t like Punto as a starter and point out his limitations are getting jumped on by the LNP Fanboys.
Twins could afford to let LNP’s weak RBI bat be in the lineup if they could find another big bat to help out Morneau (I can’t say Kubel is that bat). That could have been JJ Hardy, but obviously that didn’t go anywhere.
Beltre isn’t an option, so what’s next?
After reading all the negative comments about Pohlad, Bill Smith, the Twins FO, Gardy, Punto, etc…., it leaves me wondering why some of you are here typing and reading all this stuff. Some see the positive side and others?…..well….nothing is good enough for them. The Iowa Cubs are looking for fans. Fargo has needs some fans for their team. The Saints are fun to watch. Maybe some of the naysayers should try a different team’s blog? Just a thought.
I have no problem with the Punto resigning. I want nothing to do with Beltre. He has been a bust since his one monster year with the Dodgers.
Why didnt we save that money for a real 3b move casilla to SS play Harris at 2b a use some AA/AAA kids that are great defensive players to develop the next LNP…No we pay a backup more money than we could have gotten someone elses starter who can hit….Derosa only made 5mil and he hit 21 Hrs…..the TWINS are DOOMED…why didnt Bill Smith save money and just conference in to Vegas!!!!!!! DUMB DUMB DUMB and embarassing……
Shaun
I disagree that Beltre is not an option.
They did not add Twin to the no trade list to not come here, they added it for $$$$ purposes.
The one good thing bringing Punto back does, is keep the Twins speed at 8-9-1-2 better than any other team in baseball.
Having said that, if I’m the Twins front office, I offer Punto $4/2years. Take it or leave it. This is money that would’ve been better spent on an impact player.
So when can we trade players signed has free agents.
medschoolmatt
I live in the burbs of Chicago. I have followed DeRosa closely. He plays all over but is a RH bat who could spot platoon with Casilla who is much better from the left side, play 3rd against lefties and plays the game the “Twins Way”
Werbelik…
you can ask my minister… Baseball is my religion. I was out to dinner with him and his wife when the Twins were playing the Royals, and Morneau struck out and I dropped an Fbomb without even thinking of who I was in front of.
My minister was kind, laughed, looked at my wife and said, ok, I believe you now… baseball really is his religion.
By june 1 punto will be batting .143, everybody else will be injured and he’ll be back to permanent supersub status where his true value lies–not exactly $4 million (per) value but value nonetheless. Punto’s problems are mental–he takes setbacks way too hard so 0 for 11 becomes a 4 month swoon. If he ever gets his head together he could hold down a starting job.
This is a joke…. Tolbert 1/8 the money 8 times the production….. Same with Young over Cuddyer… 1/6th the salary 6 times the production…. It gets riduculus when they come and say we can’t afford Johan Santana but we can throw 4.5 million at a guy that shouldn’t be starting…. We are paying him more then we are paying Jason Kubel…. If I am a player for the Twins I feel like poop… the worst player is now making more then half of the players…
Dicky - like I said, I would Love him on the team (I lamented it earlier on the other thread) but what would it take to get him and would the Cubs listen/be reasonable? I’d also like a decent shot at re-signing him for the same/maybe less than what he’s making now.
And your thoughts on Wiggy and Burrell?
5:40pm: Haudricourt now writes that the Cameron negotiations are back underway after a “hiccup”. Haudricourt heard from Doug Melvin that there’s a “strong possibility it could still happen.” The clubs are negotiating over finances and whether a second player would go to the Brewers with Cabrera.
who do you think would get the better end pf the deal i would say the Brewers because i like Cabrera better then Cameron
Most loved LNP in 2006 after a FP of .962 and a BA of .290. Now after 2008 going into 2009 he is a bum because his FP was .973 and his BA was .284? If you asked most ML managers if they would be happy with .284 from their SS/2B they would say yes. If you want pwr from your SS you need to pay more then 4 Mil per.
what would it take to get DeRosa i like him but i parbly would give up Perkins or blackburn and i thiink both are good young pitchers for twins
Hmmm……just checked in at the end of a long work day, hoping against hope the Twins were going to do something significant to improve their talent level. This just doesnt do it for me. NP’s a fine utility guy. But 8mill? To start? He doesnt stay healthy enough, long enough, to be a starter. It’s sad. If they were willing to add talent to the core of Mauer, Morneau, Liriano, Baker…..but this is just not looking good. For now. Maybe they will make a move for a 3B before ST…maybe….maybe…or maybe I’m a fool for thinking it would even be possible. Oh well.
Mark.
The Twins could trade LNP tomorrow if they wanted to.
This is good news to me
http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/2008/12/dec-11-atkins-for-carrasco.html
If the Rockies want a pitcher for Atkins it means no DY to the Rockies and they will have to settle for volume and not quality
just another thought: The contract the Twins gave Punto was the same as the one the Giants gave Jeremy Affeldt.
DeRosa isn’t that appealing now that the Twins are keeping Punto. DeRosa would have been an offensive upgrade at 2b with Casilla sliding over to short. DeRosa is not such a great option for 3b.
Funniest line of the day, by any poster:
“Maybe Punto can teach Gomez how to bunt.”
The worst bunter in the league trying to teach someone else how to do it? That’s rich. Love it. Good one.
“Okay Carlos, make sure you keep your bat level to ensure a popup or a bounce off the plate into fair territory and the catcher’s range instead of a foul ball if you miss the sweet spot, don’t ever bend or straighten your knees to react to the pitch but just move your bat as much as you need to - but keep it as level as possible - and make sure to punch at the pitch with your bat instead of trying to ‘catch’ it with your bat so the third baseman or pitcher will have a chance at the popup and not just the catcher.”
Punto really sucks at bunting. Apparently, he already has rubbed off on Gomez the sliding into first crap (though not nearly as much as Punto); let’s try to keep him from teaching his horrific bunting habits.
The Twins front office is a joke, the
Twins ownership is a joke, and the
Twins manager is a joke! As usual,
the Twins are not going to do anything
that will make the team better!
Resigning Punto to a two-year $8.5
million deal
medschoolmatt
Wiggy peaks my interest, he would help, plus you could play Harris at some against lefties.
Not a Pat the Bat fan for 10 million or more. He does not make errors account he gets to nothing.
Yes, yes I know about his back problems but platoon him with Buscher and ship Harris.
If the Twins have to platoon a new 3B then there is no point in bringing him in to begin with.
The goal of any new signing should not be to platoon or share time…but to fit a defined role.
If they bring in a new 3B, it should be with the full intent to start them once the season begins.
DE
Great post, I just read it.
If you listen close, you can hear the sound of every other team in baseball laughing at us right now.
Absolutely f—ing pathetic, Bill Smith.
What’s the difference between Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert?
Apparently it’s $3.6 million.
Man, what an absolute joke. Just goes to show what a stupid amount of pull Gardenhire has in this organization.
Bill Smith gets an F for this offseason so far. Our two biggest needs haven’t been met, and really, no one’s even heard ANY rumblings about the bullpen, except for the Mike Lincoln debacle and the Joaquin Benoit interest (ugh).
But it’s ok, because we signed our utility player!
Oh, wait, our dense manager is going to sit more talented players over him and make him a starter.
Oh well, at least he’s only making $2 million!
Oh, wait, it’s $4.
What a pathetic move. The fans deserve better than this.
Smith better find a way to add a DAMN good reliever now, and figure out some way to get Beltre in a Twins uniform.
But that won’t happen… we’ll sign Jesus Colome, let Buscher play third, and watch the bewildered look on Gardenhire and Smith’s faces when the miracle average with RISP doesn’t return this year and we win 8 fewer games.
I don’t remember the last time I was this disappointed to be a Twins fan.
The only words I can come up with to describe this are “pathetic” and “pitiful.” What an absolute JOKE.
Well I can not understand why Nick Punto can make 25,000 a game and most of us dont make that in 6 months. 4 million a year is 25000 a game. Wow talk about great quotes”
Here is one from a previous post this week
RyanW says:
December 8th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
As much as he drives me crazy, I would much rather have Punto starting at SS than Wilson.
RyanW says:
December 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
But that is like saying I would rather be punched in the face than in the balls
3 things came to mind when I heard the news:
1) a great drinking game is to take a sip everytime you hear or see this quote from Billy Boy:
“We’ve had a lot of conversations,” he said. “We have spent a lot of time as a staff going over different possibilities. We have talked to a lot of teams to see if there’s a fit. We obviously haven’t found it yet.”
You will be buzzed in no time….In the worst way possible
2) The build-up for this team to improve itself at the trading deadline last year and now at the close of the Winter’s Meetings reminds me of the end of “The Soprano’s.” Lots of plot action. Then nothing.
3) Way to go Cleveland Indians. You kept it simple. You identified a need. You targeted a good player. You went out and signed him. Good for them.
I don’t see the Punto signing as the end of western civilization nor does it spell the end of me being a Twins fan. There is some overreaction going on. That being said, the signing does stink. There are some Punto apologists out there who believe (incredibly) that he is as good as, if not better than, Troy Tulowitzki among others. Not in this lifetime. The truth is, Punto’s career ops is a paltry .652. Only twice has he gotten his ops over .700 with his career high being .726. Make no mistake, he is an awful offensive player who is a very athletic, but ultimately mediocre, defensive player. He does not merit an $8 million contract nor should he ever be a starter. This is a bad signing.
bmick
Good point and very well put.
This signing isn’t that bad…AS LONG AS WE GO OUT AND GET A DECENT THIRD BASEMAN!
If we don’t do that, you’ll see a larger percentage of fans pissed off about the Punto deal.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Go out and get a decent 3rd baseman?? You mean Buescher and Harris? Because those studs will be your 3b come spring training. I heard Buescher just learned how to throw a baseball.
What an absolute joke.
I like this signing. Punto absolutely has limitations, but he is also a very serviceable player. If he’s a #9 hitter and plays good defense at SS that’s just fine. There weren’t many better options out there to plug in at SS.
I understand he had a horrible season in ‘07, but last year he was solid. I also know it’s fashionable to exaggerate about how bad he is. I’m looking for .270 with some speed, not bad for a #9 hitter.
I get sick of the “the Twins never take a gamble” crap, then after the DY/Garza trade, “I can’t believe they did that”. Then “the Twins never spend any money” then they overpay a little for someone and it’s “how the hell could they spend that on HIM?”
Early Christmas for White Sox fans! Thanks, Twins!
By the way, there aren’t many teams out there that won 88 games that are blowing up there team and starting over. We absolutely need more bull-pen help, that’s a given. I also want them to upgrade 3B, but I don’t think it fits into the panic mode that we need to trade whatever we have to, to get one.
I wouldn’t mind taking a flier on Crede, when you have Buscher/Harris platoon as a back-up plan when he gets hurt. I know, that will cause an uproar of “oh my god, they signed another washed up loser, they’re so cheap..blah,blah, blah.”
By the way, there aren’t many teams out there that won 88 games that are blowing up there team and starting over
WhiteSox
Mets
Yankees
Milwaukee
for starters so far
You Punto bashers are all a bunch of idiots, the guy is a ballplayer and plays hard every day. How can you not root for this guy? I just don’t get it. I seem to remember winning a pair of World Series with a similar player, Greg Gagne, at short. Gagne, a career .254 hitter, never knocked in more than 57 runs and played solid D, and was, by the way, a fan favorite for his hardnosed style of play. You all sound like a bunch of Red Sox or Yankees fans on here. Way to show some class, Twins fans. I know most of us portray a better image…
Worse signing in 10 years. His plays only look great because Punto is so under sized. Isn’t joe M making 4M.
Tolbert would do .90 of what punto would do defensively and 1.50 of what punto could do offensively for .25 of the money.
jaybell…your a putts,did you see how horrible of a bunter Gomez was last year. I have never seen a guy with that much speed have absolutely no bunting skills. Just think of all the hits he could have…hell I could teach him to bunt better…you dork!
“By the way, there aren’t many teams out there that won 88 games that are blowing up there team and starting over.”
Nobody is asking the team to blow up. It’s about improving. 88 games was nice. Wouldn’t 90 + be even nicer?
You can’t count on hitting so well again with RISP. You just can’t.
Yes CMAC! Punto give an all out effort everday. I DVR every amazing play I see a Twin make, most of the recordings involve Punto. I watch as many games and root just as hard for anyone on this post, and I think the Punto sign was the right move!
The Twins front office is a joke, the
Twins ownership is a joke, and the
Twins manager is a joke! As usual,
the Twins are not going to do anything
that will make the team better!
Resigning Punto to a two-year $8.5
million deal to be the starting shortstop is so stupid, that it’s almost funny! But I guess we should be happy, I mean after all, the way Gardy talks, you’d swear Punto is one of the best shortstops in baseball. Even though he is only a .250 career hitter, and can’t hit homeruns. He will be the difference maker though, so us fans better reserve our World Series tickets now. Oh, and don’t forget, the Twins also acquired a AA minor league pitcher with a 3.33 ERA, which would probably translate into a 4.33 ERA in the majors, who would replace Neshek, so that should fix the issues with the bullpen. If you can’t tell, I am being sarcastic. I guess these moves, or lack of moves, shouldn’t surprise me. It’s the same story every season, but I really thought that with the new stadium coming, the Twins would try to make a serious push for the World Series. The Twins have the cheapest ownership in baseball, and if they don’t make a move to get a really good third basement, and relief pitcher yet this season, I don’t think I care to watch them next season!
WWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?
I’d say if all you fair-weather haters don’t like it, follow another team. Go Twins!
Free Tolbert,
I agree, and that’s exactly what I’m talking about with bull-pen help and possibly up-grading 3B. But I don’t want to give up very much to do it. This is an incredibly young team, and showed alot of promise, many people here are acting like major changes are needed.
The Twins were very good with RISP last year, but not unheard of. They hit about what the top 5 teams with RISP have hit the past 5-7 years. It absolutely can be done again.
“WhiteSox
Mets
Yankees
Milwaukee”
What the hell have the White Sox and Brewers done? Of course the Mets and Yankees have done alot, they always do. That’s 2 out of 30 teams.
i dont think that its really punto’s fault that he’s a role player. he’s a pretty good bench guy. the whole problem is the organization and its lies. not 1 thing done to improve the team. our bullpen is pathetic and there are plenty of FA that would make great set up guys. will we sign one of them. nope. a guys with pop in his bat. nope.
weak
maybe they are trying to restrain spending due to the weak economy?
i guess that’d be fine so long as the
a: put the ticket prices back to what they were in 2007 since that was plenty to run the team on then.
b: wait till the ecomomy recovers to finish the twins stadium since theyre clearly waiting to spend money on this team
i somehow dont see either of these things happening
Punto is a clown.
Please name a couple FA’s that would make “great” set-up guys. Juan Cruz is about the only one I’m coming up with. Other than people that will require closer money, i.e. Brandon Lyon.
we have the money to sign a closer as a setup guy. they aren’t getting a bunch of years right now. neshek is out all of 09 and isnt likely to be back to full strength until ‘11. by that time all of the payroll flexibility will be necessary to sign core players
I don’t think any of the available closers would want to come here to be a set-up man when there are plenty of teams that need a closer….unless of course we vastly over-pay.
Dicky
Which is why I pencilled Pat the Bat in for DH (only an emergency OF and occasional spell for Morneau at 1B - which makes perfect sense because he’s a right power bat, Morneau being the left power bat) in my proposed lineup featuring him and Wiggy at 4/5. And I know he won’t go for more than 10; he made way more than he deserved in his last deal (14 mill last season); and I would be surprised if he signed for more than 10. I bet we could get him for 8-9 with incentives.
Regarding our Bullpen:
What’s nice is we DO have a one-up on all these clubs in that we have a closer. yes he’s getting a bit up there, and his fastball is about 94 (boohoo), but he’s developing pitches that have more movement. So many clubs are clammering for a closer, and that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. We even have guys (Mijares, Breslow, Crain, etc) that have the stuff to be great set-up men AND solid guys for middle relief (Bonser, Humber, etc). This is NOT a huge need.
We’d need Mijares to at least be 80-90% of what he was (man he was crazy good) and Crain to improve (which I think he will, greatly). After that, we really only need one guy to fill in. Jones has a shot at this roster in long relief; I believe he has the stuff for it. He’s pinpoint precision and keeps the ball in the park. If Bonser can continue to develop as a reliever, Guerrier can at least be serviceable again, and Breslow is himself, I like our bullpen over many in the league. If not, Jesus can be had for peanuts, and he’s good too.
This team needs to do the things I’ve said many times now and they are this:
1) Trade Cuddy. I love him, but he has to go; get what you can for him. Clear off his payroll - he’ll be making too much in the years when we need to resign our pitchers and M&M
2) Trade for Wiggy - he can be had for Humber, Buscher + another pitcher (+ prospect), depending on what their needs are. That is very doable and it keeps our starting 5 intact and he’ll most likely give us a very good 400 Ab’s with serviceable defense at an affordable 5 mill.
3) Not many are fans, but sign Pat the bat. We’d finally have that right handed power bat that we’ve been needing for years. He can be had for 8-9 with incentives (at least I’d hope so, his main suitor is the Reds - oooohhh scary). Thirty+ HR’s would push Morneau, and protect him in the lineup. He’d allow guys like Kubel and Young to see better pitches further down the lineup, and their production would mean that much more coming from the 6/7 spots. Casilla and whatever LNP gives at 8/9 would just be gravy.
That’s just 3 things this team needs to do, all within reason. Call me up BS, I can give you the holidays off and swing these deals for you. Pay my tuition for a semester and you’ll look like a hero (fair compensation).
Go Twins, I’ll watch you no matter what happens.
medschoolmatt
nothin like 250k in debt huh? well worth it though. have to watch the twins. love em.
i like your idea. what about dunn?
CMAC, go hug a tree!. Take Punto with ya and have him slide head first into it. It is a bad signing, Denny Hocking all over…
Dick - yes, well worth it indeed. I should be studying, but I love the Twins
Well with Dunn and Burrell, you have to take the lesser of 2 evils. Dunn can smack a couple more home runs (guy is a freak), but Burrell has a few ticks higher in average, which I’d want as much as I could get out of my power guy. I’ll sacrifice a couple home runs if you’ll get on base/walk a bit more often. And I think he’d be a tad cheaper, but that is just my opinion. what do you think?
Remember the feeling you got as a kid - when you went to the dome and looked at the scoreboard and you saw the starting lineups -and you saw the number 9 (Gene Larkin) at first base instead of 14? That’s the feeling I got today when I noticed the twins signed Punto. TWO homeruns? He better steal 20 bases and hit .285 or I’m going to flip out.
P.S. He can’t get a sacrifice bunt down to save his life - but you’re right - he does swipe a few and plays gold glove d. I’m happier w/ Punto than picking up Jack Wilson or someone dumb. Hope they still keep the IF options open and get a decent 3B.
I am sick and tired of the front office doing NOTHING! Every year it is the same thing over and over again during winter meetings.
I am a die hard Twins fan like most of the posters on here, but COME ON BILL SMITH! Do something, get someone!!!! THE FANS of MINNESOTA want to COMPETE!!!!
WOW!!! I thought FOR SURE this was a typo. EIGHT POINT FIVE MILLION, for a two bit stiff. Billy Smith is now the worst GM in the Twin Cities. I just wonder how much Punto’s boyfriend Mr. Ron Gardenhire had to do with this decision. I could put together a list of at least 10 players making half what Punto is that I would rather have on the team. Nice to see Billy Bob Smith wasting money again on crappy players just to fill a roster. Is he going to resign Mike Lamb also?
Unbelievable. 8.5 million dollars over two years for the worst hitter i’ve ever seen. I have no problem with the twins signing punto and having him start, I understand the idea that they are willing to basically take zero offensive production from the SS position as long as they get great defense, but why on earth would you pay 8.5 million dollars for the guy, there is no way anyone else was going to pay him anything close to that. Oh yeah, thats right, he’s a “gamer” all that means is that he’s a no talent a$$ clown, but he tries real hard, no wonder the twins are a joke. I hope ron gardenhire chokes to death on punto’s knob
Let’s take advantage of someone who’s even dumber than our organization and get a deal done for Garrett Atkins for one of our young pitchers. He would fit nicely betweem the M&M boys
This is big news! Oh BS give me a break! At the end of last season I was hoping San Diego would sign Nick Punto and we would not have to hear anymore about him. And now he was signed by our Twins for two years for $8.5 million. So now if I want to watch the Twins in 2009 Im stuck watching this tobacco chewing,singles slapping, strike out artis and 1st base sliding nitwit do his thing! Punto, get ready for a chorus of boo’s when you screw up next season…..
Great to have Punto signed at 4 MILLION PLUS PER YEAR!!!!!!!!! What is wrong with you people? Lucky for the fans we have Cuddy. Please package these two GEEKS and get a player. And don’t platoon anyone at third. Get a third baseman with power. DO IT!!!!!!!!!
This is turrible news, just turrible.
Twins Front Office STINKS!!! This is our Free Agent signing? This little sawed off hot doggin’ hit into a double play face first slider??? Stupidest move they’ve made, after extending Gardenweasel’s contract.
what dumb a:: can compare Punto to Hocking you must know more than some of the best coaches in baseball. The Twins staff keeps producing playoff caliber teams with what some of you call AAA talent,must be some good talent in AAA.. I would take punto over many SS in the league.You still forget the great year he had at the plate. played hurt the next season with a rib injury,the next year he was replaced by Everret and didn’t get to play regularly until later in year. Who did they put in- in the late innings? Punto.
Name BA OBP SLG OPS Field% at SS
Punto .252 .319 .332 .651 .977
Gagne .254 .302 .382 .684 .972
Mears .258 .299 .374 .673 .965
Guzman .270 .307 .386 .693 .971
Bartlett.276 .337 .362 .699 .967
Harris .269 .330 .408 .738 .970
I can say without a doubt that Nick Punto is the worst hitting starting shortstop we have had in the last 15 years (minus Juan Castro). Even Pat Mears was a better hitter than Nick Punto…I would rather have Brendan Harris at short over Nick Punto. Harris has a career .738 OPS while Nick’s is .651 Nick may have the edge in fielding (.977 to .970) but that works out to be 3 more errors in 500 chances…I would take the extra hitting with 3 more errors anyday and I would challenge anyone to come up with a better argument for starting Punto over Harris at short.
This team should have won 10-15 more games if LNP wouldn’t have batted 2nd. Losses by Manager and Stiffs signed by from office…Hey hey a new acronym
SSBFO
Stiffs signed by Front Office
I can hear 1500 walking into church thsi summer at 11am…Well, Nicky is battling right now and not seeing the ball very well…I will play him everyday and see how he comes around” He will battle, he has such grit and is such a battler, I have a feelin’ he will only ground out to 2nd 8 times over the weekend.
SSBFO
Why is this even news? this bites even being mentioned
As I sad last summer every day…
Imagine this
2 on, 2 out and LNP steps up to the plate in 9th..why I don’t know….game over
If Punto were to ever read these blogs, his season would be *REALLY* doomed.
Like him as a backup. 100 games? Fine. 130+ No way.
Also, the price tag was a little high…
I really would like to know what other offers he was getting…
BS, this DOES NOT cut it. I would think that you’d have to realize that this can’t be it. You have GOT to add a power bat… at least one.
I would sign Dunn in a heartbeat.
I would sign Bonds in a heartbeat.
I would sign Ibanez in a heartbeat…unfortunatly he’s a lefty outfielder…no wait. I don’t care if he’s a lefty. Power is power. I’d find a way to get him in the lineup.
I’d look at Burrell, but use caution.
Give up one of our MANY starters to attempt to get Hardy.
Would’ve signed Blake.
Still like Wiggy, but would the Twins do it?
Like Milton Bradly.
Would attempt to acquire Huff, you know, at least see what it would take.
I didn’t intend to go on like this, but I guess there’s still talent to be had out there. Will the Twins do anything? Probably not…
Wouldn’t give up much for DeRosa either. Could be a one year wonder.
Great news!! Congrats to Nick and the twins. I know I’ll enjoy watching him again. He makes plays that are unreal. They haven’t traded away any of the young core yet, which works for me.
HAVE FUN !!! GO TWINS !!!
I like Punto. He’s willing to go all out for the play in the infield. We need someone with that spark. I think he makes a great backup, though. Rotate him in and out, giving people breaks.
I still miss Bartlett at shortstop. I really liked him, and I haven’t been terribly impressed with Delmon Young. I’m excited for Casilla to return to the infield. I’d like to see more from Buscher. I think he’s got more talent than we’ve seen from him yet, but maybe I’m just too hopeful.
We really could use a 3rd baseman who can hit, and Beltre would be great, but I HIGHLY doubt that the club would ever split up the lineup of mauer at 3 and Morneau at 4 like several people have suggested.
I think we have plenty of talent that can get the job done in the infield. With Neshek out for another year, we desperately need some help in innings 7 and 8. Guerrier can only pitch so many games, and even he isn’t phenomenal.
