No slugger or bullpen arm under the Twins’ X-Mas tree this week
Posted on December 22nd, 2008 – 5:24 PMBy La Velle
All indications are that this will be a slow week in Twinsland, as the club doesn’t appear to be close to any moves before Christmas.
They remain one of several teams interested in righthander Brandon Lyon. True, he’s a fly ball pitcher who is not overpowering, but he does have some history as a closer which, the Twins hope, would translate into reliability as a set-up man.
Indications are that the Twins won’t make a run at infielder Ty Wigginton. who is not know for his defense. I still believe he’s worth looking into - if you look beyond last season his home-road splits aren’t that bad - but the Twins appear to be looking elsewhere.
Haven’t heard anything new about their interest in the Cubs’ Mark DeRosa. For the Twins to land DeRosa, they probably would need a third team involved because the Cubs need a left-handed hitting outfielder and the Twins’ aren’t moving Jason Kubel
You look at the remaining free agent market, and it appears the best way for the Twins to upgrade is through a trade. But how would you respond if you asked about Huston Street and are told it would take Kevin Slowey and Denard Span as part of the deal?
The match that’s waiting to happen is the Twins and Brewers. GM Doug Melvin needs starting pitching badly. The Twins have starting pitching and prospects. But the words, “J.J. Hardy,” haven’t been tossed into the discussion. I still think Bill Hall is decent player but he’s making $6.8M next year and $8.4M in 2010. It’s worth watching how the Brewers navigate through the rest of the offseason.
But it sure is different this offseason. By this time last year, the Twins had traded for Craig Monroe and Delmon Young and signed Mike Lamb and Adam Everett and were headed toward signing Livan Hernandez and trading Johan Santana. Other then the return of Nick Punto, it has been quiet. The Twins will have some explaining to do if they don’t beef up third base and don’t find a bullpen arm.
It’s like what ES16 posted under Joe C.’s entry today:
Like many here, I’m getting frustrated with the Twins’front office this winter, but I keep telling myself there’s a lot of time yet. Something can still happen. If spring training starts and nothing has happened, then we all have good reason to be frustrated.
As beat writers, we only find out a certain percentage of things teams are working on, so t here’s always a chance the Twins could have a transaction or two up their sleeve before camp opens.
The baseball offseason seems to move slower and slower each year. I was packing for spring training when Santana was dealt. And Mark Teixeira, Brian Fuentes, Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe are still looking for jobs. So there’s time to get something done.
I’m not sure how many updates there will be this week. Twins officials will begin to scatter for the holidays on Wednesday. There are two outs in the bottom of the ninth for the arrival of Baby C., so Joe Christensen is starting to hunker down with Mrs. Joe C.
If there’s news, we’ll have it here. But I’m going to focus on Christmas. And I hope all of you have a very merry one.
209 Responses to "No slugger or bullpen arm under the Twins’ X-Mas tree this week"
crazy as hell.
Bill Hall is the Cuddyer of the Brewers: Has 1 good season, gets paid, then stinks it up.
Thanks for the post, La Velle. Enjoyed it as usual. IMO, the movement is slow on the signing front because management is hoping that the economy will drive down the size of the contracts (except for the very “ELITE”). Possibly the Twins are waiting for someone like Wiggy to settle for a 1 or 2 year contract. At least I can hope that is why they are moving so slowly! 
Patience is a virtue… but then there’s a real shortage of virtue around here
Have a great holiday LaVelle and thanks to you, Joe and Howard for the blogging.
Have a great one LaVelle.
Kind of bummed you didn’t get a chance to respond to my comments on KFAN the other day…
Here’s to hoping that tonight’s MNF game is a worthy game… I don’t care if the Packers or the Bears win, but neither should be on MNF this season! Talk about pathetic teams…
Options are thin …
I’d LOVE Lyon as a setup man for a year or two to improve the pen.
As for 3B, options are wearing thin. The Twins don’t view Wiggy as a good hitter away from Minute Maid and Crede isn’t on the radar. At this point it would seem Kouzmanoff as a good fit but I doubt there has been any contact between the Twins and Padres …
Hey, La Velle, have you happened to hear anything on Kouz?
BC,
The MNF schedule is usually created based on how a team finishes the year before.
Packers were 13-3 so it’s easy to explain their 3 appearances.
Vikings looked pathetic yesterday too!
Merry Christmas to you too Lavelle. I can wait for Twins news until after Christmas in order to focus on Christmas!
BC, JimCrikket and the rest of you “regulars bloggers”…Merry Christmas to all of you as well!
A few days ago, I think on KFAN, I heard a rumor about the Twins inquiring about Michael Young. Anybody else hear that, and if so do you think there’s any merit to the rumor?
thanks Werbellik
I still know that name from somewhere else, and it’s still driving me nuts!
I know the Vikings looked bad…
Thank god I am a life long Steelers fan… oh wait… they didn’t look so good yesterday either…
At least in one game anywhere in the country, any playing condition… I will take my Steelers against anyone in the game.
Hopefully the OL picks it up… we need to draft a decent guard, and or Tackle depending on what’s out there in FA after the season… Then the Steelers will be 14-2 or 13-3 and making life hell for everyone not wearing black and gold!
heck even with a terrible offensive line… we are still going to win the super bowl
Michael Young in a Twins uni … is it worth Baker?
i dont buy that crap about wigginton at all…i just wish the twins would stop trying to sell us a bag of goods with nothing in it….dont always tell me what you cant do mr smith, tell me what you can do and will do…lets see some positivity and desire to win from this front office for a change..i will never fault them for trying and failing, but i will definately be disgruntled, frustrtrated, pissed off, whatever if you do nothing and let everyone else like cleveland pick up players we should be bidding for vigorously, like wigginton…..i am not interested in tearing up this team to make trades- when we can simply fill a need by spending some cash and not mess with our depth or our pitching staff- we are in good shaped except for rt handed bat at 3b and some pitching help which we may already have in the minors or it shouldnt be too hard to find someone between now and opening day…..main thing is get the position players set….so again mr smith i plead with you to stop trying to villify any player like wiggy and get him on the dotted line….we need him for xmas…would be nice gift…merry xmas to all twins fans…
BC, here’s a hint…think former Twins star. And, Although a Viking fan first, I can pull for the Steelers with Mike Tomlin, and to a lessor degree Melwede Moore and Tyrone Carter.
“Michael Young in a Twins uni … is it worth Baker?”
La Velle IV…I think it merits serious consideration. I would a perfer a package containing Perkins or Blackburn and others, but……
I am pretty tired fo the Ty Wigginton crap too.
If they can sign him to a 3 year 19 to 22 million dollar deal… get him.
If it costs significantly more… don’t do it.
But if we have to go into 2009 with the exact same team that we left 2008 with then Bill Smith had better resign!
I don’t want to be sold the BS (not bill smith) that everyone on this team is going to improve.
The odds of everyone on this team staying healthy and improving without adding anything else to it is less believable than WMDs in Iraq!
I did however saw the booklet for the new stadium. The prices aren’t nearly as bad as I expected, and the sightlines should be outstanding… I loved the sun-scale in there to help choose the season ticket package that best fits my sun pattern.
I couldn’t tan on the sun so what matters most to me is that the Twins bring in the best freaking players they can to make this team a WS contender and not a cute little club that is one and done in a playoff!
Crede is worth a look.
BC, just as I once wished that Tony Dungy had not gotten away, I am beginning to wish that Mike Tomlin had not gotten away.
Merry Christmas La Velle…
If the Twins would make a move that can make my day this off season and wanted to give me a present, would not a power hand bat or a set up man (and it is cheaper than those two) : It would be to do what Zduriencik is doing at the Mariners FO, hire a bunch of statisticians and establish an analytics department to complement their scouting. Too many mistakes (see: perceived need for bullpen help, offering contracts to wrong people etc.) without it…
“Crede is worth a look.”
JimCrikket..I agree, but riddle me this. If Boras is so hideous to deal with, how does he ever get any of his clients signed….anywhere? I’d like to think that the Twins have at least inquired.
LaVelle are you thinking that the Brewers will soften on there stance of trading Hardy as spring training gets closer? This is exactly what kind of player the Twins need. Mauer, Morneau, and Hardy for the next few years in a row sounds wonderful for Christmas! I am sure they are not going to settle for a Blackburn or Perkins. I don’t think I would include a Baker, Liriano, or Slowey and I am sure that is what they will want in return.
Yeah I’d probably trade Baker for him actually … he’s an elite SS/3B and I think he’d put us over the top.
Perkins + Blackburn for him would be a steal for us.
[…] Twins Insider – […]
I think getting Young would put us over the top, so I’d probably trade Baker.
We’d have Young for, what, 5 years? His .300+/15+ HR/90+ RBI production would do wonders…
I was hoping more of a Blackburn, Span, Harris, and a prospect. That way they can still move Cameron for more pitching help with getting Span and plug Harris in as there shortstop.
Crede…
he would be the BEST OPTION for the Twins at 3rd base, but I don’t see them dealing with Boras… Bill Smith would get treated like the prettiest altar boy stuck in a monistary at that point in time. Bill Smith can’t handle easy agents… Boras would have his soul in a jar before the day was done…
Wait a minute… that would be a great thing!
We need Crede!
jeff
There is no way the Twins would trade all of that for anyone.
LaVelle do you think the Twins would possibly make any serious run at Beltre next year? Assuming that any combination of Valencia or Hughes does not progress the way that they would like. I know who his agent is but realistically there are not going to be any third baseman available of his caliber via free agency.
I agree … no way the Twins give up a load like that.
There is no reason to believe the Brewers will trade Hardy, even if their need for pitching is so high.
There is lots of time, that is correct. I recall in 1987 the Jeff Reardon deal went through rather late in the offseason — and look where that led us. The time to really feel impatient is when the front office waits too long in July and August to find help. That’s what really drives many of us bonkers.
Merry Christmas La Velle,
You do a great job, Thank you!
Funny how they don’t think much of Wigginton’s defense and yet think Buscher and Valencia are good.
Did I hear a suggestion that the Twins trade Baker for Michael Young? The Rangers would LOVE for the Twins to make a blunder like that. I wouldn’t trade Baker for Beltre, and Beltre >>>>>>>>> Young.
‘Yeah I’d probably trade Baker for him actually … he’s an elite SS/3B and I think he’d put us over the top.”
Michael Young WAS an elite infielder at one point. At this point, it’s been three years since his last .800+ OPS, and he’s barely got 10+ HR power. Moving to Minnesota wouldn’t help his cause either.
He’s got a good glove, but he’s not worth $16MM per year, and he’s definitely not worth Scott Baker.
Michael Young would be a terrible option for the Twins.
Besides, does anyone think they’d take on a 5-year, $80MM contract? No chance…
One interesting possibility for 3B is Scott Rolen. The Jays are looking to get rid of payroll and he will be an upgrade both at the plate and on the field from what the Twins have. I am not sure that it will take more than prospects to get him, he has an 2 year $22 mil contract and you cannot discount his bat or his 7 gold gloves.
It’s been awhile since Rolen was an elite offensive player, but his glove is still an incredible upgrade from what we have, and his bat will likely be the same.
The Jays’ rotation has been decimated by injury; they can use some pitching in a bad way.
I wonder how much more than Boof or Humber and a reasonable prospect it would take for Rolen.
I’m not in love with the idea, but I’m in love with it when I make the direct comparison to Buscher…
Steve,
all it might take is a Humber and Buscher and a prospect (the Twins, smartly, are not willing to deal Boof).
Rolen’s been hurt a lot the last couple years and he’s going to be 35 next season. He’s also overpaid.
For what it’s worth, the 6:22 “Crede is worth a look” comment was not mine. I suspect the nickname gremlins were back at work.
That said, I agree with the sentiment.
I am surprised we have not heard off an interest in Joe Nelson…… any idea why not?
RJ,
It’s Twins’ policy to only go after old players who WEREN’T effective in the prior year.
I’m surprised we haven’t looked at Omar Vizquel at SS, allowing Punto’s power bat to slide over to 3B…
This team will score alot of runs. Let Buscher and Harris man third and get some one good(over-powering) in the bullpen. Lyon is not the answer! Maybe Farnsworth???
Farnsworth signed with the Royals.
The reason you haven’t heard many more rumors? They don’t need to any moves to be the top team in the AL central. Why is everyone so in love with Ty Wigginton? What’s the diffrence between him and Brendan Harris? Wigginton may have shown more power, but he doesn’t possess a better ave. or on base skills. Harris will play superior defense and to top it off he’s younger and cheaper. As for the power department, in 2166 milb ab’s, Wigginton hit .280/.348/.460. Harris hit .294/.359/.467 in 2248 milb ab’s. Harris is a younger verision of a guy like Wigginton with better defense. Why would they go after Wigginton when they already have Harris? I don’t see the improvement.
Lyon > Farnsworth
And Farnsworth already signed with the Royals. He’s not the answer anyways.
I see most D’Back games. Lyon would be a good addition to the Twins and the Bullpen. He can hit the mid 90’s. He does not seem as effective the 1st month of the season, needs to build arm strength. Has a great curve. It would be nice to hear Bert talk about that.
The Twins do not need to upgrade at third if: Cuddyer is healthy and can hit with some power. Play him in right, have him DH against lefties and play first on occasion. I believ Harris can do fine at third and can hit with some authority. Buscher given enough at bats may do fine as well. Young has to hit with more power as well, the Twins have power within the team now if players have patience and don;t swing at too many bad pitches.
Ixnay on the Bill Hall idea, La Velle. No way! Yuck! Way overpaid, and we’d be better off with the Buscher/Harris combo anyway. At least both have a little upside, unlike Hall. Merry Christmas!
I don’t know what a Baker for Young deal would accomplish. That deal has zero upside and includes creating a nice void in the front of the rotation.
How about Scott Rolen?
As a transplanted Twins fan living out here in LA, I’ve heard both Ned Colletti and Tony Reagins (Dodgers and Angels GM’s respectively) point out that most teams are still trying to determine what impact the current recession will have on business next season. Interestingly, both men said that it’s very likely that several clubs might end up offloading legitimate talent on the cheap DURING THE SEASON if ticket sales plummet or the club isn’t winning. In essence, they both think there is at least the possibility of a lot of in-season player movement; perhaps even top talent. While it’s frustrating to see the Twins accustomed winter inactivity, it might actually be wise to wait out the market and not jump to conclusions. No need to trade a starter now if a bigger, better deal is available in May or June…
Chris
Thanks for the post. This type of information is appreciated, I wish had more people checking in with geographic hints.
I’d rather stand pat and make no deal(s)
at all than trade more away than the supposed help. is worth.
If Milwaukee is ready/willing to trade JJ Hardy for a reasonable price, fine.
But Bill Hall? No way!
Harris may become a stud at 3rd. Trading Baker:
“YOUV’E GOTTA BE KIDDING ME”
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
HAVE FUN !!! GO TWINS !!!
Would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas LaVelle. Thanks for keeping us up to date on what the Twins are and are not doing. Enjoy your Holidays.
Bill Hall is decent player
Last year Bill Hall had a .293 OBP and .939 FP @ 3B. He can hit lefties very well (.306/.371/.522) , but against RHP (.174/.242/.316) he makes Carlos Gomez look like Ted Williams. At this point of his career he is a platoon DH/PH (and a very expensive on). That said, it might make sense for the Twins to try to trade Cuddaver’s bad contract for his, to relief the logjam at the outfield and get a decent RH DH/PH/utility guy who hits lefties better than Cuddaver. But a starting third baseman he is not…
Sorry fans, the Twins organization is just B.S.ing you about adding a good third baseman. They just want to maintain your interest in the team and want you to give them attention, buy tickets and suveniers. The fact is that the Twins organization is not willing to spend money to improve. It is just a business and the fans is the loser in Twins land.
The only 3rd baseman the Twins could ever possibly acquire is in Boston right now - Mike Lowell - and that is only going to be possible if the Red Sox sign Teixeira, because they will have to deal him in a salary dump.
We all need to quit hoping this team signs or trades for someone of any value. This front office just doesn’t have what it takes right now.
Bill Smith is the Kevin McHale of the MLB.
“All indications are that this will be a slow week in Twinsland”
That’s been the headline all off-season and will continue to be all off-season. You people are wasting your time with all of your “let’s sign ____” and “why don’t they sign ___” comments. The Twins have NEVER signed a meaningful free agent and as long as the Pohlads are using the Twins as a profit center they never will.
With Milwaukee’s need for pitching and SD desire to reduce payroll how about this for a trade. Twins send Young, Perkins, Harris and a high pitching prospect to SD. SD sends Kouzmanoff to Minnesota and Peavy to Milwaukee. Milwaukee sends Hardy to Minnesota. SD ends up with 4 players they can control for awhile and Milwaukee ends up with a front end rotation pitcher who wants to stay in the National League and Minnesota clears up the log jam in the outfield and fills both 3rd base and SS holes.
I just read one of the most insightful posts I have ever read. It simply stated why are we all disappointed about this offseason for the Twins when we already knew what the result was going to be! NOTHING (like every other year)
Merry Christmas LaVelle and thanks for all the updates during this off-season. I would be interested in seeing the front office look at Rolen because I agree that it might not take lots of talent to get him via trade. I’m still willing to give the FO some time to let things sort out since there are several “big” names out there that haven’t been signed in the free agent market; maybe there will be some leftovers that might fit into our system. Go Twins - only 57 days until pitchers and catchers report!
You forget Bruce that we have Punto as our starting SS.
Everyone going on and on about Harris should ponder this: if he’s the answer at 3B, why did his ABs drop during the year, and why did he only get 37 in September?
Every response on every site bemoans the inaction of their team. How can any of you know-it-alls explain the Twins overall success over the past 8 years while being confined to their payroll structure? I know, it must be luck! Because Terry Ryan, Gardy, and Smith certainly have no clue about anything.
I noticed that too Mike. As far as explaining Twin’s relatively successful seasons the past 8 years, I think it’s because we’ve had some of the game’s best players at key positions during that Span, er, I mean, “time frame”.
Why did Harris get only 37 AB in September?
1) He was in a slump and the Twins were in a pennant race.
2) Buscher was the flavor of the month because it was (incorrectly) hoped that his defense and his hitting against LHP’s would improve.
3) Harris was in a downward emotional spiral because of his slump and because of his losing (first) his 2B job; then his SS job.
4)He started taking third strikes because of item#3 and had to be temporarily benched in favor of Buscher.
All of the above are behind him and a fresh start this season(as starting 3B) could purge the memories.
If the Twins did not want a platoon of Buscher and Harris for 3rd base whom at this time would be the favorite to start if the season started tomorrow. Odds are that is probably what the Twins will do
Thanks for pointing those things out, Sane. I never looked at it that way, but I guess it would bother me also (a LOT) to get beat out as a Twin third baseman last season!
Sane, that all seems reasonable. If my choices are Buscher or Harris, I want harris out there.
Hey BC
There’s no harmon in putting this to a mirror test.
BC.Beneke says:
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
thanks Werbellik
I still know that name from somewhere else, and it’s still driving me nuts
I agree with Mike— If it’s between Harris and Buscher– I would rather see Harris starting the majority of the time. But with Gardy’s righty/lefty platoon system we will probably see Buscher. Of course they will both get a lot of playing time once LNP goes on the DL– by June 1st!
If, however, we were to land Hardy– I would take Punto at third.
I don’t think we are getting a 3rd baseman because we did not pick up Blake whom was an obvious easy choice to play 3rd for the Twins
You know, reading that article about the Luxury Tax (And the Yankees hitting it yet again…)
Is it me, or should that penalty GROW each consecutive year that a team fails to come in under a certain amount?
Because obviously the tax isn’t doing anything to hamper the Yankees efforts.
We had the 4th most productive 3rd base in the league last year (91 RBI) and that is with Lamb for a good chunk of the year whom most of you have bashed and with them batting 7th or 8th in the order. I would like to have seen them sign Wiggington since it would only cost money, but what is so wrong with what we have? Why do you assume these guys can’t produce again? Most of you would be happy to get a guy that would drive in 91 in the middle of the order much less the bottom of the order.
Twins are the youngest team in baseball. They came within a coin flip of winning the division last year and that is with Livan for half the year, Bonser as our #2 starter for a dozen games, and Liriano out for more than half the year, Gomez and Young getting comfortable with a new team, Cuddyer and Neschek hurt and injury to Casilla when he was playing like Pedroia. Every team has weaknesses and if 91 RBI from 3b is our weakness I am ok with that. Twins have been very successfull this decade and yet this is by far the best team they have ever brought into spring training in the 2000’s.
Trade Baker for Michael Young? That would be insane. Baker is the glue that holds that rotation together.
I didn’t like the Punto signing much either but there are worse things than a 280 hitting good glove shortstop.
For all you that just want the team to spend money, you are the same ones that bitched when we picked Mauer over Prior 8 years ago and wanted to spend big money for a big time 1st baseman.
No Mauer = no AJ trade and no Mauer
No AJ trade = no Nathan or Liriano
Signing big name 1b = trading prospect Morneau.
In other words spending money like most of you want.
Twins = Orioles
This is interesting. Twins 2002 Roster. Casey Blake and David Ortiz cards are shown:
“In other words spending money like most of you want.
Twins = Orioles”
Who do the Orioles spen money on???
Twins = Red Sox
I wonder what the Mariners would want for Felix Hernandez or the Orioles Danielle Cabrera cause we could try and use him out of the pen.
Glad the Twins don’t waste money on over paid free agents. The Twins are the best club at getting the most per dollar of any team and staying competitive. They don’t bring in the money that a big market club does (not even close) and have been able to sign and keep some great players (Mauer, Morneau). They’ll be good again next season with a very strong young starting rotation and a solid lineup. Their minor league development is the best in baseball. So go make your dream team with one of NY teams, they bring in 5 times as much money every year so they have 5 times as much money to spend….or waste.
Good point Jimmy,
Should have been
Twins < Detroit Tigers
Hey Mudcat— I think it is more interesting looking at the “down at the farm” list. I think only Balfour ever made it to the bigs. You would think the success rate would be higher considering how much the Twins farm system is praised!
La Velle:
Happy Holidays and congrats! You finally at least pointed it out “The Twins aren’t moving Kubel.” However, you need to ask the FO why??? He has the least upside, a contact you can trade, and he’s another lefty we don’t need. There is no logjam in the outfield…he’s the log that needs to roll. Gardy needs to get over the fact his boy Kubel is never going to be Mickey Mantle and move on! Kubel could be a nice piece to multiple trade packages and the Twins won’t do it. LAME!!!
“No slugger or bullpen arm under the Twins’ X-Mas tree this week”
So does that mean we are not in the Tex sweepsteaks?
Do people on this blog even follow baseball? One guy suggests signing Farnsworth, who already signed with the Royals. Another guy wonders what a trade for Cabrera with the Orioles would cost us, even though Cabrera signed as a FA with the Nats. Lot of credibility here!
Merry X-mas!
“Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote yesterday about Joe Mauer, whose contract runs through 2010. He says the Red Sox are “already salivating over Mauer.” I’m sure many teams are. The Twins have yet to talk to Mauer about another extension. Since Mauer is just 26 in April and his next contract will cover only free agent years, the deal could be record-setting (for a catcher) if he stays healthy.”
So when will the Twins start talking to Mauer? I hope not after the 2010 season!
If anyone wonders who posts on these blogs you only need to read the entries. Half of them are commenting on La Velle’s KFAN appearances.
Jon which way do the players run after they hit the ball. This always confuses me a bit. Thanks for your patience
Shaun,
Bill Smith is a little busy right now working on….., and trading for…., and trying to sign…… Oh wait, he should have plenty of time right now.
Can we trade Joe Mauer for Adrian Beltre?
only if we include Morneau, and maybe Baker
Haha nice Jon
BS is trying to decided which kind of cookies to leave Santa this year. I hear he hopes Santa brings him a 3rd baseman!
Can we have Kevin McHale run the Twins like he does the Timberwolves? It sure would be fun if the team were run by a local hero
Shaun,
Regarding Mauer, the Twins will probably address an extension after the 2009 season. They don’t address contracts when there is more than 1 year remaining.
In the end it is going to come down to Mauer’s willingness to stay with the club as if he hits FA he would command $20M+/year.
Would he “settle” for a 5yr/$75-80M extension?
The Twins are up to something alright, screwing their fans for the 17th straight year….
“Would he “settle” for a 5yr/$75-80M extension?”
NO! Try this one 3 years 60 million
SweetOne,
Maybe the Twins should address contracts sooner. Hunter and Santana would have been cheaper if their contracts had been addressed earlier. Of course Torii walked and Johan was traded, but I remember people complaining that the Twins weren’t more proactive.
You guys are all on my s**t list no free agents for you this year.
St. Nick try this thought out. With Morneau and Mauer we will only be able to keep one eventually (contracts will run out). Morneau or Mauer? Mauer or Morneau?
I doubt Mauer will settle for a 3 year deal (even an extension of 3 additional years).
He’ll turn 26 shortly after the season starts. He’ll be going on 28 when the contract expires.
He’ll want at least 5yrs.
Morneau just signed a 6yr/$80M contract. Mauer’s extension will have to be similar to that just to get the ball rolling.
It is being said that on the FA market he would get A-Rod type money. He knows that get something like 5-6yr/$100-150M on the FA market.
Shaun,
It is very rare for any team to re-address a players contract when he has multiple years left.
One change in the landscape is teams are starting to give players long term contracts even before they reach arbitration.
So when we open the new stadium and gain more money in revenue what will the fans on the blog do when we can’t afford Mauers extension. How will Pohlad attempt to sign Mauer to a 5 year 125 million dollar contract. I think I may find that signing very interesting
Morneau will be gone after his current contract runs out.
He has 5yrs remaining and will be 32 when it is up. Depending on his production in 2012/2013, even if they do want to re-sign him they will only what to do a 3 yr deal and Morneau would want a 5 or better.
The Twins philosophy is they will sign their young players to their first big long term contract, but will not be able to do the 2nd one unless they take a hometown discount.
Puckett was the last great player that they signed a 2nd big contract to and he took a hometown discount. He had bigger offers on the table and decided to finish his career in MN.
Jon if all the Twins fans are good through 2011 I will deliver a 3 headed monster of Mauer,Hicks,Morneau through 2020.
St. Nick if you got hold of one of Pohlads checks for that much money (in the future of course) he would turn into a zombie dig himself out of his Mausoleum and come chase you down and eat your brains of course.
mike wants wins says, Harris is the anti-Punto, Gardy hates him as much as he loves LNP - Thus so few at bats. Morneau was in a slump during the last few weeks, did he get benched in favot of someone else? Seesm to me the team did much better when Harris was at short, but hey what do I know?
Merry Christmas old buddy!
Is the Punto signing considered a transaction?
This blog will heat up in May when he is in a 1-33 (drag bunt against KC) slump.
I hope LNPO gets some grit in his stocking.
I will say that this is the year we should be spending the money. We are looking for Joe to stick around after 2010… good luck telling him that we are doing everything to win a championship. We will not even come close to what Boston or New York are going to be ready to offer him.. Sorry Startribune but everyone take a look at the PPress artical about Mauer’s next deal. He will be making some big money 2 batting titles and a gold glove winner. I have a feeling that if he leaves Justin is gone the next year too. Twins need to pull out the pocket book this year so that we can prove to these guys that we are trying to win a championship for them.
Merry Christmas! Manny Just signed with the Twins! lol could only hope to sign him then trade Cuddy for some 3rd base prospects. I am tired of watching Brian “Butcher” at 3rd. Last year he over threw to first to manny times early in the year, then later in the year he would hesitate and not throw. Then shake his head like he was mad at him self. I thought when they brought him up he was going to be a power hitter for us and that hasen’t happend. Maybe we could get something to him and Cuddy.
so tex is signing with the yanks, i bet bill smith is saying “missed by that much”! another one got away but at least we got nicky back.
As the Mark Teixeira free-agent negotiations go, so might go the market for Joe Mauer, who can become a free agent after the 2010 season. Teixeira, 28, is seeking a deal in excess of $20 million a season. Mauer, 25, the Twins’ two-time batting champion and Gold Glove catcher, next season will be the Twins’ third-highest paid player at $10.5 million. He’ll make $12.5 million in 2010. People in the know say the Boston Red Sox already are salivating over Mauer, who would be only 27 as a free agent. There have been no talks this winter about extending the St. Paul native’s contract, in part because Mauer’s value after last season is at a premium, and it’s uncertain whether the seismic downturn in the nation’s economy will affect baseball salaries a year from now. What is for sure is that the Mauer contract negotiations will be the biggest and most important in Twins history.
I understand everyones frustration but after losing Radke, Hunter and Santana I looked at last year as a rebuilding year for the Twins. I still dont think they are 1 or 2 players away from being a legit WS contender. They have too many young players who still have a lot to prove yet.
Sad we can’t even afford Casey Blake and the Yankees so far pick up Sabathia, Burnett, and Tex. Pathetic. Plus we will probably lose Mauer soon enough.
the yankees won 1 more game last year than the twins and they added tex, aj and cc we resigned nicky. should be about an even off season.
“the yankees won 1 more game last year than the twins and they added tex, aj and cc we resigned nicky. should be about an even off season.”
Go cheer for the Yankees then.
Yankees estimated added payroll this offseason: $420MM
Twins: $8.5MM
yikes
a little thinned skined today pete?
“Yankees estimated added payroll this offseason: $420MM”
Money that came off the Yankees books this year :
Giambi - 23.4 million
Abreu - 16 million
Mussina - 11 million
Pavano - 11 million
Farnsworth - 5.9 million
Hawkins - 3.75 million
They have plenty of payroll to work with.
Pete calm down. Not saying the Spanks don’t have the dough, that’s just an incredible amount to add in one off-season.
Does anyone know if the Twins will let Liriano pitch in the WBC this year?
What else are the Yankees going to get. It may be time to sign Jake Peavy. WTF not
Just a little tired of all the whining on these boards. How is this ANY different than what the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, etc. have done for a decade?
And I apologize for signaling you out ggg. This is a culmination of reading multiple boards. People declaring they are ‘done with baseball’ because the Yankees signed Teixeira, Sabathia, and Burnett. Would they have been done if the Red Sox hand landed Teixeira?
Didn’t the Yankees only add like $62 million to their payroll after clearing $70 million? Plus they just opened a new park where revenues are going to be higher. I’d say they have done a good job of getting the players they wanted. Some might say they even have room to go after Manny.
Jon -
But not really. They are just replacing old contracts with new ones. It’s the same thing the Yankees do EVERY year. Why are people surprised?
The Twins are so cheap they didn’t even pay the extra 2 mill for Blake. I even feel like he gave a local discount (he is from Iowa) Cheap Twins, cheap, cheap Twins
i’m a little frustrated probably like a lot of fans that it seems we just can’t make that move. something always gets in the way, if we had picked up beltre last july would we have won another game? always seems to be a few $$ short or a prospect short on the guys they do after and we end up being close but no cigar.
i’m having a hard time thinking re-signing nicky will gets us over the top.
BC,
Yes Liriano is pitching in the WBC. That is why they are letting him pitch in the Venezualan league. He is to build up his pitch count slowly and pitch no more than 75 pitches in any outing. So far he is 0-1 with a 1.00 era.
SweetOne do you think that’s a good idea or not? The reason i ask is how strong will his arm be in Aug/Sept?
The way I understand it, the team doesn’t have a say in the matter. It is soley up to the players.
Liriano is pitching in the Dominican Winter League not Venezuala
“They have plenty of payroll to work with.”
So do the Twins, Pete, so do the Twins.
That’s the pathetic part.
The Twins could easily have had $15M more in payroll last year, and they could easily add that much, or more this year.
I think the fans need to lock out the owners and players until a cap is in place.
Only the Yankees know how far they’ll be willing to go to sign Manny Ramirez, but the slugger believes the Bombers will be a serious contender for his services. According to a source, Ramirez has told friends that he is confident the Yankees will offer him a contract of at least three years, one year longer than most team officials have said they would want to go. Ramirez has no plans to get serious about any offers until after Mark Teixeira - a fellow Scott Boras client - makes a decision regarding his own future. Ramirez has already turned down a two-year, $45 million offer from the Dodgers and has told friends he is seeking a four-year deal in the $100 million range.
Oh yes, did I fail to mention we signed LNP and couldn’t afford the 2 extra mill for Blake
Did I fail to mention the next 2 players the Yankees are going to get
Joe Mauer, who can become a free agent after the 2010 season. Teixeira, 28, is seeking a deal in excess of $20 million a season. Mauer, 25, the Twins’ two-time batting champion and Gold Glove catcher, next season will be the Twins’ third-highest paid player at $10.5 million. He’ll make $12.5 million in 2010. People in the know say the Boston Red Sox already are salivating over Mauer, who would be only 27 as a free agent. There have been no talks this winter about extending the St. Paul native’s contract, in part because Mauer’s value after last season is at a premium, and it’s uncertain whether the seismic downturn in the nation’s economy will affect baseball salaries a year from now. What is for sure is that the Mauer contract negotiations will be the biggest and most important in Twins history.
Question for Jon,
“Cheap Twins, cheap, cheap Twins”
If you are going to be miserable because the Twins can’t spend like the Yankees, than you are purposely making yourself miserable.
You will most certainly take your own life, if you follow that path.
Just do the rest of us a favor, and stop sobbing on th G*d d*mn blog!
I’d hope the Yanks would take a pass on Manny.. With Teixeira, they got the bat (and glove) they needed so no need to go against fate. I think the Yanks should be able to survive with Swisher in the outfield and possibly Melky or Gardner to play fetch in center.
The Yankees are already at the luxury tax level for 2009 before the Tiexiera signing. So that means, while Tex gets “just” $22.5mm next season, the Yankees will actually have to shell out $31.5mm in 2009 for his services, with the additional 9 mil going to their competitors in luxury tax.
Based on that, we all should be glad he went to the Yankees and, in fact, should be cheering for them to go after Manny, too!
USAChief -
So they should spend it on mediocre talent because you think Ty Wigginton is worth 20+ million dollars?
I thought in “Damn Yankees” that the Senators sold their souls to the Devil.
This years revival has the Yankees selling their souls to the Devil and they will all go to Hell in October!
I wonder what the Twins will get in return for Mauer.
“I wonder what the Twins will get in return for Mauer”
A receipt.
As I’ve said many times, Pete, the Twins should’ve added talent at the deadline last year. Either Hawkins or Bradford would’ve helped this team.
They should’ve signed Furcal to play shortstop this offseason. Failing that, $6M per for Blake made sense. Failing that, make a 3 yr, $15M offer to Wigginton. Failing that, deal two outfielders and sign Burrell.
But don’t go into the season with all of that money rotting in the bank, like last year.
I can eat shell fish everyday and take oyster shots at Legal Seafood.
USAChief -
The problem is, you think all of those deals make sense. The Twins do not.
For example, if the Twins add Hawkins or Bradford, who goes from the 40 man to open up a roster spot?
If you think $14 million is the most you want to spend on Casey Blake, why spend more?
What in the world makes you think Wigginton is going to accept a 3 year, $15 million deal?
And trade 2 outfielders and sign Burrell? Why? Get rid of young, contract controlled talent for 3 or 4 years of overpriced DHing?
heh, yeah. Who here believes they’ll sign Mauer, Liriano, Baker and Slowey to extensions? Who here believes that Nathan has more than 2 years or so left as dominant? Not hopes, but believes?
I see the news has already come here regarding Tex. I keep hearing of Manny going to the Yanks also
Pete, how about any of the AAA players that never would make the team leaving the 40 man roster?
I would not want Burrell in the field. Sure, as DH, but not the field. Burrell/dunn would not be overpriced, any more than Mauer or Morneau or Nathan are/will be in their prime contract years.
“mike wants wins heh, yeah. Who here believes they’ll sign Mauer”
No way and no how are the Twins going to be able to match the Red Sox and the Yanks
No MLB team would abort a team-improving deal to keep their #39 and/or #40 player on their 40-man-roster.
Every team has available discards on their 40-man-roster.
Mauer will never leave Minnesota.
BC Beneke-Happy Holidays!
We kept Prince. We can keep Joe Mauer!
If Mauer goes into 2010 without an extension, he is gone in FA.
The Twins will try to sign him to an extension next winter. I feel that Mauer wants to play his entire career in MN so he will sign a reasonable but discounted extension.
The Twins need to step up to the plate and make some serious efforts to improve the ball club. We are opening up a new ball park in a year and need to go in with some momentum and not with the same team as we have. We have some real needs and it is about time the team quit trying to patch their holes and actually made a real effort to put a quality team together!
Is anyone else sick of the Yankees buying the best team in baseball? I know the Twins can’t possibly look to spend like the Yankees; however, they need to start making real efforts while we have the talent we do (i.e. Mauer, Morneau, Nathan). We don’t have to go out and spend $180M like the Yankees are, but spend $5 - 10M on a quality guy and it will make a world of difference. And NO, Punto is not a quality guy! It is time the team steps up and shows its committment to the fans as the fans have done to the team before we lose Morneau and Nathan in free agency which we will undoubtedly do when they come up for their next contracts. Morneau is worth just as much as Texiera and he has a brighter future as well!
Yankees sign Texiera. One word DISTUSTING.
How many times do the Twins lose to the Yankee$ in 2009?
Still those contracts come with risks-Yankees have been burned in the past by big money deals (Pavano, and I would even say Giambi). Captain Cheeseburger might just keep getting bigger and unable to pitch at some point.
Sorry, I meant DISGUSTING. There goes the dramatic effect of my writing.
I’m no more convinced the yankees have bought the best team in the league, than I am that the only way to build a team is through the draft.
The Yankees do appear to have made better decisions than in past years (in terms of which players to sign), but injuries and luck do happen, one way or the other. I do think the Yankees are better than they were last year, though. If I was them I’d be trying hard to get a guy that can play D like Carlos gomez can (like that, maybe not that good, but like that).
Roster space Pete?
That’s the best you got?
How’d they make space for Guardado?
Brain,
Someone was going to sign Teixiera. Is his signing by any team disgusting, or just the Yanks (who shed $80m in payroll for these signings, with another $13M next year for Matsui). Would the Redsox signing Tex made you feel any less disgusted, or Angels, or the Twins (oops) or O’s or Nats?
No, only the Yankees disgust me.
I hate the Yankees.
So Rosenthal thinks the Rangers want to dump salary. I know he is left handed and has had some injury problems, but is it possible we could pull Hank Blalock for little more than taking in his 6.5 mil. He is only under contract for one more year. Blalock for one year and 6.5 mil might be more appealing for the Twins.
“How’d they make space for Guardado?”
They ground up Hamburger.
If I lived in New York, or was a Yankee fan from anywhere else, like my nephew I would love it, but I’m not so I dont. It’s not so much the Yankees as it is MLB in general. The Yankees are just taking advantage of a flawed system. While small market teams have been successful, the Yankees will always be able to take chances and make mistakes that small market teams cannot. Although this year I think the Yankees have been smart with the signings of Sabathia and Texiera, because they have been durable over their careers, but giving Burnett that kind of money is something that pretty much only the Yankees and a couple of other teams can afford to be wrong about.
Brain,
You are correct.
Red Sox, Yanks, Angels, O’s, a few others can outspend mistakes. AJ Burnett could be the next Pavano, though he’s far far far more talented.
Some of those small market teams will benefit from the big-spenders’ largess - luxury tax revenues.
Tis Baseball. Money doesn’t buy world series.
I’m all for the Yankees making this signing and Manny, too. Let them sign ALL of the top free agents.
Not only does it add to the revenues of the Twins and other teams via luxury tax, but it means other AL Central teams are not getting those players.
It’s not like this is a new strategy for the Yankees… they’ve been trying to buy championships since Reggie Jackson. They’ve done it for the past 8 years and how has that worked out for them?
This just makes the laugh all that much heartier when the injuries hit all that high priced talent and the clubhouse blows up trying to contain all those egos. The inevitable Yankee failures will be just that much more enjoyable.
I would like to see parity, in base ball , just like football, I beleve that Tex, is the best singing thay have to date,
USAChief -
Roster space is just one of many things to consider. Would the Yankees deal Hawkins to the Twins? Did the Twins see something in Bradford that they didn’t like? If Bradford was so great, how did he last all the way until the Rays picked? And a bevy of other questions.
Again - the Twins have been competitive for 6 of the past 8 years. Why doesn’t the front office get the benefit of the doubt?
If Bradford was so great, how did he last all the way until the Rays picked?
He was passed by other teams for the same reason he was passed by the Twins: that contract ($3.5 + $3.5) Most teams were looking for a 2 month solution.
BTW, Bradford is an excellent pitcher and a 1.42 ERA with the Rays (and 1.13 in the post season) is notable, but he is a ground ball pitcher that doesn’t miss too many bats and with that liability at 3B, not sure he could have repeated that feat with the Twins…
HAHAHAHAHA… Got to love the Yankees. They spend $423 mil and they’re still not done. The richest owner in baseball, cheap ass Pohlad, won’t spend and extra $2m to get Blake. And I don’t want to hear about overpaying, small market team bullcrap. If there is a hell for cheap pricks, Pohlad will be king.
hey guys… sorry to burst your bubble… I love blogging in twins day-dreamland too, but the twins will NEVER sign a type A free agent.
Ever.
Don’t worry the excuse for not signing free agents the next three years will be “We need to sign our own first.” Pohlad has all the fans suckered…
It appears to me the Yankee’s approach works pretty well.
How many times have they missed the postseason in the last decade?
Nobody’s asking the Twins to spend like the Yankees, or even like Boston/LAD/Cubs or the rest of the second tier spenders.
But when there’s obvious payroll space, and they don’t even try to address obvious needs, well, then I think I as a fan have an obvious beef.
Brendan Harris, if given the 3B job full-time, (no platoon) in Spring Training will get better and better defensively with time.
He has a strong arm, and though not agile enough to be a MLB shortstop, he is agile enough to become a good 3B, if given the reps.
Buscher can play against the NASTY RHP’s; but otherwise, just give the job to Harris and go fix the @#$%@#$% bullpen!
I have to laugh at Jim Crikkets comments above about the Yankees spending and how that fills up Twins coffers..wait I’m just getting up off the floor laughing..how exactly Jimbo has all that revenue, (PLUS a NEW Ballpark) improved this team? Remind me again… Ownership is richer..if you get a thrill from that, so be it.. I just hope they have great charities they give more money to..at least someone would benefit from all the extra revenue coming in. I actually went to the local mall and sat on Santa’s lap yesterday and asked for JJ, Wiggy and Pat the Bat. Santa, I’ve heard your year is really slow in work on my request. I’ve been sooooo good this year too. Isn’t there something you can do to help? Extra Milk and Cookies in it for you tonight as well. I’ll be looking for you!
Sorry..I meant “I’ve heard your year is really slow in 08 so maybe you have extra time to work on my request”
Wanting the Twins to make a move is irrational. This team will win the division as the roster stands.
The players in position now will be even better than they were in ‘08 .
Standing pat with this roster is clearly the wisest course of actiion.
If you actually watch the team, you know they are that good.
Give this management team the credit it deserves. They are the best in the game.
the twins need to add 25-40 homeruns to their arsenal this year to win this division…..cant be last in homeruns and expect to win anything…you can slice it, dice it, split it anyway you want, read all the stats, ranges, factors, etc till your head swims and it still comes down to one stinkin thing…hit the damn ball out of the ball park more than you have….SIGN WIGGINTON ….THE END OF IGNORANCE & CHEAPNESS…..Merry Xmas to all you twins bloggers….
I am glad the Twins have been reserved in free agency and are taking the Rays path to building. We have a young team and we shouldn’t derail that in order to buy a mid-tier free agent to try and win now. Our best hope is to continue to build for long-term success, and ride out our gaps in the interim. As for the pen, Bonser and Mijares and Breslow are decent options to me. Bonser and Mijares only figure to improve. Delaney and Slama are coming up throught the minors…
sane…i have nothing against either harris or buscher, but neither of them fill that need for the homeruns we are lacking…i love both of them being on our bench as they are great platoon and fill in players—what is your proposal for more power..i would love to have a hardy at ss, but not at the expense of our pitching staff and or span…i dont see any other way other than to sign a free agent with power…..
note a couple good articles on mlb.com regarding the twins…good one on the guys playing winter ball..spring traing in 53 days…. go vikes and twins…
mj1,
My proposal for more power is maturity-induced strength for Gomez, Span, Casilla and Young.
Plus more at-bats for Cuddyer, Buscher, Harris, Casilla and Span that last year went to Monroe, Everett, and Lamb.
RA dickey signs with twins and he had a 2-0, 2.00 era in 18 relief appearances.
Dickey may just be a nice little xmas present…i know they were after him last year and it looks like his relief #s were very good as opposed to starting…and the fact that he wants to be a twins counts as important to me also….a surprisingly good move that at least i am happy about….thanks twins…now go get wiggy done…
The twins just need to get it together
the yankees are number one and the twins are number 36 just like always
Have a great holiday LaVelle.
If you’re not a fan of the Yankees, chances are good that you hate them. I’m an exeption. I hate them with a passion. I give them respect- they’re very good- but I don’t want any part of the franchise to succeed. I can say nothing good about them, save for pointing out the obvious (i.e. They’re a good ballclub; he’s talented).
Other than stats, I just hope that…well, I hate them.
I don’t know why I started this…Oh wait. Yes I do. It’s because of people like yanksfan#1. Seriously, go to hell.
On an unrelated note, I like this signing. Could be this year’s Reyes. If the Twins are smart enough, and they are (in this case), they’ll keep him in the bullpen, where he should be. (I really don’t see him Ever being considered to start, but w/e).
And it’s a ST invite thing too. If he fails, so what?
Nice little signing. Doesn’t cut it though. The FO is not (or shouldn’t be) done yet.
The RA Dickey signing was a nearly perfect low-risk, (potentially) high -reward investment.
If he doesn’t make the MLB team, he pitches at AAA (at a minor league salary) until he either finds his groove and gets promoted; OR he shows no progress and is released.
Meanwhile, Jason Jones gets his shot at MLB.
If Dickey immediately (or eventually) makes the Twins roster and recreates his 2-0, 2.00 numbers, the Twins get:
1) A guy who can pitch 2-3-4 innings EVERY DAY.
2) A work-load alleviation for Guerrier, Crain, Reyes, Breslow, Mijares and Nathan.
This will enable the whole bullpen to better maintain their pitching mechanics, which destroyed Guerrier last year.
3) The young rotation will no longer be forced to pitch into the 6th-7th innings, even when their pitch count limits have been reached.
4) The performance of the whole staff may improve dramatically when their work loads are lightened.
All that (potentially) and at an amazingly low risk in money and effort.
My only complaint is that the Twins could have done this last year.
Instead, they let Dickey escape, so they could keep Brian Bass and Jair Fernandez.
What effect on the race, would Dickey’s 2-0, 2.00 numbers have had, instead of Bass’s 3-4, 4.87?
LaVelle,
I think their may ACTUALLY have been a “bullpen arm under the Twins X-mas tree this week.
Let’s hope that its not just lumps of coal in their stocking.
Shane,, you cannot pitch the same guy for 2,3,4, innings everyday,,
Happy Holidays Pohlad you cheap prick!!!
“you cannot pitch the same guy for 2,3,4, innings everyday”
That’s an admitted exxageration, but knuckleballers are more durable than normal pitchers.
For example Hoyt Wilhelm had 73 appearances for 131 innings in 1964, almost 2IP for 73 games.
Wilbur Wood’s IP in 5 consecutive years.
Year IP
1971 334
1972 376
1973 359
1974 320
1975 291
And last year the Twins’ SP’s were terrified of having to pitch 200 innings.
What a wonderful Christmas gift to the Twins fanbase…R A Dickey.
That’s sarcasm in case anyone can’t recognize it.
That’s sarcasm in case anyone can’t recognize it.
It’s pretty obvious given who the source is.
sane, how does Dickey compare to Nelson? Who seems to be the “guy that got away” now that Tampa signed him.
1987 Twins
Gary Gaetti HR - 31
Kirby Puckett HR - 28
Tom Brunansky HR - 32
Kent Hrbek HR - 34
Tim Laudner HR - 16
Greg Gagne HR - 10
Dan Gladden HR - 8
Steve Lombardozzi HR - 8
Roy Smalley HR - 8
Total: 175 HRS
2008 Twins
Justin Morneau HR - 23
Jason Kubel HR - 20
Delmon Young HR - 10
Joe Mauer HR - 9
Carlos Gomez HR - 7
Alexi Casilla HR - 7
Denard Span HR - 6
Brian Buscher HR - 4
Nick Punto HR - 2
Total: 88 HRS
T,
The primary attribute that Dickey has, which puts him ahead of Nelson and others, is that knuckleballers can pitch long and often and burn up the innings that killed the Twins bullpen last year.
USAF Chief,
“What a wonderful Christmas gift to the Twins fanbase…R A Dickey.
That’s sarcasm in case anyone can’t recognize it”
As you can tell from my X-mas day posts, I think that the RA Dickey signing was a good idea.
However, I am not going to disagree with you until I have upgraded my Home Air Defense System.
You have mentioned previously that you have friends who might be persuaded to execute an air strike.
I’m not so sure the innings ‘killed the Twins bullpen last year.’
I’d say it was more a case of ineffectiveness than overuse.
Year/Games pitched by relievers/IP/ERA
2008 / 485 / 500 / 3.91
2007 / 438 / 469.1 / 3.87
2006 / 421 / 498 / 2.91
2005 / 396 / 438.2 / 3.24
2004 / 435 / 487.2 / 3.97
Twins relievers pitched 500 innings last year. That’s the most in at least 5 years, but not much more than any year except 2005.
What really went up is the number of games by relievers, indicating a lot of pitching changes once into the bullpen…a sign of ineffectiveness more than overuse.
Guerrier, for example, pitched 11 fewer innings in 2008 than 2007, but appeared in 3 more games. Crain isn’t a good comparison, with the injury in 2007, but his usage in 2008 was right in line with 2006, except he had 14 fewer innings in 2008. Nathan had the fewest IP in 2008 since he’s been a Twin.
What killed the Twins bullpen last year was the ineffectiveness of the Brian Bass’s, the Juan Rincons, Bonser/Crain/Guerrier at times. This problem often forced Gardenhire to use multiple relievers to get through an inning or two in winnable games.
I’m not sure how signing Dickey helps with that problem, unless you think Dickey is going to be pitching late in close games.
Wouldn’t it be better to sign somebody who can get people out, rather than sign somebody who’s primary attribute is he’s liable to get shelled but can do so several times a week?
USAF Chief,
“who’s primary attribute is he’s liable to get shelled but can do so several times a week?”
That is YOUR take.
IMO, he is liable to NOT get shelled, based on his 2008 reliever stats.
And, if he APPEARS liable to get shelled, he will be released, with very little payroll spent on his salary.
No harm, no foul.
Who cares….
Well, Sane, if you and the Twins want to look at 36 innings in relief by Dickey last year, and decide that’s what he’s likely to do, good luck with that.
IMO, the 350+ innings he’s pitched in the majors are a better indicator of his ability to get hitters out.
In any case, what the Twins bullpen needs is a reliable late inning RH reliever to build a bridge to Nathan, not someone to fill the Brian Bass roll of “the guy who nobody wants to see in a game that hasn’t already been decided.”
I do agree there’s not much payroll invested, so at least that’s a good thing…provided the Twins put their payroll space to good use before April.
I just see very little chance of Dickey having any significant positive impact on the 2009 Twins.
BTW, your house is in no danger from above.
T, on the other hand, should stay close to an air raid shelter. 
Frank,
“Who cares..”
I care about many things….but I don’t care whether you care.
T, on the other hand, should stay close to an air raid shelter.
Wow. A threat. That oughta make me respect your opinion more…
Perhaps you missed the little winking smiley face thing, T.
Typical. Ignore the substance, argue the inane.
When will you be going on record as liking/disliking the Dickey signing…next October?
I’m indifferent to Dickey. If he takes over for a guy like Reyes/Crain then fine. I just don’t want him to be the 8th inning guy.
He doesn’t fill the most prominent need (8th inning guy). Do I think Mijares can handle it? For now. But as with the young starters last season (or as we saw with Neshek) I think he’s going to wear down as he gets his first taste of full season work. Not to mention there’s the fact that the league could figure him out as fast as they figured out Livan last year.
Ignore the substance, argue the inane.
Which is funny since you then whip out this gem:
When will you be going on record as liking/disliking the Dickey signing…next October?
I “went on record” about wanting Buscher over Lamb when he was signed. And yeah, I said Everett wouldn’t be a big deal…because I also figured Young wouldn’t stuggle as much as he did (thus making up for Everett in the lineup)
I’ve already “gone on record” this offseason saying that giving up Span/Slowey for Atkins is stupid, and that they’d have regretted the Blake signing if they caved for the third guarnateed year.
Also, I went on record saying I’d gladly have offered Wigginton 9 mil over 4 years or 10 mil over 3 years, so I was disappointed when the Twins decided he was only worth about “Blake money”.
Again, just because you choose to ignore those comments doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Sorry if I don’t repeat myself every 10 posts or so for you.
I forget sometimes that some of the commenters here have goldfish memories.
