Some notes….with quotes.
Posted on January 8th, 2009 – 5:47 PMBy La Velle
Reliever Chad Cordero will throw for scouts on Friday in California, and I expect a Twins scout to join the Mets, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Brewers and other teams for a look-see. Cordero saved 47, 29 and 37 games from 2005-07 with Washington before having shoulder surgery last July.
If he looks O.K. it wouldn’t hurt the Twins to offer him a chance to have his comeback season as a set-up man for Joe Nathan.
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC UPDATE NO. 1
It’s not official yet, but Nick Punto hopes to play for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
“I think it’s good for baseball.’’ Punto said this afternoon. “I think it would be a cool experience. And I would get to learn a little more about my heritage.’’
Punto said officials are making sure he is eligible to play. He doesn’t expect any hurdles because his grandparents are from Naples – and not Naples, Fla. !!!
Twins prospect Matt Macri has been approached by the Italian national team too, but declined. “It was thrown out there,’’ he said, “but I thought it would be best for me to be at camp the whole time.’’
Provisional rosters are due on Jan. 19.
WBC UPDATE NO. 2
While Nick Punto, Joe Nathan (USA) and Justin Morneau (Canada) appear headed for WBC glory, Joe Mauer apparently isn’t.
Indications are that Mauer will need right up to the Feb. 14 reporting date for pitchers and catchers to fully recover from the minor kidney surgery he had last month to remove a blockage.
CARIBBEAN DREAMING
Winter leagues are in playoff mode right now. Alexi Casilla is batting .290 with 2 homers and 7 RBI in 8 postseason games for Gigantes de Cibao. Matt Tolbert, Jose Mijares and Wilson Ramos are playing for Aragua in the Venezuelan playoffs.
AND FINALLY…..
Twins pitchers and catchers report in 37 days.
159 Responses to "Some notes….with quotes."
La Velle,
a bunch of other Twins, most notably Luke Hughes, Johan Pino & Bobby Korecky were with Aragua for the season; do you know whether they are in the play off rosters?
any idea what the outfield dimensions are in the Caribbean league? casilla seems to be showing some power
Is Mauer for sure NOT going or just hasn’t committed yet?
La Velle, do the Twins have any interest in either Crede or Wiggington or is their asking price too much?
Final questions before heading to a local establishment to watch Florida spank Oklahoma.
Thrylos - Was told those were the only ones on the playoff roster. I know that Hughes left a few days after Tolbert arrived.
Twinlves - don’t know.
Dwade - I’m hearing he won’t play.
John Meyer - No interest in Crede. They don’t want to put someone with back problems on that turf, plus he’s a Boras guy. While the Twins were interested in Wigginton a couple years ago they don’t seem to be now. They don’t like his glovework and his road splits weren’t good last year. I think they should at least see how cheap he’s become. His road splits over the last three years aren’t that bad.
Could be interesting to see what the price tags on some of these guys are in about a month.
Going to watch Florida spank Oklahoma? Is there a game tonight BESIDES Gophers @ Hawkeyes on the hardcourt? 
La Velle,
forgive me if you did this and I missed it, but have you broadcast your votes for the hall of fame yet?
The guys from the USA Today shared their votes, and one of them didn’t vote for Bert or for Rice (but voted for Dawson and for Tommy John which I don’t fully understand).
I was wondering who you were voting for, and what do you think of the guy in AZ who refuses to put Rickey Henderson on his ballot?
BC
My guess is there will always be one voter who will leave a player off his ballot just to make sure no one gets in with 100%.
How many more years will Best be on the ballot if he doesn’t get in this time?
hey la velle do you know how hard liriano is throwing now?
[…] Twins Insider – […]
jimmy bee made some good points about Delmon being able to become a good high average hitter with little HR power.
Delmon’s 2nd biggest problem is an inability to recognize pitches. In order to succeed he needs to stay back and slash at the ball at the last fraction of a second. He can do that with his incredibly quick wrists and hands, and his ability to move the bat quickly through the zone. If he could recognize pitches, the way Tony Oliva could right off the pitchers hand, Delmon could hit like Henry Aaron, or better. Delmon doesn’t have that gift, and he will never have it. It’s not something you learn, it’s something you are born with. Still he is strong enough and fast enough to be a decent line drive hitter with limited power, just like jimmy said.
Delmon’s biggest problem is an unwillingness to cooperate with the field staff and trainers (stubborness). The Twins can’t do anything to help him become a better player or a useful team player under those circumstances. He sets a bad example for the other players.
Justin Morneau is an example of a player who worked countless hours and took thousands of ground balls and errant short hop throws in practice to improve his game to a much higher level. You can’t have two standards. You can’t make a guy like Morneau bust his butt for years and then allow a guy like Young a pass. Delmon needs to either go to work, or go to another team.
Saam ~
This is Bert’s twelfth year on the ballot. There’s a 5 year waiting period and then if a player fails to be elected by the BBWAA within 20 years of his retirement from active play, he may be selected by the Veterans Committee. So, he would get 3 more tries after this year. Hopefully, the voters will do the right thing this year and vote him in. It’s looooooong overdue.
He ranks fifth in career strikeouts, ninth in shutouts, and 27th in wins (and 19th since 1900). What is wrong with these people?!?
If Bert doesn’t make it as a player (which he should), I would vote him in as a broadcaster when the time comes. He makes me chuckle but I could do without the circles these days.
I watched the Entire thing go by on the bottom line of the MLB network.
Each team: Who’s In.
EVERY TEAM, no matter how unnotable, has a new guy on the roster. EVERY team…except one. You win a cookie if you can guess which team it is.
I guess the Twins!
Cookie, please.
Hey LEN, love it when you post a bunch of questions and answers. Any chance you’ll do another one of those blogs posts where you take a bunch of questions? Here are a few of my current questions:
Any idea of a timeframe on an extension for Mauer, or if he is open to it?
Have you been involved in any discussions with FO folks or players or management about the seemingly different Twins approaches between pitching and hitting regarding walks? (For the pitchers, walks are really, really bad. For the hitters, not so much. Is the organizational philosophy REALLY “let’s get this game over with quick?). Span has quickly become a fixture as the leadoff, based largely on his defense and OBP. I’m hoping this becomes a team-wide trend that spreads to, say Casilla and Gomez.
Is the Beltre no trade clause a non-starter? Have you gotten a whiff of any of these discussions, such as what it would take (like the crazy Rockies request of Span/Slowey for Atkins)?
Thanks
Wait, one more. Do you know if the Twins were the anonymous team that offered $7million for Pedro that he rejected flat out?
I’m 99% sure the answer is no, but it would be entertaining for a number of reasons if the answer was yes.
“EVERY TEAM, no matter how unnotable, has a new guy on the roster. EVERY team…except one. You win a cookie if you can guess which team it is.”
Can’t be the Twins … they have RA Dickey on the roster.
Any chance the Twins can get Chipper Jones. It sounds like he’d be available if the Braves don’t get off to a hot start.
EVERY TEAM, no matter how unnotable, has a new guy on the roster. EVERY team…except one.
Twins should go sign some random player just to make sure they can be in that ticker. I hear that’s why Detroit got Adam Everett.
Oh I’m so jealous of Detroit.
Tender Loving Craig I just love the way that name sounds. Completely awesome moniker if I do say so myself. I do agree that DY will be a high avg hitter with little to no power. Though I do think he could achieve power numbers if worked with for a long period of time but it seems the only person he will work with is his dad. So in this instance Joe Vavra might as well save his breath because he would only be wasting his oxygen.
matt is it the Dodgers
“EVERY TEAM, no matter how unnotable, has a new guy on the roster. EVERY team…except one.”
The Padres and Blue Jays don’t have any new guys on their rosters do they?
or CO2
Minnesota native or not, why would a player with Joe Mauers star, want to stay with the Twins when it is obvious the Twins are not going to do what it takes to win it all? If I was Mauer, i would want to go to a team where there was a chance to win a World Series. Hunter and Santana left for more money, sure. But they were also miffed at trade deadline in 2007 when the Twins did not do one thing, other than unload Castillo, to make a run. Mauer seems like a decent guy, but hes also a competitor, and competitors want to win, especially when they are of winning status themselves.
Yeah Colorado only has signed Alan Embree … I’d say his signing is about equal to Dickey’s signing
“Mauer seems like a decent guy, but hes also a competitor, and competitors want to win”
I agree 100 % but I also think he wouldn’t go to the Yankees because they are the laughing stock of MLB
LaVelle,
Isn’t Carlos Gomez playing winter ball and if so, how’s he doing? Guess I thought that he was going to be working on hitting a curve which is something he greatly struggled with during the season. Maybe Gardy will want to manage for the Italian team since they have LNP playing for them in the WBC. Can’t wait for spring training. Go Twins!
I agree with Kevin….
Matt: Pretty sure Dickey signed a minor league contract, therefore he’s technically not a “new guy on the roster.”
The Yankees are the “laughing stock of MLB?”
How so?
Is Carlos Gomez the Twins curveball hitting sensation the Twins newest version of Pedro Cerrano from the hit movie Major League starring Charlie Sheen
I wouldn’t call the Yankees a “laughing stock”, but even with all the money they’ve been throwing around the past few years they haven’t won a championship in a while.
USAFChief because they can’t develop there own talent and so they have to go out and buy players from other clubs at over inflated prices. They also spent numerous dollars on contracts for players that were juicing (Giambi) then when they couldn’t produce becuse steroid testing then took place there team failed. They have a non existant and depleted farm system because they get rid of everyone in the minors for juiced up ball players during there trades. Shall I go on because I can. On a side note yet the Twins are cheap the yankees pay over inflated contracts thus screwing up baseball. On a side note Curt Flood ruined Baseball
So basically, anyone can play for any country in the WBC? Italy must have a damn terrible team if Punto can play on it. Honestly though, my heritage can be traced back to 7 different countries, so if I hadn’t been 5′9″ 160 and been more athletic, I could have had my choice of what team to play for? It’s just like A-Rod; he’s a US citizen, always has been, but he’s playing for the dominican because that’s where his parents were born? Dumb. Punto is dumb too…and crappy at baseball.
Wouldn’t it just be cheaper for the Yankees to hire the best scouts in baseball and then develop their own talent?
The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008.
Prior to that, the Yankees last missed the playoffs in 1994, when MLB cancelled the postseason.
Their homegrown players over just the last few years include Jeter, Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Cabrera, Wang, Petitte, Posada, Bernie Williams, and Mariano Rivera.
When they have obvious needs, their ownership does everything in their power to fix those holes, cost be damned.
I wish the Twins were such a “laughing stock.”
Wang was born in Tainan City, Taiwan what bureau of New York is that. Is that somewhere between Spanish Harlem and Brooklyn
USAFChief-
Pretty poor argument to throw out 9 names of “homegrown players” that represent the last 15 years. I’m not agreeing that they are the laughing stock of baseball, because they’re not. They have proven however, again and again, that you can’t just buy a championship. And all that spending that they’re doing is NOT good for baseball, not even an argument.
Only 37 days, that’ll shorten the winter
Can’t wait!
HAVE FUN!!! GO TWINS!!!
I saw Gomez’s numbers a while ago in winter ball. Not good. Something around .250.
Burough
I hate to contradict you La Velle and you would know more than me but I have the MLB TV network now and they had a guy (his name escapes me) who indicated the Twins were one of three teams interested in Crede. I believe you with your reasons why they wouldn’t be but, I keep thinking about it and don’t you think that maybe as a one-year option he could work? I mean, he could do his best to prove he’s healthy and then go get his big bucks next year. And in the meantime, we get his power and defense and give a guy like Hughes a year to mature in the minors to hopefully be ready by opening day 2010. I know Crede’s health is a really big question mark but I think as a one year experiment it would be good for both sides.
Does anyone know Chipper Jones’s salary for 2009? I’m surprised there has been no chatter about him at all. Injury prone - yes. Can he flat-out hit - yes. Would he fit in perfectly in our lineup - absolutely. I wonder what it would take to get him now that Smoltz is gone.
Joe G i agree with everything you said about Crede i like him as well and think a one year deal would be worth the risk however if Len3 says the Twins aren’t interested i trust his word over an MLB TV reporter.
By the way when did you get MLBTV i haven’t seen it offered in ND yet or maybe they wont offer it on cable.
Jake, I said ‘in just the last few years.’
And IMO they HAVE proven that all that spending will get you to the postseason 13 consecutive years. Whether or not it’s “good for baseball” is another question entirely. I happen to think it’s not, but I’m also pretty sure the Yankees don’t give a damn. I’m also pretty sure the Twins could have spent more on payroll in 2008 and (it looks like) 2009, so before there’s whining about some other team, perhaps the Twins ownership/Front Office should step up to the plate and do what THEY can to even the playing field.
Jimmy: If by ‘homegrown’ you mean from New York, then I guess only Mauer counts on the Twins as ‘homegrown,’ right?
Suitors for lefty reliever Dennys Reyes: the A’s, Mets, and Dodgers. The Tigers and Rangers are also known to be on the lookout for a southpaw in the pen.
USAFChief I have a wierd concept and just hear me out for baseball. I think in order to play for a team you must be from the state in which you play for the team. That would be cool what da ya thunk.
Jimmmy Bee, I agree the Yankees are not the model to emulate. I think the Yankees, more than anyone, are ruining baseball I am not advocating the Twins do a 200 million dollar payroll. What I would like is if the Twins had a glaring need in one or two spots, like a RH power hitting 3B man, they might selectively go out and do what it takes to get a solid performer in that role, even if it means giving up some future prospects, and even if it means spending some money on a case by case basis. I am not asking for an all star at every position.
Jimmy Bee, I think in the older days of the NBA there was a concept like that, where each NBA team had their own “territory” from which to cull players. Which is why a lot of Minnesota guys wound up on the Lakers.
Actually I think the team is the Rangers. I don’t think they’ve added anyone yet. The Twins did sign R.A. Dickey to a minor league deal, and technically bringing Nick Punto should be listed.
BC of ND,
MLBTV is channel 213 on DirectTV.
Jason Jones has been “added” to the Twins roster this off-season in the Rule V Draft.
Is the MLB channel also available on Comcast
Sane is direct TV the only way to get it? I hope not cuz my old lady wont give up her local channels.
Ok here’s my take on the Yankees. They are just like the Boston Celtics/LA Lakers if the Yankees are not relevant in MLB every year the sport becomes less interesting i know thats sad but it’s true. I could say the same about the Steelers and Cowboys.
Still wondering if there is any merit to the rumor that the Twins have aleady tentatively agreed to a deal with the Padres for Kouzmanoff - pending approval re: his recovery from surgery.
Anybody heard anything new on that front? Our front office seems a little too quiet, smug right now…
BC,
I don’t know much about cable access to mlbtv.
In SoCal, I get local channels on DirectTV.
For that reason, I have bailed out on cable completely, and now have DirectV only, which is perfect for me.
And IMO they HAVE proven that all that spending will get you to the postseason 13 consecutive years
But I thought that making the playoffs wasn’t enough. Afterall…people want Gardy’s head even though he’s been in the postseason four times and got to a 1-game playoff last year.
Unbelievable!
“Our front office seems a little too quiet, smug right now”
Smug?
Because of all they have accomplished so far, this off-season?
I have faith that they will attempt to improve the team by July 31.
If not, I don’t think the FO will be very smug, based on the AL Central Standings on July 31.
IF, there was a deal in the works for Kouz…I hope the Twins would go public with it by Twinsfest. Otherwise, the top theme of the fest (and at all the Caravan stops) will be that they did nothing all off season except sign Punto.
After multiple sources indicated the Twins were initially interested in DeRosa and Wigginton…why would they just go cold all of a sudden on adding a third baseman? …unless maybe they do have something in the works, i.e. Kouz
sane, I think Billy has a career-long reputation for being “Mr. No” and tight with money. But, last offseason he actually was quite busy (even though the trades haven’t turned out to be good yet…or maybe ever).
Therefore I am a little surprised Billy has done nothing this off season. Such a contrast…is it because all the talk about the economy finally got to the owners, or because he has something else up his sleeve he can’t talk about yet?
I’m not overly optimistic, but hope its the latter….
I don’t recall ever reading that the Twins were interested in Wigginton. There may have been some comments that suggested they might be interested if the price was lowered, but I don’t consider that the same thing as being actively interested.
saam,
Wiggy was not available until he was non-tendered.
Before that the Twins said that they “respected” him or something along those lines.
They aren’t allowed to say they are “interested” in a player who is under contract to another team, unless that team is shopping him around and obviously won’t file tampering charges.
I’m not ‘people,’ T.
I have never once called for Gardy’s head. In fact, I have posted many times in defense of Gardy. I wish the front office were half as accomplished as he.
How about this for a wild theory: Billy is working on a blockbuster multi-player deal, dangling Liriano and Young…
No, this is not a rumor. But it will probably be one once I click the Submit button…
All I know is that I am highly disappointed in the Twins offseason so far. There are FAs out there that don’t cost draft picks and trades that could make sense. To have the only moves be the resigning of LNP, a minor league deal for Dickey and a rule 5 pick up in Jones is pathetic.
An as for the Kouz rumor I hope not. The platoon of Buscher/Harris/LNP would seem to be just as good. Now if we are talking Aitkins, Beltre, or Wiggington, then it would be something.
Lastly the best thing about the offseason is watching how dumb these players have been in not realizing the economics changed. Manny, Abreu, Dunn, Hudson and Burrell to name a few have just been clueless. But the worse of them all is Lowe.
BFE2008, it’s the blood-sucking agents who are willing to hang an ignorant player out to dry with their own greed. Hell, if they miss one, they have the next player under contract to spread the risk. But all of this is hardly a cause for fan empathy towards the player when most Americans are unable to afford a family night at the ballpark.
Yankees stink and Curt Flood also they have and are ruining baseball
I’m not ‘people,’ T.
I know you’re not “people”, which is why I said “people” and not “you”.
Bird - I have NO empathy to the players. You reap what you sow. An hopefully some of them will wake up and fire their agents for such bad advice.
I’m a 100% commission guy and haven’t seen a check in 3 months. Damn right I’m going to be hesitant about my spending. I’ll still go to a few games, but HDTV is looking pretty good right now. Would like to see a boycott of Boras somehow…I think he has caused a lot of damage in his career. Thanks to much of his help, salaries have continued to go up until now, but the economy is going down. The money he has made will only be worth more now in this economy…
I, too, think it’s interesting what you need to do to qualify for playing for another country in the WBC. If LNP’s grandparents are from Italy then I bet his dad (Ronaldo Gardenelli) would be able to accompany him to Italy to keep an eye on the little guy and make sure he plays his tail off. Sarcasm intended.
Don’t worry guys the economy will have no effect on the increase in players salaries until fans stop going to the games because they cant afford it. The Bud and his buddies will just ask congress to “bail them out” congress will say you were naughty and shouldn’t have paid those guys so much but here’s 200 billion to save our national past time. UGH.
On the Italian WBC team, does the manager kiss the pitcher before he offs (replaces) him?
sane what about the French team
LaVelle,
Do you know where Chad Cordero’s tryout will be held today?
If it is at Cal State Fullerton, I might take a ride over there.
sane my sister got her Masters at Fullerton
Follow up to the post about the Twins never having interest in Wigginton:
The Twins were rumored by Joe C to be interested in Wiggy as far back as summer 2007:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/11698951.html
This winter, there was tons of speculation about Wigginton. Google it.
jb,
Cordero was a star reliever at CSF.
When attendance lags this season, there will be some slightly chastened owners, TV broadcasters, agents, and players. Big deal. It won’t be until TV contracts are up for renewal that we see a widespread disintegration of the whole economic structure of major league sports. Won’t that be nice to not have sick knuckleheads threatening to retire if they don’t get their $25M annual contract, which they flaunt by dogging it in front of fans munching on a $12 hot dog. Good riddens, Manny.
Just read that if the Yankees sign Cruz, the D-Backs will be getting screwed by only getting a 4th-round draft pick since the Yankees forfeited their first 3 with their other free agent signings.
Unreal. So, in short, look for the D-Backs to only get a 4th-round pick.
because I don’t see why the Yankees wouldn’t sign him.
Chief,
The only mention of Wiggy in the linked article was:
“There are indications that one player the Twins could target is Tampa Bay infielder Ty Wigginton”
“indications”?
“could target”?
That’s not exactly substantiation.
I would call it a rumor of the existence of a rumor.
I agree USAF, I have hire admiration and respect for Gardy, even though I dont agree with him all the time. Of course thats why hes manager and I am not. But if the FO was half as competent as Gardy, I would be happy. I wish the FO would reward Gardy and the players for in effect over achieving as they have, by filling a couple of crucial holes.
Chief,
That reminds me of that parody of a battlefield communique that you posted last year.
THAT was funny!
Chief
I didn’t say they were “never” interested in Wigginton. LEN already posted above that they were interested a couple of years ago. My point, which is supported by LEN’s post, is that they aren’t interested now and haven’t given any indication that they were this offseason.
My original post was in response to someone else who posted that the Twins were interested in Wigginton and DeRosa and had somehow changed their minds. You can make a case that they changed their tune on DeRosa, but their is no indication they were serious about Wigginton during this offseason.
Joe C is a STrib Twins writer. When he says ‘there are indications’ the Twins could target Wigginton, I don’t wish to speack for Joe C, but I think it’s safe to assume he ss basing that on something and those ‘indications’ come from a somewhat informed source.
What do you expect in the way of evidence, a notarized statement from Terry Ryan?
Try this, or any of a dozen articles from 2007 you can find if you care to:
http://ballhype.com/story/rays_wigginton_trade_talks_intensify_near_deadline/
I should’ve proofread that last post a little more carefully.
“I don’t wish to speak for Joe C, but I think it’s safe to assume he’s basing…”
Sorry.
Chief,
The second link is solid evidence.
“Just read that if the Yankees sign Cruz, the D-Backs will be getting screwed by only getting a 4th-round draft pick since the Yankees forfeited their first 3 with their other free agent signings.”
Even worse, IMO, is the ’supplemental pick’ system.
Even if the Twins sign NO free agents, every time some team is awarded a supplemental pick, the Twins drop one spot in the second and subsequent rounds of the draft. The Twins, and every other team, did nothing, yet they get penalized by moving down in the draft because MLB sticks these ’supplemental picks’ into the draft at the end of the first round.
Actually it is neither bureau nor burough. It is spelled borough.
Chief,
“There are indications that one player the Twins could target is Tampa Bay infielder Ty Wigginton”
I’m just sayin’ that JoeC would have worded it:
“a Twins source has indicated to me that the Twins ARE planning to target…”
if that was the case.
The original semantics make the whole Wiggy idea appear to be someone’s speculation.
Chief
Please reread my post. I agreed that they were interested in 2007. I only said they aren’t interested now.
LEN is also a Strib writer. If he says they aren’t interested in Wigginton now, I think it’s safe to assume he is basing that on something.
SpineyNorman,
“Actually it is neither bureau nor burough. It is spelled borough”
If we are talking NYC, I’d say burrow.
Chief
I think your were composing your 11:23 post at the same time I was composing my 11:22 post. I think we are in agreement. Lets move on, shall we?
sane I think you are correct about the spelling
Here is a pic of a young Greg Maddux. Notice how trashy the moustach is. Adam Morrison has nothing on him in this pic
Instead of a supplemental pick the other team should be able to pick who they want out of the other teams farm system. That would slow down some of the signings.
BC that is a great idea. Maybe that would slow down the Yankees. Oh wait they don’t have a good farm system because they get rid of everyone.
Not really jimmy if all they do is sign free agents they dont lose any of there developed players just picks.
Just to clarify the Wigginton thing.
When he was released after the winter meetings, I expected the Twins to get involved but they didn’t. All of a sudden I heard concerns about his defense and his offense outside of Minute Maid Park.
A team can always change its mind, but there wasn’t a pro-Wigginton vibe like there was in the past
The Twins are apparently not interested in anyone not named Batista, Ponson, Monroe, White, Everett, Lamb, Hernandez, etc. There is apparently no one out there old enough or bad enough to waste $3 million to $5 million on this winter, so no, the Twins have no interest in any free agents.
Well, there was Punto . . .
Nick Punto will carry Italy to the WBC title or he will be swimming with the fishes.
LaVelle, hard to believe that the Twins all of a sudden decided Wiggy couldn’t field well enough. That didn’t seem to be an issue to them a few years ago when he was in the AL and we saw him on a more regular basis - and apparently were interested. To me, it seems more like a financial decision to not pursue him…or, they may have another deal they are closing in on. ??
E7,
Wigginton’s defense may have gone down hill as he aged.
Everyone’s defense starts going to hell at sometime in their career.
I still remember the elder Willie Mays staggering around centerfield as if had never been there.
Have you seen old-timers games?
A lot of those guys look OK hitting and pitching.
But defensa and baserunning?
Unwatchable!
I know Wiggy is not THAT old, but everyone’s skills diminish at different times of their careers.
Okay, I’m done with my little rant. If there is, as rumored, hope of a Kouzmanoff deal, that wouldn’t hurt my feelings. Kouz is not a good offensive player at first blush, but then look at what he does away from San Diego. Not bad. And he’s young.
Lavelle,
Nice coverage on mr. Pohlads service.
Get some insite on Joe Crede. Jon heyman is reporting him linked to the Twins, Giants and Rangers.
These other post about Wigginton, references to past stories, Just get old!
Win Twins!
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but according to SI’s Jon Heyman: “• The Giants are looking at free-agent third baseman Joe Crede, as are the Twins and Rangers.”
Sid,agreed. I know my defensive abilities in left field deteriorated after my illustrious junior college career (hence the E7 moniker) 
Still, I don’t know if Wiggy has declined defensively that much from age 29 to 31. Third basemen have to have some soft hands, but don’t need as much range. Plus, I had heard the Twins always liked Wig’s bull-dog mentality to get after it, perhaps suggesting he wasn’t afraid to anchor the hot corner.
I really didn’t watch him much in Houston, perhaps as another blogger noted recently, he’s gained weight and slowed more.
MLB is 280 on comcast
Joe C has some defensive stats listed on his blog and, if anything, Wigginton’s defense has actually improved as he’s gotten older. (Obviously, that trend can’t continue for too much longer.)
When the Twins were looking into a trade for Wigginton, they were in the middle of a pennant race and had a 3b (Punto) who could barely hit his weight. They also had L-Rod who was pretty much worthless. Adding Wigginton would have allowed them to drop L-Rod and move Punto into the utility role thus improving the team by improving the offensive production at 3b and upgrading the utility player. Wigginton’s defensive shortcomings would have been made up for by the offensive improvement over Punto-2007.
It seems the 2009 Twins have decided that Wigginton isn’t enough of an upgrade over Buscher/Harris to justify the price. Lets also keep in mind that, while they may have liked Wigginton in 2007, they weren’t willing to pay the price to get him then either.
Regarding any “new” players on the major league roster, the Twins do have one (not Dickie as he is, as mentioned above, on a minor league contract). The new player is Jason Jones.
I think Punto could benefit from being in camp the whole spring too… Who the hell does he think he is anyways? It’s pathetic that the Twins paid him $3 mil to begin with, and now he is so confident that he is a starter he’s going to gallop off and play for the Italians in the WBBC. He needs to be in camp learning how to hit the f’n ball for crying out loud, or better yet, learning how to execute a simple sacrifice bunt when called for. Pathetic!! I still can’t believe he is the signature move of this off-season. Makes me with the Vikes got a new stadium rather than the Twins.
Yep… looks like the AL East is really gearing up this year, just collecting baseball players from everywhere for a big showdown. Twins got Punto locked up though.
DADDYCAT,
See 9:51 AM post from sane.
sid I still remember the elder Willie Mays staggering around centerfield as if had never been there.
Have you seen old-timers games?
Absolutely. My family is good friends with Dick Allen and we went to the Big A in Anaheim to see them play. Awesome! I received a souvenier ring from Dick that day that the Angels gave to him for paricipating in the game. It sits on my mantle as a momento
Rant of the day:
Boneyard says:
January 9th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
The Twins are apparently not interested in anyone not named Batista, Ponson, Monroe, White, Everett, Lamb, Hernandez, etc. There is apparently no one out there old enough or bad enough to waste $3 million to $5 million on this winter, so no, the Twins have no interest in any free agents.
You deserve a prize for your genius like display
I don’t know if I would put too much stock in that Heyman piece. Apparently, folks complain he is a Boras mouthpiece and would just float that out there to increase interest.
I, myself, think that taking a look at Crede and getting him for a 1-year deal would make sense, although I understand the concerns about the back/turf combo.
He’s pretty damn good when healthy, that’s all I know.
You can go to the MLB TV website and google your zip code and it gives the channels for the varous tv outlets in your area
MLB Trade Rumors
By Tim Dierkes [January 9 at 12:18pm CST]
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
The Giants, Twins, and Rangers are in on Joe Crede.
MLB Trade Rumors
By Tim Dierkes [January 9 at 12:18pm CST]
Rumor has it that Billionaire Carl Pohlad past owner of the Twins was burried with his money.
Was sid comparing Wiggy with Willie?
ANY NEWS ON CREDE?
Ryan
Here’s a quote from an earlier post by LEN: “No interest in Crede. They don’t want to put someone with back problems on that turf, plus he’s a Boras guy.”
Does anyone here ever wonder how big of a pile certain dollar amounts would stack up to in feet. Mr Pohlad was worth well over 3 billion dollars.
Maybe Smith is getting desperate…. I will say that if thats the case, the guy clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing b/c he could have had a better player in DeRosa for a lot less and Blake was out there too, and he’s at least as good as Crede, for the health reasons alone.
Nick Punto missed his first practice with the Italian WBC team.
For punishment, the manager, Don Corleone, made him slide head-first into the East River.
They are still looking for the body.
Puntos new contract
Nine Million dollars … The pile is 5 feet tall, 10 feet long, and 6¼ feet wide. A single stack of dollar bills in this amount would be 3,000 feet high.
This horde is comparable in size to a single compact car. You could buy 489 of them for the amount, though, with enough cash left over to fill up the gas tanks of 162 of them.
But this amount of money is more than four times what you can expect to earn in your entire life, if you are an American with a college degree.
jimmybee i’m tight assed enough that if i got 1 million dollars for one years work i could retire and never work again.
Great web site listed below for all of you Puntastic Puntomaniacs
“No interest in Crede. They don’t want to put someone with back problems on that turf, plus he’s a Boras guy.”
I’m going to wager that’s a two way street. Every report I’ve read is that Crede (and Boras) want a one-year deal to prove that he can stay healthy.
I doubt Crede (or Boras) would accept a deal to play that one year in the Dome.
Interesting note regarding Burrell (from mlbtraderumors)
Before signing with the Rays for two years and $16MM, Pat Burrell was getting offers in the one-year, $5MM range.
So it looks like even thought they didn’t “overpay” for Burrell, the Rays came in quite a bit over what other teams thought he was worth.
LNP is Italian? Who knew? I knew -icelli, -ico, -ino, -ina, -ini were all endings of Italian surnames. But I must confess that I had no clue that -errible was one as well.
You learn something new every day.
saam: just a follow up…i misinterpreted your original Wiggy post. My bad.
Despite signing John Smoltz, the Red Sox still are not willing to trade Clay Buchholz.
Maybe take a shot on him
T,
Way up there you made a comment regarding making the playoffs. On the surface, it seems the Twins are content to “only” make the playoffs. I am sure the goal of every team each year is to win the World Series, however the Twins don’t seem to do the things necessary to take that step and “go for it.”
The Yankees on the other hand seem to have the mentality of “World Series or bust.” Sure, spending money doesn’t guarantee anything, but their actions of spending money demonstrate they are always trying to win it all.
Plus the Yankees 2000 World Series win still is more recent than the Twins last title (and it was the 3rd in a row no less). I just want the Twins to get serious and compliment a good core of players with the few pieces it needs to go from AL Central Division Champion contender to World Series contender.
Reggie Jackson may have a candy bar named after him but LNP has a car that really gets after it.
sid,
That’s very funny about little Nicky sliding head first into the East River - unfortunately I think they’ll find his dead body and bat in a Twins uniform in February at Ft. Myers. One can dream …
Shaun: I think sometimes the Twins overvalue their own talent. Thinking (be it incorrectly or not) that the crop that got them to a certain point in the season may be more harmed than helped by a change up.
It’s that loyalty to their players that perhaps make the Twins a “good team to play for” but ultimately may make it tough to reach over that hump.
I think they’ll find his dead body and bat in a Twins uniform in February at Ft. Myers. One can dream …
I thought we got over that whole “Wishing people dead” thing on Monday.
I just think it an odd coincidence that the Twins are interested in players, until they actually become available. Only then do those players have “warts”. I’m sure they aren’t appraising LEN of their opinion of players throughout the months, but it seems odd that there was a vibe at one point, but once he became available, all of a sudden there was a vibe that wasn’t pro - if they weren’t cluing him in before, why after?
just reporting that I just saw T’s personal information. Any update on this security issue Strib?
Minnesota Cat,
“I think they’ll find his dead body and bat in a Twins uniform in February at Ft. Myers.”
I am sure if they find the body, Gardy will have it propped upright and starting at shortstop all season.
The cadaver will bat 20 points higher than the live version did in 2007.
No one will know the difference except NOW he will slide head-first all the way from homeplate to first base.
Here are some things that the Twins say when not wanting a player
He is to fat
He is to old
He is to light complected
he is to dark complected
he can’t hit
He can’t field
He costs to much
He will cost to much in a trade
Injury prone
Back problems
Throwing problems
To young
Why would the Rangers be interested in Crede? They already have Blalock and Davis at 3B.
Blalock is primarily a DH now.
Shouldn’t that kid that pitched for the Cubs be getting close to being ready for the majors now? What was his name…Henry Rowengartner! He threw GAS and he was only 12 years old, plus, he learned under the tuttledge of Ched “The Rocket” Steadman. I think we should bring him in for a look.
just reporting that I just saw T’s personal information.
Thankfully I stopped using my real email once I started having similiar issues.
Nothing personal T but i dont think i want to see your personal information. Who would use anything besides a web e-mail account anyways?
You can’t blame Curt Flood for the state of baseball. It was the owners who went on a feeding frenzy with Andy Messerschmidt and Catfish Hunter and the early free agents, and have never let up.
I doubt if Ty Wiggleham can hit a HR to LF in the dome.
T,
“So it looks like even thought they didn’t “overpay” for Burrell, the Rays came in quite a bit over what other teams thought he was worth.”
Maybe Bill Smith isn’t “invisible”. Maybe he is the new GM of the Rays.
Was BS involved in drafting T-Jack?
Is their anything in T’s personal information about his pride at being the self appointed blog cop?
How about T’s pride at being the champion brown noser? Did they have to pull him by the ankles to detach him when the old banker croaked?
TLC,
I have always been under the impression that T is female. Am I wrong?
Walter Johnson,
Wow! I never thought of that. That would explain a lot.
Hermaphrodite is my guess.
Nothing personal T but i dont think i want to see your personal information. Who would use anything besides a web e-mail account anyways?
Aside from a junk email address (Since I’d prefer that my personal email doesn’t get accidentally dropped in somebody’s lap due to the rampant glitching)…there’s nothing else in my “T” profile that would actually be personal.
What is going on here!?!?!
La Velle, is this about the information? For weeks we’ve been seeing other people’s email address and name filled in. It’s been posted about several times.
