Evening update
Posted on January 19th, 2009 – 8:11 PMBy La Velle
Heard from a source today that the Twins aren’t that far apart with righthander Eric Gagne but a second source cautioned that the club is looking at a handful of relievers and nothing was close. But it sounds like the Twins would like to get something done this week. It’s getting close to move-to-Florida time, so there should be a bunch of signings over the next couple of weeks.
Just heard about Joe Mauer’s comments to KMSP (good thing I had an early dinner tonight). Checked with assistant GM Rob Antony (who was still in his office). “Will he be ready to go all out the first day of camp. I wouldn’t say that,” Antony said. “But it won’t be an issue.”
If it was a knee, shoulder, foot or wrist surgery, I would be more concerned. It was a minor kidney surgery. Unfortunately for Mauer, whatever bugged him threw him off his offseason workout plans. I’m guessing he’ll be in the gym a lot during the first few days of camp,
And wouldn’t it look strange if he was bouncing around camp as if nothing was wrong right after pulling out of the World Baseball Classic? I kind of expected him to ease into camp this year.
103 Responses to "Evening update"
Bring on Gagne and they go get Crede as invitational player.
Twins will have improved both reliever and adding power and yet not trading anything….
Win Twins!
Don’t sign gagne
Greg,
“Bring on Gagne and they go get Crede as invitational player”
Crede will be offered more than a minor league contract and a ST invitation, by some team.
It will take at least an MLB contract offer of some kind to get him, and Boras will make certain he waits until he gets it.
I like Gagne. Three years ago, he was almost unhitable. La Velle, what are the odds we will sign Crede?
OK Sid, your on!
This years Rincon fittingly will be another guy who hasn’t excelled after getting off the juice. Why do we have to suffer through another washed up veteran that has “high reward & low cost” because the likely hood of this turning out good are slim.
hey la velle-
just wondering if you or anyone saw mauer on channel 9 last night. what is with that twins logo?! Something I haven’t seen before, is it part of a new uni?
No to Gagne
Eric Gagne had a 3.52 ERA as a setup man last year?
Does that make him better than Eddie Guardado who had a 3.65 ERA for the Rangers? (before he cost us a Hamburger)
Why no to Gagne? He would be perfect to get one or two guys out a game. Would you rather have Crain or Gagne? We would not be counting on very much from him.
everyone is saying gagne is crap. but in the 2nd half of last season, after recovering from shoulder issues and after being converted to a setup role (which he would be used) he had great numbers (don’t look at only era). projections have him around 60 IP with 65+ K and 15 BB. i have a hard time beleving he won’t be better than crain or guerrier were in the role last year
Guerrier and Crain should be better than Guerrier and Crain were last year.
I would be OK with Gagne - but I would prefer Lyon.
He used steroids and is prone to injury.
But, if Gagne is cheap enough, and out-pitches the returnees in ST, the low risk will make the deal worthwhile.
Why are we always waiting on Crain? I’m sick of him having 2 good outings and then 12 horrible outings. I say we go with Gagne and Guerrier.
Hey ditt -
I saw Mauer as well. I believe the logo was for his quickswing stuff. He was hawking it at a clinic he did that day. The Mauer’s never miss a trick for marketing their stuff
Can we offer Manny a minor league deal along with Crede’s spring training tryout?
I’d rather have them take a chance on Gagne than to just hope for the best. If it doesn’t turn out it’s only money and the Pohlads have plenty of that.
Then sign Crede or Wiggy and have at it.
Mauers cap was his number 7 connected to a M.
nincompoop,
Absolutely!
They aren’t spending my money, so Free Agents are totally free to me!
If we sign Gagne, it will be the biggest free agent signing since Chili Davis.
Why not BOTH Gagne and Lyon. Can’t have enough bullpen arms.
Go crazy Biily Smith, go crazy! Sign two free agents - you will feel like a yankee!
Another good ole Twins washup signing is what this will turn out to be. Gagne is garbage. He was a steriod era pitcher and now is nothing but a mopup man with a big name.
We have young guys, Delaney or Slama to setup for nothing $-wise.
Twins have so far completely drop the ball this offseason. LaVelle, we need you to do a piece blasting BS and the rest of the gang over there at 34 Kirby Puckett place.
At the very least this offseason needed to see us bring in a dominant (should have signed the best reliever out there, the money is there and it is our most GLARING hole) and an upgrade at 3B. So far, they have done neither.
If these things don’t happen before ST, I hope the Twins eat cellar dust this summer. Their luck will run out sometime. It is not every year you will have a bunch of unproven rookies pitch like vets and your #1 and 2 hitters come up from the minors when they weren’t even on your radar before the season started.
Go ahead BS, go ahead the rest of you cheapskates, waste M&M just like you did Johan and Torii. Strike while the iron is hot for once!
the problem is we can’t evaluate these people without seeing them throw, and you can’t watch pitchers throw this time of year. Maybe Gagne’s washed up, but then again maybe he’s over his issues, fully rehabbed, worked out just right, and if Nathan got hurt would step up from 8th to 9th inning and save the team. Ya nevah know
[…] Twins Insider – […]
Oh I got it! Lets hope a bunch of career AAAA guys can patch together to platoon at 3B,SS, and SS. Then lets leave to BP to unproven guys and washups.
Then lets dump salary at the trade deadline and tell everyone, we had deals on the table, but couldn’t make them work!
Classic Twins BS!!!
Slama’s never even thrown an inning of AA ball. Delaney hasn’t even cracked AAA and is only 23 still.
They’ll both be bigger factors in 2010 probably, but there’s no sense rushing them to the Majors when there’s other options out there.
I wish the Twins would’ve pounced on Affeldt, but he signed so early that they probably never even had a chance.
For a low base salary, Gagne is worth a shot. I’d prefer one year of Gagne at $3MM to dishing out $9MM to Lyon for 2 years.
Unlike Livan, Ponson, Ramon Ortiz, etc., Gagne has enjoyed success recently and has only had one terrible (calendar) year on his resume.
He won’t be his 2005 self, but it’s perfectly plausible to think he can outperform Crain, Guerrier, and Boof.
Something will happen for Twinsfest weekend. Maybe signing Mauer to a long term extension? Something will happen to goose the ticket sales. Maybe a signing of a free agent. If I could predict it, I would win the powerball. 
“Gagne with a spoon!”
No way ~
“Something will happen for Twinsfest weekend. Maybe signing Mauer to a long term extension?”
It would be cheaper for the Twins to hire a stripper.
So I’m betting on that.
i don’t think that it is far to judge Gagne to what he was when he was unhittable as a closer in LA, but with a vacant position in the bullpen for a year until Neshek is back i like it. The twins would have Mijares in the 7th, Gagne in the 8th, and Nathan in the 9th. He would be better than Crain and Guerrier were by far. And the offense is a different issue. They do need another bat but that will not happen unless they make a deal for a third baseman
Eric Gagne eats poop.
Awesome!!!
33 year old relievers often have a lot of innings left.
It might be worth it if Boras wants to find a team to give Gagne a one year opportunity to earn a multi year deal next year.
Hopefully, he’ll be the 7th inning guy. I’d be OK with Gagne, Mijares, Nathan.
I think he’ll have a chance to succeed. I’d rather have Lyon, but I’ll take my chances with Gagne.
Gagne allowed 0 runs in 24 of his last 30 games last season.
Compare that to our other options not named Mijares.
RyanW,
That’s a good point. That’s better than I expected. He was fighting some arm problems, too.
There is a decent chance that Gagne will be a better reliever than Lyon next season, for a fraction of the price…
Okay, so what would you rather have? Crain blow a game? Or Gagne blow a game and us getting to listen to Welcome to the Jungle?
Gotta choose Gagne.
Joe with the point of the night!
Gagne it is.
Please, please, no Welcome to the Jungle. Hey, how about “There She Is, Miss America” when the White Sox relievers enter the game?
so, has anyone given any thought that we need to find a roster spot for Humber? Get rid of Boof! Send him to Seattle for the $1 we gave them for Mulholland. Does anybody know if the Twins have an extra roster spot if Neshek is out?
What music do we get if Gagne gives up a game-losing HR?
I must say that I’m not exactly thrilled with either Lyon or Gagne. Lyon is a fly ball pitcher. Gagne may have had a great 2nd half last year in the bullpen, but he still sounds like a huge risk. The team is just trading one question mark for another. From not “who will be the 8th inning guy?” To “can the 8th inning guy keep it together for a full season?”
I just wish they would splurge and get a top notch guy. Juan Cruz is still out there. He’s the number one FA reliever and not one team is pursuing him because of his type A status. He’s going to go way below market value - possibly even lower than what they’ll wind up signing.
The heck with the draft pick, it’s only something like the 23rd pick anyway. Plus, the team will be getting a sandwich pick for Reyes. They would also probably get the pick back once Cruz’s contract is over.
I guess if the options are Lyon or Gagne or nothing, Lyon or Gagne is a little better - but not by much.
I hope they have something really big they’re planning to announce at Twinsfest, because this off season has been pretty depressing.
gagne is your typical boras bounceback client. he’ll sign for cheap hoping for a great season so he can get a huge contract next offseason (think kyle lohse).
codyw,
Neshek will not take up a roster spot this year (60-day-DL).
IMO, neither will Humber…..for other reasons.
I am ok with this move as long as Mijares is given a chance to earn the 8th inning role. I just worry that Gagne will get handed the job regardless of performance. I would have the same worry with Cordero or Lyon as well.
Sid:
“Glory Days”, Bruce and the E Streeter’s…..
I hope it will be an open competition between whomever is signed (Gagne, Lyon or Cordero) and Mijares for the 8th inning job.
I am not sure Humber has a MLB future… I really wish we would have insisted on Mike Pelfrey… instead of any or all of the pitchers the Mets sent…
mijares will have his chance i’m sure, but keep in mind he’s only thrown 10 majore league innings and struggled with control in the minors. i know he looked good late last year, but i think other hitters not seeing him before and adrenaline played a huge part. i think he’ll be a great bullpen pitcher, but i wouldn’t crown him a setup guy yet.
Go get him. If he can put it together, which I think he can, the bullpen is in good shape. He still has good stuff and can miss some bats. Hopefully it will be starters go 6/7 than Gagne/Mijares to Nathan and game over. Rather than last year when the starter goes 6 and than 2 innings of nail biting usually followed by a loss or stroke.
“struggled with control in the minors”
Last season, Mijares had 46 K, 11 BB in 47 IP.
His control problems may be in the past.
Skip you make allot of sense since those past few postings.
Win twins!
I like in Milwaukee. I would take Rincon over Gagne.
Come on now. You cannot possibly mean that.
Milwaukee fans’ negative opinions of Gagne probably stem from his 7 blown saves (in 17 save opportunities) as a closer.
Blowing 41% of your save opportunities would tend to frustrate your fans.
Sane,
That would do it.
For Gagne’s dingers music, it’s gotta be Big Balls by AC/DC.
most of the posters are mad if the Twin do something or not . I am a firm believer that they will do better with these free agent signings than in the past.
Twins won’t give up draft choices nor be ransacked fotr their best trading blocks.
Sign Gagne and Crede and the team has improved.
Would Beltre be better yes, but at what cost~!
Crede is an upgrade.
Win Twinw!
sane,
are u suggestion humber will go in a trade?? or he wont make the cut?
This is awful Gagne sucks.
Massive hole at 3rd and 2nd baseman that need filling. Casilla sucks and Buscher is no good! Gagne is done since he off steroids.
Yapper, you are an Idiot! You think the twins get LUCKY? luck isnt a great decade of baseball! if i saw you i woul dhave a hard time not punching you! haaha
T says:
“The Tigers signed Adam Everett. Do you want the Twins to do something like that just so they can get their name on the board?
Would that make you feel better?”
You obviously didn’t read my whole post. I went on to say that the Twins should NOT add someone JUST to add someone, i.e. Gagne. I like the team now. But it’s ridiculous that we have as much money to spend on FAs as we do, and yet nothing has gotten done.
We’re looking to improve the left side of the infield and bullpen. Basically what Smith said at the end of the season. What has been done to address these issues since then? Nothing.
So no. Don’t sign someone just to do it. Make it worth while, and there are plenty of quality guys left out there to sign/trade for.
I agree that the Twins need to do something while they are this close. One or two players could put them over the top. Instead of sitting on your hands hoping the team will get better, why not go out and fill the holes at 3rd and in the pen?! It’s not often you have guys like Mauer, Morneau, and the starting pitching. Who knows when this opportunity will come again? I’m starting to realize what Hunter and Santana realized; the Twins are always building for the future. Sometimes you need to go for it now!!
TK(2) points out: ” there are plenty of quality guys left out there to sign/trade for.”
Right. And 29 other teams haven’t signed them. Which, my economically-challenged brain thinks means the price is dropping. Which also means that there’s still a chance to do something.
Which, in the end, means that all the alarmism on this board is a little stretched. Baseball’s a nine-inning game, but this group is bailing in the seventh with the home team down 1-0.
If all the “quality guys” had been snatched up by other teams, then the wailing, moaning and gnashing of teeth would make sense.
The Twins are going to make the same mistake they do every year and sign some has been. The Twins are awesome, but they need to go young. The Twins should look into a kid named Cole St. Clair. I seen him pitch in the college world series the last 2 or 3 years can’t remember if he was there 3 years ago, but I think he was. He’s a kid with a lot of heart and he can pitch he could come with a small price tag. He’s in the dodgers farm system.
Next 3rd base go get Jorge Cantu. I think that enough said.
it would make as much sense to sign Eric Gagne to pitch as it would be to sign Greg Gagne to play SS.
Enough of these washed up players! Get us a real solid performer at third!
Its really unfair to guys like Mauer and Morneau to not get them a strong supporting cast while they are in their prime
If I was Mauer, I would say, forget an extension. I will stay here through my contract, see what the team does to prove it wants to win, and if it does not, then fly.
Eric Gagne to pitch.
Greg Gagne to play SS.
Vern Gagne to perform solidly at third!
i perdict the twins having a 2007 sesaon or worse this year. they have done nothing. it is really frustrating that they still have kubel and cuddy and adam dunn is still out there we could hav picked him up for a dh 40 homers plus he would kill the ball in the dome.and for gardy to say we dont need to improve is because he got his little but buddie punto back so he could give a crap if they sign anyone else.the twins will not be what they were last year.
Eric Gagne to pitch.
Greg Gagne to play SS.
Vern Gagne to perform solidly at third!
Only if we have Andruw, Jacque, Garret Jones in the OF, with Chipper Jones moved over to 1B. Todd Jones would close.
We could supplement the roster with an army of Rodriquez’s as well. Luis, Alex, Ivan…
the twins will not be what they were last year.
Given the lack of major roster moves, the Twins will actually be pretty much exactly what they were last year…
danimals,
“are u suggestion humber will go in a trade?? or he wont make the cut?’
Either, because IMO he won’t make the cut.
I am suggesting that Nathan, Mijares, Breslow, Bonser, Guerrier, Crain, Reyes, Jones, Dickey, and one new FA reliever will overcrowd the bullpen picture when the Twins leave ST camp.
Humber is out of options and will have to be traded or waived, unless he can out-pitch 3-4 from the above list.
Reyes left via FA. Jones won’t make the cut.
T:
I was always a fan of the Alou’s. Felipe, Matty, Moises, and “Hay-zeus”.
saam,
Reyes hasn’t signed anywhere else yet and could return, if he gets no offers.
Jones probably won’t make the cut, along with 3 others of the 11 on the list.
sane
Good point about Reyes not signing yet. Still, I doubt the Twins would bring him back since they have Breslow and Mijares. Really they are only looking for setup help.
Sane,
Reyes ain’t coming back. Period.
What’s the tragedy in signing Gagne? In spring camp, if he’s less effective than other candidates, isn’t that good news?
The “M” on Mauer’s hat is the logo for his family’s baseball/softball school. He was teaching kids at hitting clinic that day–which was excellent, by the way–and not just selling Quickswings.
birdofprey,
Signing Gagne is a good idea.
The two favorite pastimes of the blog are:
1) Bitching about the FO NOT spending Pohlad’s money;
and
2) Bitching about the FO spending Pohlad’s money.
birdofprey
If he’s less effective than others and he’s signed for 3-4 million, they will likely feel the need to keep him over the more effective pitchers in hopes he finds himself. While that doesn’t qualify as a “tragedy” it’s certainly less than ideal.
I’d rather have Reyes back to work the 8th innings than have Gagme!
sane
You forgot about the third pastime:
3) Bitching about this blog.
saam,
“You forgot about the third pastime:
3) Bitching about this blog.”
You are right.
That appears to be my favorite pastime. Therefore, I owe apologies to the many posters who don’t participate in the other two pastimes.
Bitching is hazardess to my health and I plan to stop - with or without a patch.
that’s the great thing about blogs and keeps us coming back every day, either we’re happy or mad, they spend to much they don’t spend enough, either punto sucks or .. bad example.
Yahoo! The Tigers just signed Rincon. That will be a big help to the Twins.
I talked to Rick Anderson yesterday at the Twins Caravan and he said that they are indeed close to signing Gagne to a one year deal. Anderson said Gagne is excited to be the set-up guy to Joe.
The Twins need to make some sort of “splash” before this weekend. Also Gladden said that Gardy would keep all 5 of’s in the mix.
Why wouldn’t the Twins sign Cruz over Gagne…???? Does Cruz refuse to play in MN??? I would think he could be signed at $$ similar to Gagne. Double $$ would still be a better deal!
I agree Crede should/could be a good addition.
Maybe Cruz doesn’t want to be a set-up guy here. Twins don’t like to part with draft picks.
I’m not excited about the potential Gagne signing. It has a chance of working out if it happens. I have to tell myself to wait for the offseason is over before I judge the move. All the pieces have to be put in the context of what the club did over the entirey of the offseason. However, the move is part of a pattern the Twins have engaged in of not going outside the organization for anybody unless he is old and washed up (and relatively cheap). Gagne might help, but if he’s the only improvement, the Twins don’t get close to the Series.
this is ridiculous. i like that people have their own opinions about Gagne, but he pitched well last year and it would be one year deal. It’s not like the twins are gonna overpay him like they did Cuddier and Punto. One year late in the ballgame to give Nathan some extra help.
Third base is another issue that probably wont be fixed either, we would be better off going and getting a guy like orlando cabrara and moving punto back to third.
I shouldnb’t have said they never bring in anybody unless he is old and washed up. They did bring in Shannon Stewart and Luis Castillo (part of fire sales of other teams) just before they were washed up and both players helped us. The club also traded for potential in Delmon Young. But those are exceptions to the club’s approach.
the way the Twins have been working as of late, they should take a look at Cal Ripken Jr.? I bet he has a little left in the tank and I would guess pretty cheep?
Worth a shot eh??
of course I am kidding… or am I????
According to Duane’s 11:16 post,Rick Anderson would love to work with Gagne.Posts after that thought that Gagne was a bad fit.Logical conclusion,the posters knows more about pitching than Rick Anderson.IMHO,that the problem with these blogs!
We don’t need any more stinkin pitching! Sign a power hitter. Get a clue!
I agree purplevader! SAMMY SOSA!!!! Why not?? Odd are that he will do better than the “Rubin Sierra” Experiment?
thoughts?
i think the twins should check out russ springer as a relief option,very good for the cardinals the past two years,only wants a one year deal,very good pitcher and person.
trade for jake peavy ha ha
Take a chance on Gagne and Crede and see what they can do. Can’t be any worse then the other free agents they have brought in over the years only for those others to fail. Both Gagne & Crede could be low-risk options.
