Crede press conference at 8:30 a.m. Sunday
Posted on February 21st, 2009 – 4:09 PMBy La Velle
Joe Crede’s flight had to make an emergency landing in St. Louis but he’s in the air to Fort Myers as of this moment. We’re hoping the press conference starts by 7 p.m. EST, after Crede and his familiy lands, picks up their luggage and gets a rental car.
Update: The Twins have decided to hold the press conference at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. It makes it easier for Crede and his family to settle in tonight. It also helps me make the early deadline.
It’s been a long day.
Anyway, I thought I’d post some Crede-related comments to whet your appetite while we wait for him to land in Fort Myers.
Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer:
“Crede has killed us over the past couple years. I think with the opportunity he’s going to have over here he’s going to have a hance to help us. He might be the guy to do it.
“If anything, he won’t be killing us.”
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire:
“We’ve been looking for a corner guy. You always look to upgrade, see if you can get an impact player. At a corner position that we went into spring thinking about. I mean, we went into the spring looking for one and this is the guy. This is the guy that we talked about way, way back. This guy, if he’s healthy, can do a lot of damage. We’ve seen him. He’s done it to us. He can pick it at third base. He’s a Gold Glove third baseman type player. He can put the ball in the seats as he’s done plenty of times against us. Those guys kind of make good impressions on you when they keep hitting balls in the seats against you. So when they’re out there, you think about it. We’ve been thinking about this guy for awhile, never knowing whether it was going to work out or not. But it finally has.”
And….White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen:
“He will make their pitching staff better because their defense will be a lot better. He will create double plays. He knows how to play the game. There is one player who didn’t grow up with the Minnesota Twins organization, and he played like a Minnesota Twin. He’s that type of player. They will help him, yes. They got better? If Crede is on the field they’re going to be better. I don’t think they’ll win the division because of one player. They always had a good club and always will be in the pennant race and you have to handle it the way we always handle it and see what happens.”
169 Responses to "Crede press conference at 8:30 a.m. Sunday"
Ozzie can’t hide his love for the Twins.
Tanks for the quotes Lavelle.
Ozzie is such a tough guy to figure out…He continually praises the Twins to the media, but then acts like a dork during games and at his pressers. The Sox are gonna have a tough year this season, and the Twins are gonna be a big reason for that.
I mean thanks, lol.
will he be a piranha or shark?
Thanks, La Velle. How about some juicy quotes from Buscher or Blackburn? 
If (when?), Ozzie is given his pink slip, he’ll probably try to hook on with the Twins. 
You gotta respect Ozzie. He likes the Twins for the same reason that we like the Twins. They play hard and play as a team. Morneau may be an MVP top 10 type player but he doesn’t act like A-Rod or Manny. I wouldn’t be a Twins fan if they played the game like the White Sox or the Yankees.
You gotta respect Ozzie
Ozzie is a clown. Remember the crap he plays during any game against the Twins including the pulling his team off the field in the dome last season; blow-up “dolls” in the clubhouse, etc.
C L O W N
I credit Ozzie for turning the Sox-Twins rivalry from a blood feud into a tough but respectful feud.
He managed to get the Sox into position to win the division last year, and I expect no less this year.
As long as the Twins and Sox continue to battle for the division, in spite of what the so-called “experts” say, I’m happy.
I am so excited for this season that I can barely wait. If they can pick up Cruz the Twins will have finally conducted and off-season exactly the way I wanted. There were two glaring holes on this club (3B and power reliever) and if they can pick up Cruz they will have signed the two best available at each position. When the hell was the last time the Twins did something like that. Not to mention if we can pick up Cruz for around $3-4 mil a year than we will still be barely over $70 million. Everyone hates losing players like Hunter and Santana, but it was necessary and we did it at the right time. Letting Hunter go has given us the financial leverage to give Morneau an extension. Trading Santana gave us an extremely talented replacement CF in Gomez for the next 6 years and gave us the payroll flexibility to sign Mauer to a long term deal. Keeping Hunter or Santana would not have been worth losing either Mauer or Morneau and we got Gomez to boot. I hate it when people knock the Twins because they have run a small market team better than any professional sports team other than the San Antonio Spurs. That isn’t really comparable either because of the salary cap in the NBA.
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Last time I checked Ozzie has a world series ring from a team that no one thought would do anything.
Last time I checked Ozzie has a world series ring from a team that no one thought would do anything
Billy Martin had a world series ring as well… that does not make him less of a clown
Hopefully, if we can land Cruz it will be for more than one year. I would expect that to happen if we are willing to trade players for him instead of a future draft pick.
Billy Martin was not a clown. He was an alcoholic. He was a good manager if he could have stayed sober.
Stop over in St. Louis? Curse those CARDINALAS!
Ozzie is a clown…
Does anyone remember the Nasty Boys in the Reds’ pen? (Myers, Dibble and Charlton).
If the Twins sign Cruz, I fully expect a Nasty Boys 2 (Nathan, Cruz, Mijares/Ayala/Crain)
Clown or not, I enjoy Ozzie. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and knows how to lighten things up. This is a game they are playing after all. Sure he may rub you the wrong way with some comments or gamesmanship, but he is just a fun guy. He also happens to show a lot of respect for the team we love.
Yep a fun guy that likes to kiss his players on the lips… He’s a clown…
Hey Thrylos
How about a 2010 bullpen of Nathan, Cruz, Mijares, Neshek, and Crain?? Might be the best bullpen on paper we ever had!
Hey Pete,
Is it still 50-50 or is she off today and not getting the updates as frequently??
Jeff - Won’t see her until tonight.
Nathan, Cruz, Mijares, Neshek, and Crain
I’d buy that for the first season in the new stadium (add Dickey to be the mop up man with his rubber arm -’cause the others cannot go more than an inning- and they’ll be set)
thrylos98, sounds good!! Might Guerrier be part of the package for Cruz? Also, might the trade expand beyond Cruz?
Bozo is the clown
Hey Pete,
if your girlfriend is real and she is a Twins’ FO employee, unless your name is not “Pete”, I’d cool it off with those posts, because I suspect there are not too many 20something women FO employees with boyfriends named Pete…
just a thought
This Twin’s team is shaping up as having some really excellent depth. Not exactly a recent strength. There will actually be some players on the bench who could be starters instead of belonging in AAA. Whooo Hoooo!
coco,
Arizona is hurting after the 3 rotation spots and in their pen. They got Webb and Haren and Davis and then is chaos. And the pen is horrid. I would doubt that they would take Guerrier’s (or Crain’s for that matter) contract, because they are hurting for $, but Humber is as good as gone.
If I were Smith, I would really try to play to the fact that Arizona is hurting for cash and send Humber, Perkins, and as many prospects as they want (not named Morales, Hicks or Revere) to get Cruz and Haren.
Game over, then.
Next to Bozo, Ozzie is my favorite Chicago-based clown.
Garland is a solid 4 starter and Scherzer is 95-98 flame thrower. AZ is not hurting in the starting rotation.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090221&content_id=3861010&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
I forgot about Garland… but AZ is hurting for $. The guy I always liked from AZ (since he was with the Marlins) is Yusmeiro Petit; huge upside, too bad he never got a chance. He is still young, maybe this will be his year
Ozzie Guillen is a great character in MLB and he’s a big part of making the White Sox a great rivalry for the Twins. I hope he sticks around ChiTown a while because he makes it a lot of fun. Cheers to Ozzie!
Janet,
do the Dbacks really believe that Flash Gordon has anything left (as indicated in the article you linked?) I see how Arizona might be attractive to him in his age, but…
thrylos98 - Please give me a little credit to protect the GF…
AZ is doing a good job of working with their finances. They definately are topping out on the payroll this year.
I totally agree Petit is rock solid. He will be long relief and fill in for injuries in the rotation. He was supposed to get a chance before the Garland signing, I do feel bad he really hasn’t been given an opportunity.
What an odd typo in that article Janet:
Cruz earned $1,9375,000 last season while going 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 57 appearances
One THOUSAND million dollars!
Gordon says he hasn’t felt this good and pain free in 3 years. He will start the season on the DL. AZ is taking a shot. We will see…
Crede signing is a great thing. I am sure Harris and Buscher have concerns, but the Twins have traditionally made a point of keeping players involved. I am sure both will get game time. Buscher may also be albe to carve out a role at DH. Man, this season is going to be fun to watch unfold. Only thing left is what do the Twins plan to offer for Cruz.
It may be that the reason this trade is taking so long to happen is that they are trying to expand the trade. The Twins have more CHEAP young talent than just about anyone AND ROOM TO TAKE ON SALARY, so it could be a larger trade. Guerrier could be part of trade if an even bigger contract came back.
Where is the Bill Smith bashing now?
I know that MLb and professional sports are ALL business but just remember that someone is hurting right now. Buscher and Harris have worked extremely hard as Justin indicated.
And most of all, someone will be removed from the 40 man tomorrow to make room for Crede. So how to you think they will feel?
Just remember, its two sides to every event. And all of these guys are good baseball players or they wouldn’t be in the position they are in…….
Topp Dogg, Neshek was put on 60 day DL to make room for Crede. No harm, no foul.
nobody is going to be cut because of crede they put Neshek on the 60-day DL
Neshek has been moved to the 60-day DL to make room for Crede on the 40 man roster.
I suspect Busher and Harris will see plenty of time if the Twins tend to rest and DH Crede during home games. That scenario has been floated by some of the ChiSox reporters. Course, it also depends on how many pitchers Gardy opts to keep.
Topp Dogg,
They may be hurting, but I would love to be hurting in those shoes. I wouldn’t mind getting paid some nice money to ride some pine for a MLB team.
i do feal bad for Buscher and Harris but i think they both will still make the 25 i think matt tolbert will be the player hurt the most by this i think Buscher will ened up being Morneau and crede backup and Harris will or should be Casilla and punto backup
I have two questions as I read about the Cruz rumors:
1)If he is added I would guess bullpen is Nathan, Cruz, Ayala, Mijares, Breslow, Crain, Guerrier. That’s assuming a 12 man pitching staff(which isn’t a lock). If so, which of those guys is a long reliever? Does Guerrier go back to that role?
2)I read one rumor saying a trade might take Humber(makes sense since he’s out of options), Duensing or Mulvey, and an outfield prospect like Winfree. But since draft picks in the lower half of the first round are a crapshoot, wouldn’t the Twins be better off just giving Arizona the pick rather than two major league ready(or close to ready) pitchers plus a promising outfielder?
It would be one thing if Cruz signed a multiyear deal, but that seems like a lot for a one year reliever.
zwiefz,
Keep in mind Humber is as good as gone if he doesn’t get traded. He doesn’t have anymore options left. So his value in a trade is next to nothing. If the Twins can nab Cruz by trading Humber (who they have to trade anyways or he is cut) that is like stealing.
I agree with trading Humber, but I don’t think his value is nothing. There are a lot of teams who could use cheap starting pitchers. I just think two young starting pitchers plus a third player is way too much for a set up guy.
Do you think they’re going to keep Guerrier if he can’t get people out in spring training? He’s a virtual lock to lose his roster spot.
i have always been a fan of cruz. i hope we can get him!
Cuddyer won’t have to worry about Crede killing the Twins because he will be going to Arizona…
It’s a good idea to keep Guerrier even though he’s past his prime and cost us a trip to the play-offs last season! Guerrier also has a much bigger upside than Humber the #1 draft pick!
Ozzie respects the Twins because they play the same way Ozzie played the game. In fact, what enrages Ozzie most is players who dog it, don’t play the game the way it is intended to be played.
Deep down, the respect is mutual. The Twins admire Ozzie for being loyal to the game.
Ozzie respects the Twins because they play the same way Ozzie played the game
yeap:
Ozzie’s career line: .264/.287/.338
Gardie’s career line: .232/.277/.296
Punto’s career line: .252/.319/.332
gamers. All 3 of them
now lets hope that harris has a great spring and beats out punto. then all is well
As long as Gardy is the manager, nobody will beat Punto out, no matter what.
i dont mind the deal because they got him for next to nothing but i really wanted to see harris at 3rd this year i really hope he can beat out punto and start at SS
Two starting pitchers, and outfielder is two much for a free agent pitcher.
These are posts from non baseball people.
Sameones who were chiropractors for Crede’sback and the money of the team.
Win Twins!
Great signing with Crede!!!
so who is the odd man out ..BUSCHER??? sure looks like it
so who is the odd man out
Mr E5
just for kicks, here is Crede’s career lines against AL Central:
Detroit: .279/.344/.555, 22 HR, 61 RBI
Kansas City: .278/.325/.527 20 HR, 70 RBI
Twins: .273/.298/.481 19 HR, 59 RBI
Cleveland: .263/.316/.370, 6 HR, 34 RBI
He owns Detroit and Kansas City, if he can spank the White Sox and get motivated against the Indians, it would be really great.
Do we have a quote from AJ Pierzynski on the Crede signing?
Can we get the new stadium open for the World Series?
Twins are on MLB Network
Saw this on the azcentral.com website.
The Diamondbacks were closing in on a likely sign-and-trade deal with the Twins involving relief pitcher Juan Cruz, who went 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA for Arizona last season in 57 appearances.
Various reports expected the transaction to be completed by Saturday, but Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes was unavailable for comment.
thanks, Shawn, I had forgotten about it…
Janet,
Nice to read your contributions. Among the most intelligent and insightful on the blog.
T98,
Ozzie is a character. Not politically correct. Handles a very diverse group of men well. Gets a lot out of them. Appreciates small ball. I like him.
no problem, i’d forgotten too but i have it on alot of the time the fiance is gone
Shawn,
did you see Nathan turn into a beet with that “Shaggy” reference?
The most comical post was the one that said “Crede must be damaged goods, or Kenny Williams would not have let him go”.
I have two words for that guy:
Magglio Ordonez
The Shaggy bit was funny and he does kind of look like the guy that played shaggy in that scooby doo movie
sane,
I think Ozzie may finally have sold Kenny Williams on getting more speed in the lineup.
Matthew Lillard. Played Shaggy in the Scooby Doo movie. Also played a catcher in “Summer Catch.
WJ,
IMO it was also about the Ordonez’s injuries.
And if the ChiSox had thought he would bounce back offensively like he did, they would have held onto him like grim death.
I hope that Crede can parallel that comeback and make it deja vu for Kenny Williams.
Walter,
You’re the guy that recalled that Huston/Bogart “don’t need no stinkin badges” movie ain’t ya. You sure got a good head for movies.
sane,
From the research I did the surgery Crede had (twice) CAN be 100% successful. i.e. Furcal. And he sure must be confident to accept such an incentive laden contract. If Crede is really healthy he’s really gonna help Blacburn. And doesn’t Ayala throw a sinker also.
Any word on Juan Cruz and if the twins make the trade who will go?
The Twins should sign Orlando Cabrera, solid 8 hitter or two hitter, good defense, anything, but LNP, Gardy needs to take the blinders off when it comes to Punto.
doesn’t Ayala throw a sinker also
Ayala throws a very heavy sinker (92-94 mph) about 70% of the time and has more than a 2 GB to FB ratio…
t98,
thanks
T98′
That’s awful fast for a heavy sinker.
You sure bout the speed?
Gotta go. “Date night”
You sure bout the speed?
yeap… his average last year was a 91.1 according to those guys (look under “fastball”; he does not throw a 4-seamer)
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1650&position=P#pitchtype
Paul,
You’re killin me…:)
Garland is a solid 4 starter and Scherzer is 95-98 flame thrower. AZ is not hurting in the starting rotation.
Garland: 95-98? Last time I checked, he touches 93. He’s never been a flame thrower. He’s a sinker/slider pitcher.
Guys who throw 95-98 log about a K an inning, and are typically Aces if they know where it’s going. Garland averages around 100 Ks per year and he averages about 200 innings per year and calling him a fourth starter is generous.
His best comp on the Twins staff is Nick Blackburn. The main difference between Garland and Blackburn is Garland walks twice as many batters as Blackburn. The only reason people believe Garland is good is because Hawk Harrelson hyped him when he was with Chicago and he had a lot of run support when he was there.
cm,
I was talking about Scherzer. Check his S/O to walks ratio last year, he just didn’t have any run support. D’Backs offense tanked.
95% percent of the Teams would take Garland as their no. 4 starter. 18, 18, 10 and 14 wins past 4 years, what’s that about 15 wins per year avg?
Scherzer:
66 s/o 21 w in 56 innings
Janet,
Scherzer is a stud. He dominated the Pacific Coast League, which is something extremely hard to do. Cut his walks in half and he is a perennial star. And he is like 24-25? I think that Garland is a bit washed up, but that’s my personal opinion, extremely biased by the fact that he was a White Sux
T98,
I respect your opinion like many other bloggers. I don’t know what Garland will bring, but he was signed at 1yr/6m and a mutual option, so I think it is a decent gamble.
Janet,
I know it’s a decent gamble… but at some point Arizona needs to consider what they are doing and whether they can compete as are in 2009. They are a smaller market than the Twins with a much more feeble fan base and they are hurting financially. They took some freaky contracts like Haren’s, Byrnes’ (not the GM), Davis’, Tracy’s and so on. The fact of the matter is that they are probably going to be second in the NL West this year in the best case scenario (if the Giants do not overpass them and the Rockies do not get their act together). At some point you got to think that you have to bite the bullet, cut payroll and build for the future (see: Padres, San Diego). This is probably a time when the Dbacks should do it, allowing them to ride the hard financial times and make a run in 2011… just my 2 cents.
just posted on mlb trade rumor!
SATURDAY: Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are “closing in on a likely sign-and-trade deal” with the Twins for Juan Cruz. He adds that “various reports expected the deal to be completed by Saturday.”
If the Dbacks are pressed for money, how about Cruz & Garland for Humber, Duensing & Pridie?
On 2nd thought, where would Garland pitch? Do we need a “veteran” starter? Would we move Perkins to BP? Too many relievers?
coco,
I wouldn’t touch Garland with a 20 foot pole…
I think that Cruz + Haren (and his 4 year/$45M deal) for Humber, Perkins and any two (or 3 or 4) in the organization not named (Angel Morales, Hicks or Revere) would be dandy by me.
T,
I think it helps Josh Byrnes, that Moorad is purchasing the Padres. He got into the middle of things with Byrnes. I trust him for the most part.
They do have a very good young nucleus going. I think Drew is going to be a stud SS very soon. Justin Upton needs a couple more years but he can be Griffey like. Chris Young is a great young Defensive CF who needs to cut down his S/O the same analogy can be used with Reynolds at third. The D’back seem to like Connor Jackson alot, I am not big on him. Haren is not as good as advertised, I definately would have put that money towards Webb, that was a mistake. I think they are trying to bring good young players together.
It’s begining to look a lot like Christmas
thrylos98, Hicks of course can not be traded this soon after being drafted. IMO, the Twins would not take on $45 million contract when Baker & Franchise will get bigger contracts starting next year. The only reason I suggested Garland, was he has ONE year contract. But after 2nd thoughts, IMO we don’t need a “veteran” starter for our rotation (unless of the stud variety, like Webb).
hard to tell what we’d have to give up that would be less than the 23rd pick and make up for the 2 picks they wouldn’t get. hard to find a fair balance in this deal. i think if i was the d backs i’d wait him out the 2 picks could be worth something.
coco,
we don’t need a “veteran” starter for our rotation (unless of the stud variety, like Webb)
the one who scares me is Perkins. I just don’t have much faith for him (and I think that lots of the hype about him has been because a. he was a first draft pick and b. he is a Minnesotan). That aside, the one pitcher I would love the Twins to go after is Pedro…
Has there been a trade? I think it’s exciting that people are even talking about it so often the twins standby and watch other teams make the moves. What is going on?
do the dbacks still get the supplemental pick in this scenerio?
thrylos98, I also have the least confidence in Perkins, but I also doubt greatly that all 5 starters will progress/stay healthy all year…… but I can’s see taking innings away from young starters who are cheap & have upside to give to a mediocre “veteran”. Pedro could still be a stud but I don’t know if his days of going more than 5 innings & not missing starts might not be all behind him. If the Twins add Cruz, they will have strengthened their bullpen & their starters should be at least league average. Pitching should be a strength. I do not underestimate the Twins’ FO decision making & scouting ability. IMO, they are trying to put together the best team possible. I’m very excited about the upcoming season. As always I enjoy your statistical analysis & insight. In your opinion which is more likely. A. The Cruz trade has not happened because the teams are having difficulty on working out the trade pieces coming from the Twins. or B. The trade is expanding past just Cruz coming over to the Twins?
Shawn in B., the d’backs do not get a draft pick. But at the same time, if no team signs him until after June 15 (?), they also would not get a draft pick. As an aside, I sure wish someone would sign Dennis Reyes, so the Twins would get the extra 2nd rounder. The d’backs may make this sign & trade if they are convinced no one else will sign him soon.
This is fun for me watching my 2 favorite teams working on a deal with each other. I hope the Twins don’t give up too much. Honest.
thanks coco
hopefully the Twins can make it happen for Humber,Macri, and something useful…. if they could get Haren out of the deal and make it a blockbuster as thrylos is suggesting all the better
Has anyone seen an update anywhere on Cruz other than the AZCentral.com report?
I wonder if another reason for moving the conference to tomorrow was to announce both at the same time?
In your opinion which is more likely. A. The Cruz trade has not happened because the teams are having difficulty on working out the trade pieces coming from the Twins. or B. The trade is expanding past just Cruz coming over to the Twins?
I would not even venture to guess…
but there is a C.: Cruz did not like the contract the Twins offered.
I think that the Twins have the pieces that the Dbacks might want to make that trade happen.
back to Pedro. A lot of it is the intangibles. He is a first ballot hall of famer. He is a demigod in the Dominican. He is a good clubhouse guy who takes pressure off other players and is known to take youngsters under his wing (read Ortiz’ book for more details). I think that all the Dominican young players will benefit from Pedro, plus all the pitchers. Look at Liriano for an example. I dare to guess +2 wins if Pedro is signed.
I wonder if another reason for moving the conference to tomorrow was to announce both at the same time?
hmmm… Crede’s plane made an emergency landing in St Louis today. Methinks the move was to get him a chance to rest and a chance to get a couple of pair of fresh underwear…
I think if the Twins can agree to a deal with Cruz, there is a great chance it happens. The D-Backs want something and if they don’t take it, then Cruz might sit out until after June, which would give them nothing at all.
I just mean, they were going to do it at 6 CT after the delay and then decided to wait until the morning.
Maybe I’m just hopeful
If the Twins get Cruz, Anderson and Gardy could lose more hair tryin to get Cruz to throw strikes, I hope the can turn his career around into their next closer.
Cruz has a live fastball that sits at 94 and raises up to 98-99. His slider is plus. He also has a plus change. The trick is to get him to get ahead in the count and then unleash it.
Right on T-98
PUNTO FOR 4 MILLION
IMAGINE IF WE HAD A MLB SHORTSTOP
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Janet, the bottom line is that I am not sure that Andy can make him do it. Andy’s all about his clicker…
Oh wow, I had hopes Anderson could be the difference maker for Cruz, he is a competitor, he just needs to find a way to harness it.
Hard to say, but Andy’s track record with veteran pitchers (other than Denny Reyes) has been pretty indeferential. He’s been good with the young ones (other that the ones that were injured: Mays, Balfour, Perkins, Liriano, Crain et al) but that’s all about the magic clicker that self destructs after it registers 100 pitches
that said (not to make anyone think I am negative about Cruz).
Last season Cruz had 2.3 K/BB and 12.4 K/9; in 1987 senor smoke (Juan Bereguer for the ones who were not born then) had 2.3 K/BB and 8.8 K/9. I’d take Jose over Juan every day (sentiment and all)
I believe Cruz could excel with the right coaching. Maybe he can learn from Nathan.
edit: they are both Juan’s (I was thinking of Cruz’ uncle). Bottom line is I’d take Cruz over Berenguer…
That is quit the endorsement, since Berenguer contributed to ring.
Yup, sorry for the typos, getting tired.
Janet, a lot of it (and it is something we are not exposed to) depends on what his agent is whispering to his ear… and earlier in the off-season it was rumored that Cruz will be the next closer (and yes he is probably better than K-Rod, but don’t let him or his agent read that before he signs with the Twins) and all…
as far as typos go, I am probably 2 time zones east of you, so I hear the tired thing
T,
Cruz has the potential to be a closer, I have to say that is more mental then skills, and that is what Cruz needs to work on along with your 11:23 post.
Still, I’d take Cruz over Crain or Ayala to set up Nathan next year. And the mental think could really change if you in the right place (like Minnesota)
Where’s MacLeod tonight? Chasing the next scoop, I presume.
I totally agree, Cruz would be a total upgrade over what the Twins currently have, and as a fan of Cruz, he can be totally frustrating, but not as much as the alternatives.
Totally…..not a valley girl in the valley of the sun.
Hope Wobble aka LEN3 has the SCOOP on Cruz. Pretty bad when Joe C in Minnesota is getting all the dirt!!!!
I am from MN and have lived in AZ for 3 years now (so I follow both teams, but I’m an especially diehard Twins fan).
The D-backs do not need starting pitching (Webb, Haren, Davis, and Scherzer are all excellent at what they do). What they need is offensive production….very light in all areas. They have talent but it’s spot talent. The loss of Hudson will really hurt them. I could see a trade of Cruz for prospects due to the Diamondbacks financial situation (rumor has it they took out another loan with MLB to keep the team running). However, I could also see them sending MN Cruz and a player for Delmon Young. The next two days should be really interesting because both teams make for good trading partners….they both have a deep squad of class players who play the game the right way.
????????????!?????????????
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t care if he never plays an inning*, this is a GREAT signing!!!
(*well, not really but w/e).
Just thought you’d like to know.
Cruz would be awesome too. My brain hurts. Two QUALITY FA signings in the same decade, let alone two days of the same offseason? As a Twins fan, there are no words to describe the greatness and foreign feelings of this. We must be the Yankees!
…BASEBALL!
I don’t really know, I’m just so happy and excited that I can’t think straight.
POPCORN!!!
Does anyone know if the press conference will be televised?
I was on the MLB trade rumor sight and there is this one blogger that must be from chicago. Here are some exerpts:
“saying morneau is not probable to hit .300 is just plain stupid. ”
(him) - Considering Morneau came within one hit of not hitting .300 last year, and hit >.300 one time previous, I’d say you’re the stupid-head.
not to mention he constantly mentions PECOTA as this awesome site, which I am not impressed with
Stat gurus (including Thry)- what are your thoughts on PECOTA and this ’stupid-head’ saying Morneau isn’t probable to hit .300?
PS - he said this about the team and batting .300
Morneau is a career .281 hitter, and no projection has him approaching .300. Mauer will probably hit >.300. None of Span’s projections have him at .300. None of Casilla’s projections have him above .270 (!). I’d put money on .300?!? is he an absolute MORON? Mauer could bat .300 with his eyes closed and swinging the bat with one arm. He hits lefties at a .360 clip for crying out loud. Plus he fails to mention Young who came within a few ticks in his 2 years of service of .300.
I think he’s a white sux fan in disguise.
SATURDAY: Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are “closing in on a likely sign-and-trade deal” with the Twins for Juan Cruz. He adds that “various reports expected the deal to be completed by Saturday.”
From MLB TRade rumors
It’s Sunday. It’s Tomorrow. Where is Juan Cruz? Where is the press conference?
The press conference has been over for hours. LEN3 must have hit the buffet line before he’ll pass on his thoughts to us. Poor guy is working too hard.
does any any more on whats happing with Cruz
The twins should talk to the Cardinals about brendan harris.
They need a 2nd Baseman..
We got buscher to back up crede, tolbert to play some 2nd/SS or casilla to play SS when “the stick” needs a day off.
Sid and Dave are going to have Crede on in a few minutess.
where are our voices of knowledge…press conf was at 830 and we havent heard one word about anything….what am i missing….len3 oversleep???
MH - what do you want from the cardinals??
MJ1
nothing in particular.. trade harris for a minor league pitcher or something..
perhaps a minor league SS..
wouldnt matter much to me
Didn’t you guys all hear that I had to make a landing in St. Louis yesterday?? Well Tony LaRussa tracked me down and convinced me I should play 3rd for them instead so I never made it to Ft. Meyers!
harris means much more to us as depth- we cant give him away for more pitching- unless its a great bullpen arm and we will get that with cruz i hope…..no we need to keep harris period……
ever wonder how many people are on this site at one time and where we are all from??
heard a crede snippet from the news conference on xm175…. didn’t say much, just that he doesn’t think turf will be an issue
anyone see the twins on 30/30 mlbtv last nite…?? how was it?? one hour devoted to the twins…..i dont have access to mlb network with this damn cable and cant switch to direct because of directional problems…sucks…..
The Chicago Tribune has a little about the new conference. It says that he sought out the Twins and his style of play fits in well with Minnesota. He went on to say that the turf in Minnesota, or Toronto was never a concern for him.
thanks jeff…its amazing we are getting our bits of info from chicago…snickerin here just a bit…..
Shawn, I think the Field Turf at the dome is better than the old turf they had in there, that will help. It would be great to see Crede stay healthy and do well for the Twins thsi year. Than perhaps they could get him to sign for another year or two to play in the new ballpark.
i’m from watertown SD
mj1, the stuff from 30/30 is on the Twins website now. I watched the show when it was on tv but it looks like most, if not all, of it is on the Twins site.
Yea a little coverage of the biggest free-agent signing in 17 years!
There trying to keep expectations low till Crede proves he can say healthy?
thanks and yes i saw portions of it on mlb.com twins site….pretty good stuff- didnt get to see much about the outfield situation….saw them discuss infield and pitching and nathan interview along with morneaus interview
i want to know if anything was said or discussed at the news conference about the cruz situation …that is a major key to this teams chances of winning this year….we sure dont want to lose out to some other team
LEN3, buffet is over. Nap time now?
this is rather unbelievable isnt it?? or am i out of line to expect some news from these people??
La Velle did you take the day off?
maybe he got lucky last nite..spose?? lol
finally a new posting…..
Nice to see you entertaining yourselves. New post is up. System locked down for a few hours now.
Ozzie sounds like a Twins fan. He’s gonna miss Crede on his team.
