Deadline day update
Posted on July 31st, 2009 – 11:20 AMBy La Velle
The Twins had their phone lines going well into this morning. Unless there was a breakthrough this morning that we haven’t heard of, the feeling I got was that they weren’t close to making a deal.
ESPN reported last night that the Twins and A’s were making progress on a deal for shortstop Orlando Cabrera. That was not the sense I got after late evening communication. USA Today is reporting this morning that the A’s asking price was too much for the Twins. That’s in line with what Joe C. and I have heard for days. It’s unclear if Oakland has moved off their demand for third baseman Danny Valencia.
There is a belief that Oakland’s Billy Beane will play this up to the 3 p.m. deadline before lowering his demands.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have dealt for lefty Jarrod Washburn, a move that makes them the favorite in the A.L. Central. Instead of going after a bat, the Tigers - more of a pitching and defense team this season - strengthened their rotation. Luke French and Mauricio Robles weren’t listed among the Tigers’ top ten prospects by Baseball America heading into the season.
Not sure if there’s another starting pitcher out there that the Twins can deal for. But I’m surprised that the Twins couldn’t land Washburn based on what Detroit gave up.
There’s a belief that the Twins might look toward David Eckstein or Adam Kennedy for middle infield help. The front office feels the heat about making a deal. While I doubt they will make an impact trade, they might make a move just to show they did SOMETHING.
Joe C. and I are double-teaming this one up to the deadline. Will let you know if we hear something…anything….
142 Responses to "Deadline day update"
sick, sick, sick….im so frustrated right now i cant type…detroit goes and gets washburn for nothing…bill s is where?? taco shop ?? run him out of town…the guy is worthless and could care less what happens to the twins this year or how the fans feel… i am done….
Farking AWFUL regarding Washburn…just awful.
Is Smith REALLY trying? I mean, are our prospects so godawful that we couldn’t part with a “decent” prospect, like French for example, for Washburn?
Or is it that we’re just so miserly with our farm system that we’re scared crapless to part with another prospect?
French hasn’t been too bad really this year. At this time, he’s probably equal to Swarzak. I don’t put much stock in the preseason prospect ratings (guesses) though…they seem like hype and propeganda
The team in front of us made a major move to shore up their rotation. Washburn would have looked very nice in a Twins uniform.
Here’s an interesting perspective on the Washburn deal from Dave Pinto… a lot different from what I’m reading here on these blogs.
http://baseballmusings.com/?p=38290
The Seattle Mariners send Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for two pitchers:
The Seattle Mariners have traded left-handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn to the Detroit Tigers for rookie left-hander Luke French and pitching prospect Mauricio Robles, sources tell ESPN.
French made a pretty seamless move from the minors to the majors, with his walk rate rising a bit but still good. He doesn’t strike out many batters, but doesn’t give up a lot of home runs either. Robles is very young (20) with great single-A strikeout numbers and very few hits allowed. French takes Washburn’s place now, and Robles is someone who could be very good a couple of years from now.
The Mariners sell high on Washburn, who is having the best year of his career in terms of ERA. Given that his strikeouts and walks aren’t very different than last year (his HR allowed are down), and the Mariners defense played very well behind him, the Tigers probably aren’t getting a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher. Given that French was already pitching as well as you might expect Washburn to pitch down the stretch, I’m not sure what the Tigers gained here.
I really don’t have much to add other than… pathetic. The Washburn deal just goes to show that the front office is incompetent and incapable of being a true front office.
Smith HAS to go if this team ever wants to break out of mediocrity.
The Twins Are Frauds! Either we are overvaluing our prospects, or our minor league system is one of the weakest in the entire major leagues. How is it that Valencia is all of a sudden apparently one of our most valued prospects, but Detroit is able to swing two guys not even in their top 10 for Washburn? Bill Smith, Rob Anthony, and the rest of the front office are a complete joke, and we are complete idiots for continuing to care enough and invest enough emotionally to even write on a blog.
unproven prospects are just that–unproven prospects…all this jibberjabber about how hes rated etc — who cares … he has done nothing at a major league level and very well may never do anything…ther percentages are small….thats why i could care less about how they rank prospects, because until they are in the game- no one knows anything….we just got spanked by detroit again because they actually want to win the central division and they have a better manager than we do….and certainly a better front office… bill smith again this year has proven to be a worthless piece of and i dont need to even say it…..i feel bad for the twins players that have to take the field tonite against the angels and play for mgmt that could care less…..awful..and i mean awful
The same every year for the Twin’s if they do make a trade it’s a non impact deal. If the Twin’s don’t win the division all you have to do is look at there inactivity and say they deserve what they get.
Thanks LaVelle…My guess is that this pathetic Front Office will make a second straight move towards Eddie Guardado to help sure up the ‘pen. Now that would be doing SOMETHING. That should help even things out. Can’t wait to face Washburn a few more times.
Really, what can be said that hasnt already? We all know Bill Smith is an idiot by now. Sanchez was the trade to make, he dropped the ball so at this point all he can do is screw it up.
Don’t trade Bill Smith, go down in flames with your precious prospects.
I’ll tell you what the Tigers got - a proven veteran who gobbles innings and is having the best year of his career ERA wise - exactly the kind of move that says “we’re going for it! Come get us!” and the Twins will turtle and do nothing.
lavelle if you guys dont make bill smiths live miserable as hell i will never forgive you media people…you should be out frt and center screaming at this org to to the right thing…a thing called winning
If Billy keeps this crap up the 2010’s are going to look like the mid 90’s and there will be NO Mauer or Morneau!
How can the Pohlads let Billy run this franchise into the ground just when they finally get a stadium. Im going to go throw up!
extremely frustrating deadline..players we supposedly were targeting have gone, and for prices that we probably could have matched, if not topped. torii hunter said it best about the twins always building for a future that never comes. very discouraging trade deadline
Can someone provide a list of the Twins top 10-20 ranked Minor league players. An where these 20 rank with comparison to the rest of the league. IE..Is our top 20 the 10 best group, the 20th best group or the way it sounds the 30th best group of players. If this is the case then that explains why BS can’t do anything. They have drafted poorly and don’t have players with enough upside to get into the trading game.
A comparable deal for the Twins would have been Swarzak and Guerra for Washburn. That’s a high price to pay for two months of Washburn. Is he going to be that much of an improvement over Swarzak’s 11-12 remaining starts?
Bill Smith is weak,last week.cant believe tigers cut deal for washburn.
Its all going to be even more obvious to the M & M boys after Detroit wins the division. They can look at the Washburn trade as the writing on the wall.
Why do you need a double team is beyond me. Twins don’t do enough at trade deadline to need even one person covering it. LOL
LaValle
Your last sentence was a funny way to end the update. Thank you.
A year ago when Washburn’s ERA was around 5, everybody was cringing when it was reported the Twins were interested in him. A lot of folks didn’t believe he was the man. Before we all panic and overreact, let’s see how this all plays out.
I still don’t get the Mariners for making this deal. It is hard to believe they did not have a better offer Washburn.
For all of you knocking the pickup by the Tigers, what they got is:
-A guy who will help their bullpen by eating innings.
-A lefty who will pitch very well against the Twins, which I’m sure they are aware of.
-A sign to their players and fan base that they realize they have a shot of winning the division this year, and that they will add a piece towards that.
Meanwhile, in Billy Boy land. Nada, nothing. Nothing like drumming up support and excitement for a team again in a pennant race but needing help, and moving into a new stadium next year, as well as arguably it’s most important player ever up for a new contract in 2010. I mean, it’s unreal, but sadly completely believable.
bill smith go choke on a bear claw you worthless excuse for a gm! the twins fo should be ashamed of themselves, they do not deserve to be associated with the twins organization. bs say goodbye to mauer and morneau when you see them.
Sad. I feel bad for the team, and spare me the “LOL BUT THEY MAKE MILLIONS” stuff. They have no support from the FO.
Is pissed off!
I swear billy smith woulda turned down a deal for player in return for a sack of cans because the price of aluminum might go up.
i would love to hear from that moron smith…what lies will he tell us for not doing anything…this guy is so phony –all he cares about is filling the seats on opening day in that precious new stadium that was supposed to help us field a competetive team…who jerked who here …looks pretty obvious to me
Why is Bill Smith so protective of his 2nd and 3rd tier Prospects? Because he won’t sigh any free agent worthwhile, and we need the Lew Ford’s Buscher’s and Tolbert’s to fill a 25 man roster. It’s a fricken joke.
how disgusting… can kiss mauer goodbye.
If I have to hear Bill Smith pull out the “not willing to morgage the future” line again this year I will go insane with frustration. Open your eyes, Bill: THE FUTURE IS NOW! What could we be waiting for that is better than having Mauer, Morneau, Kubel as the heart of the order, along with a pretty damm good closer to finish it off? Are we holding on to guys that will turn out better than these four? Haven’t heard of any. The future looks grim if these four leave, so do something now.
David Eckstein is no upgrade either is Adam Kennedy. Go get a starting pitcher!
Arizona has a couple
Who is excited for Bill Smith’s 3:30pm press conference were he tells us about how hard they tried! As a multi-year season ticket holder this team is really starting to make me sick and Bill Smith is my new most hated GM in town.
it boils down the the fact that Detroit DID make and deal and the Twins probably won’t…the Twins pride themselves on playing hard and hustling…..well…too bad the FO doesn’t hustle. I would rather they make a trade with the intention of making the team better and give up too much than not do a dern thing…..every year this is like going in for the annual colonoscopy.
The Twins for years now have passed on top-notch prospects that have been available in the late teens, early 20s of the draft because of the representation these prospects had hired (Boras clients). The Tigers have been one of the teams that have not been scared to pick these guys, pay them, and apparently it is now paying off.
We all look at the Twins inactivity in Free Agency and trades and their lack of signings/acquisitions of high profile players as an unwillingess to spend money. This tightwadness extends well beyond free agency and trades. It goes to the draft, to latin american signings, etc, etc.
I don’t care what Reusse, Sid, Lavelle, any of these guys tell you “the Twins are trying, the Twins are working hard” - it’s all BS! They “try” to screw everybody else over and when other teams/players aren’t willing to get bent over and “ask for too much”, we shrug our shoulders and move on.
The twins are up 12% in attendance this year - MLB is up 5%. When are the Twins ever, EVER(!!!!!!!!) going to say “thank you” to their fans and show some committment to winning?
Oh, and if Sid and Bill Smith say one more time “ownership will support any move we want to make”, I’ll throw up. You all - Jerry Bell, Pohlads, Bill Smith, Antony, etc, etc. - are complete FRAUDS!
The 2 guys that could have helped us the most (Sanchez and Washburn) go somewhere else for deals we could have swung. The Minnesota Letdowns, can we re-name both the Vikings and Twins?
The Baseball America rankings are from last November. A lot has changed since then. The Twins (and other teams) Top 10 Prospect list would look a lot different now than it did back in November
The irrational responses in this blog are pretty fun.
well put
Oh… and Fangraphs loves this trade… for Seattle.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/washburn-to-detroit/
Wow. You’d think Washburn was a perennial Cy Young winner.
Would anyone here give Swarzak and Slama for Washburn? That’s probably about equivalent.
I while sweaty Bill Smith is eating his Arby’s Beef N Cheddar lunch he realizes that ironic not dealing prospects for is BAD for the future of the organization.
still think tigers will drop quickly in 2nd half. they needed help in the bull pen and so far haven’t gotten it.
I hope while sweaty Bill Smith is eating his Arby’s Beef N Cheddar lunch he realizes that ironic not dealing prospects for is BAD for the future of the organization.
Other then a miracle and we land Halladay, all that’s left out there are table scrapes. Just another Twins GM who likes to sit on his hands as everyone passes him by. I hope you were kidding about David Eckstein or Adam Kennedy, that made me puke in my mouth!
Well, readers here for the most part have not been shown to be the most ratinal of fans lol.
It’s too late Bill Smith, you’ve failed again.
Arizona’s two guys wouldn’t be bad acquitions yet, but don’t know how available they would be?
The Twins current Farm System is definitely one of the ten worst in baseball. You people don’t understand that the Twins don’t have many minor league pieces that other teams want.
THis whole situation brings to mind this Simpsons moment:
Kent Brockman: “Doctor, would you say its time for us to run around bashing each others heads open and feasting upon the goo inside?
Nightline Guest: “Yes I would, Kent”
couldn’t we have gotten cabrera in the offseason without giving up a player?
I have defintely not been impressed with Bill Smith’s tenure as GM thus far, however, I have to say that I agree with the decision to not make a move at the deadline this year. Although the Twins FO cannot say this in the media, I think it’s clear that they do not want to waste prospects and resources on this team. Deadline deals should be made to put good teams over the top and set them up for a run in the playoffs.
The 2009 Twins have floundered around .500 all year, found all kinds of ways to lose games and generally underacheived. In contrast, it was an absolute crime that TR failed to make a move at deadline in 2006. That team was around the best record in baseball all year….featured Mauer, Morneau, Hunter, Santana, Lirano(most of the year)Radke, Nathan, a great bullpen and the very effective Pirannas. TRs failure to land a starter at deadline may have cost THAT team a WS when the staff was hit by injuries late in the year.
Has anyone watched the 2009 Twins v. Boston, NYY and LA? They have not just failed against them….they have been destroyed. Does anyone think the addition of Gonzolez, Scuturo, Eckstein, Cabrerra, a good reliever, etc. make the Twins competetive against those teams? Very wishful thinking.
In other words: Why waste prospects and money to gain a chance to win a terrible divison and get hammered in the first round of the playoffs?
If they need to mollify the stars they should do that in the off season by signing some REAL free agents or making a trade to put a team in the new ballpark that really does have a chance to get to the WS.
Go ahead and stand pat this year Bill.
Yes…I copied this from yesterday but the Tigers aquisition of Washburn does not change it one bit….
Sweatty Bill hasn’t failed yet……there is some AAAA player he can still nab and then claim victory!
That happens when you call up most of the minor league players of any talent.
Dave Dombrowski owns Bill Smith. He is going after Luke Scott from the Orioles now too and will get him just watch. Tiger fortify Bill Smith sit’s on his hands as say’s we never react to what anyone else is doing. “We are proud of our principles and sticking to them as well as Doing things the right way.” “We will never mortgage the future for a future that never comes… oops I snuck that into the press conference”. You can see the baloon leaking it’s leaking air out slowley but surely out of the Twins clubhouse. Clutch to hope, beg for a deal get the wind knocked out of you pick yourself up and play. We will fall just short because of Bill Smith again. This one is going to be tough to take.
Basball America ranked the Twins 22nd in terms of best farm system. That was during spring training. Again, a lot has changed since then, but I would say the Twins are still in that 20-25 range. The Twins have a lot of depth at several positions, but they don’t have a lot of high upside guys. The Aaron Hicks type players with a ton of potential drive these type of rankings.
WOW! you guys are getting out of control. Calm down.
Good luck explaining this years lack of trades to Mauer, Morneau, and Nathan. If nothing changes M&M are as good as gone when they hit free angency.
Writing from Seattle. Huge Twins fan, budding M’s fan. Developing a lot of respect for Seattle GM Zduriencik — he obviously a) has a plan and b) isn’t afraid to make a move.
Bill F. Smith, meanwhile, is no doubt huddled under his desk, curled up in the fetal position, sucking his thumb and whimpering for his mommy to make it stop.
I’m shocked. There was an outstanding pitcher on the market and the Twins were unwilling to part with some half decent prospects to land that pitcher and improve the team’s chances to make and win in the post-season. Note to Mauer, please pick the Red Sox for 2011 cause I hate the Yankees.
How does any GM with a brain let a pitcher that you “want” go to the team leading your division???? Complete failure, no excuse for not landing Washburn…NONE. The O-Cab possible deal will not add any depth to this lineup so that’s probably the deal they will make just to say they made a trade. Very sickening stuff here…..
jama- how about a little more respect than refering to everyone else as “you people.”
Twins top prospects
Baseball Prospectus
Five-Star Prospects
1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Aaron Hicks, CF
Three-Star Prospects
3. Danny Valencia, 3B
4. Angel Morales, CF
5. Wilson Ramos, C
6. Shooter Hunt, RHP
7. Kevin Mulvey, RHP
8. David Bromberg, RHP
9. Carlos Gutierrez, RHP
Two-Star Prospects
10. Deolis Guerra, RHP
11. Jeff Manship, RHP
Baseball America
1. Aaron Hicks, of
2. Ben Revere, of
3. Wilson Ramos, c
4. Jose Mijares, lhp
5. Danny Valencia, 3b
6. Anthony Swarzak, rhp
7. Shooter Hunt, rhp
8. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
9. Carlos Gutierrez, rhp
10. Angel Morales, of
These are both preseason rankings… I hope they allow us to start 9 out fielders at some point
The Twins are a mediocre 52-50 team with a chance to win a weak division. Do we really want the front office to deal away Hicks, Valencia, Swarzak, etc. in order to add average past their prime players (Cabrera, Sanchez, Washburn, or the assorted middle relievers)?
If you go by his history, Smith will trade Nathon for a back up outfielder.
Twins do the same thing every year. The frusration from fans is boiling over. I worry what the Twin’s’ best players are thinking as well.
JT, Thanks for the links.
I read something a few weeks back that said pretty much the same thing about Washburn. He’s a decent pitcher but is unlikely to continue his great success outside of Seattle.
I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. While I am disappointed that they didn’t fix the obvious middle infield hole earier in the year, I don’t see much point in trading for Washburn now since they would have to give up young pitching to get him.
I agree with digga. I hope he picks the Sox. I guess they are more likeable than the Yanks.
Hicks and Valencia are the only two from us that people want. Whereas Boston and Philly have 6-8 names being thrown around. Apparently Terry Ryan and BS do not draft well either
David Eckstein or Adam Kennedy? PLEASE, don’t bother. If Beane won’t give up Orlando Cabrera for anything but a Blue Chip prospect, then hang up the phone, Billy. That’s rediculous.
If the Pohlad family still has the best interest of this franchise, its players, and its fans in mind, a “serious” meeting with Bill Smith regarding his decision making should follow this year’s deadline and his performance during it. To not make any move for a pitcher, especially a SP at this point when the need is so very glaring, is simply inexcusable.
The irrational responses in this blog are pretty fun.
This blog should be sponsored by Ritalin.
It is interesting that everyone forgets all the impact players the Twins currently have on there roster (except Nathan) had come through the farm system. Where would we be if we sold Morneau when he was in A ball.
I know we all thought the Twins shoudl get whatever they could for Span when he struggled through the minors, but I can tell you now that I am glad they were patient with him.
Or after Kubel came back and did not look the same from his injury we may have been able to recoup some value in the form of a Veteran Pitcher in 06, but where would we be now without him in the lineup.
The twins had the chance to dump Baker on the Rangers for Soriano in 05 and choose not to. THere is no way they make a run at the playoffs last year without him, and there is no way we make a run at the playoffs without him this year.
Point is this team could have sold some of its players years ago hoping to make it to the World Series, but there is no guarantee that they would have gotten there.
I do think fans are overreacting on the Tigers-Washburn deal. Washburn has been great this year, and historically very good against the Twins. However, historically, he has not been a good starter. I would put him 4th or 5th in our rotation. A closer look at his numbers this year indicate his walk rate and k rate are the same as ever. The only thing that has changed much is BABIP (batting average on balls in play) which has dropped considerably. BABIP is a result of luck, which indicates Washburn is due for a regression to the mean.
Everyone relax!
My old man told me Bill Smith is going to call Toronto and dangle me out there for Halladay.
That should seal the deal.
This Cabrera trade talk is bugging me because I will say he isn’t a diference maker but we could have signed him for the same money Punto got. Now we have to trade for Cabrera for what little pieces we have in the system to replace Punto. Wait I forgot, Punto will always play as long as Gardy is manager. The mid 2010’s could be the late 1990’s all over again with this kind of decision making.
Forget Eddie G…get ready for the return of LaTroy Hawkins!
If this is true, let’s hope they gave up very little or Nick Punto
From MLBtraderumors.com
A’s source: Cabrera trade “very close” to happening
From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser
Orlando Cabrera is very likely to be a member of the Minnesota Twins in the next hour or so.
An A’s source tells me that a deal is “very close.” Despite a report on ESPN in the past 20 minutes, there is no need for any OK from the commissioner’s office.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?blogid=21&entry_id=44651#ixzz0MrD4TKMM
via mlbtraderumors.com:
Twins close to getting Cabrera
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?blogid=21&entry_id=44651
Last year it was the bullpen, this year it’s the rotation and the bullpen. Arguably the rotation is in worse shape now than the bullpen was at this point in ‘08. The inactivity - even on the FA scrap heap front - is confounding.
Honestly I don’t fault the team for giving up Valencia, thinking Casilla/Harris/Punto can carry their weight better down the stretch, but they aren’t going anywhere without arms on the hill.
*NOT giving up Valencia
So the Tigers get an ace for French and a low prospect. Yet the A’s ask for our top 3 prospect for measily Cabrera? Is every GM out to get Minnesota teams or what? Why are we the team that always gets screwd and can’t make an easy deal for a mediocre player. I’d laugh at the A’s GM and hang up the phone for them wanting Valencia for masily Cabrera.
bill smith should do the twins a favor and major league baseball a favor…leave..the man is not qualified or talented enough to be in the position he is in…he makes that quite obvious— this has just got to bother the players something awful, to see your no #1 competitor make moves on the players you need so despertately…i would not be surprised if detroit did it purposely to upset the twins org…pretty damn bright on their part if that was part of their plan….
A’s source: Cabrera trade “very close” to happening
From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser
Orlando Cabrera is very likely to be a member of the Minnesota Twins in the next hour or two.
An A’s source tells me that a deal is “very close.” Despite a report on ESPN in the past 20 minutes, there is no need for any OK from the commissioner’s office.
Top Twins prospect Danny Valencia is not a part of the deal, I’m told.
I just hope they bench Punto instead of Harris.
Its not specifically the Washburn deal, but the fact that Detroit identified a weakness and were aggresive enough to fix it, apparently without giving much up. Smith refuses to do this. thats where the frustration comes
So what if Nathan gets old and Mauer and Morneau leave?
We will still have the Dome-field advantage.
Oh, wait………
I’m not going to bother reading all the comments… I can pretty much guess the tone of most.
Re: Washburn, on the one hand, it seems like the Tigers got him for a lot less than the Ms were reported (not confirmed that I know of) were asking of the Yankees. But it still seems like a pretty good haul for a half year rental since he’s a FA at the end of the year. If I’m the Twins, I wouldn’t give up a ton for Washburn either.
Re: Eckstein, I don’t know which bothers me more… that the Twins would be considering Eckstein or that the current situation at 2B is so bad that Eckstein actually would be considered an improvement.
Of the MI names still tossed around, I might prefer Kennedy over the others. Scutero would be OK, I guess. I just don’t see anything happening there.
All in all, another disappointing trade deadline for the Twins players and their fans.
Is the problem that BS is a poor deal-maker or is the problem that the player development organization has failed to develop enough minor league talent that other teams would even be interested in? Either way, it does not speak well for the Front Office of this organization.
Looks like the Cabrera deal is just about done.
I hope the Twins didn’t give up what is left of the farm because they were desperate for any kind of deal to be made. Bill Smith’s ability to make a good deal is highly questionable at best.
Say it aint so thrylos!
Toby……Be careful for what you wish for……..I don’t think there are any “local hardware stores” in Toronto
Toby……Be careful for what you wish for……..I don’t think there are any “local hardware stores” in Toronto
And how is it that teams like Boston, Philly, the Angels, the Dodgers have so many prospects? Because they sign free agents and thus aren’t forced to depend 100% on their farm system and call up people that aren’t ready (Casilla, Gomez, Young - who should be in the minors). And because they draft and are willing to pay top-notch talent. Ben Revere has worked out well so far, but he was the 48th best HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECT in that years draft. Did the Twins need to draft him in the first round vs. the 2nd or third? I would bet money they didn’t, but we’ll never know. It’s just ridiculous.
Unless its for Toby Gardenhire and a can of snuff its a bad trade.
Orlando Cabrera from Oakland in exchange for SS Tyler Ladendorf. Done deal
slpk45
“You people” was the nicest I could get. Some of the commenters have no understanding of the Twins farm system. It’s not everyone just the morons screaming that the Twins should trade marginal prospects for impact players. Other teams don’t want the Twins garbage prospects anymore than the Twins do.
You’re right though I should have specified who I was talking about. That would be the idiots that think Valencia has more value than Alderson and the ones that think Rochester is full of valuable assets.
Nice, who the f is tyler ladenwhoever?
Twins don’t have the revenue to make those kind of moves and deals that Boston and New York does. Minnesota does not have the fan base or the population to make a deal at that level.
“but the fact that Detroit identified a weakness and were aggresive enough to fix it”
If LH SP was a Detroit weakness, they just gave up one (French) to get one. (Washburn)
And French was younger, cheaper, has been almost as effective; and would have been around longer than the rental. (Washburn)
The Tigers may have improved, but they haven’t eliminated an existing weakness.
I’m not sure I see how we could have done the Washburn deal unless we felt we could sign him to an extension, which was unlikely given he’s a Boras client. We would have had to part with Perkins or Swarzak and another pitcher. Is the upgrade from Perkins/Swarzak to Washburn for 2 months worth giving up the 4 or 5 years of additional service time? Probably not.
All that said, if they fail to do ANYTHING for the 6th year in a row when the franchise player has basically said he’ll walk, I will officially jump on the Fire Bill Smith bandwagon.
Time for the Twins and Bill Smith to put their big boy pants on and do something!!!!!!!!!! Living in Chicago as a Twins fan and consistantly watching everyone else in the division do something to improve is really getting frustrating!!!!
Sounds like we might get Cabrera…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?blogid=21&entry_id=44651
of course! We are all clamoring for a deal, one is likely made and now it is the wrong deal. Go figure.
The Twins have a ton of potetial and depth in the Lower Minors, but what has hurt them here is they have no depth at the upper minors. Any team wanting propects that are less than two years away could instantly scratch the Twins off their list.
Twins Acquire Orlando Cabrera
By Tim Dierkes [July 31 at 12:08pm CST]
12:08pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown says it’s a done deal, with the Twins sending Tyler Ladenorf to Oakland for Cabrera.
Cabrera, 34, is hitting .280/.318/.365 on the season in 448 plate appearances. He has $1.75MM remaining on his contract, once you factor in a $250K bonus for being dealt. Though he profiles as a Type A free agent after the season, Cabrera’s agent wisely negotiated a clause disallowing his club to offer arbitration. So, no draft picks for the team for the loss and no impediment to signing Cabrera from the player’s point of view.
who the f is tyler ladenwhoever?
Second round pick in 2008, highest ranking SS prospect in the system. .410/.500/.721 in Appy league this season before moving up to Beloit.
I don’t get this. We could have had OC as a FA, but I remember seeing comments on here about his attitude.
I understand that Tyler Whoever is a no name, but still!
Where would we be if we traded Liriano high? You can point all you want to guys they didn’t trade, and how that helped. I can come up with as many anecdotes about guys they didn’t trade (there were highly regarded) that later were terrible players.
The point is: they don’t make trades to acquire impact players. they don’t sign FAs in their prime playing or earning years. Their players believe they aren’t trying to win.
Their minor league system is bad right now, so we shouldn’t sign FAs or make trades, we should rely on our minor league system? Um, that doesn’t sound like a great strategy to me.
M&M&K&N have a finite time when they are in thier prime and healthy. NOT filling in the holes around them, to protect a future that may never come, makes no sense.
Who here could have predicted Liriano would be either not playing or one of the worst pitchers in baseball for three years running? The future is a great unknown. The present is much more known (though still not totally predictabl). Maybe Revere’s knee injury makes him a mediocre player - we don’t know. We DO KNOW he won’t play in the majors this year or next. We DO KNOW that mauer and morneau and kubel and nathan and cuddy aren’t getting any younger. We DO KNOW that the history of catchers is that they wear out faster than any other position.
And, we DO KNOW, the Twins will do nothing about it, because the other team just wanted too much and they didn’t want to mortgage the future.
Sad really.
TheTwinsAreFrauds-If you want to see a real fraud,look in the mirror!
Still waiting for anyone to answer this:
Would anyone here give Swarzak and Slama for Washburn?
Well — would you have?
Thanks Thrylos. Did we get fleeced?
Not the worst trade BS has made but it doesn’t do much to help the team.
Twins get Cabrera for Ladendorff
Oh SNAP Geno!
Isnt Dan Uggla available?
I can’t be too upset about the Twins going after and getting Washburn. When and who was the last significant trade deadline player this team has got? Shannon Stewart???
Fraud,
“and call up people that aren’t ready (Casilla, Gomez, Young - who should be in the minors”
Young and Gomez were never called up by the Twins;
They were already in the Majors with their previous teams.
Young was a Rookie of the Year runner-up with the Rays.
Thanks Thrylos. Did we get fleeced?
I think that it is ok, esp if Cabrera gets on fire playing for a new contract.
Really? Boston, LA, and Philly are in larger markets and have more revenue? I’m not talking about 225 million dollar deals. I am talking about maybe paying a little extra for 6-7-8-9 million dollar a year guys. I’m also talking about budgeting 7-8 million dollars for the draft vs. 5-6 million and drafting guys who fall due to representation.
Don’t forget - the Twins are still collecting on revenue sharing, and their payroll is $15 million LESS than it was two years ago. Again, an embarrassment.
The youngster has good numbers. Knowing Bill Sith, Tyler Ladendorf will turn into Nomar Garciaparra.
John Sickles just wrote the following on the BBTF scat:
“1:10 John Sickels: Ladendorf, great tools, blew away the appy league in June and early July, awful after moving up to Beloit “
I wouldn’t say the Twins got fleeced but he’s the only SS prospect the Twins have that can actually hit.
If the Trade is really official…..kudos to Billy….it’s a start…..O-Cab rarely strikes out….has a good glove…kind of player Gardy likes….and comes at a fair price….now if Billy can get some pitching……It will have been a good day
I’m shocked they were able to pull the trigger. Kudos to BS for at least trying. I’m good with O-Dog from the A’s kind of excited actually. He can fill in the two hole and extend the line-up and keep Punto at second. Now get rid of Buscher and all will be good.
Thrylos brings up a great point. OC is playing for a new contract. Incentive if nothing else.
As I’ve said before, it’s not that I have a problem with Orlando Cabrera, per se, it’s just that I have no confidence that Gardy will use him to replace the inneffective offensive performers. Instead, he’ll replace Harris. Harris and Cabrera is an improvement. Cabrera and Punto/Casilla is not much of an improvement (other than perhaps resulting in slightly better depth as Harris becomes the primary back up at 3B).
I am SHOCKED they dealt for a guy in his mid-30’s, that isn’t much better than the guy they have at his position, that isn’t making much money, that won’t make a major impact on the team. Shocked, really, that they didn’t go after a better player, that made more money, that would have been under club control for more than 2 months.
Really, I never would have guessed that BS would be this bold.
…and by scat I mean chat.
(Yikes, where did THAT come from? Paging Dr Freud to the Emergency room, Dr Freud…”
Hey all,
Settle down about Washburn. Opponents are hitting only .245 on all balls put in play against him. This is unsustainably low and is going to spike, especially now that he’s going to Detroit and leaving that cavernous park and all-star defense behind in Seattle for the friendly Comerica and aging OF in Detroit. This move does not help Detroit as much as it seems it does at first glance.
Anyone think Cabrera is insurance at third for Crede?
Well Jama, if he is such a great shortstop prospect why were other teams not asking for him?
I agree that it is more than frustrating to sit and watch another trade deadline pass w/o us making a deal. What scares me the most is what this tells Mauer… It tells him we don’t care that you want to win, it is more important to keep our prospects. It is that same mentality that caused us to lose Hunter and Santana. Our front office protects their prospects because they are so afraid of another David Ortiz situation. It is pathetic, and I wouldn’t blame Mauer if we see him in Boston in 2012.
I would like to know how many top 5 prospects turn into an all-star. How pathetic is it that we wouldn’t trade Valencia for Sanchez because he may end up being as good as… Sanchez!!!
MORONS
Ageed JC, If Cabreras replace Punto at short we are a better team. Make punto a super sub again.
Thrylos, Those Appy League numbers make Ladendorf look better than he really is carrying a career minor league hitting line of .257/.350/.384
Was it better to deal Ladendorf and keep Plouffe?
…if nothing else it gets worthless Buscher off the roster.
What a shock Twins make a move and people are still complaining. Not saying it was a great deal but it is better then doing nothing as the Twins usually do.
Wow, we got him. O-Cab doesn’t do much for me, but hopefully he can be a good influence on Casilla and Gomez.
Gave up Ladendorf?
There goes the @#$%@#$% future!
Mlb TV is gushing over the trade…..saying the Twins did great…..at least this is fun to hear!
this means they probably dfa harris to make gardy happy.
If we wanted Washburn, we could’ve done it last year (and bought low).
Nora
I never said that he was a great prospect. All I said was that he was probably the best SS prospect the Twins had, which isn’t saying much. The Twins have no Middle Infield depth throughout the whole organization.
Again I don’t think this was a bad trade but it wasn’t a good trade. It seems to me BS basically just made a trade to say that he made a trade.
I hope O-Cab is playing 2nd with Harris at Short.
I don’t expect that.
