Thread: Off-Day Transactions? (Predictions)

I was at the Nats/DBacks game last night--made me change my perspective. This season is lost--if we didnt know it after the Os series, we know it now. The Twins need to follow the Nats plan--draft a couple of superstars like Harper and Strasberg, find a sucker to trade them a major league player for Craps, and build around that. The game was frustrating to watch for a Twins fan--Kubel looked good on offense and horrid on defense (but better than Willingham), Ramos is a good MLB catcher. But the important thing to see was Bryce Harper. He is the real deal and a leader (more so than Mauer). He reminded me of a young Torii. The most important task for Terry Ryan is to find this year's Harper in the draft and groom him to be starting in 2014. Everything else is rearranging the deck chairs as somebody else said.

Originally Posted by SirLoin

Not that I'm biased, because he's my adopt-a-prospect, but Cole DeVries absolutely deserves a chance to be called up. He has been solid all season. I'm not 100% sure about putting him in the rotation, as I think his make-up is better suited for the bullpen. Darin Mastroianni, Anthony Slama and Jeff Manship make a lot of sense as well. Mastroianni is already on the 40-man and has played some first base as well. In his place I would actually consider sending Parmalee down so he can play every day. Since you pretty much have to DFA Clete Thomas at this point, I would look at adding someone like Ray Chang to the 40-man and give him a chance at the major league level (Blyleven!). So essentially, my moves would look like this....

DFA Jeff Gray - Call up Anthony Slama
DFA Matt Maloney - Call up Cole DeVries
DFA Clete Thomas - Call up Ray Chang
Demote Chris Parmalee - Call up Darin Mastroianni
Demote Liam Hendriks - Call up Jeff Manship

After the trade deadline, I would bring up as many of the top prospects as possible.

I agree exactly with those five moves.

Oops, except I would just flat-out release Clete Thomas.

Originally Posted by DAM DC Twins Fans

But the important thing to see was Bryce Harper. He is the real deal and a leader (more so than Mauer).

Wow! You sat in the stands and could spot him leading away?!? Color me super impressed. Or maybe it's skeptical.

Originally Posted by SirLoin

DFA Jeff Gray - Call up Anthony Slama
DFA Matt Maloney - Call up Cole DeVries
DFA Clete Thomas - Call up Ray Chang
Demote Chris Parmalee - Call up Darin Mastroianni
Demote Liam Hendriks - Call up Jeff Manship

I'm in - each are good calls

"draft a couple of superstars like Harper and Strasberg"
"The most important task for Terry Ryan is to find this year's Harper in the draft and groom him to be starting in 2014".

Totally agree but easier said than done and is there a Harper and/or Strasberg in the draft?

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

I would call up PJ Walters, Darin Mastroianni, Anthony Slama and Jeff Manship. ... Mastroianni is the OF I picked because I'd rather Revere and Benson not come up until July and Rene Tosoni just came off the DL.

As a process-of-elimination callup, Mastro does make sense, but (as I just got done typing into another thread) if he will be used as often as Clete has been, it means a lineup like yesterday's will become weighted with four pure table-setters on a team lacking enough guys demonstrated to drive them in. Mastro also is best suited as a leadoff man, so his strength will be wasted batting second or eighth or ninth. If Doumit/Plouffe or some other combination can emerge to handle RF, Mastro is fine as the utility outfielder, along the lines Revere could contribute. Otherwise, he doesn't happen to be a good fit for this team, as currently constituted.

Originally Posted by 2003freak2003

"draft a couple of superstars like Harper and Strasberg"
"The most important task for Terry Ryan is to find this year's Harper in the draft and groom him to be starting in 2014".

Totally agree but easier said than done and is there a Harper and/or Strasberg in the draft?

Exactly. Also, one of the reasons the Nationals were able to draft so many good players is because since the year of their creation (2005, and yes, I am excluding the years in Montreal), they have yet to have a winning season. That has given them great draft positions for years, and it looks like it is just now starting to come together. The Twins and the Nats are in different situations. As far as draft strategy goes, if there were someone like Strassburg, or Harper available to the Twins at the #2 pick, I have enough faith in the FO that they would pick them up. I haven't seen reports of anyone like that in this years draft.

Okay, we need something in the outfield. Please, please shift Willingham to right field. Put Span in left and have Revere play cernter fulltime. I'm all for Ben developing mroe at Rochester, but the Twins right now could use his smile and spark, and I keep thinking how many balls might be caught in that big gap if those two were out there. Willingham can do just fine in right. I would keep Clete Thomas for now just because he's better than losing him to someone else.

I would keep the rotation of Doumit/Morneau/Mauer between C/1B/DH.

Sadly, that means I would send Parmelee down to play everyday and focus what he has to do a bit better to hit for some power. RIght now, he seems to be under pressure to perform. Put him under pressure to improve and grow at Rochester.

I would bring up Dozier. Play him at short. For now have Jamie Carroll and Trevor Plouffe as the backups. I would cycle Carroll into the 2B/SS/3B mix as the Twins have done with such notables as Punto, Hocking and Reboulet in the past.

I guess I would keep Butera for the moment as the third catcher.

The pitching is a mess. Pavano/Blackburn./Marquis are here to stay.

Hendricks is out and down to Rochester. Liriano should be put in the bullpen after one more start. I guess bring up Diamond/DeVries and or P.J. and give them a looksee.

Schwarzk and Duening are the long guys. Perkins in the setup.

Capps is around and wilkl be around until someone badly needs a closer, and I would jump at the first opportunity to be rid of him.

Brunett has options, send him down if he screws up one-more-time.

Gray/Maloney/Burton on a short leash. One ahs to go to make room for Dozier. If Malooney goes, we then have 3 40-man spots open. Stay away from the waiver wire. Give anyone/everyone a chance from Rochester. Add back Slama at the worst. Let Manship come up. Maybe look at Fein or Wise. Guerra will be in the mix at sometime.

I would like to see this weekend, before the next homestand -- gone Hendricks, Maloney, Parmelee maybe Brunett.

Up Dozier, Revere, Diamond, DeVries (as relief).

I do think Carroll is professional enough to be a bench guy as long as he gets some playing time.

On the bubble: Gray, Burton, Thomas, Plouffe, Liriano.

Tradebait: Pavano, Capps, Doumit.

Oh, and pass Toshi thru waivers and see if anyone will pick up his $2.5 remaining for this year and $3 for next year. Eat the fee you paid to sign him. Move on.

I am okay with the Thomas - Mastroianni swap as well as the Hendricks - Walters.

I like Thrylos' suggesting of Ray Chang as we do need a backup infielder and he can play 2B, 3B and SS. A pitcher can be DFA'ed or optioned to make it happen.

Originally Posted by ashburyjohn

As a process-of-elimination callup, Mastro does make sense, but (as I just got done typing into another thread) if he will be used as often as Clete has been, it means a lineup like yesterday's will become weighted with four pure table-setters on a team lacking enough guys demonstrated to drive them in. Mastro also is best suited as a leadoff man, so his strength will be wasted batting second or eighth or ninth. If Doumit/Plouffe or some other combination can emerge to handle RF, Mastro is fine as the utility outfielder, along the lines Revere could contribute. Otherwise, he doesn't happen to be a good fit for this team, as currently constituted.

Getting on base is the most important skill as a batter in baseball. There is no disputing this.

SET THE DAMN TABLE, MASTRO!!!!! Please. Good lord, the Twins don't have that going for them at all. They have three guys above a .316 OBP and number 4 is BEN REVERE. That is disturbing (by the way, those three guys should be batting 1, 2, and 3). Point is there is just no way that Mastroianni would play as terribly as Thomas, and he would probably be better than what the Twins had in Jason Repko. And they probably could just spell Span with him at the top of the lineup. And he is a lower-tier prospect/talent as far as impact goes than Revere, so Revere should spend more time working on batting. Same can be said for Florimon vs. Dozier as well.

Hell, I thought that Mastroianni, Ramirez, and Florimon were signed precisely to be the guys to fill in on the Twins roster instead of prospects/young players (Parmelee, Revere) and joke chumps (Thomas).

Since Gardy's out, it won't happen, but the move I've been hoping the team would make since 2007 is to make sure Joe Vavra is never, ever, our hitting coach again, under any circumstances. Otherwise, Seth's player moves make good sense. At this point, there's not many changes that can be worse than the status quo...

Originally Posted by SweetOne69

I am okay with the Thomas - Mastroianni swap as well as the Hendricks - Walters.

I like Thrylos' suggesting of Ray Chang as we do need a backup infielder and he can play 2B, 3B and SS. A pitcher can be DFA'ed or optioned to make it happen.

He even played a minimum amount of first base in 2010 and earlier, I believe. He really probably is a backup at all four positions.

One more move - demote Butera the second Mauer can catch, and bring up anything in his place. He's a waste on the bench, strike that, he's a waste on the team.

From Joe C's article in Strib:

Quotes from Gardy:

“A terrible night for Twins baseball. We got dominated by a very good pitcher over there. But we played terrible. We didn’t pitch worth a darn. Not aggressive. Missed a play or two. And got no-hit by a very good pitcher over there, which doesn’t make it any easier for our baseball team.”
Gardenhire noted that the Twins had an off day Thursday to regroup before opening a three-game series in Seattle on Friday. Then he said, “Questions? And make them quick.”

Asked if Liam Hendriks’ performance (2.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER) made it tougher on the offense, Gardenhire said, “He just didn’t pitch well. The kid didn’t get anything done. We didn’t hold runners. They ran all over the place on us. All the little things that a baseball team’s supposed to do, we didn’t do.

“Letting guys steal second, letting guys steal third. You go to the mound, you bring a pitcher in, tell him, ‘You’ve got to slide step. He’s going to steal third if we don’t.’ And and what do we do? The first pitch, pick your leg up and they take off running. If the guy hadn’t swung, he was standing up.

“That’s not acceptable. That’s not good baseball by any team. So we have to do a lot better. Running all over us. Looked like Little Leaguers out there, and that’s a bunch of bull.

“OK, that’s enough. I’m not going to go any further. Have a good night. Congratulations to Mr. Weaver.”


You don't need a crystal ball to tell you that Hendricks is about to be sent down. I think heads are going to roll.

Scotty, please just put a link in, or paraphrase. The cops'll get you for directly pasting from Strib.

Let's go get Eric Bedard. He's better than anything we are throwing out there right now.

ScottyB, I think he was also speaking about Burnett because he was on the mound when Hunter stole second.

That Gardy quotation makes me laugh, and cry.

Laugh because no matter if they held runners or did a few little things different here and there, that was a no-hit whopping. Those things would have no effect at the outcome of the game. Ok. maybe they would lose 4-0.

Cry because he said that the team had all day Thursday to regroup on the same breath he was shoving reporters out of his office so he can make the next flight out of town, 2 days before he needed to make it. And the sad thing is that no-one of those reporters dare to question him why he left last night, instead of, let's say Friday night...

Don't forget, Ryan was in charge of the drafts that did NOT develop players to come up the last three years....so I hope he's learned something new....or the scouts have, but let's be honest, none of that has changed in years and years.