Thread: Which scrap heap players should the Twins target in free agency?

Carroll was brought in for his work ethics and ability to play backup, if need be. I think the Twins were oping he would be a .280 hitter rather than .240. Sometimes it helps to have that veteran on the field or in the bullpen. Especially if they are personable. Yes, helps more if you are competitive team....but an extra coach that plays ball for real...valuable. The Twins biggest challenge in 2012 -- why would someone want to come here and play? That is the question we need to ask when choosing who the Twins should target. One-year deals, less money to play on a legit contender to prove yourself a viable property would be just as good as playing for the Twins. If I was an average pitcher, my record would look better if the team scored runs.

It would be fantastic to get Torii back. He's old, but he's playing well. I'd much enjoy his veteran leadership back. The only question I have about him is can the Twins make room for another OF? Span would have to be dealt, barring an injury.

Freddy Garcia is also intriguing. He's shown the ability to miss some bats this year. His ERA isn't pretty this year, however, and he hasn't thrown 160 innings since 2006. If he can be durable and post an ERA around 4, I'd be tickled pink. I see him signing for closer to 3M though rather than 3.5 or 4 this season.

I'd be excited to get Joba. He throws hard and could thrive in Minnesota. If he's healthy he could be a real valuable asset and perhaps serve as trade bait around the deadline. I'd imagine he would have quite a few suitors this offseason though. Some guys just can't do it in NY and I think a bounceback is anticipated by many.

Nice thread.

Leave the scrap heap alone, get someone good or not at all. We have got alot of young players coming up they need to play.

To be clear, the twins will need to get at least one legit FA pitcher and likely trade someone for another one. I do think a scrap heap signing or two makes a ton of sense for the org though on top of this. Personally, both Baker and Bedard would be good targets, though I'll be honest in that I'm not sure I'd expect much of Baker until June. I wouldn't mind a 2 year deal with Stephen Drew either, unless there's some scouting info on him that says he's done. I assume Casilla is gone, so at least with Drew you have someone who has a much higher upside. You can let Carrol/Dozier battle it out for the other spot. If Dozier force it, then Carrol becomes a utility guy.

Name any former Twin that used to be halfway useful and this board would love to see him back in a Twins uniform, no matter how big of a waste of money and a roster spot. I hope the Pohlads aren't reading this.

I was hoping the Twins would claim Lester and see if the Bosox were doing a salary dump. That being said I think Marcum would be a great pickup and pricewise might be less than Lester. Drew should be gettable and I also like Chamberlain(though I think his price would be high). Any other of the scrap pitchers would have more downside than upside. Hunter would just take up space needed for the young outfielders. Maybe Pavano if cheap enough with a spring training invite(he seems to like it here).

Originally Posted by beckmt

(he seems to like it here).

Careful, this is just the company line that they tow around here knowing that it may keep them off of Gardy's **** list. These guys don't like it any more here on a losing club than they would somewhere else, especially where they could either 1. win, or 2. make more money.

They need to bring in 1 big name starter, I dont care who it is. Just someone who can anchor this rotation. After that, sign another starting pitcher for a 1 year deal (even if its Baker for 5 million). That leaves spots 3-5 in the rotation for Diamond/Blackburn/Hendricks/Gibson/other minor leaguers.

Melky can stay in the NL west or out of baseball. Certainly not with the Twins. if I wanted to see a freak show I'd go to the fair, not TF.

Other long-shots:

Jon Lester
Pro: Might be relatively easy to acquire given his rough season and signed for only one more year.
Con: Signing on to a FA-to-be situation isn't their style.

Ervin Santana
Pro: Another guy with a rough season but with a track record of decency previously. Heading to FA.
Con: Signing on to a guy they'd probably consider an "enigma" isn't their style.

I suspect they'll work the scrap heap per usual, and then hope some guys step up. I suppose they might maybe consider moving a Sano or Hicks for a young SP. That's not their style, either, but given the circumstances they might consider it.

Maicer Izturis or attempt to acquire Steven Drew. Gavin Floyd seems like a good fit.

Shell out 20 + for my main man GREINKE. With his personality disorder, what better place to come than no media minnesota where he wouldn't even get recognized walking throught the plaza at Target field.

So I guess the scrap heap thread is dead and a regular free agent/trade thread has taken over? It was inevitable really.

Bedard released today - I say take a flyer, let him get acclimated and see if we can get him on the cheap for next year. And if we do trade Span, see if we can get Torii for cheap. He'd fit in nicely in right field for a couple of years while we wait for Arcia/Hicks. Just saw that Iwakuma is a free agent this fall (he wasn't listed at MLB Trade Rumors). The Twinks had an interest in him when he was in Japan. I know that things didn't work out with Nishi, but I'd go after Iwakuma, he's looked good against the Twins.

I agree, enough with the scrap heap pile. Speaking of scrap heap, can we all admit that something else was going on with Jason Marquis. That was a pretty quick trigger on the guy. I think they got sick of that stupid New York, go f yo motha, accent of his.

Originally Posted by Twins Twerp

I agree, enough with the scrap heap pile. Speaking of scrap heap, can we all admit that something else was going on with Jason Marquis. That was a pretty quick trigger on the guy. I think they got sick of that stupid New York, go f yo motha, accent of his.

Feel free to visit any other thread, or any other site then...

Originally Posted by Twins Twerp

I agree, enough with the scrap heap pile. Speaking of scrap heap, can we all admit that something else was going on with Jason Marquis. That was a pretty quick trigger on the guy. I think they got sick of that stupid New York, go f yo motha, accent of his.

I guess I should have put one of these after my post because I actually wasn't excited about the direction the thread had taken. "Go get Greinke" has probably been written 100 times on this site already. I liked Dave's thread, the scrap heap can be boring, and at times infuriating, but sometimes you get bargains like Ryan Doumit and Jared Burton.

I like the idea of going after Jorge De La Rosa, with the idea that if he can't cut it in the rotation any longer, the Twins give him a fair shake in the bullpen. He hasn't been a reliever in a long time, but he has pretty good stuff that might be dominant in short outings and he might be able to drop one of his weaker pitches. He should be sufficiently recovered from TJ surgery next spring and you could get lucky and find a middle of the rotaion arm for cheap.

Originally Posted by joeboo_22

I don't have a problem with some pitching 1 year, incentive loaded contracts because they are little risk. But I hate making little impact signings that don't really help much and are just blocking others in the organization that may (or may not) have a future. Look at Jamey Carroll, why did the Twins sign him? He is a .240 hitter with decent defense (little range), and no power. Why not take that money and go spend it on a pticher somewhere.

They thought he would be more of a 270/370/400 hitter with decent speed and steady defense. That would be a great thing to slot into the #2 slot (knowing how Gardy likes his MI hitting 2) for a team with so little MI depth. (That was before Revere emerged). He is also a decent mentor for the twins young MI. Finally, Its not as if he's blocking our organizational top prospect. We have no MI depth

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Bedard released today - I say take a flyer, let him get acclimated and see if we can get him on the cheap for next year.

I'd love to see Bedard.

This will never, ever happen, but how about Carlos Zambrano on a minor league, incentive based contract? The talent is there. We took a low-risk flyer on Joel Z, why not the big (slightly crazy) Z? thoughts?