You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Twins community on the internet.
1 Free agent starting pitchers from the TwinsCentric 2013 Offseason Handbook that have signed with a new team. It’s just Scott Baker so far. That’s it. I count five other are already off the market, but all of them re-signed with their old team (or had their option picked up and were traded): Jake Peavy, Hideki Kuroda, Hisahi Iwakuma, Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie. The bad news here is that a lot of those guys are the middle market - a level just below the big names where bargains might
Like the pretenders and imitators of the real Slim Shady, the Twins appear to have a preposterous situation at the SS position throughout the organization. Here, I discuss the 15 top shortstops in the organization with regard to their current output and future potential. Initially, the term "shortstop" will designate those players in the organization with significant playing time at the position in 2012 (Eduardo Escobar's 10 games at the position is the low point in terms of playing time at SS).
I think with this many teams going after pitching, average pitchers are going to get huge long term contracts. In one respect I feel sorry for Terry Ryan but in another sense we are all so tired of never getting an ace on this team because he is always bottom feeding. An ace will make the entire staff better and it is sorely needed. I think TR needs to forget what a cheapskate he is and be the highest bidder for the only true ace on the market. I don't even have to say his name, that is how clea
Incomplete Voltron – 2013 Twins and Beyond Now that I am living in Kagoshima, Japan, I have been enjoying myself – it has been quite an adventure and a culture shock. I have procured a job at a Burger King, working as a greeter dressed up as the “Burger King”. I have had better jobs in my lifetime, but overall it has been a pretty good experience. The customers have some nicknames for me, which is touching. They call me “Okuraseru” and “Akushū o hanatsu”. It is nice to feel loved and appreciat
Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of activity compared to last offseason, Denard Span and Josh Willingham trade scenarios, 40-man roster additions, prospect lists and the men who love them, Tsuyoshi Nishioka getting a raise back in Japan, Brett Myers rumors, avoiding Jeremy Guthrie, and the joys of Thanksgiving.
[video=youtube;DD132ReLx9s]
To hear the actual podcast, go to http://gleemanandthegeek.com/ After recording the 68th episode of their "Gleeman and The Geek" podcast Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes are joined by documentary filmmaker Nathan Fisher for a "Cribs"-like tour of Gleemanor.
I don’t think anybody expected to see the Minnesota Twins fall to such a low level after a terrific inaugural year at Target Field in 2010. Since losing three straight playoff games to the Evil Empire, the Twins have combined to go 129-195 over the last two years. The 2011 season was blamed on an enormous amount of injuries and the front office went out of their way to tell fans things would improve. Terry Ryan returned as the GM in November 2011 and wasted no time getting back in the groove
The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went… At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride to the hosp
'Tis the season both for overeating and overanalyzing potential Twins transactions. While most people in Twins Territory will be fixated on football in the next 72 hours, I thought, on the off chance that someone sneaks a peak at this space, that I should make it look presentable. So, here's a new blog on how best to address the biggest issue the local nine faces this year. Most of the truly accomplished and respected Twins' bloggers have presented their blueprints for general consumption. The p
This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’ve never been in favor of giving long-term contracts to pitchers. I thought the Mets would regret giving Johan Santana five years at the salary levels they paid him. I have never advocated that the Twins should get involved in a bidding war for a Cliff Lee or a Roy Halladay or any other pitcher that was obviously going to get 5+ years at a bazillion dollars per year from one of the mega-market teams. It just doesn’t make sen
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins announced the additions of eight players to their 40 man roster. This protects those players from being selected in the December 6 Rule 5 draft. They added pitchers Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, BJ Hermsen, Tim Wood and Michael Tonkin, along with catcher Josmil Pinto, infielder Danny Santana and outfielder Aaron Hicks. Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson were considered absolutes, the givens, to be added. Aaron Hicks, the Twins 2008 first round pick out high school in
It was pretty obvious that Oswalt struggled as a starter down in Texas last year, earning him a couple different assignments to the bullpen. I went through his pitchf/x data for the season to differentiate Oswalt's effectiveness in the two roles and found some evidence that he could still be a valuable piece coming out of the pen in 2013. In a small sample, Oswalt's fastballs missed bats about twice as often when he was coming out of relief (15.93% versus 8.39%). I believe this is a good sign fo
This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’m constantly struck by how so many otherwise intelligent people suddenly sound like idiots when discussing issues related to money. A number of these people are certainly not idiots… they’re accomplished business owners and/or people who have achieved considerable success at running businesses. So if they aren’t as stupid as the words they’re saying makes them sound, one can only assume that they think the people hearing/readi
Torii Hunter had 12 or 13 teams chasing after him?!? And signed for two years and $26M? Then how much must Josh Willingham, who hit twice as many home runs as Hunter last year and makes half as much, be worth? I thought of this question on Sunday as I was podcasting with Aaron Gleeman. A quick look at the top free agent outfielders made me even more interested. Below are the top five free agent outfielders. Let’s go through them as a general manager who is looking for right-handed power in an
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2716[/ATTACH] It has been another interesting week for Twins prospects who are playing in the Winter Leagues. The Arizona Fall League came to an end on Saturday afternoon when the Peoria Javelinas (the team the Twins prospects played for) won the championship game. Some prospects tours on the winter leagues are coming to an end while a few others began playing this past week. Here’s how players from the Twins system did during the week from November 12-18. ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.