Article: Trade Glen Perkins

[chopper0080]

Very well said.

 

I know its still early, but with the prospects coming up for 2015, along with the current crop and some payroll flexibility to fill some holes (I think Ryan did pretty damn well this off-season) I would be shocked if the Twins didn't at least "Compete" next year and finish a few games over .500 at the least, if things break right they could take a relatively winnable division.

Also don't forget getting a healthy/effective Nolasco back at some point is just like making a trade

 

Disagree. Look at Aaron Hicks. Look at Oswaldo Arcia. Look at Kyle Gibson. We are seeing right in front of us the growing pains that young players go through when they asscend to the major league level. Are we really going to be so naive that we believe Meyer, Mays, Buxton, Rosario and Sano will not go through these same struggles in some form or another? We aren't competing in 2015, we are growing but that growth rarely translates into wins. There will be injuries, slumps, and mental errors, all which will keep our wins down despite the flashes of potential.

[DaveW]

We're heard this too much the last few years and with bad luck set-backs in the minors it has even less credibility. Any belief that we're going to have that many guys up by June of 2015 seems really pie in the sky to me.

 

Perkins should stay because he's fantastic at his job, affordable, young, and a good voice to have on this team. Hell, I'd keep him just for the hope that his modern baseball sensibilities spread.

Yes/no. While its never a good idea to count the prospect eggs before they hatch, it should be noted that the current crop that should be here in 2015: May, Meyer, Sano, Buxton. Absolutely dwarf those of the last 10 or so years of crops about to hit the majors. That doesn't even include guys like: Vargas, Burdi, Berrios, Rosario who could make significant impacts as well.

 

Toss in a couple of young kids with talent like Arcia and Pinto and you are looking at 10 guys who all have the potential to be above average major leaguers (of course not all of them will reach that, some will hopefully be studs, and some will bust) but that is an insane number of guys who have potential as early as 2015 (if not the last few months of this season)

 

Additionally they have enough money to bring in another 2 bats or so as well. I'd prefer they stay away from the FA pitching market unless they want to bring in a legit ace/#2 guy. Any guy that projects as a middle to back end of the rotation shouldn't even be considered since we have: Hughes, Gibson, Meyer, May, Nolasco, Pelfrey, Pino etc

 

Basically this looks a lot like when the Twins became a very good team in the early 2000's with core guys coming up through the system more or less like: Hunter, Cuddyer, Mauer, Morneau, Santana, Liriano etc Hopefully Perkins/Mauer are a lot like our Radke/Koskie during this resurgence of bridging the "Crappy Twins" to the "Division winning year after year Twins!"

[jokin]

It's worth mentioning that pretty much any team in baseball can afford taking on Perkins contract. He is on pace for a 2+ WAR season this year, which makes his 6.5 million (which he doesn't make until the last year) a freaking steal. (NTM his 4 mil and 4.6 mil in 2014/2015)

 

I agree, but most teams this July are looking for rentals, not long-termers, even with a team-friendly contract like Perk's.

[TheLeviathan]

May, Meyer, Sano, Buxton.

 

Buxton basically lost his season this year, I don't think he's up before September and probably for good reason. And as pointed out before, even guys that absolutely raked like Arcia have hard adjustments to make. 2016 seems like a far more likely scenario to have the elite crop up with the team.

 

If you want to comp it with old Twins seasons, 2015 might look a lot like the 2000 Twins. Right now there simply aren't enough guys on the roster to comp it to 2001. We're more in 1999 this season.

[Bill Parker]

Jeez, chopper0080. I can be an awfully negative person myself, but how do you even get out of bed in the morning?

 

Perkins and Suzuki are not older players -- both are in the middle of their primes and could very likely help a contending team 2 or even 3 seasons from now -- and selling Perkins right now wouldn't necessarily even be "selling high," as he's performed much better than his 2.83 ERA suggests.

 

There are dozens of other flaws in your thinking, IMO, but it's making me too depressed to talk about them.

[DaveW]

Disagree. Look at Aaron Hicks. Look at Oswaldo Arcia. Look at Kyle Gibson.

 

It's a bit of an apples and oranges scenario. Buxton, Sano and Meyer are all better prospects then those three listed.

 

Arcia is basically comparable to Vargas, and plus you have many more like May, Berrios, Rosario, Walker etc

[jokin]

We're more in 1999 this season.

 

So then that means we should "party like it", then?

 

 

[jeffk]

If you narrow your goal to being very specifically "what can we do to optmize the chances of a World Series in five years", then yes, one can't really argue with this article. I also know there's a bit of one-upsmanship around this forum as to who can be the coldest, anything-to-win armchair GM.

 

But this prospect is so entirely depressing that I'm kinda surprised anyone sees things in terms that limited. He's one of only a handful of watchable aspects of this team, and his contract quite obviously represents a gentleman's agreement regarding not being traded. You trade him and even more people stop watching and stop caring. In fact, even if the goal is a World Series, trading him and giving people another reason to stop showing up may end up undermining you by reducing ticket sales even further.

[DaveW]

Buxton basically lost his season this year, I don't think he's up before September and probably for good reason. And as pointed out before, even guys that absolutely raked like Arcia have hard adjustments to make. 2016 seems like a far more likely scenario to have the elite crop up with the team.

 

If you want to comp it with old Twins seasons, 2015 might look a lot like the 2000 Twins. Right now there simply aren't enough guys on the roster to comp it to 2001. We're more in 1999 this season.

I think it's up to Buxton on when he will be up next year, all signs point to him being back at 100% It isn't too much of a reach to think he gets 2 nice months in AA to start the year and is in Minnesota sometime in June.

 

The thing with Arcia is we knew the whole time his strike out rate/low walk rate could bite him in the ass in the majors. Now, that is a concern with most prospects, but it was a big reason why he was never really a "top 50" type guy. Sano/Buxton should have significantly less to adjust to because of the sheer talent they bring to the table.

 

My point is they have 10 young guys that all have pretty solid potential to be at least above average major leaguers, 3 of those guys project to be "stars" in Sano, Buxton and Meyer. Also you have some young guys who have struggled at times but still have plenty of years/potential left like: Hicks, Pinto, Arcia. If the Twins even have average luck with the number of those guys that pan out (along with some solid FA signings) then it isn't hard to see them being at least a 85 or so win team next year with the potential to really take off if guys like Sano/Buxton come on like gangbusters.

[birddog]

Great article that does make sense, sad as that may be for Twins fans. A great closer for a team like the Twins is a luxury that only the coaches can truly appreciate. As fans we want wins, but what difference does it really make to win the 3-5 more games Perkins will provide when you have one of the ten worst records in baseball? Perkins has become a leader on a team that had none since we lost Torii, Cuddyer, and Morneau and for that fact I hope we retain him. The Twins finally have a personality--which they didn't have the past three years. They have become much more fun to watch, although I still can't watch all nine innings like I used to.

 

Perkins is very cheap, which seems to be the top priority for Twins management. We once again have to put our trust in Terry Ryan to decide what is best for the future. I still believe that TR is a great GM, but not as strongly as I trusted him three years ago. If we trade Perkins, the take has to rival the AJ Pierzynski trade. If not, keep him for all the factors he provides.

[TwinsTerritory]

A lot of negativity this morning (with a sprinkle of super optimism)! I think the Twins are somewhere in between. I would be shocked if May, Meyer, Sano, and Buxton aren't on the 25 man roster at some point in mid-2015 and I think the Twins can finish within a game or two of .500 next year. I see no reason that they can't compete for a playoff spot in 2016 and I think having Glen Perkins will help.

 

Having said that, if some team blew the Twins away they would have to consider trading anyone on the current 25 man roster. I think the idea of the Dodgers offering Cory Seager is far-fetched (he's more likely the main part of a package for David Price), but if that happened the Twins would have to make a deal. As someone mentioned above, great teams have great starting pitching and impact hitters. If you can get a great starting pitcher or impact hitter for a relief pitcher, you have to do it.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I say hold on to Perkins until more information is available. If the Twins magically compete next season (or show signs they will compete in 2016), they'll regret having traded their best reliever, a Minnesota native under a team-friendly contract.

 

When has any team really regretted trading a closer? It's probably the easiest "starting" spot on a roster to affordably replace -- the Twins have done it over and over the past 14 seasons.

 

Of course, that fact also limits the likely return for Perkins in trade, regardless of when you trade him -- and it means his 4+ seasons of control aren't adding as much value for him as compared to a starting pitcher or position player.

 

I think Perk and Dozier are well-liked by the front office and the marketing department, and they are controlled for a long while. Neither is getting shopped now, and neither is likely to inspire overwhelming offers.

[jokin]

If you narrow your goal to being very specifically "what can we do to optmize the chances of a World Series in five years", then yes, one can't really argue with this article. I also know there's a bit of one-upsmanship around this forum as to who can be the coldest, anything-to-win armchair GM.

 

But this prospect is so entirely depressing that I'm kinda surprised anyone sees things in terms that limited. He's one of only a handful of watchable aspects of this team, and his contract quite obviously represents a gentleman's agreement regarding not being traded. You trade him and even more people stop watching and stop caring. In fact, even if the goal is a World Series, trading him and giving people another reason to stop showing up may end up undermining you by reducing ticket sales even further.

 

Yes, but past Twins fan attendance behavior strongly indicates that ticket sales will only be down until the original goal that opened your post is clearly within reach. A team that plays favorites to please the fans in the short-term does so with the inherent risk on missing out on the moves that should be made for the overall betterment of the team in the long-term. It's not personal, it's business.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I can create a scenario next year where a lot of pieces fall into place for Twins, like May, Meyer, Berrios in starting rotation, and Sano, Buxton filling out lineup next year and contributing, if not starrring, along with a few more players raising their game a notch. So with that scenario, Perkins becomes very, very important player closing games. Sorry - trading Perkins is a bad idea.

 

If you can assume May, Meyer, Berrios, Sano and Buxton all fill out the lineup and contribute...why not also assume that one of the Twins AAA relievers could fill out the lineup as a closer...maybe even Burdi or whomever.

[DaveW]

If you can assume May, Myer, Berrios, Sano and Buxton all fill out the lineup and contribute...why not also assume that one of the Twins AAA relievers could fill out the lineup as a closer...maybe even Burdi or whomever.

The bullpen is bigger than "one guy" IMHO until you have 3 guys that are shut down type guys in the pen you don't have some insane abundance. The Twins currently have one in Perkins, if Burdi comes up and is the second coming, then you have two in the pen with a solid 7th inning guy in Fien. If some how they then land another shut down type guy in the pen at that point you look to trade Perkins (or Burdi or whoever) since you suddenly have an abundance of them.

 

As Brock mentioned as well, Perkins value 16 months from now would likely be the same (or better) than it is now anyways.

[jokin]

When has any team really regretted trading a closer? It's probably the easiest "starting" spot on a roster to affordably replace -- the Twins have done it over and over the past 14 seasons.

 

Of course, that fact also limits the likely return for Perkins in trade, regardless of when you trade him -- and it means his 4+ seasons of control aren't adding as much value for him as compared to a starting pitcher or position player.

 

I think Perk and Dozier are well-liked by the front office and the marketing department, and they are controlled for a long while. Neither is getting shopped now, and neither is likely to inspire overwhelming offers.

 

I agree with almost all of your post, but I do think it's possible that teams with a larger margin for error still might come calling for Perkins with a strong offer (the Dodgers, of all of the realistic contenders, the Dodgers have by far the worst RP crew based on the numbers http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2014&month=0&season1=2014&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0).

[Otto von Ballpark]

Would folks here accept the Padres return for Huston Street?

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/07/angels-to-acquire-huston-street-from-padres.html

 

1. 22 y.o. 2B, 2010 "sandwich" pick (37th overall), ranked #93 overall and #1 among Angels prospects by BA preseason but scuffling a bit this year in AAA (only .247/.323/.400 in PCL, albeit with improving K and BB rates)

2. 23 y.o. reliever, ranked #4 among Angels prospects preseason, 2012 3rd rounder, 13.5 K/9 career thru AA

3. 20 y.o. SS, .300/.353/.397 career thru high-A

4. 22 y.o. starter, 2013 4th rounder, decent K numbers so far but BB/9 spike to 5.6 in first taste of high-A

 

I guess the Padres also threw in their 2013 6th rounder, a college reliever, it appears.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I will always advocate trading a closer for another position player or starter. The position of closer is way over rated, especially on a team with out much chance of winning a division title or wildcard race for several years. Give me a good fielding, decent hitting SS (Gordon is 3 years away...Polanco is 2 years away), catcher (?), 2B (We've got a good one-Dozier) and CF (Buxton is 2 years away) and then build around them. Several flame throwing RH pitchers (Meyer, Berrios, Stewart) and one good lefty starter (?). Some good fielding OF with decent arms and power- Sano and ?), a power 3B (?...Polanco, but no power), Mauer at 1B complete with his singles and doubles, a good relief corps, which we have at the major league level and at AAA and AA. A DH made up of all the other guys (Little Papi, aka Vargas-?). Closer is the last position to fill.

[jokin]

A lot of negativity this morning (with a sprinkle of super optimism)! I think the Twins are somewhere in between. I would be shocked if May, Meyer, Sano, and Buxton aren't on the 25 man roster at some point in mid-2015 and I think the Twins can finish within a game or two of .500 next year. I see no reason that they can't compete for a playoff spot in 2016 and I think having Glen Perkins will help.

 

Having said that, if some team blew the Twins away they would have to consider trading anyone on the current 25 man roster. I think the idea of the Dodgers offering Cory Seager is far-fetched (he's more likely the main part of a package for David Price), but if that happened the Twins would have to make a deal. As someone mentioned above, great teams have great starting pitching and impact hitters. If you can get a great starting pitcher or impact hitter for a relief pitcher, you have to do it.

 

Besides Seager (and you're right about his talent possibly commanding Price in return), Joc Pederson might fill the bill as the major-league-ready OFer, plus impact hitter. And the Dodgers desperately need a catching upgrade (remember how much the Dodgers valued Butera).

[DaveW]

Would folks here accept the Padres return for Huston Street?

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/07/angels-to-acquire-huston-street-from-padres.html

 

1. 22 y.o. 2B, 2010 "sandwich" pick (37th overall), ranked #93 overall and #1 among Angels prospects by BA preseason but scuffling a bit this year in AAA (only .247/.323/.400 in PCL, albeit with improving K and BB rates)

2. 23 y.o. reliever, ranked #4 among Angels prospects preseason, 2012 3rd rounder, 13.5 K/9 career thru AA

3. 20 y.o. SS, .300/.353/.397 career thru high-A

4. 22 y.o. starter, 2013 4th rounder, decent K numbers so far but BB/9 spike to 5.6 in first taste of high-A

 

I guess the Padres also threw in their 2013 6th rounder, a college reliever, it appears.

I personally wouldn't. Lindsey is the only legit prospect on there and doesn't project to have "star" type potential.

 

It would take a lot, lot more IMO

[nicksaviking]

I like Perk but would move him for a good package. Closers should be expendable and offered to any sucker who will pay for them. They are simply manufactured out of the "next man up" philosophy. Right now Casey Fein has only a little value, but if Perkins were to have gotten hurt in May and Fein had saved 20 games in his absence, his value would increase ten fold despite doing the exact same thing.

 

Even guys we think of as average or subpar closers work out just fine. It's sexy to see a 1.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, but the odds are that that pitcher isn't going to have overall different results (did you hold onto the lead?) than the closer with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Craig Kimbrel has blown 4 saves this year compared to Steve Cishek's 3. Kimbrel is a better pitcher and there's no debate, but his overall results aren't any better than Cishek's.

 

Right now, every closer who has double digit saves has between 1-5 blown saves. That's a pretty small variance. The top two save artists, Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal, each have 4 blown saves. It's a flukey endgame created from an arbitrary position. The team that realizes this and opens up a continual "closer" retail store will reap large rewards. At least until the rest of the league catches on.

[jokin]

Would folks here accept the Padres return for Huston Street?

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/07/angels-to-acquire-huston-street-from-padres.html

 

1. 22 y.o. 2B, 2010 "sandwich" pick (37th overall), ranked #93 overall and #1 among Angels prospects by BA preseason but scuffling a bit this year in AAA (only .247/.323/.400 in PCL, albeit with improving K and BB rates)

2. 23 y.o. reliever, ranked #4 among Angels prospects preseason, 2012 3rd rounder, 13.5 K/9 career thru AA

3. 20 y.o. SS, .300/.353/.397 career thru high-A

4. 22 y.o. starter, 2013 4th rounder, decent K numbers so far but BB/9 spike to 5.6 in first taste of high-A

 

I guess the Padres also threw in their 2013 6th rounder, a college reliever, it appears.

 

The Angels system isn't rich, but that's a pretty impressive haul, and Street is only signed through this year with a $7M team option for 2015. Arguably, Perk's better than Street, with a more favorable contract, seems like you'd get an even bigger return in trade, especially if Suzuki was packaged in the deal.

[jokin]

I like Perk but would move him for a good package. Closers should be expendable and offered to any sucker who will pay for them. They are simply manufactured out of the "next man up" philosophy. Right now Casey Fein has only a little value, but if Perkins were to have gotten hurt in May and Fein had saved 20 games in his absence, his value would increase ten fold despite doing the exact same thing.

 

Even guys we think of as average or subpar closers work out just fine. It's sexy to see a 1.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, but the odds are that that pitcher isn't going to have overall different results (did you hold onto the lead?) than the closer with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Craig Kimbrel has blown 4 saves this year compared to Steve Cishek's 3. Kimbrel is a better pitcher and there's no debate, but his overall results aren't any better than Cishek's.

 

Right now, every closer who has double digit saves has between 1-5 blown saves. That's a pretty small variance. The top two save artists, Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal, each have 4 blown saves. It's a flukey endgame created from an arbitrary position. The team that realizes this and opens up a continual "closer" retail store will reap large rewards. At least until the rest of the league catches on.

 

 

Very well-stated.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Would folks here accept the Padres return for Huston Street?

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/07/angels-to-acquire-huston-street-from-padres.html

 

1. 22 y.o. 2B, 2010 "sandwich" pick (37th overall), ranked #93 overall and #1 among Angels prospects by BA preseason but scuffling a bit this year in AAA (only .247/.323/.400 in PCL, albeit with improving K and BB rates)

2. 23 y.o. reliever, ranked #4 among Angels prospects preseason, 2012 3rd rounder, 13.5 K/9 career thru AA

3. 20 y.o. SS, .300/.353/.397 career thru high-A

4. 22 y.o. starter, 2013 4th rounder, decent K numbers so far but BB/9 spike to 5.6 in first taste of high-A

 

I guess the Padres also threw in their 2013 6th rounder, a college reliever, it appears.

 

Heck yea the Padres were smart to make this trade. Street is a free agent in 2 more months, with a team option for 2015 at another $7 million. How many more years is Perkins under contract at almost 60% of Street's $7 million contract?

[DaveW]

I like Perk but would move him for a good package. Closers should be expendable and offered to any sucker who will pay for them. They are simply manufactured out of the "next man up" philosophy. Right now Casey Fein has only a little value, but if Perkins were to have gotten hurt in May and Fein had saved 20 games in his absence, his value would increase ten fold despite doing the exact same thing.

 

Even guys we think of as average or subpar closers work out just fine. It's sexy to see a 1.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, but the odds are that that pitcher isn't going to have overall different results (did you hold onto the lead?) than the closer with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Craig Kimbrel has blown 4 saves this year compared to Steve Cishek's 3. Kimbrel is a better pitcher and there's no debate, but his overall results aren't any better than Cishek's.

 

Right now, every closer who has double digit saves has between 1-5 blown saves. That's a pretty small variance. The top two save artists, Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal, each have 4 blown saves. It's a flukey endgame created from an arbitrary position. The team that realizes this and opens up a continual "closer" retail store will reap large rewards. At least until the rest of the league catches on.

 

I think using blown saves as an argument is the pitching equivalent to using RBI's as an argument if you were comparing two players.

 

i.e. Player X has a .900 OPS but only 75 RBI while Player Y has a .780 OPS and 85 RBI, therefore you don't really need Player X since Player Y is driving int hose runs.

 

Kimbrel is an absolute beast on the mound and is on pace to become on of the best relief pitchers in baseball history (long ways to go health wise etc)

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I like Perk but would move him for a good package. Closers should be expendable and offered to any sucker who will pay for them. They are simply manufactured out of the "next man up" philosophy. Right now Casey Fein has only a little value, but if Perkins were to have gotten hurt in May and Fein had saved 20 games in his absence, his value would increase ten fold despite doing the exact same thing.

 

Even guys we think of as average or subpar closers work out just fine. It's sexy to see a 1.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, but the odds are that that pitcher isn't going to have overall different results (did you hold onto the lead?) than the closer with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Craig Kimbrel has blown 4 saves this year compared to Steve Cishek's 3. Kimbrel is a better pitcher and there's no debate, but his overall results aren't any better than Cishek's.

 

Right now, every closer who has double digit saves has between 1-5 blown saves. That's a pretty small variance. The top two save artists, Kimbrel and Trevor Rosenthal, each have 4 blown saves. It's a flukey endgame created from an arbitrary position. The team that realizes this and opens up a continual "closer" retail store will reap large rewards. At least until the rest of the league catches on.

 

I agree 100 %.

[tobi0040]

I think using blown saves as an argument is the pitching equivalent to using RBI's as an argument if you were comparing two players.

 

i.e. Player X has a .900 OPS but only 75 RBI while Player Y has a .780 OPS and 85 RBI, therefore you don't really need Player X since Player Y is driving int hose runs.

 

Kimbrel is an absolute beast on the mound and is on pace to become on of the best relief pitchers in baseball history (long ways to go health wise etc)

 

Perkins is a top 5 closer. Maybe not in any given year, but over the last few years his name is up there each year. I don't want to count on Burdi, the longevity of guys that throw 100+ and have a 90+ mph slider is not great.

[Dantes929]

I don't see a large value difference between Perkins today and Perkins 16 months from now, provided he stays healthy.

 

I say hold on to Perkins until more information is available. If the Twins magically compete next season (or show signs they will compete in 2016), they'll regret having traded their best reliever, a Minnesota native under a team-friendly contract.

The idea behind trading any asset is that you get at least as much value as you give up and trading with contending teams the idea is that you get more in return than you give up. I don't know how to assess the return value of Perkins but it should be sufficient enough that they will have no regrets. In other words if we get a shortstop and reliever in return that help us compete in 2016 I'm not going to complain that we don't also still have the reliever that got those pieces. Perkins should certainly get us more than a guy like Ramos. Capps wasn't as good as Perkins and was not under control for as long.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I agree with almost all of your post, but I do think it's possible that team's with a larger margin for error still might come calling for Perkins with a strong offer (the Dodgers, of all of the realistic contenders, the Dodgers have by far the worst RP crew based on the numbers http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2014&month=0&season1=2014&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0).

 

Ah, the Dodgers. Every selling team's favorite trade target.

 

Not sure if fWAR is the best measure of bullpen performance. Dodgers rank #13 in MLB in bullpen xFIP (and much the same in ERA/FIP), virtually tied with the Cardinals, Tigers, Nationals, and various other contenders. The Dodgers have an awesome closer (13.5 K/9, 5.25 K:BB rates the past 3 seasons), a 175 ERA+ setup man, and a shutdown lefty. They may be looking for help but pretty sure they're not looking for a blockbuster bullpen acquisition. Plus, Perkins future affordability is of less value to a big spending team like the Dodgers.

 

Toronto's bullpen ranks pretty low, but a closer inspection shows that its two biggest offenders (7+ ERA guys) have already been replaced.

 

I don't think closer deals will come much better than the Huston Street deal. If they did, I'd probably move Perkins -- holding onto a closer in the face of such an offer would be a misallocation of resources, similar to our 3/42 extension for Joe Nathan -- but I don't see it happening.

[DaveW]

Perkins is a top 5 closer. Maybe not in any given year, but over the last few years his name is up there each year. I don't want to count on Burdi, the longevity of guys that throw 100+ and have a 90+ mph slider is not great.

Agreed, and as a top 5 closer that makes him one of the best 5 relief pitchers in baseball. Those types just don't grow on trees. And you certainly don't trade them just to trade them (especially when you have them at a well below market level contract for the next 4+ seasons!)

 

And yes, as some have pointed out the Twins have had a lot of luck over the years in re: to closers: Nathan, Eddie G, Perkins etc all coming from sort of "out of nowhere". However you don't have to look to far in the past or to hard in the present to see how there are several teams every year that lose a significant amount of games due to closer issues.