Fare Thee Well, Matt Guerrier; Hello Ryan Pressly

[JB_Iowa]

• Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 5m
  Matt Guerrier designated for assignment. Ryan Pressly to be recalled
   
   
  Bye Matt, we loved you the first time around.
   
  Welcome back Ryan Pressly.
   
   
   
   
  (Looking for a lot more moves over the next few weeks).
   
   
  

[James]

This isn't that surprising, especially after last night's disaster.

 

I loved to see him out on the mound the first time around, but he just didn't look like the same guy on second time with the team.

[gmarais66]

• Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 5m
  Matt Guerrier designated for assignment. Ryan Pressly to be recalled
   
   
  Bye Matt, we loved you the first time around.
   
  Welcome back Ryan Pressly.
   
   
   
   
  (Looking for a lot more moves over the next few weeks).
  

 

 

I'm wondering if the Twins thought he was trying to hide an injury from them, so they cut him loose...

[Otto von Ballpark]

A step in the right direction, frees a 40-man roster spot. Not much excuse to keep Meyer down any longer, especially with an open Saturday start looming.

[gmarais66]

A step in the right direction, frees a 40-man roster spot. Not much excuse to keep Meyer down any longer, especially with an open Saturday start looming.

 

I think Darnell is pitching Saturday...

[TwinsTerritory]

Seems to me that Gibson will start on Saturday.

 

Meyer is scheduled to start tonight. If he doesn't make the start, there will be a lot of excitement on TD!

[Dman]

I can't think of any reason they had him up with the team other than the hope of shopping him at the deadline. I take it no teams were interested in trading anything for him. After watching him last night nothing was going to change so you DFA.

 

Well they just need to get rid of Burton now and we can get another young guy up and see how he does.

[beckmt]

Bye, Bye Matt, it was a good run. Need to start seeing the youngsters in Minnesota.

[drjim]

Should be an interesting 8 days. Lots of vets with no future and plenty of guys (particularly arms) in AAA that are ready for a shot.

[cmathewson]

I never understood the signing, other than Gard-anderson's bromance with veterans. Even if he returned to his former self, he would not be worth much at the deadline. The value of developing Pressly or some other was higher than any potential return, imho.

[Brandon]

results matter and up until a few days ago he got them. I agree that they think he must be hurt. His results are good enough that someone should pick him up for the stretch run as a long man. Unless of course he really is hurt.

[Seth Stohs]

Seems to me that Gibson will start on Saturday.

 

Meyer is scheduled to start tonight. If he doesn't make the start, there will be a lot of excitement on TD!

 

Correct on all counts!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Guerrier was good at times, I thought it never made much sense to bring him back, but it's still a little jarring to hear the news. Best of luck to him - very nice career.

[old nurse]

Is there some added bonus for ever full year of service time after 5 years in the MLB pension? Guerrier was released shortly after passing the 9 year mark. Bartlet officially retired about the day after 7.

[twinsnorth49]

Better late than never, nothing against Guerrier, I liked him in his first go round but his return just seemed like a big waste of time for everyone .

[strumdatjag]

Now they're three for three on this year's retreads. Kubel -Out Bartlett - Out Guerrier - Out

 

No refound glory with these guys. But they got them on the cheap, and glory can be refound sometimes. Look at Scott Kazmir!!!

[pierre75275]

Now drop Burton and bring up Archer, Oliveros or Tonkin.

[stringer bell]

I agree with most thoughts about Guerrier. Best wishes to him. He had a far better career than many who had much more stuff.

 

I'm a bit surprised that Pressly was recalled. He started out poorly for the Red Wings and Tonkin is thought be the better prospect. However, Pressly has pitched multiple innings frequently in Rochester and his performance has improved in the middle third of the season. I think that the Twins are trying to decide whether Pressly has a chance to help them down the road or not. If he doesn't impress, he could well be taken off the 40-man.

[jokin]

I agree with most thoughts about Guerrier. Best wishes to him. He had a far better career than many who had much more stuff.

 

I'm a bit surprised that Pressly was recalled. He started out poorly for the Red Wings and Tonkin is thought be the better prospect. However, Pressly has pitched multiple innings frequently in Rochester and his performance has improved in the middle third of the season. I think that the Twins are trying to decide whether Pressly has a chance to help them down the road or not. If he doesn't impress, he could well be taken off the 40-man.

 

I generally agree with your post, but you understated his improvements, he's been simply terrific since May 9, with a 1.97 ERA and K/9 of 10.05, and unlike some of the other promotees, his success hasn't been luck-related. As you said, he's bulldogging big innings in AAA. 60.1 in 35 games, vs. 28 IP in 23 games for Tonkin. Pressly is likely to get similar opportunities with the Twins, there are bound to be starter-short-performance-opportunities galore.

[nicksaviking]

Well many of us were thinking this should have happened originally, but WOW!

 

We knew it was smoke and mirrors, but talk about no rope! Before last night he'd only given up one ER in his last 8 innings. He'd never given up multiple ER in the same game until yesterday. I'm happy for the move, but this is not a traditional Twins move. Maybe something else is going on behind the scenes.

[stringer bell]

Here's my "Big Picture" view: The Twins did the "why not us?" thing and went with limited veterans. While they haven't improved dramatically, there has been incremental improvement, enough to think that maybe, just maybe, they could fill an inside straight and contend this year. The sweep at the hands of the Rays ended all such thoughts. We have a thread saying that Ryan admits the team is in "sell mode". Bremer (no doubt swallowing tears) admitted that the Twins were not in contention last night. They DFAed the marginal Guerrier to give Pressly a chance to prove he is a major leaguer. They have a number of veteran arms in their bullpen and 3-5 position players who are over thirty and ending their contracts, plus Correia out of the rotation. Guerrier is the first move. More older players will be let go, one way or another, and the housecleaning I believed should have started a year ago will commence in earnest. Of course, the Twins might not make another move and I'll be completely wrong.

[notoriousgod71]

What is everyone's favorite Guerrier memory?

 

This sounds awful to say but there isn't one Guerrier memory that really stands out for me? The only thing I can think of is his inability to keep AROD in the park and Gardy's insistence on bringing him in to face him.

 

It seems like a shame to remember him that way because Guerrier was really a good pitcher for us for many years. I wish he had a defining moment during his Twins career.

[tobi0040]

Correct on all counts!

 

Unfortunately Meyer did start. 6 IP. 5 H. 0 Runs. 8 K. ERA is down to 3.11 and he has something like 115 K in 101 IP. This just ain't right.

[Dman]

Unfortunately Meyer did start. 6 IP. 5 H. 0 Runs. 8 K. ERA is down to 3.11 and he has something like 115 K in 101 IP. This just ain't right.

 

They will bring him after the deadline when there is more room on the 40. They just have to. Service time doesn't matter anymore as he will be an old man six years from now.

[LaBombo]

Unfortunately Meyer did start. 6 IP. 5 H. 0 Runs. 8 K. ERA is down to 3.11 and he has something like 115 K in 101 IP. This just ain't right.

 

Yeah, but it beats a clunker or 'left after 3 2/3 with elbow pain'.

[jokin]

Yeah, but it beats a clunker or 'left after 3 2/3 with elbow pain'.

 

It's getting awfully hard to imagine that the braintrust still sees something for Big Unit 2.0 to work on.

[Otto von Ballpark]

What is everyone's favorite Guerrier memory?

 

This sounds awful to say but there isn't one Guerrier memory that really stands out for me? The only thing I can think of is his inability to keep AROD in the park and Gardy's insistence on bringing him in to face him.

 

It seems like a shame to remember him that way because Guerrier was really a good pitcher for us for many years. I wish he had a defining moment during his Twins career.

 

I recall him setting down the Yankees in order in the 8th inning, preserving our lead in 2009 ALDS Game 2. I was kinda hoping he would pitch the 9th too, as Nathan struggled down the stretch (and was later revealed to be injured), but I guess A-Rod was due up (although he could have been walked).

[LaBombo]

What is everyone's favorite Guerrier memory?

 

This sounds awful to say but there isn't one Guerrier memory that really stands out for me? The only thing I can think of is his inability to keep AROD in the park and Gardy's insistence on bringing him in to face him.

 

And that's the thing about relief pitchers. Thanks to the massive pressure and focus on their performance late in close game, relievers and NFL kickers tend to be more memorable for their failures, and more so for relievers, since they can't directly help a team regain a lead late.

 

Guerrier may not have a defining Puckett/Morris moment, but he was a good long reliever and then setup guy over a stretch where the Twins were usually in the hunt. That's a good Twins legacy.

 

And he's designated but not retired, which means that he if he can catch on somewhere for a cup of coffee, he'll pitch past his 36th birthday, which is only 10 days away.

 

That's great longevity for any ballplayer, and even more so for a RH reliever who didn't secure closer cred in his prime. And he did it pitching for only two teams, not as a hired gun, stopgap waiver-wire guy.

 

That's a good career legacy.

[LaBombo]

It's getting awfully hard to imagine that the braintrust still sees something for Big Unit 2.0 to work on.

 

Well, one Twins commandment is that 'walks will haunt', and we can't have 'Slimer' Meyer making Hughes and Co's control feel "so funky". At least not until roster expansion...

[halfchest]

I'll just remember him being a part of the bullpen days when the Twins always had those ridiculous stats of what their record was with a lead after 7 or 8 innings flashing up on FSN. Now, that was obviously overall a better team so there were more opportunities, but damn it felt good to have it just be damn near lockdown if they took a lead into the 7th. So while I can't recall a specific game I just remember feeling so good with a lead when you had guys like Rincon, J.C. Romero, Joe Nathan, Jesse Crain, damn that was fun. Except when Jesse was a the Crainwreck!