The Twins capabilities / results for acquiring talent through trades

[Major League Ready]

 

You (they) forgot #7. Winning baseball games. The Twins are a business, and are run like one. But if you don't include #7, then everyone who goes to the games, buys merchandise, and follows the team must be basically rubes! Or worse! i know it sounds/seems cynical but looking at the last 20 years seems make one wonder.

Good point!

[Mike Sixel]

Some fans like baseball, even losing baseball. I don't think that makes them rubes, just people that like watching baseball.

 

that said, the way you get more fans, the more casual fans, is by winning. It's worth a lot of money to win, especially to a team that doesn't have an awesome tv contract. Let's hope the Twins win so much they make even more money.

[nicksaviking]

 

My frustration with the Twins is not being able to identify potential free agents to trade. Or doing it badly. Sure, Johann wanted out, but do you dangle him like you did at the winter meetings,or just go ahead and start the season and trade him to a needy contender. Also, identifying guys who will not be re-signing and trading them, and then still have the option of a resign as no qualifying offer needed: Hunter, Cuddyer, Nathan are perfect examples. We can also complain that Ryan waits too long, Delmon Young and Josh Willingham, for example, should've been dealt after their stellar season. It is tough being a general manager. You juggle future payroll demands, player ups and downs, the desire to give new guys  a chance, and the possibility of a grizzled old veteran (Boyer) giving you some good juice. 

 

I would also add that they haven't been good at identifying what kind of contracts they should be giving out in free agency.  Maybe I'm being too calculating, but in my opinion, if you give a guy a contract that can't later be traded if the season goes down the drain, it was a bad contract.

[dxpavelka]

 

I try every day not to raise the fact the Twins gave up on Gomez and Hardy, but we can go there if people want....

So the question is; Are you one of the 10 people in the state who was actually NOT in favor of jettisoning Gomez when we did so?

[Mike Sixel]

So the question is; Are you one of the 10 people in the state who was actually NOT in favor of jettisoning Gomez when we did so?

Not sure that matters, what matters is what the Twins do. I had no issue with acquiring Hardy with Gomez, but really, as a Twins fan, what matters to me is how well they do in trades, not what people here think of them.

[beckmt]

Let's look at recent acquisitions. Jepson for two lottery tickets kept the season from falling apart. Escobar was a very good pickup. Milone for Fund was a steal. Not all work out, Meyer for Span is looking like a bust. May for Revere is looking to me like a slight plus for the Twins. Money is still an issue for the Twins. Next 5-6 years should be good.

[Dantes929]

 

Here is a list of people on the 25 man they did not draft, you want them all gone*?
Santana
Hughes
Pelfrey
Nolasco
Milone
Cotts
Fien
May
Suzuki
Nunez
Escobar
Robinson

Hunter came back as FA

every team uses FA and trades, in addition to the draft, to build their roster. It is a great myth that teams are only, or even primarily, built on guys that they drafted.

*that's off the top of my head, I probably missed a name or several

Ok, fine and I am ok with trading and a little less so with free agent signings but can't you make the same list of guys we let get away.   If we never made trades or signed free agents but signed our own guys we would still have Garza, Loshe, Morneau, AJ, Cuddyer, Ortiz, Ramos, Span,  Revere,   just off the top of my head.    I have never heard the myth that you refer to.    I know all teams play the musical chair game.   

[dxpavelka]

 

Not sure that matters, what matters is what the Twins do. I had no issue with acquiring Hardy with Gomez, but really, as a Twins fan, what matters to me is how well they do in trades, not what people here think of them.

My point is that there a whole lot of Twins fans who are quick to judge trades, that they themselves would have made in a heartbeat, using their incredible accurate 20/20 hindsight.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

So the question is; Are you one of the 10 people in the state who was actually NOT in favor of jettisoning Gomez when we did so?

 

 

Gomez for Hardy was a great trade, and lest we forget, Gomez sucked in Milwaukee for a couple years after the trade... what we got for/did with Hardy on the other hand.... ugh. 

[TheLeviathan]

The Twins have plenty of money.  This isn't the 1996 Minnesota Twins anymore, let's bury that notion for the rest of the offseason please.