Twins axe Slama, Sign Eppley

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

Minor league journeyman Cody Eppley was signed today in a move that's purpose may have only been to make Rochester slightly more competitive. Anthony Slama was buried on the depth chart and has had his worst season for the Twins this year.

[jay]

#freeslama

 

Good luck, Anthony.

[Kwak]

Slama is freed! I sure hope this doesn't lead to 300 posts moaning and groaning over his loss--or that he should have been traded for " a prospect".

[Cris E]

*Moan*

 

*groan*

 

He should have been traded for a prospect. Geeeez...

[Shane Wahl]

I am glad that Slama is freed from the organization that should have been using him as a Twin for the past two seasons.

[snepp]

I am glad that Slama is freed from the organization that should have been using him as a Twin for the past two seasons.

 

He's no Jeff Gray.

[Rosterman]

Right now, he has little worth, it seems. Should've been traded before this season, for a prospect. But considering no one claimed him when he went on waivers. Of as a minors free agent before. Sad.

[Bark's Lounge]

Farewell Sweet Prince.

[drjim]

Any team could have had Slama at the cost of a 40 man roster spot in any of the past 3 years and passed. That, more than a K/9 ratio in AAA, should tell us something.

[Shane Wahl]

I don't understand even bothering with Eppley. The Twins have a whole bunch of pitchers in EST and in the draft. Certainly some NB pitcher is worthy of promotion (Logan Darnell).

[Mike Sixel]

I agree , Shane.

[boylan]

Kind of an odd move on paper. They must see something they like beyond the stats.

 

Slama has been awful this year and didn't do much when he was up 2 years ago.

Eppley doesn't look much better on the stat sheet.

[Oldgoat_MN]

I don't understand even bothering with Eppley. The Twins have a whole bunch of pitchers in EST and in the draft. Certainly some NB pitcher is worthy of promotion (Logan Darnell).

 

Instead they sign a guy who has a WHIP of 2.368 and an ERA of 8.53 in AAA this year. And those numbers are far better than his SSS MLB numbers this year.

 

Hmmm...

[jokin]

I don't understand even bothering with Eppley. The Twins have a whole bunch of pitchers in EST and in the draft. Certainly some NB pitcher is worthy of promotion (Logan Darnell).

 

Molllifying the Red Wing ownership with filler former Yankees takes precedence over actually building your own organization.

 

Affiliate Concern, people!

[drjim]

Molllifying the Red Wing ownership with filler former Yankees takes precedence over actually building your own organization.

 

Affiliate Concern, people!

 

Building the organization? Slama?

[jokin]

Building the organization? Slama?

 

Please identify where I once mentioned Slama.

 

How about building with actual prospects, not guys like Eppley or Slama- who was in his 5th year at Rochester and obviously never fit into the Twins plans for the major league roster (or apparently any other clubs' ML roster, either).

[Thrylos]

Eppley doesn't look much better on the stat sheet.

 

Eppley does not look much better on the mound as well. Too pitch pony: 87ish mph FB and a below average slider.

 

I just do not get this move at all.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I am glad that Slama is freed from the organization that should have been using him as a Twin for the past two seasons.

 

No, our bullpen has been the strength of those two teams. We didn't need a reliever who couldn't keep his MLB ERA under 5. Slama was the exact definition of AAAA. He would not have had success in the majors. The Twins got this one right.

[boylan]

Eppley does not look much better on the mound as well. Too pitch pony: 87ish mph FB and a below average slider.

 

I just do not get this move at all.

 

Ugh.

 

Weird move. If these wasn't the Twins I'd say that this was a one week try-out and he wouldn't last the week. Have to believe there are better minor league FA at this point in the season.

[Joe A. Preusser]

I don't understand even bothering with Eppley. The Twins have a whole bunch of pitchers in EST and in the draft. Certainly some NB pitcher is worthy of promotion (Logan Darnell).

 

This, however, I couldn't agree more with. Bring up someone deserving, someone with a ton of talent, or just someone. Don't go sign Slama2.0.

[Joe A. Preusser]

Molllifying the Red Wing ownership with filler former Yankees takes precedence over actually building your own organization.

 

Affiliate Concern, people!

 

Come on man, do you really think Rochester is mad at us for dumping Slama? Former fan favorite or not, he has been awful this year. Rochester wants wins, just like we do. No one needs mollifying over this.

 

And for the record, I do not get or approve of the Eppley signing, and we should care about our affiliates concerns.

[twinsnorth49]

Pretty pointless, meh.

[Badsmerf]

[jokin]

Come on man, do you really think Rochester is mad at us for dumping Slama? Former fan favorite or not, he has been awful this year. Rochester wants wins, just like we do. No one needs mollifying over this.

 

And for the record, I do not get or approve of the Eppley signing, and we should care about our affiliates concerns.

 

Again, I have never mentioned Slama. I want the Twins to build their organization by putting prospects in place to succeed, up and down the entire system. Guys like Slama and Eppley hang around far too long and end up taking valuable innings and opportunities away from pitching prospects who actually might have a chance to make it to the big club. And yes, the Twins have seen fit to mollify Red Wings ownership by constantly filling the AAA level team with 4-A detritus.

[old nurse]

Again, I have never mentioned Slama. I want the Twins to build their organization by putting prospects in place to succeed, up and down the entire system. Guys like Slama and Eppley hang around far too long and end up taking valuable innings and opportunities away from pitching prospects who actually might have a chance to make it to the big club. And yes, the Twins have seen fit to mollify Red Wings ownership by constantly filling the AAA level team with 4-A detritus.

I don't disagree with you (Surprise) but I don't think there were any bullpen arms in New Britain ready to be called up. Twins Fan From Afar could clarify that point. Logan Darnell starts. He should be kept in that role until proven incapable of potentially doing that at the MLB level. Next year as the Cory Williams, Cole Johnsons et al continue to develop you will have a very strong argument.

[jokin]

I don't disagree with you (Surprise) but I don't think there were any bullpen arms in New Britain ready to be called up. Twins Fan From Afar could clarify that point. Logan Darnell starts. He should be kept in that role until proven incapable of potentially doing that at the MLB level. Next year as the Cory Williams, Cole Johnsons et al continue to develop you will have a very strong argument.

 

It's pleasant to have some terms of agreement, but let me disagree with you a little bit anyways.

 

Logan Darnell is an excellent case in point. I think it's safe to say that the noble Virgil Vasquez experiment has run its course- time to move him to the pen or back on the comeback trail with another organization. Or just move Pedro Hernandez to the pen, he has virtually 0% chances of being a major league starter, anyways. Darnell has repeated his AA experience twice now and has passed the third exam with flying colors.

 

AJ Achter and Edgar Ibarra could also be considered for promotion. They have both been a little wild compared to their career rates this year, but as demonstrated by their low OBAs, wildly effective. I don't think anyone would miss Cody Eppley or Shairon Martis to give these guys a shot like they've given the "4 Ts", Thielbar, Turpen, Tonkin and Thompson.

 

Doing something like this then opens up the gates at Ft Myers for guys like Jones, Johnson and Williams to replace them. Let's get this timetable accelerated already, no more fillers and reclamation projects need apply.

[old nurse]

It's pleasant to have some terms of agreement, but let me disagree with you a little bit anyways.

 

Logan Darnell is an excellent case in point. I think it's safe to say that the noble Virgil Vasquez experiment has run its course- time to move him to the pen or back on the comeback trail with another organization. Or just move Pedro Hernandez to the pen, he has virtually 0% chances of being a major league starter, anyways. Darnell has repeated his AA experience twice now and has passed the third exam with flying colors.

 

AJ Achter and Edgar Ibarra could also be considered for promotion. They have both been a little wild compared to their career rates this year, but as demonstrated by their low OBAs, wildly effective. I don't think anyone would miss Cody Eppley or Shairon Martis to give these guys a shot like they've given the "4 Ts", Thielbar, Turpen, Tonkin and Thompson.

 

Doing something like this then opens up the gates at Ft Myers for guys like Jones, Johnson and Williams to replace them. Let's get this timetable accelerated already, no more fillers and reclamation projects need apply.

You are still putting AAAA or less players in the pen. I think the Twins recognize this problem because they are drafting a lot more pitchers to sort through so they don't end up with this hole like they are having now. But you could probably do a blog about how the Twins will spend money on replacement level players to make the AA and AAA teams competitive for the franchises and won't spend the money slightly below average players to make the parent club competitive.

[jokin]

You are still putting AAAA or less players in the pen. I think the Twins recognize this problem because they are drafting a lot more pitchers to sort through so they don't end up with this hole like they are having now. But you could probably do a blog about how the Twins will spend money on replacement level players to make the AA and AAA teams competitive for the franchises and won't spend the money slightly below average players to make the parent club competitive.

 

Huh? I clearly said time to cut bait with the AAAA lifers. Goodbye to the Eppleys and Martis' and Velasquez's of the world (OK, I left a small out for Velasquez, but really, he's just another scrap heap pray-and-hope). Hello to legit prospects. And remember, there is likely at some point to be the 13th pitcher sent down from the Twins to consider, as well.

 

Maybe in this interim period of hole-filling you take a chance on one reclamation project at each Roc. and NB and you start the season stocked at AAA with potential SP depth (it seems like the Twins have a whole nother "staff" on the Red Wing DL), but as the season progresses, replace the waste and move up the guys that still offer upside-

 

cases in point-

 

Darnell, Achter and Ibarra have put in their time at AA, it's time to see if they can be part of the long-term solution. Signing Eppley is the exact opposite approach, there's a fighting chance he still would have been a FA next offseason- if the Twins scouting department was that enamored with him.

[jokin]

I don't disagree with you (Surprise) but I don't think there were any bullpen arms in New Britain ready to be called up. Twins Fan From Afar could clarify that point. Logan Darnell starts. He should be kept in that role until proven incapable of potentially doing that at the MLB level. Next year as the Cory Williams, Cole Johnsons et al continue to develop you will have a very strong argument.

 

Shocking developments tonight for the Red Wings.

 

My personal "thanks' to Hernandez and Martis for helping illustrate the point I made this morning in this thread about their uselessness... as they are once again shelled....meanwhile the youngsters, Thompson and Tonkin, are effective in closing out the victory for Rochester

[old nurse]

Shocking developments tonight for the Red Wings.

 

My personal "thanks' to Hernandez and Martis for helping illustrate the point I made this morning in this thread about their uselessness... as they are once again shelled....meanwhile the youngsters, Thompson and Tonkin, are effective in closing out the victory for Rochester

That would be a great point if you could have mentioned relievers blocked all season in New Britain. Hernandez at 24 would still be somewhat of a prospect. A 3.71 ERA before this game would not say useless either.