Riverbrian

I'm with ya on the Defense. When I think about Twins Baseball... It's the defensive side of the game for the past few years that seems Un-Twins like. It's probably why I liked Revere as much as I did and couldn't stand Delmon Young and Danny Valencia. I still think the ball that was got to... That shouldn't have been gotten to... Is the most exciting thing in baseball and I think it gives your team a boost. I want that back.

I think we should have a 25 man roster and that all 25 should contribute. I have no problem with 3B competition and I think Plouffe could become a 30 home run guy and play a mean defensive hot corner in time. The backup could do some pinch hitting and play 3B when Plouffe plays some outfield because Parmelee is playing DH or 1B because Doumit came down with the flu while Morneau is nursing a bum ankle or Plouffe can just have a day off when he goes into a funk... I don't know who that backup should be... 3B is a little thin around the league. You may have to find a AAAA type.

I've been asking for ideas on what we can fish out of the Dodgers for Perkins. He has to be at the top of their need list.

Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some groundballs - it's more democratic. Liriano K/9 9.59 ERA 5.34 Doubront 9.34 4.86 Lincecum 9.19 5.18 Happ 8.76 4.79 Norris 8.82 4.65 Arrieta 8.56 6.20 Richard 4.40 3.99 Diamond 4.68 3.54 Hudson 5.13 3.62 Quintana 5.35 3.76 Colon 5.38 3.43 Harrison 5.61 3.29 Feldman Baker Viilenueva Jackson Upside? Maybe... We will see. You could be right... You maybe right on three or two or one... Maybe none.. I think the Cubs have a plan and everything looks sensible to me so far. I'm not knocking the Cubs... Time will tell.

It would be the opposite approach to what the Rockies did with their rotation last year.

With the Jackson signing... I'd have to put the Cubs off season over ours so far but... I've never been a this player over that player type. .

I've been pumped for Hicks since he was drafted. Haven't seen him yet and I am looking forward to it.

I have no idea... I have only read some stuff and some of things I've read has me excited for the future. But... I gotta say... Cuddyer has a canon... One of the best arms in the majors. Top ten... i would imagine... Revere is as fast they come... If Hicks is just as fast and has a better arm than Cuddyer... Plus... I'm reading reports of good plate discipline and a little pop in his bat and superior glove. My question... How is Hicks not at least #2 in our system and at least top 20 overall.

Arm problems with pitchers are like cavities on humans. A few manage to avoid them but not many. No guarantees on Mays or Meyer... But the Twins had very little between Gibson and Berrios... Now they do... It was needed. As for the wasted money... It happens all the time... Every team has wasted a **** load of money along the way... It's the cost of doing business but its best to wait until they pitch before you say it is wasted.

Yes... Because the players are all better today... Jim Brown didn't have to play against corners that all ran 4.4 or less... Or linebackers under 4.6 and all of them over 250 pounds. Jim Brown would find things a lot tougher today if he was transported into the future as a 25 year old. No question that AP is the best of all time. Now comparatively by era... That's an interesting debate... Walter Payton was as good as I've seen... I really hated watching him in a Bears uniform and yet kinda liked watching him at the same time because he was so good. I will say this... AP is having the best season ever.

Bring him in... He might be lights out for the 6 starts he makes in 2013 before going on the 60 day... Im actually serious... We might only get 6 starts out of him and we should still bring him in. Cuz he might be lights out for those 6 starts. Roll them dice... 7 come 11.

I kinda think Wood and Escobar have to be strong opening day lineup considerations... You should consider someone like Butera instead.

He's in... He's Famous... Head and Shoulders are not going to pay him for endorsement unless they know who he is on the east coast. Book it... Done deal....

I won't argue your last paragraph... I'll only say that I never expected the Twins to spend over ten million each on two pitchers. Not because they didn't have the money or were too cheap to do so... But because I can't think of too many teams that have in one off season. I was hoping for just one ten million plus guy... One traded for cheap guy with talent... Maybe get lucky with a rule 5... And a bunch of Pelfrey types for competition. I didn't get the rule 5 guy but I got the trade guy... We will sign at least one more FA... I'm hoping its Marcum. Roll the dice on a Harden or Webb to replace the rule 5 I didn't get and I'm good.

Jokin... Not to be a pain... But... Baker and Feldman were signed to one year deals... Villanueva for two... Jackson is only pitcher signed for 2015. TR went out got Worley... May and Meyer... I think it's no contest that the Twins have done more for the future. And the point you make about hoping that Meyer and May don't blow their arms out. That isn't an exclusive hope for the Twins only... The Cubs are also hoping that Jackson and Vizcaino don't blow their arms out as well. Dont get me wrong... I wanted Jackson as well... I'm now left to hope for Marcum... But don't you think you are over playing the Cubs a little.

I like Bark... He stepped out on the limb every once in awhile and sometimes the limb snapped on him.

What are the latest rumors on Marcum... He must be out with the Cubs now... The Royals have taken a different path with Shields, Davis and Santana. The Brewers are being Coy about it. The only teams I ever heard rumored besides those I listed are the Twins and Padres. I think Terry has to do it... 36 Million for 3 years... Sign me up to sign him up... I'd make the big hard to turn down offer now before the big boys get desperate and the Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox... Come knocking.

The Mariners would be idiots to give up any of the young Pitching they have at this point. It's the only way they can compete in the AL West eventually. They have stated over and over again that they are not moving King Felix... In a year or two. Walker, Hultzen and Paxton will be in Seattle to join him. I also like this Iwakuma Guy. Seattle could be a tough team... Giants Like in the very near future is everything pans out. All they have to do is protect that core and start adding in the offensive pieces. Zunino will come up to catch... Montero can also catch and DH. Morales at 1B. Ackley if he devolops at 2B. Who knows on Seager at 3B... maybe... Franklin could be a SS when the pitching core is in the Show... That leaves the OF... and Seattle has never really been afraid to spend some dollars on players. There will be another Hamilton type available next year. I would protect that young core in Seattle. Trading any of those young players would set the franchise back in my opinion.

I think you and I are going to end up disagreeing a little but not by a large margin. It's your own personal call if you want to make more piles of pitchers. Myself... I believe it's all about each individual game and if you look at it from each individual game. Only the zero hanger... (and there is only a few of these guys) are going to let your team take the day off on occasion. The average pitcher has to go out and pitch in the context of that game. In the end the numbers end up being what the numbers are and they change from year to year. Comparing Marcum to Correia... First off... The only thing I didn't like about the Correia signing was the 2nd year. 5 Million for an option(pitcher) seems to be the going rate for Free Agents. If the Option (Correia) fails which is possible. He still gets another year... The whole idea of quantity is being able to move away from guys that don't get the job done. That makes the 2nd year confusing to me. Maybe it was a case of it taking a 2nd year to land him. Maybe TR has a lot of lines in the water with no bites so he said OK to the 2nd year to actually pull in a fish instead of coming home empty. I don't know. But Back to comparing Marcum to Correia... Yes... Statistically Marcum has been the better pitcher of the two. That's why I like Marcum for at least 3 years... He's been very consistent... But Game by Game... It's still a match up against the guy on the mound for the other team and then doing it again in the next start. Neither Pitcher has the ability to shut down the other team consistently with elite stuff and neither pitcher is showing any evidence of being someone who isn't competing somewhat decently. Another problem when it comes to chasing down those stats is this... It's a moving Target... You offer a contract to a guy with a 3.39 ERA and he shows up and throws a 4.20. Then you cut that guy loose and sign a guy with a 3.70 because he is looking better than the guy with a 4.20... And the 4.20 guy signs elsewhere and puts up a 3.50 the next year and the 3.70 guys is at 4.00. It's a lotta tail chasing. Jackson gets 13 Million and Correia Gets 5. I don't know what Marcum is going to get but you are still spending money on shades of mediocrity... averageness. We need options because we don't know what we are going to get from anyone in 2013... Including Diamond. Diamond might be a 4.88 and Deduno might be a 3.00. S In a nutshell... Game by Game... All we should be asking for is pitchers who will compete against the other guy on the mound in the context of each game.

Ahh Thanks!!! You Charger and I are needed for balance.

That point was reached a long time ago... Where ya been Nick?

You have some guys like Kershaw... Verlander... King Felix... Guys so talented that when they take the mound... You wouldn't bet anything important that they won't hang a zero every inning they pitch that day. Guys who can win the game by themselves. There are very few of these guys. The next group is the average group and membership in this group is overflowing. These guys can pitch but they don't dominate... They will have games where they shut the door followed by games spent in the showers early but most games are just run of the mill 6 inning and a couple of runs given up just like the guy they face on the other team that day. The good and bad starts can't be counted on... Yet... the average starts are fairly consistent. When you hear the term innings eater... This is the group they come from. Then there are truly bad... No confidence... Throwing pitches scared... Trying to be to fine and missing. Praying that the ball finds a glove. They are capable of giving up 6 runs in an inning any time they take the mound. There are not many of these guys in MLB because the majority of them are tossed aside to start up a drywall business. With Greinke... I was probably a little harsh... He does have that hang a zero ability but he just hasn't hung enough zeros to be in the upper group. Marcum... Jackson... Villanueva and McCarthy... Are clearly in the average group. I don't think any of them are zero hangers.

There is a difference between considering and getting an offer that makes sense. If Hultzen or Walker is offered by Seattle for Willingham. It's possible that TR is listening. If the offer is Blake Beaven... TR just might hang on to Willingham and let the Twins Dialy folks rake him over the coals for not considering a trade for Hultzen. Trades require two GMs to agree. I don't believe TR was planning on trading Revere... The Phillies came along and said Worley and Mays and Terry said OK... If the Mariners come along and say Walker for Willingham. Terry Ryan just might say OK. I just doubt that offer is on the table.

Skol Patrol?

Starting Pitching... It seems to me... You have a handful of amazing guys... Kershaw and such... You also have a handful of pretty damn bad... In between the small percentage of Lights out and awful. There is this very large pile of average pitchers. The problem with the Twins is that we had more than the acceptable share of awful Starting Pitchers in 2012 and no place to turn. Marquis 7 starts 8.47 Blackburn 19 starts 7.39 Pavano 11 start 6.00 Walters 12 starts 5.69 vazquez 6 starts 5.68 hendriks 16 starts 5.59 liriano 17 starts 5.31 duensong 11 starts 5.12 Swarzak 5 starts 5.03 Thats 104 starts... There were a total of 67 pitchers in MLB who had an ERA over 5 that made at least 6 starts. That's a little more than 2 per team... We had 9 of them. There were 40 Pitchers in MLB who had an ERA over 5 that made at least 11 starts. A little over 1 per team... We had 8 of them. There were 28 pitchers who had an ERA over 5 that made at least 16 starts. A little less than 1 per team. We had 4 of them including Marquis. Diamond... Dedeno and DeVries made 58 starts and averaged AVERAGE!!! I find it amazing that we were able to win 66 games. I guess my point is this. There is absolutely no way that we are going to acquire Kershaw and such. None... Unless we catch a kid like Meyer or May before he gets here. Dickey... was going to cost Sano... No one wants to do that. The really good pitchers are not coming period. The best FA pitcher available was Greinke and Im sorry if anyone disagrees with this but Greinke gets thrown into the average pile. 2009 was clearly an elite pitching year for Greinke... Every other Greinke year was average and now worth 147 million. The difference between Greinke and Ian Kennedy and his average 4.02 is 11 runs over 33 starts. So in the end... What is it that we are discussing here? And what are the Dodgers paying for? TR isn't wrong when he says he needs options to turn to. Diamond... DeVries... Deduno are options... Worley... Correia and Pelfrey are Options... Gibson and Hendriks will be Options. Even Blackburm is an option and hopefully we will sign another option to give us ten. I realize nobody is excited about those options but what we need is this... If one of those options fail... We have another option to turn to. We did not have that last year. Blackburn made 19 starts... Liriano and Hendriks made 17 and 16 starts because we didn't have anyone to turn to. Hopefully this year... We have someone to trot out there if Correia fails. Hopefully we will have at least 5 pitchers who perform at least average. With Average pitching... we can then begin to assess the kind of offensive players we truly have because they will be in games with a chance to win. We will find out what we are made of. Shooting for average is OK because true quality isn't available in the FA market or the trade market. You just end up spinning your wheels over shades of average. This is what quantity over quality is all about. True Quality is not available so you might as well load up on the quantity. I'd like Jackson or Marcum... And the reason I really want TR to bid aggressively for either of them is because I think they have a chance to contribute in 2015. For 2013... They are both average? If we sign them... They get thrown into the quantity pile.