Riverbrian

Glunn, myself and others discussed the Mariners as a trade partner last week during the Mariners sweep of the Twins. Gotta think you could get 3 superior arms ( a combination of a ML pitcher like Vargas and a prospect or two (How about James Paxton and Carter Capps/Stephen Pryor?) from the relatively pitching-rich Mariners in exchange for very little, the Mariners need bats, some combination involving Revere and/or Plouffe/Parmelee with another high-ceiling Class A prospect thrown in? I don't see the Mariners giving up any of those top 3 arms. Hultzen, Walker and Paxton are the ticket back to contention. Yes they will be looking for hitting but they will acquire it without giving up the arms or else they will be spinning their wheels. Vargas... On the other hand... They will give him up for offense. No doubt.

They are very close to being watchable but they are far from contention. Not enough positional depth at the moment to cover for the injuries down the line that will happen. And the pitching staff isn't even close. We can't just pick 5 arms and call it good. Some of those 5 guys will get hurt and some will flat out fail. We need choices at AAA as well. This may be the worst Starting pitching in all of baseball. It's a tough thing to fix and a long way to go. With that said... C'mon Twins... You can do it.

I like this team. Lots of good pitching or at least the potential to be good. I think Gibson is a don't screw around with me Manager and I think that might be why Drew is out the door and others have been moved this year. It could also be why Justin Upton is rumored to be available. I think they are building something in the desert. It's gonna be good and it may last a little while. Or they are impatient and they over cook the soup and it ends in disaster.

Nice Ben... Do you think Bourn will be a Brave next year? What kind of Money? Could the Braves be in the Market for a CF? If Prado heads back to 3b... The OF looks a little sketchy.

Chances are slim but the Orioles to me are a team that proves that you can do some things with a lesser roster. You can be loaded and play like crap ala the Red Sox and be challenged yet challenging like the Orioles. The game of baseball still has to be won on the field. No matter how much money you make or if you have MVP titles on your resume. I love stories like this one. Jones is legit. This Machado kid will be a plus... Might be a rocky ride to that plus but he can play. Davis might be underrated. Young arms that just haven't panned out the way the Orioles have hoped. All in all... They play good fundamentally sound baseball. I'd say the future looks bright if they were in a different division.

I just started with the Braves cuz Atlanta is first alphabetically. I think some discussion of other teams would be interesting. Get out of the Twins bubble... Stretch our legs.

This just in: he is quite good at his craft. Seattle is setting up nice for the future. Those 3 young pitchers knocking on the door from the farm plus King Felix... If they can add some hitting... Look out...

I'd be upset if King Felix wasn't on the mound. I don't care if Sidd Finch is on the mound. For one thing, Morneau has to be going on contact with one out and Carroll due up next, even with the infield in. With one out... Yeah I'd say so.

I'd be upset if King Felix wasn't on the mound.

Same kid with 4 errors on one road trip? Yeah. But the one error I witnessed in person, it was him seemingly getting flustered by the pitcher not covering first, and he threw essentially to where the pitcher had been instead of where he was heading. D'oh! But that kind of thing seems coachable; the vacuum-cleaner action on a sharp grounder far to his right not so much, he's either got the knack or he doesn't. It is annoying, though, that by age 25 he hasn't gotten the kinks out of his game. He's almost not a "kid" anymore. Who is the middle infield coach at Rochester and up with the Twins? I like Middle infielders who can get the ball to 2nd in a variety of ways. Florimon seems to have that plus range.

Thoughts on the Braves... What defines them this year? How does the future look?

Same kid with 4 errors on one road trip? Yeah... That kinda blows the bit... Thanks for the cold water.

I think some of our farm experts on Twins daily were underselling Florimons defense.

Good one, Brian. It works every time!

Florimon executes the hit and run. I'm starting to like the kid... I don't care if he ends up hitting .230

That Mauer single came immediately after my no hitter post... See... You don't talk about no nos.

It's bad luck to talk about a no hitter... So I'd like to discuss it.

A lot of his ERA is manufactured in Safeco; his road ERA in his four years for the Mariners is above 4.5 and his 2012 hasn't moved that appreciably He'll likely draw $8M in arbitration, then elect free agency after 2013. Still interested? Given the current state of the Twins staff, yes. Me 2... I'm ok with Vargas at 8 Mill.

Hey Joe... Where you going with that gun... For... An arm?

Im pro Gardy and thinking its time for a change... No one knows if players are tuning him out. I've read reports that he lost the clubhouse last year. I don't know if the reports are accurate or a player disgruntled. However... No manager could have kept that clubhouse... Ubgodly injuries... Lineup full of non prospects... And tough motivational downers like Delmon and Valencia the best of the non injured. Its been two tough years and I don't blame Gardy for it. I'd just like the team to think, act and be fresh for the turnaround.

1. Clear the dead weight off your 40 man roster. Maybe this has been done... If not... do it... We need to bring some players in and we need the space. 2. Sign a 10 Million plus FA Pitcher. Outbid the other teams for him... Take a chance... It's risky but we can't screw around here. 3. Trade a position player for a young pitcher with strong upside. 4. Label the best Rule 5 Pitcher available and make your claim and ride him out on the roster for the entire 2013 season come hell or high water. Grab two if there are a couple worth grabbing. 5. Continue to look for the bargain basement pitchers. Guys like Walters and put them in the Rochester and New Britian Rotation see what happens. 6. Fix the overall position player depth... Call up Parmelee right away for depth, As soon as Arcia and Hicks are past the arbitration time clock thing a ma job... Call them up and put them on the roster and give them playing time. 7. If depth is established... Nobody plays every day unless they are raking every day. Nobody sits every day. If they are... Send them down or cut them. Depth is only usefull if the depth is actaully used. 8. Look for the best defensive Middle infielders you can find. If they can't field... get them off the roster... If they can field... Don't worry about the offensive stats. Florimon, Escobar, anyone with a good glove. Let them play to help the pitchers out. Think D before you think O. I would not sign Stephen Drew. Reported Attitude problem. I don't know that for sure but if he does have one. Don't go that direction. 9. Hang on to your youth... Players under the age of 24 with upside need to be protected like they are gold. 10. Increase the scouting budget!!! Make our scouting department the highest paid department in all of baseball. Hire the best... with the strongest track records away from other teams... Build a scouting department monster. Become extremely serious about this. 11. Bring in a new manager... Just for fresh eyes... A fresh Voice... A fresh opinion... Someone extremely aggressive. Players want to be aggressive... If you take away that aggression and ask them to play too smartly it can lead to complacency... Let them run... Let them feel like they are accomplishing something. Start plowing some catchers... Get Dirty... Throw Inside and look like you meant it. 12. Carry Two Catchers and Two catchers only. Look for a player who can strap on the pads for an inning or two on an emergency basis if necessary. Have Willingham play some catcher during spring training. Anyone... plan for the possibility... If Mastro can be an emergency 2B... We could certainly find an emegency catcher. 13. Make Jerry White find a different number... No one in the organization should be allowed to wear #13. It's probably just a bunch of superstition bull but let's not tempt fate... We don't have the margin of error. 14. Don't clutter the OF with slow feet. One guy is Ok... 2 slow outfielders will kill us. 15. Don't lose to the Astro's, Mariners, Indians, and Royals next year.

I tend to place more faith in on the field leadership amongst your ball players than faith in a manager changing a culture. Granted it is just my personal belief but I believe winning momentum comes from the big hit, the extra base taken and the great defensive play. I believe losing montentum comes from coasting into the base, letting balls drop in front of you, botched run downs and double plays, errors along with big innings against you and a general lack of believing in your team because the baseball you are playing is uninspired. A player busting his ass, leads to more players busting their asses and it will carry on through the team and result in wins. Even on a team that appears to be weaker on paper. A manager may be able to get a fire lit under a player or two but the entire team is very hard to do. A Manager who has been with a club a long time... in my opinion... will have a much harder time lighting those fires when dealing with vets who have been through it and heard it all. It's pointless to blame the manager... It's the players and always will be. If we have to make a change in Managers... And I think we should just for a new start at momentum (that will still have to come from the players). I would like a Manager who is very aggressive. I can't give you any names but I'd like someone like Scioscia or Madden. If you want to jump start a team, you have a better chance if you provide some voltage, instead of trying to win games through attrition or something. Give me a manager who let the boys run on the bases and understands the need for D. Someone who will attack teams aggressively and get pissed at players when the go through the motions. With that said... Gardy has been great and he is great... It's time for a change... And Gardy deserves thanks and a nice gold parachute.

I'm with you Bird. If you do the math... Terry Ryan has to take a run at one decent free agent starter. I don't know if a Free Agent Starter will sign with the Twins but Terry Ryan pretty much has to take a run at good one. Too much money coming off the books and too glaring a need to ignore the free agent pool this off season. I don't care about past track record. The past was the past and this is now. As for Morneau... There is the off season and the next trade deadline. No reason to move him unless it's for a pitcher and a good one. I'd also like to register a vote for death to the Rollover Pop Ups. I certainly understand the right to make money. Advertise away and more power to ya... But something less intrusive please.

I'll give Plouffe more rope then I'd give Valencia. He plays the game or appears to. That month wasnt just a hot streak... It was barely human and I don't think Plouffe was conscious while it was happening. However, if someone gets that hot... Keep trotting him out there because it might happen again.

MLB is trying to curb the beanings. There is some doubt but very little doubt in my mind that Oswalt plunked Mauer on purpose but you really can't prove it. When Diamond faced Hamilton... Everyone was waiting for the pitch. It happened... So Diamond got tossed and suspended. It's really not a big surprise. I don't see much reason to be upset about the suspension... It's the rules these days. I'd be more curious to know how Washington reacted to Oswalt in private. It was a pretty bush league beaning on the part of Oswalt. He's a vet and would have to know that Hamilton would be thrown at in response. You just exposed your best player to a beaning or possible injury with the playoffs around the corner because you got a little pissy because you blew a rundown. Oswalt was the one who blew the run down. Too lazy to come off the mound and run straight at Florimon like you are taught. Plus you are playing the Twins who are playing pretty uninspired baseball and you potentially wake them up. If I was Washington... I'd have a close door meeting with Oswalt and I would be yelling at him loud enough that the rest of the squad could hear me through the closed door. Stupid Stupid Stupid move on Oswalt's part and yeah it sucks that Diamond ends up paying the price. However, the ump and the league had little choice and neither did Gardenhire and Diamond. The only one who had a choice in the equation was Oswalt. This was a time that I wish the DH was abolished. Let Oswalt dig in for an at-bat.