Riverbrian

This is why I'm not GM material. 30 teams passed on someone I would have been all over. I would have traded for Bonofacio. I still don't understand how he isn't a perfect fit for us.

3 of them on the list. He's got a shot with the "Top Heavy Rotation" bit. However Charch is a tough draw!!!

Great Post... I love combing through Game Logs... There is a bunch of useful information looking at days by days. Hicks will be a Solid Twin for a long time. If it's this year is up to Aaron.

If it was full of TD'ers... I assume it will be interesting and competitive... An auction really interests me. A big maybe from me but I'll have to see if I can drop another league I'm in.

There is only one winner at the end of a year but I have hard time calling the other 29 teams failures. That's a harsh grading curve. I know that's a simplistic and un-nuanced view of what some are expressing. I just feel that a September with meaningful games that end in a big heartbreak is still a successful season in my mind. That 1 bad day that ends the season doesn't trump the other 161 days of having hope. To some it does. I just can't be that way. I'd have a hard time getting up in the morning. Now if you have a year with less then 30 days of hope. That's a bad year and it was hard getting up in the morning the past few years.

Price Tag seems to be the issue as it is in all walks of life. I'd pay it but I don't have that kind of cash on me.

Will it be an Auction draft?

It's all good!!! You are doing fine.

I believe the Front Office identified pitchers that they thought made sense for the Twins in terms of cost and potential future performance and then they made an assessment of the potential cost of those pitchers. Using that... I believe they made an offer a little higher than that assessment and presented something that would bring them to Minnesota. After some negotiation... they got a deal done with Starting Pitching that was near the very top of their list and starting pitching that did not feel they would get a better offer by waiting and stretching out the process. I guess that's a couple of paragraphs that can be condensed to: No... I don't think they moved to soon. I'm not a Hughes fan but I'm glad we got him and Nolasco and Pelfrey when we did. We needed arms and I'd hate to get shut out by trying to wait out the process. If we were still trying to sign some ball chuckers right now in February. We'd have a fan base that is going nuts.

Sincere Best Wishes to the GM of my baseball Team. I'm Hoping someone is looking out for Terry Ryan in whatever lies ahead.

My Fingers are crossed with hope. It Maskes it harrrd to type.

And this may be a problem in February!!!

Howie... You need to realize... Some Anti-Ryan supporters think we have a bias to the Pro-Ryan Crowd and some Pro-Ryan supporters think we have a bias to the Anti-Ryan crowd. We know this because we get the PM's and we read them. We've been hit from both directions, We moderate disrespect primarily... Not opinion. If you were mis-moderated a time or two. Tomorrow is a new day.

My success is such a low bar to clear. I want to watch good baseball. I want clean cutoffs!!! I want amazing catches and throws!!! I want hard slides and the extra base. I want the hit and run executed and I want full focus and full effort during game 83 of the season. If I watch good baseball... Played with pride. The wins will come.

I'll try not to

I think Arcia is in one corner and Hammer/Kubel will be the other corner/DH... Parmelee will get the occasional start in a corner OF. Maybe Herrmann on occasion if he gets the backup C spot. I believe Wilkin is no longer on the 40 man and that makes him a real long shot. In my opinion... We won't get additional speed in the OF until Hicks and Buxton are side by side.

I have no inside info but every impression I've ever had... Was that Joe wanted to catch and that was the position he wanted to play and the Twins management always understood that. Joe likes the Tools of ignorance and I don't blame him. It's the best position on the field in my opinion.

Why not ask for the moon and stars. It would be easier for the Twins to win the World Series!!!

As String said... Mastro can't play infield. That's why Bonofacio is the upgrade. We all hope Hicks joins us in 2014 to stay. Bonofacio can be moved to make room if he's playing well. Mastro can't. Bonofacio has more MLB experience than Mastro. He's had better years than 2012. Mastro has never had a better year than 2012. And The 2012 comp... Bono was injured for most of the year. Pre-Injury 2012 he was doing good. He missed a couple of months and when he came back... His team was gone and the attitude around the club and town was "I'd like to kill this owner". I'm also not sure that Mastro is the better defender in the OF. Neither of them are Revere or Buxton. Don't get me wrong... I like Mastro but that's not a surprise because I'm a speed guy. We are looking at one last roster spot based on what Levi posted and I think Levi is right. Bono is a perfect fit... He plugs 3 holes and potentially more... Mastro only plugs two.

A picture of this post from Levi is worth more than any of my 1,000 Words. If you look at it: 2 spots do not have a capable backup and those 2 spots need a capable backup more than the others. Who's backing up Plouffe at 3B? Escobar could but he doesn't possess elite skills in any facet of his game. If Plouffe tanks... It could cause a calling of Sano to the majors before they want to and taking a chance with a prospect as elite as Sano is a bad idea... Or... you coast with Escobar at 3B or Bartlett. Bonofacio is better and I'm tired of coasting with Butera, Thomas and at times... Plouffe. Who's backing up Presley in CF? Certainly not Willingham, Arcia, Kubel or Parmelee. Presley is every day until Hicks comes to town and eventually Buxton. Until then who's gonna play CF if Presley gets hurt or hits .188? One spot left and Bonofacio has performed better than both Bartlett and Mastro at the MLB level and Bonofacio can back up both positions plus others. We can't say that Mastro is a solid piece of the planning for 2015. Might as well upgrade for 2014. It's an obvious choice as long as you don't look at it like we are signing him to take over and make the all star game. But, Along those lines... With Bonofacio flexibility and his speed. If he gets some regular playing time and puts up numbers like he did in 2011 or even 2012 before he got hurt or the back half of 2013. He may have some trade value at the trade deadline. Nobody in MLB is experienced at both 3B and CF and elite speed with a reasonable price tag. The only thing that could get in the way is price tag and he was DFA'd so that can't be that expensive. I can't see any downside at all. Oh... and we need speed. I may have forgotten to mention that over the past few months. OK... I've over hammered my point this morning and we don't need any hammering from anyone so I'll leave it here. It's been a great discussion... Please continue.

It might be better for Emilio to join the Red Sox or Yankees. It doesn't do us much good though. As of right now... In my opinion. Bono blocks no prospect. 2 million a year should not block any prospect. Hicks and Sano most likely won't be here opening day... When they come... Decisions are made... Until they come... you have to set up your roster for the pre Sano/Hicks days. For that Roster... Bono is perfect.

I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm down on Hicks. I think he has the skill to be a long time Twin. I love him and I think he'll get here and stick sometime. He was obviously not ready last year. And not ready by a longshot and it would be a mistake to move into 2014 with Hicks in the plans at all until you see what he does. When Hicks comes... Bono can be moved elsewhere like everyone else has done with him. Or Cut him loose if we are loaded. Right now... Hicks ain't ready... Mastro is going to get pushed out the door by Kubel and Presley is playing CF everyday ala Clete Thomas. Trevor Plouffe is playing 3B everyday and sometimes Plouffe doesn't show up. The past two years... Having to keep going back to a dry well because you didn't have a viable option to replace or at least challenge the everyday guy struggling day in and day out is killing the Twins. Bonofacio becomes a cheap experienced option at two positions of need and 4 other positions to boot. The more I get in this discussion... The stronger my conviction is getting.

Good analogy!!! Ok... Troubleshooting this patient. The data I use is what teams do with him... It suggests that he is a utility player. That's why I recommend signing him as a utility player and not a starter. 2008... The Nats are not happy with Felipe Lopez at 2B. They trade for Bonofacio... Giving up Jon Rauch to the D-Backs to get him. The Nats give Bonofacio the lions share of work at 2B for the final two months. He is traded to the Marlins in the off season for Josh Willingham (Among Others). 2009... Mike Jacobs was traded to the Royals because Gaby Sanchez was supposed to be the hot new 1B option. Sanchez struggles in ST so with cold feet. Manager Fredi Gonzalez moves Jorge Cantu over to 1B and hands Emilio Bonofacio 3B. He doesn't hurt the Marlins... They win 87 games but the Marlin fans (16 of them) hate Bonofacio just like Twins Fans hated Punto. A light hitting 3B is gonna get you hated. 2010... Sanchez is finally installed as the 1B and Cantu is moved back to 3B. Bonofacio becomes Super Utility. He plays 29 games in the OF and 20 Games in the INF. The Marlins are working with Coughlin, Ross, Maybin and Morrison in the OF and a young Mike Stanton making noise in the minors. Maybin under performs so Cody Ross plays CF more than anyone else that year. Bonofacio plays 6 different positions and never finds a regular home. He plays CF more than other position due to Maybin struggling. 2011... Bonofacio puts the super in super utility. Having a decent year and collecting over 600 at bats at multiple positions. The wheels are coming off the Marlins. Jack McKeon is brought in as manager mid season to try and stabilize things in the final season before the brand new stadium. The Marlins feel (I assume) that Bonofacio is more valuable as the utility guy because Donnie Murphy is the opening day starter at 3B. The Marlins are still unsure of Mike Stanton's readiness. Bono first hits the lineup as the RF bringing Stanton along slowly. Murphy Tanks at 3B and Bono is back at 3B and Hanley plays terribly and eventually injures his shoulder so Bonofacio spends a big chunk off the season at SS. He plays full time without having a full time job and nearly hits .300... Marlin fans (all 12 of them) don't hate him as much anymore and the Marlins decide to pay him a couple of million to hang around in 2012. 2012... Ozzie Guillen... New Stadium and Jose Reyes... Reyes at SS... Ramirez moves to 3B... Bonofacio is named the opening day CF. He hits around .270 with very little power and steals around 20 bases in a little over a month before he gets knocked out by a thumb injury in May. He comes back in July and the Marlins are dead!!! Stanton is hurt... Infante is traded to Detroit and Hanley is traded to the Dodgers. Ruggiano becomes the new CF and Bono is moved to 2B to fill the Infante hole. He gets hurt again and is traded in the off season to the Blue Jays. 2013... He opens the Season as the Opening day 2B. He has what can be qualified as a bad year in Toronto. However... In my opinion... It is his first bad year. Let's say... Bad half year... Other years were at least average. He was horribly awful in April thru June... He turns it around in July... The Wheel are coming off the Jays... He's struggling at 2B... Pretty soon the utility role that he's a natural at comes calling. Bautista and Lawrie can't stay healthy. Melky, Rasmus, Jose Reyes all need time to heal. Bono moves around the Diamond like he never has before. He is traded to the Royals and the Royals hand him the everyday 2B job and he returns to normal form hitting near .280. 2014... The Royals are not that impressed obviously and they have a decent roster. They sign Infante to play 2B and plug a long time sore point. Bonofacio is DFA'd. I want him... Some here don't. The Twins need backup at 3B and CF and speed. Can anyone think of another MLB player who kills all 3 of these birds with one stone like Bono does. I can't.

There are days that I wish I had your confidence and conviction. Diamond was a pleasant surprise in 2012. That shakes my let him go world.