Riverbrian

Rajai Davis... We need speed and he has it. Bring him to Minnesota is what my brain is thinking.

Yeah but If a Man U fan shouts Go Man U near other Man U fans. Someone will correct them with something across the skull. Seemingly... The English Football fan doesn't mess around much.

Quite the Article... You usually don't have people speaking up like that because of financial incentive confidentiality clauses built into termination contracts. Besides... It doesn't look good to potential new employers to lob hand grenades publicly on your way out the door. I think its normal to have dissension in all organizations from person to person or boss to staff but this looks much larger than normal. Seattle just might be messed up... And it does make me appreciate the stability in Minnesota.

Your dad is from Liverpool... So Ferry across the Mersey all the way to Manitoba. Is your dad named Ringo? I'm an underdog first guy and I tend to be Blue and not Red. So yeah I could get behind Everton. I was raised Protestant but married Catholic so I got enough Catholic in me to be Everton. Although... I made an Arbitrary decision to be Southern England. Southern England just looks warmer and I'm doing the North thing living in North Dakota. So... Nothing north of Cambridge for me. Also no Stripes... I can't get behind a striped team. And no Big Money. That at kinda leaves me with Swansea or West Ham. I haven't been able to watch Swansea yet so it's hard to get behind them but I'm trying. I'm in limbo and it sucks.

I call them Man U... It's for determining what side of the fence you are on. I want them to lose. They are the Yankees of England.

Desperate and Hamstrung. Pujols and Hamilton and a drained farm system has put them in an impossible position. I'd almost rather be the Twins. The Angels will come back when Pujols and Hamilton come back and go nuts. Even that might not be enough with the back half of that rotation. The Angels were a terrible example of terrible GM'ing or Arte Moreno impatience... in my opinion.

Maybe... But I think the Angels are cash strapped. The Yankees are all of a sudden flush with it.

With Cano signing with Seattle. I believe Tanaka is going to be a Yankee unless the Japenese team refuses to post him. No Cano... Means Two Large Contracts can replace him. Tanaka and Choo are my best guesses. I think the Yankees go hard after Tanaka now and the lure of the pinstripes would lure him. I think the Tanaka (was always shaky at best) dream is over in one way or another. God... I hate the Yankees.

The A's didn't fall into Money... They are going for it with the usual constraints. They have a lot of pitching... After picking up Johnson and Kazmir... They can't afford Anderson's contract and they have arms to cover. The A's want to shed the salary in my opinion. Take the contract and it really shouldn't cost much in prospects.

Who knows how Doumit really feels. If the Twins need him to catch... Strap the pads on Doumit and do what is needed. Same goes for Mauer... Strap them on... On occasion if the team needs you to. Positional Flexibility is a good thing. If players are actually saying... I won't play a certain position. It hurts the team and it really hurts their individual value.

I love watching English Prem action Saturday Mornings. Been doing it for years. The team I started following fell off a Cliff and has been Regulated down to League Two. Portsmouth... Go Pompey!!! Ugh...that hurts. I've yet to find a Prem team to replace them yet. I'm trying to become a Swansea fan but it's happening too slow. I know I don't want to get behind the big money clubs like Man U, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Maybe Fulham or West Ham could be my team if Swansea isn't going to take hold... I don't know its so hard. I need Portsmouth back up... I'm lost and have been for a couple of years since the Portsmouth collapse.

You'd have to call security to keep me out. If I was cut... I'd still show up with my glove and bat... Pretending that the cut didn't happen.

Impressive Seattle Mariners acquisition. What Cano looks like in 2022 doesn't matter right now. These guys are closer than you think. They have King Felix... Iwakuma is legit... Walker is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and I expect Walker to start with the club and shine ala Jose Fernandez. James Paxton is also highly thought of. They still have the money to sign Garza or Tanaka and the prospects to trade for Price or Samardzia. The bullpen has young talented arms like Capps, Pryor, Farquhar. Its the the offense that has held them back and singing Cano is a huge step toward solving that. Not only could they sign Cano and a Garza or Tanaka but By Signing Cano... They just became more appealing to Choo or Nelson Cruz or Beltran and they can still afford those contracts in addition to Cano and a SP. Kyle Seager is coming around. Zunino can play... He may struggle a little at first but he's the next wave of Young talented Catchers... Montero could rebound as DH or 1B. The guy is a hitter. I've always thought that Saunders has a bunch of potential. Ackley... Franklin and Miller are top ranked prospects. Could you imagine if Smoak lived up to potential although I'm not gonna hold my breath on that. I guess... I just don't think the Mariners are that far off. I think penciling them in as 4th in the west and thinking that they prematurely jumped in on Cano is a mistake. They are close in my opinion.

I agree with this. The Twins will be much better offensively... If they just play to expectation. As hard as I am on Plouffe... I don't want him tossed away. I just want him to play better because I think he is capable of so much more. Hammer, Parm, Plouffe... The whole team under performed... Let's go from under performance to performance. The offensive needs won't be as acute then.

I'm shocked but trust it was the right decision. Hendriks just seemed like a guy who needed some more big league innings to work things out. Actually... Confidence was what he needed in my opinion.

In my Opinion... Twins Pitchers could throw inside a lot more. Throwing inside takes confidence and toughness. This speaks well of Nolasco. Bringing in Nolasco is a solid step in the right direction.

I don't think its fair to think Plouffe should be Brett Lawrie, Manny Machado or Nolen Arenado with the glove... However... The 3B position has changed. They are making plays over there on a nightly basis. It's a whole new level. I do think its reasonable to think he could be closer to the modern third basemen. If he can't... He has to produce Offensively. Here are some videos to look at... Watch them and ask yourself how far off we are from this with Plouffe. http://wapc.mlb.com/col/play/?content_id=31198023&topic_id=col http://www.bluejayhunter.com/2013/10/brett-lawries-top-10-defensive-gems-of.html Brooks Robinson has been surpassed. 3B is at a whole new level every night.

? Parm knocked me out with his RF play. He showed range... He made some catches he shouldn't have made. He played the Target field wall better than anyone. He had a real good arm. IMO... He can play RF... I have no worries. I don't know if Plouffe can play the position though but it's hard to be a pylon in the OF so I'm ok with Plouffe out there.

Ahh yes... Offense. We we clearly needed Starting Pitching but yes... The Twins Offense has to improve. As mentioned before... the K totals were historically bad. The team had no speed and it had no power. 2013 was a combination of bad things. 2013 was nearly every player under performing expectation. 2014... has to return to normal expectation. Improve Power!!! The Horses are already there. They just gotta be... You know... Powerful. Willingham has OPS'ed over .800 since 2006. Average .830... Get him back to average and you got a bat for the middle of your lineup. Arcia has the potential to be a power bat. Expectation should be over .800 OPS Plouffe needs better pitch selection. 1,226 MLB at bats... No more messing around. If he fails. Sano comes in. That's a combination of 3 power bats. We will need one more to replace what Morneau should have done but didn't. I don't know who that is. Arencebia strikes out way too much and we don't need more strikeouts. Parmelee... Doumit? Is is it too much to think that Mauer could hit 20 as a 1B? Improve Speed!!! Speed isn't just stolen bases... It's extra bases... It's pressure put on the defense. It can produce runs when the power is shut down. It gives you another way to win a game. We had no speed in 2013 and we need some in 2014. Florimon, Dozier, Presley can run a little. That's it. Mastro has speed. Hicks has Speed... Will either of these guys be on the roster at the start of the year? I dont know... As GM... I'd be tempted to be looking for some fast guys. Buxton will be here eventually but any time in 2014 is a long shot.

Me 2. He still has career ahead of him and he will always be one of my favorite Twins.

I like it. I'm gonna give TR a call and suggest it.

It's not agreed upon yet. The Japenese teams may have a problem with it.

It's pretty clear to me... The A's are filling in some areas for a serious run at it. They've been close... It looks like they are trying to get closer.

I hope we land him. I trust TR not to over pay. He's a terrible Health risk but a fantastic pitcher when healthy. He'd look great on our DL and even better when he comes off our DL.

I've stated my feelings on Plouffe multiple times. I think he could be a very important part of the Twins even after Sano arrives... But... It's up to Trevor. He either gets engaged with every pitch of every game defensively and offensively or Sano runs him over and sends his career into a tailspin. 2014 is huge for Trevor. I think the Twins will give him every chance to build up his trade value... Meaning every day job for display purposes. Myself... I'd up the heat on him... I'd be searching for a 3B who can pressure him to start the season. Making sure that Plouffe understands that he doesn't have an every day job by default. Someone like Bonofacio in a trade or Chris Nelson since he's available. Someone who can play another position when Sano arrives. Plouffe can have an every day job if he earns it. No more of this default stuff. He has 30 HR potential... I don't want to throw him away. I'm sure he puts effort in the cage... In the film room... I'm sure he listens to Gardy, Bruno and the coaches... So I'm sure he is working hard off the field... I'm sure he will tell anyone that he really really wants to win. But... He's not working hard ON the field. In my Opinion of course.