Jump to content
Our free agent ranking is up to 100 names, and now you can filter by player position! Click here to check it out! ×
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

mudcat14

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    571

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by mudcat14

  1. mudcat14
    Thank you. My point originally is that Price is a legitimate, true, #1 ACE. Period. He's 28 going into next season and has his peak 5-year span coming up. Clearly, all would depend on getting him signed to an extension that the club could live with (probably the most unlikely part of this scenario.) But I'd give up Meyer & 2-3 others in a heartbeat if it could happen.
  2. mudcat14
    I tend to agree that salary relief is more important than return to BB and the A's in this deal. That's not to say that they will settle for the Twins to stock their soda machine next season, but Harrison and a lower-tier arm should be enough if the Twins are willing to eat the contract.
  3. mudcat14
    I had Meyer on the list initially, but didn't think it would be remotely possible without him included in a deal. The Rays are allegedly talking Tyjuan Walker with the M's, so since Stewart isn't eligible to be included our options are pretty limited in trying to match that arm. I'm probably only intrigued by this scenario due to my concerns over the dearth of LH options the Twins have for the rotation over the next couple of years. Albers, Diamond & Duensing don't really blow my skirt up too much.
  4. mudcat14
    ...could the Twins put a package together without Buxton or Sano that would be enough to entice the Rays to send Price our way? Would Ryan be willing to pony up the $20m/year that would be required to sign him long term? Can't help but think that having a lead pipe cinch #1 Ace, to go along with freshly added starters Nolasco & Hughes would immediately change the outlook of the Twins fortunes. Would Willingham, Meyer and almost any 2-3 other prospects in the system be enough to make it happen? I know it's a fantasy, but am curious if anyone thinks it would be worth it.
  5. mudcat14
    According to LENIII, it's a done deal. 3/$24m deal. Overall, I like it a lot!
  6. mudcat14
    Except for Garza, I wouldn't go longer than two years or more than $10m/season on ANY of the remaining FA targets the Twins are reported to have an interest in. We're not getting Jimenez or E. Santana and none of the others warrant that kind of commitment. It may make more sense to let the dust clear and pursue whoever is left after the Winter Meetings.
  7. mudcat14
    Sounds like Hughes is down to just a few teams, the Twins included. He wants a deal around the 2/$16m range. I'd almost prefer that to Garza. See if we can have a modest success with FA this season. Maybe we'll go in even harder in the future when we're closer to contending.
  8. mudcat14
    Half of them will pitch their way into the bullpen or minors, or onto the DL long before we break camp. The guys who earn it will get their innings in the spring, the ones who don't ...well, who gives a sh*t! If there is a surplus come April 1st, I'd much rather worry about it then than worry about which AAAA rejects would man our 3-5 slots like we have for the past several springs.
  9. mudcat14
    I like the Navarro idea. Especially if he came aboard with the understanding that he is here to help season his fellow Venezuelan, Pinto. A year or two at $2.5 per should get it done.
  10. mudcat14
    Don't have any major issues with your blue-print. I would however substitute AJ for Saltalamacchia. Offer him a 1-2 year deal for about the same $7.5/year he made this season, and let him know he is here to mentor Pinto and play about half the time. As for pitching, Garza & Hughes are my prime targets as well. Both have good stuff and are around the plate, with the potential for anchoring the rotation for a few seasons. Both could be had for total commitment of less than $25M per season and not totally muck up our payroll down the road.
  11. mudcat14
    Agree that Salty for 3-years would be a mistake. He doesn't get on base, drive in runs or throw out base-runners. He does, strike out a ton. I could argue that Pinto is better in each of those areas, right now! The Twins seem to place an extreme value on pitch-framing and handling the staff, strengths of Mauer and alleged weaknesses of Pinto. My question, if Mauer was so good and it's so important, why has our pitching staff been at the bottom of the league for three years running? Bring in a veteran like AJ on a 1-year, high-dollar deal to platoon with Pinto and season him at the big league level.
  12. mudcat14
    Personally, I'd be fine with a platoon of Pinto & Hermann behind the plate next season. If one or both totally bomb, I have no doubt that they could scramble and come up with some AAAA defensive whiz to finish out 2014 and address the issue next winter. I'd MUCH rather see the Twins target their spending on starting pitching and one semi-impact bat play one of about five other positions. With Mauer at 1B, Arcia at one of the OF or DH spots & Dozier at 2B, an upgrade could be found for anywhere else.
  13. mudcat14
    I too am most intrigued by Hughes, and consider him a realistic get. No doubt there will be risk involved in giving him a multi-year pact, but his stuff and age make it a high reward proposition as well. I'm not opposed to signing Pelfry to a reasonable one year deal. I think he's likely to improve on last season with another year between him and the surgery. I doubt his ceiling is very high though.
  14. mudcat14
    The Rangers would never trade Grimm, since they've already traded him to the Cubs in the Garza deal.
  15. mudcat14
    For whatever reasons, I see Josh Johnson & Phil Hughes being high on the Twins list. Both are still pretty young for the level of experience that hey have and still have significant upsides if they can manage to put it together. JJ could offer a hometown discount, while Target Field may be the ideal home venue for Hughes' talents.
  16. mudcat14
    Trevor May in relief. Anyone know if any other RockCats came up to help in the post-season?
  17. mudcat14
  18. mudcat14
    The problem here is that insurance will only pay if he is permanently disabled (forced to retire) Morneau was insured as well, but The Twins were on the hook for the final 3+ years of his deal at an extremely diminished return.
  19. mudcat14
    I don't think it's that cut and dried, Brock. In four seasons of full-season ball, essentially climbing a level per year, Pinto has OPS'd @ .672, .697, .844 & .897. He's trended upward each year while climbing the ladder. Is it unreasonable to predict he can OPS in the mid .700's as a regular MLB catcher? Hermann? Okay, not so much, but still serviceable as a back-up. As for potential solutions for 1B, only 11 posted an OPS in the majors of .800 or above this year, so unless your counting on making a big splash via trade or finding last years Willingham @ 1B, we'll be lucky to match Morneau's .745. If Pinto & Hermann can come anywhere close to Morny's OPS, I'd rather have Mauer's .860 @ 1B for an additional 20-30 games per year.
  20. mudcat14
    Can't agree with Souhan on AJ, but everything else makes sense to me. Mauer needs to burn his catchers mitt. He's missed a month already due to a foul tip! There will be more. I suspect if he were limited to 1B/DH, he would even bulk up a smidge to add a little more power. Pinto, Hermann & Doumit (if he's still here) should more than adequately suffice behind the dish. Joe could still serve in an emergency capacity. Sano will be here by next season. No reason not to give him a taste now. In every possible way, he's exceeded logical expectations on the field. Reward him. Of course he could use more seasoning, but you can say that about almost every prospect. What he needs as much as anything, is to learn how to conduct himself like a Major Leaguer. In terms of preparation, on field behavior & pitch selection/recognition. Those are things that he can only learn from being with and observing first hand, how Major Leaguers handle themselves. For once anyway, Souhan mostly has it right.
  21. mudcat14
    Since I'm not a Front Office guy, I'm gonna disregard the 40-man and Arbitration/FA ramifications and say bring Sano up for a taste in September. I see one or more of four possible outcomes in doing so, and only one of them is negative. 1) A dream scenario, where he steps right in and proves he belongs. 2) He struggles, but is able to experience the big league lifestyle and see first hand the challenges that lie ahead. Realizing exactly who and what is in front of him, he could redouble his efforts to seize the opportunity that may be available to him as early as next spring. 3) He gets humbled by MLB pitching. With his purported cockiness, it could give him a cold splash in the face and again lead him to intensify his efforts to get back for good. 4) He stinks up the joint, loses all faith and becomes a crackhead. Melodramatic? Okay. Seriously though, prospects have been stunted by rushing them, no doubt. But with what I've seen (El Poletero) and read about him, I find this highly doubtful. Finally, another factor to consider is the state of the fanbase. With the Morneau trade and injuries to Mauer and Arcia, the club is obviously just playing out the string. With an active roster that consists of maybe one player (Dozier) who could crack the starting line-up of one of the play-off contenders, we need a shot in the arm. Getting a glimpse of someone who will without a doubt, be a part of our next nucleus at some point could be about the only move that they have left. We fans need something besides Youtube highlights and scouting reports to keep us invested.
  22. mudcat14
    I hope they give Pinto & Hermann abundant innings behind the dish from here on out this season. My hope is that they can prove to be a serviceable tandem, enabling Mauer to move full-time to 1B, fatten up and start driving the ball. With any luck, Joe has only hit about 1/3 of his career HR's so far.
  23. mudcat14
    In case I failed to make it clear, my ho-hum attitude towards the list that launched this thread in no way dampens my enthusiasm over the future of Miguel Sano. I've been closely following the Twins since the late sixties, and can't remember ever being so excited about ANY prospects as I am with Sano & Buxton. Mauer was close, but he never projected the all-around talents of Buxton, or the power of Sano. Let's face it. Not only do chicks dig the long ball, but so do long-suffering, middle-aged Twins fans.
  24. mudcat14
    Sorry. Problem was a poor choice of words. My point is the list and stat don't portend any tendency for future success. Ten of the 18 players who are on that list from prior to 2010 have yet to make their MLB debut. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather Miguel be at the top of that list than the bottom. I'm just not convinced that it's a very meaningful stat.
  25. mudcat14
    The problem that I have with this list/stat is, what does it matter? In fairness many of the 40 or so names on that list are still working their way up, but many others haven't and won't ever play in a MLB game.
×
×
  • Create New...