Kirby_waved_at_me

I'd rather have Nolasco than Jimenez. No question there. I'd rather not have both!

I agree with this - even if he's not in CF for all three years, there's room for Rasmus even if he hits like he did in 2014 - it would be an improvement over what the Twins have had (not including Willingham when he was healthy) in CF/LF for a long time.

They've already added Virgil Vazquez to the minor league staff (pitching coach in the GCL) so far, I wouldn't be surprised if they do more..

I can probably be convinced that Rosario/Hicks/Schafer/Arcia will be a much better OF in 2015 than the guys the Twins had out there in 2014 (even though 75% of the "new" names were on the roster last year). Even with that confidence that they can't possibly get worse, I still want to see the Twins be at least a little bit aggressive and acquire a player with good-to-great defense in LF that can hit better than Hicks/Schafer. I'm not asking for much, honest!

Question - Does anyone know if Rudy would also offer insight as a fielder? Was he an infielder, an outfielder, a catcher when he played? Is hitting his only specialty? Will there be another coach or two (maybe the first base coach) that will do double duty as a defensive minded instructor at the MLB level?

Cuellar might be a really good choice, too - that's the thing about all these internal hires. Individually, they all seem to be good fits for the position. I can't be too upset about them not hiring an outside candidate, because the number one goal is to get a good coach at each position. The other piece is that not all internal candidates are created equal - If they made Scott Ullger Manager, Vavra bench coach, Rick Anderson stayed on as Pitching Coach, I mean, that would drive everyone on this board nuts. If the Twins replace Vavra, Ullger, Rick Anderson, and Gardenhire with guys that have not been coaching for the Twins' MLB team for 10+ years, I think that might be good enough. It's a turn over from the old culture to a newer version of it. Ideally, the next few names we hear will be surprising ones.

No matter who becomes the new pitching coach, my sincere hope is that they have a philosophy about learning and adaptation that the rest of the new staff seems to be offering. I don't know much of anything about the new assistant hitting coach, but certainly Brunansky and Molitor have said all the right things so far about being willing to really look at the data instead of repeating the mantras that made them successful as players, or that other coaches have preached to them in the past. A change in leadership should hopefully bring a "leadership of change" - coaches that are willing to adapt to their players' strengths, and the knowledge and humility to understand their players' shortcomings. It seemed from the armchair perspective that Glynn brought that level of adaptation and awareness to his AAA teams, they performed very well while he was at the helm, and based on the constant carousel of players shuttling up to the big club and back the last three years, the success of Rochester seems like it was built on flexibility and a willingness to embrace change. So, hopefully the new pitching coach will bring that same level of open-mindedness.

Cool - It does seem like the Twins are still hanging onto internal candidates over outside voices - - I have no doubt the Twins like this guy and he'll be familiar with a lot of the current roster. But I'm curious how many guys will be on the Twins' bench in 2015 that weren't already employed somewhere by the Twins in 2014 Does this hiring (combined with Glynn at 3b) seal the deal that Vavra won't be back with the ML club in any capacity? I would think those two positions (3b coach or asst hitting coach) would be the most likely for Vavra to hold. I might need to update the baseball card on my profile photo!

Some things that may shakes themselves out over the next few months: If Pablo Sandoval signs with a team other than the Giants, maybe the Giants would inquire on Plouffe. Cuddyer signing with the Mets was a mild surprise given the Qualifying offer, but that means the Mets have more prospects left over to use in a trade for a SS - maybe there's a fit for Escobar, Polanco, Santana (or even Nuñez) to go to NY in exchange for something. Probably not OF help... There will be lots of teams looking to deal, still curious about Saunders from Seattle, Burjos from St. Louis, and maybe even one of the Dodgers outfielders. My personal wish list hasn't changed much since the middle of last year - Yasmany Tomas, Melky Cabrera, Colby Rasmus would be my first three choices of free agents. Denorfia, Aoki, and Rios would probably be upgrades from 2014, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement.

that would be my thought as well - I'd rather have a player that is likely going to be good this year and next year than taking a chance on a guy that might be 3-4 years away, if they make it at all.

Oh, and don't forget that signing Liriano means losing a draft pick (the Twins' first round pick is protected, so for the Twins it would be a 2nd rounder). That added cost would be the sticking point for most folks.

The rumors so far put Liriano in the 3 year / 40MM or more territory. It's a bit more than what the Twins gave to Hughes, but less than what they gave to Nolasco. It seems like a bargain to me, but I tend to think Liriano is better than others rate him.

Well, the Twins have been in the habit in the Terry Ryan era of picking up a FA starter or two each year, it's just that they've usually been low-upside veteran re-treads. Pelfrey, Correia, Jason Marquis, Livan Hernandez, Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz. I think the guys on the list in the original post would be a better gamble. I liked the Rich Harden signing the Twins made a couple offseasons ago, if Harden was actually healthy, he would have really helped the Twins. He wasn't healthy, and as a result he didn't end up taking a roster spot away from any of the young guys. When the possibility is that you'll get Phil Hughes or Scott Kazmir or AJ Burnett (Pirates version), that's so much better than taking a chance on a guys that have been mediocre to bad for several seasons (even when healthy). If it's already decided that the Twins will not get one of the big three guys, they might as well sign one or two of these guys in case they can reclaim their former glory. If they don't make the team, they don't block anyone. If they do make the team, it's because they were good enough to beat out the competition. I think Meyer and May are going to get their shots in 2015 regardless of who the Twins add. Hughes will be in the rotation, Gibson is reasonably set in place and everyone else will have to perform to stay - that's my gut feeling anyway. Nolasco, Pelfrey, Milone will be fighting for the 4/5 spot. I think May will get to start the season somewhere between 3, 4, and 5; Meyer should be the first guy up to take the spot from the injured and/or ineffective guy. We all know there will be one or more... If one of these FA starters makes the team, it only raises the stakes for Nolasco, Pelf, and Milone to try to claim what is left to them. I'd much rather have those three fighting for the 5th spot with a decent 1,2,3, 4 of Free agent, Hughes, May and Gibson. Having real depth in the rotation for the first time in a long time would be a nice change of pace.

I'd like a "Kasota Gold" home jersey (instead of white) so the outfielders could camouflage themselves against the wall in Right Field. . . "Arcia, out of nowhere with the grab!" might help the reputation of the home nine's defense!

Interesting to note on the Phil Hughes article how many of those pitchers came through the Twins system - I think the Bob Tewksbury year was when he was a Twin, Silva, Rick Reed, Pavano, Radke, and Hughes of course... It's one thing that I won't bash Rick Anderson for - he oversaw a lot of pitchers that reduced their walk rate.

Talking football injury versus baseball injury - it's a much bigger deal for an NFL starter to miss one game than it is for an MLB starter to miss 5 games. In the NFL, each game has playoff implications, and one missed game is missing a good chunk of the regular season. For Mauer to sit out of Gardenhire's lineup for a few days doesn't likely change the Twins' place in the standings. For Farve to stay in the game at 80% or even 60% is much more important to the team's season and final standings. Quarterbacks especially, since they touch the ball on nearly every offensive play, are in a different category in terms of playing through injury. When Mauer was catching, he had a bigger impact on the outcome of the game, but now that he's at first base, it doesn't really bother me if he needs an extra day. I expect that will happen to everyday players at various points in the season. I'm still curious how 2015 will shake itself out - will Molitor give Mauer the same day-to-day treatment that Gardy has, or will he force Mauer to choose between the starting lineup and the DL?

Pinto for Saunders is pretty interesting - now that Gardy is gone, though, I feel like Pinto has a better chance of getting more at bats for the Twins. I agree, though, if the Twins aren't going to give Pinto at bats, might as well trade him for a guy they will put in the lineup.

Reds Catcher Brayan Pena is Cuban, but he went to Junior College in Costa Rica (presumably to make him eligible to play in MLB). There are still no major league players in the history of the league to be born in Costa Rica. In not really ironic (but some might call it ironic) twist, major league baseballs are manufactured in Costa Rica.

If Seattle wanted Arcia, who would they have to add with Saunders to get him? A pitching prospect? Looking at Seattle's roster, it seems foolish for them to shop Saunders, since they need Outfield bats... They are in a kind of similar postion as Minnesota, but without having Buxton and Sano in the wings.

Mauer's 2015 injury report will be a telling list - has Gardy been holding Mauer out of the lineup as a precaution? Will Molitor continue the tradition? Is it the Front Office giving direction to the on field staff with respect to their biggest contract?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/mariners-expected-to-shop-michael-saunders-next-week.html If the Mariners are shopping Saunders, what's a reasonable return for Seattle? Don't Say Duensing.

Neat, that's a fun opportunity for those guys - who's playing left field for that team? Puig? The question is, will Nuñez still represent the Twins come April?

"hey buddy, what's your name?" "Orville." "Oh. Sorry man." "Don't worry, my friends call me 'Coot'!" " . . . "

It seems like a corner has been turned - a few years ago, the Twins' medical staff was getting blasted for the phrase "rest and rehab." Do people still think that the medical/training staff are under diagnosing injuries? Or is it the opposite now? The Medical Staff is now too quick to say that a player has to sit or needs to go on the DL? I think the point diehard makes about effectiveness while injured is a good one. In my mind, it is a question of communication between, player, coach and medical staff. If a starter gets shelled, maybe they were just off that day, or maybe they are experiencing enough pain that they are not able to pitch mechanically sound. The coaches should be able to see the mechanics part of it, the player should feel free to tell the trainers what the discomfort is, and the trainer should be able to tell player and coach what can be done medically to heal / repair the injury. If the player is performing well, but is in tremendous pain, they should be able to tell the trainer that, too.

Knowing how the Twins "family" works, I'm guessing that every one of the coaches from this year will have the opportunity to remain in the organization in some capacity if they want to. It's looking more likely that Bruno (and Molitor, of couse) will be the only holdover from the 2014 major league staff to be on the 2015 major league staff. There could be some promotions in the works for a lot of the minor league guys, that will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.