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Kirby_waved_at_me

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Everything posted by Kirby_waved_at_me

  1. Kirby_waved_at_me
    They can certainly try to make a trade. When I advocate for Suzuki, I'm saying I'd rather the Twins have him on the team than Fryer or Herrmann in 2015. I feel like that is the choice that the Twins have set up for themselves. I'd like to be wrong about that, it would be great if Pinto works out and/or they get a player better than all three options (Suzuki/Fryer/Herrmann) to be Pinto insurance.
  2. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Martin is better, but he's going to be looking for a 3 year deal, and most indications are that the Pirates are going to spend to retain him. All I'm saying is that if the Twins are going to go with a player other than Pinto in 2015, I hope they extend Suzuki now, rather than not retaining him and roll the dice in the off-season, hoping to get Martin, Suzuki or worse. What is the best move based on the track record of the front office? The best move that they might actually make is to get Suzuki to sign for another year, with a team option for 2016. The best move overall? That's probably trading Suzuki for whatever they can get, then starting Pinto in 2015. I don't think that is what they will do.
  3. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think what it does say, ultimately, is that Polanco is good enough to be playing above single A. If the minor league scouts and coaches didn't think he could handle it, they would not have advised Terry Ryan to call him up - instead Ryan would have been encouraged to make a 40-man move of some kind (which he really didn't want to do). I agree that the injuries and the circumstances of the 40-man made Polanco a more likely choice than any of the AAA guys.
  4. Kirby_waved_at_me
    The trade and re-sign him plan is a nice thought - it might be optimistic to assume that Suzuki would come back to the Twins once he's a free agent. What if he likes the team he's traded to even more than the Twins? What if the team that he's traded to wins the World Series (or even just makes a deep playoff run)? It worked for Aguilera that one year because Aggie was a fixture in the Twins bullpen for years before he was traded, won a ring with the Twins, and was a fan favorite here. Does Suzuki have a house in the TC burbs somewhere or does he still live in SoCal? I don't think half a season (as good as it has been for him) is enough to think he'd pick the Twins again in the off-season given he'd be the #1 free agent catcher (as opposed to #3 or #4 last off-season behind McCann, AJ, and Saltalamacchia). I can say objectively that trading Suzuki near the deadline and then re-signing him in the offseason would be the best thing for the Twins to do (EDITED TO ADD: assuming that the Twins are not going to play Pinto as the everyday guy in 2015) . I'm skeptical that they can do it.
  5. Kirby_waved_at_me
    What does it say about the organizations' Middle Infield depth that keeping a player from Single A in the majors is an enticing option? I think Polanco has been great in this tiny sample, but he probably isn't ready to be on the Major league roster for an extended look. Florimon is a great defensive guy, no one will argue that, but his hitting is detrimental to the big league club. It doesn't seem likely that he will ever be a competent hitter at the ML level, the Twins would be better off having someone else take his place on the 25 Man (and probably the 40 Man as well). Plenty of deserving starting pitching candidates to choose from in AAA if tonight is Pino's last start. I think the original post scenario makes sense: to play the healthier of Plouffe/Nuñez tonight, sending Florimon down, and then making the decision on Pino/Polanco after the game. Having Plouffe/Nuñez is better than Florimon/Polanco, I think that ultimately has to be the trade off. It would be interesting if Polanco gets a promotion to AA out of this, but my guess is that he'll be heading back to Ft. Myers to work with same coaches he's been working with so far this year.
  6. Kirby_waved_at_me
    "Mauer's latest technique, Primal Scream Therapy, has yielded more doubles in June."
  7. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Was Polanco added to the 40-Man too early, or would he have been eligible to be a Rule V draftee if he was not on the 40-Man this year? Promoting a guy from single-A ball is a huge jump, would it have been more prudent to have another AAA or AA middle infielder on the 40-Man instead of Polanco? Or was this a case of protecting Polanco from being taken by another team (either Rule V or minor league free agent)?
  8. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I would argue that even his career norms would be reason enough to keep him around another year. Better than Fryer, Herrmann, and the younger guys like Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver are a couple years away at least. If Suzuki turns into a pumpkin, then the Twins can make Pinto the everyday catacher with Suzuki as his backup next season.
  9. Kirby_waved_at_me
    here are the catchers that are likely free agents in 2015: Catchers John Buck (34) Ryan Doumit (34) Nick Hundley (31) – $5MM club option Gerald Laird (35) Russell Martin (32) Jeff Mathis (32) – $1.5MM club option Wil Nieves (36) Miguel Olivo (36) A.J. Pierzynski (38) David Ross (38) Geovany Soto (32) Kurt Suzuki (31) in a word, yuck. If the Twins are not sold on Pinto for 2015 and they are looking for a player outside the organization to be the catcher more than 40% of the time, I think Suzuki is probably the best choice on the list. Yes, Suzuki is a trade candidate. At the moment, though, Pinto is on the DL in AAA, so it's Fryer/Herrmann that would be taking over and the Twins would be getting "something" in return - not sure it would be worth it.
  10. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Gardy has said on his weekend show that he really likes Parmelee - as a bench bat. It's the role the Twins want Parmelee to play. The same interview had Gardy saying that a player has to accept their role on a team before they can really perform well in that role. Maybe that's happening in this good stretch for Parmelee?
  11. Kirby_waved_at_me
    maybe he's a streaky hitter- His early success was a pretty small sample. His slump this may not be a fair indication of his talent either, it's good to have him when he's rolling, no question about it.
  12. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Well, that probably answers the question of who's starting in that open slot - Pino will get his 3rd ML start.
  13. Kirby_waved_at_me
    That's the main benefit of extending Suzuki's contract. There's already a need to be filled in CF for at least 2015 (and possibly part of 2016, depending on Buxton's development), a hole in Left field, lingering questions about SS (though I like Santana and/or Escobar there for this year). It would be nice for the Twins to not also be looking to add another free agent catcher this off-season.
  14. Kirby_waved_at_me
    There is another thread asking about the prospect of trading Hicks straight up for Jose Tabata - personally I don't think that would be a fair trade for the Twins. Does all this drama swirling around Hicks make him a trade candidate near the deadline? With all the weirdness surrounding his demotion, would the Twins be likely to get a player or players of value in return for Hicks? Is trading Hicks in the best interests of the Twins, or in the best interests of Aaron Hicks? Technically, New Britain is a change of scenery...
  15. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Would Pittsburgh take Florimon in the deal too?
  16. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Just a lucky guess!
  17. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Well, they optioned him for infield depth... They could call him right back when Nuñez and/or Plouffe return from the DL.
  18. Kirby_waved_at_me
    My guess is he's just going to sit and watch today - but then again he might be asked to pinch run for Morales or something like that...
  19. Kirby_waved_at_me
    So, Does Jorge Polanco get his ML Debut today? Pinch hitting for P-Flo in the ninth, perhaps?
  20. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I bet Casey Fien could get a decent mid-level prospect in a trade. And there's Duensing and Thielbar, somoene might overrate a lefty arm.
  21. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Perkins has a contract that is an asset - it's fairly team friendly assuming the wheels don't fall off. So that's both a reason to keep him and a reason to trade him sooner than later. I think he should be retained as long as he's still the best pitcher in the bullpen.
  22. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Pino might get one more start after this... He struggled, but the Angels also knocked around Gibson the day before. That rotation spot is still TBD?
  23. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Age is important if all other factors are equal. There were few pitchers in their 20s that were as good as Morris or Blyleven were in their mid-30's. It's not a problem to have a 33 year old guy in your rotation - but there's Randy Johnson at 33 and then there's Kevin Correia. I'd still take the Hall Of Famer first. If it's a Kevin Correia - level 25 year old pitcher, I'd probably want to give the starts to the younger guy - he might still get better.
  24. Kirby_waved_at_me
    The Twins will not be giving a QO to Suzuki - He'd sign a three year deal for the same amount as a 1 yr QO. It's a good point, though, now that Suzuki is showing what he brings to the team, the Twins will most likely be considering offering him another contract instead of trading him. They will base this on whether they think Pinto will be the everyday catcher in 2015. My guess is that they still think Pinto isn't ready to be the starter, so I think they will at least be looking for one more year for Suzuki. The other potential free agents don't look like an improvement over what's currently on the roster. Hammer and Morales should definitely be available - as well as anybody else on the roster (for the right return). The list of guys in the organization that should be untouchable is pretty short - Sano, Buxton, May, Meyer, Gibson, Hughes, Perkins, and Dozier(maybe). The guys drafted this year and last year should also be untouchable (don't think the Twins can trade any 2014 picks anyway). Anyone else is worth listening to other team's offers. The only reason to keep Suzuki is that he's worth more to the team next year than anyone the Twins currently have or are likely to add via free agency.
  25. Kirby_waved_at_me
    The other thing about 'Kevin Bacon' is that it sounds a little like the word "Separation," so Six Degrees of Separation became Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon... For baseball ... Six Degrees of Kenny Lofton? He played for 11 teams... For instance, Lofton and the 1958 Dodgers are just 3 degrees apart - Lofton was on the 1991 Astros with Jim Clancy (1 degree), who played with Ron Fairly on the 1977 Blue Jays. Fairly (2 degrees) played with Pee Wee Reese, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Don Zimmer and others on the 1958 Dodgers (3 degrees each)... Or in the other direction, Lofton is just 2 degrees from The Marlins' Jose Fernandez. Lofton played in 2007 with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the Texas Rangers. Salty and 21 year old Jose are teammates in Miami this year. If you want some Local connections, Lofton and the 1961 Twins are just 4 degrees apart. The same path to the 1958 Dodgers will get you 3 degrees to Elmer Valo, who played for the 1961 team with Killebrew, Jim Kaat, Bob Allison, Camilo Pascual, Earl Battey etc. etc. etc.
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