Kirby_waved_at_me

Yes, there's definitely a bump to the first year for these guys. I would point to Ichiro and Hideki Matsui as two other examples of guys that beat the sophomore slump. But Ichiro is a once in a generation superstar. Abreu still might be that guy, we'll have to wait and see. The one thing that is in Tomas' favor at this point is that he's younger than Puig, Abreu, and Cespedes were - It's possible that his development track would be different if he's learning on the job in MLB instead of in Cuba. Certainly, the numbers to this point in his career show he's closer to Cespedes than Abreu.

Yes and no - I think there's a more steady stream of Cuban defectors now than there has been for a long time. There are several smaller name Cuban players that may sign with MLB clubs. Specific to the big name guys, though, I'm inclined to agree that no one is going to be flying under the radar from Cuba. The market could adjust itself, though, especially if Tomas (and Rusney Castillo) are not as good as the hype.

Agreed - and really, the 30+ 1 year contract guy is only acceptable if he was paired with another acquisition of a starting pitcher that is better than a bargain bin pickup.

I'd even take that at this point considering he didn't even do that much last year or the year before to address the lack of depth in CF.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

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?

"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.

I think it is a luxury to have Escobar as the utility guy - it would be nice if he could play with passable defense in the Outfield. If that were the case, he'd be a great Cesar Tovar clone. If the Twins can find room for Escobar, Dozier, Santana and Plouffe to all get at bats that would be awesome. Nuñez is pretty much out the door unless Escobar is traded. I think Santana and Escobar both deserve to be on the Twins' opening day roster. Re: Vargas - in 2014, he had 26 Homers across two levels, and his work so far projects to a shade under 30 homers over 162 games (which means he's probably closer to 20-25 per year at this point over a full MLB season). That might not be David Ortiz power, but it sure beats the guys that have been around at DH since Thome left. He's got room to grow, as does Arcia, and that Sano kid isn't far behind. I would like the Twins to keep the middle of the order as meaty as possible in the near term. If Dozier and Mauer and Santana can get on base, the big guys should be able to bring them home a lot in 2015,

I'm looking forward to seeing a list of candidates from the Twins camp and/or names of people that have scheduled interviews for the position. I realize that the ink is barely dry on Molitor's contract, but I wish the Twins would throw us a bone, I am probably not alone in thinking that the pitching coach will getting a lot attention and scrutiny from the fanbase.

Not to mention everyone gets to hear Bert talk on the Broadcasts, he'd be second fiddle in the Twins dugout. I think he's probably happy doing what he's doing now, it's a pretty sweet gig. I think the new coaches will all have to be willing to be second (or 3rd/4th) in command to Molitor. I think Bert has too big an ego for that (that's not a slight on Bert, I think his ego is one of the things that made him a great pitcher and why he's usually an entertaining person on air). . . The pitching coach will have to defer to Molitor, and I don't see that going over particularly well with every candidate mentioned. Who's the closest thing to Leo Mazzone/Dave Duncan/Larry Rothschild in Paul Molitor's circle of teammates?

yes - I think Molitor has a different motivation than making a living. He did take an extended break following his playing career to spend time with his family. I think that different motivation is a good thing, and something that Twins fans should be at least a little excited about. The cliche "he wants to win" is particularly true of Molitor, and it shows in the way he goes about his business.

Yes I agree, I should have specified that I meant in terms of a pitching coach for the Twins in 2014, some of the hall of famers are set for life money-wise, so they'd have to want to coach for other reasons.

I also think the time that Blyleven has spent as color commentator on Twins' broadcasts could only hurt his chances - pretty much every commentator in baseball starts off with great insight. But over time, they start repeating themselves and/or are toned down by their bosses. Blyleven probably wouldn't say the same things as a coach that he says as a commentator, but I bet the cliches he uses as a commentator would be fuel for his detractors, e.g. "Downward plane," "pitchers are the best athletes," or any of these

I wonder if Famous / Hall Of Fame players are seldom coaches because they don't need the money and they'd rather spend time at home with their families.

Candidates I'd like the Twins to consider (in no order): Pedro Martinez Mike Maddux Greg Maddux Ray Searage (Pirates' Pitching Coach; former teammate of Paul Molitor) Cuellar Cardinals' Minor League Pitching Coaches Candidates I would NOT like the Twins to consider: Bert Blyleven Rick Anderson Dick Such Ron Davis Rick Ankiel A.J. Pierzynski Ozzie Guillen WILDCARDS! Jack Morris Brad Radke Leo Mazzone Bill "Spaceman" Lee (come on, how much fun would that be?) Trevor Hoffman Eddie Guardado Carl Willis Rick Reed

Win Games 1 and 5, and save Game 7 ? j/k ; Phil Hughes is pretty darn good.