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JB_Iowa

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Everything posted by JB_Iowa

  1. JB_Iowa
    The author is correct -- there are a lot of question marks on this team. If many things go well, there could be a significant improvement. If not so many things go well, the improvement will be minimal. At least I don't look for regression. The season will be interesting .... let's just hope it is still interesting in July and August.
  2. JB_Iowa
    For those of us who prefer English, Berardino did a nice summary: http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2013/12/20/twinsights-could-chris-colabello-be-headed-to-korea/ It was only in 2010 that they sold Keppel's contract? These last 3 years have been reeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy long.
  3. JB_Iowa
    Really ugly: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/grant-balfour-s-agent-refutes-orioles--claim-that-the-closer-failed-his-physical-234143738.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
  4. JB_Iowa
    I don't necessarily think that heart, chemistry and desire = clubhouse chemistry. I think of clubhouse chemistry more as "getting along with one another" and in that context, while it may help smooth the waters somewhat during a long season, I'm not sure it leads to championships. Give me someone who has talent AND a burning desire to win (even if he may not be the best-loved guy in the clubhouse). (This is actually where I think the original writer of the post Bonnes cited went wrong. Pelfrey may be a good clubhouse guy but he also apparently WANTS the d*mn ball every 5th day. To me that is more important than whether his card-playing buddies like him).
  5. JB_Iowa
    Oddest thing about all this for me? I never realized that Perkins and Valencia are just 1 1/2 years apart in age until this thread prompted me to look. Odd how arrival in the majors and success can affect perceptions.
  6. JB_Iowa
    Fair enough on the OF. Obviously that wasn't a direction the Twins had in mind even before the season started. Maybe they'll be proved wrong on having enough outfielders in the pipeline. I know you've been vocal about how the Twins would be really competitive this year if they made the right moves. I guess I think they are further away than that so I don't have a problem with a lot of outfield auditions this year. I don't necessarily believe that clubhouse chemistry wins games (although I think that at times it can lose them) and I probably disagree with the Twins on what kind of clubhouse chemistry is needed. But I've noted since early in the off-season that I wanted to see the Twins sign players who WANT to be on that field each day (as was noted about the changes the Red Sox made last year, the kind of baseball rats who want to be on the top step of the dugout and are anxious to get on the field). Although a pitcher, I see that in Pelfrey -- someone who pushes himself. If he can have a year where he is pitching pretty well, I think that his attitude provides some good leadership qualities for the rest of the staff.
  7. JB_Iowa
    To go back to the original article, though. The one thing that Pelfrey seems to bring to the clubhouse is a toughness and true desire to get out on the mound. (Maybe even pushing it faster than he should have). Given the complaints we've all had about the "country club" atmosphere we've perceived in the clubhouse the last few years, that seems like a positive to me. A great reason to sign him? No. A contributing factor? Yep.
  8. JB_Iowa
    But what good player would you have signed to replace the Pelfrey signing? I guess the Twins could have waited to see how the Tanaka situation shook out to see if they could sign Garza (although as far as I'm concerned, they still have the money to sign him if they could entice him back to MN). E. Santana wasn't going to happen. Arroyo for 4 years instead of Pelfrey for 2? I think I'd rather take the 2 year risk (at lower money) for Pelfrey rather than being locked into another 4 year deal. The Twins were in a position where they had to do something pretty early this off-season and I am so glad that we are not sitting here with Christmas fast approaching and no pitchers in the Twins' stocking. I didn't expect them to make giant leaps in one off-season. I'm satisfied with taking some decent strides toward a better pitching staff and in positioning themselves for some of the prospects to mature (we hope). I don't see anything that they've done so far this off-season as hampering themselves from making further improvements over the next year or two. The Pelfrey signing may not be a great present but it's not one where I feel like I have to stand in the returns line, either. It may be one of those gifts you use for a while and then discard. And fortunately, the Twins could afford to do that.
  9. JB_Iowa
    A GM with a scouting background is great ... if that person also WANTS the business-side portion of negotiating contracts and administering a fairly large part of the organization. Some of those duties can obviously be delegated but ultimately the GM is the one who has to take responsibility. A GM with a business type background could also be great -- if that person has a good understanding of analytics and can use them in conjunction with what the scouts are seeing and analyzing. It's just never easy to walk on water.
  10. JB_Iowa
    Ahmed Fareed ‏@AhmedFareedCSN 1h An unfavorable discovery in Grant Balfour's physical. His deal with the Orioles is now in jeopardy. (via @masnRoch) Retweeted by Jon Heyman 4:38 PM - 19 Dec 13 · Details
  11. JB_Iowa
    I'm not convinced that Radcliff wanted to move up to a GM job. There was a story in the last couple of years that the Twins had denied other clubs the right to interview Radcliffe. Even at the time, I thought that had to be Radcliff's choice. It just didn't seem like TR or the organization were the type to deny someone the opportunity to move up to a different job if the person really wanted it. This is from a Gleeman column on November 14, 2011: Days before firing Smith the Twins denied the Orioles permission to interview vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff for their GM opening, but several sources have suggested that was more about Radcliff's lack of interest in the job than anything else. Radcliff was the Twins' longtime scouting director prior to switching roles when Smith replaced Ryan in 2007 and is a big part of the organization, although Ryan admitted Radcliff was "spread too thin" recently. http://aarongleeman.com/tag/mike-radcliff/ Radcliff comes from a scouting background just as Terry Ryan did. Maybe he has made a decision that he doesn't want all the business-type responsibilities that go along with a GM job. He's also been around the organization for a long time. I can't find his age but I think he may be just a little older than TR. Maybe he's pointing toward retirement and moving some of his duties helps facilitate that. (Note, I did find that it says he joined the major league scouting bureau in 1982 so he may not be older than Terry Ryan but he is probably in his 50's and maybe late 50's).
  12. JB_Iowa
    I did think about the differences in payroll and in team value but I'm not sure that the $300m is apples to apples, either. But we're still talking about giving up 2 years of control. John is right that the best deal that Rakuten can probably get given the current situation is to keep him for this year and then post him next year. Yes, there is an injury risk but presumably they could insure against that. The overall payout for Rakuten is still probably higher if they keep him another year.
  13. JB_Iowa
    My question is really this, though: How much would cash would Detroit or LA want to allow Scherzer or Kershaw to become a free agent a year early? Would they take $20m instead of keeping their star on the payroll for another year? That's basically what Rakuten is being asked to do (except that it is actually 2 years early). Just another way of looking at the question of whether the new posting system is fair to NPB teams.
  14. JB_Iowa
    He's been with the team for more than 25 years .... not exactly a newcomer or youngster. Congratulations to Mr. Antony and I do think that the Twins are setting up the line of succession. At least this gives them someone who has been active on the baseball side to move up. Although Mike Radcliffe may still be in that line of succession, too ... just not sure if he wants the GM job (didn't interview for an outside job last year although it was framed as the Twins not allowing him to interview). Congrats, too, to the other 3 people the Twins made VP's yesterday. Souhan had a pretty good story on Antony when he was made assistant GM in 2007: http://www.startribune.com/sports/11922191.html Article says he was born in 1965 so that would make him 48. And, yes, I'd still like to see the Twins bring in some "new blood" at the higher levels of the organization on occasion.
  15. JB_Iowa
    I don't think that's crazy at all. Trades between equal partners are often about each party getting what IT needs (or getting rid of what it needs to get rid of in some cases).
  16. JB_Iowa
    We'll just have to disagree on whether the new system is much more akin to free agency. To me, since the posting fee is set, there isn't much disincentive for clubs to "throw their hat in the ring" if they are interested in the player. It's not as though they lose the posting fee if they aren't the club that signs the player. And it is totally different from the old "highest bidder" system where one club could try to block others. I still wonder what it would take to get LA or Detroit to give up a year of control on Kershaw and Scherzer. Saw this just now: A Rakuten Eagles official suggested Wednesday that any decision about whether or not ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka can move to the major leagues this offseason could take a while. "Within the organization, this is a discussion about an adjustment that is not that simple," Hiroshi Abei, the scouting director for the Pacific League and Japan Series champions, said. "There is a possibility it could take a while." http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/12/262375.html Sounds like this could drag on.
  17. JB_Iowa
    Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN 3m Part of reason Twins clearing money is to add another starting pitcher (Bronson Arroyo?) 12:42 PM - 18 Dec 13 I still have trouble with that idea (adding Arroyo) but I do question how much these columnists know vs how much they just keep speculating. I see the Doumit deal as clearing a 40 man space and hopefully making it more likely that the Twins sign a catcher. Bronson Arroyo? mmmm, no. Not after signing Nolasco, Hughes & Pelfrey.
  18. JB_Iowa
    I think it was Parker (or one of the other main TD guys) who posted something in the last day or so quoting Doumit's agent as saying he wanted to catch in 2014. I've got to think that they are very close to signing either Suzuki or Buck. I'd think that they'd want to clear up the Doumit situation before they signed one of them. But it also doesn't escape me that Braves execs have been in the TC in the last few days touring Target Field so that may have more to do with the timing than anything. EDIT: And GREAT POINT stringerbell about clearing space for Pelfrey.
  19. JB_Iowa
    http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/sean-gilmartin-and-the-gwinnett-braves/ Interesting little piece on Gilmartin. To be effective at the major-league level, Gilmartin’s control and command will have to be at their absolute best. Hard to know if he can be effective in the mlb but Doumit was rapidly becoming the "odd man out" for the Twins -- especially if they are close to signing another catcher. And the Twins do love those "command and control" artists.
  20. JB_Iowa
    Sorry, I was thinking more along the lines of signing Suzuki or Buck. (I didn't make that clear).
  21. JB_Iowa
    Payment for the nice Target Field hospitality they've enjoyed the last few days as they tour new ballparks? (J/K)
  22. JB_Iowa
    Does this mean that the Twins are close to acquiring another catcher???
  23. JB_Iowa
    To follow up on my last comment: Would the Dodgers or Tigers grant Kershaw or Scherzer free agency TODAY for the payment of $20 million? I think that's the only way to look at this as an apples to apples situation.
  24. JB_Iowa
    OOPS, my apologies to Tom Powers -- thanks for the catch. Moving a AAA franchise isn't an easy thing (not going to discuss it because we had long discussions of affiliate locations when the Rochester renewals and Cedar Rapids renewals came up). I'm sure that the Red Wings would prefer to be associated with an East Coast team but as I recall, there weren't a lot of options that looked more attractive for the Twins. I was just glad to read Glynn's comments about the attitude that has developed among the players in Rochester. I hope some of that comes with them as they are called up to Minnesota because the last couple of years have looked ugly here.
  25. JB_Iowa
    Willihammer, that's all really interesting. It just doesn't totally address my question. I really don't care about an mlb player going to Japan (which I view primarily as a way of resuscitating a career rather than something done on an upward career arc). If I'm understanding it correctly, it is years 8 and 9 that seem unfair -- because they would be later than most mlb-drafted players (excellent ones, that is) would hit free agency. So, if wikipedia is right (sorry, I have no clear idea where to find the best info on international players), Tanaka was drafted in 2006. I looked back at the 2006 mlb draft and it looks to me like the closest comparables are Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer (not necessarily in terms of ability but in terms of career arc). Kershaw and Scherzer won't be eligible for free agency until 2015. Lincecum probably would have first been eligible in 2013 (I think). I'm not sure why Tanaka should receive consideration in becoming a free agent earlier than Kershaw and Scherzer. I'm trying to understand how the $20m that Rakutan gets for giving up Tanaka at this point compares to what L.A. or Detroit could get in value if they made Kershaw or Scherzer available for trade. EDIT: That first paragraph sounds a little snotty and its not meant to be. I really do appreciate the info you provided in your last post, Willihammer.
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