jokin

You're right, it isn't a de jure deadline, but since Ryan has returned as GM, the shop has been on Auto-Pilot from about one week after the WMs are completed, as virtually nothing has happened that ended up affecting the team during the pending season, major-league-roster-wise between Christmas vacation week and April 1. Year One offseason of the second Ryan Era (Major League Moves in Bold) 12/22/11- Twins sign Jason Marquis 1/3/12- Twins sign Casey Fien to a minor league contract 2/8/12- Twins claim Darrin Mastroianni on waivers Year Two 12/20/12- Twins sign Mike Pelfrey Year Three 12/23/13- Twins sign Kurt Suzuki 1/29/14- Twins sign Matt Guerrier to a minor league deal w/ ST invite 2/12/14- Twins claim Brooks Raley on waivers Compare that record to other teams, both contenders and rebuilders, the lack of significant activity, and especially considering yearly favorable position for waiver claims, it's pretty stunning.

Somehow Willy Adames and Nick Franklin don't sound quite as impressive as Sano or Buxton. One (guaranteed) year of Price shouldn't cost that much, unless some team gets crazy panicked and desperate, and that definitely wouldn't be the Twins.

LEN3 just came out with his pre-Winter Meeting article, in which Ryan Vogelsong is played up prominently among three SPs featured in his discussion. According to LaVelle's sources, Justin Masterson is moving on "without the Twins." Brett Anderson is mentioned next, followed by Vogelsong: Well, just to get the disappointment out of the way, back in early August, I wrote, that assuming that they were going to whiff on Shields, they needed to prioritize the possible Hughes-like production upside of Masterson, Anderson and McCarthy. At least Anderson's name is still on the table. Does Vogelsong fit these criteria- for either "quality innings" or Hughes-like upside? Well first off, Steamer isn't buying a repeat performance from 2014, and presumably with NL numbers?: 2014 results w/ 2015 Vogelsong projections-> 2014 IP 184 ERA 4.00 FIP 3.85 K/9 7.36 BB/9 2.83 BF/IP 4.22 2015 IP 153 ERA 4.44 FIP 4.46 K/9 6.86 BB/9 2.85 BF/IP 4.35 Quality innings from Vogelsong? 2014 BF/IP numbers for Twins starting pitchers-> Hughes 4.08 Gibson 4.22 Nolasco 4.35 Deduno 4.40 Milone 4.40 Swarzak 4.40 Correia 4.46 May 4.66 Pelfrey 4.45 (in 2013) Consider the transition from the NL. Nolasco's 2013 BF/IP number was 4.18, while Correia's 2012 number was 4.25, obviously the jump to the AL tends to reduce the quality of the innings pitched- Vogelsong's BF/IP is 4.35 for the 2015 Steamer projection (w/ an NL assumption?), it seems like a Pelfrey or Correia-like number of 4.46 jumping to the AL is within the realm of possiblity. Now consider 2014 ERA+ -> Vogelsong 87 Gibson 88 Deduno 86 Swarzak 86 Correia 80 Nolasco 73 Pelfrey 79 (in 2013) Even if Vogelsong could semi-miraculously reproduce that 87 ERA+ after defying his career trend, plus moving to the AL.... why would the Twins want to pay him some $8M to find out? Why, indeed?

Isn't Beede untradeable until the June draft?

That's a great link... and exemplifies why so many of us seem to be talking right past each other. The great 20th centruy semanticist, S I Hayakawa, brilliant original thinker, and fierce defender of freedom of speech and thought had this to say: For anyone interested, I highly recommend Hayakawa's monumental, but easy to read, crystal clear thinking book, Language in Thought and Action. This is one of the most influential books I read in school, and has had an immense impact on how I view the world and my relationship to it. Talk about a mind-freer! It taught me to question the words that both I and others use and to understand that communication is not only difficult, but fraught with pitfalls and blind alleys (which have since been heightened due to the huge chunk of communication now taking place between us in shorthand "code" and absent of any vocal or body cues). It reinforced in me the concept that we need to try to look at the world through the eyes of others, and that how "we" and "they" "see" the world is to a large extent shaped by the culturally-shaped language each of us uses to describe it.

Great summation. can it be that the former long-time manager, pitching coach and the current pitchers haven't been petitioning their GM to "do something" about upgrading the OF over the last two years, and specifically this last year, where the club hit rock bottom, and was frequently reduced to fielding one or two of six separate infielders in the OF (where apparently only Bartlett had the sense to walk away from such nonsense after an epic team embarrassment), plus one absolute butcher in RF coupled with not one, not two, but three statues who were masquerading as OFers.

Uhh, Mike, it suspiciously looks like there was something*** that caused you to "revise and extend" your remarks

+1 Yup, now why hasn't that thought been more seriously entertained by the braintrust?

By the time the Twins get on board with accepting that Moore's Law must be acknowledged and adhered to, to be able to compete on a level playing field, the Law itself will be obsolete, replaced by some Quantum Mechanical re-ordering of baseball at the sub-atomic level. And they already have fulfilled somewhat your Twin Cities corollary to their cherished Alchemist Theory of Small Market Baseball Success, with the emergence of former St Paul Saint, Caleb Thielbar, and maybe Mark Hamburger not so far behind?

Hoo-whee... and +100! With that many golden nuggets in one post, it's obvious to me that you've been on hiatus for too long. This one has me still howling: Welcme back Bombo... and don't be a stranger... or you'll miss claiming the trophy for the TD Understater of the Year AwardsTM. You must get Wi-Fi inside of Cheyenne Mountain, right?

Lack of empathy on display yet again. Torii Hunter is not a college-educated member of the majority race in this country- replete with the currently socially acceptable and "proper thinking." And you missed your lessons in college, a minority can't be viewed in the same lens regarding personal perceptions of racial issues as the majority race. And you're unrealistically expecting Torii to have had the same life experiences as you, you can't even imagine the discussions he's undoubtedly had with other African American players and their formulation of opinions on being a vanishing breed in MLB, or maybe, I admit I'm speculating here but I know of other instances, the day that his children told him they weren't interested in pursuing a career in baseball.

Yep. I've stated my position on the issue- the State shouldn't even be involved in the issue- that's the Third Side- not usually tabulated by pollsters. But the fact remains, because the State is involved, the country is almost evenly divided on the issue, even the African American community. Hunter is on one of those sides- a side that even the President was on until just over two years ago. I'm not sure why that makes Hunter a controversial "non-person" to so many. I really prefer that his onfield-performance be the only point of discussion. I really could not care less what Chris Kluwe or Torii Hunter have to say about anything non-sports-related.

As I said, lack of empathy on your part, "I don't care", on my part.

Good post, I strongly agree that your conclusions will turn out being right. The club has bet $10.5M that we're wrong.... that between increased season ticket sales, concessions revenues, heightened public interest and TV viewership ratings on the financial end, plus, "leadership", "mentorship" and individual production upgrades from the field and clubhouse level, that they're going to come out ahead. I have my doubts, only time will tell. One thing is possible, if it does blow up in their faces as badly as some are forecasting (or wishing?) it to do, then there finally might be a sweeping wholesale set of hires from the outside, from Twins President down to Ballboy.

Yeah, we all get it, you generally hate Torii Hunter's off-field commentary. And once again, trying to justify that hatred, you are pedantically overreacting to a choice of words chosen by Hunter to make a figurative, not literal, point about the economics of baseball. I have no interest in Hunter's positions, pro or con, but are you so lacking in empathy that you can't understand that he's coming from a whole different set of life experiences than you, particularly with the drop off the cliff in the number of African Americans participating in baseball, from Little League to the Major League?

Yes. A journalist from a legitimate news source used a tainted, agenda-driven source without legitimate journalistic standards as part of his questioning, compounding that gaffe with poor timing of his questions.

The thing about the Hunter quote, however insensitive it might sound, it's actually quite accurate, all major league clubs have recognized, reinoforced, and exploited these inequities for years.

I think you're reading in, and proclaiming your problems with the decision from your sociological point of view, rather than what is perceived as problematic from the parties in question.

And further, the usually tightfisted GM and Owner felt that the third highest AAV contract in Twins history, and an obvious overpay, were well-justified, for the same reasons that you question. Right or wrong, they have put a lot more on the line than us pontificating armchair generals.

And yet, two of his former teammates felt strongly enough about what he brings to the clubhouse, they went out of their way to personally recruit him for just such roles. Moreover, both the brand new manager and the first-time coach, by making this so public, are making this the defining move of the direction they wish to take their club, staking their jobs on the line as it were, as they begin their first year in their positions.

I fear you're correct. The Giants also need a LFer. Torii would go over big in San Francisco, right? Pinto? Is anyone in the rest of the league intrigued with Arcia and willing to overlook his lack of defensive acumen? Neither seem like the right fit for a team looking to repeat. Suzuki? This might work, the Giants are already looking to get Buster out from behind home plate for even more reps (he played 35 games at 1st in 2014). Throw in a couple B prospects, maybe Ryan would listen. This is all likely idle speculation, of course, Shea doesn't name names, but I have the feeling that at the most, he envisions Crick and one other prospect arm being offered for Plouffe, in which case, I don't think Ryan will bite.

Would Ryan gamble on waiting out half a season on Sano with Escobar at 3rd until then, or by putting Mauer there for the full season? (He's already hinted that Sano might be headed to the OF.) Plouffe for a package featuring Crick and Susac would make such a move more tempting.

Born in 1977, so he'll be 38 next July, but yeah. This team doesn't seem to have much faith in their vaunted SP prospects, plus Vogelsong is likely to cost somewhere near $8M/yr, so he wouldn't be one who could easily be cast aside in favor of the younger arm. If they really want to go this route of hiring an insurance policy against prospect unreadiness, why not a much lower cost option like Chris Capuano, who wouldn't present the same blocking issues?

Yeah, I seem to recall that you were one of the guys who waxed eloquently on that magical, mystical "Month of Plouffe" back in 2012 when for a short time he was the Babe Ruth of baseball. Which begs the question, how much more could the Twins demand in July vs now if Plouffe were able to have a month in 2015 anywhere close to that of 2012?

The main difference I see is major league readiness at the time of the trade, and Crick has less control than Meyer.