jokin

Thanks SB for the great info. Questions. Does he pass the eye test better as a future MLB player or former MLB juicer?

Usually, perjorative name-calling along with massive overuse of caps indicates that you are on the losing side of the argument, but don't let me stop you from more in-depth analysis of how well the proven track record for the managment of this club has been over the last 7 years.

In looking up Rosario's stats I noticed that Vargas is 'unadopted' and more importantly, has hit 6 HRs in his first 9 games at Beloit, I assume he is coming off a significant injury? I only remember his name out there and having signed as an undrafted FA.Today is his birthday, as he turns 22. Even more pleasantly noticed, he's 6'5" and 215, perfect for 1B, along with a nice mix of OBP and SLG. Does anyone have a full rundown on his long-term chances?

Everything in business is negotiable. It's readily apparent that you haven't sampled the nightlife in Rochester, New York. I can even envision a scenario where he ends up making MORE money next year on a combined buyout and a new contract in Japan.

Why wasn't it time to take action during the Scott Baker debacle?

What more evidence do you need to see that this organization needs a major overhaul in the FO?

"In my opinion, barring any injury, Liriano should finish this season out strong and will be a high-risk, high-reward signing for another team this offseason." Great video analysis as always by Parker. This last comment is an equivocation though and kind-of epitomizes Liriano's career. The Twins, and their future payrolls apparently heading back towards KC Royals-level, have for all intents and purposes stated they no longer will risk any high-reward possibilities that entail salary commitments for pitching of over $3-5M/yr.

"Mutually exclusive"?....sounds more like "caught in the middle of a Catch-22" situation.

That was just a bad example of HnR. (Willingham K/Mauer CS DP, WTF-ouch!)

Obviously, everything is situational, it makes no sense to HnR with poor contact guys and the power hitters, but it makes a lot of sense with guys that hack alot at a high contact rate, tend to GIDP at a hi %, or hit like Carroll.

And they disrupt pitcher's rhythm and IF defenses. Hit and runs create infield gaps for batters to exploit. But the stat guys know better...right....

"In 'Stats Guys' We Trust"

Revere is starting in RF

And the identification and acquisition of players in trade and FA- as well, conversely misidentifying the value of those already in the org, has taken largely a turn to the crapper, as well: 1) Nishioka 2) Marquis 3) Young 4) Capps 5) Ramos 6) Thome (Twins got $20,000, Phillies got 2 prospects) 7) Garza 8) Lohse 9) Dickey (has been a mainstay SP for the Mets since Twins tendered him in 09) 10) Santana 11) Hardy 12) Hoey 13) Thinking that the opening day 2012 SP core staff was, at best, anything close to MLB-average-level.

Though definitely not Mike Trout in CF, Span is ranked #4 in UZR among all CFs for the seasons 2010-2012 (#3 in adjusted UZR/150) and is basically in the top 7 CFs this year in WAR. [TABLE=class: rgMasterTable, width: 100%] [TR=class: rgRow] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]Michael Bourn [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]- - - [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]CF [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]3449.2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]39 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]39 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]807 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]741 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right].918 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]235 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]10.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]15 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]4.7 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]20.2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]1.2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]26.2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]10.0 [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: rgAltRow] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]Chris Young [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]ARI [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]CF [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]3219.1 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]-1 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]1 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]44 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]44 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]777 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]724 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right].932 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]229 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]9.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]8 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]0.7 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]24.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]0.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]24.7 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]9.5 [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: rgRow] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]Austin Jackson [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]DET [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]CF [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]3223.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]41 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]43 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]715 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]674 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right].943 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]285 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]5.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]15 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]-1.4 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]18.6 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]0.7 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]18.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]7.5 [/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: rgAltRow] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]Denard Span [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular]MIN [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]CF [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]2729.1 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]-5 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]21 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]16 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]699 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]659 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right].943 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]202 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]-3.0 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]-6 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_break, align: right]-5.5 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right][/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]23.2 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]-0.3 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]17.5 [/TD] [TD=class: grid_line_regular, align: right]8.1 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Correct on everything. TJ is no longer the career-threatening impediment it once was, still leaving a high-ceiling potential guy in Vizcaino and a better throw-in prospect in Chapman. Also, the TR oversight in the Marquis/Maholm signing debate/debacle can be definitively put to rest.

Is trading deadline day a holiday? They're apparently working on double-time rates today.

C'mon RP, while there haven't been necessarily positive things said, the excuse factory is working overtime.

The Cubs are sitting on beacoup overpriced trading chips, but they still scored a nice mini-coup in acquiring Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman for Reed Johnson and Paul Maholm. Back in the spring, I had advocated for the Twins signing Maholm on the cheap and short-term as a reliable back-end SP option, with the possibility of moving him for a prospect at the trading deadline. Maholm has had a terrific year in a hitter-friendly park, enough so that the historically pitching-savvy Braves management opted to send their #2 prospect, 20-year-old Vizcaino, and high-MiL-K-rate, 23-year-old RP Chapman to the Cubs, along with journeyman OF Johnson. That begs the question of what a package of Span and Maholm might have yielded-- perhaps Vizcaino and Randall Delgado? Perhaps not, but clearly the Cubs have been doing their homework in finding teams with need and improving their future with a high-ceiling A propsect, the Twins thus far? not so much.

I don't recall anybody claiming that Liriano was in the same class with the other deadline pitchers. What he did have on his resume were two dominant seasons over his 6+ year career. "Selling the dream" and giving hope at recapturing that magic was part of what Twins' management needed to put at the forefront of their marketing scheme.

You obviously play craps.

Easy for you to say...

They didn't necessarily NEED to extend him, just get the "message" out that they were trying everything possible in an attempt to extend him. And you are right, there weren't better offers on the table for Liriano, partly because of the Twins inability to play poker.

Business Rule #1: Everything is Negotiable

According to ESPN, the payroll for the current Twins roster is now down to ~$82M (with ESPN quoting Morneau's salary at $15M), add in Nishioka's $3M and that gets you to $85M ALREADY. I'm thinking the Twins are getting real comfortable with that number for next season. That would leave about $30M in money for FAs coming from Morneau's contract, non-tendering Pavano and Capps, and the jettisoning of Nishi back to Japan.