Thrylos

'Tis the All-Star break. Still too early for Rookie of the Year discussions, especially involving Diamond...

Ryan's record is mixed. Really mixed. Yes, he made a steal of a trade, but he made some really bad ones, including trading an All-Star second baseman (then) for an OF who never made it to the majors and Drew, who did make it (unfortunately.) or trading Kyle Lohse for Zach Ward. Also, he has released players from the organization including David Ortiz, Peter Moylan, Grant Balfour, Rick Helling, Randy Choate, Evan Meek, Aaron Fultz etc. Also he drafted but did not sign players like Aaron Heilman, Yonder Alonso, J.J. Putz and botching the signing of Travis Lee after he drafted him on the first round. His full transaction record is here, btw, so you can make your own conclusions. Plus the whole player evaluation system has been stuck in the 19th century (and it is largely his responsibility as a leader.) For some reason he has some cult following (yes, he drafted Johan Santana in the Rule 5 draft - though a trade, but also drafted and kept Brian Butcher in the same draft...) Did some good things, did more bad things and he is stuck in the past. And (more importantly) the Twins have not won a world series (or even made it past one post-season series more than once) during his leadership as a GM. The more hopeful thing for me is that he still carries the interim title, so hopefully, the Twins will get some young blood from outside the organization to run this team...

Agree 100% about them offering him a 1yr/$12.5 M deal but a. the Twins will not do it (because he is not part of the inner circle) and b. he will not accept because he will do much better as a free agent. Arcia is a lot like Kubel defensively too (but pre-knee blowout Kubel ) Decent arm, decent range not extremely athletic. I think his ceiling is higher than Kubel. Maglio Ordonez maybe. (but Arcia is a LHB) I know you don't like Revere, but he will keep the place warm and probably put better offensive numbers (if you include the SBs and not getting picked off on the bases) than Span and be much better defensively until Buxton arrives. Buxton is probably a year maybe 2 behind Hicks who is 2 years away. And he is the guy who makes Hicks tradeable... and you got to trade him because he will bring the best return. Again, the Twins are better off with that kind of level prospect at AA if he is a SP and not an OF. That is my premise... and if you can turn Hicks into a similar type prospect SP, you gotta do it in a heart beat. Forgot Kemper too... And I think that DJ Hicks, even though he looks like a 1B/DH type might be in the mix for a corner position

Liriano will be gone (wish they re-sign him but he is not one of Gardy and Andy's inner circle) and Bromberg really needs to get his act together. Glad to not see Manship on the list Got to add Hermsen on that list. I suspect that he goes to pitch at the AFL, gets a ST invite and starts at AAA next season, but with a good spring you never know... Not sure about the status of Walters and Deduno as FAs or not... So this list really starts to become like Blackburn (who I hope goes away, maybe in the pen or some other place), Diamond, who has been a surprise this season and if he keeps his walks down and this GO/AO to where it is now (2.2) might be a decent middle of the rotation guy with a decent defensive IF behind him, and a bunch of question marks. And you probably at this point have to add Duensing and Swarzak to those question marks. You have to unless they go out and get pitchers. Who brings me to the next point, that has to do with the original premise... totally agree about the package. But I would add some "high prospect" minor leaguers as well. And not Mastroianni (because the others will bring more...) If you look at the OF situation after Span goes, you got Willingham at LF until 2015, Revere at CF until 2017, and a bunch of others (Arcia, Benson, Hicks, Morales) competing for a starting role at RF for 2013 and beyond. And Sano, potentially, Plouffe potentially (as soon as Span is traded) and Buxton in 2014 2015... So my math says that Hicks and Benson might be replaceable (and I am not even talking about the likes of Tosoni because he has been hurt all season). Benson will not bring much because he is also hurt, unless he kills it at Fort Myers and makes up to AAA this season. But Hicks is the sweet spot... Adding him to a package with Span, Lirano, Capps, Pavano, Morneau, (pick and chose) would allow the Twins to have more than one serviceable pieces and at least one with a high potential back. Got to trade from a position of strength. The Twins need a top SP prospect at AA level more than they need a top OF prospect at AA level. But they got to do it. And Hicks is blocked too.

More than one of the national MLB people indicated so starting about a month ago. Between this and the next season he is due $20 M. I would not be unhappy if someone else takes that own and the Twins re-purpose it and get something in return.

a. I bet you they don't b. do you think that it will take more than 1 yr $12.5 M to sign either of them? c. do you think that they are better than Liriano? Another food for thought: When the pitching sucks so badly for a few years in a row, you gotta think about getting rid of the coach instead of the pitchers maybe... just a thought.

OK. The last Liriano quality free agent pitcher the Twins' invested money on was Jack Morris. The rest were the likes of Livan, Ponson, Marquis and the such. Not a good history there. Feel free to add the re-singing of overpaid Pavano to the list. So I don't really think that this Front Office can do it. I might be a minority here, but I think that the system has a whole lot of good pitchers who are like 2-3 years away at the A-Rk level. The system's problem is MLB-ready starters who are 0-2 years away. This is why it does not make sense to add more 2-3 year away players.... And I don't really care about prospect lists in this context... they are all about potential

Like Diamond last season? Again: this is schizophrenic behavior. You got to have a plan for when you are going to compete (where "compete" = "winning a couple of postseason series here and there, reaching the world series occasionally and winning maybe".) The Twins have not done that since Andy MacPhail was the GM. And he was 38 years old when the Twins won the World Series for the last time (and their Manager was 41). Not sure that the Twins have such a plan. And that is a big problem. And this is a reason why they have been fluttering around mediocrity for 20 seasons. Some better than others, but still the same old crap. Something's gotta change with this team that does not involve the color of the uniforms or that of the "Twins' way" Kool-aid

Still that love affair with Keiunta? After tonight. Gee. Trade him yesterday.

My point is that this is fine and dandy if you are looking at 2015 or so. And I have no problem with that. If that is what they are doing, why the hey are they extending Doumit (who will not be around by then, and I would think that Herrmann might fill his shoes pretty well in a rebuild) and not have a fire sale? This half-rear-end crap just gets me...

If he signed, he got the $100K or so bonus. Then he was released. He keeps the money and he becomes a free agent and you answer the question about who is paying for the surgery. This is really really really weird from a medical perspective, unless there is a contact injury that broke the bone and caused the spur, because on that side of the elbow (we are talking the inside) the UCL will break before the bone if there is just a repetition-stress injury (like most of them). Weird.

Why would the Twins draft him next year with another season of overwork in college if they passed on him this year?

Darn... I agree 100% with that statement.

No. I actually have been one of the few Plouffe supporters when there were practically none. Before there was a bandwagon' date=' before he was hitting HRs, when he was making those throws to the stands from SS last season. So that is that. I like Plouffe. But I have no problem seeing him at RF with Sano and Harrison coming up. One of those 3 has to play 3rd, the other RF, and the 3rd 1B. Or something like that. That is an awful thing to say. You do not want the manager of the millennium to commit suicide? Do you?

Benson is just starting rehabing at Fort Myers with the Miracle. Tosoni the same with the GCL Twins. I really don't see them ready this season and I think that Tosoni might go off the 40-man anytime and there would be no problem. Arcia is an option but he got to hit the curve.

No problem But the Twins' official count is also at 27

But... have you really seen Parmelee play the outfield with your own eyes? If so, you should get your answer why he is not an outfielder. Delmon is a much better outfielder, for example. To answer the original question (who's on right), another name has to be (re)added to the equation (at least for 2013 and beyond) : Trevor Plouffe. Of course, the "wisdom" is that he has been hitting so well while playing 3B, why change that... but... that is crap. If he hits well at 3B he should be able to hit well at RF.

I am really not unhappy that the did not sign Mazzilli at this point. An older College Junior who projects at DH/PH should not be much of a priority. They can probably be better off getting that $ and spending it for a sleek fielding Latin American middle infielder or 2.

Here is a name that I suspect will be talked about between the Twins and the Nats: LHP Dan Rosenbaum. He plays close to me (Harrisburg) and had a chance to see him a couple of time last season and this season as well and he is a guy who is in the Twins' mold. Not a hard thrower, 89-92, plus control, throws strikes and has a great change up. He can be in the mix for the Twins' rotation for 2013. Another interesting, from a trivial point at least, tidbit is that his manager at Harrisburg is Matt LeCroy. Just another name to add to the list. The Twins need MLB-ready starting pitching (I Know I Sound Like a Broken Record)

The manager said that Capps will not be closing for a while... way to increase his trade value with half a month left...

RHP J.T. Chargois, RHP Tyler Duffey, OF Kelvin Mention all came off the Elizabethton DL. Not sure where they will fit all this pitching. Expect some moves.

MLB-ready does not necessarily mean "top 100" prospect. Someone like Brett Cecil, who might not be in the top 100, would probably work. Someone like John Stilson who is probably another year or so away, might also work. And not for Capps alone, but for Liriano, for Span, for Morneau or a combination... Capps alone will not bring much, esp. now that the manager decided that he will not close for a while...

Martinez signed just for $80K after the issues with his physical

From that link (emphasis mine) : He did sign technically, regardless the fact that he is no longer with the organization... Now he is a free agent able to sign with anyone after rehab etc., it appears And yeah Martinez signed too, so it is 27 (26 still in the organization)

The problem is that their 2013 rotation looks like nothing. Unless someone thinks that parts of a season from Diamond and De Vries are who they really are, the hope that Hendriks develops quickly, Walters can fool hitters with his non-stuff, Blackburn can magically become an effective pitcher and Gibson will have a miraculous comeback. The 2013 rotation on paper looks worse than the 2012 rotation that is the worst in the majors. This is why. Now, if they want to blow the whole thing up for 2013 and 2014 and wait for 2015, is a different story. And totally acceptable, but if that is the direction, they should not have extended a 30-some DH/C, and they should start selling anyone who is older that 28 and/or is making more than the minimum. Either or. Half rear-end things do not make sense, but they appear to be "the Twins' way".