Hammond2ndHome

Well, I also live in Ft. Myers and completely DISAGREE with the post above. ST baseball did not get put our economy in the crapper; in fact, ST baseball has been part of our community since the Royals played at Terry Park (and I am probably missing a team before them), long before the economy went downhill. For 6 weeks out of the year, ST baseball does nothing but help out local economy. I am guessing you do not work in the service industry that benefits from baseball fans descending upon Ft. Myers. I would hate to see what the local economy would have been like without Spring Training baseball!! If you want to complain about what was spent at Jet Blue and how expensive it is, go ahead and do it on a Boston website. My opinion is that the Twins are not going anywhere, and the upgrades to the stadium are already in the works (just wait until the outfield boardwalk is complete and fans are sipping beers at either the left field or right field tiki bar!!!!). Lastly, the Lee commissioner's votes were usually 4-1 when it came to anything S.T. related. So now with Judah gone, we can now expect 3-2 votes. What we will see is that the Nationals will most likely not be moving into the City of Palms anytime soon, but the Twins and Red Sox are here for good.

OK, I should have been more specific. I don't think he alone would bring back someone Twins need - I was thinking he would be part of some package. But overall, what I am hearing lately is how Twins need to get him in the lineup somehow bc he is tearing up AAA. Isn't he about the best trade chip Twins have right now?

I know this may be a bit outside the box, but what about using Parmelee as trade bait for a 2B or pitcher? I am a big supporter of Morneau and believe he can continue his play as of late into the future. Yes, I understand the history of injury, but he is an MVP and is a huge part of Twins lineup. But consider for a moment if Morneau gives us 4 more good years and Vargas ends up to be a pretty damn good prospect as well. I don't think it is that crazy to see if Parmelee can be used to bring in someone the Twins desperately need.

If you have a smart phone, the game is actually updated throughout on the mobile site. I have been to many GCL games (live a few minutes away) and still cannot figure out who is inputting the game as it goes!! (ha ha) But, you can see the box score, lineup and the roster of players, etc, which means no pad and paper if you have a smart phone.

Does anyone know anything about Colabello at New Britain? I know he is older (28 I think) and was signed out of Indy ball. Has anyone seen him play?

For all of you who think the return for Liriano was weak, would you have been satisfied with what the Cubs got for Dempster? (Class A 22 year old pitcher w good numbers and a 21 year old Class A OF, I think). Dempster was 5-5 w/ a 2.25 ERA when dealt.

If you do not believe mainstream media, why in the world would you trust me if I said I had a source? No, I do not personally know D.V.. However, I do know people that work with the Twins or have worked with the Twins, and getting info out of them. I knew that D.V. had attitude issues when he was working his way up through the system. Where is that documented? No clue, but it was widely known....or maybe well known down here (Ft. Myers). Someone earlier on this thread said it best - he acts like A Rod without the talent. How bout this undocumented tidbit from a source I will not reveal: Cuddy signed elsewhere bc Gardy lost the clubhouse last season....and #1 on that list of guys Cuddy blamed....yes, Valencia. Did you hear Gladden's reaction to the trade? He basically said good riddance as well - I trust his opinion is based on clubhouse stuff, not on field play. Anyway, I sound like a total douche know it all....you can believe me if you want, after all, its just a game.

Amen. Good riddance....if this guy he was traded for has a 1% chance of doing anything productive for the Twins down the road, then this was a great trade. My guess is that either Valencia showed no change in his attitude/character this time around, or he possibly did something that was the last straw for the Twins. Valencia had NO FUTURE with Twins after Plouffe's return.

After reading my original post, I should've been more clear on my thoughts concerning Sano. I still think the Twins will eventually trade him, not anytime soon though. I think the Twins are in a real tough situation trying to balance talent and "Twins guys". My source on all of this are people in and around the Miracle organization and a handful of conversations I've had with actual Twins people. Example is Valencia, who is mostly responsible for the clubhouse being torn apart last season. I don't think we will ever see him at the major league level again with the Twins. (Sidenote, check Plouffe's numbers after Valencia was sent away compared to when they were together). The word on Sano was that he would be in Ft. Myers for the 2nd half of the year, but his defense is holding him back....and that he could be a very good defensive player if he worked at it. My knowledge of him is more than just a handful of games watching him "from the bleachers". 3 years into his career (yes, I know he is young) he has shown he does not possess the work ethic that the Twins come to expect from their players. The Twins have a history of being patient with their players (Plouffe, for example), but Sano's value, combined with the Twins wanting "Twins guys" on their teams is the reason why I think he will eventually be traded.

Random thoughts: Sano: Trade him. I have seen him plenty at GCL and EST, and then saw him play last week in Beloit. Quite simply, he is Hanley Ramirez....both physically and mentally. I would be surprised if he ever made it to the big leagues with the Twins. As my brother said after watching him at Beloit: "He looks unmotivated and entitled." He has had small issues with the Twins ever since he signed, and I have heard he will not work on improving his defense. If he is like this at his age now, imagine how he will be in the future.....or just look at Hanley, bc he is a clone of him! Buxton: Why is he rated so high on everyone's prospect list? Yes, I get it - he was the #2 pick in the draft, but let's get him acclimated to pro ball before we rank him right behind Sano. The transition to pro ball (which is a business) is not easy for high school players, no matter how much they sign for. And yes, I know prospect's lists are based on potential, but let's give him some time. I would put Kepler ahead of Buxton right now for future outfield depth. Zach Jones: Keep tabs on him....he throws real hard and looked pretty impressive last week. I know that Shooter Hunt also was great right out of the gate, but hopefully Jones doesn't have the psych issues Shooter has (or had). Chargois (sp?) seemed to get more press after the draft than Jones, so hopefully he is just as good! All for now...looking forward to hearing how crazy you all think this is.

If Boyd has a pitch count, he is not aware of it. Other guys were simply slated to get work in last night at Etown.