Monkeypaws

You are missing Gibson there. And perhaps Meyer.

Dammit, I liked having a guy named Duke. Oh well.

How old is Matt now? 29. Could we possibly imagine a fully matured Matt Garza returning to the Twins? I proposed it in jest when Delmon went back to the Jays, but hell, I'd overspend to get him back, maybe as an adult to boot.

Some guys move quickly. Sale for example. Hard to explain how a guy drafted 13th overall moved up so fast. Heck, even our own Garza got a sniff pretty quickly. Scouts and coaches probably got their finger on that pulse pretty actively. If they don't get moved up overnight, i am guessing there is a reason.

Kazmir, Kazmir, Kazmir!

Not sure i like him better than Pedro. I think PF is a breakout candidate next season.

How about AJ? Move Mauer to 1b, and break Pinto in as back-up. I'd take a flier on Baker too.

I'd mainly agree with this. Still, if you look at the biggest free agent contracts from last off-season, the bulk of them signed with winning teams. Cleveland got Swisher (Ohio boy going home), and Bourn was a big surprise. The Red Sox had a bad year but that was clearly an aberration. Cubs got Jackson and the Royals Guthrie, but it would be hard to argue those were better deals than the Twins got for Correia. So there are clearly people who will choose money first, but I still suspect they are in the minority.

I don't usually read Sid Hartman, but the headline caught my eye today: "Free agent Morneau will look for a winner." There are quite a few quotes from Morneau, none of which really say that, so perhaps he said something off the record, but Sid writes, "Morneau said a chance to win is probably going to be the first thing on his list." Also: "Unless there isn’t a market for Morneau, chances are he won’t be back with the Twins next season because winning, like he said, is his top priority when it comes to signing with a club. And right now, it doesn’t appear the Twins will be in that position." Full article here: Hartman: Free agent Morneau will look for a winner | Star Tribune I posted this here because it is interesting to see what free agents are looking for. I know there was much anger over who the Twins got last winter, but I suspect a lot of top free agents feel the same way as Morneau, that winning is a top priority. They are gonna be filthy rich no matter who they sign with, so all things being equal, choose a winning club, or at least a club with a chance to win, as opposed to a doormat. Given the shape of the Twins lineup as it stands today, I expect Ryan will have a hard time luring top talent to play for a team that has so little talent. There are 30 potential suitors for any free agent, but the free agents the Twins are likely to compete for aren't going to be sought by the Yankees or Red Sox, the second chance, re-hab types we are so used to. Until the Twins get back to winning, I wouldn't hold my breath for top talent to end up at Target Field. I'm not giving Ryan an excuse, just trying to be realistic. Most players want nothing more than a World Series ring, and if you have gotten to this point in your career where you can pick your team, and you are going to be there for a while, you probably want a chance to win one. 3 90 loss seasons in a row, horrific starting pitching, and a AAAA lineup of sub.250 hitters, oh, and Joe Mauer, doesn't look that attractive. After some of our kids come up, and have an impact(hopefully), and the near-future looks a bit rosier, I could see the Twins adding significant players. The Wild were able to attract Parise and Suter in part because the future looked bright here.

Yeah - should be interesting.

I hope Gardy and Andy watched David Price tonight. John Maddon showed how to not coddle a pitcher. Granted, he's a grade A stud, but still, I couldn't believe it when he came out for the 9th. I've been brainwashed....

If you can make that spit, you win.

You give me hope sir!

JB, you've thought longer and harder about this than me, so I'll tip my hat to ya. Truth is, I like Gardy - I question his judgement sometimes, but I would have been happy to see Jack Morris replace Anderson as pitching coach.

wouldn't it be appropriate for Garza to come back here? No harm, no foul. Make it happen TR.

Well there you go, this team has a LONG way to go before competing with the Cubs in general suckitude.

JB Iowa said: "At this point, I WANT a manager who puts a little "fear of God" in the players. Someone who is not their buddy -- whether for golf or bowling or whatever. I don't want war in the clubhouse but I want a VERY healthy respect." I'll disagree - a couple of my favorite managers keep a loose clubhouse: Maddon and Francona. I have no use for iron asses like Bobby Valentine. Lack of talent is the #1 problem.

I don't imagine they'd call a press conference just to announce they were going to stay the course.

This post looks better and better.

Especially with Cole DeVries as your starting pitcher.

Not to mention the 3 catchers they drafted in their top 10 last season.

Who dat?

Make that Yahoo front page! Go CarGo! Hate the effin Braves.

No Tommy choppers!

The bottom teams are all tanking, hard. Over the last 10 games: Houston 1-9 Miami 3-7 Sox 3-7 Cubs 3-7 Twins 2-8 Seattle 3-7 Only the Brewers have pulled themselves up by going 6-4.