jcphitman

I make no qualms about it ... I want Hughes. I want him over Arroyo. The only pitcher over Hughes I want more is Garza, but getting Hughes cheaper (and he is younger) helps. If he wants two or three years, do it! Tomorrow (Black Friday) is my b-day ... that be an awesome gift! Keep the spending happen, TR.

Spicoli, we didn't get Nolasco, huh? Wonder what positvity can do once in a while. Hope you like that crow... Those snowballs taste like chocolate malts! Keep em coming!

Today is a day to celebrate! Not only did the Twins not go dumpster diving for once, they went out and got someone who was coveted. They set a record today for spending on an external FA no matter what the contract comes out as. Ricky Nolasco may have not been the first choice of everyone. He wasn't my first choice (Garza is/was). However, he was up there. He was in the top 5 ... he wasn't even the 5th ... more like 3rd (I'm a Hughes apologist). Even though he wasn't the top name, he is by far the BEST pitcher the Twins have signed as an external FA since what ... Jack Morris? The Twins did something today nobody ever thought they had it in them to do. They spent money. Maybe they had to pull it from TR's cold dead hand, but they did it. Kudos to Jim Pohlad for doing something that might make Carl turn over in his grave. Kudos to the organization for realizing the same formula won't cut it anymore. There are questions about Nolasco. He's an NL pitcher. He's on the wrong side of 30. He clearly had a very good season in his walk FA year and you wonder if he's going to start regressing now that he has a major contract set. Those are all good concerns. However... He's durable. He isn't a K master, but he's better than what we have. He's proven. He's a name other teams wanted. Most of all ... he's HOPE! Another poster suggested Garza will get the Twins into a bidding war and they don't do those kind of things. Do you not think the Twins got into a bidding war for Nolasco? I think they for sure had to out-bid other teams in money, years, or both to get him. Why would Nolasco sign this early if the Twins didn't out-bid other teams right off the bat? Nolasco could have waited for Garza to sign and then really made a team over-spend maybe even more than the Twins had to here. Make no mistake other teams WERE in on Nolasco and the Twins needed to win the auction in order to get him to sign before Thanksgiving. We're in new territory today. Like many, I agree we need to do more. We need one more pitcher. I'd love Garza as anyone else would. I'd even as close to as ecstatic if we got Hughes. However, being a Twins fans, I'm used to not expecting much. Most likely, Nolasco is our ace next year. I am convinced we WILL get another SP, but it'll likely be Arroyo, which honestly isn't that bad when you think about it. He's under Garza, Hughes, Kazmir, and maybe even E. Santana. However, he's better than Pelfrey, Capuano, and others like that IMO. If we walk away with Nolasco, Arroyo, and Salty/AJ as our haul this year, it will be the most exciting offseason in Twins history bar none ... even more exciting than when we got Thome (who still had a lot to offer), O-Dog (who was a proven 2b and we got him when we knew we were close), Pavano (re-signed), and traded for Hardy. We need hope. We need something to make us care. Nolasco represents both of those. He probably has no idea what his signing means to the fans of the team. I hope he understands. Had he re-upped with the Dodgers or went to a team like the Red Sox or Yankees, it would be a ho hum signing for those fan bases. For us, it's a whole other level! We should thank Ricky Nolasco for signing here. We should thank him for saying he'd play here after 3 losing seasons. We should thank him for being living/breathing proof the team figured out how to spend money on a proven big time player for once (big time enough by our standards). The Twins now have joined the other 3 teams in town for at least TRYING to win (not saying the other 3 teams are successful, but nobody can accuse them of not spending money to try and win). Welcome to the party, Twins. Never thought I'd see you here in my lifetime.

Only reason I brought this up was becaue of the $5 million meaning they might take a less attractive package of prospects for Price. If they ask for Buxton, Sano, or Meyer (any one of them, multiple of them, or all three of them), the answer is clearly no. Not happening. Goodbye and good luck. However, what I was hoping is maybe you get two years of Price (as the Royals are with Shields for sure before FA) for possibly a prospect/MLB package like this: Take your pick of 3: Rosario (if you pick Rosario, no Dozier) May Arcia Dozier (if you pick Dozier, no Rosario) Hicks Santana Gibson Players like this ... I probably would leave Kohl Stewart off the table because of how young he is, where we drafted him, and we don't know what we have in him yet. However, a package like Rosario (and I know it'll be tough to move him now until most likely mid-season), May, and Arcia might make them bite IF we also pick up the $5 million. The Rays aren't stupid. They are going to ask for Buxton, Sano, or Meyer and probably ask for 2 of the 3. As another poster said, it's most likely a fantasy trade, but depending on what other offers they get, a package like Rosario, May, and Arcia might just make them bite or consider it. What we don't know yet for the Royals will be can they keep Shields past this season? If they can, the trade looks a bit better for them. If they can't, the Rays owned them. I doubt they can because they have payroll issues and a budget (and an owner who doesn't like spending money). It's kind of like the Pominville trade for the Wild in the NHL. Had we only had him for the few games last year and all of this season, the trade would have been very much in the Sabers favor. However with us signing Pommers long term, it now at least looks a little better for us ... maybe even more over half for us right now because of how he's playing (if we make a deep run this year and he's a big reason why, it looks very good for us). It depends on what the Royals can do. We do have a picture of what it took for Shields and Price is probbaly better. However, teams are getting smarter. Hopefully we learn from our past mistakes with the Rays if we even have the small temptation to pursue Price. I do trust TR here as he's major on prospects and protecting them (sometimes too much, but no way he lets Buxton, Sano, or Meyer go ... they are untouchable IMO with him running things).

From MLBTR: Stark reports an unknown wrinkle in the David Price trade saga. Price signed a one-year, $10.1125MM contract to avoid arbitration last January, but $5MM of that sum comes in the form of a signing bonus that is deferred to next year. While it was presented as a tax-related issue at the time, Stark notes that the Rays can use it as leverage in a trade, agreeing to take a slightly lesser package if the acquiring team pays that additional $5MM. Not saying we'll even explore Price, but could 5 million possibly mean we can offer up a package with nobody named Buxton, Sano, or Meyer in it and still have it considered if we pay the extra money (and we have extra money)?

Linus, I agree. Which is why in my original post that I wrote if he doesn't sign two good pitchers with the market in his favor, all the optimism is out the window and he deserves the wrath he will get. I forgot about Kazmir! Add him to the list as well!

So you're mad the Twins aren't active with a big name signing yet? Are you upset when Ryan says our newly acquired SP from the Pirates might start when he's 29 years old and has little no MLB success? Are you grumpy when TR says Duensing and Swarzak might start next year? Eddie Rosario gets suspended for being an idiot and it means he ruins our prospect for established SP plan? UGH, right? It might get even worse! Josh Johnson goes to San Diego for "personal reasons" from what he says. A cheaper 8 million dollar a year deal (with incentives). Tim Hudson goes to the Giants. Today I read on MLBTR the Royals signed Vargas to a 4 year deal. The Dodgers and Giants are talking to Dan Haren. Where are the Twins? Weren't they supposed to be linked to pitchers who actually have a name and maybe know how to pitch just a little bit? I mean, heck ... we even lost PJ Walters to the Royals! No more PJ next year. No wonder those relievers need to work on starting again... You know what? I LOVE IT! I love it all! Why am I not upset one bit? Reasons below: 1. Padres are done with SP's from what it looks. Johnson joined an already crowded rotation. We can eliminate them as competition for any bidding wars. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hurt pitchers. I want someone healthy and ready to go ... Johnson wasn't worth it with hoping he'd be healthy. 2. If the Giants sign Haren, they are done. Yet another competitor gone for the Twins to bid against. Twins never seemed too in on Haren. Let the Giants have him. He'll want to be in the NL anyway. 3. The Royals are out of the way with Vargas. Their rotation is full from what the MLBTR piece seemed to say. From what it looks to be their rotation is going to be WEAKER next year! Vargas is a downgrade from E. Santana IMO. A division rival gets weaker in the rotation and can't compete with us for signing pitchers. That's a win to me. 4. I hope A.J. Burnett decides to return and re-signs with the Pirates. That would essentially eliminate them most likely (I'm not familiar with their rotation, but I'd guess they'd only be after one name, maybe two max). 5. I even like the Tigers trade. They keep Max and while it keeps their rotation strong, it limits them from going after what is out there. In my humble opinion, names that I really didn't like or feel would sign here are signing elsewhere and taking options away for those remaining FA players I DO like and think would sign here. What does this mean for us? Who is left (in order I'd sign): Matt Garza Phil Hughes Ricky Nolasco Bronson Arroyo Ervin Santana Other options as well, but look at that! We've been mentioned for Garza, Hughes, Nolasco, and Arroyo. While other teams will also be there, we saw teams like the Giants and Padres in on all these pitchers. Those teams are signing other players and ELIMINATING themselves from getting one or two of these established pitchers! It's like they are going to LET them possibly fall into the lap of the Twins to sign if TR decides spending other people's money can finally happen (especially when he's being urged to spend). The NL West has consistently been mentioned as a great division for pitchers looking to re-establish their value or get a decent year or two under their belts for a better contract. Many thought Hughes would go there. With the Padres full and the Giants possibly full, can he go there now? He may look at options wfor pitcher friendly parks and realize he has one option left ... TARGET FIELD! That means, we pretty much get the right to sign a 27 year old pitcher who could improve very well at Target Field. We could sign Hughes and possibly fix him in his prime. You won't get many opportunities better than that (I'm a Hughes apologist ... I make no qualms about it.) What about Garza? Sure a team like the Yankees could swoop in, but they are more likely to go after the big Japanese pitcher. He may look around and realize a return to the Twins is the best bet to make him an ace as well as cash in. He's the best pitcher on the market IMO the Twins could try and get. If we bring him back, we're really well off. Nolasco starts seeing his options drop. Who has rotation availability left? WE DO! He may have to come here. Arroyo has a lot of suitors, but as those suitors drop, he could be in trouble looking at us a lot. The bottom line is I want to see more teams sign pitchers not named Garza, Hughes, Nolasco, or Arroyo (I'd rather pass on Santana .. let another team sign him for his 100 million and eliminate themselves from one of these four coveted pitchers) because their options become fewer, they know the Twins have money to spend, and will start pushing their agents to get a deal done here. What does this do for us? 1. Maybe we are able to sign a bigger name for less than imagined. It'll still be a bad contract .. I get it. However, it might be less of a bad contract than we originally imagined since it appears people don't want to play here due to the losing. 2. We keep our assets. No having to trade for a pitcher and no having to give up a draft pick to sign any of those four names. 3. We let Rosario serve his suspension, come back, and rebuild his value. He's still going to be a prospect after 50 games. We can use him later on. What if all of a sudden we are in the race come the trade deadline? Why not cash him in for something at that point if it matters? Signing two of the above named SP's puts us in the race if the pen stays decent and if our bats rebound from last year (which is possible). I actually AGREE with TR saying he wants Johnson to make the rotation or will consider Duensing/Swarzak starting. Why not say it? We all know the chances of them actually doing it with them needing to show us something isn't likely to happen. However, when he says it, he's playing his cards. He's telling the FA pitchers we may as well just go with what we have until our prospects are ready and don't need to sign you. Why drool all over a pitcher and let him take advantage of you? The key here is if TR plays the game right and then goes and SIGNS a pitcher ... maybe as I said in point one, it works for less money. If TR doesn't sign a couple decent pitchers, then all of this optimism will go away and he'll deserve the wrath he gets. I also agree for the same thing with catchers. Phillies signed Ruiz? Fantastic! I hope AJ's options drop so he comes here for a year and maybe we get a better deal on him. We have AJ catch so we have a solid option behind the plate, some attitude in the clubhouse and Pinto learns from him. Let these other options that I didn't like sign. Hopefully the team offering Big Pelf a multi year deal is the Orioles so they are taken from the mix. TR, the market is in your favor! Options for proven players are dropping. USE IT to your advantage! Spend some money for once your ownership WANTS you to spend! Bring them in and use their options dropping to your advantage. I'm backing you on this. Show us you care. Show us 90 losses are done starting next season. Show us why we should come to the ballpark. Show us why we should give a damn. Sir, the baseball is in your field. Let's see what you do with it.

Simply because I'm sick of the negativity, I'm going to add some positivity to this. We had a good rule five pick last year (Pressley ... spelled correctly?) that stuck and appears will stick again from what I've read. Even if Diamond ends up just having one good season, he was a good selection and we won that trade with the Braves to keep him. Johan Santana was the pick of all picks. Shane Mack was decent. We've had luck here. I think going forward, the rule five draft could be a staple for gaining relief pitchers. Teams are going to see what the Twins had last year and might copy if for the last pen spot on their roster. If my memory serves me right (and I haven't looked it up), the very first pick last year by the Astros stuck all season with them and did okay (I think he was injured during the year). I don't know a lot of names up for selection this year, but I think they should shy away from starting pitching if they take someone. Not a lot of starting pitchers are good enough to make the year. As for the DeRosa question, he retired if I remember reading it correctly. Maybe Seth knows some good prospects from other organizations that are available for the draft? That could be a great topic to have him on for a future Gleeman and the Geek!

I was listening to the Friday Reusse and Mackey show on my iPod (I live in Milwaukee, so I listen the day after on my way to and from work ... same with Gleeman and the Geek too). They were talking about what seems to be the Twins ownership mandating the team spend money this winter with all they have saved, not many long term contracts (just Mauer) and the 25 mil they got from the TV deal. They went onto say how it wasn't ownership, Dave St. Peter, or even Ron Gardenhire wanting them to save money ... it's Terry Ryan who doesn't want to spend the money. Terry Ryan is cheap ... even when ownership is encouraging money to be spent. It's like Carl Pohlad cast a spell on TR telling him NEVER to spend the money! It got me to thinking about the Bible and a parable Jesus told. I'm not using the example as a way to discuss Christianity on a Twins message board. I'm only using it as an example for Terry Ryan to consider: I give you the following parable from the book of Luke: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2019:11-27&version=NIV I won't post everything, but I will post the two verses that I feel relate to Terry Ryan and Twins ownership: 20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ My take: The parable is about three servants and their master. The master gives them money and tells them to go do something with it to make more. Two of the three went out and took a chance and ended up making more. The third (as you see above) did nothing and just hid it so he didn't lose it. We'll say Terry Ryan is the third GM and the other two GM's are take your pic ... Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, etc. The Twins have given Terry Ryan money for once in his life and told him to go spend it. Even though we know the money will be invested in awful contracts, Terry Ryan still has the go ahead. We're in a prime position to take on a couple of bad contracts in later years since all we have is Mauer on the books. We will still have the money to extend Sano, Buxton, and others if/when need be even with being in the last few years of a Garza deal for example. Terry Ryan needs to realize Carl isn't his boss anymore. Carl's son seems more willing to spend money. Terry Ryan needs to realize the Twins don't live in the Metrodome anymore. We now have a ballpark that brings in revenue to the team. Terry Ryan needs to realize that fan support is more important than ever in the history of the team. We're done with the studio baseball era. Target Field needs to be filled. The way it'll be filled is if the team is competitive. The fans are done with 3 90 loss seasons in a row. The Twins are the last team in Minnesota to show the fans they want to spend. Consider it ... the Wild spent on Parise and Suter. The Vikings spent on Favre, Allen, and even more recently Greg Jennings since they knew their WR's sucked and had to do something (wanting to build through the draft, but know they need some free agent help). The Wolves even went into FA this offseason and got Kevin Martin and Corey Brewer to improve the team. What's missing from this list ... our Twins. Newsflash Terry ... get with it or get out. Use the holy book as a guide ... time to spend money that isn't even yours. You need to take a risk because saving the money of your owners (masters) isn't working anymore. AMEN!

It was a very good article! A nice breakdown of Nolasco. It sounds like from what MLBTR said, we aren't as far as people thought we were here on Nolasco, but it is encouraging to see our name in these rumors as what appears to be a serious suitor. As for Nolasco and even a 4 (or worse 5) year contract, I still don't get it. I read the article, but looking at his career stats doesn't help me understand. Why? He's never been an amazing pitcher. He's pitched in the NL his entire career. It kind of makes me think Kevin Correia is a poor man's Nolasco in all honesty. Nolasco is better and younger, but not by huge margins IMO to deserve 4 or 5 years. He's on the wrong side of 30 and breakdown is much more possible now than before. I see why the Twins are in on Garza. He's on the right side of 30 and has what we need in a pitcher. Plus we developed him and have an idea of what we'd be getting back. I see why we'd go after Hughes. He's not as good as Garza, but being in a pitcher's park and on the right side of 30 helps his cause. I could see Garza getting 5 years from us and I could even see Hughes getting 3-4 years. Nolsaso though? Someone help me here. Even Arroyo ... he's 37 and durable, but 3 years? Maybe 2 years, but not 3. What am I missing here? Help...

We won't sign more than two and even that might be a stretch. We all know we'll be underwhelmed this year. I hope the key for the Twins is they sign pitchers that help. We already know three spots are spoken for next year: Correia Deduno (I read somewhere that they said he has a spot) Gibson They are locks IMO. The Twins will probably let Worley/Diamond/Hendricks fight it out for a spot too. That leaves truly one or two spots max. The key is who they sign. They won't get the stud from Japan (they'll "bid" and it'll be low). They won't get Garza. They won't get E. Santanta or Nolasco (I'm sure that I have his name wrong) due to the crazy money both want. IMO, the best they can do and hope for is Phil Hughes. They should be willing to overpay and break the bank for him. He's young enough, has hope, and would come to our spacious pitchers park. There are a lot of choices out there, but Hughes seems to be the best with what we need for the future. If we do sign another one beyond or Hughes or another pitcher, it might be J. Santana just for the memories. I doubt we will though. In the end, I think it'll be Hughes. Our SP: Hughes Correia Deduno Gibson Worley In the minors: Diamond, Hendricks, and Albers If they nail Hughes, we should consider it a victory and a good offseason. Remember, we aren't going to want to commit to that many pitchers when we know Meyer and May are going to be ready in 2015 most likely and with how conservative the team is.

I felt like re-visiting this thread today. Just read somewhere on a Mets blog that Saunders wants three years and is sitting on a few two year offers hoping a third will come (the blog also said Santana was done after this year with the Mets as they won't re-sign him ... has it been that long since the trade already???). The blog linked to an article of the Mets giving Jurrjens a shot. My question is why haven't the Twins been more involved in signing this guy? He was awful last year, but his career ERA is still 3.62 (or around that ... going from memory here). He's 26 years old and has a chance to figure it out. Why not toss a couple million his way for one year? As we get into later in the month, he'll probably even be cheaper. I have no idea why we haven't heard more Jurrjens to the Twins hype? If they won't go three years for Saunders or give Marcum what he wants, why not go for youth with at least a chance of fixing things? What am I missing here? It seems like no team is going after Jurrjens ...if we give Harden a chance, why not Jurrjens?

And then may I add, gives Correia enhanced value for 2015 as 70charger said (which helps him get a new deal no matter his value since he had two years starting in the AL no matter how he does)... Maybe the Correia mystery is solved?

Taking a stab at my own questions here: Correia was able to get a two year deal by being "durable" last year (Ryan did say Correia would have gotten 200 plus innings had he not been demoted to the pen by the Pirates twice). Your Baker's and Pelfrey's weren't going to get anything over a year due t o TJ surgery. Lannan wasn't getting anything over a year due to being in the minors. Correia's agent looked at the market and knew durability durability might be key this offseason (as was for Blanton and will most likely be for Saunders too). Bring in the Twins. As others said, Correia may have signed elsewhere and risked being demoted to the pen or even the minors. Some other teams might be able to afford signing a big money pitcher and making them a reliever or minor league depth no matter what the cost. The Twins won't do that. Correia saw Minnesota as a sure place to start, which probably made this offer the best to him regardless if there was more money on the table. The Twins had a ton of openings in the rotation, the medical staff can't keep pitchers healthy, there are a ton of question marks with the quantity of pitchers the Twins have competing for starting spots (Worley comes here with injury probs, Diamond had minor surgey, Pelfrey is returning from TJ, same for Gibson with an innings count, Harden is a huge medical worry, and the other starters already are over-matched), and Correia probably was the first to bite on the Twins offers (since they had multiple offers out there) to assure himself a spot in the rotation. Correia knows the Twins need starters to fill innings and guarantees himself a starting spot, his turn in the rotation out of the Twins' desparation, and a paycheck over his value to the team (plus two guaranteed years of these assurances). Smart work by Correia and his agent if my theory is accurate.

I love this signing! Nearly no risk and great reward if Harden succeeds. I'm never against a minor league deal as long as this isn't the Twins only move (which it is not for SP ... even though the other moves ... especially Correia... are questionable at best). I've been a big fan of Harden. A bit worry hearing Ryan said the Twins medical staff examined him and said he was worth a look. The medical staff does not give me any confidence with what the team has been through with injuries.

With the way the insane money was going for SP, I'm not surprised. I'd rather have Liriano over Correia even at more money Liriano was able to get. Liriano being left handed and the small promise of anything better than what we know Correia will give us makes bringing him back a better choice. However, what's done is done. I wish Liriano the best. We'll find out if he has any promise left ... he has a better chance to succeed in the NL.

Q&A with Twins GM Terry Ryan: Kevin Correia 'left money on the table' | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins Excellent interview from Doogie (I'm sure there was already a post linking this article, but I'm trying to get specific with a question): From the article: Why two years and $10 million? Couldn't you have gotten him for one year? We weren't going to get him. So, you need to overpay free agents to get them here? No. He left money on the table. That surprises me. He left money on the table. It is as simple as that. The market has gone up. Correct. Anibal Sanchez's contract (five years, $80 million with Detroit) surprised me. My question: Ok, who made him a better offer or multiple better offers (if there were other teams)? What offers did he get? Did he get a multi-year offer from another team ... say 2 years 12 million for example? If he got a better offer elsewhere, why did he want to come here? I'm sure none of us will ever know, but I'm very curious to the answer of these questions. Anyone want to venture a guess?

Twins, Rockies, Reds Interested In Freddy Garcia: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com He's old. He did have a decent 2011, but the last time he went over 200 innings is 2006. I'd pass unless it was a minor league contract or a 1 one year at say 1-2 million (2.5 million tops). I'm sure we'll see Pelfrey money for him. Figured I may as well post the news (didn't see a subject about him) so the complaining can start and at least it won't climax when we sign him for a crazy deal, lol.

I like this signing much better than Correia. I've always been interested in Pelfrey and thought he might be a good fit here. I hope this signing improves the relationship with the Twins and Boras (I'm sure Boras is a bit peeved at the Twins for taking away Bourn suitors). The Twins are giving a Boras client a chance to market himself back to a better deal next offseason if he recovers ok. I'm not expecting big things from Pelfrey. For some odd reason, I think he'll have a 3.94 ERA, which would be great for an NL pitcher coming to the AL. I'm not well versed in all the WAR stats or anything like that, but I think a 3.94 ERA would be great for anyone with Pelfrey's skill level. Maybe he goes 8-12 (not the best team behind him for defense)? A record and ERA like that (provided K's are ok and BB's aren't inflated) will probably earn him a deal for 3 years at 36 million in this inflated market. If he's good at the deadline, the Twins have a chance to earn something back, but I have a feeling they'd extend him first if he's respectable. One note on the Correia signing: I read some tweet (I forgot if it was Mackey, Neal, etc) that said the Twins had to give Correia the extra year to even get him to sign here. IDK if other Correia suitors were offering multiple years (I'm guessing not), but I wonder if the Twins got him for less per season than what another team may offer for one year? I still don't look at it good at all the Twins gave him 2 years. Not when Lannan got what he got for 1 year. Outside of that, it does make me wonder about Correia getting multiple years. In all honesty, I could see the Twins going an extra year with Correia over Pelfrey and Baker for example. Both Pelfrey and Baker are coming back from TJ. Correia hasn't had TJ yet. In the Twins eyes, Correia is probably the safer investment at least at staying healthy (again, not a reason to sign him for 2 years ... I'm just trying to understand it). Maybe Lannan got a 1 year deal due to being in the minors a majority of the year while Correia's reps can point out he pitched for a somewhat contending team last year while at least remaining durable (besides getting demoted to the pen a couple times?). I see someone like Blanton (who I think was healthy last year??) getting 2 years (and more than Correia as he is a better pitcher) and Haren getting 1 (back issues). Maybe those "durable" pitchers from last year are able to command 2 years where the other pitches like Pelfrey can only get 1? Am I crazy here or onto something? Anyone feel free to put me in my place.

Read an interesting yahoo sports article with comments from both Ryan and Correia: Kevin Correia, Twins finalize $10M, 2-year deal - Yahoo! Sports Some things that made me question whether TR (BTW, why do people call him JR??? I've seen this for years and always questioned why.) really agreed with signing Correia: After finalizing a $10 million, two-year contract with Kevin Correia on Thursday, general manager Terry Ryan acknowledged there's no guarantee the right-hander will strengthen the group. Ryan raised the concern of Correia's adjustment to hitters he hasn't faced much, or at all, plus the addition of the designated hitter to opponent lineups in his transition between leagues. Ryan also noted Correia's low strikeout figures, particularly in the last two years, realizing there's some risk in this investment. ''I'm not banking on big strikeout totals by him, because he is a big command guy,'' Ryan said. I also will say Ryan was positive about Correia in the article too (mentioning he liked how Correia's numbers broke down and that the command thing explained his strikeouts as listed in the last quote above). Correia also addressed his lack of strikeouts and mentioned how wins were the most important. Last funny point: Last year, the Twins signed veteran right-hander Jason Marquis to be their fifth starter, but he stumbled badly, posting an 8.47 ERA in seven starts with nine home runs allowed in 34 innings. He was released. Ryan said he didn't care to compare Marquis and Correia. ''Sometimes the fit just wasn't meant to be, and I don't have an explanation for that,'' Ryan said. ''But when he left here and went to the Padres, he did fine.'' The big question of course is if Ryan already hints at not guaranteeing improvement to the rotation from Correia, why sign him? I know this has been discussed in other threads, but coming from Ryan just begs the question even more. Why sign him if you don't feel he's going to help? Maybe nobody else wants to sign here ... it could be more truthful than we could ever know. Great article though. The most detailed article I've found on the Correia signing so far.

I honestly think the Twins are done after this signing with their rotation. I don't like the signing, but why waste time complaining? What's done is done and nobody here has the power to change anything. We're looking at next season with: Diamond Worley Correia Hendricks Gibson/Blackburn/Deduno/DeVries/Etc Think about it ... Diamond and Worley are locks. Bringing Corriea in will lock him up to a spot. Hendricks is cheap and the Twins still think he has some upside. They are going to force Blackburn into the rotation and either send him to the pen or AAA once Gibson is ready to get some starts in. If Gibson gets hurt or isn't ready, Deduno is back or one of the other AAA pitchers. We already have our lefthander in Diamond. This is it. We already have a full pen. Our last move will be a trade with St. Louis for Schumacker (sp) or another cheap MI option.

This is a fun trade to discuss. I think if the Twins went ahead and traded for Shields, we'd have questioned what message they are trying to send. First they trade two MLB ready CF's for pitching. Then they aquire more pitching and sell off prospects for it. It wouldn't have made much sense. We need our hitting prospects to go with our pitching prospects for 14-15 and beyond. Did the Royals over-pay? A lot of the majority feels like they did. However, if I were them, I'd of done the same. I can't imagine the frusturation Royals fans face on an annual basis. They are always promised a better tomorrow, but it never comes. Eventually, you need to do something. I went to KC in 2011 towards the end of the year to see the Twins play the Royals. Their stadium was awesome and they had decent fans. The employees there was top notch. Overall, a very good experience. Those fans deserve something to cheer about. I live in Milwaukee, so I got to see a pretty good dose of Net Yost (Royals manager). He's been with them for a while now and deserves a chance to win. IDK if this will get the Royals over the hump, but they also might not be done. Don't rule them out for signing a big bat or another pitcher (maybe bullpen help)? The Rays got a great deal and will continue to be set up for both the present and the future. Glad the Twins passed on the deal ... we don't need Shelds in our current model.

From what I gather, our 4 FA options in pitching are Saunders, Myers, Correia, and Lannan. LEN3 said on Twitter we aren't in on Jackson or Marcum. If we aren't in on Jackson or Marcum, we aren't in on Sanchez. I forgot who also reported it, but we didn't make an offer to McCarthy. So with ditching ony further speculation on one of the better arms, let's look at the 4 available (from my limited perspectice): Saunders: Pros: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saundjo01.shtml -Pitched most of his career in AL. -Had best year in AL. -Was able to switch from NL to AL last year and do well with Baltimore. -Appears to at least be consistent enough to make 28-30 starts. Very durable. -Could bring prospects at trade deadline (B- prospect the highest) Cons: -ERA will most likely be over 4 in full AL season. -On decline. -Price will be over inflated with Blanton signing. -4th or 5th starter ... not a 2nd starter like Twins need. FA Predition: 2 years at 17.5 million .. probably out of Twins price range. Meyers: Pros: -Able to start or relieve. -Was able to change back from closer to starter before in career. -Probably a better version of Brian Duensing (going back and forth between rotation and pen). -Willing to probably settle for less for a chance to start for a full season. -Could bring prospects at trade deadline (C prospect at best) Cons: -No guarantees he can convert back into a starter. -On decline. -ERA will probably approach 5 as a starter in my opinion. -Will be lucky to get to 5th inning in attempt to go back to a starter ... doesn't protect bullpen. -Pitched 98% of his career in NL. AL a very different animal. FA Prediction: 1 year (make good deal as starter) at 6.5 million with 1 million in incentives - will sign with Twins for starting opportunity. Correia: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/correke01.shtml -Durable for last 4 years. -Um ... 500 pitcher? Cons: -Jason Marquis all over again. -Never pitched in AL. -If he can have a 4 to 5 ERA in NL, imagine what it will be in AL. -Never pitched over 200 innings. -Won't bring any prospects at deadline since he'll probably be released before then. FA Prediction: 2 year at 12 million ... hopefully an NL team inflates his price and keeps the Twins from making a mistake. Lannan: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lannajo01.shtml Pros: -Durable pitcher. -Youngest (28) of all the 4 options. -Looking to re-establish himself after being in minors for a majority of last year. -Price might be better for a team like the Twins. -Possibly still young enough in career to improve. -Could be a decent back end guy in Twins rotation for possibly up to 3-4 years. -Probably won't bring any good prospects back at deadline, but will bring something (C- to D???) Cons: -Never pitched in AL. -Wins and losses don't count much, but he was never able have a full winning full season in Washington. -Only went over 200 innings once. -Not even good enough to be one of Washington's main starting 5 all season. -Confidence might be shaken with being in minors last year after establishing himself. FA Prediction: 1 year at 4.5 million ... Twins should sign him. What I'd want: I think Saunders has the highest upside. I'd love to see the Twins give him a 2 year deal as he'd for sure be our 3rd starter, which isn't terrible. My second choice would be Myers or Lannan .. with me probably going Lannan over Myers due to me knowing he can start. The Twins won't spend all of their FA money on SP ... they'll pocket some of it. Knowing us, we'll think what Saunders wants is too much and go Lannan/Myers and Correia (yuck). It could be even worse ... maybe we'll go Correia and an even worse SP out there (looks like talks with Liriano got worse, so we look to be avoiding that bullet). If it was Lannan and Myers, I guess that be ok ... Saunders will probably want to go to a contender. The Twins right now are viewed as a place for opportunity. A place to establish yourself and hope you do good enough to get a bigger payday, which is what both Lannan and Myers need. We'll see what happens. What do others think (feel free to tear me to shreds if you don't agree, lol).

I'm a bit worried he said sometimes you can't give your money away. Does that mean free agents don't want to play for us? Is that why a Blanton went to the Angels? I know it's been discussed a lot about playing here and what not, but we are viewed as a losing organization for next year. Is makes me wonder do we really have a shot for Marcum or McCarthy? Would we even get a Lannon or Saunders? One of these somewhat average or semi-okay pitchers has to sign with us, correct???

I don't know much about the Baltimore organization. However, let's look at it this way: 1. When discussing a Span trade (before it happened), I remember Twins Centric looked at a lot of good Atlanta pitchers. If I remember right (and I could be wrong), many of them were either major league ready or AAA/AA. We ended up training Span for a pitcher that just got into high A (which is a move I like ... I honestly think it was the best we could do for Span). 2. Based on my statement above, it would appear whenever trade rumors are discussed, fans always think we could get more than we are going to really get. Based on that, even discussing higher pitching prospects for Morneau is out of question. 3. What's Morneau worth based on the above two points? IMO, probably a salary dump and maybe a prospect a tad bit better than the two we got for Liriano. Is that terrible? Of course. We want to think we'd get more, but we won't. Maybe even asking for a prospect better than what we got for Liriano is too much. The Twins have never eaten salary from what I can remember. Why would they start now? They'll dump Morneau for salary savings this year (unless they keep him for the fans) and the Orioles will need to give us something back to make the trade worth it. Would it be easy to say the Twins will take the applied savings and use it for pitching? Maybe some of it, but I have a feeling not all of it will be used. We know the Twins and how they operate. Hate to be the party crasher, but just being honest based on how I've observed the Twins operate over the years.