Cody Christie

It will be interesting to see if the players sent to Toronto have better seasons in the Great White North

Great stuff as usual from Parker

The Twins aren't going to be fighting for a playoff spot next season. It makes sense to build for the future.

This is one of the great thing about prospect lists. Some people put more value on the players that are closer to making their big league debut and other's will look at potential as being the most important thing. Finding the balance between these two areas makes creating a prospect list that much more fun.

I voted for somewhat important. In this new age of baseball, scouts and minor league coaches have some value. The coaches are working with these players at the lowest level and they can make the small adjustments needed to fix a player. Obviously the player would need to have talent for these little fixes to be worth a darn. The scouts have to find that talent.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2703[/ATTACH] Back in the 1993 when the Twins drafted a high school outfielder from Arkansas, there was plenty of hope surrounding his future. The greatest player in franchise history, Kirby Puckett, was manning the outfield for the current team and this new athletic young man was in line to be his heir apparent. Puckett's career would be cut short in the coming years but Torii Hunter would lead a revitalization of the Twins franchise in the 2000s. Two decades after being drafted, Hunter has found the third team of his career. He left the Twins following the 2007 to continue his career with the Los Angeles Angels. The lore of a large contract and a bigger market was too much to turn down for Hunter at the time. As a 37-year old aging outfielder, he is still getting a big contract but this time he is searching for something more... to cement his legacy. Hunter has found his way back to the American League Central with the Detroit Tigers. He signed a 2-year, $26 million contract so he can try and win the championship that he has searched for his entire career. Like many players approaching the end of their careers, Hunter wants to go out on top. He is coming off of a rejuvenating season with the Angels and Detroit looks to be the place where he continues his title hunt. The Tigers are coming off of a berth in the World Series but their club was lacking some offensive punch down the stretch. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder had very good years in the middle of Detroit's line-up and Austin Jackson has turned into a very good lead-off man. There were still plenty of other holes in the back-end of the line-up and Hunter helps to solidify one spot. He will most likely slide into the number two spot in the order behind Jackson and in front of Cabrera and Fielder. In 2012, Hunter put together one of his best offensive seasons. He finished with a batting average over .300 for the first time in his career and he still managed to put up decent power numbers in the middle of the Angels line-up. His offensive WAR was the highest of his career and he combined that with above average defense in a corner outfield spot. Hunter's career offensive numbers continue to pile up as he will be entering his 17th big league season next year. There are a few offensive milestones for Hunter to cross in a Tigers uniform. He is only three home runs away from 300 for his career and he is only 14 hits away from the 2,000 mark. It will be nice for Hunter to reach these milestones in 2013 but the true test of his legacy might be what he can do to add to these totals, as he gets closer to 40-years old. Defense will always be the trademark of Hunter's legacy in the major leagues. "Spider-Man" as he became known for his acrobatic feats will always be remembered by Twins fans for his ability to rob home runs over the blue plastic wall at the Metrodome. From 2001 to 2009, he won a Gold Glove and that number ranks seventh all-time among outfielders. His never-say-die attitude led to more than one injury when he was tracking down fly balls but his highlight reel catches far outweigh the times he ended up hurt. Like Puckett before him and other aging outfielders, Hunter has been shifted from centerfield to a corner outfield spot. His defensive skills might be a little slower but he has plenty of years experience to rely on at this point. He knows the routes to the ball off of the bat and he can still provide solid defense as he finishes out his career. For Twins fans, the charismatic Hunter will always hold a place in the heart of Twins Territory. Fans might find it a little more difficult to cheer for the outfielder now that he is on a rival AL Central team. He will be trolling the outfield on Opening Day at Target Field for the second year in a row but alas it won't be in a Twins uniform. His legacy with the Twins doesn't seem to be in jeopardy but a title with Detroit could be the icing on the cake for his overall legacy.

Good to know his stuff is ready but the Twins are still aren't going to throw him into the rotation at the beginning of the year. He will start in the bullpen or in Rochester.

After being a season ticket holder for seven years, I decided not to renew my season tickets. Some of this came out of the fact that my wife and I don't live in the Twin Cities anymore. But even when we did live there, we had cut back our season tickets at the beginning of last year. It was easy to find people for my tickets in the first couple years of Target Field but it has been a nightmare since the end of the 2011 season.

It seems like the Marlins are going to continue to be run like this until they get a new ownership group.

Good to see Arcia turning it around.

He doesn't just go off of his own views of players. He gets opinions from a variety of scouts that would have seen Rosario in more than one game.

Rosario will need more time at 2B but I think he should be fine there. He still has multiple levels to make it through before he will be in the big leagues.

Some of the other fire sales for the Marlins have brought them back World Series titles. Maybe this one will do the same and Redmond can have the last laugh.

I thought he might get another year on the deal but it sounds like he wants tot try and win a championship in Detroit.

Thanks for the post. I'm excited to see what he can do. I hope his power continues to develop.

The Marlins continued their long history of selling away star players to meet their bottom line. In a blockbuster deal that was swirling around yesterday, Miami traded away a fifth of their 25-man roster from last Opening Day. The Blue Jays were the lucky recipients of the fire sale in Miami and it now looks like Toronto will be fighting for a spot at the top of the American League. Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, and Mark Buehrle are the centerpieces of the trade. Miami did well to get some good pieces in return but most of the best pieces they got back aren't going to be MLB ready for next season. There are plenty of people mad at the ownership in Miami after opening a brand new stadium last season. New Marlins manager Mike Redmond has to be left shaking his head. As a fan of the Twins, it's hard not to wonder what could have been. There are plenty of holes on the Twins roster for next season and the front office could have filled most of them with a deal like the one Toronto just pulled off. Minnesota needs to add multiple starting pitchers and it would help to strengthen up the middle infield. It sounds like the Twins were in talks with the Marlins about multiple players but the details aren't exactly clear on who was involved or how deep talks got. There are obviously plenty of things that have to be considered when it comes to trade of this type. Maybe the Marlins didn't want anyone in the Twins system or the Twins might not have been offering some of their top prospects. We may not ever know what could have been... [ATTACH=CONFIG]2693[/ATTACH] Here's a look at what the Twins could have looked like next season if Reyes, Buehrle, and Johnson were brought into the fold. Obviously, not all of the names listed below might have survived the offseason on the Twins roster but it's still fun to dream. SP: Josh Johnson SP: Mark Buehrle SP: Scott Diamond SP: Liam Hendriks SP: Kyle Gibson C: Joe Mauer 1B: Justin Morneau 2B: Jamey Carroll 3B: Trevor Plouffe SS: Jose Reyes LF: Josh Willingham CF: Denard Span RF: Ben Revere DH: Ryan Doumit That looks like a roster that could contend in the AL Central in 2013 but that dream won't come to fruition. Instead, we wait for the Twins to make their first offseason move and we are left to contemplate over a lost opportunity.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1171-Scott-Baker-s-Top-5-Games

The offseason was supposed to mark the happy reunion between the rehabbing starting pitcher and the only team he has ever known. But when Scott Baker reached the free agent market, there was plenty of interest in the right-handed hurler. The Cubs inked Baker to a one-year deal worth a base salary of $5.5 million with some incentives built into the back end. If Baker is healthy and can pitch effectively for the Cubs, it will be a steal of a deal. A few weeks ago, the thought of Baker leaving the Twins seemed to be far from everyone's mind. In interviews, Terry Ryan sounded confident about the possibility of bringing back Baker. From the sounds of reports out of the Twin Cities, Baker's deal with the Twins fell through because Minnesota wanted an option year for 2014. It sounds like Baker and his agent wanted the pitcher to hit the open market again after what they hope will be a positive year for him in Chicago. There is a chance for the Twins to sign Baker in the next offseason but that's a long ways away. For now, it looks like the end of his Minnesota career. Here's a look back at the top 5 games from his time with the Twins: [ATTACH=CONFIG]2677[/ATTACH] 1. Baker tosses one-hitter, after losing perfecto Date: 8-31-07 Location: HHH Metrodome Opponent: Kansas City Royals Stat Summary: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 9 SO, 1 BB Baseball Reference Box Score Following the birth of his son earlier in the week, Baker found himself on the brink of history. He had a perfect game into the ninth inning before surrendering a walk and hit. John Buck ended the perfect game by drawing a five pitch walk to start the ninth. Mike Sweeney, a pinch hitter that was activated off the DL prior to the game, would step to the plate and crack the only hit of the game. The pitch jammed Sweeney but he got enough of it to keep Baker from the history books. It was still his most masterful performance in a Twins uniform and it came in his first full season at the big league level. 2. Baker throws second career shutout Date: 8-14-09 Location: HHH Metrodome Opponent: Cleveland Indians Stat Summary: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 SO, 0 BB Baseball Reference Box Score Almost two years after he flirted with perfection, Baker notched his second and his final complete game shutout for the Twins. There wasn't as much drama in this game as Baker hit the first batter of the game so there was no threat of a perfect game. The first hit of the game came in the fourth inning when Asdrubal Cabrera smacked a double to deep left-center field. He would be the only man to get into scoring position for the Indians. The only other man to reach base would be Jhonny Peralta on a single in the seventh. It turned out to be a blowout win for the Twins but it still doesn't take anything away from this masterful performance by Baker. 3. Baker strikes out career high 12 batters Date: 6-16-10 Location: Target Field Opponent: Colorado Rockies Stat Summary: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 12 SO, 1 BB Baseball Reference Box Score In the first of a couple interleague games to make this top 5 list, Baker wasted little time attacking the hitters for the Rockies. He had five strikeouts by the end of the third inning and then he struck out the side in the top of the fourth. This included Colorado's three, four, and five hitters. At one point, he struck out five batters in a row and it looked like nothing could stop him on this night. Even though the Rockies hitters couldn't touch him, Baker's pitch count was over 100 at the end of the seventh. Since it was a close game, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire turned to the bullpen to finish off the Rockies but it's still the most strikeouts Baker has collected in his MLB career. 4. Baker throws 115 pitches, strikes out 10 Date: 6-18-11 Location: Target Field Opponent: San Diego Padres Stat Summary: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 SO, 1 BB Baseball Reference Box Score Over the course of less than two and a half hours, Baker would do his best to keep the Padres off of the board. Chris Denorfia, the first batter of the game, cracked a triple on a 0-2 count to get San Diego started off on the right foot. He would be left at third after Baker struck out the next two batters and got a fly ball to end the frame. Baker would avoid trouble in the second by striking out the side. Two men reached against Baker in the top of the fifth but he coaxed a couple of deep fly balls to right field and left them were they were. With his pitch count already over 100, the Twins let Baker head out for the eighth. The first batter reached on a single but the next three men grounded out and Baker had completed a solid eight innings. 5. Baker scatters five hits over nine innings Date: 6-11-11 Location: Target Field Opponent: Texas Rangers Stat Summary: 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB Baseball Reference Box Score A week before the game listed above, Baker had another very strong outing against the eventual American League Champions. No player for the Rangers had more than one hit and the lone extra-base hit came off of the bat of Adrian Beltre. By the time Texas got close to scoring, the Twins and Baker were already cruising. A single by Mike Napoli with two outs in the eighth got the Rangers going. Napoli would advance to second on fielder's indifference and he would score on a single by David Murphy. Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton would reach base in the top of the ninth but a timely double play would end the inning and the game. So what was your favorite Scott Baker moment during his tenure with the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1163-Twins-should-target-Trevor-Bauer

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2650[/ATTACH] It's no secret that the Twins are looking for starting pitching this offseason. The free agent market looks like it is filled with plenty of intriguing arms but there could be other ways of acquiring hurlers. Another way of accomplishing this task could be to trade away current MLB players or minor league prospects for the services of a starting pitcher. There have been rumors of the Twins inquiring about a couple of different starting pitchers but a new name has emerged on the market. Word leaked out earlier this week about the Arizona Diamondbacks possibly being ready to shop top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer. It sounds like there is a division between Bauer and the D-Backs over his future with the club. Of course, it would take a lot to acquire a 21-year old pitcher with a ton of upside. If they are truly willing to shop Bauer, there will be plenty of interest from multiple clubs. Bauer was the third pick of the 2011 amateur draft out of UCLA. During this past season, he made his debut with Arizona and he got roughed up in his four appearances before being sent back to Triple-A. His numbers in the higher levels of the minor leagues have very good as he has a low 2.42 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 130 innings pitched. Bauer made it to the big leagues in less than a year and he still has plenty of potential. The one downside to Bauer looks like his command of the strike zone because he gave up 61 walks over his 130 minor league innings. During his small sample size in the major leagues, he averaged almost a walk an inning. This doesn't sound like the type of pitcher Terry Ryan and the Twins would target. It doesn't fit the mold of soft throwing strike throwers but it could be time for Minnesota to go in a different direction. For Minnesota and Arizona, finding trade pieces could be tough for a couple of different reasons. The one area of surplus for the Twins is in the outfield and Arizona has so many outfielder that they are trying to trade away Justin Upton after already parting ways with Chris Young. This means the Twins could save their surplus in the outfield for a different trade but it also means the Twins would have to part with some of their top prospects. The results were not so good the last time the Twins traded a top prospect for pitching. Wilson Ramos looked to be ready to break-out at the major league level but the Twins sent him to Washington for Matt Capps. A trade with the D-Backs would take on a different light because Minnesota would be trading for a rising star in the pitching ranks and not a closer with mediocre stuff. This still leaves questions about what the Twins could send away from their prospect ranks. In my preliminary Twins prospect list for this offseason, there are some very good players at the top of the list. Would the Twins be willing to part with a couple of their top 10 prospects to get Bauer? How about a couple of players in the top 5? Which players would you say are untouchable? 1. Miguel Sano, 3B (Age 19) 2. Byron Buxton, OF (Age 18) 3. Aaron Hicks, OF (Age 23) 4. Oswaldo Arcia, OF (Age 21) 5. Eddie Rosario, OF/2B (Age 21) 6. Kyle Gibson, RHP (Age 25) 7. Jose Berrios, RHP (Age 18) 8. Travis Harrison, 3B (Age 20) 9. Max Kepler, OF (Age 19) 10. Joe Benson, OF (Age 24) It could take quite the haul to bring in Bauer so it doesn't seem likely for the Twins to empty out their farm system for the chance to acquire a young starting pitcher. The upside of Bauer is enough to get fans excited about the chance of him joining their organization this offseason. A deal might not be likely at this point but the right combination of prospects could make this trade a reality. If you were in Terry Ryan's GM chair, what would you offer? And would it be enough? Leave a COMMENT