J-Dog Dungan

I think what we were seeing from Plouffe wasn't BS; he is having a great game tonight and I see no reason why he can't continue this dominance for years to come.

Holy s$%%^, is Deduno really working on a two-hitter? With no walks through 7 innings? And 9 K's? And the Twins have scored more than 1 run? Whaaaaaa? See, this is the kinda production we should be having erray game. Go Plouffe and Willinghammer! (and Deduno)

We added Carson 1) Because I think he will be called up in September and 2) He seems to have stolen Ichiro's arm for RF.

This part of the season feels like the part in Moneyball where Billy Beane gets pissed that the players are enjoying losing and he dumps half the team and they end up improving.

Yeah, I wouldn't include Marquis on this list, mostly because all Twins fans hate him now. Oswalt has seemed a little rusty in his outings with the Rangers and was even demoted to the bullpen. Zambrano seems unlikely because BS/TR have rarely added guys who would be clubhouse distractions. Pavano's pitching days might be done with this most recent injury. But all the other guys the Twins should look at, including Scott Baker.

Despite his suspension, is it statistically possible for him to win the batting crown, or will he be DQ'd or will he be short in # of AB's?

I think finding AB's for most of the guys we call up is going to be a challenge. Yes, Parmelee, Slama, Vasquez, Colabello, Carson, Dozier, and Manship, should be called up, but just finding time for these guys to play is going to be a little difficult, not to mention adding some of these guys to the 40-man roster, because we already have several outfielders and infielders deserving playing time up in the majors before the players we call up.

He is on waivers. Any chance the Twins claim him? and if they do, what are the chances that they work out a trade with the Mariners?

Good article; Sums up the feelings of most people around what should be done with Morneau.

I can't really see the Twins getting the prospects that they would be asking for if they were to deal both Mauer and Morneau (and I don't want them to deal Mauer).

I heard on the radio that the only reason that Diamond was tossed was because he went over the head, which is an auto toss, and if he had gone for and hit the body he would have been part of the two-team warning.

Too bad about this deal, which I can almost literally smell coming, because, if it goes through, removes a potentially serious suitor for Morneau from the market and the Dodgers get rid of Loney. The Dodgers are willing to do this because their new management group is trying desperately to get players that it knows can help them for the rest of this year and for a long time after that, although the Red Sox are going to get slammed by their media for giving up such impact players unless they get something good in return. This sounds like what Billy Beane calls an effing A trade.

What? There are Slama haters on TD? Have you seen the guy's numbers down in AAA? He is pitching like Hendriks is down there, and has had a much smaller window up in the bigs to show us what he can do.

I think Revere has earned a little more than a bench role; his arm is improving, I think he even threw out a guy trying to take a base on him this year; yes, he will likely never have much if any power but he gets on base like a machine. I think it is more likely that Span is traded than the Twins keep him for a long period of time. I think from what I've heard Arcia's ceiling is higher than Kubel, especially in the defensive department. I agree with you that Mastro is a prototypical 4th outfielder, but what options do the Twins currently have for RF outside of keeping their outfield lineup together? Carson appears to have the arm of Ichiro, hits all right, and is probably another 4th outfielder. I think Benson is going to have to show some monster improvement to get to the Bigs with the troubles he has been having the last few years. Wait a minute, there was a catcher that was a non-human? Who was he, and how can I get a baseball card of that guy?

No, the reason that he was able to come back, from what I understand of the procedure, was to have stem cells inserted into his elbow which helped regrow some of the ligaments that were having problems, which had nothing to do with HGH or testosterone, as far as I can tell.

Not like Rochester isn't in a playoff race themselves. They are an outside chance for the Wild Card, but it is possible, mathematically anyway, that they could still make the playoffs.

The Twins have several needs this offseason. Pitching is the big one, getting a few MI's who can consistently hit is another. Also, don't expect me to analyze contracts, because that is currently beyond my limited baseball intellect, just FWI. They currently have two-three big trade chips that they are willing to listen on: Willingham, Span, and Morneau. If they are to trade Morneau or Willingham, one team they should focus on is the Rays of Tampa. They have the pitching we need, we have the offense (and 1B/LF) that they would die for. While they (the Rays) have done a great job developing pitching, they could clearly use some offense, and I think Morneau could provide them with that. Span has been most consistently tied with the Nationals, who do need a CF'er/lead-off hitter, and kinda have the pitching we need, if they are willing to deal either one of their prospects or one of their starters (none of which are Strasburg.) Out of the three players on this list, I see Morneau and Span as the most likely to be dealt. Now then, the rest of the team. While for a long time I haven't been a big fan of Nishioka, only recently have I decided that Nick Blackburn isn't major league worthy either, and I was really happy that they were demoted from the Bigs and cut from the 40-man roster. So let's start with the starting pitching side of things. I fully expect the Twins to trade one of Morneau and Span for SP. The question is is how good the pitcher is/will be. The problem for the Twins is that not only do they need one starting pitcher, I believe that they need at least one more that they can pick up in FA (but looking at the FA list on MLBTR, not seeing many guys under 32 on the list. Yikes). I believe that they will buy out Baker's option, and make at least a lukewarm attempt to sign him to a smaller deal to try and get him back on his feet. Another pitcher that I could see the Twins going after is a Brandon McCarthy/Edwin Jackson type (with McCarthy's somewhat low profile, I could see the Twins trying to acquire both of them; I think they will have the money to do so.) I believe this is what the Twins rotation will look like in 2013: 1. Edwin Jackson? for sure a FA pitcher 2. Scott Diamond 3. Gibson/McCarthy 4. Scott Baker 5. Pedro Hernandez/AAAA guys stored down in AAA On the relief pitching side, the Twins are a little more secure. They resigned Perkins to a multi-year deal, they have uncovered Jared Burton as a reliable set-up man, Alex Burnett is starting to show flashes of the talent that people have been expecting from a guy who has held a 25-man roster spot for the last several years, Fien hasn't been terrible, Capps has been all right when available, and Duensing, Swarzak and other guys have been all right in long-relief spot start roles. Unfortunately, Twins Territory has still been deprived of large doses of Anthony Slama. So, barring any major pickups over the trade wire/FA market, this is what I predict the 2013 bullpen to look like (assuming a 12-man pitching rotation, so 7 bullpen guys and in no particular order): 1. Glen Perkins 2. Jared Burton 3. Brian Duensing 4. Casey Fien 5. Slama 6. Swarzak 7. Guerra/Burnett On to the Starting Lineup. With the assumed departures of Denard Span and Justin Morneau, I am assuming several things beyond that. One, Ben Revere becomes one of the best center fielders the Twins have ever had. Two, Parmelee would take over for Morneau at first. Three, their RF spot could be filled by guys like Arcia, Mastroianni (although he seems like more of a prototypical 4th-OF kinda guy), Hicks, or possibly even Carson. Also a possibility is Carroll being dealt to a team with a need for a veteran presence in their infield to give guys like Eduardo Escobar, Pedro Florimon, and Dozier a chance in the Bigs. Fourth, the Twins non-tender Alexi Casilla, given his extreme inconsistency at the plate, although if they did, they would probably keep Carroll around so he could handle 2B. I also see the Twins keeping Drew Butera around to handle catching duties when Doumit and Mauer aren't available. Therefore, I see a starting lineup, while not perfect by any means, looking something like this, and again, not in any order: 1. Ben Revere CF 2. Chris Parmelee 1B 3. Joe Mauer C 4. Ryan Doumit Wherever the heck we need him to stand for a day 5. Josh Willingham LF 6. Trever Plouffe 3B 7. Carroll 2B 8. Dozier SS 9. RF-Don't have any guesses; could stick Parmelee here if they keep Morneau till the NW-trade deadline next year, could be a platoon of AAAA/4th outfielder types, or could even be Arcia, if the Twins are feeling he is ready. Guys I think are done with the Twins Nishi; Not even going to get started Gray; hasn't been great, hasn't been (too) awful Robertson; might deserve a second chance next year, but wouldn't be on any playoff team's roster Capps; been fun, bro, but it's time to leave. We really hope the Twins don't overspend on you again. Pavano; good veteran presence, but probably not worth the money we are spending on you Casilla; hasn't done enough at the plate, like, ever, to deserve to be with the Twins next year. Blackburn; again, most certainly not worth the money we threw at you. Liriano; yeah, you're already gone; the equivalent feeling of you being gone is like not having to deal with the drama that was constantly surrounding Brett Favre when he was with the Vikings Maloney; yeah, you kinda threw away a great chance to be one of the lefty relievers for this team Marquis; didn't entirely agree with your signing, so glad we got rid of you after watching (and throwing up) every time you took the mound for us. Valencia; again, not even going to get into it Clete Thomas; made quite the initial impression with us, then your reputation went south from there Sean Burroughs; I really wanted you to make the team, but I am not sure you impressed enough people to warrant a return next year. Although you might warrant a September call-up and I would be interested in seeing how you perform in that. I wait to be impressed/unimpressed by the moves Ryan will make this offseason/next year.

The Twins have several needs this offseason. Pitching is the big one, getting a few MI's who can consistently hit is another. Also, don't expect me to analyze contracts, because that is currently beyond my limited baseball intellect, just FWI. They currently have two-three big trade chips that they are willing to listen on: Willingham, Span, and Morneau. If they are to trade Morneau or Willingham, one team they should focus on is the Rays of Tampa. They have the pitching we need, we have the offense (and 1B/LF) that they would die for. While they (the Rays) have done a great job developing pitching, they could clearly use some offense, and I think Morneau could provide them with that. Span has been most consistently tied with the Nationals, who do need a CF'er/lead-off hitter, and kinda have the pitching we need, if they are willing to deal either one of their prospects or one of their starters (none of which are Strasburg.) Out of the three players on this list, I see Morneau and Span as the most likely to be dealt. Now then, the rest of the team. While for a long time I haven't been a big fan of Nishioka, only recently have I decided that Nick Blackburn isn't major league worthy either, and I was really happy that they were demoted from the Bigs and cut from the 40-man roster. So let's start with the starting pitching side of things. I fully expect the Twins to trade one of Morneau and Span for SP. The question is is how good the pitcher is/will be. The problem for the Twins is that not only do they need one starting pitcher, I believe that they need at least one more that they can pick up in FA (but looking at the FA list on MLBTR, not seeing many guys under 32 on the list. Yikes). I believe that they will buy out Baker's option, and make at least a lukewarm attempt to sign him to a smaller deal to try and get him back on his feet. Another pitcher that I could see the Twins going after is a Brandon McCarthy/Edwin Jackson type (with McCarthy's somewhat low profile, I could see the Twins trying to acquire both of them; I think they will have the money to do so.) I believe this is what the Twins rotation will look like in 2013: 1. Edwin Jackson? for sure a FA pitcher 2. Scott Diamond 3. Gibson/McCarthy 4. Scott Baker 5. Pedro Hernandez/AAAA guys stored down in AAA On the relief pitching side, the Twins are a little more secure. They resigned Perkins to a multi-year deal, they have uncovered Jared Burton as a reliable set-up man, Alex Burnett is starting to show flashes of the talent that people have been expecting from a guy who has held a 25-man roster spot for the last several years, Fien hasn't been terrible, Capps has been all right when available, and Duensing, Swarzak and other guys have been all right in long-relief spot start roles. Unfortunately, Twins Territory has still been deprived of large doses of Anthony Slama. So, barring any major pickups over the trade wire/FA market, this is what I predict the 2013 bullpen to look like (assuming a 12-man pitching rotation, so 7 bullpen guys and in no particular order): 1. Glen Perkins 2. Jared Burton 3. Brian Duensing 4. Casey Fien 5. Slama 6. Swarzak 7. Guerra/Burnett On to the Starting Lineup. With the assumed departures of Denard Span and Justin Morneau, I am assuming several things beyond that. One, Ben Revere becomes one of the best center fielders the Twins have ever had. Two, Parmelee would take over for Morneau at first. Three, their RF spot could be filled by guys like Arcia, Mastroianni (although he seems like more of a prototypical 4th-OF kinda guy), Hicks, or possibly even Carson. Also a possibility is Carroll being dealt to a team with a need for a veteran presence in their infield to give guys like Eduardo Escobar, Pedro Florimon, and Dozier a chance in the Bigs. Fourth, the Twins non-tender Alexi Casilla, given his extreme inconsistency at the plate, although if they did, they would probably keep Carroll around so he could handle 2B. I also see the Twins keeping Drew Butera around to handle catching duties when Doumit and Mauer aren't available. Therefore, I see a starting lineup, while not perfect by any means, looking something like this, and again, not in any order: 1. Ben Revere CF 2. Chris Parmelee 1B 3. Joe Mauer C 4. Ryan Doumit Wherever the heck we need him to stand for a day 5. Josh Willingham LF 6. Trever Plouffe 3B 7. Carroll 2B 8. Dozier SS 9. RF-Don't have any guesses; could stick Parmelee here if they keep Morneau till the NW-trade deadline next year, could be a platoon of AAAA/4th outfielder types, or could even be Arcia, if the Twins are feeling he is ready. Guys I think are done with the Twins Nishi; Not even going to get started Gray; hasn't been great, hasn't been (too) awful Robertson; might deserve a second chance next year, but wouldn't be on any playoff team's roster Capps; been fun, bro, but it's time to leave. We really hope the Twins don't overspend on you again. Pavano; good veteran presence, but probably not worth the money we are spending on you Casilla; hasn't done enough at the plate, like, ever, to deserve to be with the Twins next year. Blackburn; again, most certainly not worth the money we threw at you. Liriano; yeah, you're already gone; the equivalent feeling of you being gone is like not having to deal with the drama that was constantly surrounding Brett Favre when he was with the Vikings Maloney; yeah, you kinda threw away a great chance to be one of the lefty relievers for this team Marquis; didn't entirely agree with your signing, so glad we got rid of you after watching (and throwing up) every time you took the mound for us. Valencia; again, not even going to get into it Clete Thomas; made quite the initial impression with us, then your reputation went south from there Sean Burroughs; I really wanted you to make the team, but I am not sure you impressed enough people to warrant a return next year. Although you might warrant a September call-up and I would be interested in seeing how you perform in that. I wait to be impressed/unimpressed by the moves Ryan will make this offseason/next year.

Wait a minute, AJ is being nice to someone? Call the presses! The angel of god must have entered him!

I think the Twins have been holding back Parmelee in AAA long enough, as he is tearing it up down there. They are in a fairly solid spot to trade Morneau for a pitcher or two and have a candidate ready to take over the spot if it does happen, and if Mornie's TV is high enough to get the pitcher's we are asking for.

MVP: McCutchen Cy Young: Dickey fo shizzle; compared to Cueto, has kept hitters to a lower average, has a lower WHIP, has more K's, given up fewer hits, has comparable numbers in walks allowed, has thrown 4 CG's to Cueto's 2, has 2 Shutouts, has been more efficient in pitches thrown even as he has more IP than Cueto, has a lower OBP against, has almost a 2 pt advantage in K/9 innings (9.29-7.16), gives up almost a hit fewer than Cueto in 9 innings, and has almost a point advantage in K's v BB's. ROY: Either Miley or Frazier (not that Harper wouldn't have been my choice if he had kept up his numbers from when he started) MOY: Davey Johnson or Clint Hurdle Comeback: David Wright, Buster Posey, Dickey, or Wainwright

I think that year was one of the last where the people who choose the Cy Young did it by wins in the year. I mean, they gave AL Cy Youngs to King Felix and Greinke (who both deserved them, true enough) when they had mediocre records.

Well, I would have to say that this year, people went a little safer with their draft picks, not wanting to fall afoul of one of the new Draft rules put into place by the CBA. By safe I mean they usually went with picks that they knew would sign close to, at, or below slot so they didn't have to lose a pick in an upcoming draft pick to get it.

I thought one of the reasons that he left baseball in the first place was because he was suspected of doping? Or was he never suspected (until now, anyway)?

I would imagine it would look a lot like Carl Pavano's, except backwards.