goulik

I agree, Yourhouse. Trade a couple relievers (Duensing and ?), Parmalee and Plouffe for something of future value AND be aggressive in free agency

In our complaints, let's not forget that Correia, While average at best was our best pitcher and costs less than Blackburn. If we sign some big names, Correia does fit nicely as a #3. He started slow but his final numbers were better than we expected and his contract is quite reasonable for what it brings... Any of these would improve the rotation so I am in as long as it makes long term and short term sense numbers wise

What I like is the aggressiveness of your rebuild. The Twins can afford to be aggressive. Duensing has trade value so letting him or Parmalee walk for nothing is not the way to go. Trading Rosario and May I can live with but not Meyer and not in anything bringing back a reliever. I love that you threw out ideas that draw reaction, signed starting pitchers.

As I have stated elsewhere, you want to bring in "winners" that will help the young guys learn to win and be used to winning at the MLB level. That is where shorter supplementary contracts pay off. Also to remember is Doumit and Willingham will give us an additional 10 million to spend at the end of next year. (If not sooner) I say go big for Garza plus a couple more FA's and spend 40 on 3-4 guys that will make our club more complete next year, build winning character in the youth, and have us ready for 2015 or even buyers at trade deadline next year when Hicks, Rosario, Meyers, Sano, and Buxton all pan out as high as we all dream they will and are mashing the ball in the majors. (Dreaming big I know...)

I have met TR. He just stood in the stands like a fan watching spring training and didn't even say anything more than "no thanks" to the guy with the petition to fire the whole front office and all the coaches. He was humble and down to earth chatting with me and another guy about baseball and life in general. He was just another guy that likes baseball. Everyone has faults but Ego? No, that is not one of his problems.

My understanding with Baker was that he had virtually no interest in rejoining the Twins. Just does not want to be here. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but I remember hearing that somewhere.

The point is "if I was GM" I have my blueprint, Shane has his, others are in the handbook, and others have been posted. If you don't like ours, post your own. I think we should spend big with some 2-3 year contracts that can be traded or come off the books when young guys emerge and need to get paid, Longer if it is a hole in the system and we can lock up a younger FA long term. I agree with Shane that there is no reason to slow down future Twins from coming up and taking their lumps next year because if we slow them down, they take their lumps in 2015 and we have two more non playoff years instead of one more. Let's shorten these off years, get these young guys going and supplement them with FA "winners". Play we'll next year though we don't quite make the playoffs due to youthfulness but are primes for a BIG run in 2015.

This is also under MLB Twins Forums... More chat there on it

Thats part of what makes me such an excellent GM...I got him for two years!!

Thank you Snepp. Overall AFL impressions, which Twins Prospect(s) if any are really shining, who is really disappointing? (Besides all the minor injury concerns)

I hope Thielbar is in our bullpen for longer than you have planned and I hope Eades is a starter but I like what you have done

And we got him for Drew Butera? I'm still laughing about that one

Just missing Meyers and Rosario from that list...

Thanks Thrylos for the Free Agency for DeVries info, I'd missed that. Personally I'd let him walk. As for your three free agent pitchers, we have to remember that Meyers will be coming up soon. I guess signing a third pitcher could allow us to trade Correia or one of the new guys when Meyers is ready... At 3B I don't see the point of a platoon mate when Sano is coming and may even stick right out of Spring Training I hear you Reider on Drew not being the upgrade you'd want. That's the great thing about all this, we all have our own opinions and if it's valid to you, that is good enough. I'd prefer Drew and that's good enough for me.

Great points on the stats, my only concerns with Florimon are the BA and OBP. The thing is we can afford a Stephen Drew AND the starting pitching as shown by the Garza and Johnson additions. (I know Johnson is a risk) SS and 1B are the positions with need that have no one coming to help in the minors and I took a year or two on Morneau.

I read it and found it thoroughly enjoyable to the point of starting a thread with my own blue print. I would love to see other blue prints as the ones I read I felt were weak (just my opinion but I think more can be done) I hope eventually John gives us a blue print as well.

Having spent more time staring at the pages of the offseason handbook than is healthy for a marriage, I have created my own "blue print". I then failed to find a forum in which to post my thoughts so here I am creating my own! Based on this as 2014 Team Now C- Joe Mauer 1B- Chris Colabello or Chris Parmalee 2B- Brian Dozier 3B- Trevor Plouffe SS- Pedro Florimon LF- Josh Willingham CF- Ryan Presley, Darin Mastroianni or Aaron Hicks RF- Oswaldo Arcia Bench 1B/OF- Colabello or Parmalee C/OF- Ryan Doumit IF- Eduardo Escobar C- Chris Herrmann OF- Mastroianni or Presley STarters Kevin Correia Samuel Deduno Kyle Gibson Andrew Albers, Vance Worley, Liam Hendricks, Cole DeVries, Scott Diamond, Logan Darnell, and Pedro Hernandez fighting for two spots Relievers Glen Perkins Josh Burton Caleb Thielbar Brian Duensing Casey Fien Michael Tonkin Anthony Swarzak Heres my plan: Mauer and Dozier are set for now. Plouffe has his spot until Sano pushes him aside which will then lead to moving Plouffe/Escobar/Florimon in trade(s). Best we can get. Resign Morneau in an emotional based return that fans will love and will add leadership in the clubhouse. Give him 2yrs 9 million 4/5 per year with club option on 2nd year and .5 buyout. Trade Parmalee for whatever you can get. Splash= Stephen Drew. Handbook estimate says 3 yrs, 30 million. We offer 3 Years 33 million with the third year a player option. Extra cash and player options add to his incentives to come here. Outfield No major changes, we're waiting for players to develop and Willingham to get traded when we fall from contention Bench Leftovers from our other moves/trades. Hopefully: Herrmann and Doumit until Doumit is traded then Pinto Colabello (Parmalee was traded) Presley Whoever remains of Plouffe, Florimon, Escobar until Rosario comes up Starters Josh Johnson 2 years, 14 Million (Team option on second year and .5 buyout) Matt Garza Estimate in handbook says 5 yrs 75 million. We offer Front loaded 78 million 16/16/16/15/15 with player option after 2 years and team option after 3. 5 million buyout if option not picked up. Correia is now our #3 Gibson, Albers, Deduno, Worley, Diamond, and Darnell are allowed to fight for last two spots. Hendricks and Hernandez are moved to relief permanently. Relievers Perkins, Swarzak, Fien, Thielbar, Tonkin are set Burton and Duensing are traded for best we can get Achter, Oliveros, Ibarra, Henandez, and Hendricks duke it out for last two spots while Pressley is looked at as a starter in Rochester. He may come back as a reliever mid season if that does not work out. All that adds up to a 90 Million payroll. Less actually when Doumit, Willingham, and Plouffe are traded. What are your thoughts?

I think the main point made here is that the Twins do have the money to make a splash. With all the youth coming up, a front loaded contract could be made (see also Zach Parise) and if the players ability declines it would be less difficult to trade him down the line when abilities are fading and contracts for Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Arcia, Meyers, May, etc... start getting up there.

I have no more ideas Seth, I surrender as I think all the best candidates are exhausted

Soliman was eliminated

This thread is single handed lay moving me from Single A to AA member And if it is not Rodriguez, who the #*{€ is it?

Achter, Darnell, Vargas, Watts, Wimmers, Kepler, Polanco, Dean, Ibarra, Oliveros, Rodriguez

Achter, Darnell, Vargas, Watts, Wimmers, Kepler, Polanco, Dean, Ibarra, Oliveros, Richardson

I know what the 10 are

Achter, Darnell, Vargas, watts, Wimmers, Kepler, Polanco,Oliveros, Dean, Ibarra, Salcedo