Chris Schad

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/j-pierzynski-catcher-minnesota-twins-2014-225700673--mlb.html I kind of went over the AJ possibilities in this article, but I'll also add this. I think his attitude would be huge to get in that clubhouse. I don't think he'd destroy the culture there, but give it a shot in the arm. As a 37 year old veteran, he could play the Redmond role with a little more fire. A.J. could also be a nice stopgap for Pinto to give him one more year of seasoning at Triple-A. His offensive stats were really nice up here, but I think his K to BB ratio was horrible. I'd like to see a couple more months at Rochester for him and then we'll see what we have. If they think Pinto could be ready for late 2014 or 2015, they'll take A.J. Otherwise, they might give Salty a good luck. Either way, I think somebody is getting brought in.

I'm taking the conservative approach on this. The Twins have nothing to gain by trotting Mauer out there in the final month in my opinion, so why not give some guys who haven't had major league experience get some? Y! SPORTS I say let Mauer get rested for 2014 and let him play with Sano and (hopefully) Buxton. I'd hate to see him get another concussion and find himself out for a while. By the way, if you guys are looking for some quality entertainment, you should check out the comments on the bottom of the article I linked to. Some people just don't get this whole concussion thing.

It was quiet everywhere and the Twins weren't alone. I was asked by B/R to write a summary saying why nothing got done for the Twins and here it is. Minnesota Twins: 5 Moves They Could (or Should) Have Made at MLB Trade Deadline | Bleacher Report In a nutshell, the Twins didn't have much to offer and had a slow trade market where nobody was willing to make moves (likely because of the unknown Biogenesis scandal. I mean...if the Rangers knew, they probably would have acquired a bat from somewhere). Obviously, I know nothing about the actual situation at the friendly confines of Target Field, but it's fun to second guess and play what-if in these situations.

Ok, maybe I'm counting a little high and I'm sure this renaissance from Liriano has spurned multiple topics regarding why to fire Rick Anderson, but I think this is the biggest. Y! SPORTS As shown in the article, the Pirates are letting Liriano use his slider to get players out rather than his fastball. In return, his numbers look a lot like 2006 rather than 2011 and '12. It should be simple for a good coach to play to their player's strengths. However, Anderson has been hard-nosed about making his players pitch to contact (unless you're Sam Deduno, I guess.) Once again, let the debate begin.

I agree, everybody wants a full fledged roster overhaul to get younger talent or whatever. There's just nothing that makes contending GMs start drooling. I made an article on what I thought would happen, but if anybody is expecting a full-fledged fire sale, they're dreaming. Y! SPORTS

I wondered this too after the Orioles supposedly called about him. Everything I've heard is that no team is willing to give up much to acquire Morneau, but they just have to pull the trigger to avoid losing him for nothing. Y! SPORTS It will be tough to get rid of a guy that's in the hearts of many Twins fans, but the team would hinder its development if they keep him on the roster for a few more meaningless months.

I get an increasing feeling that this trade deadline is going to tug at the heartstrings of several Twins fans. The biggest blow would be the trade that sends Justin Morneau packing, but they've already had a couple with fan favorites Denard Span and Ben Revere dating back to last winter. I talked about it here and basically asked this: Twins fans gripe when players like Morneau are traded and say they're "important to the team." The Twins have lost 90 games and each of the last two seasons and are likely headed to a third. On a team on that, just how valuable are they? Y! SPORTS

Gardy's job now appears to be safe, but I asked the obvious questions of who will be traded and who will take their place in my new Yahoo piece: Y! SPORTS Enjoy!

I usually hate doing these articles, but it was assigned by the powers that be so I did it by going by their season stats and what it means going forward. Here's the link to the article: Minnesota Twins: Their Hottest and Coldest Players Heading into the Second Half | Bleacher Report

When the move was made, I wasn't so sure as if the Twins were trying to send "one last message" to Parmelee...but then it was at-bats. He's 25...so it kind of makes sense, but I haven't seen anything with the big club that suggests he'll be ok. Y! SPORTS

You've heard Morneau, Perkins and others mentioned in trade talks, but the writing on the wall is that it may be Plouffe who gets moved. Y! SPORTS You'll see the link in the article above, but Jeremy Nygaard mentioned on Twitter that the Angels could be a possible destination...I see it this way. - Trade Plouffe for a prospect and let Carroll man third until September. If Sano's current .195 average at Double-A rises in the next month-and-change, call him up in September like they did with Parmelee and Benson a couple years ago. Only issue I see with that is his arbitration clock, but if that's the case then Plouffe will be gone next July.

The Yankees are officially in the Twins head...well, you could have said that years ago, but it's official. Alberto Del Rio Gonzalez with three RBI? Are you kidding me? Even without their regulars, the Twins still manage to get hammered by the Bronx Bombers... Y! SPORTS

I just wonder this now. The Twins used Willingham for Cuddyer's replacement. Cuddy is tearing it up with the Colorado Rockies and Willingham is on the shelf. Twins have lost more games than the Rockies have in the past year, but that can be blamed on the staff. Cuddy is more versitile defensively and hits for slightly higher average. We're at the midway point of the two contracts, but was signing Willingham still the right move? Y! SPORTS

Both Buxton and Trout blew up in the Midwest League, so the comparison is naturally going to be there. Looking ahead, is there a chance that Buxton could be better than Trout? I examined the hype here and want to know what you guys think. MLB: Is Minnesota Twins Phenom Prospect Byron Buxton Baseball's Next Mike Trout? | Bleacher Report

The way I see it is this: - Joe Nathan, Mariano Rivera and Jim Johnson are all locks. - Addison Reed will probably get in because there's nobody on the Sox that's close to making the team. (Maybe Sale, but his 5-6 record doesn't bode well for him.) - A three-way battle between Grant Balfour, Casey Janssen and Perkins should determine the final reliever spot. I elaborated more at this link, but what do you guys think? Y! SPORTS