pierre75275

When I saw Graham warming in the bullpen I turned off the game. I knew he was up for Arod and didn't care to watch him go yard. I doubt any body in the park really thought a extremely homer prone pitcherfacing a prolific homer prone hitter with the game on the line was going to end any different then it did

I think we have many more chances to give Vargas before we give up on him. See Hicks, Perkins, and dozier

I am not thrilled with this but it could ...could work out IF Torii teaches Hicks how to hit Torii teaches Arcia how to field Torii fires up the clubhouse without punching anybody out then I like it. Did Schaffer get non tendered?

I think that our new manager is right to a point. But by the same token if English speaking players went to the leagues in the south I would expect them to be able to speak spanish well enough to get by. It goes both ways....I don't think spanish speakers should come to the major leagues and refuse to learn English nor to I think that coaches and players here should refuse to learn spanish.

The Twins, if they are going to improve need to do three things. One get a top tier pitcher. I prefer Jon Lester. Two trade for a center fielder. Try Peter B or John Jay. Sign or Trade for a Left fielder. IF they do all three of these things they will be able to contend for a championship next year. If they do two...they might win the central. If they go out and sign a second tier starting pitcher and stick with Schaffer as a full time LF the Twins will once again lose 85 games.

I beg to differ. Jose Oquendo, Sandy Alamar Jr and Dave Martinez all have extensive post season success on their resume. And come without the baggage.

You had me until Ozzie Guillen. He can take his circus somewhere else. I understand the want of a latino coach but there are much better options available the Ozzie.

I think Alex Meyer should be above Mr. Stewart based on what he has shown at higher levels and because he is closer to the bigs. I would personally go Meyer, Berrios, Buxton, Sano, Stewart as my top five. But I will defer to Seth because he knows a lot more about it then I do

i would like to see dave Martinez has manager and doug mentkayvich as bench coach. Chili davis as hitting coach and bert blyleven as pitching coach suits me fine. after that no preference. ozzie Guillen can keep washing cars are whatever he is doing these days. i prefer leaders who dont feel the need to be a public specticle in order to get their point across.

Really surprised. Didnt see this coming. I wonder who all goes with him. anderson for sure but who else

your roster has 27 people on it

I think they should give Hughes the option to pitch an inning out of the bullpen and make it a public thing. If he doesnt want to then thats fine but let him say so so the Twins dont take another PR hit. Otherwise donate the funds to his Foundation.

Well...maybe thats why they signed Nick Burdi and Jack Reed. Glen Perkins is a smart pitcher. He will make the adjustment to cover lower velocity and to better locate his slider, which appears to be the biggest issue. Hopefully its just a mechanical issue.

Trevor May for as bad as he has been has shown the ability to miss bats. Alex Meyer can miss bats. Phil Hughes misses bats. After that it gets worsem I am hopeful that the Nationals decline Spans option and the Twins pick him up. I realize that will cost Parmaleee or Colabello their roster spot and as much as i love collabello he needs to prove he belongs on this team. But i thing if Span shaffer and hicks are roaming the outfield instead of willngham collabello kubal parmalee i think the improvement will be noticable. also if meyer and may start with Hughes you will see a lot of strikouts.Both will help. Obviously there will be growing pains but he product would be an improvement

Maybe I am a cynic, but I always found it awfully convenient that the next closest MLB team was the one owned by the Mr. Selig. I will never believe that didn't have anything to do with it, and I am still bitter about it to this day even though it didn't happen. To me, its like the IRS saying they only targeted conservative groups but it didn't have anything to do with politics. Its a poor comparison but the only one I could think of.

I think there are positions the Twins can improve on. As far as starting rotation goes they should only target one top of the line starter, and it should be a lefthander given all the quality right handed options. That leaves Jon Lester. They should decided what they would be willing to pay him and make the offer. If he signs for less somewhere else so be it. The also should be an upgrade at back up catcher. Could that be pinto? Maybe but it needs to be somebody other then freyer. It could be AJ Piersznyski. As for the outfield I think the twins should sign two of Melky, Torii, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakias or Denard Span. If they really want to make a splash sign Jed Lowrie or Hhanly Rameriz

The Twins have been on the lower end of mediocre this year and at the roster has been a mess. Looking ahead to 2015 is currently the funnest thing to do as a Twins fan. After looking at the Twins options for bullpen and the starting rotations in my previous blogs, I will now offer my opinions on players the Twins have available to them on the position side of things. This area in my opinion is the most likely area the Twins have available to add improvements via free agency. Without further ado, lets look at who the Twins have available at AAA and the majors for position. Left Field: Ed Nunez Jordan Schaffer Aaron Hicks Daniel Ortiz Center Field Aaron Hicks Danny Santana Jordan Schaffer Eric Farris Right Field Chris Parmalee Chris Colabello Aaron Hicks Oswaldo Arcia Wilkin Rameriez Chris Hermann First Base: Kennys Vargas Joe Mauer Chris Colabello Chris Parmelee Second Base Brian Dozier Edurado Escobar Doug Bernier James Beresford Jorge Polanco Shortstop Danny Santana Edurado Escobar Edurado Nunez Third Base Trevor Plouffe Edurado Escobar Edurado Nunez Catcher Kurt Suzuki Eric Fryer Josmil Pinto Chris Hermann DH Oswaldo Arcia Joe Mauer Kennys Vargas Chris Colabello Josmil Pinto I would say on this section of the roster, much more then the bullpen and the starting rotation, is more in-flux and cluttered with players who have question marks. Chris Colabello, Danny Santana, Chris Parmalee, Aaron Hicks and Jordan Schaffer. The problem is the Twins do not have anybody in the system who could step up and improve the product on the big league field. So if the Twins want to spend in the off-season this is where they should put their money. For the sake of argument, the Twins should target an off-season back up catcher to improve their team. The Twins have an in house option Josmil Pinto, who should get the job. But if he doesn't who is the best option available who will be willing to play part time? The only Free agent catcher who might play part time and who would be available would be AJ Pierzynski. He would be the best pick up in my opinion should the Twins target a catcher. The Twins are set at first base and second base. The Twins could upgrade at shortstop this off season if they picked up Jed Lowrie or Hanley Ramirez. Both would be expensive, but that is fine, the Twins can afford one or the other, however I prefer the Twins trade for one the Cubs shortstops or one of the Texas shortstops. There really are not any options at third that via free agency that would provide an upgrade so lets move on to the outfield. As expected, there are several options here who the Twins could pick up to improve the current big league club. Melky Cabrera, Denard Span, Nick Markakias, Nelson Cruz, Torii Hunter and Alex Rios would all be upgrades over the current Twins outfield. What Should the Twins do in your opinion?

Everybody knows the Twins Starting five have not preformed up to standards this year. The biggest question facing the Twins this winter is what to do to improve the big club. Does it make sense to go out and sign a Max Scherzer, James Shields or John Lester? I will answer that question in a bit but first let's look at what the options are in house for 2015. LOCKS: Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Ricky Nolassco. I think that Phil Hughes has probably been the best signing this off season while Nolassco has been one of the worst. I also think the majority of fans can agree the Kyle Gibson will be one of the starting five next April. IN HOUSE OPTIONS: Who do the Twins have in house? Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Tommy Milone, Kris Johnson, Yohan Pino, Mike Pelfrey, Logan Darnell, Sean Gilmartin, Sam Deduno and Anthony Swarzak Top Free Agent Options: John Lester, Max Scherzer, James Shields. So far this year, 12 different pitchers have started at least one game for the Twins. As such, it goes to show you can never have too much depth for pitching. Of the options for the final two spots, the most likely candidates to win the the job out of spring training are Trevor May and Alex Meyer. Given the anticipation of the average fan of seeing these two prospects in particular pitch, should the Twins sign a free agent pitcher? I personally do not think they should. I would rather watch Trevor May and Alex Meyer then a different free agent pitcher. That being said, I think that if the Twins would go out and target a pitcher, they should target a left handed pitcher who could be considered the ace of the staff. I don't believe the Twins will target any mediocre pitchers or "tier 2" pitchers in free agency simply because of who they having coming up. That leaves one option-John Lester. I am not sure what his asking price will be, but having him anchor the Twins staff would allow them to contend for the central division title I believe. James Shields would probably be cheaper, but with so many right-handed options already I do not see the point. But signing John Lester...MAN...the Twins would be remarkably better just by doing that. Think of this rotation (Barring injury) Lester Hughes Gibson Nolasco Meyer Depth: May Milone Pelfry Johnson Darnell Gilmartin What do all you Guys think?

Here we are, once again playing meaningless games in August/September. I would not term this season as an abject disappoint as there have been some positives to take forward into next spring. Some of the positives are: 1. The apparent willingness to promote players on a quicker pace then before. 2. The emergence of several younger players: Vargas, Santana, Polanco, May, Meyer, Burdi, and Lester Oliveras to name a few. 3. The front office's willingness to cut bait when needed: Kubal, Guerrier, Willingham, Bartlet, Morales. So where does that leave us for 2015? BULLPEN: This offseason, the Twins will be looking at improving the major league club. It is doubtful they will attempt to improve the bullpen via free agency, as the past several years teams have overpaid for bullpen help. I do not see the Twins doing this, they will go with what they have, and depending on weather they want a 12 or 13 man pitching staff, lets take a look at the options available in the majors and minors. In the majors, the Twins have Sam Deduno, Anthony Swarzak, Glen Perkins, Casey Fien, Jeff Burton, Brian Dunsing, Caleb Thielbar, Michael Tonkin, Matt Guerrier, Trevor May, Ryan Pressley, and Logan Darnell in various bullpen roles this year. That is 12 pitchers used out of the bullpen. Not all have the experiments have been successful. So on top of the 12 pitchers used last year, who is knocking on the door for a promotion to the big club? In AAA, the Twins have AJ Archer (74.2 Innings, 74 K's, 44 hits allowed, 25 BB, and 2.29 ERA), Lester Oliveros (62.1 Innings, 39 hits, 84 K's, 27 BBs) there is also Stephan Pryor, Michael Tonkin and Deolis Guerra. One could also argue the likes of Kris Johnson and Sean Gilmartin could be considered for long relief roles out of the bullpen. In the lower levels, Cole Johnson, Jake Reed and Nick Burdi also could force the Twins hand and see time with the big club next year. Who is Gone? Matt Guerrier is already released by the big club and Jeff Burton will most assuredly have his option bought out. Non-Tender Candidates Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, and Sam Deduno are all possibilities to be non-tendered. I think of the three, Duensing is the most likely as there are cheaper options (Johnson, Darnell, Gilmartin) who can fill his role. Who are locks for the Bullpen in 2015? Glen Perkins and Casey Fien are the only two pitchers who I would consider locks. So who is left to fight it out over the last 5-6 spots? We have Caleb Thielbar, Sam Deduno, Anthony Swarzak, Michael Tonkin, AJ Archer, Lester Oliveros, Stephan Pryor, Deolis Guerra, Kris Johnson, Sean Gilmartin, Ryan Pressly, Nick Burdi, Jake Reed and Cole Johnson to fight it out for the spots. Some of the pitcher listed will also receive consideration for starting roles. Because of all these options as well as the past drafts being heavy in relievers, I find it very probable the Twins will go with what they have in house, and that any signings will be minor league signings. What does everybody else think?

I get wanting to sign a free agent pitcher in the off season but the twins are not going to sign Price or Scherzer because there are better ways to allocate those funds in less risky manner. I think the onoy starting pitcher the twins should target would be Shields and I am not sure at 15 million a year I would rather watch somebody else. There are three locks for the starting rotation next year. Nolasco (like it or not) Hughes and Gibson. That leaves two spots. The current options to fill those spots are May, Meyer Pelfrey, Pino, Johnson, Gilmartin, Darnell and Milone. We already have enough right handers that can do the job and unless Nolasco goes to the pen then it doest make sense to sign Shields. I would prefer the twins sign Lester but not at 150 million.

I am not a huge Floriman fan but he is hitting .260 in AAA. Any chance he could carry some of that to the bigs despite his woeful track record and should we give him the chance?

FINALLY! Good Luck to Mr. May on Saturday. Its rumored the Dodgers are looking for a back end starter, so hopefully Mr Corria fits that bill and Alex Meyer can be called up.

I understand your points, I really do, and I enjoyed reading the article....BUT....I think what Gardy was trying to say was that pitchers arms always have soreness. It is expected and it is routine. He doesn't want to know about that. What he wants to know is if the soreness is not normal and it affects performance. Throwing a baseball is not what arms are built to do, its why they are sore. The last 3 years I played ball my arm hurt all the time. I played outfield. I wasn't winging it 90mph. I don't blame Gardy on this. He said he wants to know when aches and pains and grinds are not normal. Nolascco clearly knew he was not normal when he told Mike B that he "didn't want to be that guy". But he never told anybody.

I see Burdi had another WP last night plus walk. Is his stuff a little more electric then what the catchers there are used to or does he have that much excitement and adrenaline going that he is a little wild in the early goings?

I dont think it would be the worst thing for Aaron Hicks to go to AAA but Chris Parmalee needs to go first.