Jham

Well I've always thought stadiums should start playing "For the Longest Time" every time Pelfrey started rubbing the seams off a new baseball, walking around the mound, or shaking off the catcher.

I thought someone shot him with his own gun outside a New Orleans restaurant or something... Not a bad return for a deceased defensive end with average pass rush abilities and a penchant for political corruption.

Oh ho ho, this is your lucky day. Thanks to the magic of Twitter, we know he's for it! Only the good die young!

@Pat.Light - "The sinners are much more fun"

I just went on his Twitter. No mention of Santana. (Smoke dissipating)

I'm not sure it was really their intention to trot those guys out. No one really distinguished themselves enough to replace them. Milone was already waived. Nolasco beat out Duffey fair and square during Spring Training and again this season (battle of futility). I'm sure we'd trade Nolasco for about anything would there be any takers, and that's without a ready replacement. I'd probably hold on to Milone, just in case we need an extra starter next season.

Lou Brown: [to Temple] "We better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody."

Apparently Bruce to the Mets and Puig possibly to White Sox according to Olney.

Dodgers will require a win-now piece and a comparable upside talent in return. They will at least want a shot at winning the trade. If Puig blows up somewhere, and you traded him for Zuke, ABW3 and Abad, you're humiliated. No GM would risk that. I'm guessing they'd want Gibson who has been similarly up and down, and I wouldn't call such a demand unfair. We need pitching more than Puig, so no thanks.

Aside from the guys discussed, I'd consider shopping Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, and Alex Meyer. They've got the pedigree based on their draft positions, teams might not be able to fully investigate their struggles with a short deadline, and they've seem to have been passed in the organization by Melotakis, Hildenberger, Chargois and maybe even Rogers. 2 of the 3 have had injuries. Their best value to the organization may be as trade sweeteners at this point.

Vargas vs ozzie arcia's futures?

Hey, it's happening. Vargas in, Sano at 3rd. Mauer sitting out. Maybe he's being dealt to a world series contender playing in a dream world. https://twitter.com/Brandon_Warne/status/759120674166300673

Adalberto Mejia’s Mahalanobis Comps Fangraph's Chris Mitchell's top 10 comps and projections... Rank Name Mah Dist Projected KATOH+ WAR Actual WAR 1 Victor Santos 0.28 2.3 3.8 2 John Thomson 0.36 2.4 13.7 3 Zack Greinke 0.49 2.3 32.0 4 Jeff Karstens 0.66 2.0 3.4 5 John Johnstone 0.76 2.1 1.3 6 Ricky Nolasco 0.82 3.4 16.6 7 Jeff Housman 0.90 2.0 0.0 8 Peter Munro 0.97 3.5 3.3 9 Pat Misch 0.99 2.1 1.0 10 Wil Ledezma 1.02 2.9 Let's hope for Zack Greinke! But of course, the 2nd MOST successful comp based on his MiLB results is Ricky Nolasco... Expletive.

Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to be mad if Sano is given a chance to stick at 3rd, so long as Mauer is not inked at first until his contract expires. I actually like Vargas' defense. Park's got 8 HR in 10 games in AAA. Given the state of our roster and positions of strength or at least depth, I don't see how Mauer can be relied upon, and I don't see how we can keep all of the K prone power at 1B/DH. I think the transitioning of Mauer to reserve or at least less than full-time player is easier if we make him a full time DH. To respond to the discussion of Mauer v. Sano on defense, you haven't seen how Sano would play with a large mit. I mean, I'm trying to think of a single player who was a capable 3rd baseman, but couldn't pick it at first. Regarding picking up short hops, third basemen almost never have the time to choose to take the ball on the rise or fall. So I have no doubt he could pick short hops. Basically, if Sano can't even play 1B, he shouldn't be on the field at all. I think we can forget about Mauer to 3rd, which is why I suggest he DH's, BUT, Mauer was a pitcher in HS, a 4 star QB, and had a rocket behind the plate. His arm rivals Sano's.

Assume 3rd > 1st > DH. As of right now, Sano = 3rd, Mauer = 1st. Therefore Sano > Mauer. Proof. Now assume Sano # 3rd. We've already proven Sano > Mauer. Then the only option left is Sano = 1st and Mauer = DH. Proof. I can't be more logical. Otherwise we have to change our initial premise, that 3rd base is more difficult and important than first. Or if it's as you state, Mauer > Sano, then Sano should DH (not ideal for a player his age and skill), or Mauer should play 3rd (not ideal for his age/ hitting ability). I actually think it would be worth seeing if a switch to DH would help extend and boost Joe's productivity. This season is about the future. I don't believe Sano had future at third. I don't believe Mauer has a future at first. In the next 2 years we should see Sano at first and Mauer DHing or phased out.

So, this is what I don't get. If Mauer's a better fielder than Sano... Why would Sano play 3rd and Mauer 1st? Wouldn't it be the other way around? Isn't Mauer's arm every bit as good as Sano's? If Mauer keeps hitting the way he is, he isn't much good to us as a 1st baseman or DH. To me, the only way Mauer can give us some value is by switching to 3rd to take advantage of his supposedly better-than-Sano defense or DH and hope that he hits better as a designated hitter. If Sano can play 3rd, he can play 1st. In a season that has become about the future of the organization, keeping Mauer at 1st where he has virtually no future in my mind, seems silly. The transition to DH to part-time DH will be a lot smoother now than in a playoff run.

In a discussion of the future Twins in-field, no mention of Joe Mauer. Mauer simply can't hit enough to stick there. He probably can't hit enough to stick at DH either, but I'm willing to see if that helps. Polanco should play 3rd until Plouffe returns or Dozier is traded. Sano is very likely to be a 1st baseman in the next few seasons, and could possibly be a good one. He should play first. Mauer is showing age, can't concentrate for a whole season, but can be dangerous when rested. He's a natural DH at this point, at most. You simply can't build much defensive value at 1st. Escobar has been fairly productive despite sporadic playing time. He deserves to play the last couple months. We might have to extend Plouffe also... ish.

Hopefully they trade Dozier for more pitching. Good trade on Nunez. Good call-up on Polanco. I would like to see Mauer move to DH and Sano to first. I think Sano needs a bigger glove, and Mauer needs to focus on hitting again. Polanco needs time in the infield, and Escobar hasn't really done much to be displaced at short.

Here's him turning on 92 mph fastball inside and pulling it down the line... http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=959460383&topic_id=26478508&c_id=t534&sid=t534 This appears to be a fast ball away that went over the batters eye in center. http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=982080883&topic_id=26478508&c_id=t534&sid=t534

Lookouts are 54-49, not 54-59, 5 games to the good of .500.

Duffey seems really due for one of those mysterious Twins "forearm strains" which will give Berrios a few starts without a full commitment. I believe Duffey's future is in the rotation. I predicted that last year's success was based on pinpoint control of the curveball that he threw at 2 speeds, which is almost impossible to do consistently. More often feel comes and goes. Think Boof Bonser. But Duffey has a decent running fastball, and a change up is one of the easiest pitches to master, now that Neil is coming back. Or maybe Eddie G can teach him that split which semi-revived Pelf's career. Maybe this year's results will finally hammer home to Duffey that he needs an actual 3rd pitch (I remember him claiming he had 3 pitches in interviews because he throws 2 speeds of curve balls).

Also, as awkward as it would seem, if Mauer is a better fielder than Sano,and we want to capitalize on Joe's defensive ability, he should just swap places with Sano. Then we could trade Plouffe and Dozier.

I'm trying to salvage some defensive value from Sano. I'm trying to salvage as much offense as i can from Joe. I'm not positive Joe can stick as a DH. I think Sano could play a solid 1B. This is a step toward the inevitable future. If this team is any good in the next few years, it is unlikely we will be able to play Joe anywhere. I'm hoping that a move to dh will allow us to squeeze the last drop of elite offensive talent left in his body. If not, we move on with Sano at the position he's best suited for.

Really interesting debate... Some important decisions and some necessary gambles, and here we sit with no real GM in place... The direction of the team for the next 3 years sits on the edge of a knife with an interim at the helm. Do we do a total rebuild, with no one being safe? Do we do a partial rebuild and waste 2-3 years of Sano, Kep, and Buxton in their primes? Do we trust in the young unproven core and expect to compete? Yikes, I can see why Ryan said back me or fire me. Personally, I play it in the middle for at least one more half-season. As many doubts as I have about this core, I can't bring myself to give up 2-3 years or start from scratch just yet. If we don't see vast improvement in the top prospects (regardless of what the rest of the team does) I think we have to look at a total rebuild. Problem is our most valuable assets would have lost a lot of value by that point. So after going back and forth a number of times, I would make these difficult managerial moves: 1. I would look to buy Plouffe's Arb years/a FA year in a fashion similar to what we did with Dozier. The Twins hate to arbitrate, Plouffe can get a quasi-extension, and diminish risk while still being allowed to chase a big FA deal in a couple years. I am not willing to roll with Sano as my #1 3B. Apparently the market is low on 3B so a re-sign could be affordable after a down year. 2. I would look to move Dozier. If we believe Polanco can play, we can jettison Dozier who is the exact type of player often targeted in trades, controllable, cost effective, productive, lower risk. His trade value is many times higher than Plouffe. We still get Polanco into the line up, and we might be able to get an MLB quality or near ready pitcher in return. 3. I'd hold on to big Erv. I don't see us competing without him. I don't see him losing much value next season this time unless he's been hurt (which you can't predict). His contract isn't crippling anyhow, I don't want to sign low level starters or more long contracts for mid-level guys as place holders. 4. I'd keep Gibson. I still believe in his upside. I'd consider adding Duffey to a deal if a pitcher is demanded back as part of moving Dozier. 5. I'd trade Suzuki, hope that the trade partner does not pick up the team option, and then look to re-sign and possibly re-trade next season. I'm not sure Zuke's got another year like this in him, but the chances are better for that than Centeno or Murph or Garver being ready, IMO. I'd also trade Nunez. He's a solid player, but realistically we're not trading Escobar, our only legit defensive SS, and not trading Polanco unless it's a sweetener to bring back pitching in a Plouffe or Santana deal, in which case I'd do a total sell out which may include our "corner stone" guys. 6. I'd dangle Rosario. Solid player, I was, and still am big on his upside because despite some experience and success, he still appears raw in his approach. I think he's hitting on talent alone. His problem isn't getting fooled consistently, it's swinging at everything. That said, he has way more trade value than Palka or Walker who need to be added anyway, and he may not be that much better of a player. 7. Palka, Walker, Vargas, and Park all project as similar bats. Deciphering between them is difficult. It's quite possible NONE of them are major league talents. In fact, that's the likely probability. I see Palka and Vargas as the most movable with Vargas and Park as the most likely to have success. We already have Sano and likely one of Plouffe or Dozier. I'd like to see 2 of those 4 traded. 8. Non-roster construction move - Sano to first base, Mauer to DH, Polanco up until Plouffe returns.

1st runner up got off to a slow start after losing sano,Buxton, berrios, Rosario and abw3, but suddenly Dougie Baseball has a 53-49 squad. Stewart and Gonsalves could help make a bit of a run.