Jham

"If the Twins could deal maybe Burton and/or Duensing, Tonkin and Hoffman would get a shot." I seem to remember the two of them being on the trading block last July and getting little to no interest. Now that teams are getting closer to opening day rosters, is there reason to think that the interest in either reliever has or will increase?

With catcher being such an important position and with few projectable catching options in the system at this time, I was thinking the Twins signed Suzuki to start until June and then Pinto would be recalled in June. The Twins will want him to start and get playing time. As such, starting with the team would almost certainly get him "super 2" status and arbitration eligibility one year sooner than waiting until June. Here is mlb.com's explanation of the "super 2" arbitration provision. Q: When does a player become eligible for salary arbitration? A: A player with three or more years of service, but less than six years, may file for salary arbitration. In addition, a player can be classified as a "Super Two" and be eligible for arbitration with less than three years of service. A player with at least two but less than three years of Major League service shall be eligible for salary arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and he ranks in the top 22 percent (increased from 17 percent in previous agreements) in total service in the class of Players who have at least two but less than three years of Major League service, however accumulated, but with at least 86 days of service accumulated during the immediately preceding season.

I am getting really sick of people handing the 5th spot in the rotation to Worley over Deduno. I think it sends an awful message to the rest of the team. 1) apparently you can lose your position to injury; 2) the best player doesn't always play, so why work hard, rehab hard, perform well? We're just going to play who we want to play. Deduno has been nothing but a pro's pro, and has really been great just going about his business and not giving in to distractions. After his great year last year, he watched Nolasco, Pelfrey, and Hughes get paid. Meanwhile, he gets placed BEHIND Diamond and Worley in the battle for 5th starter. Deduno can pitch for me any day of the week.

:angry:

Has Pinto's rookie contract clock started ticking? I remember him being a September call-up last year which does not count toward the total because of the expanded rosters? So then we will probably see him called up to start in June once he can no longer qualify as a super 2 if he sticks in the majors. Another year of control before arbitration for a potential starting catcher would be a fair trade in my mind.

Listen, I want to see the young kids as much as anyone. Especially given the rather mundane veteran alternatives. But, I think it is more beneficial for the team to make the kids earn playing time and force the Twins' hand. Look what happened when we just gave a spot to Hicks. Make them earn it. Plus, Arcia, Hicks, Parmalee, Gibson, Collabello, etc. were all given more than a fair shake and really did not take advantage. So even though I'd rather see some of the young guys develop, I believe the team is better off making the prospects work. None of them are good enough to just be handed a position anyway.

There is a thin line between loyalty and stubborness. The Twins front office flirts with that line often. Not only did the Twins attempt to bring in every ex-twin looking for a job this off-season, they also re-signed Pelfrey, and somehow didn't deal Correia. Yes, the Twins ate 2 years of Blackburn's contract, but only after like 4 failed rehab attempts. I think we carted him out in a wheel chair for his last couple minor league starts. What happened to playing the best player? Rewarding performance guarantees effort. Now they're saying that Pelfrey, one of the worst total seasons by a starting pitcher I have ever seen, is guaranteed a spot, but that our far and away best starter last season, Deduno, has to play his way onto the roster. Absurd in my mind, even with the surgery. The 5th spot is his to lose in my mind. He earned it. Also, is the International League the worst AAA league in baseball. I've heard it's quite bad. You see guys like Albers, Hendricks, DeVries, Slama, (Gibson?) etc. tear it up down there, then demonstrate a complete inability to be even serviceable in the bigs. Can someone comment on the strength of the IL compared to others around baseball? PS. Are we so sure that Diamond, Worley, or Deduno are claimed if they play their way off the 25 man? I think if any of the 3 perform that poorly, there is a good chance they pass waivers.

Players like Bonifacio are almost always tradeable in July for cash and low to mid-range prospects which make signing him even less of a risk. Signing a player like Boney who seems like a gamer willing to play multiple positions, come of the bench, steal bases, etc. seems like a good move to me. Best case, we pay half the contract and acquire some more talent in return. Will it make us a contender? No. But a series of similar savvy moves that continuously deepens the organizational talent pool will given time.

If we are hoping for bounce backs or career years, motivation moves. And nothing motivates like money and competition. Pavano, Baker, Blackburn, Mays (injury) were never as good after signing multi-year deals as they were trying to earn one. I think this is why the Twins rarely sign pitchers long term and tend to cycle tons of mid-level prospects through the major league organization. We trust the competition factor to raise otherwise average or below average players up a level. Case in point: Little Nick Punto. Hand him a job and he'll hit .200. Try to get rid of him, and he'll put up a career year. We now have a rotation full of guys with little to pitch for unless we are in the playoff hunt. I still like the moves because we are acquiring talent i.e. trade-bait.

Question: Is anything but pride keeping players from choking up or moving to a lighter bat as their bat slows? On a related note, if corking the bat to make the barrel lighter increases bat speed, what advantage is their to swinging a heavier and therefore slower bat?

Very well put. Game situation stats have to be the next frontier of sabremetrics. The term "luck" gets thrown out on this blog to explain discrepancies from predicted outcomes far too often in defense of metrics, but truly, game situations matter. Statistics should try to explain variance and limit there effects. Running FIP with runners on, risp, 3rd x through a line up etc. would give a much better read on where and why there may be some deviation from an expected outcome. Actually, one of my big problems with Moneyball in general was a lack of situational analysis. (ie stealing/bunting will reduce run totals by season's end, but it may still be your best chance to win a tie game in the 9th?)

Delmon Young and Jesus Montero were "can't miss" too. Ask the Royals about "can't miss prospects". The question that should be asked is if we have a contingency plan in case Sano turns out to be Adam Dunn and not Miguel Cabrera and Buxton ends up being an Elsbury and not a Trout. You can never have too much talent. Trading one talented player for several is a key to sustainable Big League success. If you want one player, buy them in free agency... then trade him.

Wasn't Kohl Stewart supposed to go tonight for the E-Twins?

I believe Laudner was an All Star as well! And I'd consider Sorrento a reg with Twins/Cleveland.

I've liked Florimon quite a bit. I went to a Deduno start last year, and Florimon had a couple big hits, an opposite field triple to the gap, and several stellar defensive plays. He basically carried us to victory that night. Thusly, I was impressed that a player who had such a reputation as a punching Judy looked so promising at the plate. Florimon strikes out too much because he swings with conviction and struggles batting right handed, but he is intelligent, and plays with confidence. He doesn't give away at bats by weakly reaching for low and away in 2-1 count like Punto or Adam Everett did. Most importantly, Florimon seems to be improving and actually shows some fire and leadership. Vote for Pedro.

Your logic regarding tradeability actually support the trade. The Royals dealt a potential star for two years of an ace and a run at the post season. I would hardly call this year a waste. The last 3 decades of Royals baseball have proven that you will indeed wait for a lifetime if you wait for the right time. More to the point, Kansas City ALSO acquired an ace to dangle this off-season or next July who would command a pretty sweet prospect package in return, especially if he continues to lead the team on a pennant chase. If Kevin Correia teaches us anything, it is that bargain pitching isn't much of a bargain when it utterly lacks trade value.

The White Sox got a top 2 prospect, a potential 5-tooler, from a division rival. If the Twins swung a deal to get a player like Avisail Garcia, the twinsdaily server would completely implode with over-the-moon posters.

This is why I almost afraid to read comments some times. What exactly should TR have done in the year and a half back on the job? I know spend 250 million on Greinke and Sanchez, because they would have for sure come here. With both of them we just might have been good enough to finish .500. Greinke or Sanchez might not have been realistic, but if the Red Sox gave up Iglesias for Peavy, we could have absolutely made out trading a Greinke or Sanchez. Essentially we could have gotten several major league-ready blue-chippers and half-a-season of a true ace for like 10 million dollars (and a bit of risk of injury). The White Sox got a potential star from a division rival and a great 1/2 season of Peavy for what, 7-8 mil? I'd rather have that than a full year of Pelfrey and Correia for the same price. Sometimes signing higher priced free agents is necessary in order to have meaningful tradebait come July. The refusal to acquire tradeable talent in free agency has really held us back.

Do we know for sure that Pelfrey was offered only single-year contracts? Could he have turned down multiple years in order to go back on the market after proving he was healthy and effective? Seems like a Boras strategy. I am not entirely sure he can keep this up for the rest of this year, let alone another 2 or 3 after getting big money. That said, I like his stuff now that his control is getting there. I would not mind a qualifying offer in FA to get a compensatory pick. Do they still grade out FAs in order to receive picks? And I still think they should look at moving Perkins into the rotation.

First post guys. Love the blog. As 1 thought slightly outside the box that I'm sure I will get hammered on... If the Twins are not blown away by an offer for Perkins who is an All-Star closer in the prime of his career with new-found velocity and a swing-and-miss slider, I think the Twins should strongly consider stretching him out with the intention of adding him to the rotation next season. Note, Perkins has been ok as a starter in the past. Many have suggested that the move to the pen caused his success rather than coincided with his success. I know he has suggested he likes pitching from the pen as it keeps him engaged and focused. However there are other potential factors to his success other than a change in role. 1) would have to check the program guide, but Perkins looks to be in better shape than he used to. I think he's shed some baby weight. 2) He seems to have scapped the slow curve for a hard slider, perhaps his best pitch, particularly against righties. 3) Simple maturity, he's past the me-first attitude that held him back in prior stints. In somewhat recent past, pitchers such as Smoltz, Schilling, David Price, Adam Wainwright, and Chris Sale have successfully moved from Starter to Pen back to Starter. Perkins would be an absolute steal at $3 mil and change/season. We could actually utilize our best pitcher. His trade value would go up if successful, or he could lead a young staff next year as a potential ace. He'd make the product more watchable the rest of the season. And we can always move him back to closing if he proves less effective starting. Finally, no chance Perkins bought supplements from Biogenesis right?