Reider

Rome wasn't built in a day and the Twins don't need to pull out all of the stops this off season. They have next off season and probably the one after to have all (or most) of their pieces in place. If the Twins can get Garza and perhaps a 3rd pitcher (e.g. high risk, high reward like Johan Santana or even a back end guy like Pelfrey (*sigh*), just to eat innings), I don't think the Twins will have to trade any of their young prospects away unless they find a deal they really like. And of course if a great deal comes along where they can secure a young starting pitcher with high upside, I hope they seriously consider it. I just don't think they need to do every thing this off season.

I am a huge Deduno fan. He has good movement on his pitches and plays great under pressure. He's a real treat to watch. I hope he's healthy and ready to go for the 2014 season.

If this is true, it says more about Gardy and Anderson than it does about Baker. Every player has strengths and weaknesses. A good coach will play to a players strengths. Trying to force a player to move away from his strengths is a sign of a bad coach, not a bad player.

I agree. I was a big Baker fan when he was here. He's hands down better than Pelfrey (when healthy).

I'd be fine with the Twins signing him to a 2 year deal. Sometimes players just need a change of scenery. And considering he's only 28 and we've seen guys like Liriano turn it around, it wouldn't hurt to at least give him an opportunity. If he shows any sort of improvement, we win, and if he doesn't, then we can replace him in two years anyways. Either way, it's not an overly risky signing and hopefully provides us with more stability in the starting rotation. In the big picture, we need to take some pressure off of our bullpen. It would be nice to get a guy like Garza, but if it comes down to it, I'd rather take Hughes over a AAA pitcher. If Hughes truly is excited about pitching in Target Field, I think that is a very good sign. People tend to perform better in environments they are happy with.

It was a wise move by Terry Ryan to sign a bona fide starting pitcher, even if he's not a true ace. However, Ryan needs to sign at least one more quality pitcher. Anything after that would be a bonus (e.g. signing a 3rd pitcher and / or a position player).

Drew would be a complete waste of $. Florimon is younger, a better SS, arguably more durable, and obviously much cheaper. The only thing Drew has on Florimon is that his hitting is a bit better, but even Drew's numbers aren't all that impressive (.253 batting average) and his numbers outside of Fenway Park are even less impressive (.222 BA .287 OBP). Signing Drew for big money makes no sense at all. It makes much more sense to give Florimon a chance to improve his hitting in 2014 and if he can't do that, then look at other options at SS. And if they are going to trade for or spend big $ on a quality SS, then get someone that is a much better fit than Drew. Obviously it would have been nice if the Twins would have just kept J.J Hardy, but I guess sometimes life just doesn't work out that way.

No thanks to Drew. A cost benefit analysis dictates that response. I'd be extremely surprised if the Twins signed him. Florimon is an excellent SS who's only played one full season as a starter. I think he's earned an opportunity to come back in 2014 and try and improve his hitting. If he doesn't show any improvement next year or regresses, then maybe you look a little more serious at other options. However, if he improves his hitting, ladies and gentlemen, we have a player. Does anyone seriously disagree that he at least deserves an opportunity in 2014 to improve upon his hitting from this past year? I can't see him all of a sudden becoming a .300+ hitter, but if he can limit his strike outs, his BA and OBP should improve.

I don't have a problem with the signing.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Twins_expressed_interest_in_freeagent_catcher_Jarrod_Saltalamacchia111113

I agree that we will likely be underwhelmed by FA SP signings this off season as that has been the trend over the last couple of years. TR has been penny pinching and kicking the can down the road. What I disagree with you on, however, is the idea of penciling in 2 players (Gibson and Worely) for next years rotation who proved last year that they were not good enough (or not "ready," if that makes people feel better). My philosophy is nobody gets penciled in. And if people do get penciled in, they will be Deduno and Correia.. Guys who proved last year that they at least belong. If Guys like Diamond/Gibson/Meyer/May/Worely etc.. want to pitch in the MLB, they're going to have to earn a spot. To go along with that, Terry Ryan needs to go out and sign at least two quality FA's and maybe penny pinch on one guy (e.g. Pelfrey) to be the 5th starter. Signing Hughes and calling it a day, or re-signing Pelfrey and calling it a day is just not going to cut it. There are 5 spots. You fill those 5 spots with 5 MLB caliber pitchers. If AAA guys want a spot, they will have to beat one of those 5 guys out or take a spot in the bullpen until they can push one of those 5 starters out. Do you think it's going to hurt my feelings if Gibson pitches better than Pelfrey in spring training to earn a spot in the rotation and Pelfrey is forced to move to the bullpen until there is an injury? This "saving spots" way of thinking is ridiculous. We've seen this horror show one too many times already.

It would be nice if the Twins could get at least one young pitcher with upside to sign a multi-year deal (e.g. Hughes). But if you can only get him to sign a one year deal, then there's no point. I'd also like to see the Twins sign another solid pitcher / quality innings eater. There appears to be plenty of options. And given the Twins' budget, it really wouldn't hurt them to give an opportunity to a pitcher that appears to be a long shot, but was solid in the past (e.g. Johan Santana, Colby Lewis, or even Scott Baker on a minor league deal wouldn't break the bank).

No it does not make sense to sign Kubel. It also does not make sense to break up our middle infield. The Twins need to give Dozier and Florimon every opportunity to grow upon and improve what they had last year. I fully expect the middle infield to be solid in 2014 and it would be nice if both players improved their hitting from last year.

I liked Kubel when he was with the Twins and I would have been just fine with him staying instead of leaving when him and Cuddy did. But at this stage in the game, it's mostly about the young guys, so I feel indifferent about him coming back. After watching guys (as much as I appreciate their power) like D. Young, Willingham, Doumit etc., plod around the outfield over the last few years, it has really made me appreciate guys like Revere, Span, Hunter, Mastroianni, Hicks etc... who have the speed and athleticism to cover a lot of ground in the outfield.

It's pretty obvious that fans don't even realize what they have @ SS. Florimon is outstanding and last year was his first full season playing for the Twins. He has great range and a strong arm. He hit 9 hr's last year and led the team in stolen bases (15). With Florimon @ SS and Dozier @ 2nd, the Twins finally have a solid middle infield again. Florimon is absolutely the type of player you want to give another year or two to improve his BA and OBP.

I'm open to making Johan an offer, but much like offering Baker a contract, I'd like the Twins to sign two good healthy / young FA pitchers and perhaps look at a Baker / Johan (other similar types) etc.. as a possible add on / bonus. I won't be impressed if TR plays penny pincher again and only goes after the Pelfrey/Baker/Johan types without signing a couple of healthy mid to high end pitchers first. The Twins need some good young work horses.

I liked Baker when he was here and 32 isn't too old. However, if he doesn't want to play for the Twins, then so be it. If the Twins sign two good / healthy SP's, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if we brought him in, even on a one year contract, just to give him another chance. I'm not sure where he's at health wise. I didn't follow him too closely last year.

goilik, I agree with you about spending some $. The Twins have been cutting payroll for 3 years now. Most of the veterans of years past are gone or will be gone after this year. Payroll is getting close to half of what it was in 2010 and these young guys are slowly making their way up. It wouldn't hurt the Twins to sign a couple of guys this off season and perhaps a couple more next off season. I don't mind guys like Hicks playing in the MLB if they earn it. If they come up and fail, then so be it. Send them back down for a while. Fans need to understand that it takes time. Revere got sent down a few times, then one time something just clicked. He came back up and started playing the way he needed to. As far as making a big run in 2015. That might be a bit optimistic looking at the team right now, but add a few pieces this season, a few next off season and perhaps some of these young guys step up and you never know. I'm guessing it'll be at least 2016 before the Twins field any sort of competitive team, but you never know. 2015 would be nice.

Yeah, he hit .244, which is nothing special. But who thought he would lead the team in HR's (18) or triples (4)? And he made some amazing plays on defense too. He was the Twins' most improved player in 2013. I've never really been a big fan of him myself, but I have to give credit where it was due. If he continues to improve, he may just make me a fan.

So you think it's realistic that TR will sign two FA pitchers that cost more than 4 or 5 $million/year? That's awesome. After penny pinching on Pelfrey and Correia last year when there were other options out there, I really hope he opens the wallet a bit more this year. I won't mind if Doumit and/or Willingham are traded away. I have lost confidence in Parmelee. He had a good September, what, three years ago? And hasn't really found any consistency since. Plouffe hit for some power two years ago, so I'm willing to give him another year. I'm also really hoping to see what Pinto can do next year. I'd give him a chance for sure. I'd keep Deduno and Fien around next year. As for Burton, I really hope he improves from last year. Realistically, I wouldn't trade Deduno away if it meant being left with 3 pitchers who weren't good enough last year (Gibson, Diamond, Worely) to hopefully fill in the last two spots. Heck, for the short time Albers was up, he was at least able to have a few solid performances. That said, I really hope Diamond has a bounce back year. That would be huge for the Twins, especially if they sign a couple of solid FA pitchers.

Hey, if Terry Ryan went out and signed 2 or 3 good FA pitchers, Drew, and maybe another positional player, I would not complain at all. It really wouldn't hurt to at least try and field a competitive team. We all know the Twins have the $ to do it. I just don't think Terry Ryan will sign Drew and I don't think he would be at the top of my (non starting pitcher) FA signings list either based on all of the circumstances. But you are right, that's the beauty of having our own opinions and I respect yours. Drew is a solid player.

Yeah, I hear what you are saying. And I'm not against upgrading. But I think the problem with spending $11m/year on a veteran who only hit .032 better than our rookie (.253 vs .221), who potentially has upside, is that there is the law of diminishing returns coming into play. It's possible for Florimon to improve his ba and obp over last year, while based on Drew's track record, it's unlikely that he's going to improve much, if at all. In fact, what if his numbers drop off a bit? That would be even worse. I think we can get more bang for our buck on other players in other area's. If Drew was hitting .300+ or 20+hr's with 100+ rbi's, I can see the argument for upgrading. But spending that much money on a potential marginal upgrade doesn't seem like a wise baseball decision.

Good post, but all things considered, I would not splash $11/M/Year on Drew this off season. Florimon is a stud @ SS. Good range, strong arm, decent speed on the base paths (9 more stolen bases than Drew) and has shown some pop at the plate. He could obviously improve his hitting (.221 ba is unacceptable), OBP etc.. but he did hit 9 HR's in his first full season, so he did show some pop. Drew had 4 more, while having 39 more at bats. Drew also had more strike outs, is 30, and the Twins need starting pitching more than anything. I'm not against upgrading any position as the entire team is a work in progress, but considering the circumstances, I think the Twins would be better off spending the money on starting pitching. I do agree that the Twins need to get better at the plate too. I just don't think Drew is the answer. .253 with 13 hr's with an $11m/yr price tag. I think I'd see what Florimon can do in year two before thinking of going another route. First base is wide open for sure. Perhaps the Twins can get creative and figure something out (whether it's signing or trading for a first baseman or moving a current player over to first base and acquiring another player at another position e.g. catcher or third base).

In theory, a 4 man rotation could work if you had 4 solid pitchers who were efficient (e.g. could get fairly deep into ball games with a fairly low # of pitches. In the real world, I am not sure the Twins currently have the staff to pull it off. The line up you posted looks weak and has a few issues. Firstly, there are only two legitimate starters from last year (Correia and Deduno) and neither of them were aces. Diamond, Gibson, and Worley couldn't cut it at the MLB level. And Albers, while having some success, hasn't proven that he can be a bona fide starter for a full season. That list leaves us at least 2 quality pitchers short. The line up you suggested would likely require a few long relievers. Secondly, it doesn't take into consideration that the Twins may bring Pelfrey back or that they may sign or trade for other starting pitchers. Keeping Liam Hendricks, Pedro Hernandez, and Cole de Vrieses off of the mound, while instead putting Diamond, Worely, and Gibson on the mound makes no sense. They are one in the same. Or at least they were for the most part last year. I really like your idea of keeping weak pitchers out of the starting rotation, however, I don't see how the Twins can keep them out of the rotation without having a full line up of quality starting pitchers. Replacing weak pitchers with other weak pitchers won't change the end result. Neither will pretending that weak pitchers are anything, but weak.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 9 years old, sitting on my living room floor in Regina, Sk, Canada watching Kirby Puckett make an amazing catch against the plexi glass at the Metrodome, then later, the game winning home run to force a game 7 in the 1991 World Series. I had never seen such an amazing performance before. Up until this point my parents would usually make the 3 day drive to Phoenix, Arizona for spring training baseball. But after the 1991 World Series, things changed. In 1992 we made the 12 or 13 hour drive to Minneapolis to watch baseball instead. We ended up having such a great time that we have been going back (not every year, but many years) ever since. My dad and I have become die hard Twins fans and our family enjoys going back to Minnesota every chance we get. We have seen dozens of live Twins games at the Metrodome and Target Field in the 20+ years that we have been going there. We have seen and met a lot of great Twins players over the years. And in general, whether it's watching live sporting events, shopping, going to the zoo, or just going out on the town, Minnesota has been great to us. The people of Minnesota are friendly and we always look forward to our next trip down south. It's been tough watching the Twins over the last 3 years and I"m sure the next couple years will be tough as well. However, I really hope the Twins become contenders in the next few years. I hope the front office isn't afraid to spend $ once the young guys are established MLB players. I'm about as die hard of a fan as you can find, but even I have to admit that it's painful watching the front office kick the can down the road like they are currently doing.