the_youngster

Earlier today it was rumored that the Cardinals may be willing to trade Shelby Miller (or Lance Lynn, but Miller should be the target) for a SS. While the Twins do not have a SS worthy of trading, the Rangers do in Elvis Andrus. This is a possibility to send either Arcia or Hicks to the Rangers, who send Andrus to the Cardinals, who send Miller to us. Granted the Rangers may simply want Miller, but they could use a young outfielder for the future post Rios and Cruz. Thoughts?

Probably my favorite part is how adement he is about reducing his walks. He walked six in 44 innings! Granted he was pitching against young hitters who swing away, but a kid with naturally good stuff and a focus on control is certainly nice to see.

Likely opening day lineup 1. Dozier 2B 2. Presley CF 3. Mauer C 4. Willingham DH 5. Arcia LF 6. Plouffe 3B 7. Parmelee 1B 8. Mastroianni RF 9. Florimon SS -Herrmann -Doumit -Skip Schumaker (perhaps a good and versatile bench option) -Escobar Season's End 1. Buxton CF 2. Dozier 2B 3. Mauer C (still have faith in his physical ability) 4. Sano 3B 5. Arcia RF 6. Rosario LF 7. Plouffe 1B 8. Pinto DH (with a lot of rotation) 9. Florimon SS -Herrmann -Mastroianni / Presley -Schumaker -Escobar Notes: -I would prefer to aggressively pursue Pete Kozma instead of Florimon -In this scenario Hicks is traded after a productive middle of the season but with no place to play, no contention in the division, and an opportunity for SP. -Because of impending free agency and no contention for a playoff spot, Willingham and Doumit traded midseason for the turnover to youth (trade fodder of Hammer, Doumit, and Hicks should allow plenty of opportunity for improvement through trade while also protecting most prospects). -Depending on the development of the rotation, this should be an interesting team to watch.

I hope they do not sign Jimenez as my gut feeling is that he will fall apart again. I have more confidence in Liriano posting up a run of quality seasons than Ubaldo. A guy with that kind of delivery, and struggles as recent as his, should not be deserving of a 3-4 year commitment just because we rightfully panic about our starting staff. But hey, its baseball and weird things happen all the time (Jamie Moyer for example). Personally though, never have been confident in Ubaldo Jimenez and would rather try the Randy Messenger experiment. Messenger,however, cannot be the centerpiece of a rebuilt rotation this offseason. Messenger and Hughes cannot be the centerpiece. But Messenger and Hughes to compliment a trade or Tanaka could lead to an interesting rotation going forward (although I feel Tanaka will be severely overpaid and be a relative disappointment because of his price tag). Then add in a minor league risk guy for insurance (an odd sentence but nonetheless true). If they can't find a decent five man rotation they must have as many options as possible (the safe bets, the developing youngsters, the aging veterans, the risky challenges, all of them). If all else seems to fail, get Johan, Johnson, Messneger, Hughes, Maholm, Lincecum (?), Kazmir (?), Halladay (?), Corriea, Diamond, Deduno, Pelfrey, Albers, Worley, Hendriks, Hernandez, and whoever else I may have missed who can survive to work alongside Gibson at the start of 2014. Survival of the fittest.

If Beede solves his control issues, I'm pulling for him. He's been a favorite of mine for a while, and reminds me of all of the young Rays pitchers, which would be a huge plus if he could live up to their quality. But whoever it is, at #5 its a good pick to have in 2014 (at least from where we stand right now). None of this #4 with a "three player draft" business from last year.

And that is why we are having this discussion, to bounce around ideas. I appreciate your input, as it is through the conversation we can formulate the best plan (even if it is only among fans). My only retort would be that hopefully Ellsbury's injury and health history brings him below the 100M mark. I too would be leery of 100M on Ellsbury, but that is why I have refrained from putting a price on him so far. Would 90M or 85M be a different story? As long as it's not 10 years 305M (looking at you Boras/Cano).

Personally my preference for Ellsbury lies with the idea of intentionally creating an outfield glut. Right now it is more difficult than ever to get top of the end starters if you don't bring them up yourself. Teams are holding on to their pitchers to the death. Then add in how pitchers are getting paid in free agency, only the team who pays too much gets the player. As excited as I am for Meyer to come up, I don't want to put all of our hopes of a future rotation with him alone as the centerpiece. From my point of view, trading one of our younger outfielders for a starting pitcher is one of the last avenues for acquiring pitching for the near future. For example (I have no backing for this trade, but it is the basic concept) trade Hicks (and maybe some one else, maybe a reliever) for Derek Holland of the Rangers. Holland would instantly be our best pitcher. But if things play out, by 2015 he would be passed up by Gibson and Meyer. I would love a 2015 rotation Meyer, Gibson, holland, a free agent (lets say Hughes), and someone else.

Yeah I agree with the part about the front office. It has run its course and some youth is needed. Coaching wise, I would be fine with Gene Glynn for a year or two to groom in a new manager either at AAA or as a MLB coach (maybe like Molitor as the bench or third base coach with Mauer as a long term guy moving year by year with the future of the franchise)

I understand many things can change from now and 2014, but if you were in charge what would be your plan for bringing our beloved Twins back to relevance? Wait for the young potential stars? Big free agent spending? trades? My personal plan would be to push hard for Ellsbury over the winter. His recent injury may bring down his price, but I doubt Boras will allow that. Add Ellsbury, put him in center (adding a veteran presence so its not all rookies). When Rosario reaches the majors, I would put him back in a corner outfield spot. Ellsbury is definitely a health concern of a player, but he is high risk/high reward. I would rather not trade Rosario for Dozier insurance. If Dozier has found himself, then great, we have a solid second baseman. Having Ellsbury, Rosario, Arcia, and Hicks in the outfield allows us to trade a young outfielder (most likely with a bundle of some form) for at least a number three starter, hopefully a number two. Personally I would trade Hicks, but right now Arcia probably has more value. When Buxton eventually comes up, we again might have an expandable outfielder (maybe more pitching help in a year or two). Lastly, I fall under the category of people who want Phil Hughes (still better than what we have now and can be a #2 at best, hopefully a #3). So in this scenario, we presumably have a true center fielder/veteran (helping the youngsters), a starting pitcher (hopefully a #2) from a trade, and a starting pitcher (hopefully a #3) from free agency. Add in our bullpen, the reinforcements of the future in Buxton/Sano/Rosario/Meyer, the young guys who have already gotten their feet wet (Hicks or Arcia/Gibson/Pinto), and you have actually a solid team (on paper at least). Then you can't forget Mauer, wherever he plays (as long as he does his thing and hits .300+). So that's my plan if I was calling the shots. Now what are yours? I'm genuinely curious to hear what you guys (and maybe ladies? haven't noticed many here ever) would do with millions of dollars and control.