John Bonnes

This is a better return than I would have expected at the trade deadline, let alone in August. Ryan has cleared a lot of chaff and bolstered the pitching depth too. Really nice.

The Minnesota Twins have announced that they have traded Josh Willingham to the Kansas City Royals for 23-year-old minor league pitcher Jason Adam. Adam was promoted to AAA last month after making 18 starts at AA, striking out 89 in 98.1 IP and walking 30 en route to a 5.03 ERA. In AAA, he has served solely as a reliever, posting a 2.35 ERA in 8 games, striking out 11 in 15 innings. He was a 5th round pick for the Royals in 2010. Prior to the season, the 6’4” right-hander still projected as a possible middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, albeit one who has struggled with his command, resulting in some very high hit rates. He was ranked as the 9th best prospect in the Royals system by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus prior to the season. He will report to AA-New Britain with the Twins and will return to starting.Josh Willingham signed with the Twins prior to the 2012 season, ostensibly to fill the gap left by the departure of Michael Cuddyer. Initially, his 3 year/$21 million contract looked like a bargain. His right-handed pull swing seemed well-suited for Target Field as he slugged 35 home runs and won his first career Silver Slugger Award. But the next two years were plagued by injuries and sluggish performance. He hit just .208 last year with 14 home runs in 2013. This year, he has 12 home runs and a .210 batting average after a prolonged slump in late June and early July, albeit with a .345 on-base percentage. In his last game with the Twins, he hit a two-run home run, extending the Twins lead to 4-1 in a 6-1 win over the Athletics. Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about Kevin Correia's long-awaited departure, Trevor May's shaky arrival, upside vs. known quantities, Joe Mauer's impending return, Francisco Liriano and Vance Worley thriving together, playing Danny Santana at shortstop, the good and bad of Twitter, penthouse plans, and car-buying 101. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click on the "play" button below. Click here to view the article

On MLB Trade Rumors, it reported that Darren Wolfson tweeted that signs pointed that way and he would be surprised if it was Kris Johnson instead. Seth is reporting that it is happening.

Good stuff. We have struggled with/debated game stories for two years. I agree that it would be a good thing to add and I think we'll get there. Is there any niche content that everyone would like to see more of? I'm thinking something like the Offseason Handbook or Seth's Prospect Handbook.

Last week I used this space to tell you what Twins Daily is. Today, I’d like you to tell me what Twins Daily should become. Let me tell you a secret: a lot of the time, we don’t really know what we’re doing. That’s actually good news, as it has forced us to try stuff, from podcasting in a bar to publishing e-handbooks to t-shirts to pub crawls to live hangouts to the new videos you’ll see in our minor league updates.But I think there’s a lot more that both the writers and the rest of the community can provide. So give us your big ideas. I’d love to hear what more you crave from the site, ranging from content ideas to stuff that is truly off the wall. Don’t be timid. Assume our resources are unlimited, because with this community, they might just be. We’ll worry about making it possible. Thanks for any feedback you provide, both positive and negative. Let’s hear your big ideas. Sincerely, John Click here to view the article

Sponsored by Ticket King You only have 24 hours to buy Target Field tickets for this classic matchup: the resistible force meets the movable object. You’ll also have an opportunity to see a pair of starting pitching prospects that raced their way through the minors. They’ll just be pitching for the other team. (Zer)Offense The Padres are a noncontender in the National League, despite having the second best team ERA (3.10) in baseball. That isn’t easy, but the Padres have managed with the worst offense in MLB. But sometimes “worst” isn’t descriptive enough. Charlie Beattie’s (@TheUnplayable) writeup in the $1 Twins Official Scorecard for this series included this historical tidbit: There is a difference between being the worst and being the worst by a lot. The Padres are the latter. They’ve scored 52 fewer runs than the 29th ranked team, the Cardinals. How big of a difference is 52 runs? There is also a 52 run difference between the Cardinals and the Baltimore Orioles – who rank 12th in MLB in runs scored. The Padres are as many runs away from the 29th team as the 29th team is from the 12th. Of course, that lineup will be facing the Twins, whose pitching staff ranks 27th in ERA. However, the Twins will have their two veterans, Phil Hughes and Kevin Correia, throwing in this series. When the team starts a series in Oakland on Thursday, the starting pitchers will likely be chosen from a number of hopefuls in Rochester. Could that mean callups – finally - for either Trevor May or Alex Meyer? Time will tell. But In San Diego, Time Has Trouble Getting A Word In Edgewise Twins fans who are frustrated by the wait for May or Meyer may want to avert their gaze from the opposing mound this series. Or, perhaps dream about what might yet be. Because the Twins are going to be facing two guys who were far from the majors just a few months ago. On Wednesday night, they Twins will face right-hander Jesse Hahn, who started the year in AA. In 2013 he gained a little prospect status in High A with the Rays, but not so high that they had any trouble dealing him to the Padres in a seven-player swap this offseason. Before that, Hahn was a sixth round draft pick who had Tommy John surgery soon after being drafted. But the Padres pushed him fast, promoting him straight from AA after a 2-1 start. It’s worked. In nine major league starts he’s had seven quality starts, just as many wins, a 2.01 ERA and 54K in 53.2 IP. Last week manager Bud Black said he planned on giving Hahn between five and ten more starts before he is shut down for the season. That’s a roadrunner-quick ascension. But still not as fast as the guy who the Twins are facing on Wednesday afternoon. On May 1st of this year, Odrisamer Despaigne (pronounced the way it looks) didn’t have a major league contract. He was a 27-year-old defector from Cuba and signed with the Padres the next day for a $1 million signing bonus. He threw two games in AA and was promoted to AAA for five games. He was promoted to the Padres on June 23rd and has already started seven games, earning a 2-3 record, a 2.68 ERA but only 23K (and 17 BB) in 43.2 IP. To be fair, both of these pitchers are older than May or Meyer who are both 24 years old. And one could argue that neither is as important to the future of the Padres as May or Meyer are to the Twins, which might explain whey the Twins are seemingly being much more careful. But the stark difference in philosophy between the organizations is striking. Wow – there are not a ton of tickets available for Tuesday night. Welcome to a summer night in Minnesota. You might want to act fast if you want anything below the third deck. The day game on Wednesday has more options and is supposed to be a flawless day to play hooky. All are an even better deal if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, which will get you 10% off and supports Twins Daily. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Professor BAseball 600-321.jpg Aaron and John preview the Minnesota Twins offseason by reviewing possible free agents, talk a little about the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, tip their collective cap to Jim Rantz and then give a quick tutorial on how struggling organizations can take advantage of MLB's transaction rules. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Cricket-Australia_24.jpg John and Aaron are reunited to talk Minnesota Twins. But the podcast starts with the two catching up: John's trip, the death of Aaron's youth, John's Bar Mitzvah adventures, how Aaron picks up waitresses and how cricket teams could use a sabrmetric intervention. Then they move onto the Twins, catching up on the moves John missed, wondering how anyone can justify the Twins payroll and starting rotation, the disappointing Hall of Fame votes and the BBWAA's ongoing (an largely successful) struggle to make itself irrelevant. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Aaron and John talk about swapping Sam Fuld for Tommy Milone, extending Kurt Suzuki, calling up Kennys Vargas, being a curmudgeon, looking for Alex Meyer and Trevor May, learning new things that sound dirty, overvaluing prospects, claiming Jordan Schafer off waivers, checking in on Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia struggling versus lefties, and moving into the penthouse. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click on the "play" button below. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: medium_Philadelphia_Love_002.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Minnesota Twins' lack of trade deadline moves, Aaron's trip to Philadelphia for the SABR convention, Oswaldo Arcia's return and Aaron Hicks' long-delayed demotion, bonding with people over Jim Thome, Drew Butera's departure, standing behind Delmon Young, what goes into the August waiver process, the looming roster logjam, and drinking all of the Jack Daniels. You can listen by clicking below, download us from iTunes or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Delmon-Young.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Twins' terrible starting pitching, Delmon Young not going to Hebrew school, booing Joe Mauer, putting past division titles in proper perspective, Ben Revere's brief return, skipping Francisco Liriano, Ron Gardenhire's odd bullpen usage, and jinxing anything and everything. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes (where you can listen, rate and subscribe). Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Baker_Scott.JPG The Minnesota Twins might be looking back to the good old days wistfully for a reason other than wanting to relive their decade of glory. For instance, signing free agents used to be a relatively orderly business: Teams that needed a great pitcher would chase the best (or best remaining) pitcher, hoping to get him.One team would get him.Lather. Rinse. Repeat.That’s oversimplifying a little, but in general, free agents would sign from the top down. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]In fact, free agents might wait to sign until the guys above them signed, knowing the remaining teams would probably chase him, driving up his demand. But the market has matured. General managers seem to have a willingness to sign a slightly lower level or pitcher rather than be shut out of a better one. Meanwhile, free agents recognize their value a little better, are willing to take snap up a generous offer early (and probably like the lack of risk that comes with it.) It might also be that teams are recognizing the value that can come in from the second and third tier pitchers exceeds that which can come from the top guys. Whatever the reason, it sure isn’t top down this year. Here is the starting pitching free agent list I used when I started making the list for the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook. They are roughly sorted in order of desirability. The crossed out names are the guys that have signed with someone. Zack GreinkeAnibal SanchezJake PeavyEdwin JacksonRyan DempsterHiroki KurodaKyle LohseBrandon McCarthy Ervin SantanaDan HarenShaun MarcumJoe BlantonJeremy GuthrieScott BakerColby LewisJoe Saunders Carl PavanoFrancisco LirianoScott FeldmanCarlos VillanuevaChris YoungRoy OswaltKevin MillwoodErik Bedard Bartolo ColonKevin CorreiaDerek LoweJason MarquisDaisuke MatsuzakaCarlos ZambranoFreddy GarciaJeff Francis Roberto HernandezChien-Ming WangAaron CookJamie MoyerJonathan SanchezKip WellsRandy WolfIt isn’t the top tier that has signed – only two of those guys have signed already. It’s the second-tier that has been snapped up so far. Another fell yesterday, when Joe Blanton, clearly a second/third tier guy signed with a team that was linked to a lot of top-tier talent, the Angels. Overall, this feels like bad news for the Twins. The Twins have never chased top-tier talent, as they are (probably justifiably) hesitant to commit to the long-term deals that talent demands. But now the second tier is almost completely spoken for. This leaves third-tier talent, or non-tendered pitchers, all of which are by definition third-tier guys. The hope might be that it goes the other way. Perhaps some of the guys at the top will find their demand slipping away somewhat as top-tier teams gravitate toward the middle of the list. But from the rumor coming out of the winter meetings, it doesn’t sound like any of these guys are lacking for suitors right now. It seems more and more like the Twins choice is to overpay or to settle, and settling now means going to third and fourth tier pitchers. This further raises the question whether the Twins should place much hope in 2013 or look forward to 2014, and what that does to their offseason strategy. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: podcast-nedir-ne-ise-yarar.jpg In this experimental 17-minute podcast, Jeremy, Seth and John talk about Keith Law's Mock Draft which has Jonathan Gray falling to the Twins - and the Twins still selecting Kohl Stewart. They talk about whether the scenario has any merit, what the Twins would do and why the Twins might just pass on one of the "Big Three." You can listen to the experimental podcast here. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] We would really appreciate any feedback you have, both on the topic as well as the production. This is something we're playing with and we're looking to improve it. So please fill up that comment section! How is the sound? Which person sounds the best?How is the music? Did you have any problems with playing it? How was the interaction of the hosts? How would you like to see this used? What kind of podcast would you like to hear? Click here to view the article

Download attachment: HIcks_Aaron_portrait.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Minnesota Twins officially naming Aaron Hicks their starting center fielder, Drew Butera's demotion to Triple-A, the Twins Daily get-together at 612 Brew, the rotation with Scott Diamond on the disabled list, meeting podcast listeners and smart fans, realistic expectations for prospects, trying to get to second base without passing out, Joe Benson's future, remembering their debut episode, feeling old because of Tupac, trying not to hate Duke, and Las Vegas vs. Mystic Lake. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.Or just click below: Click here to view the article

Download attachment: StPeter_Dave.jpg Aaron and I go to TwinsFest where we interview Dave St. Peter about the international signing limits, the challenges the team faces with TV revenue, the drop in payroll and Twitter. The we discuss Brian Dozier and Aaron Hicks roles in 2013 and several other topics. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.Or, just click below... [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 5-hdr-fall-leaves.jpg Not only is tonight the last Twins game, but it's also supposed to be the last pleasant day before fall hits us in full force, which is depressingly karmic. Let's get through this together. So please join Nick, John, Parker, Aaron Gleeman and Lindsay Guentzel at 6:00 tonight at the Uptown Tavern & Rooftop. See you there! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: scissors.jpg It's the weekend, so start having some fun. Our bloggers are... With horseplay and jumping rope threatening the health of the Minnesota Twins starting rotation, it's no wonder the Twins are firing off memos about the dangers of childhood hazards to their players. Kirsten Brown was fortunate enough to get her hands on one. Random thoughts from Mr. Horrorpants leads to a the question "Where is Parmelee?" [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Not the Twins ballplayer. The country. And who else might be from this distant shore? Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Molitor.jpg Let's see how you schlubs cleanup.... Twins Daily readers have been offered a big discount for an exclusive event. On Wednesday 4/10, Tix for Tots and the Minnesota Twins are having a Season Kickoff Party featuring Paul Molitor in the Metropolitan Club at Target Field. It's baseball. It's a good cause. But most importantly, it's a chance to convince your significant other that spending so much time on TwinsDaily isn't such a bad thing. Here are the details and how to get the discount.... [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There will be a panel discussion by Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor, TwinsDaily's John Bonnes, and Twins EVP of Business Development Laura Day that will be facilitated by WCCO's Mark Rosen. It will also include a Q&A session.There will be a rich selection of appetizers and complimentary wine-tasting.There will be a silent auction with lot of memorabilia, a Twins Suite, travel, a chance to be a Batting Practice Buddy at a 2013 game and much more.ALL proceeds benefit Tix For Tots, a non-profit that distributes unused game tickets to underprivileged kids. It has become a model of efficiency for a non-profit, and has distributed hundreds of thousands of tickets.5:30-8:30 PM at the Metropolitan Club at Target Field.Tickets are $50 each, BUT they're giving a special discount to Twins Daily readers. Use the promo code "Twins@612brew" and you'll be able to get the tickets for $25 each, or about as much as you would spend at a good restaurant. I attended last year and I can tell you, it's going to be a lot more memorable than a couple of burgers and beers at Champps. So jump on this while you can, because tickets are limited, and I can't imagine they're going to last at this discount. You can learn more and buy tickets here. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 612_1376590810.jpg Aaron and John say goodbye to KFAN by broadcasting live from the Minnesota State Fair and topics included the Twins trading Justin Morneau to the Pirates for Alex Presley and (maybe) Duke Welker, not trading Josh Willingham to the Orioles, Josmil Pinto's call-up and future role, the level of optimism surrounding Brian Dozier, rebuilding versus scorching the earth, and how not to freak out over technical difficulties. You can listen by clicking below, download us from iTunes or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article