John Bonnes

Download attachment: Mauer_Joe_orig.jpg Aaron and John talk about Joe Mauer's concussion and potential position switch, September call-up possibilities, dating at the State Fair, where Aaron Hicks begins next season, runners in scoring position problems, staying up all night, the plan for Kyle Gibson, mailbag questions from listeners, not eating Justin Morneau's contract, and trying to stay realistic with Miguel Sano. 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: HIcks_Aaron_Stealing_US_720.jpg The Minnesota Twins won last night, swiping (and sweeping) the season series from the Milwaukee Brewers. The victory raised their record to 23-28 which translates to a 73 win pace over the course of a 162-game season. But I want to talk about a different type of swiping that happened, or more accurately, did not happen. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Aaron Hicks was caught trying to steal second base. What struck me as strange at the time was that there were runners on the corners and one out. It seemed like a stupid decision to attempt that at the time, as it can short-circuit a good scoring opportunity. However, one always looks stupid when one is caught. So I wondered, was it as risky as it seemed? It turns out – I studied this exact situation last year on 5/11, only it was Denard Span that was thrown out. Here’s how that went: Tonight, though, I want to take it a step further. How does it compare to other situations in which one might try to steal a base? There are 12 situations where a runner might try to steal a base without coordination with the other runner. Here they are: Runner on 1st, 0 outs Runner on 1st, one out Runner on 1st, 2 outs Runner on 2nd, 0 outs Runner on 2nd, 1 out Runner on 2nd, 2 outs Runners on corners, 0 out Runners on the corners, 1 out Runners on corners, 2 outs Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 0 outs Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 1 out Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 2 outs And here they are again, ranked by just how risky they are. The percentage indicates how often one needs to succeed for it to be a good decision. 92.51% - Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 2 outs 91.10% - Runner on 2nd, 2 outs 79.67% - Runner on 2nd, 0 outs 77.69% - Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 0 outs 77.25% - Runners on 1st and 2nd, trying to steal 3rd, 1 out 75.31% - Runner on 2nd, 1 out 74.74% - Runners on corners, 2 outs 71.39% - Runners on the corners, 1 out 70.73% - Runners on corners, 0 out 65.20% - Runner on 1st, 0 outs 63.41% - Runner on 1st, one out 60.06% - Runner on 1st, 2 outs So it wasn’t patently stupid, like trying to steal 3rd when you’re already in scoring position. But it was the 2nd riskiest situation in which to try to steal 2nd base. The only thing that would have been worse was if it could have ended the inning. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: danny-valencia1.jpg Tuesday afternoon's game between the Twins and Rays ended with the Twins clutching to a 3-2 lead. Danny Valencia had the decisive hit, a single (with an error) that drove in the second and third run with two outs in the third innings. The Twins loaded the bases for Valencia with a mixture of small ball: a single, a sac bunt, two stolen bases and two walks. On the hill, Scott Baker went two innings, Matt Capps struggled a little but got out of his inning without giving up a run and Glen Perkinds struck out two in his frame. Both Rays runs came in the eighth inning off of reliever Jeff Gray. For more detail, including lots of hitter by hitter description and reaction, check out this afternoon's game thread. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Hammond_Stadium.jpg This shortest of phrases makes our hearts soar Pitchers and catchers report We limped through last year but come back for more Pitchers and catchers report 99 losses taught the boys things We yearn for the clean slate a new season brings Like Hornsby we stared out the window for spring Pitchers and catchers report [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Four tiny words and hope’s candle’s lit Pitchers and catchers report Gardy will make sure they get after it Pitchers and catchers report Smith was relieved and Ryan’s the man He let Cuddy go but got Josh Willingham We’ll hope that Capps moon shots don’t ruin his plan Pitchers and catchers report We love when they hustle and slide in the dirt Pitchers and catchers report But please Lord don’t let the boys end up hurt Pitcher and catchers report We’ll watch through our fingers when Frankie throws Obsess on the nogginof Justin Morneau And the Bilat’ral legs of our catcher Joe Pitchers and catchers report Finally you take your turn as poet Pitchers and catchers report Channel your winter frustration and show it Pitchers and catchers report The comments below are a great place to bleat Two tens and three ‘levens provide you the beat (But add words wherever, if like me you cheat) Pitchers and catchers report With apologies to Franklin Pierce Adams Click here to view the article

Terry Ryan has promised a quick decision on Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, and presumably the rest of the coaching staff, very soon after the season ended. Update, 11:02 AM: This morning, Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Twins will retain Gardenhire and it is believed to be a 2-year deal. Update 11:36: Mike Berardino tweets that the entire coaching staff will be retained so Rick Anderson will be back too. The Twins have also scheduled a 2:30PM press conference. Download attachment: Gardenhire_Anderson_ArmsFolded_US_720.jpg Gardenhire’s Major League playing career was entirely as a New York Met. He played shorstop there for five seasons, finishing with 710 AB and a .232 batting average. In 1986 he was traded to the Twins where he played one year in AAA before joining the Twins as a manager of their class A team in 1988. He managed two additional years in the minors before joining the Twins as a third base coach in 1991. He took over as Twins manager in 2002, following the retirement of Tom Kelly. Gardenhire led the Twins to their first playoff appearance since 1991 and a trip to the American League Championship Series. He was recognized for his work with a 3rd place finish for the American League Manger of the Year award. The rest of the decade held more of the same. Gardenhire’s teams made the playoffs five more times between 2003 and 2010 and missed one other in 2008 because of a "Game 163" loss. During that stretch, Gardenhire was recognized six times with Manager Of The Year votes, finishing second five times and winning the award in 2010. But he never led the team to another playoff series victory, compiling a 2-15 record in those five other appearances. And after a decade of success, the Twins have floundered since 2011; they lost 90+ games for their 3rd consecutive year in 2013. Last offseason, Gardenhire was not offered a contract extension through the 2014 season, so the Twins had no financial commitment beyond Sunday’s final regular season game. Rick Anderson broke into the majors with the Mets in 1986, serving both as a starter and a reliever, posting a 2.72 ERA over 15 games, but recoding just 3.8 K/9 IP. He was traded to the Royals as part of a package for David Cone prior to the 1987 season and pitched parts of two years with Kansas City. By 1989, he had joined Gardenhire in the Twins organization, serving as a pitching coach at the rookie league level. He gradually moved his way up through the Twins minor league system, including seven years in the Twins AAA affiliate. His success stories in the minors include teaching Brad Radke a different changeup grip that helped lead to his success. When Ron Gardenhire was named Twins manager, Anderson was named the pitching coach. But the relationship between Gardenhire and Anderson went back much further than 2002. They were roommates in the Mets minor leagues. In fact, Gardenhire claims he has an article from 1984 where Gardenhire said “Someday I’m going to be managing in the major leagues and Rick Anderson is going to be my pitching coach.” The Twins pitching staff experienced a great deal of success in the first few years under Anderson. In 2001, the Twins had a 4.51 ERA, 7th in the AL. It shrunk to 4.12, good for 6th in the AL in his first year. And in 2004 it was down to 4.03, lowest in the American League. That success continued through 2007. Anderson’s pitching staffs were characterized by their control. The Twins had the lowest walk total in the American League each year from 2004 through 2010, with the exception of 2007 – when they were second. It wasn’t until 2011, when the team lost 99 games, that they dropped out of the top three in that category under Anderson. But the Twins pitching has floundered in recent years, finishing 29th, 28th and 29th in ERA over the last three years. And while the staff has remained above average in limiting walks, they also been near the bottom of the league in strikeouts, including being the only MLB team with less than 1000 strikeouts this year. If the Gardenhire-Anderson era had ended this week, it will still be one of the most successful eras of the organization. Over 12 years, they collected 998 regular season wins and a .513 winning percentage. They also celebrated winning a division crown six times, a tally that no other Twins team of any era can match. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: washington-nationals.jpg Buyers or Sellers Last year, the Nationals won 98 games, the most of any team in baseball. And though they didn’t make it past the first round of the playoffs, it was supposed to mark the beginning of an era, fronted by top shelf, super young and (maybe most importantly) affordable talent like 24-year-old Stephen Strasburg and 20-year-old Bryce Harper. Viewed through that lens, 2013 has been a disaster.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] But without those expectations, there is still plenty of hope. The Nationals are slightly over .500, 6.5 games back of the division leader and 4.5 games back in the race for the wild card. Strasburg and Harper are back after some injury scares. And it’s not like the Braves, who Washington is chasing in the NL East, have a recent history of rising to the occasion. What They Need If you listen to their GM, Mike Rizzo, they don’t need anything. “We’d like to get a big, left-handed bat. His name is Harper,” says Rizzo. “He’s on the horizon. We’d like to get a right-handed hitting catcher named [Wilson] Ramos. He’s on the horizon.” But that isn’t entirely genuine. Nationals scouts have been tied to starting pitchers, such as the Cubs’ Matt Garza. The team sports three of the top starting pitchers in the National League – Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez – but the last two spots, particularly the one filled by Dan Haren, have struggled. The Nationals have also lacked consistent right-handed power. Rizzo hopes that Ramos might be able to provide some of that when he returns from an injured hamstring later this week. Ideally, that power could also come from the well-compensated Jayson Werth, but he only has 201 plate appearances due to various injuries. What Might Work In case the name “Ramos” doesn't ring a bell, the Nationals and Twins have danced at the deadline recently more than once: besides the Ramos-Matt Capps trade, two years ago there were rumors about the Twins trading Denard Span to the Nationals. The Twins would probably love to pluck some talent from the Nationals well-regarded farm system, but its not clear they have the pieces the Nationals need. If Washington is looking for an innings-eater to plug the hole at the back of their rotation, someone like Kevin Correia might be of interest, but they’re not going to pay much for him. And while the Nationals’ interest in a right-handed masher might have sounded promising last year, unless Josh Willingham can get healthy in a hurry, he’s no better (and in fact is quite a bit worse), than Werth. There is one area the Twins might be able to fill, though the Nationals haven’t been rumored to be pursuing it. Despite having a strong bullpen highlighted by Rafael Soriano, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen, they really don’t have any reliable left-handed relievers. Sleeper Targets There are some guys in the Nationals farm system who aren’t flashy prospects, but are decent fits for the Twins. When neither side is looking for too much, some middle ground can often be found. Here are some names from down the prospect list which could conceivably interest the Twins: Chris Marrero – 1B – AAA – 24 years old Marrero was a decent prospect for the Nationals who never showed the power for which they hoped and he was passed in the organizational depth chart last year when he had a hamstring injury. But he’s fairly young, hit .300 this year in AAA with an .842 OPS and his right-handed bat might play well with Parmelee’s left-handed bat at first base. Zach Walters –SS – AAA – 23 years old Walters finds himself with a “utility” label, but he has a unique skill set. He’s decent defensively, relying on a very strong arm to increase his range; Adam Everett made a career out of that. This year he’s hitting just .245 in AAA with 72 K and just 9 walks – but he’s slugging over .500 with 18 home runs. I don’t know if that makes him an everyday guy, but at the least he could fill two roles on the bench. Matt Purke – LHP – High A – 22 years old He’s coming back from injury, but he’s a southpaw who can throw 90+ mph and just struck out 41 while walking 7 in Low A. That seems like a decent flyer to take. Dream Target Nate Karns – RHP – AA – 25 years old The Nationals were desperate enough for pitching to call up Karns straight from AA for a few starts this year. He predictably struggled and was sent back, but after missing 2010 and 2011 with shoulder surgery, it’s got to be gratifying for him to even be given that shot. He earned the shortcut. This year in AA he has struck out 67 in 56 innings with 22 walks, featuring a fastball that can reach 95. He’s also got the offspeed stuff to remain a starter, though his mechanics and injury history could eventually ticket him for the bullpen. Either way, he’ll be higher on the Nationals prospect lists than the five-ish range he was in at the beginning of the season. ~~~ Each day in July, we’ll be publishing a profile of a MLB and whether there is any possible fit for a trade with the Twins. Tomorrow: The Philadelphia Phillies. For more, check out our previous trade talks: The Atlanta Braves by John Bonnes Click here to view the article

Download attachment: p.jpg Aaron and John talk about the latest roster shakeup, including Danny Valencia's demotion to Triple-A and Francisco Liriano's move to the bullpen, get a call from Aaron's mom for Mother's Day, marvel at Scott Diamond's unexpected gems, make their PickPointz picks and name last week's winners, and wonder what the future holds for Trevor Plouffe and Joe Benson. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

1 Download attachment: target6.jpg Free agent starting pitchers from the TwinsCentric 2013 Offseason Handbook that have signed with a new team. It’s just Scott Baker so far. That’s it. I count five others that are already off the market, but all of them re-signed with their old team (or had their option picked up and were traded): Jake Peavy, Hideki Kuroda, Hisahi Iwakuma, Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The bad news here is that a lot of those guys are the middle market - a level just below the big names where bargains might have been found. But that might be why they were already targeted and re-signed. 24 Free agent starting pitchers from the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook that are still available. That doesn’t mean there are 25 of them that are desirable, just available. But that doesn’t include those that we thought would retire or get minor league deals, and it doesn’t include guys who are available via trade, like several of the Rays or Braves arms. I can’t emphasize this enough – the free agent market hasn’t really started yet. It likely won’t for a few more weeks. According to ESPN’s free agent tracker, a total of 12 guys have signed major league deals so far. Last year 106 did. Cool it. 483 Twins minor league signing stories broken by MLB.com’s Twins beat reporter Rhett Bollinger in the past month. (Roughly) Is it possible that the greatest culprit for the Twins slow offseason is Bollinger? By continually reporting minor league signings – which were often overlooked in previous years – we are reminded that none of the big moves have been made yet. 29 The age of Jeff Clement, who the Twins signed to minor league deal yesterday. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he was a “B” catching prospect who ranked #33/#62/#42 on Baseball America’s top 100 list from 2006 through 2008. He had 20 home run power, hit left-handed and was “good enough” defensively. Turns out, he wasn’t, or if he was, recurring elbow and knee injuries drove him away from that spot. He’s now a first baseman and designated hitter and hasn’t upped the power (and oddly has struggled against right-handers). That makes a guy a 29-year-old minor leaguer instead of a possible All-Star. There is good news and bad news in this signing for Twins fans, and neither has anything to do with all the studly free agent starting pitchers they didn’t sign: Good news: the Twins are signing recognizable names with a little upside as minor league free agents. They should. A 60+ win team should mean lots of opportunities for minor league veterans to gain some service time and be in The Show. It should be a team that agents target. But it’s good that the Twins are taking advantage of that status. The Twins picked up a couple of useful players that way last year and will likely need to so again this year. Bad news: Clement’s status emphasizes, once again, just how big the difference in value is for a guy who can play catcher and a guy who can’t. Think about that the next time someone tries to convince you that the Twins would be better if Joe Mauer would get out from behind the plate. Click here to view the article

I like this game. I'd be interested in others' takes. I'd also go B+ and maybe A-: The Milone-Fuld deal might have been the best trade of the day for a dumping team. I like that extension for Suzuki very much. If it was on the table, I would've signed it two weeks ago. It feels like Suzuki's side backed down on this one. I would've liked to have seen a deal for Willingham. I think we will, by the way, even if it's just having someone claim him on waivers. The Twins still having that salary on the books on August 1st really surprises me.

Download attachment: ws-snow-baseball-ars.jpg Twins Daily's bloggers were busy this weekend. Especially if you're looking for six different stories to help you to pass the time in a snow storm... Eric Johnson point out that all the advanced stats in the world don't have the same impact as a great ballplayer's name. So which Twins prospect's names are the best and which one needs to make a change? What better way to pass your time today than doing a crossword puzzle of Twins pitchers? You can thank John Swol for putting that together for us. If you're enjoying some Twins history, Brad Swanson compares Greg Gagne to every other middle infielder since 1983. (And maybe the Twins aren't as bad at developing middle infielder as we thought.) Cody Christie wonders just what is stopping the Twins from signing Jim Thome? If warm climates are on your mind, Thrylos uses Bill James "Game Score" to track how each hopeful Twins player is faring in their battle for a roster spot. And if colder climates on on your mind - well, you're not alone. Axel Kohagen is wondering just what Twins Opening Day is going to look like if spring doesn't pick up the pace. It isn't pretty. Click here to view the article

Don't forget Drew Butera....

Trade deadline has passed. We'll see if anything is announced late. FWIW, this has been really fun and kind of watershed moment for me personally. When we started the forums on Twins Daily back in 2012, I was really hoping we would find a great place for a community to weigh in on events like this and today everyone came through. What a great way to share the day. That's a significant accomplishment and is the result of a lot of hard work by moderators and members who have had to adjust to a forum that is a bit different than what finds elsewhere. Thank you everyone for making it happen. Today was personally very rewarding. (Now let's hope the Twins did something rewarding, too.)

I wondered the same thing. Maybe Tigers see the writing on the wall for Scherzer in FA and move him? It'll be interesting to see if he's involved.

As of now, they haven't. That was a mistake.

Yankess likely out on Price. What does NYY have if the Twins packaged Willingham and Correia to them? Any lower level prospects that look interesting?

I might even go 3/21. I know it's a reach. I know it's overpaying. But I believe that Suzuki's going to continue to hit .280+ with the plate discipline he suddenly has. This isn't just a bunch of lucky bounces.

Do people feel any different about a Suzuki extension now than they did a week ago when it appeared the Twins might be able to get the Cardinals and Orioles in a bidding war? Not that things a looking a bit more grim, why not plug that hole for a couple of years? Would anyone out there object to a 2 year/$15M deal for him right now if that came down? I wouldn't.

So Tigers are "out" on Andrew Miller. Think they could be calling about Duensing? But with the Mariners acquiring Denorfia, that means they're out on Willingham. Seem like the Yankees could be best suitor left standing.

Can we please extend this trade deadline another day or so? This is too much fun.

Download attachment: Nighttime-Police-Siren.jpg Aaron and John talk about their night in a Target Field suite, praying for Samuel Deduno, Oswaldo Arcia showing he belongs again, Clete Thomas subbing for Aaron Hicks, the Byron Buxton experience, Trevor Plouffe coming off the disabled list hot, grumpy Bonnes and sunny Gleeman, starting a team from scratch, releasing Anthony Slama, mailbag questions from listeners, and being chased by the cops. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Or click below if you want to listen right now.... Click here to view the article

Download attachment: pittsburgh-pirates.jpg Buyers or Sellers Everyone was excited about the Pirates last year when they led the NL Central as late as the middle of the July. That was a great story, but this feels completely different. This year the Pirates are 20 games over .500 and were the first team in MLB to win 50 games. Of course, last year they were sixteen games over .500 on August 1st – and STILL managed to finish below .500 for the 173rd consecutive year. So they’re buyers, but they don’t have a ton of needs. That might work out well, since they’re reportedly hesitant to give up too much of their farm system. Limited expectations work out well when considering a trade with the Twins. What They Need Offensively, like last year, the Pirates have been in the lower half of runs scored in the National League. Things have been particularly ugly in right field with a batting average of .227 and an OPS of 656. By ways of comparison, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has a 684 OPS. So it would be nice if the Twins had a corner outfielder to offer, especially if he was a right-handed slugger to team up with left-handed hitting Pedro Alvarez. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop taking prozac. There is also some thought that they could use starting pitching, because they aren’t sure if AJ Burnett (calf) and Wandy Rodriguez (forearm) will be returning soon from the DL. Also, starter James McDonald has been on the DL since mid-May with shoulder stiffness. What Might Work It’s going to have to be a small deal, probably involving a starting pitcher. But don’t expect it to be Kevin Correia – he was a Pirate last year and was demoted to the bullpen by them. I guess that leaves Mike Pelfrey, though I suppose they might be interested in a cheaper, younger option like Scott Diamond or Sam Deduno. After all, this is the team that turned around Francisco Liriano, who has a 2.23 ERA through 10 games. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. As for the outfielder, the other name that might have made sense is Ryan Doumit – except that he was also a Pirate and I doubt there’s more appetite there for him. The best fit I can come up with is sending them Trevor Plouffe and move him to right field. Sleeper Targets Tony Sanchez – C – AAA – 25 years old Sanchez wasn’t a top 10 Pirates prospect coming into the season, and he’ll be stuck in a backup role for the next couple year now that the Pirates signed Russell Martin. But he’s surprising everyone by slugging .536 in AAA this year (and from the right side, no less). Now THAT would be nice to pair with Mauer for a few years. Wyatt Mathisen – C – Low A – 19 years old The 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft, he’s struggling mightily right now in A ball. With the Twins seemingly focused on adding young catching in this year’s draft, why not pick up a second rounder? Jordy Mercer – SS – MLB – 25 years old Another somewhat promising guy who is stuck behind a veteran in Pittsburgh. He’s at best an average regular, but he’s an average regular with some pop in his bat. He slugged .411 overall in AAA and is getting better each year. Dream Target Glen Perkins is probably of limited interest: the prospect price is too high and their closer, Jason Grilli, may be going to the All-Star Game. If the Twins are going to make a big deal with the Pirates, it’ll need to involve Perkins and be part of a three-way trade. Tyler Glasnow – RHP – High A –19 years old You were probably expecting to see Jameson Taillon here, the right-handed starter who has been topping their prospect list for years and is now in AA. I purposely avoided him because the Bucs claim they don’t want to move any big names. Instead, I went down the list to a breakout player at High A who is looking even more impressive - and might be just as untouchable. Glasnow didn’t make the Pirates Top 10 list by Baseball America last year – but vaulted up to 5th in a recent update by Jim Callis. Posting 103 strikeouts in 70.1 innings will do that. He’s 6’ 7”, has a 93 mph fastball and shows a possibly above average curveball. And at just 19 years old, the sky’s the limit. Throughout July, we’ll be publishing a profile of a MLB and whether there is any possible fit for a trade with the Twins. For more, check out our previous trade talks: The Atlanta Braves by John BonnesThe Washington Nationals by John BonnesThe Philadelphia Phillies by Nick Nelson Click here to view the article

Download attachment: BVL27jfCcAE6RLW.jpg Aaron and John take their Minnesota Twins podcast to Target Field for the final series of the season and talk about Ron Gardenhire's job status, Terry Ryan's aversion to spending money, Joe Mauer being shut down, Josmil Pinto's impressive September, Jumbotron proposals and the Kiss Cam, going back to journalism school, Jack Moore's triumphant return, 1981 Twins World Series tickets, mailbag questions from listeners, and singing Al Green songs. 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: justin_morneau.jpg Aaron and John talk about Justin Morneau's resurgence, the Twins' options with the No. 2 pick, Jason Marquis' departure, Francisco Liriano's move back into the rotation, the best baseball movies of all time, first impressions of Cole De Vries, their PickPointz MVP picks, Johan Santana's return to greatness, and why Anthony Slama can't catch a break. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes Click here to view the article

Gawd, it would be just like Beane to pull a double-switch to pick up a pitcher like Lester for the playoffs and then backfill Cespedes by an overlooked Willingham for a mid/lower level prospect - if he can stomach the defense. He's like a roto owner playing with imaginary players.