John Bonnes

Download attachment: TD Only.jpg TwinsDaily.com’s goal is to help you find the best independent Twins writing on the web. Here’s the short version: Amateur Status Read all you want; everything’s free. “Home” brings you to our favorite stories. “Forum” is where our community dissects all things Twins. “Blogs” bring you to our members’ blog posts. On the left you’ll find links to specific entries for all of these, including Twins blogs that aren’t on our site. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Signing Day When you’re ready, just SIGNUP. It’s free. Now you can add your own comments to the bulletin board. Just play nice. We’re all on the same team. Double A When you sign up, you get your own blog. (Click on “Blog” and then “My Blog.”) You can ignore it, or you can customize it and write your own stories, which members can find on the main blog page, or on the left. If you already have your own blog elsewhere, don’t sweat it: you can double post and include links back to your main blog. We want people to find you. The Show We promote the best blog posts and writers to the front page. Welcome to the majors. So step up to the plate. For more details, check our Frequently Asked Questions or ask us directly. THANKS, TwinsCentric Click here to view the article

Terry Ryan says the Twins aren’t going to be able to buy themselves out of this funk they’re in. He’s absolutely right, especially when it comes to second base, where the Twins OPS ranks 29th in the majors. Because there is almost nothing to buy.Download attachment: carroll.jpg The free agent market for middle infielders is often limited, but this year’s market for second basemen is especially sparse. I count one starter – Toronto’s Kelly Johnson. Johnson is 31 years old, has a 692 OPS and is slightly below average fielding (according to UZR). And he’s the class of this group. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There are several who have found their way into a bench job, including Jeff Baker (DET), Adam Kennedy (LAD), Jeff Keppinger (TB), Maicer Izturis (LAA) and Ryan Theriot (SFG). I find Keppinger the most interesting, slightly above Izturis. With the Rays, the 33-year-old Keppinger has hit awfully well but has been slightly below average defensively. And for his career (over 2300 AB) he has a .336 OBP. Everyone else has either been designated for assignment or hurt or both or retiring. It’s thin gruel. With those options, ones thoughts can’t help but turn to Jamey Carroll, who only has a 626 OPS but at least is getting on base at a .334 clip. The bigger concern might be that if he reaches 401 at-bats next year, then 2014 becomes a player option, albeit one that only pays him $2M. Frankly, that looks like a bargain and Carroll looks like a better option than anything Ryan is likely to find on the shelves this winter. Click here to view the article

The June 4, 2012 edition of Sports Illustrated had a story by Tom Verducci where he attempts to document... well, he's a better writer than I'll ever be, so let's let him tell you... Download attachment: midapril_0002.jpg “This is a story about the real cost of steroids in baseball -- not the broken records, not the litigation, not the talk-show drone about the elite players who juiced and how to weigh their Hall of Fame candidacy. This is a story about the hundreds, even thousands, of anonymous ballplayers whose careers and lives were changed by a temptation that defined an era. It is also a story about the secrets we keep and the casualties we create when we allow the corrupt to go unspoken -- especially when the corrupt is something far more horrific than steroids.” The story is especially interesting to Twins fans because it is mostly about Dan Naulty, a reliever from the Twins from 1996-98 who came up through the Twins farm system. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It compares his career to those of three similar Twins pitching prospects from the 1994 Fort Myers Miracle. Because of offseason steroid use, Naulty added about 60 pounds to his frame, 10 mph to his velocity and carved out a four-year career as a reliever. None of the other three made the majors, topping out in AAA, and the piece tries to focus on how a generation of clean players were cheated in their attempts to reach the majors, sometimes by teammates like Naulty who were covertly injecting steroids. But is also documents the costs to Naulty and this is the most comprehensive part of the story. It talks about why Naulty turned to steroids - how desperate he was and how few options he felt like he had. It also mentions personal challenges he had faced from childhood, including episodes of being sexually abused. It follows his major league career, which turned into an addiction cycle between performance-enhancing amphetamines and alcohol. It talks about him hitting rock bottom the night after winning the 1999 World Series and talking about suicide. And it talks about his recovery, his honesty in the Mitchell Report, and his new career as a pastor. Tangentially, it talks about the Twins organization at the time, but Verducci refrains from pointing any fingers. There are some details that probably make Twins officials cringe a bit. Verducci points out that of the six players from the 1994 Fort Myers Miracle who made at least $500,000 in their MLB careers, at least three (Naulty, Matt Lawton and Dan Serafini) are know PED users. However, especially in the naïve 90s, it's certainly feasible that Twins officials didn't recognize that Naulty’s offseason gains were due to drug use. His fellow pitchers certainly didn't. Brett Roberts, one of the fellow prospects that Verducci followed, reacted to the news about Naulty: "I guess I should have been suspicious. How can a guy go from 85 miles an hour to 95 in three or four years? As I look back on it, it's so clear and obvious that I can't believe I was that naive and incredibly stupid. All the signs were there." Roberts, who made it as far as AAA but no further, talks later about how cheated he feels. “’It's cheating,’ says Roberts, who bristles at the steroid users who made it. ‘It sticks in my craw because I know how hard I worked. Was I going to be a guy with a five- to 10-year career? Probably not. But I know I could have been there.’" That is another point of the story – how thin the line can be between making the majors and not making the majors, and how tempting it can be to do whatever it takes to cross that line. Later in the article, Verducci talks about how Naulty joined a Yankees prayer group that included Andy Pettitte, Mike Stanton and Jason Grimsley – all of whom found their names in the Mitchell Report. Nobody was immune. It’s a thorough, well-researched story and worth the half hour it will take you to read it. If you’re ready to dive into a depth beyond the effects steroids have on the record books, check it out. You can find the on line version here. ~~~ Twins Daily already has a lively discussion on this story. You can add to it here. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: las_vegas_strip.jpg Aaron and John talk about Aaron Hicks' odds of being the Twins' Opening Day center fielder, the pros and cons of service time shenanigans, dreaming of buying a bar together, betting on the over/under win totals for every American League team, why the AL Central is once again underwhelming, the dangers of parallel parking, Ryan Doumit and evaluating catcher defense, unprofessional bathroom breaks, and the stability of one-run games. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe andthe podcast on iTunes.Or, just click below: Click here to view the article

Download attachment: carl-pavano-trade-766138.JPG Aaron and John broadcast from Lindsay Guentzel's MLB Fan Cave Voting Party. They discuss each of the Twins pitchers, including a spirited discussion about the relative values of Carl Pavano and Scott Baker. Then they finish by talking about the new TwinsDaily web site. You can find: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes (where you can also subscribe and leave reviews).Thanks![PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

Wilkin Ramirez has had to demonstrate a lot of patience in his career. The 28-year-old finally made his way onto an Opening Day roster last year, only to have his season shortened by a concussion and ended by a broken tibia. But the Twins were patient too, re-signing him this offseason. Maybe he could surprise them again, like he did last spring training? Or maybe it shouldn't be a surprise any more. Surrounded by Twins prospects in the late innings of a tie game with the Orioles, Ramirez delivered the decisive blow: a three-run blast over left center in a staggering ninth inning. The kids surprised too, finishing with a 9-2 win after being handed a 1-2 deficit in the late innings from the starting lineup. "I didn't have to start managing until I got the starters out of here," joked manager Ron Gardenhire. "That's what I just told those guys. 'You guys are in here high-fiving, but we didn't do nothing until you guys got out of the game.'" That's not entirely true. Vance Worley started the game and got some good things done: specifically, he threw strikes. Determined to put a miserable 2013 behind his, he's come into camp completely healthy, lighter and with confidence in his arm slot, which is something he couldn't say last year. He threw two scoreless innings, although he was helped by an over-the-outfield-wall catch by Darin Mastroianni. Ron Gardenhire liked what he saw. "I liked what he did," said Gardenhire. "He had a good angle going down. He threw some really nice tight breaking balls that were down in the zone. Worked fast. Was throwing it over. They hit a couple of balls on him, but he went right at them." The teams traded runs in the fourth. Ramirez picked up the first of his four RBI on a single that drove in Chris Colabello (who had been walked for the second time). But the Orioles responded with their first run when Aaron Thompson misplayed a dribbler off the bat of Nelson Cruz that plated Nick Markakis. The Twins fell behind in the 6th inning. Trevor May had recorded four outs and Gardenhire liked what he saw, specifically the changeups May was throwing. Unfortunately, Orioles slugger Chris Davis, who hit 53 home runs last year, liked what he saw too. "I elevated one that [Davis] elevated right back," reflected May. The solo shot put the Twins into a 2-1 hole. It turned out OK - the pitching prospect was just setting the table for some of his minor league teammates. Infielders Danny Santana and James Bereford both played on the AA New Britain Rock Cats with May last year. In the eighth inning they worked together to tie the game when Beresford singled and Santana drove him home with a triple. That ended up being a precursor to the fireworks in the final frame. Top prospect Byron Buxton lit the fuse and nearly provided a memorable explosion. He hit a rocket line drive that cleared the center fielder's head and bounced (sigh) OVER the wall for a ground rule double. Had it not, fans might have seen a rare inside-the-park home run on a ball in which nobody stumbled or took a odd bounce. Buxton was rounding second base as it cleared over the wall. "I would have liked to have seen him running that thing out," mentioned Gardenhire. "After it bounced out, I was kid of disappointed." That feeling likely dissipated quickly. Buxton was driven in two batters later by prospect Max Kepler before Ramirez's rocket shot. With just 70 games of big league experience, Ramirez is looking to surprise people the same way he did last year coming out of spring training. "He's pretty sure of himself," says Gardenhire. "Confident, confident young man. He's healthy. He made my team last year doing the same thing and he knows what's at stake here, so he's coming out and ready to play." The kids continued to follow his lead, including Santana, whose locker was right next to Ramirez in the visiting clubhouse. Santana hit his second triple of the game later in the ninth, driving in two more runs. The speedy shortstop has left an impression with Gardenhire. "As I've told people, this guy's pretty exciting. He's got jets. I'm pretty confident when he walks up to the plate something is going to happen." Plenty happened today, even if Twins fans had to wait until the late innings for it. It's only fitting that it was Wilkin Ramirez leading the charge in a game in a game that required patience. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Plouffe.jpg In the TwinsCentric interview with Terry Ryan last week, (the 9-page entirety of which you can find in the 2013 Offseason Handbook), we asked about his confidence in Trevor Plouffe. John Bonnes: Are you comfortable with [Trevor] Plouffe at third base? Terry Ryan: Well, he needs some work too. Defensively, he’s a work in progress. JB: He hasn’t played that much at third base in the minors, right? TR: No, he hasn’t, but he’s and ex-shortstop and he should be able to make that transition. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Because usually that would be an easier one that going from third to short. JB: Sure, it’s a little lower on the defensive spectrum. TR: The ball gets there quicker and it’s different angles and different throws and – there’s a lot that’s different. But, he’s an infielder. He should be able to catch the ball. He’s got enough arm. His accuracy was difficult. So, we’ve got to make a decision. Alright, is he going to take the next step forward? He’s got enough bat to play there. He’s got enough power to play there. Now it’s whether he’s going to be able to play that position so we don’t have to worry about it defensively. It’s a work in progress. JB: But you haven’t made that decision yet? You’re not sure… TR: He’s coming in as the third baseman. Yes, he will. I need to create some competition over there though. And we will. And he’s aware of that. Nothing wrong with competition. JB: Does that competition include Joe Mauer? TR: Nope. I’m going to create some competition, but I didn’t say anything about Joe Mauer. JB: I’m just asking. Have you thought about or talked about Joe Mauer moving to third base? TR: No, I haven’t. Some fans have, but I haven’t. So the good news for Plouffe is that he is expected to have the job at the hot corner. The bad news is that the Twins are going to be hedging their bets this offseason. If the Twins are looking for competition, they had one such candidate this year, but Sean Burroughs became a free agent. Burroughs was an interesting option because he hit left-handed, and the right-handed hitting Plouffe still has a big split (911 OPS vs LHs/ 691 OPS vs RHs) against the more plentiful side of the rubber. Looking at the Offseason Handbook, there are a few other fairly inexpensive options that might make sense. Eric Chavez put up very good numbers for the Yankees, but the left-handed hitting 34-year-old only had 33 at-bats against southpaws. It’s not clear how affordable he could be, but if he can’t get a job as a platoon player, a spot backing up an unproven guy like Plouffe could be a very nice option. Most of the other names one would recognize bat right-handed, but each has some other interesting traits. For instance, Brandon Inge used to play catcher. So instead of carrying Drew Butera as a 3rd catcher, Inge could fill in udring an emergency. He had shoulder surgery at the end of the season, but is expected to be recovered by spring training. Placido Polanco struggled this year, but he was also dealing with a back injury. In the past, the Twins have been rumored to be interested in him and the 37-year-old might be able to occasionally fill in at a middle infield spot. Meanwhile, another 37-year-old is rumored to be retiring, but the always intense Scott Rolen might be an interesting veteran to add to a clubhouse filled with kids. These aren’t going to be moves that transform the Twins, nor should any of them be used as an excuse to overlook bigger issues. But this might be something to watch late in the offseason, when leftover free agents are searching around, or whenever news of a six-year minor league free agents signing trickles out. Whoever the Twins sign will hopefully be nothing more than an insurance policy as Plouffe shows he belongs as a full-time starter. Or, like Sam Deduno and PJ Walters, that obscure signing could play a much bigger role than anyone anticipates this winter. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: TD-birthday.JPG About 15 months ago, Nick, Parker, Seth and I began talking about creating a Minnesota Twins website for independent writers and fans. It became clear we were on the right path when the question we asked ourselves changed from "Are we going to do this?" and became "Why the hell didn't we do this five years ago?" So, really, today should be Twins Daily's sixth birthday. If it was, this site would make a lot more sense. Six years seems about the right amount of time to generate 1200 Twins stories by independent writers. 2500 registered members over that time would seem reasonable. Over 6 years, 14,000 posts and comments per year would get us to the 84,000 that have already been entered. And we would be doing backflips over 6.2 million page views during that six-year period. Except that we didn't start it six years ago. Those numbers are all from this first year. And you're the difference. You're the difference in a lot of other ways, too. We are daily witnessing members find their voice, either in the blogs or in the forums. Our community has become the definitive source for Twins minor league coverage. Also, discussion about the team is increasingly centered around thoughtful analysis, both internally and in the corporate media. You're the driving force for all of these. Best of all, the community, content and interaction just keep growing. Our numbers are showing 30-50% growth this year, even as the Twins are selling 25% fewer season tickets. But we're determined to do better, so please let us know your thoughts about the site. So Happy First Birthday everyone! Go for it - stick your whole face in that cake. The site is in its infancy, but you've already made our wildest dreams come true. Thank you. We'll do our best to continue to deserve your attention and support. Click here to view the article

~ sponsored by Ticket King ~ Often Blue Jays don’t migrate, staying in cold weather most of the year. This year’s flock follows their example, coming to town during a cold snap, confident they can feast on a Twins team they beat five times in six tries last year. They shouldn’t count on it; unlike their namesakes, these Blue Jays live indoors. So for hardy Minnesota Twins fans, which game is the best ticket? Download attachment: 166.jpg The History The Blue Jays aren’t often listed among the ranks of MLBs most depressing clubs, but last year they “celebrated” 20 years since their last postseason appearance.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Management (and ownership) certainly did their best to end the streak prior to last season, buying half the Marlins team at a Miami fire sale. But instead of lifting them to the top of the division, age and injuries sunk them to the bottom of the AL East. They’re faring a little better this year, scratching their way to one game over .500. That’s a pretty fine record considering they’ve had to face the Rays, Yankees and Orioles already this season. But then again, since they’re in the AL East, they’ll be facing those team another 47 times. Oh, and none of them are the reigning AL East champions. Maybe it’s not so hard to see why it’s been 20 long years for Blue Jays fans…. The Offseason Last year’s uninspiring performance meant very few moves this offseason. You can hardly blame ownership, who already had $137 million dollars sunk into the payroll. However, the Blue Jays apparently came very close to signing to free agent pitcher Ervin Santana this spring when five veteran (and highly compensated) players – Jose Bautista, Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes – said they were willing to defer their salary to bring him aboard. It was so close to happening that the MLBPA (the players union) had been approached and approved the deferrals. The Ticket That didn’t happen, so the Twins won’t face Santana, and instead face the three starting pitchers with the worst ERA on the team. Don’t get too excited about that. As we count down to the best ticket, you’ll see there are plenty of challenges ahead…. #3 – Tuesday night – Brandon Morrow vs Phil Hughes. Morrow is the right-handed flame thrower and he struck out nine in his last game. He teased for years, seemingly broke through to stardom in 2012 and then suffered through a miserable and injury-filled 2013. This year his ERA is 5.73, but he sports a 13:2 strikeout to walk ratio. That bodes well for the Jays. If you like raw stuff, here’s your game. Download attachment: dickey_ra_knuckleball_US_600.jpg #2 – Wednesday night – R.A. Dickey vs Mike Pelfrey The former Mets teammates battle in the American League. Dickey (who you might have mercifully forgotten, played with the Twins in 2009), is a knuckleballer, so it was damn hard not to pick this as The Ticket. His ERA is 5.30, but he’s still just a little over a year removed from a Cy Young Award. Get seats as close as you can and watch that butterfly hiccup. #1- Thursday night – Dustin McGowan vs Kyle Gibson Who would choose Dustin McGowan over RA Dickey? The answer, of course, is “almost everyone, six years ago.” That’s when McGowan was 26 years old and looked like an upper-half-of-the-rotation talent. It was also the last time he won a game EXCEPT for last week, when he beat the Orioles to garner his first “W” since 2008. He’s 32 years old, now, has been through a litany of shoulder woes and is scrapping to stay out of the bullpen. I’ll be rooting for him, well, to lose, obviously, but to lose a tightly contested matchup to Gibson. Also, Thursday is a day game. And it’s supposed to snow on Wednesday. That might have had something to do with my ticket choice, too. ~~~ In past years the Blue Jays have traveled surprisingly well, but this is looking like a great series for bargain hunters. TicketKingOnline.com has $3 tickets for all three games – and I see four seats in the Champions Club for just $135 apiece on Tuesday night. That’s $100 less than I’ve ever seen those. Plus, if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, you’ll be supporting Twins Daily and get 10% off. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier, Ticket King, can help. Click here to view the article

Tonight The Voice of Reason™ and I went to a St. Paul Saints game. We soaked in a gorgeous Minnesota summer night, watched a bunch of kitsch and thoroughly enjoyed a game in which we had almost no emotional investment. Because it’s baseball. And it doesn’t last forever.Download attachment: Ballpark.jpg I hear Minnesota sports fans lauding the turning of the calendar page, anxious for football and the (albeit limited) hope new seasons bring. I’ll enjoy watching the Gophers and Vikings too. But I’m a baseball guy, and I can’t devise a night much better than I just had. So go ahead, tell me how tough it is for you to watch a Twins game right now. Or take it a step further; tell me how you won’t watch a Twins game right now. I won’t be upset. More like puzzled, because I see all kinds of things that are exciting to watch over these last six months of the season. Let’s count down the top six. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 6. Sam Deduno The original sin in baseball is to overestimate how much you really know. Sabermetrically and historically, Deduno doesn’t make any sense. But maybe we don’t know everything about this game just yet. I’m very excited to see how this ends. 5. Chris Parmelee “Prospects” kind of get lumped together, and we’re poorer as fans for it. So let’s be clear – nobody has had a season like Parmelee is having in AAA since the Twins moved to Rochester. Not Cuddyer. Not Kubel. Not Morneau. That doesn’t mean he’s a star in the making. But I sure want to see what he can do. (And that includes what he can do – shudder – in right field.) 4. Liam Hendriks & Brian Dozier Two guys who were rushed through AAA, brought up to the majors and predictably struggled. I’ve seen enough from both to think they’re on the right path, they just have a ways to go. I’m convinced these stories are going to have a happy ending. 3. Denard Span & the Twins Medical Staff When Span is deemed unavailable for the 15th straight day, will the Twins finally feel comfortable putting him on the DL? Or perhaps they'll decide that they don’t need their medical staff any more, relying solely on the player’s self-diagnosis. When they need a second opinion they'll draw cards from the board game Operation. (The Wacky Doctor Game!) 2. Other September Callups I think we’re going to be disappointed by how few additional September callups there are, but I’m hopeful we’ll get to see some pitching. I’d love to see if Esmerling Vazquez’ recent hot streak represents a breakthrough. I’d like to see if Anthony Slama and his video-game-like stats prove the organization’s brain trust wrong. I’d like to see if Deolis Guerra could have a role next year. 1. Joe Mauer and Ben Revere As a Twins fan in the 70s, it wasn’t uncommon to have nothing more than a Carew batting title to root for come August. I’ll readily admit my fascination with Mauer and Revere’s longshot chances are based on that being an annual occurrence of my childhood. I’d likely be just as fascinated if they brought back the bullpen car. (Of course, who wouldn’t?) Click here to view the article

In his Sunday notes column, Boston Globe sportswriter Nick Cafardo mentioned that the Minnesota Twins continue to be pursuing catchers to replace Joe Mauer. And not just any catcher - the top remaining free agent catcher: Download attachment: Saltalamacchia_Jarrod_catcher_US_720.jpg As mentioned above, Saltalamacchia is a 28-year-old switch-hitting catcher who has hit 55 home run over the last three years with the Red Sox (which explains why this report is coming from a Boston newspaper). His OPS over those 3 years is .763, which would've been second on the Twins last year. Overall, those numbers about match what Ryan Doumit did back in 2012, which is very solid. This surprises me. I'm not surprised the Twins would try to sign a catcher, but it surprises me they would commit that kind of time and dollars to a catcher with Josmil Pinto, who was called up in September and thrived, on the verge of the major leagues. I guess I see a couple possibilities: 1) The Twins liked the "half-time" arrangement they had the last couple years with Ryan Doumit and Mauer, and would like to do the same with Pinto and Saltalamacchia. It would keep both well-rested and both can hit enough to be the designated hitter when they're not catching. I think you could say the same about AJ Pierzynski, to whom the Twins have also been linked. It would also allow Saltalamacchia and Doumit (if he can catch) to split time this year, giving Pinto some time in AAA, and then Pinto takes Doumit's spot on the roster when his contract ends at the end of this year. 2) I wonder if they would sign Saltalamacchia and then make Pinto available in a trade for young pitching? For whatever reason, the Twins have never seemed to be very high on Pinto. They could view now as a "sell high" opportunity. They might be right and it's interesting to think about just what kind of return they could get for him. With catcher Brian McCann being signed yesterday by the Yankees for $85 million over five years, Saltalamacchia is the best remaining catcher on the free agent market. In the Offseason Handbook, we estimated he would sign for 3 years and $24 million, and there was a lot of internal debate about that number. It'll be interesting to see if the Twins will be willing to pay what the market will bear. I'd love to see it, and not just because it isn't my money. To me, signing Saltalamacchia would represent a proactive instead of reactive move, giving the Twins some flexibility and time, as well as improving the offense. I'd still rather they go after pitching, but it's rare to nab a guy who is just 28 years old in free agency, especially one with Saltalamacchia's performance record. If this doesn't get in the way of adding another pitcher (and I don't think it does), it's a savvy move. Click here to view the article

Here's what you really need to know about this game: Jupiter, Florida, where the Marlins play, is a long three-plus hour bus trip from Fort Myers. The bus leaves at 7:30 in the morning. It gets back something like 8:00 that night. The Twins, like every other team, tries to protect their best (veteranish) players from this as best they can. (And in the Twins case, they had a split squad game yesterday, meaning that nearly every veteran also played yesterday.) There was even a question in the pregame press conference with manager Ron Gardenhire about whether it meant anything that a veteran (and a high-priced veteran, at that) like today's staring pitcher Phil Hughes, had to make this trip. Like whether the team was sending Phil Hughes a message by making him take that trip. Gardenhire - who does every road trip, including the split squad days, by the way - said that the Twins expect their players to be pretty businesslike. "They didn't have a choice," Gardenhire replied bluntly. "We try not to send veterans on long bus rides, but when it comes up your turn, and you're lining them up to start the season, sometimes you've just got to suck it up." Just so I'm clear, there is no indication that Hughes had any problem with this. He said after the game he came down the night before to prepare. Failure to Detonate The story of the game was supposed to be Byron Buxton's first start, but Buxton went 0 for 5. The only thing that he did to impress was almost beating out a routine grounder just because he's so crazy fast. But he was still out. That didn't stop the Buxton frenzy. Gardenhire was asked about Buxton several times before the game and again after the game. Assistant GM Rob Antony was asked about Buxton in a pregame press conference. Phil Hughes was asked about Buxton after Hughes' start. And Buxton had a throng of reporters waiting for him after he dressed. One question: "Were you safe on the grounder?" You know what this means? Nothing. Or at least not to Buxton and not to the Twins. All it means is that a lot of writers aren't going to get the compelling story they wanted to write and a lot of Twins fans aren't going to get the compelling story they wanted to read. I'm confident we'll all get through this rough spot. Lineup Notes I Sam Deduno pitched but not until the fifth inning. It was assumed Deduno would be legitimately competing with Scott Diamond and Vance Worley for the last spot in the rotation. But Diamond started a game already, Worley started a game already - and Deduno didn't pitch until after Phil Hughes and Ryan Pressly? Really? For what it's worth, when I asked Gardenhire before the game if everything in Deduno's shoulder was OK, Gardenhire replied "Everything's been good. No problems whatsover." After the game, when we asked for an evaluation of Deduno's performance, Gardenhire restated their goals. "We just want to make sure he's healthy, get him through his innings, and as we go, we'll stretch him out and see where we go from there. Right now, it's all about the health part and get through his innings." In my mind, I don't think the Twins know if Deduno is healthy, or at least if he can get healthy. If that sounds as if Deduno is going to have trouble grabbing that fifth spot, I think you're right. Lineup Notes II Eduardo Escobar started at third base today. That is likely because of the long trip, but it's worth noting that everyone seems confident that Escobar can play third base. (In fact, according to Gardenhire, the Twins thought that was his best spot when he was with the White Sox.) With a limited roster, an infield backup player is likely going to need to be able to play second base, shortstop and third base. Escobar can. Doug Bernier can. Today James Bereford showed that he can. But it's not clear yet that Jason Bartlett can. If we don't see him at the hot corner within the next couple of days, I have to think the backup infielder spot is Escobar's to lose. Barlett's hopes hang on the Twins decision whether to carry a 13th position player or 13th pitcher. A Bright Spot Chris Colabello got on base three times today, including two walks. That's his fifth walk in five (shortened) games this season. Colabello has made some mechanical adjustment, but after the game, he wanted to talk about being more comfortable and less anxious than he was last year. "It's more about just approaching your at-bats with a little more calm." Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Hughes_Phil_Kneeling_US_720.jpg Aaron and John talk about the Twins signing Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes for a combined $73 million, a possible A.J. Pierzynski reunion, what the rotation might look like in 2016, how to have a successful first date, rooting against Mike Pelfrey's return, recapping Thanksgiving, secondary stats versus ERA, ranking the best brunch options, mailbag questions from listeners, wearing cardigan sweaters, and crying at Stella's. 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: All-Star-Flyover_US_720.jpg Aaron and John talk about the All-Star experience, the Twins making it clear they should be sellers at the trade deadline, what to do with Kurt Suzuki, Aaron's illnesses, John's dancing, paying to get rid of Ricky Nolasco, details on the August pub crawl, why Danny Santana is rushed but young pitchers aren't, ex-girlfriends in the wild, Josh Willingham falling apart, and dwindling television ratings. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click below: Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Perkins_Glenn_High5_US_600.jpg Contract extensions are usually popular with fan bases, which is not the norm for financial transactions. It’s easy to see why – all the ingredients are there. People love to emotionally project a popular and productive player to be popular and productive for years. An extension does that, provided you don’t think too hard about the financial side of it. That’s the actuarial department's job. All the ingredients are also certainly there for the contract extension Glen Perkins signed with the Twins. Perkins has been awesome since moving to the bullpen, including being named an All-Star last year. He’s a hometown guy and media and fan-friendly. As Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony said, “I think there's a premium value for a closer that's 31, that's done a pretty good job for us, that fits in very well in this clubhouse, and means a lot to this team.” With that background, why wouldn’t a deal get done? The more interesting question for both sides might why a deal did get done, considering Perkins was already under team control for the next three years at a bargain rate. Here are how the deals compare: Download attachment: Perkins_Deal.jpg Perkins The deal gives Perkins a raise over what he would make the next couple of years and guarantees another $14M in future earnings. It costs him a chance to hit the free agent market in 2017, when he might have made almost twice as much as he will get paid over the last two years. Of course, he would have been be 34 at that point. The security was worth the big payday. That’s why Perkins approached the Twins about the deal. There is also an interesting provision that gives a subtle nudge to the Twins to NOT trade him. If he is traded, that option year changes from a team option to a player option. That makes him not quite the tradeable asset that he would be otherwise. Twins The Twins take on the risk of a 31-year-old getting hurt and being on the hook for another $14M. But the savings they could reap if he stays healthy are considerable. You’ll recall that as Joe Nathan approached free agency, the Twins signed him to a four-year deal that paid him $11.25 million starting when he turned 34 through turning 36. (That didn’t turn out so well.) This five-year deal tops out at about half that much money and ends when Perkins is 35. It also keeps Perkins anchoring a bullpen in those years when the Twins believe they’ll return to being competitive. “We believe that he’s going to be part of turning this thing around,” said Antony. Sweet Spot It is somewhat unusual for a team that already has a good contract to risk an extension. It’s also unusual for a premier player to seek one out. Perhaps in this case, the hometown ties played a part in overcoming those traditional obstacles. Antony concluded, “We know that this contract, [Perkins] signed, because he wants to be in Minnesota. We signed because we want to keep him here.” Together they found a deal that the team, the players, the fans and even the actuarial department can support. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 581193_10150676280433884_991898303_n.jpg Twins Daily is very excited to welcome Ticket King to our community today. Actually, Ticket King started being a part of our Twins Daily community a couple of weeks ago – you might recall that the owner Mike Nowakowski blogged about meeting Josh Roenicke at the Welcome Home Luncheon. Ticket King also prides itself on being part of the Twin Cities community. Their offices are located in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. They like to meet and talk with Minnesota sports fans. (Just stop by the Minneapolis office sometime and ask to Mike to show you around.) Ticket King’s attachment to that community philosophy is deep enough to run upstream of the online ticket boom. Unlike some of the monstrous ticket web sites, Ticket King focuses mostly on the Twin Cities ticket market, whether it be Wild, Vikings, Wolves, Twins or concerts. What’s more, they don’t just “broker” ticket sales. They own a good chunk of their inventory, so you can escape the fees other sites charge by dealing directly with the locally-based Ticket King. The value of community is one we relate to at Twins Daily. So we’re very pleased that Ticket King has agreed to sponsor several site takeovers (like you see today) throughout the Twins 2013 season. They’re also adding some much needed functionality to the site – a 2013 Minnesota Twins schedule. You can also expect some stories from them about the different fan experiences at Target Field. So please join me in welcoming Ticket King to the Twins Daily community. We hope that if you need Twins tickets, you’ll give them a chance to prove to you what they’ve proved to us – that they’re dedicated to providing Twins fans with the best possible experience for their money. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Gibson_Kyle_600-321.jpg On the best Minnesota Twins podcast, Aaron and John talk about the Twins' free fall, options for the No. 4 pick in the draft with Twins Daily's Jeremy Nygaard, a ton of roster changes including losing Joe Benson, sending down Oswaldo Arcia, not calling up Kyle Gibson, what happened to Justin Morneau's power, Chris Parmelee in center field, leveraging Glen Perkins, a WHOLE lot more about the draft and meeting listeners at the Apple Store. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Or, just click on the link below: Click here to view the article

Pearson's Salted Nut Rolls are available at Target Field, and to celebrate, Pearson's is offering a case of their iconic candy to one of Twins Daily's members! Download attachment: TwinsBar.jpg It's easy. You CLICK ON THIS CONTEST PAGE and fill out answers to the six Twins trivia questions. It's only available to Twins Daily members. On Monday the 16th, we'll find all members with ALL the answers right and select one at random. We'll contact the winner and Pearson's will send them a case of Salted Nut Rolls. (It's absolutely killing The Voice of Reason that I won't let her enter.) [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Pearson's is offering this because they're so excited that their King Size Salted Nut Roll is the first non-licorice candy to be sold by hawkers at Target Field. During the month of April, in-seat vendors (aka hawkers) will sell Salted Nut Rolls at home games. If successful during the April test, hawkers stadium-wide will sell the Pearson's King Size Salted Nut Roll for the entire 2012 season. The Pearson's Salted Nut Roll can be found at concessions areas throughout the concourse all year long as well. Enjoy, everyone! (And let me know if you want to share!) Click here to view the article

Sponsored by RubricLegal.com [/hr]Download attachment: Maeur_Joe_AllStar_US_Orig.jpg UPDATE: We had a winner. Please congratulate joemama who will be attending the game on September 3rd. Nice job. Now you have a reason to watch the All-Star Game. To celebrate Minnesota being the center of the baseball world this week, Twins Daily’s Official Law Firm, Rubric Legal (formerly Snyder Gislason Frasier) is giving away front row tickets to a Twins game to a reader that guesses this year’s All-Star Game MVP. Just leave your guess in the comments below and we’ll pick a winner at random from the correct guesses. You’ll get four front row tickets to a Twins game this year for one of dozens of available games. [/hr]Rubric has helped the Twins Daily community analyze some interesting and thorny issues for MLB, like challenges to MLB’s Territorial TV Rights and minor league labor practices. They can bring expertise in a wide range of legal issues to you, too. Check them out at RubricLegal.com. Click here to view the article

In the heat of the chase, it's easy to lose your head. Auctioneers know the trick is to just get people in the door. Once that happens, the investment, the competition, the excitement and above all the urgency, take care of the price all by themselves. Download attachment: Arroyo_Bronson_Face_US_648.jpg And free agency is an auction. And Twins fans are feeling the urgency. And so, apparently, are the Twins. In his latest story on the Twins offseason, Mike Berardino reports that the Twins have showed a willingness to at least consider offering a 3-year contract to 36-year-old right-hander Bronson Arroyo. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]If you’re an American League snob like me, you might remember Arroyo from his tumultuous years with the Red Sox through 2005 (or possibly from Bill Simmons' description of the “Bronson Arroyo face”). He left for the National League, specifically Cincinnati, and has averaged 210 innings with a 4.05 ERA in the eight years since. It ain’t because of his stuff. For the last five years, he's averaged just 5.3 K/9, which (cheap shot alert) undoubtedly is what makes him irresistible to the Twins. He succeeds by keeping the ball on the ground and indeed his ERA has been closely linked to how many home runs he gives up each year. That bodes well for playing in Target Field, which is far friendlier to pitchers than the Reds’ Great American Ballpark. It doesn’t bode as well for a return to the American League. Arroyo and his agent are fishing for a 3-year deal, and the team that offers it is likely to win his services, provided you define “win” as guaranteeing 36+ million dollars to a 37-year-old pitch-to-contact starter. Is that wise? Of course not – but free agency rarely is. That’s the thing that can be so repulsive about signing a free agent: by definition the winning team is overpaying. When 29 teams won’t pay the price the winning team is willing to pay, the odds are stacked against them from the start. So let’s ask another question – is Arroyo likely to be productive through his 39year old season? Historically, no. First, there is the type: low strikeout pitchers far too often end up like Carlos Silva, Joe Mays or more recently, Scott Diamond. When their stuff dips just a bit, or their control slips a little, or the ground balls turn to fly balls, or the fly balls turn to home runs, things can go south in a hurry. Strikeouts are a safety net they don't have. Second, there is just the issue of health. Pitchers get hurt, especially when they've been used a lot. 36-year-olds get hurt too. And 36-year-old pitchers who have been used a lot? You know the answer to that, don’t you Joe Nathan? Finally, looking at Arroyo's closest comparable pitchers from baseball-reference.com, you find a lot of guys whose careers ended right about now. His top 5 are John Burkett, Todd Stottlemyre, Tim Belcher, Esteban Loaiza and John Lieber. None of them had success past his age. Twins fans know numbers six and seven on that list: Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson. Tap had a 4.49 ERA when he was 37 and then his career was over. Erickson pitched only 66 more innings over two years after he turned 37, and had a 6.35 ERA. But to be fair, all of these guys showed serious signs of decline well before this point, unlike Arroyo. Regardless, Arroyo is not a good bet to age well - but he hasn’t been a good bet to age well for five years running. And the Twins can certainly afford to overpay right now – but they might wish they had that money for a more reliable starter in 2016. Ultimately, I can’t believe Arroyo is so much of an outlier from historical precedence. I wouldn’t totally rule out the third year. Perhaps, like Berardino says of the Twins, I might give “indications they might be willing to go that far.” But I think we're getting caught up in the heat of the auction, and there are still lots of items on which to bid. I’d look long and hard at the other pitchers first, opting to pay that 2016 money up front to someone who is a little safer bet. Click here to view the article

Sponsored by Switch My Trip [/hr] Download attachment: Burton_Jared_600-321.jpg Sometimes it's an overlooked performance that is a game's BigSwitch. Last Tuesday night's back-and-forth win over the Padres contained splashier performances, but believe it or not, the player with the biggest impact wasTwins reliever Jared Burton. That's why he's this week's Big Switch. But since we're still above the preview line, let's talk about the splashy. The headlines and morning radio focused on Kurt Suzuki's inside-the-park home run. In case you missed it, Suzuki hit a home ruin n the eighth inning that barely cleared the wall in left field but bounced back into play. The outfielder thought it was a home run (and you can see him signaling so) but it wasn't ruled that way initially. To Suzuki's credit, he trucked around the bases at full speed making the point moot and scored anyway. Because he did, the play did not need to be reviewed, so Suzuki was credited with an inside-the-park home run instead of a standard home run, making it the first inside-the-park home run for the Twins since 2007 when it was done by another catcher: Joe Mauer. [/hr]The Twins are looking to switch things around this year. Every week, Metro Transit recognizes a Twins player who successfully switched the outcome of a game for the better. [/hr] But that run was ultimately not the deciding run. It was important. We've talked about FanGraphs.com's excellent game graphs that track a team's probability of winning a game based on thousands of game logs before. That hit by Suzuki halved the Padres chances of coming back, which is fitting because it doubled the Twins lead from 4-3 to 5-3. But had Burton not been around the half-inning before, there might not have been a lead to double, and FanGraph's charts show that, too. The Twins had grabbed a 4-3 lead the inning before on a sacrifice fly by Josmil Pinto. Brian Duensing started the bottom of the seventh inning, replacing Twins starting pitcher Kevin Correia, who was in line for the "Win." But Duensing immediately put that win - both for the team and Correia - in jeopardy. Jedd Gyorko led off with a single, Duensing walked Yonder Alonso, and the Padres simply had to adopt a "get-em-over, get-em-in" strategy to tie up the game. The FanGraph's play log shows the game slipping away, too. In fact, when Duensing was pulled for Burton, despite trailing, the Padres were statistically favored with a 52% chance to win. Or, more precisely, a home team with runners on first base and second base and no outs, trailing by one run in the bottom of the seventh, have historically won the game 52% of the time. But the tying run didn't score and, in fact, didn't even advance. After retiring Cameron Maybin on a fly ball to center field, Nick Hundley on a pop foul to third and Chris Denorfia on a ground ball, the Padres' chances to win that game were down to 22%. In getting those three crucial outs, Burton increased his team's chances of winning that game by an astounding 30%. No player on either team affected the game more. It was also another step on the road back towards dominance for Burton.He struggled a bit in spring training and his first two weeks of the regular season were a nightmare. After a four-run outing against Toronto, his ERA stood at 14.40. He had given up runs in three of his five appearances and was demoted out of the eighth inning setup role to work lower leverage innings. But the seventh inning on Tuesday was not a lower leverage inning and Burton responded. He mostly has responded ever since the early season issues. Over his last 15 outings he has posted a 1.88 ERA, given up just 10 hits and has struck out 10 batters. But first impressions last. Twins fans may be overlooking that Burton appears to have switched the direction of his season. Just as he switched the direction of Tuesday night's win. [/hr]Speaking things we might have overlooked, why drive yourself home after a Twins game when it means fighting traffic and paying for parking? Say 'Switch My Trip' for the next Twins game. Metro Transit can provide you and your whole family a train ride to the game. Planning your trip is as easy as clicking on this link. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Pinto_Josmil_Swinging_Betsy_720.jpg Aaron and John talk about th Twins' no-swing approach, Alex Meyer's new pitch, car problems, dumping Mike Pelfrey, waiver wire madness, Josmil Pinto's first 40 game, ugly rotation numbers, seeing each other out in the wild, Paul McCartney, and how not to party. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Forlani_Claire_600_321.jpg Aaron and John talk about trade rumors, last week's aftermath and "the older gentleman" not paying his bar tab, terrible facial hair, local media moves, which starting pitchers Twins fans should dream about, having a Joe Maddon fetish, Claire Forlani and effective advertising, Denard Span versus James Shields, targeting Braves and Rays, and where to hide the dead prostitutes before next week's episode. Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Lake-Harriet-Kite-Festival-247x300.jpg Aaron and John talk about the often confusing arbitration process and what it means for Trevor Plouffe, apartment shopping and kite festivals, Paul Molitor embracing video and analytics, Metrodome memories and Russian difficulties, Delmon Young going to Baltimore, pretending to be a soccer fan, brunch as a way of life, mailbag questions from listeners, and supermanning beer pong tables. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] You can listen by clicking below, download us from: iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Click here to view the article

Two big pitching trades have been made this week and several more have been close. With all that activity, could it be that Terry Ryan has missed his chance to maximize his return on Francisco Liriano? I don’t think so, but I also doubt we’ll see a move soon.Download attachment: 3376166-397756-touching-stock-market-graph-on-a-touch-screen-device.jpg Still Lots Of Interest The Tigers acquired Anibal Sanchez on Monday and the Pirates traded for Wandy Rodriguez on Tuesday. Both are top notch pitchers that could be viewed as comparable (or better) than Liriano. Furthermore, yesterday Dan Gladden revealed that the Twins had long talks with the Pirates before they walked away and the Pirates worked out a deal with Houston for Rodriguez. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It also appears that the Dodgers are in a standoff with the Cubs for Ryan Dempster, a standoff they’re likely to win since Dempster has already vetoed a trade to the Braves. That’s three “buyers” likely gone for Ryan. But it appears that there are still plenty left. Within the past month, the Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, Braves and Blue Jays have all been rumored to be interested in Liriano. Plus, the Orioles, Nationals, Mets, White Sox and Cardinals have all demonstrated they are interested in adding starting pitching. That is ten teams, albeit with varying level of interest. Still Lots Of Uncertainty But things are still moving slowly because nobody is sure exactly which pitchers are going to be available. Cole Hamels is out because he just signed an extension with Philadelphia. Matt Garza might be out, because “forearm pain” is often the first sign of an elbow ligament tear, so teams want to see him pitch again, and the Cubs say he might not. Rumors have been flying about the Marlins Josh Johnson, but the Marlins now say they would need to be blown away to trade him. On the other hand, Zach Greinke is almost certainly available. He’ll almost certainly be moved to teams before Liriano, because most GMs will try for Greinke first and turn to Liriano as the backup choice. It’s not clear if some other huge names like the Phillies Cliff Lee or the Rays James Shields are available because they aren’t “rental” players, so any trade would require major prospects. The buyers are going to want to explore all these options, looking for the best deal. The Waiting Game So it appears we’re going to need to wait a bit longer. Liriano hasn’t been consistent enough to make anyone overpay for him before others have signed. But it also appears that ultimately, there are going to be more teams looking for top-tier pitchers than there will be top-tier pitchers. If that stays true, it playing the waiting game is still the best hope for maximizing Liriano’s value. Click here to view the article