John Bonnes

In our TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, we’re including a transcript from a 45-minute meeting "State of the Twins" interview with Terry Ryan. As you can imagine, an 8000-word interview covers a lot of topics, including: the strengths of the new coaching staff, Joe Mauer’s future at catcher, additional offseason priorities beyond starting pitching, how Twins approach waiver wire or minor league free agents, thoughts on the state of the Twins minor leagues, his evaluation of the Twins middle infield, whether Trevor Plouffe can stay at third base, how the Twins will fit Chris Parmelee into the lineup, and of course how the Twins will try to fix their starting rotation. One encouraging note, at least in my opinion, is that Ryan seems to be open to adding free agent pitchers who are a few cuts above Jason Marquis, who the Twins signed to a one-year, $3M. TWINSCENTRIC: As you look at the pitchers who are likely to become free agents or are scheduled to be free agents, do you think it’s a deep free agency class? TERRY RYAN: Thin. TWINSCENTRIC: You think it’s thin? TERRY RYAN: Sure. You tell me who you’re thinking about. I can’t comment on who is out there. There’s a few guys out there who are pretty darn good. TWINSCENTRIC: Are you likely to be chasing some players who are pretty darn good? TERRY RYAN: We better. TWINSCENTRIC: So you’re looking to add a top of the rotation, maybe not a #1 guy, but maybe a #2 guy or a top half of the rotation? TERRY RYAN: We’ll see. We’ll figure out how many years he’s looking for and how many dollars they want to get. TWINSCENTRIC: Are you willing to give multi-year deals to pitchers? TERRY RYAN: You aren’t going to get a pitcher unless you give a multi-year deal. So who qualifies as a “pretty darn good” pitcher? Despite Ryan’s characterization of the market as thin, there are no shortage of candidate that could be viewed as an asset to a rotation. Beyond ace Zach Greinke, the following will all likely get a contract in excess of $20 million dollars this offseason: Jake Peavy, Ryan Dempster, Dan Haren, Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Jackson, and Kyle Lohse. Another half dozen could get contracts in excess of $10 million: Hideki Kuroda, Brandon McCarthy, Hisashi Iwakuma, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Jeremy Guthrie and Shaun Marcum. That’s fourteen pitchers, most of whom would raise the eyebrows of even the most skeptical Twins fan. However, Ryan was also hesitant to commit to a payroll number and again emphasized that the Twins rotation woes won’t be solved solely through free agency. Does this mean the Twins may only have the funds to make one major signing and look to fill the other spots via other means? We likely won’t need to wait too long to find out. Ryan hinted that he plans to be aggressive with players that they think are going to be a good fit. That is consistent with the Twins approach last offseason, when players like Ryan Doumit and Jamey Carroll were signed even though there were still players in higher demand available. ~~~ After this last season, don't you deserve to enjoy the offseason? The full interview (as well as profiles of all the above pitchers) will be available in the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, which comes out tomorrow. You can still get it at its presale discount price through the World Series. And if you’re still on the fence, you can download a sample here.

Aaron and John preview the Minnesota Twins offseason by reviewing possible free agents and then give a quick tutorial on how struggling organizations can take advantage of MLB's transaction rules. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

Aaron and John preview the Minnesota Twins offseason by reviewing possible free agents and then give a quick tutorial on how struggling organizations can take advantage of MLB's transaction rules. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

Cody, I don't think the White Sox are going to turn down Floyd's option. I'm not sure they'll keep him either, but if not, they'll pick up the option and trade him.

After our weekly podcast, Aaron & I are going to try doing a short video that recaps the podcast and gets into other silliness. [video=youtube;O6ib6uwW63M] Immediately following episode 63, Aaron evaluates the podcast & comments further on the state of the Twins farm system while John mocks him from behind the iPhone's blinding light. Make sure to tune in next week, when we brave the new frontier of landscape mode.

After our weekly podcast, Aaron & I are going to try doing a short video that recaps the podcast and gets into other silliness. [video=youtube;O6ib6uwW63M] Immediately following episode 63, Aaron evaluates the podcast & comments further on the state of the Twins farm system while John mocks him from behind the iPhone's blinding light. Make sure to tune in next week, when we brave the new frontier of landscape mode.

I’m having trouble getting into the second round of the playoffs. I don’t really want either the Yankees or the Tigers to make the World Series, which means I can’t even root for the American League. The official team of The Voice Of Reason™ - the Phillies – is also out for the first time in years. But part of it is because I’m ready for the next act. The offseason. Oddly, I don’t think I’ve looked forward to an offseason this much in years. For starters, it’ll be nice to see what a Terry Ryan can do when he’s in charge right from the beginning. Also, there is at least a 50-50 chance that we see a long-time Twin player traded. We get to (hopefully) watch a rotation be built via the deepest free agent starting pitching market in several years. There is even a Twins prospect already strutting his stuff in the Arizona Fall League. (I’ll admit, there are also some personal reasons I’m excited for the offseason too. At the top of the list is Twins Daily. Being able to count on a Twins story every day, and being able to jump read and discuss all the rumors and implications of trades and signings is going to be awesome. Second is Gleeman and the Geek. I really enjoyed getting together with Aaron Gleeman on a weekly basis, throw back some beers and talk baseball for a few hours.) So let’s look ahead to what we can expect…. October 24th – The release of the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook. (Also, the 1st game of the World Series.) The End of the World Series – Eligible players can file to become free agents. (Also, when the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook 30% discount expires.) Sixth day after the World Series – Free agent market opens. Teams can sign free agents. December 3-6 – Baseball’s Winter Meetings, which means plenty of trade talk. December 6 – Rule 5 Draft January 25-27 – Twins Fest If this year is anything like last year, expect Terry Ryan to move fairly quickly. Last year he had almost everything wrapped up by Christmas, signing… Jamey Carroll on November 16th Ryan Doumit on November 23rd Matt Capps on December 6th Josh Willingham on December 15th Jason Marquis on December 22nd Joel Zumaya on January 18th There is a man after my own heart. Not only does he make moves fast, but he has the decency to do so on a weekly basis so I can spread them out over winter’s worth of podcasts.

I’m having trouble getting into the second round of the playoffs. I don’t really want either the Yankees or the Tigers to make the World Series, which means I can’t even root for the American League. The official team of The Voice Of Reason™ - the Phillies – is also out for the first time in years. But part of it is because I’m ready for the next act. The offseason. Oddly, I don’t think I’ve looked forward to an offseason this much in years. For starters, it’ll be nice to see what a Terry Ryan can do when he’s in charge right from the beginning. Also, there is at least a 50-50 chance that we see a long-time Twin player traded. We get to (hopefully) watch a rotation be built via the deepest free agent starting pitching market in several years. There is even a Twins prospect already strutting his stuff in the Arizona Fall League. (I’ll admit, there are also some personal reasons I’m excited for the offseason too. At the top of the list is Twins Daily. Being able to count on a Twins story every day, and being able to jump read and discuss all the rumors and implications of trades and signings is going to be awesome. Second is Gleeman and the Geek. I really enjoyed getting together with Aaron Gleeman on a weekly basis, throw back some beers and talk baseball for a few hours.) So let’s look ahead to what we can expect…. October 24th – The release of the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook. (Also, the 1st game of the World Series.) The End of the World Series – Eligible players can file to become free agents. (Also, when the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook 30% discount expires.) Sixth day after the World Series – Free agent market opens. Teams can sign free agents. December 3-6 – Baseball’s Winter Meetings, which means plenty of trade talk. December 6 – Rule 5 Draft January 25-27 – Twins Fest If this year is anything like last year, expect Terry Ryan to move fairly quickly. Last year he had almost everything wrapped up by Christmas, signing… Jamey Carroll on November 16th Ryan Doumit on November 23rd Matt Capps on December 6th Josh Willingham on December 15th Jason Marquis on December 22nd Joel Zumaya on January 18th There is a man after my own heart. Not only does he make moves fast, but he has the decency to do so on a weekly basis so I can spread them out over winter’s worth of podcasts.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2504[/ATTACH]Aaron and John talk about the incredibly exciting postseason, the Twins' improved farm system, reveal what they're reading and listening to, give a quick tutorial on a bunch of sabrmetric stats and concepts, and note the many ex-Twins in the playoffs. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

I'm hesitant to find stick two guys who are still developing into major leaguers on the bench. I'm not a fan of Parmelee being sent back to AAA, but if he's going to be the odd man out, then Gardy has to really work to get him into the lineup at the beginning of the season when he has a lot of healthy veterans. I don't see that happening. And Herrmann needs to play in AAA or AA everyday. Butera is a perfectly acceptable option to have 150-200 AB, though I'd be just as happy without a 3rd catcher.

FWIW, if this isn't already a topic in the forum, I'd be interested in seeing what the wider community thinks about it. Especially when you're writing a short entry and asking for feedback, it makes sense to post it in the forum.

I like the story and I like your style of writing Brad. I'm looking forward to reading more. Thanks.

“If I want to write about baseball, what should I do?” It isn’t uncommon that I’m asked this question by some well-meaning younger person who is trying to find their spot in what feels like a crowded world. Bluntly, but as tenderly as I can, I usually say: “Write. Preferably, about baseball.” I’m blunt, because there are so many ways to write about baseball. Start a blog. (If you want an instant Twins audience, you can used the one you have here.) Or write an email to friends. Or use a forum thread as a chance to research and write about a topic. The barriers for entry have disappeared. But I also respond with tenderness because I suspect that most of the people that ask me this question will not write about baseball. If they wanted to write about baseball, they would already be writing about baseball. What they’re really asking is “If I think I might want TO BE PAID to write about baseball, what should I do?” The answer is the same. In fact, the answer is the same if you’re wondering which of those two questions you’re really asking. Just write, preferably every day, about whatever you want, and you’ll figure it out. If you do that, you’re already a baseball writer, and now you just need to figure out how to get paid. You’ll also figure out that there is more to writing about baseball than writing about baseball. Such as marketing yourself, finding an audience, generating ideas and asking uncomfortable questions. If you don’t like it, then you were interested in drawing a paycheck, but you didn’t want to write about baseball. Which is fine. Try again. You’ll likely find something you like better and get paid to do that. Not every job is that cut and dry. I make my living as a business systems analyst and I’m happy being one. I love problem solving. I like figuring things out and teaching others what I’ve figured out. I like building things that people can use. All of these are aspects of being a business systems analyst, but I don’t know that I would do it every day just because I liked it. The regular hours and solid paycheck have plenty to do with why it’s my trade. But writing about baseball is that cut and dry, and coaching is like that too. The litmus test that both pass is “Would a lot of people do it for nearly free?” If so, then you had better have enough real passion to do before you become. This is why I’m always so puzzled when Paul Molitor’s name comes up as a possible assistant coach for the Minnesota Twins. Molitor last served as a full year coach for a team back in 2001, when he was Tom Kelly’s bench coach. He served in that capacity for three years. Since then, he’s had other jobs, mostly roving around the minor leagues as a special instructor, but he hasn’t managed a minor league team. I can’t recall him even being an assistant coach for a Twins minor league affiliate. That seems odd for someone who wants to be a baseball manager. Like writing, if someone wants to manage a baseball team, they should manage a baseball team. Mike Redmond, for example, has been managing baseball teams (and succeeding) at High-A and Low-A the last two years. Not surprisingly, he’s being mentioned as an option if (or more likely, when) the Marlins dismiss Ozzie Guillen. If you remember Matt LeCroy, he’s managing too, for the AA-Harrisburg Senators, a Nationals affiliate. That’s also someone who is doing what they want to be. Just so I'm clear - I'm not knocking Molitor. I have no doubt that if he wanted to be a coach, there are all kinds of teams and affiliates that would welcome him with open arms. I'm knocking us for inserting his name in the discussion when there isn't much evidence that is what he wants to do. To their credit, the Twins seem to share this philosophy. The three rumored new assistant coaches, Tom Brunansky, Bobby Cuellar and Gene Glynn, would join the Twins after coaching AAA-Rochester last year. Each has shown they know how to handle the role for which they are rumored to be hired. Because they’re already doing it.

“If I want to write about baseball, what should I do?” It isn’t uncommon that I’m asked this question by some well-meaning younger person who is trying to find their spot in what feels like a crowded world. Bluntly, but as tenderly as I can, I usually say: “Write. Preferably, about baseball.” I’m blunt, because there are so many ways to write about baseball. Start a blog. (If you want an instant Twins audience, you can used the one you have here.) Or write an email to friends. Or use a forum thread as a chance to research and write about a topic. The barriers for entry have disappeared. But I also respond with tenderness because I suspect that most of the people that ask me this question will not write about baseball. If they wanted to write about baseball, they would already be writing about baseball. What they’re really asking is “If I think I might want TO BE PAID to write about baseball, what should I do?” The answer is the same. In fact, the answer is the same if you’re wondering which of those two questions you’re really asking. Just write, preferably every day, about whatever you want, and you’ll figure it out. If you do that, you’re already a baseball writer, and now you just need to figure out how to get paid. You’ll also figure out that there is more to writing about baseball than writing about baseball. Such as marketing yourself, finding an audience, generating ideas and asking uncomfortable questions. If you don’t like it, then you were interested in drawing a paycheck, but you didn’t want to write about baseball. Which is fine. Try again. You’ll likely find something you like better and get paid to do that. Not every job is that cut and dry. I make my living as a business systems analyst and I’m happy being one. I love problem solving. I like figuring things out and teaching others what I’ve figured out. I like building things that people can use. All of these are aspects of being a business systems analyst, but I don’t know that I would do it every day just because I liked it. The regular hours and solid paycheck have plenty to do with why it’s my trade. But writing about baseball is that cut and dry, and coaching is like that too. The litmus test that both pass is “Would a lot of people do it for nearly free?” If so, then you had better have enough real passion to do before you become. This is why I’m always so puzzled when Paul Molitor’s name comes up as a possible assistant coach for the Minnesota Twins. Molitor last served as a full year coach for a team back in 2001, when he was Tom Kelly’s bench coach. He served in that capacity for three years. Since then, he’s had other jobs, mostly roving around the minor leagues as a special instructor, but he hasn’t managed a minor league team. I can’t recall him even being an assistant coach for a Twins minor league affiliate. That seems odd for someone who wants to be a baseball manager. Like writing, if someone wants to manage a baseball team, they should manage a baseball team. Mike Redmond, for example, has been managing baseball teams (and succeeding) at High-A and Low-A the last two years. Not surprisingly, he’s being mentioned as an option if (or more likely, when) the Marlins dismiss Ozzie Guillen. If you remember Matt LeCroy, he’s managing too, for the AA-Harrisburg Senators, a Nationals affiliate. That’s also someone who is doing what they want to be. Just so I'm clear - I'm not knocking Molitor. I have no doubt that if he wanted to be a coach, there are all kinds of teams and affiliates that would welcome him with open arms. I'm knocking us for inserting his name in the discussion when there isn't much evidence that is what he wants to do. To their credit, the Twins seem to share this philosophy. The three rumored new assistant coaches, Tom Brunansky, Bobby Cuellar and Gene Glynn, would join the Twins after coaching AAA-Rochester last year. Each has shown they know how to handle the role for which they are rumored to be hired. Because they’re already doing it.

The Minnesota Twins blow up their coaching staff, so Seth Stohs joins Aaron and John to talk about Ron Gardenhire's leash, the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, what the shopping plans are for free agent pitching, casting ballots for team MVP, why no one seems to want Paul Molitor, the futures of Trevor Plouffe and Liam Hendriks, how to lessen the upcoming outfield logjam, and why long podcasts are the best podcasts. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

The Minnesota Twins blow up their coaching staff, so Seth Stohs joins Aaron and John to talk about Ron Gardenhire's leash, the TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, what the shopping plans are for free agent pitching, casting ballots for team MVP, why no one seems to want Paul Molitor, the futures of Trevor Plouffe and Liam Hendriks, how to lessen the upcoming outfield logjam, and why long podcasts are the best podcasts. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.