John Bonnes

1 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 other 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. 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.

1 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 other 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. 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.

The good news here is that the Twins are a desirable location for minor league free agents with some upside. They should be (what with all their opportunities), but it's nice to see them leveraging that to bring in guys like Clements.

Between deals like ths & some of the new local TV deals, I wonder if the concern is that a huge revenue shift is coming & small markets know they won't be able to compete on the open market for these guys.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1195-Gleeman-and-the-Geek-Episode-69-Inactivity-Prospect-Lists-and-40-Man-Moves

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of activity compared to last offseason, Denard Span and Josh Willingham trade scenarios, 40-man roster additions, prospect lists and the men who love them, Tsuyoshi Nishioka getting a raise back in Japan, Brett Myers rumors, avoiding Jeremy Guthrie, and the joys of Thanksgiving.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of activity compared to last offseason, Denard Span and Josh Willingham trade scenarios, 40-man roster additions, prospect lists and the men who love them, Tsuyoshi Nishioka getting a raise back in Japan, Brett Myers rumors, avoiding Jeremy Guthrie, and the joys of Thanksgiving.

I can't speak to all the names, but I could see a deal that looks like: Hamilton + minor league starting arms for Willingham, Span and pieces. The Reds would at least consider that. Willingham and Span give them the offensive list they need for the next two years without breaking the bank. In that ballpark, in that league, Willingham is a 40+ HR guy, provided he stays healthy. And Span, as we've talked about for months, is a great fit for that team. Can Hamilton stay in the infield? Why was he moved?

That's a much better idea.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1194-GATG-Ep-68-Post-mortem-Gleemanor

[video=youtube;DD132ReLx9s] To hear the actual podcast, go to http://gleemanandthegeek.com/ After recording the 68th episode of their "Gleeman and The Geek" podcast Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes are joined by documentary filmmaker Nathan Fisher for a "Cribs"-like tour of Gleemanor.

[video=youtube;DD132ReLx9s] To hear the actual podcast, go to http://gleemanandthegeek.com/ After recording the 68th episode of their "Gleeman and The Geek" podcast Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes are joined by documentary filmmaker Nathan Fisher for a "Cribs"-like tour of Gleemanor.

I gotta think Hannahan is almost a given, if they can get him on a minor league deal.

I'm thankful for a talented corps of independent Twins writers, both those who contribute here or elsewhere. And I'm thankful that the media, the Twins and the independent writers are working together to show the beauty in the game that we see and feel. That includes great minor league coverage, headlined by Seth, who really champions them tirelessly. And it includes the Gleeman and the Geek podcast, which I've really enjoyed doing both because it has allowed me to get to know Aaron better and because it has inspired me to stay engaged.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/11/20/arizona-fall-league-top-prospects/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 I don't know what to think of Roberts exactly, but Verducci's writeup of him made me smile. To summarize: 1) He isn't toolsy 2) He's old for his leagues 3) But damn, he's been putting up numbers and 4) Seems to be good at being hit by pitches. I don't know exactly what to do with all that, but it was interesting.

Coupla things... 1) To me, Oswalt has limited value as a reliever for the Twins. I'm not opposed to him, but I'm also happy enough going dumpster diving for relievers and hope for some finds. That's funny for me to admit, because last year I was very critical of signing Joel Zumaya because I felt like they needed to fill that role with someone they could count on. This year, I'd be happy with a Zumaya signing. 2) Where did you get this data? It's kind of cool. 3) I wonder if .8 mph (if I'm reading the data right) is really much of a difference for a pitcher that is moved to the bullpen. It seems every pitcher would show some jump, and without any data I would think a couple of MPH might be fairly average. For instance, as a reliever, he never threw more than 20 pitchers. It wouldn't be shocked if, even as a starter, his first 20 pitches had more mph than his next 20. (Though, it also wouldn't surprise me if the mph increased as he "warmed up". ) I guess my question is how that increase compares to other pitchers who did a split role like Oswalt did. I think Perkins, for instance, added 3-5 mph to his fastball as a reliever, though I could be remembering that wrong.

Looks like some people are noticing Max Kepler's performance. Topps awarded him the Appalachian League Player of the Year. Congratulations Max. I've heard about Kepler since he signed, mostly because he signed in the same year that the Twins went nuts with international money. But I don't know that I've heard any projections on who or what he could become. Any insight?

I like this idea. And we have enough quality media members in this town that I'm sure would be open to it. Anyone have some example questions? I'd love to share them with them.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1186-Does-Torii-Hunter-s-Contract-Bode-Will-For-Josh-Willingham-Trade

Torii Hunter had 12 or 13 teams chasing after him?!? And signed for two years and $26M? Then how much must Josh Willingham, who hit twice as many home runs as Hunter last year and makes half as much, be worth? I thought of this question on Sunday as I was podcasting with Aaron Gleeman. A quick look at the top free agent outfielders made me even more interested. Below are the top five free agent outfielders. Let’s go through them as a general manager who is looking for right-handed power in an outfielder. We’ll bold the ones that fit that description…. Josh Hamilton – Left-handed AND ridiculously expensive Curtis Granderson – Not available. BJ Upton – Perfect – If you’re willing to pay 6 years and $90M. Michael Bourn – Great centerfielder, but no power. Nick Swisher – Switch-hitter, quite a bit of power who will likely need a four-year deal. (He also hits better as a left-hander.) Those are the guys that I thought would make more than Hunter this offseason. Compared to them, Willingham – who hit more home runs than Upton or Swisher – looks like a effective but much more affordable and risk-adverse solution. Unfortunately, just below that level are a few names that a general manager could turn to if they miss out on the big names… Cody Ross – Right-handed and hit 22 home runs last year, albeit in Fenway. Shane Victorino – No power. Angel Pagan – Not enough power. Ichiro Suzuki – Not enough power any more. Melky Cabrera – Signed. Ryan Ludwick – Right-handed and hit 26 home runs last year, albeit in Great American Ballpark. Delmon Young – Right-handed and hit 18 home runs last year in Comerica Park. Even though he hit quite a few more home runs in a tougher ballpark, Willingham is not viewed as significantly different than Ross, Ludwick and Young. And all three of those guys will get contracts similar or less than Willingham’s. The Twins took advantage of that perception last offseason when they Twins were able to sign Willingham to his affordable deal. Also, Willingham's defense looks pretty bad, though it isn’t terrible according to metrics like UZR, which says he cost the Twins just 8 runs over the average left fielder. Still, that perception could limit National League teams interest. The bottom line is that if a GM is looking to add some right-handed pop to his lineup, there are some other options. While they might not be as good, they also aren’t going to cost a blue chip prospect and they aren’t going to break the bank. If Twins fans want to see a big return for Willingham, this offseason probably isn’t the best time to trade him, despite the interest there was in Hunter.

Torii Hunter had 12 or 13 teams chasing after him?!? And signed for two years and $26M? Then how much must Josh Willingham, who hit twice as many home runs as Hunter last year and makes half as much, be worth? I thought of this question on Sunday as I was podcasting with Aaron Gleeman. A quick look at the top free agent outfielders made me even more interested. Below are the top five free agent outfielders. Let’s go through them as a general manager who is looking for right-handed power in an outfielder. We’ll bold the ones that fit that description…. Josh Hamilton – Left-handed AND ridiculously expensive Curtis Granderson – Not available. BJ Upton – Perfect – If you’re willing to pay 6 years and $90M. Michael Bourn – Great centerfielder, but no power. Nick Swisher – Switch-hitter, quite a bit of power who will likely need a four-year deal. (He also hits better as a left-hander.) Those are the guys that I thought would make more than Hunter this offseason. Compared to them, Willingham – who hit more home runs than Upton or Swisher – looks like a effective but much more affordable and risk-adverse solution. Unfortunately, just below that level are a few names that a general manager could turn to if they miss out on the big names… Cody Ross – Right-handed and hit 22 home runs last year, albeit in Fenway. Shane Victorino – No power. Angel Pagan – Not enough power. Ichiro Suzuki – Not enough power any more. Melky Cabrera – Signed. Ryan Ludwick – Right-handed and hit 26 home runs last year, albeit in Great American Ballpark. Delmon Young – Right-handed and hit 18 home runs last year in Comerica Park. Even though he hit quite a few more home runs in a tougher ballpark, Willingham is not viewed as significantly different than Ross, Ludwick and Young. And all three of those guys will get contracts similar or less than Willingham’s. The Twins took advantage of that perception last offseason when they Twins were able to sign Willingham to his affordable deal. Also, Willingham's defense looks pretty bad, though it isn’t terrible according to metrics like UZR, which says he cost the Twins just 8 runs over the average left fielder. Still, that perception could limit National League teams interest. The bottom line is that if a GM is looking to add some right-handed pop to his lineup, there are some other options. While they might not be as good, they also aren’t going to cost a blue chip prospect and they aren’t going to break the bank. If Twins fans want to see a big return for Willingham, this offseason probably isn’t the best time to trade him, despite the interest there was in Hunter.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1182-Episode-68-Live-from-GleeManor