John Bonnes

Or last year when he traded Liriano for Escobar and Hernandez. I actually think Ryan does quite a bit of this. This is how he got Bartlett and Punto and Silva. One could even put Nathan/Bonser/Liriano into that category. None were huge assets at the time.

At Goose Island, I think, right?

Ah, ok. I was baffled becasue he also traded Liriano last year. And I couldn't imagine getting too worked up about losing Castillo. Though I questioned it at the time. I always wondered if that Castillo trade was one of the reasons Ryan retired. That year, the Twins were really in between seller and buyers, so he tried to walk a middle path and got ripped by the players. Twins were 7 games back, if I recall, when they made that trade.

I'm blanking - what trade is this? Are you talking about Knoblauch? I'ts been a long day. Am I being thick?

I would love to and it would be especially nice because the All-Star game is in NYC right after. But we chose the other coast - Safeco and AT&T are my top two remaining ballparks. And was the Franke Rod event that you're talking about the one that was after the (I think) the Mets-Twins Santana game? (And the World Cup USA game?) If so, TVOR and I were there too.

Are we sure Gardy didn't say he was giving himself (and all of us) a mental break from having to watch Duensing and Burton in the 8th? I would applaud that. And I applaud this move - but it is a little weird how it's playing out. Usually, this kind of change happens organically, and someone like Thielbar is put into higher and higher leverage innings. If that was happening, I didn't notice. Now, suddenly, he's the setup guy?

Playing on a bad knee for nine weeks until the meniscus is torn and there is a bone bruise > playing the Yankees

And people go on the DL all the time, too. It's not a personal failing. It shouldn't be treated as such. For the record - I'm not blaming Willingham for trying to tough it out. I'm blaming the organization for not stepping in at some point. And I don't necessarily mean at the first tweak. But at some point, when they realize the meniscus is torn, or that it keeps getting worse or when Arcia is called up and the roster gets crowded, the org needs to say that for the good of the organization/team, they need to get him on the DL. Or even a week off. Or just get him out of the cleanup spot. I just don't think this a leg injury suffered in April is going to get worse when you play on it every day. And even if you think it won't, when it does keep getting worse, that you change paths.

Well, it was reported in the Pi Press back on 4/27, so it wasn't secret. But your guess is as good as mine why they hell they do what they do with injuries. I don't think its on the med staff. I think it's on the culture.

The problem with trading Doumit is that I really like Mauer not catching everyday. He's been a different player without that kind of wear and tear. And if it's not Doumit, then suddenly Herrmann (or, shudder, Butera) is a semi-regular.

Usually, the way I judge such things is by looking at similar players moved at the deadline and assigning similar value. In general, I was underwhelmed by what teams were receiving for hitters at the last deadline. And this offseason, I was underwhelmed by the contracts right-handed power that was similar to Willingham got. So no, there's nothing definitive, but I sure don't see any evidence on the other side. And for the record, I thought that sucked. For some reason, despite an elite year, Willingham was still viewed as a very average player. My hope was that a second year like that would change things. And just so we're clear - when he "tweaked" his knee the first time NINE weeks ago, back on 4/27, he had a 940 OPS, so that wasn't totally crazy. He might very well be that guy. Had he rested it back then, maybe it doesn't get worse and they have that guy for the last seven weeks. And even if he had this same scope procedure back then, or even a week later, he would have been back by now and showing he's the same guy. Instead he toughed it out, put up a 600ish OPS out of the cleanup spot for two months, plugged up the DH which reduced roster flexibility, played defense even worse than normal, hurt himself further, and is still going on the DL only now it's at the worst possible time - just before the trade deadline. And the best part - for those who want to look at his stats, they can claim he's not the person he was last year, or that it was a career year, because his OPS has dropped 200 points trying to fight his way through this thing. Even though he might very well be that guy. (Which is similar to Trevor Plouffe's numbers last year, but I digress.) A hell of a lot of this could have been avoided, regardless of whether they had good offers last year or this offseason or not.

Thanks SD Buhr for pointing out this story and creating the thread. I just want to highlight one other quote - one which I think Twins fans could (and maybe should) obsess about:

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]4661[/ATTACH]sponsored by Ticket King C’mon, you can admit it – it’s fun to hate the Yankees. Let go of your stoic Minnesotan demeanor for one minute and confess: you enjoy watching those pampered Gothamites get their come-upance. If they want to act like a bunch of fantsy-pants in their own stadium, surrounded by stockbrokers and thugs (and stockbroker thugs), that’s their business. But when they come to our quaint little ballpark, some plain talk should inform them that they can leave their overstuffed wallets in the locker room. And you’re probably just the person to do it. Here are the Twins tickets you need to do the job. Section 126 – Down the left field line. I’m not ready to let go of the Phil Cuzzi call yet. I’m not that big. I’ll admit it. If you’re like me and history repeats itself, you’ll be right there to see for yourself that it’s a fair ball. And perhaps point to the big freaking divot in the ground. Section 14 – Third base And since this time the Phil Cuzzi clone will need to be the 3rd base umpire (this isn’t a playoff game, so there won’t be an outfield umpire, as in Cuzzi’s case) you can verbally let him know that your friends in Section 126 saw the whole thing. Section 128, 129, 229, 230 – The left field bleachers Because you never know when the Yankees may bring back Chuck Knoblauch. It makes as much sense as trotting Vernon Wells’ undead corpse out there. (By the way, Wednesdays are $1 hot dog nights.) Section 113-115 – G, H & J – Legends Club behind home plate It’s sad, but many home plate umpires are intimidated by pinstripes. From your perch above home plate, you’re in the perfect position to remind tonight’s ump that he’s man enough to overcome his insecurities. (Or, if he’s not, to suggest the nearest local optometrist.) Section 214 – Upper deck, behind home plate These Minnesota Twins tickets are just below 2 Gingers Pub where Sue Nelson, the Twins organist, plays. She’s a lovely and gifted lady, and super-friendly to boot. But she may be tempted to play one of several New York anthems while the Yankees are in town, like Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel or Frank Sinatra. Gently let her know you don’t approve. Section 233, 234, 235 and 236 – Over the bullpens Please don’t tell Mariano Rivera he sucks, because he really, really doesn’t. In fact, if you really want to help out the Twins, tell him how much you LOVE retirement. Talk up the trips abroad and the time you have to get that “honey-do” list done. Maybe buy him a gold watch. Sections 7, 8, 9 & 10 – The Champions Club behind home plate At several hundred dollars for one of these Target Field tickets, you can bet some of these will be snapped up by big New York money fund managers rooting for their beloved Bombers. If you’re feeling gentle, encourage these fellows to go for fourths at the luxurious buffets that are comped. It shouldn’t take too much coercing to slip them into a fat cat food coma. Feeling more aggressive? Loudly proclaim some totally false insider trading information. Section 11, 12 & 13- Right behind the Yankees dugout Usually this would be a prime location to let Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira know what you think of their play – and maybe their moms. But the Yankees have grown a little old and fragile this year, so those three are being replaced by Jayson Nix, David Adams and Lyle Overbay. It’s enough to almost make you feel sorry for them. (Heh. Not really.)

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2001-Trade-Talk-The-Washington-Nationals

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4657[/ATTACH]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. But without those expectations, there is still plenty of hope. The Nationals are slightly over .500, 6.5 games back of the division and 4.5 games back of 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 pitches, 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 be provided 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” didn’t ring a bell, the Nationals and Twins have danced at the deadline recently more than once. Besides the Ramos-Matt Capps trade, there were lots of rumors about them nearly trading Denard Span to the Nationals two years ago. 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 inning-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 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 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, but 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 can 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 that 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 populated 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

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]4646[/ATTACH]Aaron and John completely forget that it's their 100th episode and talk about Kyle Gibson's debut, what to do with Aaron Hicks when he's healthy, who Mike Pelfrey should bump in the rotation, being sad about Glen Perkins trade rumors, the demise of the Yankees, Polish pride, Josh Willingham and playing through pain, mailbag questions from listeners, Brad Radke's acedom, and sugar mamas. You can listen by clicking below, download us from iTunes or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1993-Trade-Talk-The-Atlanta-Braves