John Bonnes

problematic. Maybe $80 million wasn't in the question but the Twins left a ton of money on the table, especially considering the new NBC Sports could have possibly offered a competing bid. But in the end, that only contributes to Mackey's point about the Twins' ability to wisely invest and spend their money. Dallas Ft. Worth is almost double the size of the Twins Cities and is the fourth-largest metro market in the country behind the big three of NY, LA, and Chicago (all of which support multiple teams while Dallas has only the one). More importantly, I think Dallas has multiple regoinal sports channels, so there is essentially a bidding war. FSN essentially has a monopoly here.

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]1998[/ATTACH]Aaron and John talk about the Twins' odds of contending or rebuilding in 2013, where Chris Parmelee eventually fits into the lineup, exactly how bad Tsuyoshi Nishioka looked, whether Nick Blackburn should stick around with a 7.50 ERA, Liam Hendriks' and Brian Dozier's long-term outlook, which of them would make a worse Olympian, Bert Blyleven vs. Patrick Reusse, and why Gleeman won't go to Las Vegas with Bonnes. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

Last year was similar: 126 at TF vs. 138 on the road. 2010 was drastic: 116 vs 181.

Yeh, the problem is what to give up for him. The Rockies need pitching, same as the Twins. If he's available, there might be 28 teams that can offer better young pitching than the Twins can

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_21282940/shooter-now-minnesota-twins-target-field-now-more The main story here is that the Twins don't have any plans to move the fences after this season, and I'm glad to hear that. But I found the conclusion a little flawed and I think it's because Shooters examination is a little flawed.... Just figuring the average home runs hit, it could be that the Twins are just very good/bad at hitting home runs, or their pitching staff if very good/bad at giving them up. Instead, one usually compares the total home runs that both the Twins and their opponents have hit at home vs the road. If you look at it that way, Target Field is once again depressing home runs. Twins and their opponents have hit 115 home runs in Target Field but 127 on the road and they've played almost exactly the same number of games home and away.

I really enjoyed this story. My favorite part: In some ways I wonder if we aren't still underestimating De Vries a little. His underlying numbers: 59 IP, 41K, 12BB are plenty good enough to be a starting pitcher in the majors. That's a solid strike rate and decent control. He's not going to be an ace, but he could have decent career with numbers like that and be a mid-rotation starter. I'm certainly higher on him than I am on Deduno or Blackburn right now.

This honestly happens to me. I find myself sometimes fearing to come to the site, because it's going to suck up the rest of my day.

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"We have holes. And some of it is pitching, and some of it is not. There are other areas we need to address." - Terry Ryan as reported by Phil Mackey The Twins rotation currently ranks 29th in the majors in ERA and 28th in innings pitched. But Ryan is right – they aren’t the only sore spot that will need to be addressed this offseason. The decision to promote and play Tsuyoshi Nishioka at second base highlights one such area. The Twins rank 29th in the majors in OPS(On Base Plus Slugging) from that position. Even if their best option, Jamey Carroll, had played there the entire season, his OPS would only rank 25th. Similarly, the shortstop position ranks 27th overall. The Twins are likely to use the rest of the year to further evaluate this offseason’s priorities. They might start be looking at where each position ranks offensively versus the rest of the league: [TABLE=width: 244] [/TD][TD=align: center]OPS [TD=align: center]MLB Rank [/TD] Left Field [TD=align: center]938 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] Catcher [TD=align: center]822 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] Designated Hitter [TD=align: center]845 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8 [/TD] Third Base [TD=align: center]765 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] Center Field [TD=align: center]718 [/TD] [TD=align: center]17 [/TD] First Base [TD=align: center]749 [/TD] [TD=align: center]19 [/TD] Right Field [TD=align: center]692 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25 [/TD] Shortstop [TD=align: center]575 [/TD] [TD=align: center]27 [/TD] Second Base [TD=align: center]571 [/TD] [TD=align: center]29 [/TD] [/TABLE] 2B – Let’s start with the worst and get more optimistic. Most of the damage has been done by Alexi Casilla whose overall OPS is 580, which is one hundred points below his OPS last year and 50 points below his career OPS. He’ll likely get better, if he hasn’t already played himself out of the picture. (Again.) SS – Either you believe Brian Dozier will get better or you don’t. I think he will. He certainly needs to. RF – Even if Ben Revere had all the at-bats here, his 738 OPS would only rank 22nd. However, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, he has also saved another 10 runs with his glove. Using WAR, which tries to include defensive value, he ranks 12th overall. 1B – Parmelee (667 OPS) and Mauer (752 OPS) are responsible for about 40% of the at-bats here. CF – The Twins have only given 15 at-bats to players other than Revere and Denard Span in center field. Those players have gone 0 for 15, which drags down the number about 20 points. 3B – Imagine where the Twins would rank if Danny Valencia and his 522 OPS hadn’t eaten up about 1/3 of the at-bats this season. DH – The at-bats have been split four ways, but Ryan Doumit gets most of the credit. His OPS is 939 as a designated hitter, just 766 as a catcher. C – Not that the Twins two-headed catching monster isn’t working well. They only rank behind St. Louis (Yadier Molina), Milwaukee ( Jonathan LuCroy), San Francisco (Buster Posey) and Philadelphia (CHOOOOCH!) LF – Speaking of monsters, ladies and gentlemen, Josh Willingham, version 2012. Certainly, the Twins pitching has been an issue. But Ryan is correct to not overlook the uneven production from the lineup, too.

"We have holes. And some of it is pitching, and some of it is not. There are other areas we need to address." - Terry Ryan as reported by Phil Mackey The Twins rotation currently ranks 29th in the majors in ERA and 28th in innings pitched. But Ryan is right – they aren’t the only sore spot that will need to be addressed this offseason. The decision to promote and play Tsuyoshi Nishioka at second base highlights one such area. The Twins rank 29th in the majors in OPS(On Base Plus Slugging) from that position. Even if their best option, Jamey Carroll, had played there the entire season, his OPS would only rank 25th. Similarly, the shortstop position ranks 27th overall. The Twins are likely to use the rest of the year to further evaluate this offseason’s priorities. They might start be looking at where each position ranks offensively versus the rest of the league: [TABLE=width: 244] [/TD][TD=align: center]OPS [TD=align: center]MLB Rank [/TD] Left Field [TD=align: center]938 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] Catcher [TD=align: center]822 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] Designated Hitter [TD=align: center]845 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8 [/TD] Third Base [TD=align: center]765 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] Center Field [TD=align: center]718 [/TD] [TD=align: center]17 [/TD] First Base [TD=align: center]749 [/TD] [TD=align: center]19 [/TD] Right Field [TD=align: center]692 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25 [/TD] Shortstop [TD=align: center]575 [/TD] [TD=align: center]27 [/TD] Second Base [TD=align: center]571 [/TD] [TD=align: center]29 [/TD] [/TABLE] 2B – Let’s start with the worst and get more optimistic. Most of the damage has been done by Alexi Casilla whose overall OPS is 580, which is one hundred points below his OPS last year and 50 points below his career OPS. He’ll likely get better, if he hasn’t already played himself out of the picture. (Again.) SS – Either you believe Brian Dozier will get better or you don’t. I think he will. He certainly needs to. RF – Even if Ben Revere had all the at-bats here, his 738 OPS would only rank 22nd. However, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, he has also saved another 10 runs with his glove. Using WAR, which tries to include defensive value, he ranks 12th overall. 1B – Parmelee (667 OPS) and Mauer (752 OPS) are responsible for about 40% of the at-bats here. CF – The Twins have only given 15 at-bats to players other than Revere and Denard Span in center field. Those players have gone 0 for 15, which drags down the number about 20 points. 3B – Imagine where the Twins would rank if Danny Valencia and his 522 OPS hadn’t eaten up about 1/3 of the at-bats this season. DH – The at-bats have been split four ways, but Ryan Doumit gets most of the credit. His OPS is 939 as a designated hitter, just 766 as a catcher. C – Not that the Twins two-headed catching monster isn’t working well. They only rank behind St. Louis (Yadier Molina), Milwaukee ( Jonathan LuCroy), San Francisco (Buster Posey) and Philadelphia (CHOOOOCH!) LF – Speaking of monsters, ladies and gentlemen, Josh Willingham, version 2012. Certainly, the Twins pitching has been an issue. But Ryan is correct to not overlook the uneven production from the lineup, too.

I think we should note that Willingham, according to UZR, has cost the Twins less than four runs compared to the average left fielder. He's about average per that metric. I think our perception of him as worse than that is because he's bad at something it doesn't measure - picking up balls on the ground. But he's not bad at getting to balls in the air, which is probably a more valuable skill. That costs outs AND bases, whereas not picking up a ball cleanly just costs bases.

There is RD and then there is everyone else. By the end of that era, Twins fans were walking around like we were in prison camp. We were just waiting for RD to offer us the wrench, the stick or the belt.

It's not a terrible idea. If he was still under contract next year, I would say go for it. Like you said, he's still young, he used to show some right-handed pop which plays at Target Field and most importantly, the Twins are just a mess at second base. (Unless they want Jamey Carroll's option to vest for a 3-year deal.) Maybe Vavra works some magic - who knows? But he's a free agent at the end of the year. A couple of hundred at-bats isn't much of an investment, and the Twins don't have anyone better to invest them in, but they should invest them in someone who will be around next year.

FWIW, I don't think it was the Twins scouting that let them down on this one. I know some folks who saw the Twins scouts reports on Nishi, and they say it was pretty accurate. I assume it didn't say "AA Player" in big red letters, but it did estimate his skills appropriately. I've also heard from some people that the problem with the Nishi signing was that the tail was wagging the dog - the Twins wanted to expand to Japan for revenue reasons and Nishi (and the pitcher they just lost out on) were their attempts to do so.

I'm all for listening - he's not untouchable. But it's rare that teams trade two promising young players. The Twins and Rays did it with Delmon-Garza. The Yankees and Mariners did so last year with Moreno-Pineda. But that's all I can remember. I honestly don't know which would fetch more back, Span or Revere, but I have to think Span would be easier to find a suitor. During the offseason, teams are going to look for a sure thing from the lead off, and Span seems more sure-thing-ish than Revere. And the Twins don't need to get as much back for Span either. It just seems so much more likely a deal could be completed with Span. Revere is more of a gamble for everyone involved.

I would like to have this to follow the rest of the season. For a team that is out of the running, a batting race is a nice distraction. (Take it from somebody who grew up in the 70s.)

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?891-Morneau-vs-The-Void

If The Twins Are Willing To Trade Morneau This Offseason, There Should Be Options Last week, as the trade deadline approached, Justin Morneau was featured in the latest trade rumors. That made sense. First, Morneau had been productive and healthy. Second, Chris Parmelee is raking at first base in AAA but shut out in the majors. Finally, Morneau is still owed about $19M for the rest of this year and next. Moving him would give the Twins that much more money to spend on pitching this offseason. No deal was consummated, and it doesn’t sound like one was close, but that doesn’t mean the end of the rumors. They’ll flow into this offseason and will likely gain additional steam because this year the crop of free agent first basemen is so bleak. There is no Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols or even a Paul Konerko in this class. The top name? Would you believe the 37-year-old Carlos Lee? Yes, the same Carlos Lee who was already salary dumped this year and then was rumored to be on the block again. He has all of six home runs, but at least he’s hitting .292. Now look into the rest of the void…. Sure, They’re Old, But At Least They’re Hurt. Lance Berkman He has just 75 at-bat this year because he’s been out the last two months after knee surgery, and that was following a previous stay on the DL for a calf injury. There will be serious concerns that his 36-year-old body can’t take it any more. Aubrey Huff Similarly, Huff is 35 years old and has only has 61 at-bats this year (and is hitting just .148) because of several DL stints which include an anxiety disorder and knee tendonitis. Carlos Pena Ok, he’s not hurt, but he’s hitting .193, so who could tell? He's also 35 years old and still can’t hit left-handers. Like the others, he’s worth a flyer, but who would rely on him for more than that? Bad, But Bad In A Youngish Way Casey Kotchman He’s just 30 years old, but he has never hit more than 12 home runs in his career, is struggling against left-handers and is hitting just .223. James Loney He’s the reason the Dodgers were talking to the Twins about Morneau at the deadline. He’s hitting .257 with two home runs. Two As in two more than I have hitting for the Dodgers this year. The only thing he has going for him is that he’s only 28 years old. They’re Old. They Also Don’t Start. Ty Wigginton All you need to know about the 35-year-old Wigginton is that the only way he’s available is if the Phils DON’T pick up a $4M option on him. That should clarify his value. Eric Hinske Yes, I’m talking about the 35-year-old bench player for the Braves for the lat 3 years. He has not seen 400 at-bats from a team since 2005. Winner: Justin Morneau Morneau, by comparison, is 31 years old, hitting .275 and has 15 home runs. Those numbers don’t justify a $14M salary next year. And if he was a free agent, he would not garner any offers for that kind of money annually. However, he is also the class of that list. If Morneau was a free agent, right now it looks like a two-year deal (for maybe $16M?) would not be out of the question. A three-year deal might be in play. If he and his agent insisted on a one-year deal (to increase his value for another run at free agency), a $9-10M deal might not be out of the question. But more important than the numbers is simply supply and demand. This offseason, the supply of first basemen who can be a middle-of-the-order presence for a competitive team is limited. In fact, it could be just Morneau. If Terry Ryan decides he is willing to trade Morneau – either to make room for Parmelee or to free up $14M in cash – there sure should be some desperate teams out there.

If The Twins Are Willing To Trade Morneau This Offseason, There Should Be Options Last week, as the trade deadline approached, Justin Morneau was featured in the latest trade rumors. That made sense. First, Morneau had been productive and healthy. Second, Chris Parmelee is raking at first base in AAA but shut out in the majors. Finally, Morneau is still owed about $19M for the rest of this year and next. Moving him would give the Twins that much more money to spend on pitching this offseason. No deal was consummated, and it doesn’t sound like one was close, but that doesn’t mean the end of the rumors. They’ll flow into this offseason and will likely gain additional steam because this year the crop of free agent first basemen is so bleak. There is no Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols or even a Paul Konerko in this class. The top name? Would you believe the 37-year-old Carlos Lee? Yes, the same Carlos Lee who was already salary dumped this year and then was rumored to be on the block again. He has all of six home runs, but at least he’s hitting .292. Now look into the rest of the void…. Sure, They’re Old, But At Least They’re Hurt. Lance Berkman He has just 75 at-bat this year because he’s been out the last two months after knee surgery, and that was following a previous stay on the DL for a calf injury. There will be serious concerns that his 36-year-old body can’t take it any more. Aubrey Huff Similarly, Huff is 35 years old and has only has 61 at-bats this year (and is hitting just .148) because of several DL stints which include an anxiety disorder and knee tendonitis. Carlos Pena Ok, he’s not hurt, but he’s hitting .193, so who could tell? He's also 35 years old and still can’t hit left-handers. Like the others, he’s worth a flyer, but who would rely on him for more than that? Bad, But Bad In A Youngish Way Casey Kotchman He’s just 30 years old, but he has never hit more than 12 home runs in his career, is struggling against left-handers and is hitting just .223. James Loney He’s the reason the Dodgers were talking to the Twins about Morneau at the deadline. He’s hitting .257 with two home runs. Two As in two more than I have hitting for the Dodgers this year. The only thing he has going for him is that he’s only 28 years old. They’re Old. They Also Don’t Start. Ty Wigginton All you need to know about the 35-year-old Wigginton is that the only way he’s available is if the Phils DON’T pick up a $4M option on him. That should clarify his value. Eric Hinske Yes, I’m talking about the 35-year-old bench player for the Braves for the lat 3 years. He has not seen 400 at-bats from a team since 2005. Winner: Justin Morneau Morneau, by comparison, is 31 years old, hitting .275 and has 15 home runs. Those numbers don’t justify a $14M salary next year. And if he was a free agent, he would not garner any offers for that kind of money annually. However, he is also the class of that list. If Morneau was a free agent, right now it looks like a two-year deal (for maybe $16M?) would not be out of the question. A three-year deal might be in play. If he and his agent insisted on a one-year deal (to increase his value for another run at free agency), a $9-10M deal might not be out of the question. But more important than the numbers is simply supply and demand. This offseason, the supply of first basemen who can be a middle-of-the-order presence for a competitive team is limited. In fact, it could be just Morneau. If Terry Ryan decides he is willing to trade Morneau – either to make room for Parmelee or to free up $14M in cash – there sure should be some desperate teams out there.

Thank you for posting this Brock. Just so there isn't any questions, the entire team is behind this. And it's especially important to keep in mind in the last two months of what has been a frustrating season.