Brad Swanson

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the two Luis Castillo trades this week. It's a bit long, but there were two trades, SO GIVE ME A BREAK. Here it is, enjoy. There was blood in the water. A.J. Pierzynski was still warm. The Twins had just turned one soon-to-be-expensive player into three shiny new parts, each carrying a much smaller price tag. The Twins were carrying a seven-figure pitcher who was going to get even more expensive. Why not swap him for a couple shiny new parts as well? The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Eric Milton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Silva, Nick Punto, and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky). Silva immediately joined the Twins rotation and had a successful 2004 season, winning 14 games. He would then set the Twins single-season BB/9 record in 2005, while posting a 3.44 ERA in 27 starts. He kind of ballooned from there, but the Twins wisely let him leave as a free agent after the 2007 season. Punto was a mythical figure in Minnesota. Some loved him, others hated him. Punto was both an inexpensive and productive utility player and an expensive, miscast starter, often going back and forth between the two. Korecky was just a throw-in who threw 17.2 innings for the Twins in 2008. Milton was nothing special to begin with and never posted an above-average ERA+ for the remainder of his career. He did lead the league in home runs allowed in 2004 and 2005. The Phillies let Milton walk after the 2004 season and the Cincinnati Reds signed him to an insane three-year deal worth about $25 million. How did I feel at the time? Eric Milton: not a fan. I didn't like him very much, so I wasn't hurt when the Twins sent him away. Plus, I was still reeling from the All-Star A.J. trade. I had dyed my hair purple, was wearing nose gauges and really, really tight pants. Like, super tight pants. It was a time of turmoil. I hardly even let the Milton trade register. I was too jaded. Why make the trade? Sadly, as is true with so many Twins trades, this trade was money-related, according to this story from ESPN.com: "By trading Milton, the Twins are trying to make room to re-sign their top two free agents, All-Star closer Eddie Guardado and outfielder Shannon Stewart. General manager Terry Ryan added that it gives Minnesota more flexibility to go after other players. 'It gives us the ability to at least pursue that," Ryan said. "You've got to give up something to get something.'" This was back in the Metrodome days, so the payroll wasn't massive like it is now. Wait, forget I said that. However, the Twins were working with a budget and they did have to give to get. In this case, they gave the right piece. Silva and Stewart were productive the following year. However, the Twins were not able to re-sign Guardado, as he left for Seattle. However, they had just traded for Joe Nathan, so that worked out well. The Phillies thought they had hit the jackpot. Trade a spot starter and a utility guy for a quality lefty? Sign them up! "Eric is a quality left-handed starter who will definitely be a plus for us in 2004," Wade said. "Our scouts, particularly Gordon Lakey and Charlie Manuel, really like this guy. We like the thought of having two left-handed starters near the top of the rotation." Randy Wolf was the other "top of the rotation" lefty on the Phillies. Wolf was the only starter on the 2004 Phillies with an ERA+ over 100, at 105. Milton did give the Phillies 34 mediocre starts though. Here's why they needed him: "The Phillies have been seeking another starter for the top of their rotation since Kevin Millwood filed for free agency last month. Philadelphia was interested in Curt Schilling, but the right-hander went to Boston in a trade with Arizona last week." Missing out on Schilling was soothed with Eric Milton. Eric Milton: soothing ointment! Milton was happy: "I'm happy for the opportunity. I'm glad the Phillies wanted me this badly," Milton said. "I'm just going to come there and try to win." Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eric, no one said anything about wanting you that badly. They traded Carlos Silva and Nick Punto to get you, so settle down a hair. He did win 14 games and the Phillies were so enamored that they let him walk at the end of the season. It sounds like I'm being overly critical of Eric Milton, which might be a bit unfair. I just wonder how much love he'd get if he had just been an average to below-average right-hander? "He's a very good pitcher, a classic left-hander," said Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who saw Milton in the American League and who was with him on the 2000 Japan All-Star tour. "Eric has a solid, clean delivery with good arm speed and a very good change-up. He's quality." The degree of quality is up to you to determine. The 2000 Japan All-Star tour was epic, and thus, hard to shake from your memory. I don't blame Kerrigan. Analysis This was a sneaky great trade for the Twins. Milton was declining and getting to be outrageously expensive. Silva and Punto weren't stars, but each provided cheap value for good Twins teams. This is the kind of unsung deal that Terry Ryan doesn't get proper credit for. He turned an overpaid, overrated starting pitcher into a younger starter who was actually better and a super utility guy who while frustrating, was often productive. This trade also proves that a team doesn't always need to acquire hot prospects to make a good deal. Silva wasn't a great pitcher, but the Twins got a couple productive seasons out of him and cut bait before investing too much into him. Plus, one of my friends in high school called him Car-lose Silva, which made great sense in his later days. Punto likely should have never been a starting player. He was more of a guy who could move around the infield, giving guys days off when they need them, all the while providing excellent defense wherever he was needed. When the Twins signed him to that 2 year, $8 million dollar contract, the perception of Punto as a player got turned on its head. He didn't merit that deal, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a nice player for a lot of years. Who won the WAR? Milton for the Phillies: 1.4 WAR Silva for the Twins: 9.0 WAR Punto for the Twins: 10.2 WAR Korecky for the Twins: 0.2 WAR WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Nick Punto was not the anti-Christ and Carlos Silva looked like a pirate; easily enough value for soothing Eric Milton.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the two Luis Castillo trades this week. It's a bit long, but there were two trades, SO GIVE ME A BREAK. Here it is, enjoy. There was blood in the water. A.J. Pierzynski was still warm. The Twins had just turned one soon-to-be-expensive player into three shiny new parts, each carrying a much smaller price tag. The Twins were carrying a seven-figure pitcher who was going to get even more expensive. Why not swap him for a couple shiny new parts as well? The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Eric Milton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Silva, Nick Punto, and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky). Silva immediately joined the Twins rotation and had a successful 2004 season, winning 14 games. He would then set the Twins single-season BB/9 record in 2005, while posting a 3.44 ERA in 27 starts. He kind of ballooned from there, but the Twins wisely let him leave as a free agent after the 2007 season. Punto was a mythical figure in Minnesota. Some loved him, others hated him. Punto was both an inexpensive and productive utility player and an expensive, miscast starter, often going back and forth between the two. Korecky was just a throw-in who threw 17.2 innings for the Twins in 2008. Milton was nothing special to begin with and never posted an above-average ERA+ for the remainder of his career. He did lead the league in home runs allowed in 2004 and 2005. The Phillies let Milton walk after the 2004 season and the Cincinnati Reds signed him to an insane three-year deal worth about $25 million. How did I feel at the time? Eric Milton: not a fan. I didn't like him very much, so I wasn't hurt when the Twins sent him away. Plus, I was still reeling from the All-Star A.J. trade. I had dyed my hair purple, was wearing nose gauges and really, really tight pants. Like, super tight pants. It was a time of turmoil. I hardly even let the Milton trade register. I was too jaded. Why make the trade? Sadly, as is true with so many Twins trades, this trade was money-related, according to this story from ESPN.com: "By trading Milton, the Twins are trying to make room to re-sign their top two free agents, All-Star closer Eddie Guardado and outfielder Shannon Stewart. General manager Terry Ryan added that it gives Minnesota more flexibility to go after other players. 'It gives us the ability to at least pursue that," Ryan said. "You've got to give up something to get something.'" This was back in the Metrodome days, so the payroll wasn't massive like it is now. Wait, forget I said that. However, the Twins were working with a budget and they did have to give to get. In this case, they gave the right piece. Silva and Stewart were productive the following year. However, the Twins were not able to re-sign Guardado, as he left for Seattle. However, they had just traded for Joe Nathan, so that worked out well. The Phillies thought they had hit the jackpot. Trade a spot starter and a utility guy for a quality lefty? Sign them up! "Eric is a quality left-handed starter who will definitely be a plus for us in 2004," Wade said. "Our scouts, particularly Gordon Lakey and Charlie Manuel, really like this guy. We like the thought of having two left-handed starters near the top of the rotation." Randy Wolf was the other "top of the rotation" lefty on the Phillies. Wolf was the only starter on the 2004 Phillies with an ERA+ over 100, at 105. Milton did give the Phillies 34 mediocre starts though. Here's why they needed him: "The Phillies have been seeking another starter for the top of their rotation since Kevin Millwood filed for free agency last month. Philadelphia was interested in Curt Schilling, but the right-hander went to Boston in a trade with Arizona last week." Missing out on Schilling was soothed with Eric Milton. Eric Milton: soothing ointment! Milton was happy: "I'm happy for the opportunity. I'm glad the Phillies wanted me this badly," Milton said. "I'm just going to come there and try to win." Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eric, no one said anything about wanting you that badly. They traded Carlos Silva and Nick Punto to get you, so settle down a hair. He did win 14 games and the Phillies were so enamored that they let him walk at the end of the season. It sounds like I'm being overly critical of Eric Milton, which might be a bit unfair. I just wonder how much love he'd get if he had just been an average to below-average right-hander? "He's a very good pitcher, a classic left-hander," said Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who saw Milton in the American League and who was with him on the 2000 Japan All-Star tour. "Eric has a solid, clean delivery with good arm speed and a very good change-up. He's quality." The degree of quality is up to you to determine. The 2000 Japan All-Star tour was epic, and thus, hard to shake from your memory. I don't blame Kerrigan. Analysis This was a sneaky great trade for the Twins. Milton was declining and getting to be outrageously expensive. Silva and Punto weren't stars, but each provided cheap value for good Twins teams. This is the kind of unsung deal that Terry Ryan doesn't get proper credit for. He turned an overpaid, overrated starting pitcher into a younger starter who was actually better and a super utility guy who while frustrating, was often productive. This trade also proves that a team doesn't always need to acquire hot prospects to make a good deal. Silva wasn't a great pitcher, but the Twins got a couple productive seasons out of him and cut bait before investing too much into him. Plus, one of my friends in high school called him Car-lose Silva, which made great sense in his later days. Punto likely should have never been a starting player. He was more of a guy who could move around the infield, giving guys days off when they need them, all the while providing excellent defense wherever he was needed. When the Twins signed him to that 2 year, $8 million dollar contract, the perception of Punto as a player got turned on its head. He didn't merit that deal, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a nice player for a lot of years. Who won the WAR? Milton for the Phillies: 1.4 WAR Silva for the Twins: 9.0 WAR Punto for the Twins: 10.2 WAR Korecky for the Twins: 0.2 WAR WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Nick Punto was not the anti-Christ and Carlos Silva looked like a pirate; easily enough value for soothing Eric Milton.

[I]Originally posted at [URL="http://smartpitcher.blogspot.com"]Kevin Slowey was Framed![/URL] [/I]So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have started the second half with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gardero01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Ron Gardenhire[/URL][/B] who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. [B]Mauer's Twins[/B] I've read a few anti-[B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mauerjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Joe Mauer[/URL][/B] sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. [B]Sano's pimpin'[/B] This [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=sano--001mig&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Miguel Sano[/URL][/B] saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. [B]Deduno's dealin'[/B] Apparently [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dedunsa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Sam Deduno[/URL][/B] is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/1272-minnesota-twins-roster-payroll-2013.html"][B]My list[/B][/URL] I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: [B]Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches[/B] If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted [B][URL="http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/7/19/4536080/ceremonial-first-pitches-alice-cooper-spongebob-slash-fic"]this piece[/URL][/B] about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! [B]Fun Chart - Bases Empty[/B] Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE="class: grid, width: 444"] [TR] [TD][B]Player[/B][/TD] [TD][B]Total PA[/B][/TD] [TD][B]PA w/ Bases Empty[/B][/TD] [TD][B]% of Empty PA[/B][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carroja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Jamey Carroll[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]173 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]115 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]66.47% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomacl02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Clete Thomas[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]158 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]101 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]63.92% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doziebr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Brian Dozier[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]361 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]223 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]61.77% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/escobed01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Eduardo Escobar[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]143 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]88 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]61.54% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Joe Mauer[/TD] [TD][RIGHT]420 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]255 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]60.71% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/parmech01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Chris Parmelee[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]274 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]160 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]58.39% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arciaos01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Oswaldo Arcia[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]224 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]125 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]55.80% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hicksaa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Aaron Hicks[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]298 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]164 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]55.03% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/floripe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Pedro Florimon[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]287 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]156 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]54.36% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/plouftr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Trevor Plouffe[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]294 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]159 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]54.08% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willijo03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Josh Willingham[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]298 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]145 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]48.66% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doumiry01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Ryan Doumit[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]364 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]173 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]47.53% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morneju01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Justin Morneau[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]407 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]187 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]45.95% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. [B]Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base?[/B] If you didn't see the [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hudsoti01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Tim Hudson[/URL][/B] injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. [B]KWL - [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/buterdr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Drew Butera[/URL][/B][/B] Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. [URL="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s1600/KWL+Butera.png"][IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png[/IMG][/URL] [B]Link to Something I wrote - Alf[/B] So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just as stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, [B][URL="http://smartpitcher.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-career-of-baseball-memories-remembered.html"]here's the link[/URL][/B] and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. [B]Parting Thought[/B] The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pelfrmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Mike Pelfrey[/URL][/B] can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone! View full article

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have exited the All-Star break with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed Ron Gardenhire who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. Mauer's Twins I've read a few anti-Joe Mauer sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days. I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. Sano's pimpin' This Miguel Sano saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room-cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. Deduno's dealin' Apparently Sam Deduno is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a lot closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all of his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: My list I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted this piece about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! Fun Chart - Bases Empty Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 444] Player Total PA PA w/ Bases Empty % of Empty PA Jamey Carroll 173 115 66.47% Clete Thomas 158 101 63.92% Brian Dozier 361 223 61.77% Eduardo Escobar 143 88 61.54% Joe Mauer 420 255 60.71% Chris Parmelee 274 160 58.39% Oswaldo Arcia 224 125 55.80% Aaron Hicks 298 164 55.03% Pedro Florimon 287 156 54.36% Trevor Plouffe 294 159 54.08% Josh Willingham 298 145 48.66% Ryan Doumit 364 173 47.53% Justin Morneau 407 187 45.95% [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base? If you didn't see the Tim Hudson injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. KWL - Drew Butera Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png Link to Something I wrote - Alf So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, here's the link and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. Parting Thought The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and Mike Pelfrey can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have exited the All-Star break with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed Ron Gardenhire who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. Mauer's Twins I've read a few anti-Joe Mauer sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days. I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. Sano's pimpin' This Miguel Sano saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room-cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. Deduno's dealin' Apparently Sam Deduno is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a lot closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all of his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: My list I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted this piece about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! Fun Chart - Bases Empty Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 444] Player Total PA PA w/ Bases Empty % of Empty PA Jamey Carroll 173 115 66.47% Clete Thomas 158 101 63.92% Brian Dozier 361 223 61.77% Eduardo Escobar 143 88 61.54% Joe Mauer 420 255 60.71% Chris Parmelee 274 160 58.39% Oswaldo Arcia 224 125 55.80% Aaron Hicks 298 164 55.03% Pedro Florimon 287 156 54.36% Trevor Plouffe 294 159 54.08% Josh Willingham 298 145 48.66% Ryan Doumit 364 173 47.53% Justin Morneau 407 187 45.95% [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base? If you didn't see the Tim Hudson injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. KWL - Drew Butera Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png Link to Something I wrote - Alf So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, here's the link and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. Parting Thought The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and Mike Pelfrey can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also reviewed the Dave Gassner trade, which you probably remember because Shannon Stewart and Bobby Kielty were involved. You can read it here. The 2004 season marked two important Twins milestones. First, the team was coming off of playoff runs in consecutive seasons for the first time in over thirty years. Second, the Baby Jesus, Joe Mauer was primed for his MLB debut. As a result of the second milestone, the Twins were looking to unload a popular, but expendable catcher, seemingly entering his prime. The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. Nathan immediately became the Twins closer and a dominant closer to boot. He would save 260 games over seven seasons with the Twins, posting a 2.16 ERA and 0.956 WHIP. Liriano made his MLB debut in 2005, but really made waves in a thrilling 2006 season. He threw 121 innings, striking out 144 batters and posting a 2.16 ERA before succumbing to Tommy John surgery. He was never quite the same, but did post a very good 2010 season with the Twins. Bonser spent parts of three seasons with the Twins, finishing with a 5.12 ERA in just under 400 innings. Pierzynski had a disappointing 2004 season with the Giants, clashing with teammates and posting a mediocre 86 OPS+. He was released at the end of the season and signed by the White Sox, where he played for the next eight seasons. How did I feel at the time? I wasn't super happy, but I wasn't super upset either. I had taken to referring to Pierzynski as "All-Star A.J." because he made the All-Star team and I am super creative. I was also very aware that Joe Mauer was going to be with the Twins the following season and an expensive backup like Pierzynski wasn't a luxury the Twins would be willing to afford. Plus, getting three players for one seems like a good idea. It's literally three times the players. Why make the trade? "It's one of those things that was eventually going to happen," Pierzynski said, reached on a golf course in Hawaii. "I was one of the first guys people had talked about. And they've got the guy coming behind me." That quote is from an AP story I found in an ESPN archive. It's passive-aggressive enough, but not too disparaging. You know for a fact that he knew Mauer's name. However, it does perfectly explain why this trade made sense for the two teams. "That's all part of the reasons we decided to make this trade," general manager Terry Ryan said. "We're dealing from a position of strength. We've got some talent at catching come up and some financial concerns, as far as making sure the pieces fit." Again, "some talent" is Joe Mauer. Plus, Pierzynski was due salary arbitration and was set to make a huge raise. In fact, he went from $365,000 in 2003 to $3.5 million in 2004. That is not an insignificant number, considering Pierzynski would have likely split time with Mauer, and possibly even backed him up. This MLB.com story gives some great quotes about the players the Twins were acquiring. On Nathan: "He's got a good arm and gets people out," Ryan said. "He had a good year with the Giants and he's playoff tested." "He's a stud," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everything I've heard is he's a horse with a great arm. He should be a big part of our bullpen." Like me, you're probably wondering if the Twins petitioned the league to allow a horse to pitch. Gardy was speaking figuratively. We all learned how playoff tested Nathan really was, right Alex Rodriguez? Ouch. That was cold. On Bonser, considered at that time to be a better prospect due to his closer proximity to the Majors: "He's a young right-handed pitcher with a good arm and good stuff," Ryan said. "We think he's got the strength and stamina to be a future starter in the big leagues." The stamina part was either wrong or a mean, sarcastic joke. He did have a fun name. On Liriano, the wild horse (figurative horse again): "The left-hander has an excellent arm," Ryan said. "We've got a good look at him in the instructional league and we liked what we saw." I'd say! It's borderline remarkable that they plucked a 20-year-old Liriano out of A ball and he made the impact that he did. From the Giants' perspective, this trade was logical: "While it didn't come up easy to give up Joe, we feel we've got some alternatives within the organization," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said. "It's not often you can send a right-handed reliever and two unproven prospects for a front-line, All-Star catcher." On paper, that does make a lot of sense. The players involved just didn't line up that way. Here's what Kyle Lohse thinks about the whole thing, if you care: "I like him. He did just about anything you could to get a win," starting pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "He called a great game for me. It's kind of sad. It makes you wonder who else they'll keep and who they won't try to sign. It'll be pretty interesting." No one effing cares what you think, Kyle Lohse. Sit down and shave that ridiculous soul patch. And of course, A.J. did manage a slight dig on his way out: "It's outside, so that'll be very nice," he said. "Playing in the Metrodome all these years gets kind of old and kind of stale." Boom! Roasted. Analysis I'm quite certain the Twins are happy with how this trade worked out. Pierzynski's a nice player, but he's no Joe Mauer. In addition, adding Joe Nathan stabilized the bullpen for about a million years. Honestly, if Mariano Rivera didn't exist, it's possible that Nathan would be considered the best closer of this generation. Liriano never fully reached his potential in Minnesota, but fans will never forget his rookie season when he set the Metrodome ablaze and dominated with that ridiculous slider. Boof is a silly name, which we all look back at fondly. The Giants would probably like a couple do-overs when it comes to this trade. First, they would probably not make it at all. Second, since they actually made the trade, they probably would not have released Pierzynski after one season. He was not great in 2004, but then, he wasn't that much better from 2005-2011. He never posted an above-average OPS+ during that time. In fact, he didn't have an above-average offensive season until 2012, when he posted a career-high 119 OPS+ at age 35. The perception of Pierzynski as a player was quite different with Chicago. He was a pain, but he was a productive and wily pain. It's amazing what a punch to the jaw and a terrible call from an ump can do to change a player's perception. Who won the WAR? Pierzynski for the Giants: 0.3 Nathan for the Twins: 18.4 Liriano for the Twins: 9.5 Bonser for the Twins: -0.3 WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Widely considered one of the best trades in Twins' history, this trade ultimately netted the Twins arguably their best closer of all-time, one extremely talented and frustrating pitcher and a guy named Boof.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also reviewed the Dave Gassner trade, which you probably remember because Shannon Stewart and Bobby Kielty were involved. You can read it here. The 2004 season marked two important Twins milestones. First, the team was coming off of playoff runs in consecutive seasons for the first time in over thirty years. Second, the Baby Jesus, Joe Mauer was primed for his MLB debut. As a result of the second milestone, the Twins were looking to unload a popular, but expendable catcher, seemingly entering his prime. The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. Nathan immediately became the Twins closer and a dominant closer to boot. He would save 260 games over seven seasons with the Twins, posting a 2.16 ERA and 0.956 WHIP. Liriano made his MLB debut in 2005, but really made waves in a thrilling 2006 season. He threw 121 innings, striking out 144 batters and posting a 2.16 ERA before succumbing to Tommy John surgery. He was never quite the same, but did post a very good 2010 season with the Twins. Bonser spent parts of three seasons with the Twins, finishing with a 5.12 ERA in just under 400 innings. Pierzynski had a disappointing 2004 season with the Giants, clashing with teammates and posting a mediocre 86 OPS+. He was released at the end of the season and signed by the White Sox, where he played for the next eight seasons. How did I feel at the time? I wasn't super happy, but I wasn't super upset either. I had taken to referring to Pierzynski as "All-Star A.J." because he made the All-Star team and I am super creative. I was also very aware that Joe Mauer was going to be with the Twins the following season and an expensive backup like Pierzynski wasn't a luxury the Twins would be willing to afford. Plus, getting three players for one seems like a good idea. It's literally three times the players. Why make the trade? "It's one of those things that was eventually going to happen," Pierzynski said, reached on a golf course in Hawaii. "I was one of the first guys people had talked about. And they've got the guy coming behind me." That quote is from an AP story I found in an ESPN archive. It's passive-aggressive enough, but not too disparaging. You know for a fact that he knew Mauer's name. However, it does perfectly explain why this trade made sense for the two teams. "That's all part of the reasons we decided to make this trade," general manager Terry Ryan said. "We're dealing from a position of strength. We've got some talent at catching come up and some financial concerns, as far as making sure the pieces fit." Again, "some talent" is Joe Mauer. Plus, Pierzynski was due salary arbitration and was set to make a huge raise. In fact, he went from $365,000 in 2003 to $3.5 million in 2004. That is not an insignificant number, considering Pierzynski would have likely split time with Mauer, and possibly even backed him up. This MLB.com story gives some great quotes about the players the Twins were acquiring. On Nathan: "He's got a good arm and gets people out," Ryan said. "He had a good year with the Giants and he's playoff tested." "He's a stud," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everything I've heard is he's a horse with a great arm. He should be a big part of our bullpen." Like me, you're probably wondering if the Twins petitioned the league to allow a horse to pitch. Gardy was speaking figuratively. We all learned how playoff tested Nathan really was, right Alex Rodriguez? Ouch. That was cold. On Bonser, considered at that time to be a better prospect due to his closer proximity to the Majors: "He's a young right-handed pitcher with a good arm and good stuff," Ryan said. "We think he's got the strength and stamina to be a future starter in the big leagues." The stamina part was either wrong or a mean, sarcastic joke. He did have a fun name. On Liriano, the wild horse (figurative horse again): "The left-hander has an excellent arm," Ryan said. "We've got a good look at him in the instructional league and we liked what we saw." I'd say! It's borderline remarkable that they plucked a 20-year-old Liriano out of A ball and he made the impact that he did. From the Giants' perspective, this trade was logical: "While it didn't come up easy to give up Joe, we feel we've got some alternatives within the organization," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said. "It's not often you can send a right-handed reliever and two unproven prospects for a front-line, All-Star catcher." On paper, that does make a lot of sense. The players involved just didn't line up that way. Here's what Kyle Lohse thinks about the whole thing, if you care: "I like him. He did just about anything you could to get a win," starting pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "He called a great game for me. It's kind of sad. It makes you wonder who else they'll keep and who they won't try to sign. It'll be pretty interesting." No one effing cares what you think, Kyle Lohse. Sit down and shave that ridiculous soul patch. And of course, A.J. did manage a slight dig on his way out: "It's outside, so that'll be very nice," he said. "Playing in the Metrodome all these years gets kind of old and kind of stale." Boom! Roasted. Analysis I'm quite certain the Twins are happy with how this trade worked out. Pierzynski's a nice player, but he's no Joe Mauer. In addition, adding Joe Nathan stabilized the bullpen for about a million years. Honestly, if Mariano Rivera didn't exist, it's possible that Nathan would be considered the best closer of this generation. Liriano never fully reached his potential in Minnesota, but fans will never forget his rookie season when he set the Metrodome ablaze and dominated with that ridiculous slider. Boof is a silly name, which we all look back at fondly. The Giants would probably like a couple do-overs when it comes to this trade. First, they would probably not make it at all. Second, since they actually made the trade, they probably would not have released Pierzynski after one season. He was not great in 2004, but then, he wasn't that much better from 2005-2011. He never posted an above-average OPS+ during that time. In fact, he didn't have an above-average offensive season until 2012, when he posted a career-high 119 OPS+ at age 35. The perception of Pierzynski as a player was quite different with Chicago. He was a pain, but he was a productive and wily pain. It's amazing what a punch to the jaw and a terrible call from an ump can do to change a player's perception. Who won the WAR? Pierzynski for the Giants: 0.3 Nathan for the Twins: 18.4 Liriano for the Twins: 9.5 Bonser for the Twins: -0.3 WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Widely considered one of the best trades in Twins' history, this trade ultimately netted the Twins arguably their best closer of all-time, one extremely talented and frustrating pitcher and a guy named Boof.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! The Twins are on fire. They have won back-to-back series for the first time since late May/early June. In doing so, they have put a little cushion between themselves and the last place White Sox. The Twins really capitalized on the Indians' pathetic defense (most notably Lonnie Chisenhall, who I feel very sorry for at this point) and won two of three games over the weekend. Winning four out of six games is a major accomplishment with this roster. All this forced positivity is exhausting. Don't trade Morneau? Wally Fish of Puckett's Pond wrote a really great piece pleading with the Twins to keep Justin Morneau. I certainly appreciate that point of view, but I do not agree with it. I made a chart of where Morneau ranks in some of the more important basic and advanced stats, among qualifying 1st baseman (29 total): [TABLE=class: grid, width: 576] [/TD][TD]Avg OBP SLG HR RBI wOBA wRC+ fWAR Morneau 0.276 0.334 0.409 7 52 0.325 104 0.7 1st Rank 11 16 26 29 14 26 27 20 [/TABLE] This chart does not support keeping Morneau at any price near what he makes this season. Of course, almost everyone would agree with that. There are really only three reasons to sign Morneau beyond this season: Popularity - the fans love him. Low payroll - might as well spend money somewhere Best they can do - who would replace him? Personally, I think those are all terrible reasons to keep a relatively unproductive player on the roster. I'm an emotionless robot, so I have no time for sentimentality. In addition, I hate spending money just to spend money and I hate the idea that the organization can't find someone better. Lyle Overbay has been roughly the same player as Morneau this season, and he makes $1.25 million. I don't care about keeping the payroll low to layer the owners' pockets, but I also don't like the idea of throwing money away on an average player, just because he's been here for a long time. According to Fangraphs, Morneau has been worth about $3.6 million this season and was worth $1.2 million last season. If the Twins can sign him to a reasonable contract, say 2 years, $14 million, then sure, go ahead. A longer or more lucrative contract is a waste of money. Don't trade Perkins! I am going to get emotional about Glen Perkins. I love to watch him pitch. He's one of the few things I enjoy about this team, especially now that Aaron Hicks is back on the strikeout train. The at-bat Carlos Santana had against him on Saturday night was amazing. It's important to mention that Santana has great plate discipline. Anyway, Perkins got ahead of him and then tried to finish him off with two straight sliders down-and-in. Santana laid off, but I'm not sure many other hitters would have. Those pitches ran the count full. At which point, I'd like to think Perkins just thought to himself "F it, I'm blowing him away." He rifled a 97 MPH fastball at Santana's eyes and he couldn't resist. It was fantastic. If the Twins are offered a top 50 prospect or a productive young MLB player for Perkins, I guess they would have to take it. I'd be sad, but I'd move on. I'd become a fan of his new team too. Plouffe batting 2nd? Right now, the Twins lineup means next to nothing. The team is generally pretty bad and regardless of how you order this lineup, they won't score many runs. However, Trevor Plouffe is second on the team in slugging and his on-base percentage isn't very special at .320. Wouldn't it make more sense to move Plouffe to the clean-up spot and Justin Morneau up to the second spot? Morneau has a slightly higher OBP and a lower SLG. Eh, it wouldn't matter; who cares? Ideally, the Twins would just bat Joe Mauer in all nine positions. Wait. (Movie idea: baseball team only plays best player, uses series of masks to make it work; hijinks) Ok, I'm back. Jason Kipnis You know what would be great? If Eddie Rosario becomes Jason Kipnis. That guy is a player. Time for Madness... Animation! Guess who learned how to make simple animations this weekend? http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aXQy1vhenU/UexFN7vIKNI/AAAAAAAAAz0/vE8J2RXlpko/s320/foxsportswaynegirls_a.gif I promise to only use this power for good: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPnK5IbJ1Mk/UexFUDvagVI/AAAAAAAAAz8/plqUyR8ZJY4/s320/correiadance.gif See? Fun Stat! The lowest slugging percentage in July from a player in Twins' history (minimum 50 PA)? Alexi Casilla back in 2009. He posted a robust .163 SLG that July, but he did produce one double. Star wipe to 2013 where Clete Thomas has a .146 SLG and zero extra-base hits. If he can maintain that awesome rate, he'll be the new record holder! I've said it once and I'll say it again: Clete Thomas looks great in a Rochester Red Wings uniform. Baseball Card from the past/Upcoming post http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0VVFewBR1s/UexE05kwIGI/AAAAAAAAAzs/i_YaEkojcqs/s1600/1987alf.jpg We all remember Alf's illustrious career with the Dodgers. However, we don't remember the journey that he took to get there. Later this week, I'll be chronicling his meteoric rise, sudden fall, and late resurgence. Check out my blog later this week for more. Former Twin Update - Jose Mijares In 33.1 innings with the Giants, Mijares has struck out 38, walked 10, eaten 65 pork chops and has a 2.43 ERA. His BABIP is .357, so it's possible that he's actually been better than that sparkling ERA. Mijares was hardly popular in Minnesota, but he had his moments. This is probably the best he's ever pitched. Way to go, Terry Ryan. 3 Things about Casey Fien! http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbwO2fvyiiY/UexEtgVDUmI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZJf-WcjyOYQ/s320/3+fiens.PNG Last weekend, I wrote in my phone "screen grab Fien 3 things from Sunday - bottom 7, first batter" and now I'm not sure why. Take a look at the photo and try to let me know what I was thinking. It might have actually been Swarzak-related, in which case I was probably going to make a Bigfoot joke. Not sure. LMK. Link to something I wrote Last week, I reflected on the AL and NL award predictions that I made back in March. I changed everything! It was wild. You can find these literary masterpieces here: American League National League Have fun. Responsibly. Parting Poem - Goodbye Justin Oh Juuuuuuuuustin You are so great Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuustin You were MVP Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin You will be missed Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin Thanks for the prospect Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin Have a nice week, everyone!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! The Twins are on fire. They have won back-to-back series for the first time since late May/early June. In doing so, they have put a little cushion between themselves and the last place White Sox. The Twins really capitalized on the Indians' pathetic defense (most notably Lonnie Chisenhall, who I feel very sorry for at this point) and won two of three games over the weekend. Winning four out of six games is a major accomplishment with this roster. All this forced positivity is exhausting. Don't trade Morneau? Wally Fish of Puckett's Pond wrote a really great piece pleading with the Twins to keep Justin Morneau. I certainly appreciate that point of view, but I do not agree with it. I made a chart of where Morneau ranks in some of the more important basic and advanced stats, among qualifying 1st baseman (29 total): [TABLE=class: grid, width: 576] [/TD][TD]Avg OBP SLG HR RBI wOBA wRC+ fWAR Morneau 0.276 0.334 0.409 7 52 0.325 104 0.7 1st Rank 11 16 26 29 14 26 27 20 [/TABLE] This chart does not support keeping Morneau at any price near what he makes this season. Of course, almost everyone would agree with that. There are really only three reasons to sign Morneau beyond this season: Popularity - the fans love him. Low payroll - might as well spend money somewhere Best they can do - who would replace him? Personally, I think those are all terrible reasons to keep a relatively unproductive player on the roster. I'm an emotionless robot, so I have no time for sentimentality. In addition, I hate spending money just to spend money and I hate the idea that the organization can't find someone better. Lyle Overbay has been roughly the same player as Morneau this season, and he makes $1.25 million. I don't care about keeping the payroll low to layer the owners' pockets, but I also don't like the idea of throwing money away on an average player, just because he's been here for a long time. According to Fangraphs, Morneau has been worth about $3.6 million this season and was worth $1.2 million last season. If the Twins can sign him to a reasonable contract, say 2 years, $14 million, then sure, go ahead. A longer or more lucrative contract is a waste of money. Don't trade Perkins! I am going to get emotional about Glen Perkins. I love to watch him pitch. He's one of the few things I enjoy about this team, especially now that Aaron Hicks is back on the strikeout train. The at-bat Carlos Santana had against him on Saturday night was amazing. It's important to mention that Santana has great plate discipline. Anyway, Perkins got ahead of him and then tried to finish him off with two straight sliders down-and-in. Santana laid off, but I'm not sure many other hitters would have. Those pitches ran the count full. At which point, I'd like to think Perkins just thought to himself "F it, I'm blowing him away." He rifled a 97 MPH fastball at Santana's eyes and he couldn't resist. It was fantastic. If the Twins are offered a top 50 prospect or a productive young MLB player for Perkins, I guess they would have to take it. I'd be sad, but I'd move on. I'd become a fan of his new team too. Plouffe batting 2nd? Right now, the Twins lineup means next to nothing. The team is generally pretty bad and regardless of how you order this lineup, they won't score many runs. However, Trevor Plouffe is second on the team in slugging and his on-base percentage isn't very special at .320. Wouldn't it make more sense to move Plouffe to the clean-up spot and Justin Morneau up to the second spot? Morneau has a slightly higher OBP and a lower SLG. Eh, it wouldn't matter; who cares? Ideally, the Twins would just bat Joe Mauer in all nine positions. Wait. (Movie idea: baseball team only plays best player, uses series of masks to make it work; hijinks) Ok, I'm back. Jason Kipnis You know what would be great? If Eddie Rosario becomes Jason Kipnis. That guy is a player. Time for Madness... Animation! Guess who learned how to make simple animations this weekend? http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aXQy1vhenU/UexFN7vIKNI/AAAAAAAAAz0/vE8J2RXlpko/s320/foxsportswaynegirls_a.gif I promise to only use this power for good: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPnK5IbJ1Mk/UexFUDvagVI/AAAAAAAAAz8/plqUyR8ZJY4/s320/correiadance.gif See? Fun Stat! The lowest slugging percentage in July from a player in Twins' history (minimum 50 PA)? Alexi Casilla back in 2009. He posted a robust .163 SLG that July, but he did produce one double. Star wipe to 2013 where Clete Thomas has a .146 SLG and zero extra-base hits. If he can maintain that awesome rate, he'll be the new record holder! I've said it once and I'll say it again: Clete Thomas looks great in a Rochester Red Wings uniform. Baseball Card from the past/Upcoming post http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0VVFewBR1s/UexE05kwIGI/AAAAAAAAAzs/i_YaEkojcqs/s1600/1987alf.jpg We all remember Alf's illustrious career with the Dodgers. However, we don't remember the journey that he took to get there. Later this week, I'll be chronicling his meteoric rise, sudden fall, and late resurgence. Check out my blog later this week for more. Former Twin Update - Jose Mijares In 33.1 innings with the Giants, Mijares has struck out 38, walked 10, eaten 65 pork chops and has a 2.43 ERA. His BABIP is .357, so it's possible that he's actually been better than that sparkling ERA. Mijares was hardly popular in Minnesota, but he had his moments. This is probably the best he's ever pitched. Way to go, Terry Ryan. 3 Things about Casey Fien! http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbwO2fvyiiY/UexEtgVDUmI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZJf-WcjyOYQ/s320/3+fiens.PNG Last weekend, I wrote in my phone "screen grab Fien 3 things from Sunday - bottom 7, first batter" and now I'm not sure why. Take a look at the photo and try to let me know what I was thinking. It might have actually been Swarzak-related, in which case I was probably going to make a Bigfoot joke. Not sure. LMK. Link to something I wrote Last week, I reflected on the AL and NL award predictions that I made back in March. I changed everything! It was wild. You can find these literary masterpieces here: American League National League Have fun. Responsibly. Parting Poem - Goodbye Justin Oh Juuuuuuuuustin You are so great Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuustin You were MVP Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin You will be missed Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin Thanks for the prospect Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin Have a nice week, everyone!

Probably a bad post-game buffet. His quotes are certainly interesting. He was clearly not happy to leave Detroit.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the Todd Walker or Butch Huskey trade, depending on who you ask. You can find it here. 2001 was the first season in what would become a nearly decade-long turnaround of the Twins' franchise. For the first time in ages, the Twins were in a position to buy at the trade deadline, rather than sell. This exciting season was about to get more exciting! Two separate trades signified that the Twins were going to finally do whatever it takes to give Twins fans a taste of the postseason. The Trades: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Mark Redman to the Detroit Tigers for Todd Jones. The Minnesota Twins traded Matt Lawton to the New York Mets for Rick Reed. Jones would spend just one half-season with the Twins. He only threw 19.1 innings and recorded just two saves. He would leave for Colorado as a free agent at the end of the season. Reed posted an ERA over five in 12 starts with the Twins in 2001. In 2002, Reed won 15 games for the Twins and posted a 3.78 ERA. He regressed in 2003, at the age of 38, and did not pitch another MLB game after that season. Redman was injured when traded, so he only started two games for the Tigers in 2001. In 2002, Redman threw over 200 innings and posted a nearly league-average 101 ERA+. Redman had his finest season in 2003, posting a 117 ERA+ in 190.2 innings for the World Champion Florida Marlins. Lawton posted a .246/.352/.366 triple slash in 48 games for the Mets in 2001. He was traded to the Indians that off-season, and had a couple more productive seasons with the Indians. He played his best baseball as a Twin. How did I feel at the time? It was cool, I have to say. I liked Matt Lawton, so I was sad to see him go. However, I was excited that the Twins were seemingly trying to win more games rather than save more money. Since these trades happened just two days apart, it was hard to separate them. The upgrade from Redman to Reed was significant, and I knew that. Jones was a welcome addition from me, as I hated the Twins bullpen at that time. LaTroy Hawkins was a train-wreck and Bob Wells is my all-time least favorite Twins player. Todd Jones was a proven closer, and I didn't know any better when I was 18. Why make these trades? The Jones trade came first. Terry Ryan clearly explained why he made this trade in this AP story I found on ESPN: "We need some immediate help," Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan said. "This is a situation where we have a chance to win and we want to take it. It's a good feeling to be on this side, looking to add rather than to subtract." It was a good feeling. The Twins were good. They weren't great, but they were good. They were just a game out of first place and adding a decent pitcher to the bullpen made a lot of sense. Redman was just 27 and was a former first-round pick. However, Ryan explains why he was expendable at that time: "Unfortunately, what he's going through now, he can't help us," Ryan said. "You've got to give him time to heal. It's too long for us to wait." It's a bit surreal to see this in print. The Twins putting the future aside at the expense of the present? It was not the M.O. of the front office prior to this season. In a way, this gives me hope for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, if the Twins can get things together a bit. Todd Jones didn't seem impressed with Mark Redman, according to this story from The Blade (awesome name): “I'm mad I wasn't able to bring the Tigers a little more in a trade,” Jones said yesterday after being dealt to the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Mark Redman. “That's my fault.” Hmm, good thing they weren't going to be teammates. Redman was quite a bit better than Jones the following year, so maybe Jones should have been more happy about the deal. Two days later, the Twins traded away Matt Lawton. Here's the rationale, from an AP story I found on CNNSI: "We're looking to stabilize our pitching staff," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "We've struggled since the break. We felt like Reed was the best available. If you're going to get pitching of his caliber you have to give up something." "He's savvy, he throws strikes, he's a veteran," Ryan said. "He's been through the postseason and the World Series." The rationale makes sense to me. The Twins had other outfielders, and were reportedly still trying to trade for Dmitri Young. The Twins didn't have enough pitching, so getting Reed and his veteran savvy was savvy in itself. The Mets were happy to add to their offense: "I think we have had enough pitching to keep us in the game but not nearly the offense," GM Steve Phillips said. "We need to address that. I understand the importance of pitching to winning, but if we don't score runs at a pace that allows the pitching to be rewarded, it doesn't matter." The Mets' offense was putrid. Only Mike Piazza posted an above-average season. Their outfield was Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton and Timo Perez. Yikes, that's gross. I'd definitely rather have Lawton than those dudes. Analysis Both of these trades made sense. The Twins' bullpen was poor. Eddie Guardado was good, but every other arm was poor. Tood Jones was not poor. A reliever really can't have a ton of impact in two months, but Jones certainly performed better than an injured Redman. Plus, adding Reed two days later pretty much negated any hole that Redman's departure could have possibly created. Reed wasn't The Franchise, but proved to be a solid starter the following season and an important piece on the Twins' first playoff team since their 1991 World Championship. Redman's loss was never really felt. His 109 ERA+ as a rookie in 2000 was promising, but he only eclipsed that number once in his career. I remember Lawton as a popular player. He had great on-base skills and was a decent power/speed player. He was also 29 and the Twins replaced him with Brian Buchanan, who posted a really solid .274/.342/.487 triple slash in 2001. Lawton's loss was probably felt more by the fans than the team. Who won the WAR? Jones for the Twins: 0.3 Redman for the Tigers: 2.7 WAR won by the Tigers! Reed for the Twins: 3.6 Lawton for the Mets: 0.3 WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary The Twins were on the verge of an eight-year stretch of good baseball, these trades didn't affect that a whole lot but signified a new direction for the Franchise.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the Todd Walker or Butch Huskey trade, depending on who you ask. You can find it here. 2001 was the first season in what would become a nearly decade-long turnaround of the Twins' franchise. For the first time in ages, the Twins were in a position to buy at the trade deadline, rather than sell. This exciting season was about to get more exciting! Two separate trades signified that the Twins were going to finally do whatever it takes to give Twins fans a taste of the postseason. The Trades: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Mark Redman to the Detroit Tigers for Todd Jones. The Minnesota Twins traded Matt Lawton to the New York Mets for Rick Reed. Jones would spend just one half-season with the Twins. He only threw 19.1 innings and recorded just two saves. He would leave for Colorado as a free agent at the end of the season. Reed posted an ERA over five in 12 starts with the Twins in 2001. In 2002, Reed won 15 games for the Twins and posted a 3.78 ERA. He regressed in 2003, at the age of 38, and did not pitch another MLB game after that season. Redman was injured when traded, so he only started two games for the Tigers in 2001. In 2002, Redman threw over 200 innings and posted a nearly league-average 101 ERA+. Redman had his finest season in 2003, posting a 117 ERA+ in 190.2 innings for the World Champion Florida Marlins. Lawton posted a .246/.352/.366 triple slash in 48 games for the Mets in 2001. He was traded to the Indians that off-season, and had a couple more productive seasons with the Indians. He played his best baseball as a Twin. How did I feel at the time? It was cool, I have to say. I liked Matt Lawton, so I was sad to see him go. However, I was excited that the Twins were seemingly trying to win more games rather than save more money. Since these trades happened just two days apart, it was hard to separate them. The upgrade from Redman to Reed was significant, and I knew that. Jones was a welcome addition from me, as I hated the Twins bullpen at that time. LaTroy Hawkins was a train-wreck and Bob Wells is my all-time least favorite Twins player. Todd Jones was a proven closer, and I didn't know any better when I was 18. Why make these trades? The Jones trade came first. Terry Ryan clearly explained why he made this trade in this AP story I found on ESPN: "We need some immediate help," Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan said. "This is a situation where we have a chance to win and we want to take it. It's a good feeling to be on this side, looking to add rather than to subtract." It was a good feeling. The Twins were good. They weren't great, but they were good. They were just a game out of first place and adding a decent pitcher to the bullpen made a lot of sense. Redman was just 27 and was a former first-round pick. However, Ryan explains why he was expendable at that time: "Unfortunately, what he's going through now, he can't help us," Ryan said. "You've got to give him time to heal. It's too long for us to wait." It's a bit surreal to see this in print. The Twins putting the future aside at the expense of the present? It was not the M.O. of the front office prior to this season. In a way, this gives me hope for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, if the Twins can get things together a bit. Todd Jones didn't seem impressed with Mark Redman, according to this story from The Blade (awesome name): “I'm mad I wasn't able to bring the Tigers a little more in a trade,” Jones said yesterday after being dealt to the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Mark Redman. “That's my fault.” Hmm, good thing they weren't going to be teammates. Redman was quite a bit better than Jones the following year, so maybe Jones should have been more happy about the deal. Two days later, the Twins traded away Matt Lawton. Here's the rationale, from an AP story I found on CNNSI: "We're looking to stabilize our pitching staff," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "We've struggled since the break. We felt like Reed was the best available. If you're going to get pitching of his caliber you have to give up something." "He's savvy, he throws strikes, he's a veteran," Ryan said. "He's been through the postseason and the World Series." The rationale makes sense to me. The Twins had other outfielders, and were reportedly still trying to trade for Dmitri Young. The Twins didn't have enough pitching, so getting Reed and his veteran savvy was savvy in itself. The Mets were happy to add to their offense: "I think we have had enough pitching to keep us in the game but not nearly the offense," GM Steve Phillips said. "We need to address that. I understand the importance of pitching to winning, but if we don't score runs at a pace that allows the pitching to be rewarded, it doesn't matter." The Mets' offense was putrid. Only Mike Piazza posted an above-average season. Their outfield was Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton and Timo Perez. Yikes, that's gross. I'd definitely rather have Lawton than those dudes. Analysis Both of these trades made sense. The Twins' bullpen was poor. Eddie Guardado was good, but every other arm was poor. Tood Jones was not poor. A reliever really can't have a ton of impact in two months, but Jones certainly performed better than an injured Redman. Plus, adding Reed two days later pretty much negated any hole that Redman's departure could have possibly created. Reed wasn't The Franchise, but proved to be a solid starter the following season and an important piece on the Twins' first playoff team since their 1991 World Championship. Redman's loss was never really felt. His 109 ERA+ as a rookie in 2000 was promising, but he only eclipsed that number once in his career. I remember Lawton as a popular player. He had great on-base skills and was a decent power/speed player. He was also 29 and the Twins replaced him with Brian Buchanan, who posted a really solid .274/.342/.487 triple slash in 2001. Lawton's loss was probably felt more by the fans than the team. Who won the WAR? Jones for the Twins: 0.3 Redman for the Tigers: 2.7 WAR won by the Tigers! Reed for the Twins: 3.6 Lawton for the Mets: 0.3 WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary The Twins were on the verge of an eight-year stretch of good baseball, these trades didn't affect that a whole lot but signified a new direction for the Franchise.

Nice breakdown! I remember that Jason Parks tweeted that he was unimpressed with Rosario's defense when he saw him earlier this summer. However, Rosario's bat is going to play somewhere, even if second base isn't in his ultimate future. Plus, he's athletic enough to make it work. I'm hopeful, but it's nice to know that he's a hitter no matter where you put him.

If you gave me a list of outcomes from this weekend's series with the Yankees, I would have ordered their likelihood as such: Yankees Sweep Yankees spontaneously combust; Yankee dust sweeps Twins Yankees win 2 of 3; Twins win game 2 because all Yankees oversleep Yankees win 2 of 3 fair and square Twins win 2 of 3 because all Yankees lock their keys in their cars Twins win 2 of 3 fair and square The universe ends abruptly Twins Sweep Of course, watching the Yankees yesterday, they suck. The Twins still took care of business and it was fun to watch the Yankees look like a Little League team for a magic Sunday. Here are a few more thoughts from the series: Brian Duensing A couple weeks ago, I posited that if Brian Duensing can't get lefties out, he has no value. Why is Duensing struggling? I looked at his splits versus lefties over the past four seasons: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] PA H% BA OBP SLG 2010 153 15.6 .161 .217 .239 2011 187 20.9 .217 .242 .280 2012 178 24.3 .250 .294 .384 2013 83 29.5 .303 .358 .400 [/TABLE] H% is the percentage of batted balls that went for hits. You can see that his four-year trend does not look great. His hit rate has climbed like... like, really tall stairs and his BA/OBP/SLG have climbed along side. However, here's another chart that tells a slightly different story: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] PA K% BB% K/BB xFIP BABIP 2010 153 22.2 4.6 4.86 3.13 .204 2011 187 20.3 3.2 6.33 2.89 .261 2012 178 15.7 5.1 3.11 4.04 .274 2013 83 24.4 6.1 4.00 2.63 .400 [/TABLE] Duensing's peripheral stats aren't quite as depressing. In fact, by xFIP, he is actually better against lefties than he has ever been. The increase in his walk rate would be troubling if the sample wasn't so small. His BABIP is sky high and his strikeout rate is higher than ever, so if he has been unlucky, there is no reason to think he can't return to an effective lefty specialist. However, if he is simply getting more hittable, then it might not matter how much his BABIP drops. Again, the sample is small. Roster Moves Oswaldo Arcia got a couple days off this weekend, and he needed them. It looked like he was trying to hit a home run every time up and he was yanking his head toward right field instead of watching the ball hit his bat. Then, he got optioned to AAA on Sunday. I can't say I hate the move, although I would rather see Arcia make adjustments while facing MLB pitching. I understand why the move was made though. I don't really get the Chris Parmelee demotion though. Perhaps Parmelee's time to get consistent at bats with the Twins has passed. He's clearly not in the current plans and he's lost playing time to Clete Thomas of all people. Now, it seems that Chris Herrmann and Chris Colabello are coming up and they should both get consistent playing time. Thus, there has to be an odd Chris out. Parmelee may never get a solid two months with the Twins ever. Things certainly seem to be pointing in that direction. I don't really care about Eduardo Escobar. Mostly because... I like Pedro Florimon I just like him. I know he really isn't a good hitter and he probably isn't a long-term solution at short, but I just like him. He plays great defense and makes some really spectacular plays. He also makes some really tough plays look really easy. He's quite streaky at the plate, but he can get some hits here and there. He's second to only Joe Mauer according to Fangraphs' WAR, so he clearly provides value. The Twins will likely look to upgrade at short in the coming seasons, but I wouldn't mind if Florimon is around for a bit longer. Enough love, time for Madness! Random Plug - Grant Brisbee is at it again Brisbee presents a series of images that show what errors look like. It's fantastic. If you read my blog, you probably have noticed that I try to create silly posts like these. However, Brisbee is on a completely different level of silliness and I can't match him. You should just go read/look at this article and have a good laugh. Photo Breakdown! - Oswaldo gets gum Lost in the shuffle of Michael Tonkin's successful debut was a quest for a specific piece of gum that was caught on camera in the background. Here's the proof: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yIGhsns5Jic/UeLhlLwCwMI/AAAAAAAAAyU/0vEGpKQGuXA/s320/arciagum1.PNG If you look, Arcia is pulling out massive quantities of gum. I find it unlikely that he will chew all of them. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSHdaqVy-c8/UeLhjAzZKAI/AAAAAAAAAyM/mZ1c4G81qps/s320/arciagumpoint5.PNG Now, he seems to be sorting through, likely looking for the flavor of his choice. I hope he finds it. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSy-eQRzORw/UeLhltzu-TI/AAAAAAAAAyc/IiZI-pOq_0c/s320/arciagum2.PNG It looks like he has, as he conscientiously puts the pieces that he will not chew back in the bucket for the next guy. What a dude! Poll Results! Which Twin is most likely to be traded this season? 36 votes Josh Willingham - 10 votes Kevin Correia - 6 votes Mike Pelfrey - 2 votes Ryan Doumit - 7 votes Justin Morneau - 11 votes Losing Morneau will be sad, but hopefully the Twins can bolster the Farm System at his expense. I would support trading all of these players, but I love to wheel and deal. I added a new poll, please vote when you have a moment. LOL FSNorth http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oS45_Jx58wU/UeLggXoUtNI/AAAAAAAAAyA/7QwgeLgJhi8/s320/lolfsnorth.PNG Hey FSN, what does Paul Goldschmidt look like? Who does he play for? HAHAHA! lol. It is an impressive list though. Link to Something Stupid I "wrote" Speaking of silliness, I created an all bird all-star team. I think there's some dignified subtlety and I hope you enjoy it. Can birds play baseball? You'll find out. Links to Something Good I read Twins Daily is dominating the trade deadline talk and speculation. Each MLB team will be featured and sleeper prospects and dream targets are discussed. You can find a new one each day on the front page. Twins Daily member Jorgenswest has also posted some great articles looking at what reasonable return would be for some of the Twins players who may be traded. He looked back at deals for similar players and analyzed the returns. If you didn't see these articles already, you should really check them out. The level of research is really helpful and impressive. He has written three as of when I am writing this: Brian Duensing Glen Perkins Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey Parting Chart - All Stars I realized that not only are Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins both from Minnesota, but they both graduated in 2001 as well. Guess who else graduated in 2001? That's right, I did. I played baseball when I was young too. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I remember playing against Perkins or Mauer or anything like that, but it's certainly possible. Anyway, I created this little chart that highlights our baseball accomplishments, as we will always be linked together in history. [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] Joe Mauer Glen Perkins Brad Swanson High School Cretin-Derham Hall HS Stillwater Area HS Mounds View HS Class of 2001 2001 2001 College None University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Position Catcher Closer Left Couch MLB Debut 4/5/2004 9/21/2006 4/1/2015 Salary 23 Million 2.5 Million Less than Mauer made yesterday Best Known For Humble Midwestern charm Twitter Presence Putting Twins player heads on bird bodies All-Star Selections Six One Zero Most Impressive Baseball Feat 2009 AL MVP Pitched for Team USA in 2013 World Baseball Classic Caught a spike on a root in center field; hyper-extended knee Endorsements Land O'Lakes Milk Minnesota Twins Ticket Packages Voted for Nader in 2000 Facial Hair Sideburns Neckbeard Can't grow [/TABLE] And now you know that we are three completely different people. Have a nice week, everyone!

If you gave me a list of outcomes from this weekend's series with the Yankees, I would have ordered their likelihood as such: Yankees Sweep Yankees spontaneously combust; Yankee dust sweeps Twins Yankees win 2 of 3; Twins win game 2 because all Yankees oversleep Yankees win 2 of 3 fair and square Twins win 2 of 3 because all Yankees lock their keys in their cars Twins win 2 of 3 fair and square The universe ends abruptly Twins Sweep Of course, watching the Yankees yesterday, they suck. The Twins still took care of business and it was fun to watch the Yankees look like a Little League team for a magic Sunday. Here are a few more thoughts from the series: Brian Duensing A couple weeks ago, I posited that if Brian Duensing can't get lefties out, he has no value. Why is Duensing struggling? I looked at his splits versus lefties over the past four seasons: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] PA H% BA OBP SLG 2010 153 15.6 .161 .217 .239 2011 187 20.9 .217 .242 .280 2012 178 24.3 .250 .294 .384 2013 83 29.5 .303 .358 .400 [/TABLE] H% is the percentage of batted balls that went for hits. You can see that his four-year trend does not look great. His hit rate has climbed like... like, really tall stairs and his BA/OBP/SLG have climbed along side. However, here's another chart that tells a slightly different story: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] PA K% BB% K/BB xFIP BABIP 2010 153 22.2 4.6 4.86 3.13 .204 2011 187 20.3 3.2 6.33 2.89 .261 2012 178 15.7 5.1 3.11 4.04 .274 2013 83 24.4 6.1 4.00 2.63 .400 [/TABLE] Duensing's peripheral stats aren't quite as depressing. In fact, by xFIP, he is actually better against lefties than he has ever been. The increase in his walk rate would be troubling if the sample wasn't so small. His BABIP is sky high and his strikeout rate is higher than ever, so if he has been unlucky, there is no reason to think he can't return to an effective lefty specialist. However, if he is simply getting more hittable, then it might not matter how much his BABIP drops. Again, the sample is small. Roster Moves Oswaldo Arcia got a couple days off this weekend, and he needed them. It looked like he was trying to hit a home run every time up and he was yanking his head toward right field instead of watching the ball hit his bat. Then, he got optioned to AAA on Sunday. I can't say I hate the move, although I would rather see Arcia make adjustments while facing MLB pitching. I understand why the move was made though. I don't really get the Chris Parmelee demotion though. Perhaps Parmelee's time to get consistent at bats with the Twins has passed. He's clearly not in the current plans and he's lost playing time to Clete Thomas of all people. Now, it seems that Chris Herrmann and Chris Colabello are coming up and they should both get consistent playing time. Thus, there has to be an odd Chris out. Parmelee may never get a solid two months with the Twins ever. Things certainly seem to be pointing in that direction. I don't really care about Eduardo Escobar. Mostly because... I like Pedro Florimon I just like him. I know he really isn't a good hitter and he probably isn't a long-term solution at short, but I just like him. He plays great defense and makes some really spectacular plays. He also makes some really tough plays look really easy. He's quite streaky at the plate, but he can get some hits here and there. He's second to only Joe Mauer according to Fangraphs' WAR, so he clearly provides value. The Twins will likely look to upgrade at short in the coming seasons, but I wouldn't mind if Florimon is around for a bit longer. Enough love, time for Madness! Random Plug - Grant Brisbee is at it again Brisbee presents a series of images that show what errors look like. It's fantastic. If you read my blog, you probably have noticed that I try to create silly posts like these. However, Brisbee is on a completely different level of silliness and I can't match him. You should just go read/look at this article and have a good laugh. Photo Breakdown! - Oswaldo gets gum Lost in the shuffle of Michael Tonkin's successful debut was a quest for a specific piece of gum that was caught on camera in the background. Here's the proof: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yIGhsns5Jic/UeLhlLwCwMI/AAAAAAAAAyU/0vEGpKQGuXA/s320/arciagum1.PNG If you look, Arcia is pulling out massive quantities of gum. I find it unlikely that he will chew all of them. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSHdaqVy-c8/UeLhjAzZKAI/AAAAAAAAAyM/mZ1c4G81qps/s320/arciagumpoint5.PNG Now, he seems to be sorting through, likely looking for the flavor of his choice. I hope he finds it. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSy-eQRzORw/UeLhltzu-TI/AAAAAAAAAyc/IiZI-pOq_0c/s320/arciagum2.PNG It looks like he has, as he conscientiously puts the pieces that he will not chew back in the bucket for the next guy. What a dude! Poll Results! Which Twin is most likely to be traded this season? 36 votes Josh Willingham - 10 votes Kevin Correia - 6 votes Mike Pelfrey - 2 votes Ryan Doumit - 7 votes Justin Morneau - 11 votes Losing Morneau will be sad, but hopefully the Twins can bolster the Farm System at his expense. I would support trading all of these players, but I love to wheel and deal. I added a new poll, please vote when you have a moment. LOL FSNorth http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oS45_Jx58wU/UeLggXoUtNI/AAAAAAAAAyA/7QwgeLgJhi8/s320/lolfsnorth.PNG Hey FSN, what does Paul Goldschmidt look like? Who does he play for? HAHAHA! lol. It is an impressive list though. Link to Something Stupid I "wrote" Speaking of silliness, I created an all bird all-star team. I think there's some dignified subtlety and I hope you enjoy it. Can birds play baseball? You'll find out. Links to Something Good I read Twins Daily is dominating the trade deadline talk and speculation. Each MLB team will be featured and sleeper prospects and dream targets are discussed. You can find a new one each day on the front page. Twins Daily member Jorgenswest has also posted some great articles looking at what reasonable return would be for some of the Twins players who may be traded. He looked back at deals for similar players and analyzed the returns. If you didn't see these articles already, you should really check them out. The level of research is really helpful and impressive. He has written three as of when I am writing this: Brian Duensing Glen Perkins Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey Parting Chart - All Stars I realized that not only are Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins both from Minnesota, but they both graduated in 2001 as well. Guess who else graduated in 2001? That's right, I did. I played baseball when I was young too. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I remember playing against Perkins or Mauer or anything like that, but it's certainly possible. Anyway, I created this little chart that highlights our baseball accomplishments, as we will always be linked together in history. [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500] Joe Mauer Glen Perkins Brad Swanson High School Cretin-Derham Hall HS Stillwater Area HS Mounds View HS Class of 2001 2001 2001 College None University of Minnesota University of Minnesota Position Catcher Closer Left Couch MLB Debut 4/5/2004 9/21/2006 4/1/2015 Salary 23 Million 2.5 Million Less than Mauer made yesterday Best Known For Humble Midwestern charm Twitter Presence Putting Twins player heads on bird bodies All-Star Selections Six One Zero Most Impressive Baseball Feat 2009 AL MVP Pitched for Team USA in 2013 World Baseball Classic Caught a spike on a root in center field; hyper-extended knee Endorsements Land O'Lakes Milk Minnesota Twins Ticket Packages Voted for Nader in 2000 Facial Hair Sideburns Neckbeard Can't grow [/TABLE] And now you know that we are three completely different people. Have a nice week, everyone!

Buyers or Sellers The Rockies are sitting just below .500, but they are actually closer to the NL West lead than a Wild Card berth. They haven't made the playoffs since 2009 and their best offensive players are approaching 30. Their farm system is not impressive either, so the future might be now. After finishing third worst in all of Major League Baseball in 2012, hovering just below .500 is a large improvement and worthy of seeing what they can buy with savvy trades. Although, mortgaging the farm system that they do have does not seem to be in the cards. A recent report from Danny Knobler indicates that they may use this weekend's series against Los Angeles to determine if they are buyers or sellers. Seems like a good idea to hinge that decision on one series. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4793[/ATTACH] What They Need The Rockies were linked to Ricky Nolasco until he was dealt to their division rival Dodgers, so you know they want starting pitching. Their rotation is surprisingly solid, as they have three starters with an ERA+ above 124. However, Roy Oswalt went on the disabled list this week and he had been pretty awful prior. The Rockies bullpen isn't filled with big names, but they are getting big performances from their closer Rafael Betancourt and their left-handed set-up man Rex Brothers. The rest of the bullpen is less impressive, although they did recently acquire Mitchell Boggs from the Cardinals. Boggs has been atrocious this season, but has had success in previous seasons. Surprisingly, the Rockies may have their greatest need on offense. They are using Todd Helton at first base. That's right, the same Todd Helton who shook Thomas Edison's hand when Edison invented the phonograph. He has been with the Rockies since the Hoover administration, so they might be hesitant to replace him. What Might Work The Rockies haven't been linked to any offensive players via trade rumors, so unless the Rockies are tired of eating dinner at 4:30, they may not be a Morneau match. Morneau is nearly 100 years younger than Helton (actually 7) and has been much more productive this season, with an OPS+ of 101 compared to Helton's 83. The Rockies aren't in the market for a closer, but could use a bullpen arm, most likely from the right side. Casey Fien might seem like a good fit, but his fly ball rate in Colorado could lead to sadness. Of course, that's the Rockies' problem, right? Brian Duensing would become their third best lefty reliever, behind Brothers and Josh Outman. He's probably out. The Rockies could still be in the market for a fifth starter, to replace the ineffective and injured Oswalt. Kevin Correia's a fifth starter and he has NL experience. Win win! Short of a fifth starter or a replacement for Zombie Todd Helton, the Twins and Rockies don't seem like a great match on paper. Sleeper Targets Earlier, I mentioned the Rockies poor farm system. That doesn't mean there aren't a few intriguing names to consider. Here are a few that caught my fancy. Eddie Butler - RHP - High A - 22 years old Butler is rapidly rising through the Rockies' system and rapidly elevating his profile as a prospect along the way. He breezed through low A Asheville posting a sub-2 ERA and sub-1 WHIP before earning a promotion to high A Modesto. At Modesto, he has struck out 55 batters in 52.2 innings pitched, while only issuing 17 walks. Butler has lovely stuff and might top out as a number 3 starter, but he's far from there right now. Jayson Aquino - LHP - Low A - 20 years old 20 years old? Left-handed? Already moved a level this season? Sounds good to me! Aquino is a guile lefty, with a low 90s fastball, projectable changeup and developing curve. In 28 innings this season, he has struck out 21 batters and issued only 6 walks. He just moved up to Low A Asheville and made his debut last Sunday. I don't see any reports of added velocity, so he might be who he is, but a guile lefty can easily slot as a 4th or 5th starter. Juan Nicasio - RHP - MLB - 26 years old You may remember Nicasio from the time he tried to catch a ball with his face. After suffering that extremely scary injury, Nicasio has been far from impressive. However, there's always a chance that getting a pitcher out of Colorado can help turn a career around. Nicasio has really struggled in 2013, but prior to this season he had posted solid strikeout numbers and decent walk rates. As a minor leaguer, he appeared to be capable of even better than that. He's a low risk, high reward target and likely could be had as a reclamation project. Dream Target Trevor Story - SS - High A - 20 years old A top 100 prospect prior to the season, Story is having a dreadful time at the plate. His .212/.285/.358 triple slash hardly screams "dream target." However, a little perspective is in order. He's 20 and playing in high A. He's coming off a 2012 season when he slugged over .500 in full season ball. He's a pure shortstop with a strong arm and good range. He doesn't have a loud tool, but each of the five are average or better. He's going through an adjustment period and now might be the time to pounce. If the Twins traded Glen Perkins for Trevor Story, I would be elated. He could be the Twins' shortstop for a lot of years.

I really enjoyed this post and I appreciate the amount of research you put into your writing. I think that the concept and role of closer is a bit overrated, but good closers are not overrated. I'm not sure that makes perfect sense, but if you have an excellent pitcher who also happens to be your closer, I think that has value, especially if that player is cheap. Perkins is cheap and effective. Sometimes the closer role hamstrings managers, but if used properly, a late-inning reliever like Perkins is far from overrated.