dxpavelka

I care absolutely ZERO about the national evaluators. I care that he gets here. And I care about what he does when he gets here.

i don't think he'll face many right handers

Anyone standing in the way of Jenkins, Culpepper, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Fedko (never mind, he's here) Mendez and (gulp) maybe Sabato can go. That leaves room for ONE utility IF. Don't really care who.

Given that the average MLB starting pitcher throws less than 6 innings and that teams will tend to throw some lefties out of the bullpen against our predominantly left handed lineup I'd not worry too much and would expect to see Fedko get into at least three of those 5 games and get at least 5 total plate appearance in that stretch. Maybe even one start against a righty who might be known to not dominate right handed hitters.

Thought the same thing. And then I remembered that Brian Duensing is still available. AND that we haven't had Michael Tonkin on the roster yet this season.

I don't think MLB is going to make any rule changes that would penalize a team with the loss of the DH. Not when they changed the rule to GIVE the Dodgers more Otani in that spot.

More often than not, trading a star player works out great--for the team trading for said star. I hate to keep beating a dead horse but we only have to look back to this week to see a player acquired for the best pitcher the Twins have developed in a generation traded BACK to the other team for three gym socks and a baseball with the cover ripped off AND we are learning that the other piece of that trade can't hit pitchers who wear their glove on the hand closest to the first base dugout. Anyone care to go back to the decade of wandering thru the desert that followed the KG trade? I for one, have never gotten over the euphoria of the Troy Williamson era following the R. Moss trade. I suppose I should relish the handful of hall of famers acquired in exchange for Rod Carew. Or the All-Star half season Roy Smalley put up a few years removed from being acquired in the Bert Blylevin trade. Keep Buxton. Keep Joe Ryan.

and the rubes eat it up

One of the three with over a thousand plate appearances and he's still short of the Big Pappy line.

Lewis, Keaschall, Lee, Culpepper. Laminate the card.

Please be the rookies rather than Wallner.

Damn few of whom can hit left handed pitching.

"What if he's simply an extremely valuable platoon bat who thrives against left-handed pitching but struggles to provide the same production against righties?" So the question is: "What if he is something the team has been desperately seeking for years? I'm in.

I think they'll spend to keep him.

Trading Ryan would be a fine idea. IF they were assured that of a return along the lines of what they received when they traded Nelson Cruz. Problem is that, as often as not those deals don't work the way you hope. The best case scenario is that at some point in the next year or two they find themselves in contention. At that point they will find themselves in need of a Joe Ryan. Why not keep him and make him the centerpiece of a return to prominence. This team is never going to be a team that makes the fans happy by spending like drunken sailors to bring in outside free agents. Never has. Never will. But they HAVE been a team that has spent to keep their own guys. Puckett's two contracts broke the market. Joe Mauer. Johan Santana's last contract here was solid. Buxton. The best case scenario is that trading Ryan leaves a Ryan size need on the squad. Seem like an easy answer.