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TR didn't wait til Winter Meetings to get jiggy with it. Some posters thought he would wait and this was the reason he "hadn't done anything yet." Obviously I ate a big serving of crow over the Thanksgiving break, but while I was eating, I was thinking. It looks like TR is looking to build a team that will compete this year from the 70-80 win range, depending on rebounding players and when prospects move up the chain. I think his next three moves could be significant. The first move I see him making is filling the catcher spot. From what I have heard him say, IMO it seems like he thinks that Pinto needs another year before being handed the full-time starting Catching job. LaVelle has been hinting that AJ is near a deal with us, and I see that happening in the near future. Terry has shown his colors to potential FA's and the color is green. He is no longer waving the white flag, Minnesota has become attractive to FA's because of the money available and now it appears TR is willing to make moves to compete now. AJ is signed for 1 year 5 million. The second move I see coming is going to be quite a surprise to Twins nation. The Twins are definitely in need of improving their offense. While most of us expect that improvement to come from players rebounding and our very good prospects to make their way into the league as regulars, we still need to add a little offense for this upcoming season. I think other than Catcher and SS the position of need that will have the least chance of blocking one of our up and comers is an outfielder. I think their is a strong chance that Terry Ryan has some hidden interest in free agent Rajai Davis. Now I realize Davis isn't a major weapon for our offense, but he will provide speed, strong defense and a steady stick. I believe we need an actual outfielder until Hicks and Buxton emerge into the scene on a full-time basis. Rajai Davis signs 2 year 8 million dollar contract. The 3rd deal is going to set up this franchise for a competitive 2014 season. As of today, 60% of our rotation is set. This still leaves 2 open spots, even though some are considering names like Diamond, Deduno, Albers, Hendriks and Worley to be in the running for those final 2 spots, I really don't see that happening. I think both of those spots will be filled out of house one by a signing and one by trade, but I'll only predict the signing. The Twins can't be satisfied with the performance of these guys, outside of Deduno, but lord knows Gardy cannot stomach some of his ups and downs during an outing. Scott Kazmir signed 2 years 14 million. My gut tells me Terry Ryan will make a trade for either Hellickson or Samardzija, but it's too unpredictable, so if that deal doesn't happen, Twins give Deduno 5th spot, cut bait with Duensing and hand the other LH relief role to Diamond. Worley is going to have to start the season in the pen if he doesn't beat out Deduno for #5 spot. 2014 Rotation: Nolasco Hughes Kazmir Correia Deduno Pressly and others will also need to start out the year in AAA unfortunately. This needs to happen to allow guys without options to try and stick. A month in if they are struggling, it will probably be time to cut bait. Bullpen: CL: Perkins SU: Burton SU: Fien LH: Diamond LH: Theilbar RH: Swarzak LR: Worley Lineup: CF Davis 2B Dozier 1B Mauer LF Willingham DH Doumit C Pierzynski 3B Plouffe RF Arcia SS Florimon Bench: Pressley, Parmelee, Escobar, Fryer By June: Pinto for Fryer, Hicks for Pressley By July: (if competing) Sano for Escobar and it's possible to see Buxton for Parmelee. I'd love to see one more bat added. I'd like to see Salty instead of AJ because it shores up the position for a few years if Pinto isn't good, but I'm okay with AJ. I am under the impression that we won't see a ton of progress with our offense until Sano and Buxton arrive later next year hopefully. This would put our payroll right about 85 million for next year. Allowing us to be able to add another pitcher or hitter next off-season.

Hell ya!

If we nab Hughes on a 2 year 20 million deal with option year, I'd be okay with it as long as we were going to nab a Johan or Gavin Floyd and Salty.

Well if we are acting like it doesn't really matter, then hold your horses. We have the 2016 and 2017 off-seasons as well to try and add a nice piece. I'm not calling this a "go for it" year. I'm calling it a "go be freakin' competitive for the first time in 3 years" year. Adding two pitchers of good quality helps this team flat-out compete. I guess I am confused what you think we need to save all this money for? As the next two years go by, we are going to hopefully have some very good, young cheap players in a Twins uniform. Most of those players are not going to be starting pitchers. That is why it is completely fine to have a couple solid starters signed for the next 4+ years. I'm not sold on the idea that by 2017, Gibson, Thorpe, May, Meyer, Stewart, Gonsalves are going to be stud fixtures in our rotation. Are you?

I'm glad you are happy Dave. I am as well. I won't be that thrilled if we don't sign another front end guy and settle for Arroyo/Pelfrey unless we saved that money to add a legit bat/catcher to go along with a guy like Arroyo.

I guess I'm not satisfied with Nolasco being our best pitcher. I'm happy to have him though.

Just an FYI, I'd nearly guarantee it's a 4 year contract with a 5th year option possible. Other teams wanted him, we had to outbid them, giving the extra year is our way to leap the hurdle.

I am very excited to eat some crow pie tonight! Woo Hoo. I view this as a good start, not a good offseason. This is our rotation I think: 1: 2: Nolasco 3: 4: Corriea 5: Gibson/Deduno/Meyer/Diamond It'd be awesome to add Garza and trade for someone like Hellickson. 1. Garza 2. Nolasco 3. Hellickson 4. Correia 5. Gibson I wonder what the price is for Nolasco, as long as we didn't have to pay a butt load per year, we should have enough chips to get Garza.

Are you seriously okay with that? I'm okay with losing next year, not 90 games though. Adding a guy like Garza will put more butts in the seats, it will make the team more enjoyable to watch, it will make them more competitive in the games he pitches. Is that worth the 17 million per year? I don't know that. I do know that adding a piece like Garza on a 4 year deal will make the team better when some of these prospects are up with the team in 2015, 2016 and very affordable. If we go with your plan, our payroll will literally be 50 million dollars or less next year. Which is great, if your last name is Pohlad. As far as being interested in playing here. If the Cardinals and the Twins offer you the same money and the same spot on the roster is available, obviously they are going to pick the Cardinals. We are going to have to spend a little bit more than our competition. The sooner that happens, we look more competitive to other potential free-agents. Let's put it this way, since analogies have become a big hit around here. If TR is running in a 110 M hurdles race against the GM's for the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Padres, Giants and Dodgers who do you think Garza is cheering for to win the race? If he is cheering for you, you have less hurdles in your lane. If you play in a warm city, take away another hurdle. If you have the most money to spend, just jump over the damn hurdles faster than the other guys.

Dave, are you showing me the door?

Shane, where are you at for Thanksgiving? Let's get together and complain about TR and do shots of vodka 'til the cows come home.

I'm not making up arguments, I'm just trying to state what I believe are the facts. If Pelfrey is signed tomorrow, where is he in our current rotation? I think they would be slotting him into the #2 spot in our rotation behind KC. I didn't say that you said he was a #2 type pitcher, sorry if that is what it looked like. I know you aren't that crazy.

None of us could've done that. When I said "overall" I meant it. Most of the moves that built those teams were drafts, trades that worked out great for the Twins. Now over the past few years, any of us could've done those and probably signed better players to boot. (Talking exclusively on the MLB side of things, not international signings, drafting, development, etc) TR needs to evolve. He has the budget to do so. Evolution doesn't mean change 100%, hell I still have monkey arms, my point is that he should still be able to do all of the things he has done in the past that have made him successful (scout, develop, make sneaky trades) while for once in his career, he has the money to supplement his roster with talent from outside the organization through FA, something he really has never had the money to do. I'm not 100% sold on the idea that he understands he has the money to sign players better than Corriea, Pelfrey, Marquis. EVOLVE TERRY.

None of us could've done that. When I said "overall" I meant it. Most of the moves that built those teams were drafts, trades that worked out great for the Twins. Now over the past few years, any of us could've done those and probably signed better players to boot. (Talking exclusively on the MLB side of things, not international signings, drafting, development, etc) TR needs to evolve. He has the budget to do so. Evolution doesn't mean change 100%, hell I still have monkey arms, my point is that he should still be able to do all of the things he has done in the past that have made him successful (scout, develop, make sneaky trades) while for once in his career, he has the money to supplement his roster with talent from outside the organization through FA, something he really has never had the money to do. I'm not 100% sold on the idea that he understands he has the money to sign players better than Corriea, Pelfrey, Marquis. EVOLVE TERRY.

You stated it perfectly, I said in a couple posts ago that Pelfrey sucks, I take that part back, it's that he sucks when comparing him to other pitchers who slot comparably into his spot in the rotation...EXAMPLE: Pelfrey probably #2 starter currently, if signed vs. the rest of the league's #2 starter.

Here is a little truth for you buddy, any one of us posting on here could've lost 90+ games being the GM for the Twins the last 3 years. Making those statements do not make Terry Ryan and company look any better. Of course none of us would OVERALL do a better job running the team as a whole, but many of us have better ideas on who we should sign and who we shouldn't. You give a front office too much credibility for not winning a playoff series since...... still searching.....for not winning a playoff game since....

That was in the NL, PRE-TJ, How old is he now? You are overly-hopeful on Pelfrey. He is nice on a 1 year 3 million dollar deal as your 4th/5th best offseason acquisition. I think the only thing you and I agree on is that he is ok if he is the 4th or 5th best guy you add.

Are you serious MackBrownS*****? If they sign Pelfrey to a 2 year deal,he is GUARANTEED to be in the rotation from April 2014 until August 2014. After that, I agree with you, he could be taken out of the rotation going into 2015.

I would rather the Twins do absolutely nothing (See Early Judgment: Things haven't changed in Twins Territory) than sign Mike Pelfrey. Now if we are adding Garza and another pitcher that is an upgrade (Arroyo, Kazmir, Nolasco) what is the point of adding Pelfrey as well? Is it worth pitching Pelfrey over young guys that could actually be worth something? (Meyer, Gibson, Deduno, Diamond, etc) IMO, Twins should be signing a top guy for 4-5 years, a middle type guy for 2-3 years and someone on a 1 year deal. PELFREY would not qualify as the middle type guy IMO. He would be the guy on a 1 year deal at best, obviously we are looking at him for a multi-year deal. PATHETIC. The worst part about all of this is that it sends the wrong message to EVERYONE. FANS: We see 90+ straight loss seasons. Here about all these possible fantastic free agents we might get, and now the first offer we make is to a guy who OVERALL sucked last year. TEAM: SAME THING, players that are actually decent on the team, want to see upgrades not lateral moves. OTHER FA's: See that our GM is not really trying to put a competitive product on the field. (For instance if we were offering Garza and actually signed him, FA would be thinking and saying to themselves, wow, maybe TR really is trying to compete, maybe I'll look a little closer at his offer and actually consider it)

Jesus Christ. I give up. Pelfrey. Pelfrey. Pelfrey.

If that happens, baseball may as well pack their bags.

If they trade Arcia, it needs to be for a VERY GOOD Prospect at SP, SS or C. Otherwise, we should keep him. I don't care if he ends up being a DH only, he is going to rake.

Can't we just all agree? We all like Pinto. Most of us have seen September success = April angst. This makes us all hesitant to just hand the job over to Pinto. Wouldn't it be better to have an insurance policy for Pinto? Or if Pinto lights the world on fire, have two good players instead of 1? We have the money. It's clear that defensively Pinto needs some work, minor or major, argue all you want on that subject, but 2014 Salty > 2014 Pinto.

My biggest question is, who says these guys are going to tell the Twins when they actually have offers? What is stopping these guys from signing before the Twins even get a chance to put an offer out? There are multiple teams that are going to bid just as much money as the Twins are for their services. Am I wrong? Twins should be making some offers. If for no other reason, to let them know the Twins mean business. If we are worried about players not wanting to come here because we stink, sign a guy! If we sign Garza, i'm pretty sure that might help sway Salty or Arroyo our way more than before.

Agreed, i'm not 100% against letting Pinto take the reigns, but that is setting yourself up for a huge let down. This would be eerily similar to the risk of giving the CF job to Hicks last year without a back-up plan. (Although the back-up plan Mastro, got injured). A: Pinto/Herrmann/Fryer/Doumit B: Pierzynski/Herrmann/Fryer/Doumit - Pinto in AAA C: Salty/Fryer/Herrmann/Doumit - Pinto in AAA D: Navarro/Fryer/Herrmann/Doumit - Pinto in AAA E: Pinto/Fryer/Herrmann/Doumit Pinto needs to catch "everyday" regardless. If they sign a catcher, I would put a lot of money Pinto is in AAA catching everyday. If were going to sign a catcher, wouldn't you rather have it be the best guy? I'd take option C, 10 out of 10 times. Does anyone else see any other way this could go? (BTW, It'd be either Herrmann or Fryer for those jobs, Doumit as the 3rd string catcher.)