Rosterman

I gave up my season tickets, too. I haven't gone to a game all season (telling myself I will when the Twins get to .500). I do listen and watch, but am so often disappointed. Not sure the direction the organization can take, but a complete housecleaning is in order. Maybe even the "new" blood that they put on the bench should seek employment elsewhere. Maybe the Twins need to totally go outside the organization for now. No Steinbach, no Molitor, no Bruno, no Cuellar. Definitely time to say goodbye to Gardy and Andy and the Twins should've reassigned to the minors, if they desired to keep them, Ulger and Vav. Nothing against any of them except for losing baseball seasons. Terry Ryan is a nice guy, but he has to move on, too. Maybe time to get some outside help, a different viewpoint, someone who will demand that money be spent and will spend it and tell ownership that instead of planning for less revenue, think of ways that you can generate more...putting a winning g(not jsut competitive) team on the field and putting fan seats in the stands. I will say that the July swoon going into August had more butts than I ever thought in the stands. Will this change at State Fair time and into September? Maybe I will spring for some low-priced seats and the love of outdoor baseball. But let it be because I am looking at Sano or Rosario or even Buxton (okay, Hicks will do) rather than a lineup of guys who aren't the future of the Twins. Take five of those roster spots and showcase the future for one month. Maybe some won't play at all again in the majors until 2015, but you have to know something about the future...and it is now!

He will surface somewhere, but might have to start in the high indy leagues. But he showed nothing this year that I would gamble with even a guaranteed minor league contract. It's his call if he wants to pitch for peanuts with the hope of a return to the bigtime. Hey, Matt Kinney and Dan Serafini still plugged along year after year. His big thing now is to have his medicals covered and to heal.

Deduno is a thrower. It depends on his mindset. He has less control (working for him) than a Blackburn or a Silva, it seems. But watching him pitch, he is the perfect pitch-to-contact guy (in the sense that he throws the ball over the plate) but I don't see a gameplan. Like, what do I do when I do have a 3-2 count on a batter. What do I do when I get into a bad inning. How do I totally keep from having a bad inning? What do we throw each and every batter? I picture the catcher as a backstop that hopefully will get a great pitch or see the ball come out of the hand and be able to catch it/block it. He is a guy that you hope finishes this season stronger than he currently is. If he is out of the cute excellent next season, but the only plus on a Twins staff of rooookies, you sell as high as you can...because I don't see him keeping it up. I don't see him being a part of the 2015 or 2016 team and not sure that you need him to be. Yes, he would still be cheap. But I don't see him developing into a control pitcher at this stage of the game. He is getting by by towing those ground ball pitches and keeping batters uneasy in the box. If he had more control, he would make a great reliever if you were looking for that doubleplay, but right now the chance of a wild pitch makes you wince at putting him in that role.

I would bring in Andy as President and General Manager. Let him hire a couple of assistants and a new manager, maybe even another director of minor league operations. Gardy would find another job. We need new blood everywhere in this organization.

I think we have to look at this "Twins Way" thing, rather than if Gardenhire (and before him, Kelly) was doing their jobs right or not. The Twins have always relied on the farm system and homegrown talent. They might take a stab and bring in some free agent (Morris, Chili Davis) but often they brought in on-the-fringe type free agents (you can say Molitor, Steinbach, Monroe). They have a tendency to make good trades when they do (Knoblauch, Viola, should've ben Santana) which bring in multiple pieces that soemtimes turn into multiple pieces. THAT is the direction they go, pulling the plug on players earlier (Cudddyer, Nathan, Kubel...now Perkins) rather than let them walk. The Twins have always, when possible, been willing to field a team that they think will compete in the division. After all, these re the teams you have to face and beat more often than not, and the central ahs been notoriously weak.You would think that they would take the plunge and go all out and spend bigtime and get superstar pieces and totally destroy the division (no, it isn't as easy as all of that). Like the Oakland 's, the Twins like to field a team based around certain fundamentals (the Twins way). Both rely on a farm system. Oakland turns 1/3 of their roster over every year, it seems, and still manages to compete in the West more often than not. You are not going to compete every year unless you can throw money away at, say, a disabled list -- how much are the Yankees paying players not to play this season, anyone know? The Twins now have a unique opportunity to continue to build their farm system, by raiding the system of others (getting those 26th and 41st players) and scoring good drafts picks for the third straight year. With the return of Ryan, the Twins could've done a little better purchasing free agents, perhaps, that they could flip. Again, that is a crap shoot. Look at Willingham this year and Pavano and Capps last year. Yet the Twins have to do more of what they did with Span and revere...trade them for others after they have posted respectable numbers. Why they didn't do that this winter/spring with Willingham, or a couple of years back with Young, is beyond me. We have to also rememebr that if a team comes calling on some, like they may on Worley or Pelfry, they are seeing something in those players. Don't sit back and say...hey, I'm going to keep these guys because so-and-so wants them. Move on. Do it to someone else. Bringing us back to Gardy. Like Kelly, he wants the team to play fundamental ball. To take a led and hold it. Move runners around. Don't walk batters. Don't give those extra outs. Hit some homers. Steal some bases. Put a good show on the field. He can only do that if he has the players. Unlike maybe a handful of teams, I don't really see Gardenhire having a lot of say on who comes up and goes down or how the roster will be designed until he gets his Twins media guide in the spring. All those decisions seem to be made by the front office. Like Kelly, he's given a whole bunch of players and has to make some eliminations...win some, lose some. It be more of a time to make a major change in the Twins organization -- going outside of the home office for a GM, Manager, Scouting Director, Farm Director. Bring in someone who is a real baseball man as president or player personal director. Looking at the Twins front office, there are a lot of people there that look good in suits. They hang around the coffee room together, get their contract renewed every season, know that when so-and-so leaves I will be considered (and probably get) the job, happy and content to be a part of the Twins...because that is the Twins way...keep happy employees in certain positions and jobs. I like Terry Ryan. I think he is an excellent evaluator of talent, coupled with opnions from another. As a manager, Ron Gardenhire surrounds himself with people that he trusts to keep the fundamentals of the game in place, playing good-cop bad-cop when necessary. He seems to run a decent clubhouse when egos aren't involved, and places a lot of trust in his various lieutenants. Who would the Twins get to run the ship. Is there another Bill Rigney out there? Do we want a Gene Mauch? Again, these guys would only be as good as the talent that the team puts on the field. That comes from drafts, system development, trades, and purchase. With a close eye on those 26th and 41st players in other systems -- but no matter how good those players may be, they are still more often placeholders than superstars. The Twins need change for the sake of change. But they need it above and beyond the clubhouse. It has to go all the way into the front office. I won't say that the people in the Twins organization are horrible, no. But they are like the team on the field. They do enough to give an impression of a finely tuned and happy and "Twins Way" organization. We need someone to make statements...not just money!

Right now, Plouffe is a keeper. He is a keeper as he goes thru arbitration. He can play a multitude of positions, DH....his bat, if consistent, is worthwhile to have. There is no immediate replacement that can do what he does (Janey carroll, Escobar...think not).

Service time, and playing regularly. The Twins NEED to see more of Parmelee, it seems, at the moment.

Carroll is there. Is he better having around in case of injury or slump than, say, playing musical chairs with minor league guys. Right now, the Twins have no one to bring up if something happens, without making a 40-man roster decision. And whoever they bring up has to be around for the long haul or swapped out for another 40-man decision. I could see Jamey being swapped away and ridding yourself of some salary and the option if Dozier, Florimon and Escobar (and Plouffe) hold their own. Then the Twins can look at that Sober Rule 5 guy, or maybe Olmeda who offer a but more punch than, say, Carroll or the other middle infield options.

I like the concept of stealing bases as much as anyone. The bigger issue is getting a jump on a grounder or being able to go from first to third. A true basestealer is a singles hitter who then puts pressure on the pitcher on the mound which effects what he throws the next batter or two. Otherwise, base stealing is very selective. You have the chance to get hurt, or not accomplish much. Yes, I am sad Revere is gone...expect him to steal 100 bases some year, but who knows. Maybe it will be Hicks, who will pan out more like San with power. Maybe we have to wait for Buxton. Maybe Florimon or Escobar will take to the paths. Base stealing is more about the threat of stealing bases than actually doing it...most of the time.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mauer is a #3 hitter, assuming someone gets on base before him. It will help him to have those additional pitches to look at. Hicks is a mess. He will need to go down and just work his tail off. Question is...do the Twins promote Benson for the heck of it and start Mastro more often than not. They are giving Hicks a pretty good leash. The Twins could probably do without Carroll if someone would take him...bring up a 3B/UT guy with a bit more bench punch. Now, Butera making $700,000 looks really bad. I also feel for DeVries and Deduno, both who came up lame and may have missed the one big opportunity to shine. Both fell in the pecking order. Of course, Hendriks isn't showing improvement and we have yet to see Hernandez. So, who knows.

Benson has to tear at AAA. The Twins still have to make a decision on Morneau, and this looks like the year they will make a decision, too, on Parmelee. The more I think about it, the Twins will make a qualifying offer on Morneau if he produces and Parmelee falters. Benson could be the right fielder if he goes on a tear at Rochester, of replace someone on the bench. The Twins still have him and control him. It is all up to Benson. First call if someone goes down with an injury! I picture Hicks getting the same chance Dozier did. If he falters, he'll have to struggle. If he really struggles, he may go back down for a stretch, but probably not until late season (i.e. Dozier). He needs to work harder than he has ever worked in his life, but his reward will be a major league job for many many seasons.

You till gotta find room on the 40-man. Do feel one of Wood or Roeincke will be sent packing and/or resigned if no one claims them to a minor league option. If Prssly continues to pitch well, see him opening with the Twins and a decision on him being made when Swarzak is ready -- look forward to the Twins playing Swarzak in the minors as long as they can (three weeks). Collabero and Thome would require 40-man spots, both are the same guy at this point...a bat off the bench. If the Twins need first base backup it is Parmelee and playing Mastro in right. Doubt that the Twins, at this point, will sign Thome. I also hope the youthful Burnett starts the year at AAA.

You have to look at who is on the 40-man. Guerra is moot. He'll be a minor league disability like Blackburn and Oliveros. Slama is already gone and not on the 40-man. You want to add two bench names from three guys, also on the 40-man. You want to keep Pressly. The Twins, barring a 60-day disability, have no 40-man spots. Possibly Pressly would be one if not kept. Maybe they will deep-six Roeincke and Wood, but see them keeping at least one of the duo. Not sure what wil happen with Butera. If Burnett can't make the team again, I doubt that Robertson will.

Sorrento was that 26th man. They couldn't option him out and he couldn't play the outfield. Not that he had staggering numbers, but considering that Herbie went down and the Twins were 1st baseman less. At least Parmelee can lay the outfield. And remember, next year and longterm, the Twins have Doumit as back-up, and an also play Mauer there, although who DHs or catches is the question (again, Butera catching is not the answer). I still feel, like the Twins should've done with Koskie, and maybe Cuddyer, is sign Morneau to a contract as the potential DH who can also play a position. But like the Twins braintrust, I would not give him more than $18-20 as a 2-year/option year contact right now, and I'[m sure Morneau is thinking he can get $10-12 for multi-years if he proves dynamite this season.

The Twins mindset...they want him at x-dollars a year. We see how well that worked out with Baker, Nathan and Cuddyer. I would deep-six him during spring training. If he shines elsewhere, then he deserves a big contract in the world of free agency. If he only plays halfway decent, then the Twins might be able to make a competitive offer and bring him back. But jsut keep the thoughts of Baker, Nathan and Cuddyer in the back of your mind. I think you can get more for him during the spring than at trade deadline, at least then it is the other team's ball to sign him longer or not, or offer him the $13+ million plus and see if he rejects it.

It's a gamble, too. Will Willingham repeat? The Twins should've traded Young after his above average season. But they waited and his stock fell. Of course, spring training is around the corner and many things happen as players get injured and needs arise.

Yeah, missed this year thru a variety of schedule commitments. Nice line up of oldsters and new guys and because of the cold, had to be pretty warm inside.

Kevin Slowey's one year will be overlooked. Frankie Rodriguez, the guy who was mad when sent to the bullpen because starters will make more money. Walbeck isn't the worst catcher in the system. He had some promise, and the Twins surrounded him by the likes of Matt Merullo, Mike Durant and Derek Parks those seasons before going after Greg Myers. Somehow he played over the course of a decade in the majors. Catchers (backup) always seem to find jobs. Blanco, Morales, Corky Miller, are still hanging around!

Is Joe Benson still a rookie? I think he will step-it-up and grab major attention!

The only person staying warm is TC Bear, who I understand HAS to sleep outside!

Yes TC Bear!

Yes, the worst player on a major league roster is probably better than anyone we had in our high school or college teams. Go figure!

Kevin Maas. Adam Johnson. Phil Roof. Jerry Zimmerman.

The order sucks. Until a viable lead-off hitter emerges, you can't even worry about #2. I don's see Willingham or Morneau being the best $3 hitter, either. And what happens, if by chance, Morneau is traded. Your top three hitters need to get on base and put the ball into play (and not force an out). No strikeout guys. Also, at #2, Mauer would just be pitched around more often than not. But, again, with no #1 or #2 hitter, teams don't have to worry about Mauer coming up with someone on base. The Twins line-up is a mess. How do you bat Doumit/Parmelee/Plouffe. It looks like Florimon/Dozier or Escobar bring up the rear. Mastro/Carroll/Hicks in the opening frame...maybe Benson. If we think Ryan hasn't gien us competitive pitching, look at the line-up, folks.

Perkins is the closer, although I would prefer to see duties split, as need be, between him and Burton. The deciding factor, though, is save opportunities. Nothing like having a closer and only winning 65 games. Basically, you have two good guys and can use them in rotation, be it in a game you win or lose. You always hate it when you don't use the closer during a 3-4-5 game streak, or use them in that fifth loss, and then need him the next day or two in games you may win.