Rosterman

Some of the contracts are pretty Ironclad (which is the name of the company the reps Ripken and now Mauer and also Carew on certain items). I think as part of being a Twin, players are obligated to do signings like TwinsFest as the money is a fundraiser for community events. Above and beyond that, the Caravan and store appearances and such are purely voluntary, as well as signing at or before games. It's become a pretty big business. Remember reading of Pat Neshek signing a thousand stickers for a card release and getting a check on site when it was completed. I just got a flyer from a Maryland company that represents some 75 players that live in their immediate area for signing balls, bats and cards/photos (flats) and pretty much anything you send to one of these players is now funneled back to you by this company, with a price list. Autographs are big business. Like being an actor, even a small part, in Star Trek -- where you can make a living doing everything from Comic Conventions, Fantasy and Horror and Sci-Fi cons, and even car shows -- a baseball players dreams of being a Dougie Mientkiewicz where you played for the Dodgers, Red Sox, Mets and Yankees...four of the five most popular teams (Cubs the others) for collectors. You can make a comfortable living just going to events. Not to mention what happens once you become a Hall of Famer. The $200 (or more) for AN autograph and photo does seem high...you can stand in line and win the smaller lottery and probably do the same. Heck, you can go a game at almsot any other major league park and get their early or hang around late and probably grab Mauer. But the money is for the Twins Community Fund!

Right now, the Twins have no 40-man roster spots. The only players considered on the bubble would be free agents like Roeincke or Wood (shades of Gray and Maloney), DeVries or Swarzak, probably Butera. They have a Rule 5 guy. I doubt they would deep-six Thielbar or Hernandez, although both are possibilities. Is Florimon also a bubble player? They would be foolish to let go of Benson or Mastro. So that is the Twins problem right now. With Haren in the wings looking for a roster spot, too.

You don't vote for someone because YOU don't like them. C'mon, man. You have stats, the way they played the game, the decade of play, the stadiums, the umps. But just because you didn't loke them? Jeez.

He'll play his butt off, and if he can get on base, he will steal. But I think pitchers will catch on to him. You might guarantee him 3-4 at bats a game, but not 4-5, so he would be an end-of-the-order semi-regular. Again, though, he is hungry and will battle his butt off to prove himself if given the chance.

7.5 + 9.5 + third year option.

You hopefully spend money to buy more wins, which makes you more competitive, which puts fans in the seats. If you can keep your team in the hunt, flexing between 4-10 games out of first throughout the season, you will appear as having a chance. An injury or two to the wrong player can make a team less competitive. On another note, even though the Twins didn't get any of the starting pitchers we wanted to see, how about shoring up the infield, or getting a better place filler than Mastro. We are sitting here without a leadoff or reliable #2 hitter entering spring training, to go with a weak up-the-middle, and no guaranteed 200 innings workhorses.

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.

It is contract with exclusive sellers of material with their autographs. To maintain worth, so to speak. It is nice that the Twins have events (used to have the summer autograph party) so a fan would have a chance to get any current Twins signature on an item. You might have to stand in line for a long time to get certain players. The Twins also have promotional events during the year. But the amount of players that will sign in-person outside a stadium, or thru the mail, is dwindling. The Twins have one of the most avid fan bases for autographs, and the tell about how serious people do take their autographing, very few show up after Twinsfest on eBay, for example. All this stuff goes into personal collections. Also, forgot to mention that the starting bid for each of the sessions above is $200.

Adam Johnson, one of the failed high draft picks that did make the majors -- B.J. Garbe, Ryan Mills and Matt Moses...happily we never saw them.

Line-up construction. Can others besides Mauer get on base consistently at the top of the order. Is Morneau around for the long haul. Will Parmelee and Plouffe follow him and strike fear in the hearts of pitchers everywhere?

You make an offer. It is accepted or rejected. You look at performance, personality, etc. etc. etc. You look at who is in the pipeline, who is due what when, et al. Not easy being a general manager. You do have top constantly look ahead at payroll in the future compared to now. You have to try and second-guess what a team is doing today compared to tomorrow (will Verlander, for example, resign with the Tigers who become a free agent, thus making the Tigers a weaker team). Will signing a pitcher for 2-3-4 years be worth it when you look at options that might be available in those coming years. On the flipside, you are hailed a hero if you get a bargain free agent (last year Doumit and Willingham). If a bargain free agent doesn't pan out (Zumaya -- why was the looksee guaranteed) and Marquis, you eat a little crow, but hopefully they don't pan out well for someone else. You trade Liriano for peanuts, but you got something in exchange. The White Sox didn't get anything. But then you sign a bunch of AAAA guys to back up your major league roster, but also slow development in the minors....arbitration issues solved? The ultimate: you have to put a team on the field that will be competitive, and then convince layers to not only stay, but come here and play. I will say that being a general manager isn't an easy job.

You make an offer. Two years for $10 million. The Player goes "humm, I want a third year" "Or, how about $11.5 million" or he thinks "That's reasonable, more than anyone else has thrown at me at the moment, I can live with that" and, bingo. You make a decision on an offer, or wait for another one and hope you can come back to the previous one. Like buying a house. You blow the seller out of the market, or your agent comes back and says other parties are interested and about to make an offer (you do, the other agents quickly tell their people on the bubble to make an offer). You have a certain window to accept or reject. I think we are seeing some guys who wanted a third year now having to revisit offers for two years or even one year (Saunders, Marcum, possibly). At some point, rather than 2 years at $15, they will start asking about one-year at $7-9 million. It will be interesting to see how this market ends up. Waiting too long can sometimes hurt as much as being the first (Baker, Feldman) out of the chute, although I think Baker and Feldman were both treated fairly. You have one-shot to make your offer. You can's tell the player, "hey, would like to sign you for somewhere between $4 and $8 million. It's arbitration on a grander scale with more people in the mix.

The worst record this side of having a 20-loss season. Some of us were afraid that Liam Hendriks would follow this same path.

The baseball writers change (some die, some come on board) over the 15-20 years a player is out of baseball. The arguments are always made that if I guy is elected right away, what makes him more electable and appealing 10 years or 15 years down the line. Also, make the argument that if a guy is Hall of Fame bound, it should -- happen. Today, not tomorrow. Okay, he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. Does that make him better than everyone else in the Hall (let's start making walls configured with who got in on what ballot). I'm glad there is the second chance where Hall of Famers actually vote. But I would almost like to see the positions reversed where Hall of Famers vote for the Hall of Famers, and BBWAA vote for those that should've could've.

Again, Morneau you pay and lose him after a season, of get something for him. The other option is to keep him a Twin, at what price. Is he a viable component on the 2015 and 2016 Twins team as a DH who can also play 1B, or is that pure Mauer territory. And, again, at what price. If he is not in the plans for the team come 2014 and beyond, move him for someone, something. Let us see Parmelee at first instead of right field. If he plays elsewhere in 2013 and enters free agency, you can hope that his value has changed one way of the other and makes him a possibility for a return, if sides care.

Josh Roenicke is also in the mix. And the Twins will be taking a hard look at Caleb Thielbar as a lefty. So, I picture Swarzak on the bubble. Wood would have to stay or be lost, I believe. DeVries could also be long man. Two interesting cases in the minors. Guerra made it thru waivers. The Twins can look at him all year and add him back on the 40-man for 2014, although he would be out of options. If the Twins choose to add Slama back on the 40-man in 2014, I believe that would be his last option year, so they could keep him in the organization and send him up and down in 2014 before making a hard decision on him come 2015...sadly for Slama...who shouldn't been Rule 5 pickup by anyone the last two seasons.

The three fellows who voted form The Sporting News...one voted for ten, the other two only found five folks to vote for.

The issues: TICKETS Season ticket sales. How many will they actually have. Those are the tickets that are cheap on StubHub or outside Target Field. Again, cheap can be misleading. The expensive seats are never that cheap...yet. But you will always be able to buy a seat for around $20 direct from the team next year. MORNEAU If he fits into some long-term plans, the Twins need to make a 2-3 year offer to him now at what they feel he is worth. If not, you trade him before the season starts, so another team can make him an offer or a "qualifying offer" if they feel he is worth it. It has showed this year that the new "free agency" thing isn't working...for the players...or the teams that don't want to lose a first round, or even their second round draft pick. Will he be worth more at mid-season. Depends on who else is out of competition. But the decision ahs to be made now and we have to live with it. Willingham would be a more likely candidate to trade mid-season and get some real value, i.e. prospects, back. 2013 If we are truly rebuilding for 2014, then 2013 will have to see a whole hsot of upcoming players on the field. Not just Hicks and Gibson, but also pushing Rosario over Dozier, Sano over Plouffe, giving Buxton a real early look, making May and Meyer part of the rotation by mid-season. Otherwise, if you wait until September or 2014 to put these guys on the field, then THAT is the rebuilding year. Anyway you look at it, 2015 would be the earliest we would see in-house excitement from the future Minnesota Twins. FREE AGENCY The Twins aren't players. They were lucky last year with decent contracts with Willingham and Doumit. Marquis and Zumaya were busts. Carroll was okay. But nothing cost them an arm or a leg, except perhaps Pavano and Capps. We are all up-in-arms about money not being spent, moreso wondering where it is going. Target Field was supposed to make us competitive, not bottom feeders, in the free agency market. The Twins would be able to afford a gamble or two on a contract that may not play out. Looking at reality, the Twins could throw away $25 million, right now, today, and if it pays off...be competitive. If it doesn't, they suck, but still have stayed within their 50% payroll guidelines. MEANINGFUL GAMES IN SEPTEMBER That is what we all want. We want a competitive team on the field that plays well and gives us a chance of winning, at least, in the division. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to sit amidst a bunch of empty seats and stretch out and watch AAAA ball, if the seats are cheap, and I bring my own grub. Something isn't right. Something isn't be said truthfully. Something big has to happen to the Twins.

Hey, we can add Orlando Hudson, Jason Bartlett and Chone Figgins. 2B/SS/CF....right up the middle taken care of. Bring in Kyle Lohse as the #1 starter. Have Delmon Young as DH and bench bat. Man, we're getting a team together...let's play us some real baseball!

Would you be wiling to have these guys replace anyone of the current 40-man roster? That is the decision to be made...now. Yes, you could slide out a few of the pitchers (DeVries, Wood, Roeincke) or deep-six Butera, or maybe give up on Benson. But suddenly the cart is full, the only space is on the runner underneath. Plouffe would be no worse or better than Inge at the moment. Betancourt or Carroll, one is the other. Unless the Twins free up space and trade, say, Swarzak or forget about the Rule 5 guy, their roster is currently set (sorry minor league invite guys). Everyone is hoping someone opens the season on the 60-day disabled list.

Just from the past decade: Adam Johnson and Brad Thomas. Seth Gresinger might apply. Of course, Humber and Mulvey never panned out. Matt Maloney. Nishi joins such stalwarts as Bret Boone, Rondell White and Phil Nevin Anyone remember Kevin Maas as the DH surprise. Buteras are like Jerry Zimmerman. Served a purpose.

Bring Back Jon Rauch!

Someday, a staff of three inning (let's try and get once thru the order) pitchers. Boy, would that be something!

Wait, I thought Toshi was replacing Hardy, with Alexi staying at second (although the discussion was always about whether Alexi was a better SS or 2B). And then Toshi breaks his leg out of the chute. There was also the fear that hardy was going to ask for $9-10 million in arbitration instead of resigning for what he did with Baltimore, which would've been in the Twins realm. Especially when you factor in the monies paid for Toshi to Japan as well as 3-year (okay, 2-year) contract. Going to be interesting to see how the Orioles infield of Casilla/Hardy/Valencia plays out in 2013.

Not quite as detailed information wise, but a nice visual look at Twins rosters, majors and A-ball above in the minors. 2013 Minnesota Twins Roster - Majors View