Rosterman

And we can resign Pavano, and with Slowey, Blackburn, Liriano and Baker all will be well in Twins land. Of=r we can sign all those guys and trade them all to the Mets for Dickey!

Lew Fordf would cost too much to keep. Better to throw him out there and resign. Imagine the Twins will try and keep Bromberg. Chang or Hollimon. One, but not both. Tosoni may be out of a job period. Maloney is disabled. French has always been intriguing. Waldrop will find a minor league job somewhere else, now. None of the former Twin s seems worthwhile to bring back. Of course, we still have Dinkelman.

This is baseball economics that I don't understand. It seems Cleveland didn't go Year Three. And why, after the Twins signed Willingham, the Rockies felt they had to pay Cuddyer significantly more. Was there another destination on tap for Cuddyer (I think not). This was something, right up there with overpaying A-Rod by $100 million over the second suitor. Like, they weren't going to sign, or maybe there was a high-end single year offer that the player was looking at.

It may be too late. A player always has to worry about performance vs. where you are in the pecking order. If he has a decent (actually, needs to shine) 2013 at AAA, he could be tradebait. He would need a few more days in the major to add some luster. But, how. The Twins have three solid outfielders. Plus they have Parmelee. They have Mastro as backup. They might have Doumit and Hermann on the bench. If Hicks is added to the roster, both him and Arcia could get a call BEFORE Benson. Yet Benson showed no reason to be the 4th/5th bench guy this season and deplace Mastro. It shows the outfield depth the Twins may have that someone like Joe can get lost in the shuffle.

In free agency, you look at adding 1-2-3 players at the most each season. You may sign a few more as fringe/minor league free agents. You maybe add one rookie to the full-time roster, and in an average year, look at 3-4 other players that may be around for more than one season. And you might make a real trade or a simple exchange. What is the average team roster turnover, in reality....30% at the most? The Twins had an oddity last year, and probably again this year. But in regard to this question about "why play here." Let me ask again, how many free agents are telling their agents to "check out an offer from Minnesota."

I would rather have Thome coming off the bench or being a part-time DH, sadly. Plouffe, letting his hand heal, if he can improve defense, is just as good as having an Inge, or Wiggington or even Kourmoff (whatever). He has some punch. As long as he hits homers...and looks to improve...I'd run him out there 130+ games. Hermann can become Inge for a fraction of the cost, if need be...but might be a year away.

And I still don't see why folks are ga-ga over giving Lohse big money. He's old, been inconsistent, has an attitude. He's been extremely lucky since he left the Twins salary-wise.....but has had ups and downs. He would never return to the Twins, unless Todd Walker was back on the field.

Delmon, like Liriano, will probably get a one year deal...and both will be after-thoughts, sadly. Delmon is now an OF/DH. For the money he made this year, you can get the same production a lot cheaper. As a DH, he isn't a perfect fit, and he isn't a bat to come off the bench and produce. Liriano has some major rebuilding. He will end up being low-balled and being a back of the rotation question. He won't go with a team that could threaten him to the bullpen, but may not have a choice. I always felt Liriano had the attitude of chasing the money, but he might be best served if he did go the bullpen and potential closer route, or great set-up guy...which could extend his career beyond reason. But the carrot money is in starting and he (and his agent) will still search that. He would be a great gamble for 2013 as he will pitch his heart out -- now -- knowing he needs to if he wants that 3-4 year starting rotation long-term contract.

I am one that marvels when people say "sign so-and-so." My attitude, right now, coming off two losing seasons, is why the Twins would be a priority team to look at for signing. Two years ago, it was different. But now the Twins have two losing seasons. This is compounded by the fact that Minnesota is a decent market, you can be a mini-star and get some promotional money, there really are few attitudes on the squad, and for some reason they paid Joe Mauer a ton of money and -- to my understanding -- Joe probably wouldn't have signed if the team wasn't going to be competitive. If you look at the factors for the team collapse the last two seasons, in 2011 it was a number of injuries. The team did manage to climb near .500 and contention for a moment. There was some spark. In 2012, the rotation of Baker (14-18), Pavano (14-18), Blackburn (12-15), Liriano (14-20) and Marquis (10-14) looked like it would be more than adequate for the dvision. In hindsight, the hitting was there although the runners didn't score often enough, and the bullpen was strong. By why come to the Twins. Upper level free agents want to be with a competitive team. Not everyone can play for the Yankees, they only have so much money and so many open spots. Last year, we supposedly lost (also because of money) because Nathan and Cuddyer saw either prospects in their new team choices. For some reason, Willingham went with the Twins. They gave him that third year, a competitive salary, and it seems the only other teams looking at him were in the same mix as the Twins. I am not sure what players look for, when given the ability to choose, the team they will play for. It is the first or second time they actually get to choose stadium, organization, part of the country and combine that with salary. Yet they can also choose and be traded away (both Cuddyer and Kubel are tradebait, I hear.....what keeps a Willingham from signing with Minnesota and ending up in Kansas City or Pittsburgh). And why do I disparage Kansas City or Pittsburgh or Houston. If nothing else, signin with those teams AND the Twins probably means you will get a chance to shine and play. Any of those teams would be perfect for a Liriano or Young or even a Baker looking to be in a comfortable playing environment and seeking a bigger contract come 2014. Sometimes, though, a starter has to question going to a lesser team. Will runs be scored for them. A 4.00 ERA on a contending team is better than a 4.00 ERA on a losing team. And how many pitchers like to end a season 5-12 or something of the ilk. The bigger problem the Twins face is that they have little incentive to lowball pitchers, except for the fact that they can offer innings, than other teams. They might have to pay a bit more than or be creative, even to retain Scott Baker, for example. John, would you sign with the Twins, today, right now, as a top tier player in baseball? If you were 29 and looking at a nice 3-4 year contract, would you seek out the Twins? If you were 35 with some energy and spark, would you commit to the Twins for 2 years if they offered. I think you'd look at every other opportunity available, first. Yes, the Twins CAN spend and get a rotation and an infielder and maybe a bench. It can happen in one fell swoop. Then all you have to hope is that no one pulls up lame and the other teams in the division stay the same or get weaker. But right now, in the FREE AGENT market, I think the Twins are callers only. I see few agents ringing their phones for an offer for their client or players looking out on their backyards and saying "I wonder what it would be like to play for the Minnesota Twins."

I got a question: How Much should a Team spend for each win by a Starting pitcher. It looks like premiere starters will e demanding $1 million a victory (12-20), The next rung is like $500,000 a win (8-12 wins). Supplemented by pre-arbitration and rookies ($100,000 a victory). So, if you win 90 games, do you spend $90 million on a rotation?

Casilla is ... replaceable. Think Rivas, even Guzman. No upside. He had his chances. Former Twins with the O's ... well, Thome was a no-brainer, but went a couple of places in-between. Ayala is a headcase. Pearce was a draftee who didn't sign and a spring training invite who didn't get the cut. Ford got lucky. Etc. Etc. I liked Alexi, but it is time to move on. Wish we were replacing him with, say, Hardy though.

Again, the sticking point to signing a Haren is...would he want to play here. That's the Twins biggest hurdle. You look at their 40-man roster, actually 32-man roster, and you barely see 25 servicable...servicable...players. Ugh!

I'm sure he'll sign a multi-year deal. Boy, this "free-agent" thing seems screwy. Let's see, any team could've had him for one-year and, say $12 million with an additional $3.5 coming over from L.A. So, yes, $8-10 x 2 would be comfortable. Otherwise, you could've traded for him and got him to sign another $12 mil extension ($24 total). But is he worth it. That is the question. I'm looking to see Baker sign quickly if he gets $8-10 over 2 years thrown his way. Give him a 3rd year option for $6-7 million and he is yours! Anyone have any idea what Francisco Liriano or Fausto Camona will bring?

I was surprised the Twins didn't go after Redmond for the Rochester job last year, and then immediately grab him to be bench coach this year. Nothing against Steinbach, but Redmond showed leadership potential and, as we now see, potential to be a major league manager.

Why has this post managed to stay on this site. It was a joke when posted and should've been deleted at that point.

Yeah, you pay the option or decline. Real simple. Get it done and overwith.

Even with the absolute miserable spring, would've been interesting if the Twins had stuck with Doyle as the last man in the bullpen. He had a decent year between AAA and Japan. You just never know. Instead, we kept Maloney and Jeff Gray.

What was wrong with the Twins commercials?

Of course, in hindsight, Ramos was the catcher for the future. He could've been a partial in 2011, regular at AAA in 2012, another partial season in 2013, and Mauer halftime replacement in 2014, with the Twins keeping him under control thru all of Mauer's years. Is there anyone in the system that will be better. Doubtful. You hate to see Ramos leaving if Mauer is only catching halftime from here-on out. Signing Capps for 2012 and not getting a draft pick was a big mistake. You don't need a closer if you aren't contending. You try and find or build a closer. Too bad he wasn't a trade chip when the Twins needed it most. In that way, Capps and Pavano both let the Twins down.

What can the Twins get for $20 million in 2013, and add another $30 million to the mix in 2014...all earmarked for starters. That is the question. One $10 and two $5, and how much for a second, not to bring up options for a third.

Offer Baker a $1 mil contract with $1 mil for each month in the majors? Baker can get that with any team. So we need to match loyalty with some sort of two-year contract with real-based incentives. Many teams would take a low-ball chance on Baker. Hermsen is interesting. In the Rule 5 world you have to keep a player on your majo league roster all season. The number of teams capable of doing this are usually 7-8. Maybe a team like the Astros could really gamble and keep 3-4 players, and they would be one to add Hermsen. That's the crap shoot. Hermsen has to be protected and he is sloted as being a memebr of the Twins by 2015, surely. Seth, what is the requirement for minor league Rule 5...where the Twins grabbed Marty Popham last season. They have to be A-ball or below and be added to AA/AAA rosters for the season? The Twins seem to lose a couple of guys this way each year. Gutierrez was a loss, but he wasn't going to contribute in 2013 and was in the same situation as Slama, getting older and injured. Now the Cubs have to keep him on their roster. And he probably won't stay. See him in the minior league free agent pickings sooner rather than never. The Twins can free up more roster spots with arbitration. Casilla, Butera. Not sure if they will stick with Swarzak. Then they still have names like Guerra, Oliveros and Joe Benson who could be dropped for free agent signings if push came to shove. Even players like DeVries and Deduno could be switched out to major/minor contracts if the right free agents were signed. So there is lots and lots of roster space to work work (not to mention Hernandez and Escobar, or Florimon...none of whom should be in demand if ran thru waivers, seriously, or not easily replaceable). Guess doesn't speak well for the roster in general. The Twins still have 25-guys, but HOW MANY ARE IN DEMAND by anyone?

I think they took the chance that no one would claim him. Te Cubs have to 40-man him, and then run him thru if they want the roster spot. He's out thru half of next season, I think.

Still good eight names that can be kept or shuffled off depending on free-agent signings or free agnt claims that need to be added to 40-man. Don't see them needing more than 4-5 places for protected minor league guys (Slama).

Now Pavano and the Twins will part as Pavano is a free agent. The Twins will decline Scott Baker's option, making him a free agent (I'm sure there is some discussion happening). I think the Twins hoped Gutierrez would slip thru, but he didn't. The other names, all signable if the Twins which to rekeep on a minor league basis, but they need to make room to protect SOME future prospects. Expect to see Casilla and Butera also released rather than arbirate. I think Swarzak might be on the bubble, too. These three can wait and be swapped out if the Twins wish to make any minor league free agent claims of guys necessary to add to the 40-man.

Interesting. I actually think Ullger should be considering a minor league manager job, preferably with another tam, if he wishes to be on track to manage, which he was...awhile back. I would've kept Vavra as the Bench coach, the guy who watches the pitchers, gives batters notes, watches video and such. Steinbach is so far out of the woodwork, I have nothing to say. I know he works in his hometown area with high school hitters. But then, who not Leius, Laudner, Smalley (or Coomer, for example). Ullger should be gone, period. Vavra lives in Wisconsin (a looong drive, but he does it for home games for some reason). But why not Molitor still looms large. Do the Twins need a manager-in-training, or will they just go after some other name when the time comes.