Rosterman

And the Twins do have arms in the minors that still need a major league look (Slama if he can get healthy). Guerra should be next in line. And, yes...you don't need a first-line closer if you aren't winning games. You can develop one.......

I still haven't figured out that if the Twins payroll is 50% of revenue, why when it goes from $50 million to $100 million, team operation costs also doubled. Twice as many scouts, vendors, vice presidents, etc? Not really, minor league expenses remain flat, et al. When the Twins moved from the Metrodome to Target Field, their in-house revenues increased, they actually soldout of tickets and didn't need the extra personnel that they usually ahd for that endeavor, and any number of other things kicked in (more sponsorships and such). The Twins $130 million contribution was only a fraction of what the value of the team actually increased with target Field. Didn't they go from $250 million to $500 million at least? That means they could actually go to a bank and get a loan for the worth of the team, at lesser rates than Pohlad would charge himself, in all likelihood. But, again...if team operations were say $40 million a few years ago, they can't be more than the $63 the Phillies have now. Why are the Twins spending $90 million, AFTER a $20+ million profit! Calvin Griffith is rolling over in his grave!

Yeah, Blackburn or Lyle French of Sam Deduno or P.J. Walters. Name your poison. I'm surprised the Twins didn't send Dozier down for a couple of weeks and bring up the hot hitting Toshi, just to get some payback.

Can a player still increase their signing bonus by taking it long-term, like say $10 million over three years with a guarantee that they go to spring training and added immediately to the 40-man, et al? Or was that thrown out the door with the new agreements?

I seemed to remember reading that the Twins were leveraged with bank loans from banks other than Pohlads (better loan interest rate, perhaps). The get money from revenue and/or perceived worth of the Franchise. Supposedly they banked close to $200 million in revenue last season, and the Franchise has gone from something like $160 million in value to $459 million, with an outstanding loan to the corporation of $140 million or so to cover partial stadium costs and upgrades...which at $10 million a year in profits will be paid back in....... So if the family cashed out today with the worth of the organization at $450 million, they would come out pretty well. Major league baseball allows franchises to carry loans for 70% of the amount of worth... So, yes, someone other than the Pohlads have paper on the Twins.

Isn't Capps all but signed for 2013 with a decent option pick up?

For $6 million, you can get a pretty nice apartment, or live in a hotel while you are on-site. Hell, you can buy a nice little condo in Ft. Myers and rent out other rooms to players. Have your own swimming pool and a pool table in the dining room. The minors can be a pain (does Byron go to Eliza). ut when you are young and get to play baseball all day, you basically need a nice locker room and a sleeping room.

Come September, the Twins could go with a 6 or 7 pitcher rotation, try out potential guys et al. Come seasons end, the Twin will have to make decisions if they want to kep the Deduno and Walters on the 40-man roster, or just resign them as free agents (minors) depending on who they have to protect and all. But if they have the spots open (and if they trade Capps, Span, Liriano and make decisions on Toshi, Valencia and Casilla...they will have 4-5 opens spots to immediately add guys from the minors).

Young and Gomez are fine examples. Both rushed, both are now expensive. Both may still hit a big prime when they get to 28-31, but at what cost to a franchise. Sometimes, being in the minors teaches humility and responsibility. You still are playing a game that may be fun, but you have to realize that nothing in life is truly easy and does take hard work.

Yes, maybe would've been best to kept one, like Cuddyer...but there was no hometown discount and except that he could've fit into the 1st/3rd/2nd/DH/OF mix...well, offensively Ryan did good on the free agent market with Doumit (better to have a DH/back up catcher than a DH/sluggish outfielder). It allows Revere to shine. But maybe have a weakness if we lose Span. All dictated by salary. If Cuddyer and Kubel would sign for what Doumit and Willingham did, then we'd still have them. If we have a gripe, it was that Ryan played lowball in the back-up starter department, not going after a semi-first liner, and then also offering some bucks in Minors/majors splits to some hasbeen (Marquis, one, Francis another). It is better to have too many 1-2 starts than too many 3-5 starts, in reality.

Liriano is too expensive. $12 million required BY THE TWINS to keep him in 2013. Other teams can get him for less. Hey, wait, sounds like David Ortiz all over again. But the hard reality is that Liriano (unproven) probably would ratehr try the fre agent market. If the Twins offer him arbitration, he would have that to fall back on. Better to trade him for something halfway decent, and THEN float a free agent offer to him, assuming his new team doesn't pick up the option. Then we find out how badly he wants to be a Twin. It's a tough trade decision, because the new team will have the option to resign him, or offer him arbitration and get two draft choices. The Twins should be offered at least close to two draft picks for the guy.

There isn't a need to trade EVERYONE. But Pavano will be a free agent and is contributing nothing. Matt Capps is valuable IF a team needs a reasonably priced closer with an option for next year. The Twins can pick up the option and still deal him next season. I do see a need to move Span if possible. He isn't driving up his stock this year after a faltering last year. The Twins still can trade him next year. Liriano has to go. But what the Twins get for selling a rental is up in the air. I'm sure no one wants the $12 million arbitration necessity. If the Twins don't move Valencia, Casilla, Thomas, Burroughs amongst others, they won't be tendered in the fall. The Twins DO have to cut bait with Blackburn and Toshi. Really, they do. Maybe run them out there in August and if anyone bites, you negotiate, or just let them go. They just don't have a lot of valuable pieces, except for Willingham, Plouffe, Revere, Perkins, Diamond and Burton. I'm sure people ARE asking about those guys, not the ones we really don't need to have around.

You are at AAA because you have played i the majors or have earned a spot on the 40-man roster. The competition is a bit higher at AAA than at AA levels. The players also tend to be older. Most of the placement of a player in the minors is not based on just ability, but also age, playing against similar types. Most AAA rosters are full of guys who are on the cusp of being in the majors, guys who can fill-in for an organization, but not maybe year-after-year, or people trying to get back into the majors. Remember, the worst guys on the bench and in the back-of-the-bullpen are still better than any star out of college or high school. It's just when they hit heir stride, how they adapt to the rules and regs of being a ballplayer, and the ability to learn. In a multi-task sport like baseball you may be fast, or powerful, or throw a mean pitch, or catch a ball...but you have to have the ability to bring ALL those skills together at some competent level. We can argue about Plouffe being in AAA too long. He is an example of a guy who was pushed a level beyond each year. If he was held back (think if you were held back a grade in school), he may be superman in the minors and THIS may be his first big year in the majors, rather than bits and pieces of many. All levels are adjustments. Some guys ARE more talented than others. But think of playing ball in town with all ages. Or the difference between sophomores and seniors at a high school, or at a college. The flipside of minor league play is that the lower levels are undisciplined. You get more wildness from the pitchers, more free swinging from the batters. Plus the competitiveness kicks in (will I make it). You always have to have a place for fill-in players. 40-man guys end up at AAA sometime during their 4 years. If you play in the Arizona Fall League, you more than likely end up at AAA the next season. By playing at competitive levels for age and skills, a player develops. You can bring Buxton up to the majors tomorrow, but do you want him to take his lumps up here in front of 40,000 people against 25-26-29-30 years olds that far outclass anything he has seen, or against comprable best each year as he goes thru a system. Yes, msot of the guys at AA could be playing AAA ball if there wasn't roster sports for AAAA-types (giving those 6-year guys one more chance).

The Twins do have two long men: Duensing and Swarzak. If the Twins would keep these guys there and not throw them into the starting mix, it looks pretty darn good. Burnett and Gray CAN go a couple innings at times. Burton and Perkins and Capps are all specifically one-inning guys at the moment, although if Capps comes back as the closer, then Burton can finish an inning and complete another. I'm hoping the Twins do jump the gun predicting the Walters and Capps return and send Fien (who hasn't pitched) and Robertson back to the minors. That leaves a rotation of P.J., Diamond, DeVries, Liriano. DeDuno. If Duensing and Swarxak are your one-time thru the order plus mopup guys, you are doing well with a measly 12 pitchers.

The Twins would have to offer arbitration to Liriano, which means (like Ortiz last year with the Red Sox) the Twins could get stuck with a $12+ million purchase. Granted, Liriano would want to itch like hell in 2013 to get an even bigger buyout, but the Twins (or whomever gets him in a trade, could be on the hook for even more). The flipside is that if the Twins can get halfway decent worth for Liriano, they can watch him do whatever he will do for the remainder of the year, and possibly outbid others on a multi-year contract during the offseason and sign him for that $24-27 million 3-year contract. Is his shortterm worth worth it to a team in 2012? How many players will actually be in that 2013 class. Would the Twins spring for a couple of free agents? And how abdly will the team get decimated in July (Span, Capps, Pavano, Morneau cold all be gone for prospects). Are the internal building blocks fully in place to replace those guys in 2013 without spending in the free agent market and will replacements be comparable (can Parmelee hit 18-20 homers and bat .240, for example). Can Mastro play right field and bat .270 and steal 15 bases and hit three homers. Will the Twins still have bench and bullpen depth to pull from as next season straddles on?

The Liriano situation, getting two draft picks, means you have to offer him arbitration. Unless Frankie is totally lights out, I doubt that he would get a one-year $12 million contract in the free agent marketplace. I also wonder if teams would take a multi-year flyer on him for $10 million a year, even. He might actually have to settle for $7-8 million, again, and hope to be stellar, except that the team that has him at the moment won't be able to get him for that unless they let him walk. If the Twins trade him, they can always offer him a free agent contract - think about that -- and still get something in trade...if he wants to pitch for the Twins, that is. We all like Span, but once again he is approaching the .260 average, like he did last, year, and besides hitting a bunch of doubles, isn't doing it on the offense. He has a friendly contract, is a bit higher rated than ever now, and if we can trade him, do so. Surprisingly, Mastro is heating up and would make a nice tandem in the outfield with Revere, for now. The question is Morneau. If you aren't overwhelmed, you keep him and hope he is overwhelming on the field in 2013. Casilla. Second-coming of Luis Rivas? The big problem is that he'll be a near $2 million player next season. Is he worth it? I mean, look what the Twins paid Punto in the past, and even Jamey now. Rememebr when the Twins didn't want to pay Hocking a million to be Mr. Infield. Somehow, the Twins have to stop devaluing their players so early. There is no worth when a guy sits: Casilla, Valencia, Toshi, Clete Thomas, Balckburn now are all guys that could potentially be released and had for either remaining salary or pro-rated major leave minimum and the Twins get nothing in return. If nothing else, the Twins should do minor organization moves with these guys and get some sot of minor league player back to fill the system and maybe blossom, rather than just a salary cut. Hey, one big question: Does any Liriano trade also involve Drew Butera as the throw-in?

Ys, it would be interesting to read about the Dominican league...I think they have focused on that in the past, the Academy and such that gives players food, education and, if they look decent, a salary to play baseball fulltime. A lot of the GCL guys do go to Eliza, or it is more of a pure instructional league, get the guys to know the Twins way and work on fundamentals and play games amongst themselves, or other area teams only. Few people in the stands and such. What is interesting is the Eliz article, about players basically living out of homes (makes sense) and the competition. The players can look around at 25 faces and suddenly realize that they have made it to the absolute beginning level of minor league ball and ONLY 2-3 of the guys around them MAY see major league play IN ANY CAPACITY. Everyone else is doomed to 2-3-4 years of minor league play and maybe another handful become AAAA players for a few extra years. You suddenly discover that you may be the best thing in your high school or college, but suddenly you are playing with the best from any other high school or college. Granted, in the world of minor league ball you need a place to sleep, do laundry and maybe cook ... but your whole life during the baseball season is playing ball in some capacity to reach the major leagues. Can you think of a more fun life for a few years? Of course, nice to have something to fall back on, eventually.

The Twins have to look at 40-man adds for September vs. 40-man adds once the season ends (those guys can't be removed for free agent signings or such until spring training ends). Also, the Twins don't move guys around a lot between Beloit and New Brit and Rochester. It can be hard on players to just move up a level for a few weeks, having to find new lodging and such. The taset of the higher level of play can come in the Arizona Fall League, or extended Fall play, if need be. That's not to say a playe or two will move up permanently. Of course, depends on what happens with the Twins cutting bait with various minor free agents and such. If a player moves up to, say, Beloit, that player moving further up has to take the place of someone else, too. And the disabled lists can only hold so many bodies. Plus, you have to play games to keep players down for the Rule 5 (remember, there is a minor league version). Be interesting to see how many spaces can be cleared in advance of season's end on the 40-man -- Toshi, Valencia, Casilla, Span, Pavano, Capps, Liriano. Will Fien and others stay or be resigned as minor league free agents (or will they move elsewhere). Like do the Twins really need to add Burroughs, for example, to the 40-man.

With the extra days off for the All-Star break, hopefully the Twins will see fit to send Dozier, Deduno, DeVries, Fein, Waldrop, Robertson and anyone else back down to Rochester to get playing time, elevating a few folks back up here for a week like Valencia Guerra and Toshi, before sending them back down again. Let's really play the musical chair game and see folks before the trading begins.

What about THAT Japanese guy.

Not sure why Parmelee was up here. Burroughs would be a better choice, now, off the bench (and can play first and third). The Twins do have two openings on the 40-man. Blackburn replaces Robertson or Waldrop in the bullpen. Walters back after the beak. Bring up another guy let's see French or Dudono...see what these minors free agents bring to the table.

Yes, the 10-day rule did not apply to the 26th man needed for a doubeheader. The option of sending DeVries downs works because he would've just sat around on the bench here. When he starts, we have t see. There is also a big difference, right now, between the two pitchers. DeVries is working his tail off in every start to succeed and try to stay here and prove the pundits wrong that he is nothing more than an end-of-the-bench bullpen guy. Liam has all the talent in the world, but doesn't seem to know that you have to labor a bit and adapt, especially when going thru the lineup, and working with "professional" umpires. I applaud DeVries. Like Diamond, he is attempting to make the most of the opportunity given him. If he stays in the majors, we will see one of abseball's ahrdest working pitchers the next three seasons.

Cole just got a single day callup. They can call him up again and make a roster decision, but like someone said, why have him sit here and collect a major league salary for five days when you can have another bench player for the week. Be intersting to see how everything does shake out.

As a stopgap when Mauer plays first and you need someone other than Butera behind-the-plate, yes. Assuming Morneau stays around for another year, then it looks like the beginning of this season all over again...with Parmelee in the mix you have four rotating in four spaces. A couple of years is fine. He would not be a fulltime catcher/1B/RF anywhere. And, folks, Hermann still has to make the 40-man and then still has four seasons before needing to be in the bigs fulltime. Who knows, maybe next year he will be the bench/third catcher guy.

We can look at and rotate thru any number of other guys, but only so many open spots on the 40-man roster...like two. Is it worthwhile to give Holimon and Chang a look, and Florimon as a future reserve? The pain is when you play musical chairs, you also lose guys in the minors and need to sign others to replace them if they leave on their own or are claimed. And you ultimately want to put the effort and playing time into people who will also be given a chance next year, not just filling space this year. That's the upset with Casilla, will he be too expensive for what he brings to the Twins to even be considered for 2013. And Valenci, and Burroughs...and, forgive me, make a decision now on Toshi. Time to cut and eat salary, front office.