Rosterman

Well, if you look at the rotation on paper circa beginning of 2011, the Twins were actually thinkiing Baker would be the leader in 2013 with Blackburn filling a hole and the Twins proabably had every hope of siginng Lirinao to a decent contract.There was initial hopes that Kyle Gibson would be starting this year...with Wimmers or someone else coming in during 2013. Instead two promising rookies are all but out-of-site for a season or two, your heavy hitter is done, anotehr you can't afford or don't care, and one is signed longterm becuase he was better than nothing...so in 2013 the Twins basically have nothing. But back during the winetr of 2010/11 they were looking pretty good, along with a lot of others name in future plans: Hermson, Bromberg, DeBries, Slama, Guiterrez...not to mention able bodied guys like Manship, Brunett, etc. But the organization got hit hit by injuries, and a least one incompetent hurler.

We had the perfect Mauer replacement catcher set for, like, 7 years - but sent him to the Nationals. They need to draft someone who can come up quick. That's the given. I'm not sure about drafting the best player compared to drafting for your needs. Is that fact or fiction in baseball.

Well, he might be a better defensive catcher that Doumit.

Carroll would be a decent pick-up for any team...because he can move into the super utility role. The Twins could happily cut his salary if given the opportunity.

Well, you have to keep him all year to keep him, or get $25,000 grand if he stinks (and no one else claims him). Still, can't quite understand...Carsom. Wilkin, Mastro...aren't they basically place setters. I wish I really knew what the Twins think of Ben Revere. If they don't really see him in their future, they could've possibly shipped him to the Red Sox for Bowden, which would've been a lopsided deal...except if the Twin s don't really see Revere in their future. he again, they are hanging onto #1 draft pick Trevor Plo uffe and squandering him in the utility role.

Plouffe is still young, the question is can he be a role player or do the Twins NEED to find an everyday spot for him (a la Cuddyer). Hey, Dinkelman, could he return?

And to work on their stuff. Let Hendriks take one for the team and give up 50 runs!

The fans will come if they see baseball. It helps if the Twins win, but let's see them try...if you inspire the fans they will come. But if play is dismal and the team sticks with complacency...I don't want to watch more of the last two Angels games...if a player can't play...put them on the disabled list for the two weeks and get someone in who is ready to contribute. And quit telling your pitchers how importan it is to put the ball in play if you don't have the fielders who can make the outs. It's abd enough the outs are made when they bat.....

There is always a need for a closer...if they can close. Right now the Red Sox, Nationals, A's are just a few of the teams needing a closer. Capps can probably draw interest as a team could have him for the following year, too, at a modest salary. Liriano is pretty worthless. Any team that trades for him would have to be prepared to arbitrate and pay $7-8 million for at least one more year, or release him and hope they can slightly overbid any other takers. Pavano will draw a prospect, but again, no team will arbitrate him at this stage. Twins can trade him and bring him back for $4-5 million probably. Marquis would be a pure salary dump for a very minor prospect. Doumit can be a bargain The Twins got a one-year deal. If he produces, he can arbitrate for a modest $5 million, which isn't bad for a backup catcher who can hit and play other positions. For that reason, the Twins need to play him. Remember, the Twins could spend $10-15 million alone on draft prospects this year. If they continue their worthless play, they could spend another $15-20 million on what may be a better draft class again in 2013.

The rumor is that Las Vegas doesn't consistently draw that well, unless the team is winning, because of so many otehr distractions. Plus, it is a hot place to play and can be expensive for housing and such for players. Plus, a distraction for players. It's a favorite place to play for visiting teams. I can see Gardy pushing for Oklahoma. I hope the relationship will continue with Rochester. But the Twins also might be kicked out of New Britain, and heaer rumbles of departing Beloit (which is a nice roadtrip).

Okay, we need something in the outfield. Please, please shift Willingham to right field. Put Span in left and have Revere play cernter fulltime. I'm all for Ben developing mroe at Rochester, but the Twins right now could use his smile and spark, and I keep thinking how many balls might be caught in that big gap if those two were out there. Willingham can do just fine in right. I would keep Clete Thomas for now just because he's better than losing him to someone else. I would keep the rotation of Doumit/Morneau/Mauer between C/1B/DH. Sadly, that means I would send Parmelee down to play everyday and focus what he has to do a bit better to hit for some power. RIght now, he seems to be under pressure to perform. Put him under pressure to improve and grow at Rochester. I would bring up Dozier. Play him at short. For now have Jamie Carroll and Trevor Plouffe as the backups. I would cycle Carroll into the 2B/SS/3B mix as the Twins have done with such notables as Punto, Hocking and Reboulet in the past. I guess I would keep Butera for the moment as the third catcher. The pitching is a mess. Pavano/Blackburn./Marquis are here to stay. Hendricks is out and down to Rochester. Liriano should be put in the bullpen after one more start. I guess bring up Diamond/DeVries and or P.J. and give them a looksee. Schwarzk and Duening are the long guys. Perkins in the setup. Capps is around and wilkl be around until someone badly needs a closer, and I would jump at the first opportunity to be rid of him. Brunett has options, send him down if he screws up one-more-time. Gray/Maloney/Burton on a short leash. One ahs to go to make room for Dozier. If Malooney goes, we then have 3 40-man spots open. Stay away from the waiver wire. Give anyone/everyone a chance from Rochester. Add back Slama at the worst. Let Manship come up. Maybe look at Fein or Wise. Guerra will be in the mix at sometime. I would like to see this weekend, before the next homestand -- gone Hendricks, Maloney, Parmelee maybe Brunett. Up Dozier, Revere, Diamond, DeVries (as relief). I do think Carroll is professional enough to be a bench guy as long as he gets some playing time. On the bubble: Gray, Burton, Thomas, Plouffe, Liriano. Tradebait: Pavano, Capps, Doumit. Oh, and pass Toshi thru waivers and see if anyone will pick up his $2.5 remaining for this year and $3 for next year. Eat the fee you paid to sign him. Move on.

Seth named him the minor-league pitcher of the week. http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?493-Twins-Minor-League-Relief-Pitcher-of-the-Month-April He did one appearance in Rochester after being promoted, pitching 3 innings with 3 hits, a walk, and a couple of K's. His changeup was called outstanding. Over in the St. Paul Daily, Ron Gardenhire said this about Deolis: "When we sent him out in spring training, we told him, 'I think you've found your place in baseball here, out of the bullpen.' He's more confident. He lets it fly more. He was more comfortable with it. He actually said, 'I really like this.' He comes to the park everyday knowing he might have a chance to go out there and play, and he likes that part of it."

And that means Plouffe gets to make or break himself as the right fielder. So sad...would rather see Revere out there for a couple of weeks with Plouffe on the bench. I also do wish we had Hughes (sigh) instead of Burroughs. Bench is pretty darn sucky right now.....

Man, means I don't have to do an update on my adopt a prospect this year tomorrow...everyone is doing mine for me....you know...that guy who is the last remaining piece of the Santana trade (unless you count Brett Jacobson).

We do try to keep the Twins farm system up-to-date at www.twinscards.com

The Twins cleared a 40-man roster spot when they designated Luke Hughes for assignment, to keep that extra pitcher...hoping no one would claim him. Oakland did. It looks like some teams did pass on him. Whomever claims him will have to add him to a 40-man roster spot and if they want to send him to the minors, run him thru the whole process again. At this point, he might become a free agent. Like when the Twins waived Neshek last spring, there was the hope no one would claim him...it worked for Perkins at one time, it worked for Slama. So, you never know.......

better yet try to predict the off-season 40-man, who will be around from present company to start 2013. I doubt that anyone will bring a top-notch prospect...probably a possible overpaid aribitration player.

Plus we get a backup catcher!

I would imagine that TK would not travel, so he would be a home-type of guy. Would love to see him on at least one of every series game. Just wait until the day with get Gardy in the booth!

Something seems out-of-alignment in not only line-up but overall team construction.

The Twins have the potential to dump salary if this season goes on: Pavano, Capps, Doumit, Liriano for example, all could be gone. Marquis won't be a factor in 2013. Baker will be gone. Hell, if someone made an offer for Willingham and the Twins entered rebuild mode, it could happen. The Twins can have a Mauer back-up in 2013 from the minors. They can make Jamey Carroll a high paid utility guy (as well as Toshi). Parmelee and Morneau can share 1B/DH duties until the Twins define a need and salary for Morneau in 2014 and beyond. Benson, Revere and pan ain't a bad outfield if push comes to show. The starting staff IS a shambles. Diamond, DeVries, Hendricks, Blackburn, Manship perhaps, and pray for rain. But besides Perkins, holdovers Burnett, Duensing, Swarzak and someone from the Gary/Burton/Mahoney/Wise/Waldrop quintet, the Twins have Guerra and Guiterrez as well as still Slama. The Twins should easily hit $75 million in 2013 for payroll.

Plouffe is a first rounder that the Twins hope to get something out of (shades of B.J. Garbe and Ryan Mills and Adam Johnson). But it is sad that his place is that of a role player. Yet the thought of Plouffe (and Luke Hughes) being two guys on the bench was a positive coming into the season, supplemented by Burroughs getting a chance, and Revere as the speedster. The Twins basically flipped Revere for Thomas, who is a better bench choice at the moment. Burroughs was around to put some rpessure on Valencia....but as we see, it ain't too much pressure. But Plouffe (and sadly Hughes) are those perfect bench guys, capable of playing many positions, a bit of a pop in the bat, and can run better than a slowpoke. When a player goes down, you want a bench guy that is capable of replacing that player short-term. If it is long-term, you have the choice of the bench guy or the hot future prospect getting time (i.e. Revere last year in center). And hopefully during your 1-4 years sitting on the bench, you do get a near fulltime experience to show your worth (see Punto, Hocking, Reboulet or any number of other infielders.) With the departure of Hughes, the Twins are hanging with Plouffe, and have the option of Jamey Carroll being super bench guy if Dozier forces himself west to the big squad and Casilla hangs onto his bag. Plouffe is a role player and can come off the bench and happily does what he is asked. He would like to be a regular somewhere, and maybe it will happen when he is 28 or 29 and can depart the Twins organization, or he proves too expensive as a bench guy, or he shines and becomes tradebait. Thomas is a dime a dozen outfielder that brings abck memories of Dustan Mohr, Lew Ford, Mike Restovich, and to a lesser extent Doug Deeds and all the AAA guys that have gone thru Twins backup land in the past. Burroughs, wish he really did have some power. Today, I would rather have Jim Thome on the bench with two multi-position infielders and speedster Revere -- although the logjam of Morneau/Parmelee/Doumit/Mauer is creatin it's own set of issues, it seems.

The Twins traded Johan Santana to the Mets in 2007 netting them DEOLIS GUERRA along with Carlos Gomez (traded for J.J. Hardy who was traded for Jim Hoey and BRETT JACOBSON), Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey (traded for Jon Rauch). A few bodies that have turned into more bodies, but GUERRA is the last remaining hope of someone worthy of Santana. He started young with the Mets system as a 17-year old in A-Ball. When the Twins grabbed him, he was only 19 and they put him into Ft. Myers right away in 2008 as a starter where he went 11-9 with a high 5.47 ERA and his power-arm raves translated into a 71/71 BB/K ratio. He split 2009 between High-A and New Britain, also as a starter, showing some signs of stability and control and the organization falling back on his age (only 20) being a factor for his high hit total and ERA. In 2010 the Twins continued to groom him as a starter where he stunk with a 2-10 record and a dismal 6.24 ERA and fewer K's than the organization dreamed of (hoping he would be the second coming of Johan, or even the old Francisco - instead of the new Francisco). To give him some competitive hitters, the 21-year-old made 5 appearances at AAA Rochester getting battered before ending up on the disabled list with a left oblique arm strain. In 2011, the now 22-year-old began the season as a starter back at AA New Britain where he was an amazing 3-5 with a 9.00 ERA (43 runs in 43 innings) before being converted to the bullpen where he shined with a 5-2 record and 2.77 ERA in 52 innings spanning 27 appearances. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster after the Santana trade in 2008, so the Twins are now in the position of having to add him to the major league roster at some point and keep him there forever and ever AFTER this season ends. Deolis may not be the Santana replacement the Twins hoped for, but he should get an early promotion to Rochester this summer as a righty-reliever who can face 3-8 batters in a game, and sometime later this season in the show if the Twins go into rebuilding mode to see if this 23-year-old has the real stuff. The decision has to be made now...and he is currently shining at New Britain: 7 appearances, 12 innings, 5 hits, 15K/1BB. It will be fun to watch him as his path to the major league roster continues. I hope the Twins think of an early callup, giving him some needed exposure to major league hitting, then shuffling him back to the minors to work more with Bobby Cuellar at Rochester. I hope he can be an inning-plus reliever rather than a one-two batter specialist.

A lot of weekday tickets do go unused during the spring because of school and such, and group sales aren't as big. But the Twins have sold a guaranteed 2,500,000 seats for the year. That is a positive for them. Unfortuntely, 5,000 tickets are still available on a walk-up basis, and no one will touch those when seats are going for as little as $5 on StubHub, even against former sellouts like the Red Sox. Unless the team drastically turns around, ti won't be hard to find reasonable tickets for any game, and once you get in the stadium, you can pick and choose from the empty seats to sit your butt in if the usher is preoccupied, which they seem to be a lot in most sections. But, yes...last year we could sell our Yankee, Brewer and Red Sox tickets and basiczlly pay for ALL our other tickets. Speculators are being burned this year big time. Poor guys on the corner with the "Will Buy Ticket" signs -- why are they doing this?

So the Twins were ultimately hoping Luke Hughes would be at Rochester to help that team rather than the major league team? Something didn't turn out right here.