Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

nicksaviking

Community Moderator
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    25,651

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    126

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by nicksaviking

  1. nicksaviking
    I'm just not interested in trading for a guy who will go looking for big money about the time this team is hopefully ready to contend. I'm not giving away decent prospects for two years of capable catcher play during rebuilding years. They Twins aren't going to give Weiters a big money contract, nor should they. His value still seems to be driven by his prospect hype and he has not lived up to it. Not even close.
  2. nicksaviking
    I'm confused, am I the "fanboy?" Perhaps I have a faulty interpretation of the term but I thought it applied to brown nosers who wouldn't dare speak an ill word of the idol in fear that said idol was listening. The Twins don't have to listen to me. How about they listen to common sense and sports writers that supposedly have more insight regarding the rediculous notion that it's best to demand your defense make 88% of your outs: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-twins-pitch-to-contact-like-no-one-ever/ http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/How_to_fix_the_Twins_Part_1_The_biggest_problem_among_many_problems110413 http://www.bringmethenews.com/2013/09/25/pitching-to-contact-twins-posting-pitiful-strikeout-numbers/ http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/6/28/4474576/minnesota-twins-starters-strikeouts-history Inflamatory comment aside, I am thrilled that the Twins appear to be at the front of the pack in terms of interviewing pitchers. It's just frustrating that they continue to be attracted to the same kind. There are plenty of free agents with league average or better strikeout rates available.
  3. nicksaviking
    Damn I want to cry. It's almost like the front office is taunting everyone who points to the fact that the lack of strikeouts is a major cause for the ineffectiveness of the rotation.
  4. nicksaviking
    His temperment might be helpful in the bland clubhouse but surely there will be some internal resistance from those who still embrace the mild and reserved demeanor. Those same individuals likely carry more weight in personell moves off the diamond, which is why I suspect the Twins want nothing to do with a bold and brash broadcast personality.
  5. nicksaviking
    It's never too early! Research, research, research. Your point with Giolito is aboslutely correct. But looking back at predraft hype, his draft spot and his accomplishments since, we can see that despite the injury, he still probably should have been a top 5 pick. So perhaps if the same fate befell Kolek or another top HS arm we should not be so quick to dismiss him. Research!
  6. nicksaviking
    Ha, yeah. First instinct is to defend our guy Stewart against the new crop, but of course there's a decent chance one of those guys will be in the organization next year.
  7. nicksaviking
    Yes, if hypothetically the Twins plan on signing three pitchers and a catcher, I'd prefer the pay to look like this, assuming the salary requested is based on expectation of performance: Pitcher 1 = $$$$ Pitcher 2 = $$$ Pitcher 3 = $$ Catcher = $ Pitcher 3 and the catcher can swap spots if the pitcher 3 is aa low risk/high reward lotto ticket type.
  8. nicksaviking
    This version of Red Dawn is a lot less interesting. Hopefully the bots don't anthropomorphize, we don't have Swayze around to protect us anymore.
  9. nicksaviking
    I can understand getting a veteran catcher, but I'd rather have a $13 million pitcher and a $5 million dollar catcher than a $13 million catcher and a $5 million pitcher. Saltalamacchia is OK defensively, but really, the team who buys him is buying off of a career year. A year which happens to look very similar to Ryan Doumit 2012. I'm not paying +$8 million for that.
  10. nicksaviking
    How about the Twins just overpay enough for one year of (insert hotly-debated, question-mark pitcher) so that he is amicable to an reasonable option year? If Hughes for example is only getting $7 million offers, one would think he may consider a $9 million deal from the Twins with a $10 million 2015 club option.
  11. nicksaviking
    Interesting, I had the same thoughts yet it I didn't realize how sad it was until I heard someone else say it. I agree with Mackey but I think he's going to be disappointed when he sees the prices for these guys. He's estimating about $10-12 million per year for the top guys. I think it's going to be closer to $15-17 million per. There's extra revenue out there, don't think the agents and players association isn't going to be putting the screws to the owners to share the wealth. They'll cry collusion if player salaries don't go up. Mackey's suggested retail prices would almost indicate a reduction in pay considering last year's equivilant pitchers, Sanchez, Dempster, Jackson, Haren, Kuroda and Peavy all topped $12 million per season. Even Scott Boras' martyred Kyle Lohse* with is unfortunate QO tag ended up getting $11 million per once all was said and done. *Lohse sympathy performed with joyful sarcasm
  12. nicksaviking
    Mauer has been pretty stubborn about a move previously. The doctors at the Mayo must have been pretty convincing. Like previous posters have suggested, I really don't like the power translation at 1B. Hopefully this move helps from a historical perspective. Perhaps it will aid him in winning another batting title and help in reaching 3,000 hits. Those are personal numbers and don't mean much in terms of winning games but I still enjoy seeing those individual victories.
  13. nicksaviking
    Mauer has been pretty stubborn about a move previously. the doctors at the Mayo must have been pretty convincing. Like previous posters have suggested, I really don't like the power translation at 1B. Hopefully this move helps from a historical perspective. Perhaps it will aid him in winning another batting title and help in reaching 3,000 hits. Those are personal numbers and don't mean much in terms of winning games but the part of I still enjoy seeing those individual victories.
  14. nicksaviking
    I think the utility infielder can wait until the serious issues get sorted out. Besides, should we really be concerned if a utility infielder can hit if the starting SS can't? Or the 3B or 1B? Or any of the outfielders or the DH?
  15. nicksaviking
    Good write-up, but I think you are under-selling Trumbo and Samardzija, well at least in the eyes of the rest of the league. I think Trumbo is overrated, he has really nice power, but he can't get on base. That being said, the Pirates, Braves and Red Sox have all shown deep interest in the guy over the last couple of years and I don't think a guy in Low A ball who isn't even a top ten organizational prospect will be anywhere close to getting him. I also don't think that package gets Samardzija. I currently think he is also overrated, though he has the tools for a Scherzer-like break out. Arcia is a good anchor for a trade but probably not quite the prospect to get a pitcher like Samardzija. Duensing may have some value after a nice season but he is after all only a LOOGY. I would think Worely's value is nearly zero at this time. AZ has been rumored to be in on Samardzija and while they won't trade Archie Bradley, the idea was that they would have to include Tyler Skaggs. That would likely mean the Twins would have to include Alex Meyer and that's a no-go in my book. Edit: After re-reading your post I see you weren't suggesting a Harrison/Trumbo swap straight up. Gibson and Burton being included likely would be what the Angels are looking for. I still wouldn't be interested. Trumbo is going to be a frustratingly inconsistant player. I'm not interested in giving up on Gibson for a guy who has trouble getting on base at a .300 rate.
  16. nicksaviking
    I don't think I want to give up a 2nd round pick for Morales. He is terrible in the field and wants a 3 year deal. He'll surely have to be a full time DH soon if not immediately.
  17. nicksaviking
    By saying this you imply that I ask for pitchers who get strikeouts only and could care less about any other factors. I've got a pretty one track mind about the kinds of pitchers this team needs, but I'm not blind to other factors. I want quality pitchers, i just want them to also be able to strike batters out, and this year there are plenty of them. Volquez was bad last year, he didn't cross my mind (or most people's). Looking at the other free agents with (reasonably) high strikeout rates, Haren was also uninspiring this past year but I was surprised that he actually finished with an 8.0 K/9, I wouldn't qualify his 7.2 rate from 2012 as a high K rate though. Hughes isn't exactly a strikeout pitcher. He had a 7.5 K/9 last year, that's about league average. Jackson cranked up the strikeouts in 2012 but that seemed to be a mirage as his career K/9 is 6.9. Nearly every other free agent pitcher who could throw it past batters last year was pretty darn good.
  18. nicksaviking
    I didn't claim that strikeouts guarantee positive results but the previous poster discounted them completely. They are however one of the best indicators if only using basic stats. Did any strikeout heavy free agents have a poor year last season?
  19. nicksaviking
    I would trust a strikeout rate much more than an ERA to determine the quality of a pitcher. Strikeouts are hardly meaningless. There are always a few outliers, but check out the strikeout rates of the top pitchers each year, they are usually quite high. The ability to keep the ball out of play is clearly the biggest advantage any pitcher can get.
  20. nicksaviking
    Hughes, Arroyo, and Vargas Maybe, No, No. This team does not need more contact heavy pitchers. I'm not a big Hughes fan, but Arroyo and Vargas should not be considered under any scenario. This team puts the questionable infield defense to work enough as it is. Get league average strikeout pitchers or better, there are plenty of them this offseason. Otherwise turn to internal options.
  21. nicksaviking
    Hughes and Correia are nothing alike. Hughes is a flyball pitcher with a 20% K rate who throws a 92 mph fastball. Correia is a groundball pitcher with a 15% K rate and a 90 mph fastball. I'm not sold on Hughes, but I think the emphasis on groundball pitchers in a pitcher friendly park with a questionable infield defense is maybe misguided. I'd much prefer a guy who can manage a leage average strikeout rate even if it means more flyballs.
  22. nicksaviking
    I really hope the Twins change their tune on Johnson. I don't think $10 million is too much for him, I think it's low in fact unless there are medical concerns that weren't addressed with his recent surgery. On a one year deal, he really is the only player the Twins could reasonably get who has the potential to be A) evaluated for future front of the rotation candidacy, or flipped for a good haul come the trade deadline. If he returns to form there's no reason to think he can't get a similar return to what Garza and Greinke got the past two deadlines.
  23. nicksaviking
    Agreed. No agent is going to trash any team if they are trying to get them to sign clients, but this one seemed pretty sincere. Every indication is that the Twins front office is pretty well respected. I may not agree with everything Ryan and company do but I still recognize them as honest and amicable business individuals.
  24. nicksaviking
    Nice work Parker, you got yourself and this site linked: Twins Notes: Willingham, Johan, Rotation, Sano: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com Your work is recognized admirably world wide!
  25. nicksaviking
    I'm interested in those three names, mostly because, as your criteria states, they throw hard and strike guys out. Thier durability has been brought up but likely only Kazmir gets multi years and most projections only give him two. I wouldn't mind a longer term guy but I'd be happy if those guys were in the 2014 rotation. The injury stuff doesn't bother me as much though. I guess I look at it differently; sure you could get nothing out of these guys, but even if you only got 140 innings and had to use Albers/Hendriks/Diamond for the other 60 innings, I think 200 IP from a combination of Johnson/AAAA guy is better than one bargain basement innings eater guy throwing 200 innings. The guys they get are usually no better than the AAAA guys anyway.
×
×
  • Create New...