Matt's Twins Blog

Day Games vs. Night/Evening Games

2010-07-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a little while since the last post, but I figured it was necessary to get back on here again to address an issue that has become repetitive the last couple years. Last year on August 17, the Twins were 7 games above .500 in night games (41-34) and 12 games below .500 in day games (15-27). This year the Twins are 13 games above .500 in night games (35-22) compared to 6 games under .500 in day games (10-16). This pattern has killed the Twins the past two seasons, keeping them from winning the division in the regular season and forcing them to play an extra game - 163 - which the team is 1-1 in.

Now what is causing this change? Some people say that it is a change in routine that is causing players to not perform well, but the opposing teams also have to change their routine. It seems pretty obvious that Gardenhire usually rests his players on the day game after a night game, which sometimes makes sense, but not when you do it every single time. Is there really any difference resting a player the night game before a day game instead? Or how about a night game between two night games?

With a team that has the depth this team does, Gardy should be able to rest one player a night/day throughout the week. Sure some of the players (Span, Cuddyer, Young, Hudson, etc.) may just have their scheduled off day once every two weeks, but it still would allow the team to put out a lineup everyday that can produce solid offense. One of Gardy's reasons in the past for not hitting Mauer 2nd in the order was that he didn't want to put a Tolbert or Punto at the bottom of the order and having 2-3 non productive offensive players in a row - really? What about the lineup where Punto was leading off, Tolbert was hitting 2nd, Harris was hitting 8th, and Butera was hitting 9th? Yes - this was a day game lineup. Anyways, back to my point, if you rest Mauer on the night game before this day game, then the Twins are able to have Mauer in the game when they are resting a different player.

Now in some of these cases, where the Twins trot out their "B" lineup and don't score any runs, the starter gives up 4, 5, 6 runs or so and then Gardy uses the pitching as an out. Well these guys are human and if they see the Butera's, Punto's, Tolbert's, and before being sent down Harris in the lineup, I think that they would feel the pressure put on them, that they need to shut down the opponent to even have a chance at winning the game.

It just seems like Gardy is giving away these day games and just hoping they can scrap together a win, instead of spreading out the days these guys get days off. It is something I hope changes before they are headed towards another game 163.

Nathan done for the season? ... Closer options

2010-03-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

With it looking like Joe Nathan will miss the entire 2010 season, the Twins will have a huge hole to fill. Most media outlets are pointing at either Matt Guerrier or Jon Rausch being the leading candidates. There really are not too many current closers available, but one who seems like he should be readily available is Padres closer Heath Bell. Bell, who saved 42 games on a bad Padres team, is signed for a relatively cheap $4 million for this season (sure the Twins might not have that much room left after raising their current payroll to around $95 million, but compared to some other closers who might be available - Wood, Cordero, etc. - his contract is pretty cheap).

Earlier this offseason it was rumored that the Twins offered Glen Perkins to the Padres for Kevin Kouzmanoff, but the Padres wanted Alexi Casilla included. The Twins turned down that counter-offer. Maybe now that the Twins have Orlando Hudson signed, they could package the two (Perkins & Casilla) for Heath Bell. I doubt that would be enough for an all-star closer, but you never know how other teams may value your players. I think a deal including Perkins and one of the following prospects: either Ben Revere, Anthony Slama, or Rob Delaney could land Bell.

I know the Twins value their prospects, but the Twins are extremely deep in outfield talent throughout the organization and they also have some very solid relief pitching prospects. Revere is projected to be a similar player to Denard Span with more speed, but less power. The Twins have top prospects Aaron Hicks, Angel Morales, and possibly Chris Parmelee all projected to be solid outfielders, so losing Revere would not hurt them or set them back much at all.

As far as relievers go, I feel that they have not moved Delaney or Slama through the system fast enough. Each has dominated at each level they have been at (except maybe at AAA, but neither spent the entire season at AAA - both started at AA and were moved up during the season) but yet the Twins did not move them up to the next level until the following season. I feel the Twins may be regretting the decision to move so slowly on these players as if they would have moved them a little faster, one or the other could possibly be ready to step in closer's role and do an adequate job. Instead, each will more than likely start at AAA and be moved up sometime during the season when necessary. Anyways, with this said, the Twins have a good amount of relief prospects that are in the system, so trading either Delaney or Slama would hurt the club's depth too bad. They have prospects Alex Burnett, Billy Bullock, and Ben Tootle, who all throw hard and any one of them could develop into a closer in the future.

While I hope that Nathan is able to pitch through the pain this season, I realize that it is very unlikely. With that said, the Twins will most likely go with an in-house candidate for their closer. I believe this team is ready to win now and they should trade for Heath Bell. Like I mentioned above, I believe that (based on reports earlier this offseason) the Padres are/were interested in Perkins and Casilla, but I also believe that the Padres would want a solid prospect in return for Bell. The thing with prospects is that you never know what they will turn out to be, so my philosophy is trade the unknown for the known in this situation. Look at two of the Twins current starters who will likely start the season in AAA - Jeff Manship & Anthony Swarzak. Each of them were among the top 10 Twins prospect as recent as last spring and now neither looks like they will be better than a #3 starter at the major league level. Granted they are both still young and have upside, but my case is that a player can dominate at A, AA, or AAA and that doesn't necessarily mean that they will dominate at the major league level.

Offseason thoughts

2009-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

After reading multiple sources (La Velle E. Neal III & John Paul Morosi) it seems like the Twins are looking for a third baseman to sign for next year. Some of the names being included are Mark DeRosa, Adrian Beltre, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Juan Uribe, and Joe Crede. If it were up to me I would lean towards Mark DeRosa as he can play multiple positions (2B, 3B, LF, RF) and the other three are exclusively third basemen with the possible exception of Uribe, but I am not a big fan of how he would fit into this offense.

I also am a fan of Kouzmanoff. It has been documented that he has worked tirelessly on his defense in the past few seasons and it has paid off as he has reduced his errors in each of the past three seasons - only 3 errors in 2009. He has some pop (hit at least 18 HRs each of the last three seasons) and while some do not like his low average, you can look at his home/away splits to see that hitting at Petco has really hurt his average throughout his career. Kouzmanoff is a career .285 hitter away compared to .239 at home. I believe in this lineup Kouzmanoff would hit around .280 with 20 HRs and 80-85 RBI, which would be solid numbers for a guy who would be hitting 7th or 8th. Also, it seems like he would be available since the Padres do not want to pay him the raise he is due especially when they have Chase Headley waiting to take over 3B duties.

I would like to see Bill Smith get creative and sign one of the 2B available. I know that he said that Gardy would find a place for Punto - likely 2B - but Punto's place should be as a utility player. I think either Felipe Lopez or Orlando Hudson would fit nicely into this lineup hitting in front of Mauer. Neither would cost the Twins any draft picks and both play solid defense.

With the Twins having at least one hole (3B) and probably another (2B) it at least seems like they will sign another infielder or trade for one to shore up their lineup. As of now it seems like JJ Hardy will be hitting in the 2 hole, but it would be nice to have someone with a little higher obp hitting there. Hopefully Mr. Smith can get something done to help solidify this club and hopefully make it more than just a Central Division contender.

Hardy and other offseason predictions/suggestions

2009-11-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

I still believe that the Twins need to get a veteran pitcher and I have been pushing hard for the Twins to go after Garland. The Twins had a ridiculous record when they held opponents under 4 runs (something like 42-7 through mid-August) and Garland gave up 3 or fewer earned runs in 23 of his starts this past season which would probably translate into 14-15 wins if you consider no decisions and the couple times the offense fails. I do like the other options (Pavano & Washburn) as well, but I think Garland would be my preference - see my August 20 post.

I think taking a chance on a Sheets/Bedard/Harden type would be a good risk as the Twins need to be able to match up with Verlander and Peavy. Especially since the Twins did not have to give up any pitching (Perkins or Liriano) for Hardy, they still have some depth in the rotation if one of those oft-injured free agents can't get healthy. I think that's the one part of the Hardy deal that people haven't really looked at - it seems like the Brewers really are in need of starting pitching and the Twins didn't have to give up any.

With the outfield now pretty much set, I would like to see the Twins sign Polanco even though it would mean that Gardo would put Punto at 3rd. Polanco would fit perfectly in the 2 hole in front of Mauer and the rest of the lineup would fall into place (Span, Polanco, Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Kubel, Young, Hardy, Punto - Gardy might interchange Kubel & Cuddyer in the 5th/6th spot and Young & Hardy in the 7th/8th spot, but with one signing that makes the Twins lineup pretty deep and formidable - if Hardy hits 8th, he should have more pitches to hit as well as less pressure on him to perform than when he was in Milwaukee, not to mention the Twins really have no one ready in their system that should threaten his spot). I think if that's the route the Twins would go, then if Valencia was tearing up AAA (which might or might not happen), then he could step in at 3rd midway through the season - assuming that Punto is struggling offensively (which is hard to tell because it is an even year - Punto has proven to perform better during contract years.)

Another thing to look for is to see if Harris or Tolbert take extra fly balls. I think that Tolbert makes the most sense as he has the advantage in speed and athleticism, but I think Harris has a better arm. I do not see either having much difficulty converting to the outfield as many teams draft shortstops and convert them to the outfield - see BJ Upton, Justin Upton, Cuddyer. The main point behind my reasoning is that it would allow the Twins to use an extra roster spot for someone like a Mike Sweeney (a veteran bat to come off the bench) or an extra reliever. The Twins will have their starting 9 plus these two players as utility players giving them 11 position players and not needing an extra outfielder taking up space. If you add a Mike Sweeney or Kevin Millar type player that would leave room for 13 pitchers. Now I doubt the Twins want to go with 13 pitchers, but with the way the Twins baby their pitchers, they might need that extra guy out there, especially if they do not sign a veteran innings eating pitcher. Below is ideally how I would see their roster shaping up:

1. Span - CF
2. Polanco - 2B
3. Mauer - C
4. Morneau - 1B
5. Cuddyer - RF
6. Kubel - DH
7. Young - LF
8. Hardy - SS
9. Punto - 3B

Bench
IF - Harris
IF/OF - Tolbert
IF - Sweeney/Millar

Starting Pitching
1. Harden/Bedard/Sheets - if they are unable to sign one of these pitchers - then try for Garland/Washburn
2. Baker
3. Slowey
4. Blackburn
5. Duensing

Relief Pitching
CL: Nathan
RHSU: Guerrier
RHSU: Rausch
LHSU: Mijares
RHRP: Bonser/Neshek - I'm putting them down as one spot as I think the Twins will be lucky if either pitcher can be effective the first year after surgery (see Jesse Crain)
LRP: Liriano/Perkins
LOOGY: Liriano/Perkins - Liriano has better splits against lefties than Perkins

That is how I see the roster looking going into next season. Obviously there are many decisions that Bill Smith needs to make and I that I made that I did not like was non-tendering Jesse Crain. Crain performed very well in the second half of the season and would be a nice addition to the now surprisingly crowded bullpen, but he will probably be paid between $3-4 million which is a lot to pay seeing that they are already paying Nathan well over $10 million ($22.5 million over the next two years). I think, if it is possibly, that the Twins could tender Crain and possibly trade him for a mid level prospect, and the worst case scenario would be that they can't find a trade partner and end up with a solid reliever.

Just wanted to make sure I wrote this, but obviously the number one priority this offseason is to sign Mauer to an extension and then secondly to keep Wilson Ramos healthy (he just hurt his knee after getting off to a great start in the fall league) so that they can use him to trade for a missing piece either this offseason, during the season, or next offseason.

Twins Offseason - Part 1

2009-10-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the Twins are officially done for the season, it's time to look at what areas they can improve going into next year. I have listed the following areas in order of need - these all are lower on the priority list than signing Mauer to a multi-year extension.

1. Starting pitching. The Twins were 60 -9 when they gave up 3 runs or less. The starting pitching was very inconsistent throughout the year until the last couple weeks of the regular season. Part of that had to do with the injuries the staff had to deal with, but Blackburn had a great first half and a so-so second half and Baker was the opposite with a poor start and a great finish to his season. If the Twins could get an innings eater who puts up quality start after quality start (Zambrano, Vasquez, Garland, Pavano to name a few), then they would have a much better chance at being successful next year.

2. Left side of the infield. Bill Smith finally admitted he made a mistake by signing Punto in his actions when he traded for Orlando Cabrera. While Cabrera had two hot streaks with the Twins sandwiched around a very poor stretch where he was a double play waiting to happen. I would not be upset if the Twins kept Cabrera, but I would rather have them go in a different direction - see posts regarding the Twins trading for JJ Hardy or possibly trade Cuddy to Atlanta for Escobar. Third base is a different issue. Danny Valencia is supposed to be the third baseman of the future, but he struggled down the stretch at AAA. It's too bad Bill Smith did not pull the trigger while trying to get Freddy Sanchez (who is actually a true #2 hitter) - but that is a seperate issue. If Valencia could come in and hit .275 with 10-12 HRs and 25 doubles while driving in around 65 RBIs that would be solid for a rookie, but it is hard to confidently say that will happen given he put up similar numbers in AA and AAA. One free agent option could be Chone Figgins who could play 3B or SS, but he will probably cost nearly $10 million/year which currently seems too expensive. The reason I only have the left side as a need is that Punto is ok at 2b and next year will be a contract year and we have all seen what Punto does in a contract year compared to a non-contract year.

3. Figure out the outfield situation. Gardenhire obviously struggled with his outfield rotation this year. He kept Span and Cuddyer in the lineup night in and night out (which is the right thing to do) and had to try to work in Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez, and Kubel. It seems like a trade of one of the outfielders would help add some help somewhere else, while clearing up the outfield situation. I think the obvious player would be Delmon Young, but the player who would bring in the most value would be Cuddyer. Cuddyer is coming off of a career year and is signed relatively cheap and could realistically bring in a top starter like Javier Vasquez or a top shortstop like Yunel Escobar. That would allow the oufield to have either Young/Gomez/Span or Span/Gomez/Kubel with either Young or Kubel DHing everyday.

If the Twins can address these three issues (4 if you count the Mauer contract), then they should have no problem repeating as central division champions and if they can get the right mix of players, even make a run at a world series. This all depends on the kind of job Bill Smith can do, and although he did a good job during the season of adding pieces, we've all seen what he has done in the offseason.

Zambrano?

2009-09-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

There are reports that the Cubs are debating whether to shop Zambrano this offseason or not. Zambrano would be a perfect fit in the Twins starting rotation as long as he stays healthy. He is an innings eater and a strikeout pitcher that this team needs (we all know that Baker is not a strikeout pitcher, even though he leads this team in strikeouts).

What would it take to get Zambrano? Well there probably aren't any minor leaguers the Cubs want from the Twins organization. The Twins do however have a player that the Cubs would be extremely interested in - Jason Kubel - who would be the left-handed power hitting outfielder they covet.

Now I am a huge Kubel fan and have been for quite some years, and now he is starting to reach his prime. He is a legitimate .300 hitter with 30 HR potential who has started to hit lefties just as well as righties since the all-star break. Just like any trade however, you have to give something to get something. Kubel is signed to an extremely affordable contract for the type of hitter he is growing into and it would be tough to trade a guy who the Twins have been patient with. However, with the growth in overall team power - Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer each hitting close to 30 HRs and with Delmon Young hopefully reaching his potential - the Twins can afford to trade some power hitting for power pitching.

If both sides would agree to a straight up deal, it would allow the Twins to start Span, Gomez, and Cuddyer in the outfield (Gardy's preference) and have Delmon Young get his ABs as a DH and rotate in the outfield giving the other outfielders a day off. Delmon Young is about 3 1/2 years younger than Kubel and hopefully can start reaching his potential next season.

Granted, the Twins would have to get the go-ahead to add the contract of Zambrano, and still be able to re-sign Mauer, but a move like this would really go a long way in showing Mauer that the front office is willing to do what it takes to add players to make a run at the world series.

Rauch too!

2009-08-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is a solid trade especially because it lands the Twins a reliever who can help them out next year. Rauch has been solid - not great - but solid is what this team needs now and in the future. If the Twins are going to actually be a factor, then they need to have a strong bullpen and cannot have a surplus of average to below average pitchers in their bullpen. Finally, it's taken more than an entire year, but Bill Smith actually acquired a bullpen arm that the Twins can use in late innings to help out Guerrier and Mijares.

Bill Smith ... Mahay

2009-08-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like the work Bill Smith has done (is currently doing) could be too little, too late. He knew that the bullpen needed help at the trading deadline last summer and he has done nothing to help/bolster/upgrade yet. Well that is until now - hopefully. It's hard to believe that it takes over 1 year to find one half-way decent reliever to help out a bullpen desperate for help (and while Mahay has been decent in the past, he is not a huge upgrade).

Also, while you could say that the Twins have been unlucky with their starting staff, it would not have been bad thing to add one veteran starter to the rotation this spring as some people said he should do. But instead of going out and adding depth like say Ken Williams of the White Sox has done, Bill Smith just sits on his hands and makes decisions that other people tell him to make (remember he said he is not an evaluator, but he is an organizer and decision maker).

The main issue, is that Bill Smith has waited until August to make moves that would have helped this club since the start of the season. Imagine if this team had a veteran starter to help the younger starters or if the team had one reliable starter not named Nathan, Guerrier, or Mijares. They would most likely be at least a few games better, if not in first place. Boy, it sure would look nice to have Brandon Lyon available in the bullpen to pitch the 7th or to give Guerrier a night off. He is the one guy I had hoped the Twins pursue hard last offseason and instead they signed Punto for $4 million and signed Luis Ayala - did anyone really think he would be any good after the poor season he had in the NL last year? I guess Bill Smith's advisors probably did and I guess that's who Bill Smith will blame.

It's time to get a real GM - one who actually can evaluate talent!

Garland?

2009-08-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Jon Garland has cleared waivers and he would actually fit well into the Twins rotation. The Twins desperately need a veteran pitcher who can be a leader for some of the younger pitchers on the staff. Garland if traded would make $10 million next year, which seems like a lot (and it is), but the Twins have spent less in the last couple years than they did when they had both Hunter and Santana and they should have extra money with the opening of the new stadium.

Garland has been very consistent this year after struggling during the first third of the season. It was the first time he had pitched in the National League and it takes some players a little time to adjust. In his last 13 starts Garland's ERA is under 3 and he has failed to pitch at least 6 innings only 4 times this year! Putting that into perspective, the only Twins starter to pitch more than 4 innings in the last 6 games is Scott Baker. Garland has given up 3 ER or less in 17 or his 24 starts so far, which is very solid.

Sure Garland may not be a front of the line starter, but he has been awfully consistent this year. He would fit in nicely behind Baker and Slowey and maybe even behind Blackburn and be the 4th starter. $10 million is a lot to pay a 4th starter, but with consistent run support, and a season like he is having in Arizona, he would probably win about 15-16 games next year. He has not gotten a win in 6 games in which he has given up 2 or fewer runs. If he were to win just 4 of those games he would be around 10 - 8 this year. He also did not get a win in 5 quality starts in which he only gave up 3 runs. Factor that into the equation and he would probably be around 13-6 or 13-7 if he were in a Twins uniform because the Twins are around 42 - 7 when they give up less than 4 runs in a game this year.

If the Twins offense is close to the same next year as it is this year, I would love to have Garland on the pitching staff. Sure Mauer probably won't have the same numbers, but it would be a pretty safe bet that the middle infielders, Delmon Young, and Carlos Gomez will produce at a higher rate next year. With that said, if Garland do next year what he is doing this year (and it seems like that would not be too much to ask), then it would be fair to say that he could win between 14-16 games for the Twins and be an anchor in this staff.

Delmon Young ... Cuddyer for Vasquez?

2009-08-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

How about the month Delmon Young is having so far? He has more HRs so far this month than he had the entire previous 4 months. Sure it's only 4 HR, but there are almost two more weeks left this month. Young has said that this is the best he has seen the ball since he was in AA. That is a good thing for the Twins as Young hit .336 with 20 HRs in 84 games when he was in AA. We all have known that Young has the talent and it's all dependent on how comfortable he can get and right now he looks better than ever since he joined the Twins. With that said, I would be all for trading Cuddyer this offseason for a quality arm. Sure Cuddyer has been solid this year, but if Young gets 500+ at bats, he should hit around .300 with around 20 HRs. Granted his OBP will be lower than Cuddyer's, but I'll take the higher average with risp that Young offers (.323 avg with 2 outs and runners in scoring position) compared to Cuddyer's (.145 avg with 2 outs and runners in scoring position). If Cuddyer is traded, it would allow Young to move back to his natural RF position and allow Span to play LF with Gomez in CF and Kubel being the 4th OF and obviously the DH. For those of you who have not played LF and RF (we're talking baseball and not softball here), there is a big difference. The ball tails different and comes off the bat different in RF compared to LF.

Now last year, there was a lot of people who wanted to see Cuddyer traded, but he really did not have a lot of value. With the year Cuddyer is having, he would draw significant trade interest. He is putting up similar numbers to Alex Rios and signed for significantly less. Also, Cuddyer has just one more year on his contract, so a team that has some talent coming through the minors, but wants a very solid player to be a stop gap could use Cuddyer - see Atlanta Braves. The Braves have been linked to having interest in Cuddyer in the past and the Braves have some pieces the Twins would want. Yunel Escobar would fit in nicely here, but I think the Twins would need to give up more than Cuddyer to get him. I think the player that would fit perfect in a deal for Cuddyer would be Javier Vasquez. Vasquez, like Cuddyer, has one more year on his current deal and the Braves deep with pitching similar to the way the Twins were deep in pitching when they traded away Matt Garza. The Braves have an option to keep Tim Hudson next year who could fill in for Vasquez's spot or they could go with minor leaguers Kris Medlin (5-0 1.19 ERA at AAA) or Charlie Morton (7-2 2.26 ERA at AAA).

Vasquez would give the Twins a reliable starting pitcher to go with Baker, Slowey, and Blackburn. I would like to see the Twins sign a free agent pitcher to give them more options as well, but it looks unlikely they would attempt to sign someone like John Lackey, Jason Marquis, or even Randy Wolf. It would be nice to see the Twins having these options available as long relievers or guys to fill in for injury situations: Perkins/Swarzak/Duensing. You could add Liriano to that group if they keep him for next year, but like I posted in a previous post, I think the Twins should aggressively shop Liriano for JJ Hardy.

Liriano, Anderson, Humber ... Twins 40 man roster

2009-08-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

So Liriano is the latest Twins pitcher to go on the DL with seemingly nothing physically wrong, but just in need of a mental break. Now it seems like Liriano has more fire than Perkins (who seemingly is trying to find any excuse to explain why he has pitched poorly), but this seems like it's getting to be a big problem for the Twins. I know Anderson has done well with some of his "projects" (see LaTroy Hawkins, Dennys Reyes, etc.), but lately it seems like he has not been able to get the most out of his staff. Physically, most of the Twins staff has enough stuff to be successful and being such a young staff, the thing they need help with is the mental side of pitching and the grind of 162 game schedule. Sure Anderson can help the pitchers make adjustments to the mechanics, but his staff needs help with the mental side of pitching.

With a roster spot open, the Twins called up Humber - a pitcher the Twins gave an opportunity to earlier this year - granted it wasn't much of an opportunity (4.1 IP) but he was not successful (6 ER). This is how bad the overall pitching staff has been; they need to bring up a pitcher from AAA who had an ERA over 5! With that said, hopefully Humber can show something and become at least an effective long reliever.

With Humber joining the 40, that means that he will be bumping someone off the roster. I am guessing by the time I am finished with this post, that the person who is taken off the 40 man roster will be announced. The bigger picture here is that there are quite a few players who will be added to the 40 man roster, meaning that many players will have to be removed. The following players will most likely be added to the 40 man roster by the time next year begins (if not sooner): Rob Delaney, Anthony Slama, Danny Valencia, Juan Morillo, and Matt Fox. It will be interesting to see if some of the faster moving pitchers (Gutierrez, Bullock, Tootle) will also be added or if they will be added during the 2010 season if they are needed - it will depend on how their fall/winter seasons go, as well as how they do in spring training. With the five players listed above probably being added to the 40 man roster, it will be interesting to see who the Twins take off. Here are my predictions of who those players will replace (for the start of the 2010 season): RA Dickey, Brian Buscher, Matt Macri, Jason Pridie. These players will be off the 40 man roster as they are free agents: Carl Pavano, Mike Redmond, Orlando Cabrera, and Joe Crede. That is 8 players I predict that will be off the 40 man roster with the 5 players that will be added from the minors. That leaves 3 more spots for either free agents or other minor leaguers (David Winfree, Erik Lis, Rene Tosoni, Alex Burnett, and maybe even Ben Revere or Chris Parmalee).

Twins sign Gibson!

2009-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Twins have signed first round draft pick Kyle Gibson. This is a very good sign as he was widely viewed as a top ten talent and dropped due to a stress fracture to his arm (not his elbow or shoulder). If the Twins would have failed to sign Gibson, the Twins front office would have been ripped apart by the media because of their resistance to sign a Type A free agent because they refused to give up their first round draft pick. Hopefully he turns out to be similar to the two players he has been compared to - John Lackey and Justin Verlander.

Liriano for Hardy!

2009-08-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

I realize that Bill Smith may be a little trigger shy after he traded away a very promising young arm (Garza) for a promising young power hitter (Young) - remember at the time, Harris for Bartlett was considered a wash and it was basically a Garza for Young deal with other minor leaguers involved as well - but Liriano needs a change of scenery. He'll have a great start (like his last one (7 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 3 H), and then have a start where he throws 100 pitches in 4 or 5 innings and give up around 5 runs. He seems like he is in the same boat as Garza, where the coaching staff just gets frusterated start after start with him.

Why the Brewers would do it

The Brewers have Alcides Escobar who was already tabbed as the shortstop of the future last offseason and the Brewers were trying to decide whether to trade Hardy or move him to third, before deciding to keep Escobar in the minors. With Hardy struggling at the plate this year (but still excelling in the field - UZR around 8), the Brewers decided the future is now and replaced Hardy with Escobar. This move actually kills any leverage that the Brewers had when they are involved with trade discussions around Hardy as they have him in AAA instead of moving him to third base. It shows that they do not value him as high, and now may not get much in return. The Brewers are desperate for pitching (probably more desperate than the Twins) and would love to attempt to try and resurrect Liriano's career.

Why the Twins would do it

The Nick Punto love affair has got to end. Punto was even quoted in the Pioneer Press as saying "You're only as good as your weakest link ... and I'm just not playing good enough right now." If the Twins acquired Hardy, they would have a legit shortstop who can actually "pick-it" (see UZR of around 8 http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=3797&position=SS#fielding and was 3rd in +/- rating in 2008) who also has some offensive value (hit .283 with 24 HRs in 2008). Also, with a rookie 3B - Danny Valencia - that you do not know what kind of production you would get, it would be nice to have a shortstop who has spent a couple years in the majors and has had a history of decent production. I did also hear on the radio that Hardy and Mauer are good friends, not sure how true that is, but if they were it would definitely help out the contract negotiations.

Why the Brewers would not do it

If Escobar struggles the rest of this year and/or the Brewers do not find a decent candidate for third base, then Hardy could take over either of those spots if he can regain some of his old offensive form. If Hardy stays in the minors a couple more weeks, then he will not be eligible to become a free agent until after the 2011 season, which would give the Brewers at the least a very solid bench option.

Why the Twins would not do it

Like I wrote in the opening of this post, Bill Smith might be trigger shy after his past moves - especially after dealing a pitcher for a power hitter. If Liriano regains his form during the last 2 months, then the Twins would probably be forced to keep Liriano based on the way the rest of the pitching staff has been this summer. Looking at the season as a whole however, it seems like that is a long shot. If Liriano continues to be inconsistent, the coaching staff may not stay patient and a trade could happen this offseason.

Day Games vs. Night Games

2009-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

One thing that I think is being looked over is the way Gardy divides playing time. If you look at the team's record on day games compared to night games you will see a big difference. The team is 41-34 in night games compared to 15-27 in day games. If the Twins were just .500 on day games (21-21), they would be tied for first in the division. Yesterday's game was the first time in a long time that the Twins actually fielded a respectable lineup for a day game. Throughout the first half of the season, Gardy continued to trot out a lineup with a combination of these players for day games: Buscher/Redmond/Punto/Gomez/Casilla/Tolbert. Those players have a combined average of .213. For whatever reason, Gardy will not DH Mauer on a night game and have Redmond catch the night game or have Crede sit the night game before the day game. The most obvious situation was a couple weeks back when the Twins faced two left-handed starters in the first two games (night games) in a Cleveland series and then faced Fausto Carmona in the third game (day game). All Gardy would have needed to do is have Mauer DH against the left-hander on the night game and have Redmond catch so that he can face a LHP (which he is hitting .405 against). Sure if the top of the lineup does their job, then the Twins do not need to worry about the bottom. As a player, it is difficult to hit when the bottom 4 or 5 hitters are continuously getting out, and 4 or 5 players need to do all the producing.

For those of you who say what about the pitching staff on day games? Well, obviously Blackburn was awful yesterday, but if you look at his last day game start he went 6.1 IP and gave up 2 R. The rotation has an ERA better on day games (4.67) compared to night games (4.71). It's basically the same on day vs. night games and the biggest difference is the team batting average. The team average on day games is .255 compared to .280 average during night games. It seems pretty cut and dry that the offense is pretty bad on day games due to Gardy putting his "B" team out there and hoping they product. I think that if he would have mixed in guys like Buscher and Redmond during the week, then the offense would not have been so bad on day games. It would be a lot different if the team had Gomez and Punto hitting 8-9 on one night and then Redmond-Punto the next and then Buscher Gomez the next. Instead of having 4-5 automatic outs on the day games, the Twins would just have 1-2 (maybe 3 every once in a while) automatic outs a night. With that said, hopefully Bill Smith can actually do his job this coming offseason and give Gardy some options, so that there are only 1-2 automatic outs on the entire team and actually have a bench to use. All this team needed to do was go .500 on the day games and they would be in first place.

Intro

2009-08-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I consider myself a fairly smart baseball mind and I will be sharing my thoughts on the Twins via this blog. I have played baseball for over 20 years and am still playing and coaching amateur baseball. I have followed the Twins throughout the struggles of the mid-late 90s and have never jumped off the bandwagon. Feel free to comment on any of my posts and I will try to update the blog on a daily basis.

Matt