Adam Everett to Twins

by ravenfly on Dec 13, 2007 12:19 PM EST Comment 32 comments

Whee, we got ourselves a shortstop. One who can't hit, of course, and figures to be a noticeable downgrade from Bartlett most likely if he's the everyday starter.

One-year deal, no specifics yet. I imagine it's cheap, at least. Sigh.

Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7559454?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

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LNP AND LAE WOWIIEEEE

Yay, another LNP for the team now we've got LNP and LAE manning the left side of our infield.

Honestly, it's exciting defensively, but damn we better go out and get a good CF and hope whoever we put at 2B hits well then we can hit those two 8 and 9. It'll be like playing in the NL for pitchers come inning 3 every game.

by halfchest on Dec 13, 2007 12:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Everett

When I saw the headline I though Carl Everett and was instantly disapointed.

by WITwinsfan on Dec 13, 2007 12:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

why Everett over Eckstein

Eckstein just signed with the Jays for 4.5 million. Only a 1 year contract. Much better on-base percentage. There was no mention of the Twins even pursuing him. We sign Everett essentially one day after he becomes available.
Are we trying to lose? Frustrating.

Punto v. Everett = what is the difference?

Carl offered to let the Twins be contracted. What goes around comes around, and pretty quick when you are 93. I hate to say it. But I just did.

by RJTWIN on Dec 13, 2007 12:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What?

"Carl offered to let the Twins be contracted. What goes around comes around, and pretty quick when you are 93. I hate to say it. But I just did."

That just sounds like old man rambling.

The Adam Everett signing is not a bad deal. I still think Casilla is going to be our second baseman for the majority of this year. Punto can play three infield positions and should be on the bench where he is best used.

by WITwinsfan on Dec 13, 2007 12:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

oh

I just got it.

by WITwinsfan on Dec 13, 2007 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe we envision...

...the following:

Everett at SS
Harris at 2B
Lowrie at 3B
Ellsbury at CF

I think I could live with that.

by adam on Dec 13, 2007 12:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Good field, no hit, steady decline

I'm not so sure he's an upgrade over Punto. Here are his OPS numbers by year:

2004 27 702
2005 28 654
2006 29 642
2007 30 599

Last year he was injured some. But sub-600 hitters who handle the glove decently are a dime a dozen.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 13, 2007 12:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Steady decline? Real players get hurt.

Ah, here's where you just have to like real life rather than fantasy and rolling over a bunch of numbers.

Firstly, his history is not to let routine balls roll through his legs and to make the first baseman work like a ditch-digger. The improvement over Barlett in the field alone is a huge relief. Geez, Twins' fans got used to a really crappy shortstop with Bartlett.

AE's supposed "decline" omits the injuries he has suffered. Once again, in real baseball, people have to take the field. And Everett for about 135 starts is a huge improvement over last season. At 135 starts, he'll be able to rest his troublesome back and be fresh. The Astros didn't use him that way.

He's a great bunter, which is a little scary because no one should be encouraging that sort of thing in the AL, but at least when he has to tick one past the pitcher he'll be able to, rather than foul it off twice and then drag his butt back to the bench.

Secondly, he's more than a decent shortstop. It wouldn't take much to improve on Bartlett, but this guy is an improvement in the field on anyone.

"Man, the past is a long and twisty road." -- Satchel Paige.

by Firpo Marberry on Dec 13, 2007 8:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not

I'm not going to take the sucker bait and talk about Bartlett with you, because it's a waste of time.

Everett's injuries (actually, injury, as in only 1) last year can not be pointed to as a cause of decline. He was playing fine, uninjured, then broke his leg, and was done for the year (well, actually, he had 5 more at bats in september, but he got 2 hits in those, and drew a walk, so that didn't really affect him at all numerically).

So that .599 OPS and that impressively poor -7 VORP he racked up in only 66 games? Yeah, that wall all him.

He's at a point in his career where declien has started to happen offensively, going from bad to disastrously bad. As a middle infielder on the wrong side of thirty, he's at risk of having his skill such as defense drop precipitously very quickly. That he broke his leg badly last year is no reason to make me feel better about his leg speed in covering huge ground at short this year.

IF he regains his hitting form from his late 20's AND his defense does not fall off the cliff until some time after this year, Everett can be a cheep commodity.

If any of those ifs don't work out, he's just another dead weight on this team, who inconveniently manages to block our only truly good, near-major-league-ready position prospect from playing.

Baseball is great because you cant take a knee or kill the clock. You gotta put the ball over the plate and give the other guy his damn shot E Weaver abridged

by AdamOnFirst on Dec 13, 2007 8:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe

Maybe we envision a switch around the allstar break from Adam's line up to:

2B Casilla
SS Plouffe
3B Lowrie
CF Ellsbury

Or just waiting till late august to make all of those switches or the July 31 trading deadline when we can possibly get something for Harris and/ or Everett.

by doofus04 on Dec 13, 2007 12:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

line up options

CF Ellsbury/ Lofton/ Patterson
2b Harris
C Mauer
LF Young
1B Morneau
RF Cuddyer
DH Kubel/ Monroe
3B Lowrie/ Pedro Feliz/ Mike Lamb
SS Everett

Redmond
Punto
Buscher/ Macri
Monroe
Casilla/ Tolbert/ Pridie

by doofus04 on Dec 13, 2007 1:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well...

Everett isn't just a decent glove; he's probably the best defensive SS in the game.

But I agree that this still doesn't make much sense. What's really confusing to me is our vast logjam of MI's between the major league level and AAA right now. I wonder if we are planning on throwing a couple guys into deals?

Everett
Punto
Casilla
Harris
Tolbert
Machado
Watkins
Plouffe
Basak? (was he retained after waivers?)

And that's not counting if we get a guy like Lowrie.

That's a lot of guys for a max of 6 spots (2 starters and 1 utility at both MLB and AAA).

by djskilbr on Dec 13, 2007 1:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Here's what I predict

Everett: everyday Twins shortstop
Punto: Twins futility infielder
Casilla: Everyday second baseman in Rochester
Harris: Everyday Twins second baseman
Tolbert: Back-up at second and short for Rochester
Machado: Futility infielder for Rochester
Watkins: Might make Rochester roster as 25th man
Plouffe: Everyday shortstop in Rochester
Basak: competes with Watkins for 25th man. Probably released after spring training

Lowrie: Everyday Twins third baseman

What this means is it's highly unlikely that the Twins will use Nathan to acquire a third baseman such as Stewart. They can focus on using him to acquire a John Lester type of pitcher, such as Franklin Morales.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 13, 2007 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You could be right, CMath...

I could see that.

Does anyone have any substantial reports on Lowrie's defense?

Can he play 3b?

Obviously that would be ideal if he could.

by djskilbr on Dec 13, 2007 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lowrie's defense

I have read mixed reports. Some scouts don't like him at all. Some think he'll be fine at any infield position except first. The scouts who don't like him say he has "stone hands". I have not seen a report that questions his arm or range.

It could be a situation like Bartlett last year. Uninformed analysts (ahem, Tom Powers) who only focused on his unforced errors last year categorized him as a poor defender. One of the posts in this thread shows that he's actually the second best defensive shortstop in baseball. I think the latter is true.

This is why I don't pay a lot of attention to what one scout says. Did he see him on a bad day? His stats certainly don't raise any red flags. Now, if every scout said he had questionable hands, I'd be worried. I suspect the Twins would not be interested in him if they didn't think he could fit in in the infield.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 13, 2007 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks CMath...

I guess specifically I mean 3b. Does he have the arm/instincts for it?

That's my only real question.

by djskilbr on Dec 13, 2007 3:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

si

http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/12/13/evaluating-shortstopsi-covet-adam-everett/

check out this arguement for signing Everett before we went out and signed him.

by doofus04 on Dec 13, 2007 1:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

not so bad maybe?

Yah, honestly I'm ok with it as long as it's a short term deal. I think this may be a move that the Twins are seriously planning on rebuilding this year. Trade Santana and Nathan, load up our minors again to come back bigger in 2009 and 2010. If we were hoping to make a run this year we would have been smarter to spend a little bit and get Eckstein on a one year contract.

I love Casilla but he showed last year he could use another year of seasoning, this may be a way to give him some more time at AAA or to try and keep him consistently at 2B this year in the Majors rather than switching him back to SS.

I may have said it before but the more I look at Ellsbury's #s the more excited I get about possibly getting him. He can be our Jose Reyes type player on offense. A tablesetter with speed and base stealing ability. If (when in my opinion) Casilla adjusts to MLB we could have two of those type of players batting 1 and 2 followed by Mauer Power, then the real power (Young, Morneau, Cuddy, Kubel). That's a damn fine young lineup.

I think between Casilla, Lowrie, Harris, and soon Plouffe the Twins should be able to cover 3B SS and 2B well. So trade Nathan for a couple AA ball stud pitching prospects and by 09 the Twins could really be a force. If only I were the GM.

by halfchest on Dec 13, 2007 1:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

this is not just like Punto

He does hit significantly worse, but unlike Punto who has the reputation for being good with the glove, Everett is easily the best defensive shortstop in the last five years.

I'm ok with this signing. I would have been ok with Eckstien as well. Maybe even more so. I see Everett as a stop gap and not a long term solution.

by TMoney on Dec 13, 2007 1:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Stop Gap

I would think the Twins do as well... since they signed him to a 1-year deal. Possibly Plouffe will be ready in a year, or Casilla if they want Harris at 2B. Or an acquisition such as Lowrie. Either way, there wasn't a legitimate player on the roster to fill in, and they got arguably the best defensive player in the league to come in on a cheap 1-year deal. Possibly Everett could teach some of the younger players some D tricks during spring training or during the season - couldn't hurt at least.

by Diggity Dino on Dec 13, 2007 3:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I also...

...like this signing. Their infield was big question marks at 2B, SS and 3B. Now at least we have a very good defensive player at the most key position. Unless we get someone in a trade or another signing...we can choose from Buscher, Watkins, Macri, Casilla, Punto, and Harris for second and third. We will likely have a very good defender at one of those spots and someone with a decent bat (Harris) at the other.

Plus, this is a one year deal. If we end up with Lowrie he should be solid by 2009, if he is at short. If not, by then we should have Casilla or Plouffe really ready to step in. I suspect a lot of Twins key execs believe Plouffe is their next shortstop and he is a year away.

by roger on Dec 13, 2007 4:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Roger...

do you see something like this by 2009? I think I do:

2b-Casilla
SS-Plouffe
3b-Lowrie or other addition

by djskilbr on Dec 13, 2007 4:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I really don't know...

...if Plouffe will be ready by 2009. Last year he was only 20 at AA, so in 2009 he will be 22 when the season opens. Could be, but will need another great season at another stop higher.

The problem I see right now, if Plouffe and Luke Hughes both move up to Rochester (they should) we will have 13 players for 2B, SS and 3B for the Twins and Red Wings. Assuming you could carry 5 on each team, that leaves 3 extra. Imagine there will be an injury, but should be interesting to see who begins the season where in AAA and AA...cause my math says a guy or two has to go somewhere.

by roger on Dec 13, 2007 5:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Plouffe

I believe Plouffe is only a year away also. Of course Everet could use this year as a tryout to supplant Punto as our utility play for next year. I doubt too many teams will line up to make him their starting SS next year. Why did he sign so quickly with the Twins?

by doofus04 on Dec 13, 2007 5:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Because

he's gauranteed 600 PA's as long as he's healthy. Guaranteed playing time for guys who aren't the best hitters is a valuable thing.

by Jesse on Dec 14, 2007 11:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

djskilbr

i was about to write about future starters for 2009 and beyond. but i keep getting phone calls at work.

by doofus04 on Dec 13, 2007 5:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ug

Ug, this is a disaster. Evertt doesn't fill any holes we didn't have convered, at least not better than the previous guy, unless they intend to cut Punto and let Evertt be utility/SS. Casilla will very soon be the better SS option, Barris is the better 2B option, and anybody is better at 3B.

And with Gardenhri around, Everett is almost definitely going to get at least, like 450 plate appearances.

This sucks the big one.

Baseball is great because you cant take a knee or kill the clock. You gotta put the ball over the plate and give the other guy his damn shot E Weaver abridged

by AdamOnFirst on Dec 13, 2007 5:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with ubelmann

Over at the land o'Semi Baked Garbage, ubelmann shows that Everett is just slightly below Jason Bartlett overall. His superb defense makes up for his horrid offense. The Twins have stated that they plan to make him the everyday shortstop.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Dec 13, 2007 5:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Plouffe

Plouffe is young for his league and has never dominated. He has fielding issues still and takes a while usually to figure out his bat. This in no way screams to me that he'll be ready for 2009. I'd say 2010 after a 2009 recall. He won't be on the 40 until the 2009 season.

You can't dust for vomit.

by twinstalker on Dec 14, 2007 3:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Plouffe

Or maybe he'll be on the 40 man come September to spend some time with Everett. If Everett is only here for a year it makes sense to put them together in spring training and in September at the end of the year to help Plouffe advance his fielding.

by doofus04 on Dec 14, 2007 9:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I vote with Aaron & Ubelmann

If healthy, Everett significantly improves the defense; last I looked, allowing fewer runs is one way to win more games.

He's not a great hitter, but last I heard, A-Rod wasn't asking to go back to short & play for the Twins at the ML minimum.

I know, we'd like to upgrade offensively at every position - "d'oh!" The broader goal, though, is to improve the team.

Given where we were moments before this deal was made, Bill Smith accomplished that task.

by BD57 on Dec 14, 2007 9:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

offense/defense combo

Harris is supposed to be a good hitter, and Lowry if we get him, so they could pinch hit for Everett when behind, or use Everett as a defensive substitute when ahead, depending on which is more important at any given time.

And if nothing else, he should be fun to watch -- which is the whole point, when you think about it!

by by jiminy on Dec 14, 2007 11:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs