Joe Nathan - Stay or Go?

by Chaddens on Dec 2, 2007 10:53 AM EST Comment 7 comments

What do you all think? Does Joe stay or go? If he stays, do you resign him? I know a lot of people have said he's just too expensive so it's just a matter of time until he's gone, right?

The reason for this is to determine, for me thank you, where you all think he goes and what the Twins obtain for him. I like Joe Nathan and will miss him at the end of gamaes, but there has to be a GM out there with an itchy trigger finger that doesn't have a good enough arm for the end of games that wants a dominant closer.

So, to Milwaukee for Hart? He played 34 games in center last year - is he good enough to do that for a full season? He would fill the goofiness that departs with Nathan - Have you seen the size of Hart's head? Wow. I'm not sure how the batting helmet contains that melon. He's 6' 6" - is that too tall for a center fielder (range/speed/etc)?

To Milwaukee for Weeks? Do the Twins need another second basemen? Would Milwaukee even trade him?

To the Dodgers for LaRoche and ?? This would be good as it would fill the 3b hole. But the Dodgers already have Saito so would this work?

National League only? Do you trade to the American League? lots of questions... Should be an interesting upcoming week.

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I really have no handle on Nathan's trade value

I suggested trading him after last season, but everyone laughed at me. Now, he has one year left on his deal, and its a valuable year because it's so undervalued.

Realistically, though, even if signings like Wagner and Rivera "set the market" for closers, there are very few teams who are willing to pay market rates for that role. So a team trading for him is probably looking at him for one year, and that's got to reduce his value.

If you can get Weeks, you make that deal. If it's straight up for LaRoche, I'm less certain. I like Hart, and would probably take him. There's where I draw the line.

by Eric in Madison on Dec 2, 2007 11:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eddie G.

Hey, "Fast Eddie" is available as a replacement. Wonder if the Twins could sign him to a one-year deal with an option. Makes it easier breaking in a repalcement from within (Guerrier, Neshek, Rincon or seeing what Crain has) plus gives you another lefty in the bullpen.

A bigger question is the need of the Twins to have a veteran pitching presence on their staff for '08. Just someone that will rally the pitchers, be someone else to talk to (a peer) other than Anderson, or whatnot.

Is that an important part of any pitching staff? I can see Santana being that leader. But would Silva (if offered and accepts arbitration) fulfill that role? Is Nathan enough? Do you go after Colon? Is there someone else out there?

check out Twinkies autograph collection at www.TwinsCards.com

by twintown on Dec 2, 2007 12:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

An extremely remote possibility...

The Rockies.

People talk about Pohlad as being super cheap, but the Rockies out-drew the Twins last year and had a payroll approximately $15M less than the Twins did. They had one of the worst save percentages in all of baseball last year. Conceivably they could be looking at a top-notch closer as the proverbial "last piece of the puzzle" to winning a WS, and maybe Joe Nathan would be that guy. It would cost them a lot, but I wouldn't be too surprised--since they already have a nice ballpark--if they could sustain an $80M-$90M payroll if they were consistently successful. (Consider, for instance, the late-90s Indians.)

It's certainly a long shot--there are plenty of reasons for the Rockies to hang on to their prospects and build around youth--but I don't think it's totally out of the question that they would be interested.

The other thing with Nathan is that it might just be worth waiting until the deadline to deal him. There are always teams looking for relief pitching at the deadline because their closer struggled in the first half or got injured, but they managed to stay close to contention anyway and really want to win now because flags fly forever. Even then, maybe a good trade partner won't emerge, and they'll just have to take the compensation picks as he gets signed away as a free agent. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

by ubelmann on Dec 2, 2007 3:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

They also have

They also have Ian Stewart, a great young third base prospect who is blocked by Garett Atkins.

If Santana goes, it is a certainty that Nathan does too. If Santana stays, I kind of actually hope Nathan goes anyway for what he could bring.

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 2, 2007 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

talking to the astros

The Twins are apparently talking to the Astros about Nathan, according to Rosenthal.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7521692?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

I'm not very knowledgeable about who the Astros have--anyone have ideas who the Twins might be targeting?

by cooldude on Dec 3, 2007 3:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Astros' farm system...

...is probably one of the weakest in baseball. If the Astros wanted to deal Hunter Pence, I'm sure the Twins would listen, but I doubt they want to deal Pence. Here's one mans' look at their "top" prospects.

by ubelmann on Dec 3, 2007 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs