Hey, that’s true. I like the song that has that line too.

His peripherals are sup-par: First inning says he pitched in Dayton last year (low A) and had an ERA of 6.21 and a FIP of 4.48.

I snuck home for lunch because I had an inkling that something went down…that inkling proved to be disappointing.

#$%#$$#$#$#^^^&%$@…words to that effect are not good for a site like this!

Maybe I’m thinking too hard.

I have a hard time thinking that the Twins are done. Even if nothing gets accomplished at the Winter Meetings, and it’s really looking like nothing will be accomplished at the Winter Meetings, there’s still a lot of off-season left. This team clearly CAN make a move or two, it’s just about finding the right fit. I just hope they’re not being so cautious that they’re pulling themselves out of possible negotiations before they even get to the table.

It’s pretty polar. You get a lot of people who HATE the signing and are bashing their heads in, and then on the other side are the grit/heart/hustle lovers. Makes for an entertaining browse.

is better than doing something dumb.

But I do hope they find another bat at third base. With Kouz’s defense, Beltre’s no-trade clause…I’m kind of liking Ty Wigginton right now.

I hope status quo will be good enough next year, but don’t think it will be.

We’re going to have to make up for a bunch of runs once our RISP batting average levels out. My guess is probably somewhere around 40-50. Pitching could improve with Liriano in the rotation from day one, but we were relatively lucky and healthy in the rotation. If we stand pat, we’re going to have to depend on growth from Young, Gomez, etc to cover the RISP gap.

Why not take a chance on someone like that when you have a decent backup plan? He’s right handed, hits for power, and unlike every other 3b we’ve looked at, plays great defense. Platooning him a bit might keep him off the DL, or it might not. I’d rather take a chance on that then give up talent for Kouz/Atkins

what do we do with Harris and Buscher? With Tolbert, Casilla and Punto around, one of the two would go. Also, how much do you think we improve with Crede as opposed to Harris/Buscher. Definitely a big improvement defensively, but (likely) marginal offensively.

If we sign Crede, I’d look to trade Harris and/or Buscher. If we traded both, Tolbert could be the backup 3B.

i’d offer $3 million for the first year, and $5 million for a second. i think that at this point in his career, that’s fair.

at best, you get good defense (if he’s healthy), and a guy who might hit 25-30 homers while hitting .260/.320/.450. All that together is acceptable. but good defense with worse hitting, or a deteriorating presence in the field with that line, and you might as well go with a Buscher/Harris/Macri/Tolbert/Punto platoon. at the worst, you pay $3 million for a guy who plays 45 games and is on the verge of hanging up his cleats.

for as tempting as crede might be, he’s only posted an OPS+ better than 100 twice…2002 and 2006. he’s an extreme fly-ball hitter, which means a lot of easy outs, and in spite of decent enough strikeout rates he swings at about 30% of anything outside of the strike zone. crede has upside on power and defense, but there are a lot of other better options out there.

I agree about your observation on Perkins. But I think the Twins are pretty set on going into opening day with their current rotation., unless of course they get a good trade offer.

I have a feeling he will struggle and midway through the season one of our other young pitching prospects will take his spot in the rotation.

I think you have to consider that he was coming off a career low in innings (38) due to injuries in 2007. So he just wore down towards the end of the year. He was really good in July and August, however:

July: 5 starts 4 -1 31.2IP 3.98 ERA
August: 5 starts 4-0 35.1IP 3.31 ERA

Between the two, he was 8-1 with a 3.61 ERA. At the end of that stretch, I remember writing that he was the staff ace. Then he just hit the wall in September. Like I said, chalk that up to fatigue.

That said, the aforementioned Bill James theory about increasing innings more than 30 percent in one year applies. Pitchers who do that tend to struggle the next year. So Perkins might struggle in 2009. I still think he’s a good long-term option as a starter, though.

If we fail to move Boof or Humber via trade, I’d rather keep both of them than give Jones a roster spot. Boof and Humber have some value and upside. Offer Jones back to NY or let him go.

I’m expecting we’ll have a bullpen of
Nathan, Mijares, Crain, Guerrier, Boof, Humber, Jones

12 man pitching staff at the moment, considering the flexibility of Punto, Harris, Tolbert as position players.

I hope another move or two is still coming.