Beltre Trade All But Squashed?

by Tony_O on Jul 19, 2008 4:09 PM EDT

This was just posted by Lavelle E Neal the 3rd over at the star Tribune.

Indications are that the Twins will not swing a deal with Seattle for third baseman Adrian Beltre. The Twins recently contacted the Mariners about Beltre’s availability, but it looks like the Mariners’ price would be too high - something like the return the A’s got in the Jeff Blanton deal. The Phillies gave up two of their top four prospects, along with a third minor leaguer, to get Blanton.

In the Twins’ case, it could mean one of their four young starters plus a couple prospects.

Although the Mariners kicked Richie Sexson to the curb, they want to contend in the near future. Beltre is one of their decent players in an underachieving lineup. And he’s their best glove in the infield. So it would take a lot to get him.
Two other things to consider: Seattle didn’t do well with the Erik Bedard trade and probably feel pressured to make up for it. And they have a new GM in Lee Pelekoudas who probably wants to make a big splash.

I mentioned recently that the Twins were very interested in Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins last year. It doesn’t look like the Twins will be able to rekindle those talks this year because Atkins is doing so well the Rockies view him as a core player.

So the Twins will have to look elsewhere for a right-handed hitter. They are also on the lookout for bullpen help, an area some people in the organization feel is a greater need. There are a few out there. Jon Rauch of the Nationals is one. Fernando Rodney is available but he’s been injured, is having trouble finding the plate and trading within the division is hard.

I have no evidence that the Twins have asked for this player, but if Oakland is interested in dealing Huston Street, I think he’d be a great set up man - as long as he stays healthy.

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Too bad

He would have been a good get.

I’m surprised that they want to keep him, actually.

by Eric in Madison on Jul 19, 2008 7:02 PM EDT 0 recs

...they have a lot of money, and they have trouble getting free agents to move to the west coast (which is often far from their family.) And worst case scenario, they do nothing in 2009 and get two high draft picks for him when he leaves as a free agent. I think it makes sense that they would want to keep him.

by ubelmann on Jul 19, 2008 7:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah

I figured that this would happen. But what can ya do? Perhaps in the off-season the two teams can talk something up? But I guess the Twins will have to turn their attention to Casey Blake who seems to be the most affordable anyway.

But I still will hold out hope until after the deadline…

Progress always involves taking risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~ Frederick B. Wilcox

by Joshs Thoughts on Jul 19, 2008 7:04 PM EDT 0 recs

My only reservations about Blake

have to do with the inter-divisional trading. Blake would be a pretty decent pick up for the Twins, and helping a division rival isn’t something you see often in baseball. Is it realistic?

by Jesse on Jul 19, 2008 7:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

offseason

I think Crede will be a free agent? I would prefer him.

http://noblingblings.blogspot.com/

by Aaron Fix on Jul 19, 2008 10:27 PM EDT up 0 recs

re: crede

I can’t find the link, but there was a rumor posted on SI that during the all star game Crede was overheard telling one of the Twins how much he’d like to play in Minnesota. I’m not sure I’d want the Twins to sign an average 30-something 3rd baseman with a bad back to a big deal, though.

by Hoya on Jul 20, 2008 12:40 AM EDT up 0 recs

Atkins + Fuentes

FTW.

Check out Goal Line Blitz, a fun web-based American footbal MMORPG
http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=2882412

by joeiscool12 on Jul 19, 2008 7:47 PM EDT 0 recs

For the win?

What would you trade for those two?

by Jesse on Jul 19, 2008 8:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Honestly...

It’s a completely unfounded pipe dream idea I’ve had.

I’m not sure what we could do to pull it off, ideally we could stick a Lamb or Hernandez in there, Buscher, a AAA pitcher, and one of our high-ceiling outfielders.

Then, we could drop Bass to make room for Fuentes and call up Liriano.

Ahh… in a perfect world.

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http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=2882412

by joeiscool12 on Jul 19, 2008 8:22 PM EDT up 0 recs

I loves me a perfect world my friend.

by Jesse on Jul 19, 2008 8:27 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'm thinking

A-Rod and Rivera, with the Yankees picking pu most of their salaries.

by snolls on Jul 21, 2008 9:47 AM EDT up 0 recs

Wow

Span
Buscher
Duensing
Mulvey

Would that even do it?

http://noblingblings.blogspot.com/

by Aaron Fix on Jul 19, 2008 10:29 PM EDT up 0 recs

That trade would require a lot more than the Beltre one would, and that one is bad enough.

by Twins Territory on Jul 19, 2008 11:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah...

But this would be covering both of our positions of need at least.

Check out Goal Line Blitz, a fun web-based American footbal MMORPG
http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=2882412

by joeiscool12 on Jul 20, 2008 12:56 AM EDT up 0 recs

Huston Street

I want no part of Billy Beane, maybe we should leave that one alone.

http://noblingblings.blogspot.com/

by Aaron Fix on Jul 19, 2008 10:29 PM EDT 0 recs

Beane's a genius

Oakland has been in the post-season twice in the past five years.

Oh. Wait. The Twins have made it three times in the past five years.

And right now in the composite AL standings, the A’s are three games behind the Twins.

And Oakland is selling, not buying.

Maybe Beane isn’t such a genius.

by Johnny Safron on Jul 20, 2008 1:06 AM EDT 0 recs

Speaking of oakland

I wonder if we could swing a deal to get former gopher 3rd Baseman Jack Hannahan

by Tony_O on Jul 20, 2008 11:06 AM EDT up 0 recs

I doubt it

Hannahan was drafted in the third round in 2001. The Twins could have easily drafted him if they wanted him. They try to control their territory as much as possible. After a three-year college career and six years in the minors, the A’s acquired the 27-year-old for the proverbial fringe prospect. So the Twins could have had Hannahan for next to nothing at that point but passed on him. They’ve never shown much interest in him.

Instead, they drafted Buscher as a minor league Rule 5 player. And he proceeded to win Minor League Player of the Year honors last year. He’s hitting more than 100 points of OPS better than Hannahan, he’s a year younger, and he’s buddies with several key players, especially Justin Morneau.

Even if the Twins wanted Hanahan, why would they acquire a player who’s inferior to the one they already have?

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

by cmathewson on Jul 20, 2008 1:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

I agree

At some point, you have to keep talent to win. He seems to keep it just long enough to be respectable but not to win.

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

by cmathewson on Jul 20, 2008 1:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

A lot of people say the same thing about the Twins

In the end, I think it’s a bullshit criticism for both teams. They are small budget teams and they know that for their long-term success, it’s not good to throw large contracts at older players, so they let them walk and get the prospects or they trade them for prospects. Fix the revenue problem and it won’t work like this.

The Twins and the A’s value players much differently, but they’ve been essentially just as successful in the last 7-8 years. People can get in a pissing match about which style is better, but both have worked pretty well for the two teams.

by ubelmann on Jul 21, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

The Twins keep players longer than Beane does

THe Twins have signed Santana, Hunter, Mauer, Morneau and Nathan to long-term, high buck contracts in recent years. Beane doesn’t do that. He sometimes signs guys to long-term, low-buck contracts. But those are getting scarcer for him.

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

by cmathewson on Jul 21, 2008 1:25 AM EDT up 0 recs

They still get the same results that the Twins do

And it’s not like the Twins have always done well at signing extensions: Joe Mays, Eric Milton, Shannon Stewart, etc. Beane simply thinks that he can’t win it all right now, so he’s operating just on building the team’s assets rather than getting too caught up in the mediocre state of his club.

He was dealing with different players, too. Giambi and Tejada were two of the biggest names that he let walk and they both turned out to be on the juice—something that Beane was probably not unaware of. Amongst Mulder, Hudson, and Zito, the A’s have lost about four seasons total of above average pitching, saved a lot of money, and added some prospects. If anything, Beane is simply living by Branch Rickey’s age-old maxim of trading a player a year early rather than a year late, and the A’s aren’t really in a worse position now for having let some of their players go.

It’s not like I agree with every move Beane makes (I don’t), but it’s not like I agree with every move the Twins make, either. Beane has run an above-average organization on a pretty low budget. He hasn’t won a championship, but then again, since 2000, only the ‘03 Marlins were able to win a WS and spend less money than Beane (they spent ~$5M less than the A’s that year.) Maybe you don’t mean to imply that Beane is below average, but if you do, then you ought to recalibrate your scale.

by ubelmann on Jul 21, 2008 2:53 AM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah

What Beane does better than the Twins, in particular, is in acquiring the extra players at bargain prices who actually produce. The Twins have a horrible record with singing the bargain-basement free agents. Beane does much better.

I’m not saying he’s bad or the Twins are great. I just thought he had the start of a really dominant rotation in Haren, Harden and Blanton. I’m sure the people he acquired will produce, though I would be surprised if any of them turn out as good as Haren, for example.

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

by cmathewson on Jul 21, 2008 10:22 AM EDT up 0 recs

I think that Blanton is a slightly better Silva, value-wise...

...and he’s about to get more expensive.

Harden made 13 starts over ‘06-’07. He’s the new Mark Prior.

Haren’s really good, but I think Beane decided that he had a ton of holes in the lineup and that he needed quantity a little more than quality at that point, plus it saved him some money.

So, I don’t think that’s the beginning of a dominant rotation.

I don’t really like a lot of the pitching prospects he’s been getting in return (Gallagher, Outman, Gio Gonzalez in the Swisher trade, in particular) since they seem to have tons of control problems, but it’s easier to get a guy to throw strikes than it is to get him to throw pitches with better movement. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out in Oakland.

by ubelmann on Jul 21, 2008 11:05 PM EDT up 0 recs