based on the fact that they have hindsight and believe there was 100% without a doubt a better offer on the table.

It’s things like that which make me glad I can run a common sense blog.

but for some reason, it recorded it as “Fire Smith, Keep Gardy”. :\

Don’t fire either. Division champs! :)

Say what you will, but the Joe Crede deal was a smart deal, and I think we got exactly what we paid for.

His trade moves this year worked very well, and were roundly criticized by …. well me. I thought Cabrera was a stupid acquisition, but I think I underestimated his leadership in the clubhouse. And he hit pretty well too without being a huge liability in the field.

Rauch and Mahay were decent pickups… I really like Rauch, can we keep him???

And Pavano…. I thought that was a joke at first. However, wow! I’ll gladly admit being wrong about him. I’d love to see him in the rotation next year.

And now with the signing of that Migel De San aodaqoeur or whatever his name is … I like where this is going.

He’s had some awful deals, sure. But, Delmon Young may just work out, so that may make that just a bad deal compared to a candidate for worst deal of all time. If he continues to show improvement, it could mean some very good years to come.

yes the Young trade was awful, but I’ll admit I was wayyy wrong on Bartlett. Operating a team with his payroll constraints is very challenging. It’s not easy to cover up your mistakes like Brian Cashman can. I like the way our drafts and International FA signings have gone with him.

That all being said, Gardy cost us probably 5 wins this year with not knowing how to use the bullpen and not knowing how to put the right lineup out there. I like the guy, but I’d like to see him go as well.

….the organization. How often is someone else brought in? Every one is promoted from within and that makes it harder for new ideas to blossom. There’s a lot of promotion invested in the “Twins Way” but I think that’s just a cover for failure of imagination or willingness to take real risks.

It’s too much to ask for the Twins to get a Theo Epstein type, but at least look for someone younger and more daring to shake things up in some way in some position.

Lord knows that Gardy isn’t the most tactically sound of managers, and sometimes his decisions on roster contruction are a bit puzzling (especially almost every year coming out of spring training), but clearly he’s doing something right. As others have stated, I don’t think there’s anybody out there who’d be much of an upgrade.

Smith is more difficult. The Santana trade… I still lay part of the blame of that mess on Terry Ryan, who I thought was tardy in addressing the issue when the team was in a more neutral position (e.g., after 2006, when Santana himself was telling the team “now’s your chance,” in essence). On the other hand, Smith spent almost that entire winter telling everyone they didn’t have to trade Santana if there wasn’t a deal to his liking, but in the end made a trade that, even at the time, might suggest otherwise. At this point, having Santana for one more run in 2008 and then pocketing two draft picks seems a bit more attractive than the package they got. I wonder if things might have been different if the team knew Span was going to break out (eliminating the need for a young center fielder). And if indeed those Red Sox and Yankee packages were offered (and I think it’s reasonably safe to assume they were at some point), then Smith definitely overplayed his hand. I don’t necessarily blame him for not realizing that at first, but he probably should have realized it sooner than he did (and/or, again, stuck to his guns and simply held on to him for a contract year).

The Young trade…I was on the fence about it, as I generally wouldn’t advocate trading solid up-the-middle players for corner OFs. I realize Young was still considered a rare offensive talent then, but you don’t need hindsight to realize his numbers were already falling off the mark from what you’d like to see from a guy who you think has a chance to be a Frank Robinson like force. Most people at the time felt the Twins were getting the best player in the deal, to be fair. And even though I wasn’t sold on the idea, I wasn’t quit-the-team mad about it, either. And I certainly didn’t think it would look THIS bad right about now. I thought Young would at least be a league-average OF at this point.

A lot of people feel the Twins need a stat guy to help in their decision making. I’d agree it couldn’t hurt. But I also think they could use almost a “capologist” like NBA teams use, someone who could help them better place dollar values on players’ contributions. Nick Punto’s contract, for instance… it’s brutal. That was true even when they first signed him last year (and I suspect they were patting themselves on the back for staying out of the fray yet again, only to watch the market collapse and far superior players like Orlando Hudson ended up signing comparable deals). Or as others have noted, the myriad $3-$6 million contracts to poor veterans they flush down the toilet every year. If Smith and Co. could just eliminate those types of deals—the ones that look bad before the ink’s dried on the paper—I’d be a happy fan.

If the Pohlads clean house, anything can happen. But it would shock the baseball worlds to fire a manager who lead the team to five division championships in eight years.

Gardy did a good job with whatever roster he had to work with. He had us within sight of .500 back when Liriano was in the process of flaming out as a starter & Slowey got hurt & we had no answer for middle relief & we weren’t getting much from 3B, SS, 2B & 1 OF slot and then, when the roster got better (Cabrera, Duensing, Pavano, Rauch, Mahay), we got on a roll good enough to win the division.

However the Delmon Young trade is eventually scored, Bill Smith deserves credit for making decisions this year that made the team better. Cabrera, Pavano, Rauch, Mahay didn’t cost very much and all contributed to push us into the playoffs.

Now on to the next task at hand – - – get Joe Mauer’s signature on an extension.

It’s pretty much a “pass/fail” exam; I can’t see Smith surviving long term if the Twins fail to get it done.

Gardy has gotten us to 5 playoffs in 8 years (6, if you count 2008). Do you know how many teams would die for that? You think the White Sox wouldn’t grab Gardy if they could? The Tigers? The Mariners? The Blue Jays? In 8 years, who’s gone more than us? The Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Angels, right? That’s some damn fine company to be in, not even considering our payroll in comparison to theirs.

And here’s the thing about the Delmon trade —everyone assumes that, oh, if we’d kept them, Bartlett and Garza would have done the exact same thing for us. Bull. Bartlett had problems with leadership in the field and Garza thought he knew better than Rick Anderson. The reason the Twins have been successful in the last decade is because we have a very, very strict policy with our players: You Do What The Coaches Tell You. You have to fit in with our hot defense/patient batting/don’t ever walk people/pitch for contact philosophy, or out you go. Bartlett and Garza, undeniably talented though they are, didn’t fit. I’m happy they’re doing well elsewhere, because they were never going to do well here. (For more examples, see Lohse, Kyle and Ortiz, David.)

I don’t know if Delmon will work out, but at the time we needed a young, cheap power hitter. Delmon fit the bill. You can never be sure how trades will work out.

I do think Smith sat too long on Johan, but thems the breaks — and remember, we don’t have to face him three times a year (or God forbid in the playoffs).

If Smith fails to lock down Mauer, I’ll call foe his head. In the meantime — I know we’re all depressed today, guys, but really. Let’s keep it in perspective. The Red Sox got swept too, after all; no one’s suggesting they clear out their management.

After intentionally waiting nearly 24 hours to try to take some of the sting off last night.

- I would not fire Gardy or any of the coaches. As much as I disagree with the way Gardy puts together his lineups and a number of other decisions, he gets the most from his teams, and they play hard for him. Postseason preparation is one area where it seems Gardy and the coaching staff could do better. I’m not sure how we fix that though.

- I would not fire Bill Smith, but his performance is clearly not at the same level as Gardy. We can argue all day about the Santana or Garza trades, but Terry Ryan wasted our opportunity to sign Santana in 2006. And Smith did what many of us criticized Ryan for, dealt from a position of strength to fill a need.

- This offseason is critical for Bill Smith. With the (presumed) extra payroll this offseason, he should be able to extend Mauer and fill a couple needs. We need to go into 2010 without the glaring holes (bullpen) we had opening day 2009.

- I agree that the organization could use more input from the sabermetric community (though obviously I’m biased). In particular, the focus on batting average and defenders who “look good” frustrates me.

- If I had one focus this offseason, it would be defense. The last couple years have shown that the quickest way to make a sharp improvement as a team is to improve the defense. Each of the top four most improved teams based on number of wins improved by over 20 runs in UZR. Seattle (24 wins, +106.3 UZR), Colorado (18 wins, 21.6 UZR), San Francisco (16 wins, 36.4 UZR), Yankees (14 wins, +26.8 UZR). On the other hand, the Twins regressed defensively, going from -17.3 UZR in 2008 to -36.2 last year. Getting a solid defensive SS (even if we keep Punto at 2B), playing Gomez more often, and never letting Delmon Young touch left field would be a great start, likely push us into positive UZR territory overall.

That ump isn’t ejecting Gardy, he’s busting a move

Garza was considered kind of a headcase. And so was Young. The Twins traded first rounders. Who would know about Bartlett. Harris ahs been decent, playing his role, no complaints there.

The oddity in all this was Denard Span. He was considered a longshot replacement for Hunter and the Twins were afraid to take that gamble, until they had to with Cuddy’s injury. But at the time the Twins were searching for a repalcement for Hunter (which was to be Young with the bat), more speed in center and a different look, a lead-off potential guy — and that was Gomez. This would allow the Twins to move Kubel to DH, making us forget about Craig Monroe and Rondell White.

Yes, Garza was a loss…but the Twins were looking at Baker, Perkins, Liriano, Blackburn, Swarzak, Boof, Slowey and mroe in the wings, plus the possible veteran presence of Livan Hernandez. Though Garza is a stud, there were a lot of arms in the rotation line-up. All were considered about the same…unknowns who may shine.

And then Santana.

Wow. Could the Twins have gotten Lester, Coco Crisp, Lowrie, Masterson and maybe Bowden. Yes, that would’ve been a gem of a pile. Where are they now and how would they have added to the Twins empire. But the above might be fiction.

As was the Yankees package of Hughes, Kennedy, Melkey and change. That would’ve been a disater for alst season (but would’ve opened the opportunity for Span). And maybe the picthing would totally overwhelm the now departed Humber and Mulvey.

But the reality is that the Twins maybe did the best they could for Santana, which in the end if they ahd kept him for 2008 would have netted them another playoff berth (and quick elimination) and two draft choices which very well won’t match Delois and Carlos.

Was Crede a bad signing? No. 15 homers and a .240 average would be fine. A full season and 20-25 hoemrs and a .250+ average would have been salvation. But he gave us some punch that the Twins have been lacking sicne September 1, coupled with the loss of Justin.

A bunch of AAAAA arms came through the system, some made the call, many didn’t. Gosling was there, Hendrickson. Morillo. Jones. Henn. Keppel. Plus Duensing was a surprise. Swarzak needs to get his act together. And there’s another bunch in the wings, as well as some more AAAA signings, I imagine, for 2010.

Rauch and Mahay were a plus. Orlando was a plus…so much so that some consideration has to be given for a 2010 return as there’s nothing in the system…would you rather see the Twins give at bats to Plouffe at SS, or make Valencia the prospect to play.

I don’t agree with Gardy’s line-up construction all the time. And considering the numebr of apeparances of Twins relievers (games outnumbering innings), I seem to feel he often lets guys (consulting with Rick Andy) to pitch one batter or one inning too much.

The running game disappeared. The ball-in-play disappeared. Too many runners were left on base, yet the Twins scored runs and hit for average and had a comfortable numebr of walks and not too many K’s.

I’m looking for something flashy this winter. Maybe an act like a Brave or A’s, where you turnover some 20% of the roster just because you can.

It’s pretty obvious Gardy wants to be a small-ball guy, so why aren’t there more capable speed guys in the lineup? When Castillo/Bartlett/Punto is the best combo that’s been had, that’s not a good sign. Imagine what this team could do if Chone Figgins was playing third and/or Orlando Hudson was playing 2nd, or if they had another Span-type player in the OF. Wouldn’t they be better to focus on guys who can hit and catch in the infield?

I don’t like either very much, but I’m not sure how much firing either would accomplish. Their problems are endemic in the whole organization.

Gardy deserves a lot more credit for the division win that Smith does. Gardy probably does a very nice job managing the clubhouse and attitudes, usually runs the bullpen well, and seems to keep the players playing generally well. Until the playoffs, then the players have consistently tightened up and he overmanages the pen. He also makes terrible horrible lineups, many very strange strategic mistakes (especially in the playoffs), and doesn’t seem to teach fundamentals very well (despite what the media says, none of the post-TK era players do the “little things” like we used to. We have many many baserunning errors and screwed up bunts these days). So I don’t like him, but honestly looking around the league, there are a lot of even worse managers, so who are they going to replace him with?

Bill smith has repetedly missed opportunities to make the team better, is maintaining a payroll about 15 million under where it should be (still below 2006 numbers), and has had very few of his major decisions work out. The players he has chosen to add to the team have mostly not worked out. Crede was one exception until the trade deadline, when the Rauch, Mahay, and Pavano additions were notably positive additions. On the other hand, he had many opportunities to add good relievers and update the pitching staff during the offseasons at much lower prices in prospects. This offseason is sort of make or break for Smith for me. This team could be upgraded in key locations and turned into a very solid contender with a good offseason. If he opts for the safer, financial custodial route, then, well, this organization is in trouble as a whole due to ownership. I will say about Bill Smith that he seems to have gotten a better handle on how to make improvements as he’s gotten a little more experience as top dog.

We can’t forget that he signed part-timer Mike Lamb to a two year contract, saw his playing time stay at part-time, and actually let the guy go.

The Twins got Adam Everett in a bad year. Not that he was a superstar with the TRigers in 2009, but if he had pulled those numbers for the Twins in 2008…..

Twins won the division, so we can’t hollar that he needed to do the pickups a month earlier, which many of us would be shouting if the Twins came up one game short. So, kudos there.

In the off-season, the Twins could’ve signed Cabrera, maybe even instead of Punto! Would that have made a difference down the long haul? Would we have seen Harris at second (not his best position) and with Tolbert down, Tolleson and Dinkelman or Singleton getting a shot at second when Casilla tanked (which was a Big Hurt this season).

I still laugh when I hear the talk that the Twins will sepdn 52% of their revenue on payroll. No. After the cost of operations (say $25-30 million – front office, scouting, minors, draft picks, development), the rest should be payroll. So if the Twins suddenly become, in 2010, a $150 million operation…they can EASILY break the $100 mill mark.

They saved $$$ in 2007. The saved some in 2008. The were shackled with a couple of signing bonus dollars and Lamb in 2009, yet still came in on a reasonable budget AFTER the additions of some free agents.

I’ve just sat through the Pirates 17th straight losing season. Please tell me what the hell is wrong with what the Twins did this year? I mean, they beat out the big spending Tigers in a tie breaker and you lost three straight ALDS games against one of the best teams this decade. I would love to have the Pirates do that…