Calling All Twins Fans: What's Your Off-Season Blueprint?

by Jesse on Nov 3, 2010 6:50 PM EDT in Contests

This could either be an exercise in accepting reality, or an excuse for the dreamers to compile a mysteriously affordable team of All-Stars, but ultimately this is your chance to flex your creative powers to solve the Twins' off-season questions. Which is what I want it to be.

If you've read the 2010-11 TwinsCentric Offseason Handbook, you'll have seen that John, Nick, Parker and Seth all outlined their blueprints for the 2011 campaign. Names like Jorge De La Rosa, Derek Lowe, Coco Crisp and others manage to make their ways onto the Twins roster in one way or another, and suffice it to say I'm not the only one who likes the idea of Derrek Lee.

Between their blueprints, or even the plan I drew up last week if you haven't picked up the Handbook yet, you have the basis for your plan: make decisions on your free agents and arbitration-eligible players, and put together a complete and competetive club with a payroll that doesn't exceed $115 million.

Over the next few days, come up with your own plans in a FanPost. I'd love to see what you all come up with. The best ones will be promoted to the front page, where the efforts of the author will be put on full display for the world (or, at the very least, the Twins blogosphere) to admire.

As a baseline for salaries that are Twins-related, check out TwinsGeek's post from last month called The Party Is Over. As a baseline for free agents, try to be realistic. You can use the numbers from the TwinsCentric Handbook, or you can take your own best guess.

Sources you might like to use:
Twins' contract statuses
2010-2011 free agents
FanGraphs

Good luck! Let's see what you've got!

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Comments

Re-Sign Liriano

Re-Sign Thome
Maybe trade for Greinke
????
PROFIT!!

"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backward in a mirror" ~George Carlin

by thewild_viking_twins on Nov 3, 2010 8:29 PM EDT reply actions

I'll give it a try

C Mauer 23 mil
1b Morneau 14 mil
2b Casilla 500k (est)
ss Hardy 7 mil (est)
3b Valencia 500k (est)
LF Span 1 mil
CF Crisp 5.75 mil
RF Young 5.5 mil (est)
DH Cuddyer 10.5 mil
4th OF Revere 500k (est)
Inf Tolbert 500k (est)
C Morales 500k (est)
B Branyan 2 mil (est)
SP Liriano 4.5 mil (est)
SP W. Rodriquez 7.5 mil (est)
SP Baker 5 mil
SP Balckburn 3 mil
SP Duensing 500k (est)
CL Nathan 12.5 mil
SU Fuentes 5 mil (est)
MR Mijares 500k (est)
MR Crain 2.5 mil (est)
MR Rauch 1.5 mil (est)
MR Slama 500k (est)
LR Manship 500k (est)
Total 114.75 mil

A few notes. I have Fuentes at 5 mil not 9 because I believe we will decline the option and then sign him to a 2 year deal at 5 per. It will depend on how the relief pitching market plays out, but if he is unable to land a closing job (which is very possible just ask angel fans) 5 mil is very fair for a good setup man.

I have us trading Kubel for Crisp to Oak, Oakland could use some offensive punch and they have Sweeny and Davis capable of playing center field.

I also have us trading Slowey Harris and Swarzack to Houston for Wandy Rodriguez. That might not be enough, possibly have to add in a prospect, but that wont affect payroll. Houston has Rodriguez for one more year and they aren’t going to compete next year so they cut some salary and add a pitcher with some useful potential and more team control.

Anyway this is to dramatically improve our defense in the outfield while giving us another talented lefty strike out pitcher in Rodriguez. Crisp would work well batting

Lastly i have Branyan as our lefty off the bench instead of Thome. This is for a couple of reasons. First i think Thome will command about 4 mil and will have roughly equal production to Branyan. Second Branyan is actually capable of playing first base so he can occasionally be used in the field. If Fuentes won’t resign for less you could swap Guerrier in for him at about 3 mil and Thome for Branyan. Also not that they would actually do it but i would think that platooning Branyan and Cuddyer at DH would be ideal.

Lineup
LF Span L
CF Crisp S
C Mauer L
1B Morneau L
RF Young R
DH Cuddyer/Branyan R/L
3B Valencia R
SS Hardy R
2B Casilla S

I think that’s pretty solid but feel free to comment

by Den Orath on Nov 3, 2010 8:33 PM EDT reply actions