Twins Acquire Matt Maloney From Reds

Makes Reocehster better, he can start a game or two in a major pinch (happens all the time) and probably not totally embarrass himself. It would obviously be bad if he’s in the rotation, or really probably even in the bullpen (unless he’s a 12th man, I guess). That’s not because he has the “wrong profile” as another strike throwing machine, a model that is a valid way to build a successful pitcher and has proven a successful development model for the Twins over 6 division titles, but because he just isn’t that great. If he could replicate those AAA periphirals in the bigs, that would be a different story, but obviously that’s not terribly likely.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The Minnesota Twins have claimed left-hander Matt Maloney(notes) off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Jeff Gray(notes) off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

The Twins announced the moves on Monday. Both are expected to help add depth to the pitching staff in the organization and won’t be counted on to immediately contribute to the big club.

The 27-year-old Maloney went 0-3 with a 9.16 ERA in eight appearances for the Reds last year. He spent most of the time in Triple-A, going 7-1 with a 2.99 ERA in 14 appearances, including 13 starts.

The 29-year-old Gray went 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in six appearances for the Chicago White Sox before Seattle claimed him in May. He went 0-1 with a 4.89 ERA in 24 appearances for the Mariners.

Matt Maloney > Scott Diamond.

at a position that needs all the help it can get

Left-handed? Check.
Breathing? Check.

Ok, I’m willing to give him a shot as a AAAA pitcher who adds lefty depth in case the Twins catch the plague again next year.

That’s legit. At least we didn’t do something stupid like trade an above average position player for them… Oh wait…

Sure, he matches with other (seemingly) mediocre players, however it’s the fact that he DOES follow the Twin’s mold that I’m intrigued. I don’t know, I’m just not quite ready to give up on the Twin’s FO right yet, after just one terrible season. The Twin’s have their Twin’s Way of doing business and that way of business hasn’t yet us down much the last decade. Sure, this season was pretty terrible, but did we not have high expectations? If so, we’re letting one terrible season highlight all the negatives when not thinking about things that were once one positive. We always knew Low Strike Out-Low Walk Rate was never flashy, but it was indeed effective. And this guy is indeed a guy who fits the mold, so if in the past a guy of this mold has proved successful, try him again. Perhaps that fore sight that has made a guy like him successful in the past will show through and make them successful in the present. It’s happened plenty before in this organization so if they were the ones to do it again, I wouldn’t be surprise. Instead of writing someone off before they ever come here, let the Twins having a shot at making him better (like they have with similar players in the past) and get lucky. One bad season shouldn’t overshadow the organization’s quality as a hole. We’ll see next season that we’re not that team from this season and it’ll all be okay. We just continue to need to have faith.