Josh Johnson
by halfchest on Nov 21, 2009 12:38 AM EST
56 comments
Over at MLBTR it's been reported that talks have broken down and Josh Johnson does not want to sign an extension with the Marlins. I'm assuming that this will make him available for trade. So the question becomes what would it take to get him? I would expect at least 2 of our upper echelon prospects such as Ramos, Hicks, Revere, Morales, or Bromberg. Then I'm thinking they would likely be interested in a starter from our current squad that has a lot of time left. Maybe one or two of Perkins, Swarzak, Duensing, Bonser, or Liriano?
I guess if we're going to be at all realistic then I'm thinking the Twins could offer 2 of Ramos/Revere/Bromberg + Perkins and one of Swarzak/Bonser/Liriano/Duensing/Manship. Is this too much? not enough? Is it enough to get it done but not worth the cost? I figure if the Twins could make the trade and sign Johnson to a 3-4 year deal buying out his last two years of arbitration as well as a year or two of free agency then the trade would be worth the cost in prospects. The Twins rotations suddenly becomes very good headlined by Baker, Johnson, and Slowey. A backend of Blackburn and whoever is left/wins of the pitchers mentioned in the trade. The Twins still have some depth left and some good pitchers like Guerra, McCardell, and Gutierrez at AA next year as well as Kyle Gibson likely on the fast track to the majors if need be.
Then there's the money issue how do the Twins pay for Johnson? The money appears to be there as the Twins are apparently talking to free agents like Pavano and Washburn. If the Twins could sign Johnson to an extension that keeps his cost affordable over the next two years before it boosts into the 8 figure range as the Twins could have up to 25 million coming off the books in 2012 in the form of Nathan (option), Cuddyer, and Kubel. Hopefully someone like Neshek or another guy in the minors(Van Mil, Delaney, Slama, Burnett) could take over for Nathan at that point. Tosoni should be major league ready along with some of the younger prospects like Morales, Benson, and Hicks are knocking on the door making players like Kubel and Cuddyer expendable
There's also Johnson's injury history to look at. He has had tommy john surgery and has been healthy now for a year and a half making 14 starts in the second half of 2008 and starting 33 games in 2009. There are guys Tommy John works for and guys it doesn't. Johnson seems to be the latter and hopefully his arm is more injury proof than ever. There's still worry that something flares up again but really no more than with any other pitcher after this past year.
So is he worth it? Is this even realistic? Would getting Johnson mean the Twins were done with acquisitions this year and basically stick the Twins with Harris/Tolbert/Punto manning two positions in the infield? There's a lot to give up to get Johnson but also a lot to gain. I have to think that a lineup similar to last years which is what we have at the moment coupled with an Ace level pitcher and a bullpen that should be better over the course of the year would make the Twins a definite contender for the pennant next year and also prove to our stars that the Twins are serious about winning. Of course a 2B/3B along with Johnson would be even better but if I was given the choice I'd take Johnson any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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56 comments | 0 recs
Anybody want to talk revenues?
by Eric in Madison on Nov 20, 2009 12:04 PM EST
9 comments
Jayson Stark wrote an interesting article for ESPN about baseball revenue, sharing, and payroll. It renewed my curiosity about Twins revenue, so I thought I would open it up for discussion. Below the fold, I'll make some guesses, but what I really want is for people who know more than I do to chime in on this.
9 comments | 0 recs
Signing up for the Minors
by rosterman on Nov 19, 2009 2:07 PM EST
9 comments
On Friday, the Minnesota Twins will join ALL otehr teams in announcing their 40-man rosters, players protected for immediate play, and a handful that appear to be good bets to make the team in a season or two.
Then teams will then look at arbitration eligible players and decide who to keep or cut loose, cutting loose many who may be overpricing themselves for services needed (i.e., we all remember David Oritz in Minnesota, going because the team didn't think he wsa worth $1.2 million or more and the chances of getting him cut to $800,000 or so wasn't a reality...instead, he went elsewhere and signed for what the Twins wished they could've signed him for...but union rules and regulations forbid it).
So, two new groups of players will enter the fold now made up of free agents and players cut as recent as the end of World Series, plus all those minor-league six-year guys. Baseball America recently released a list of some 500 guys eligible for filling minor league rosters...
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=6994
Looking over the list, do any names standout to Twinkie Town folks as people the Twins should go after to fill Rochester and, maybe, New Britain ranks?
Teams will have an opportunity to pluck a body or two in the Rule 5 draft, the sticker is that the player needs to remain on the choosing team all year or go back. I don't really picture the Twins getting hit hard in the major league portion of the draft, but feel they may lose some promising folks in the minor league portion.
November 20th thru the General Managers meeting in early December will be another hot Hot Stove League time. I'm glad Twinkie Town is here for all the news, rumors and analysis!
9 comments | 0 recs
Roy, Ramos, and RISK, Part II
by Han Joelo on Nov 17, 2009 11:59 PM EST
18 comments
I kind of got lost in a digression about Dungeons and Dragons in Part I. I admit, my Nerd Scale does go to 11. But that was kind of my point--here you have a game where a bunch of jocks hit a little ball with a stick chopped down from some tree by some other jock, and another jock tries to catch the ball with a chunk of cow flesh chopped off a dead cow carcass that had been raised by the ultimate jock, the American Cowboy. And more often than not, the we the fans end up sounding like a bunch of nerds, bandying about statistics. I mean, it's probably redundant, but you've all seen the Seinfeld episode, right? Where George is unemployed, and he says, "I like baseball..." and Jerry says "they usually give those jobs to ex-baseball players." But in TV land George gets the job anyway, and the Yankees lose because he makes them where cotton uniforms that have shrunk. (One can only hope there is another George Costanza making his way up the Yankee chain of command. It took them years to erase his mistakes.) But by and large we're all Costanza's, and if we actually had to run a team like the Twins, we'd botch it up way worse than Smith and Gardenhire.
Seriously, the mathematical brainpower I've seen devoted to breaking down baseball statistics on Twins fansites alone could probably break the cold-fusion code, with plenty of room left over for some significant advances in time travel as well. Which would be more productive than debating the relative merits of Brian Dinkelman vs. Steve Tolleson, because then the Twins could go back in time and really fleece the Mets. Moreon RISK below.
18 comments | 3 recs
30 Cents on the Dollar = 2B Indifference
by doofus on Nov 17, 2009 8:43 AM EST
25 comments
The Twins are talking to Cabrera about playing 2b next year and the blogosphere seems to be united against them doing that. Why? If the Twins can sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal in the 3-5 million per season contract, wouldn’t that be cheaper than signing Placido Palanco. I am not advocating that Cabrera is better by any means as he clearly is not. But how much of a down grade is he really. I ask this cause I read on a blog how Cabrera has a .322 OBP for his career and Polanco has a .331 OBP and is so much better suited for the number two spot in the lineup. Well lets take a look at their career lines and last 3 seasons and make comparisons.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5900
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http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6049
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New Uni Thoughts
2010 Twins Home Opener/Saturday Jersey and Primary Road Jersey So, today they debuted. I was not suprised by the home jersey, the 1961 version when the Twins came to Minnesota and bettered their history from the years in Washington D.C. (I do count the '24 World Series Championship as our own as it technically is.). I did like the fact they did keep the all blue TC hat. I was never a fan of the red/blue combo of the 70's. Tho more on that in just a little bit. Anyways, a nice touch of old along with the uni's we have donned since the great year of 1987. As for the Road jerseys, as soon as I saw it, I liked it......alot. While it does keep the traditional grey look, thankfully, the "Minnesota" font doesn't look so bland anymore. It now has a little zing and class. I also like that the pinstripes are gone. Don't get me wrong, I like pinstripes, just on home jerseys's. Seeing two teams play each other and sporting stripes is just a bit overkill on the eye's. I know some favored it, but I'm happy the 70's baby blue uni's remain in jersey hell. I'd rather have my eyes gouged out with a rusty spoon picked up from a Minnesota road after plowing and salting or be forced to watch Roseanne Barr porn for the rest of my life then see those K.C. Royals reject looking things come back. Apologies to K.C. fan's but I always hated the baby blue look. I never watched road games on 9 as a kid until they went to grey because I hated the color so much. Stay gone and remain in the bowels of Earth! While I'm not sure if it was official or they just had him wearing it, I'm concerned about the road hat. I never cared for a blue skull dome with red bill or red skull dome with blue bill. Those old 70's TC hats just looked cheesy. Keep the all blue TC hat for home and road games. It looks like the "M" hat has finally died. While I liked it when it came out, by the mid 90's, it had worn thin. Love the new primary logo, the "Minnesota Baseball Club" one. A nice classic look with the new style logo. And hat's off to the 1st year in the Target logo. I hope the road uni's stay around a long time. But as I was looking at the classic '61 home jersey and the ones we've had since '87, I started thinking. I liked the look back then and the one now. Sorry, the early 80's look can go where the baby blue uni's are. But I was thinking, maybe starting in 2011, a whole new primary home uni all together. A mix of old and new? My thought was, though I know won't happen, keep the off white jersey of 1961, the pinstripes, the 1987 font, but invert the colors? Instead of red with blue outline, reverse it to mesh with the classic 1961 look. the 1987 font with red outline and blue lettering? Drop the front number, yuck, and no name on the back. A nice clean look of old and new all together for the next 30 years. What did everyone else think of the new uni's or my thoughts. And I know I'm gonna have to duck about the baby blue uni's......uh oh, here comes the first tomato.......... 5 comments | 0 recs Organization Review (Relief Pitchers)
This will be the final installment of the review of the top players in the organization on a position basis. Historically, the Twins have had a dominant bullpen. That all changed in 2008 when Pat Neshek was lost to injury and the Twin's strength became a glaring weakness. There haven't been any top relievers coming up from the minors during this time of need, however, that appears to be changing. The Twins again have several strong bullpen arms who will be ready later next year if not out of spring training. 15 comments | 4 recs On Roy, Ramos, and RISK
I, shall we say, "enjoy" the stat side of baseball. I liked math and science in school, but ultimately got a degree in English. I realize stats are a very real part of the game, but for me there is poetry as well. Attempting to reduce everything to some quantifiable stat kind of wears me out. I suppose I just haven't looked hard enough, but since the end of Batgirl, Twins bloggers with a more artistic point of view seem to be few and far between, with, perhaps, the exception of Howard Sinker. TwinkieTown does have some fantastic content though, and I truly enjoy visiting. After the jump, I will attempt to show how baseball is like the game of RISK (although it seems some would prefer to compare it to Dungeons and Dragons; more on that later.) If you have never played RISK, you probably don't need to bother reading on. 17 comments | 5 recs Minor League Report...November 14, 2009
There were several player moves this week including Seth Stohs reporting from Arizona yesterday that Michael McCardell has left the Mesa Solar Sox to have some bone chips removed from his pitching elbow. The Twins removed Justin Huber and Armando Gabino from their 40-man roster. Huber was outrighted to Rochester and will remain with the organization next year. Gabino was claimed by Baltimore. The Twins then added hard throwing righthander Jose Morillo to their 40-man roster. The Twins have also released catcher Jeff Christy and outfielder Ozzie Lewis. The Twins have signed three of their minor league free agents, Rochester pitcher Jose Lugo, New Britain shortstop Yancarlos Ortiz and Ft. Myers pitcher Henry Santos. Former Minor League Player of the Year David Winfree is a minor league free agent and word is that the Twins are very interested in re-signing him. 21 comments | 2 recs | Prediction Time (My Guess at 2010 Organizational teams)
1. Denard Span - CF 2. Joe Mauer- C 3. Michael Cuddyer - RF/1B 4. Justin Morneau - 1B 5. Jason Kubel - DH/OF 6. Delmon Young - LF 7. J.J. Hardy - SS 8. Danny Valencia - 3B 9. Nick Punto - 2B/ SS --- Matt Tolbert- 3B/2B (May start off season as actual starter untill Valencia is officially up) Brendon Harris- SS/3B Jose Morales- C Dustin Martin- CF/RF --- SP 1 Scott Baker SP 2 Nick Blackburn SP 3 Ben Sheets 2010 5.0M with incentives that can earn him up to 5.5M, 2011 6.5M (buyout available) with player and or team option for 2012 at 6.25M SP 4 Kevin Slowey SP 5 Brian Duensing CL - Joe Nathan SU - Matt Guerrier RP - Jon Rauch RP- Jose Mijares RP- Jesse Crain RP- Pat Neshek (early reports look good and exciting again) LR(loogy)- Francisco Liriano
AAA Rochester Red Wings (International League) CF- Brandon Roberts 2B- Steven Tolleson 40 man LF- Rene Tosoni 1B- Brock Peterson RF- David Winfree 40 man? (although a likely RULE 5 selection by another team or is he a minor league FA now???) DH- Eric Lis 3B - Matthew Macri ---- SS- Yancarlos Ortiz 2B/LF- Brian Dinkelman Minor League FA or........ Pridie, Moses, Huber, Christy, maybe da lucas Hughes? someone to that effect..... --- SP Jeff Manship 40 man SP Anthony Swarzak 40 man SP Boof Bonser* (with the old up by July 1st or Becomes FA, I.E. Bobby Keppel Last year.) SP Matt Fox SP Reid Santos or Minor league FA (Keppel, Dickey, someone to that effect) maaaaybe even McCardell or DeVries -CL- Anthony Slama SU- Robert Delaney 40 man RP- RP- Jose Lugo 40 man RP- Kyle Waldrop (probably decent to good friends with Fox) RP- Jason Jones (I think he rebounds a little bit) LR(loogy)- Ryan Mullins
C - Jair Fernandez 1B- Whitney Robbins 2B- Steven Singleton SS- Toby Gardenhire 3B- Ramon Santana DH - Rene Leveret CF - Ben Revere OF/1B - Christopher Parmelee OF - Juan Portes --- 3B/LF/2B/ DH- Luke Hughes 40 man (time for him too explode, or probably a good trade candidate or even a future DFA) OF- Mark Dolenc SS/2B- Chris Cates --- SP Michael McCardell 40 man SP Deolis Guerra 40 man SP David Bromberg SP Tyler Robertson SP Steven Hirshfeld -CL- Carlos Gutierrez 40 man (I think he moves up to Rochester rather quickly, BUT as a SP or RP ?) SU- Alex Burnett RP- Spencer Steedley RP- Loek Van Mil RP- Michael Tarsi (southpaw) RP- Blair Erickson LR- Henry Arias
A+ Ft. Myers Miracle (Florida State League) C- Alexander Soto (BIG year for him pretty much flopped last year, I expect a good campaign from him in 2010) 1B- Jonathan Waltenbury ( time for the big Canadian to do if not, die, gonna be tough in a pitchers league) 2B- James Beresford SS- Estarlin De Los Santos 3B- Deibinson Romero or Nate Hanson (D.J. no Longer a REAL prospect, but could be a good org. filler) DH- Hanson/ Romero OF - Angel Morales OF - Evan Bigley
--- C- Allen de san Miguel 2B/3B- Nick Romero INF- Andy Thompson (too soon to retire?) OF/INF Dominic de la Osa
--- SP Santos Arias SP Bobby Lanigan SP Kyle Gibson (I changed him and Stuiffbergen around, thanks Seth! ) SP Bradley Tippett SP Winston Marquez -CL- Billy Bullock (should be in AA soon to help replace Gutierrez) SU- Mathew Williams (had a nice rebound season in '09, I expect to see him in New Britian rather soon as well) RP- Joe Testa (the next Rob Delaney??? only a southpaw?) RP- Michael Allen RP- Steven Blevins RP- Tony Davis (gotta be buds with Bullock, another '09 draftee) /// Steven Blevins RP- Benjamin Tootle (Pretty sure he'll start off at Beloit, but for now I place him here)
A Beloit Snappers (Midwest League)
C- Chris 'Perry' Herrmann (can play a multitued of positions) 1B- P.M. Klingsberg 2B- Derek McCallum SS- 3B - Anderson Hidalgo DH - Daniel Rams (he can catch too, but is not a very polished catcher to date) CF- Aaron Hicks OF - Wang-Wei Lin (this is being aggresive with him, but Roger is right about him being good/great when healthy) OF - Steven Liddle ----- 1B- Michael Gonzalez C- Toby Streich UTL.- Reggie Williams OF - Jonathan Goncalves --- SP Tom Stuiffbergen SP Liam Hendriks SP Matt Bashore SP Dan Osterbrock SP Brady Stillings -CL-Matthew Tone (looks like one hell of a draft pick in '09 in a draft with several decent selections, could he start?) RP - Zach See RP- 'Big' Daniel Berlind RP- Bruce Pugh RP- Edgar Ibarra RP- Dakota Watts LR- Kane Holbrooks **** Shooter Hunt (remember him? , big time talent but can't pitch the ball over the plate)
E-Towns players DH Josmil Pinto P Adrian Salcedo P Brett Hermson OF Danny Ortiz (remember him ?? - i sure do ) P Andrei Lobanov P Martie Garcia P Mike Tonkin C Buddy Monroe P Angelo Sanchez P Kelvin Mota
Gulf- Coast Players SS Miguel Angel Sano OF Max Kepler OF Oswaldo Arcia SS Jorge Palanco SS Nick Lockwood SS Daniel Santana OF Candido Pimentel OF Romy Trinidad 1B Kennys Vargas P Blayne Weller ( i see him being in E-Town awfully quick) P Jean Mijares
ANYBODY out there have any major objections or would like to enlighten me on any glaring omissions or just simply have any feed back at all? Later, I think I'll put asteriks next to players who were first round picks or supplamental first rounders (sandwich round) OK great !!!
everbody have a GREAT WEEKEND !!!! and peace out !!!
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