We now move on to Part 2 of my series...Who is available out there for the Twins to pick up in order to solidify SS?  A number of names have come up, so lets take a look.

SS:

Orlando Cabrera: 34 Years Old, Type A Free Agent, $10,000,000 - '08 Salary

Defense - Cabrera is a gold glove caliber (won GG in '07) SS.  Cabrera played in all 161 games for the ChiSox this year, and played decently.  Cabrera had a .978 FPCT with a 4.62 Range Factor and a .831 Zone Rating.  Lets compare those fielding stats with some of the current greats (Jeter and J. Reyes): Jeter had a .979 FPCT with a 4.05 Range Factor and a .829 Zone Rating in 148 games for NYY.  Reyes had a .974 FPCT with a 4.07 Range Factor and a .812 Zone Rating in 158 Games for NYM.  So, clearly, Cabrera trumps both of these players in RF and ZR.  As Twins fans, we won't have to worry about his defense.

Offense - Cabrera hit .281 this year with a .721 OPS.  Cabrera doesn't have a ton of "over the fence" power but he has hit over 30 doubles consistently for the past few years.  Cabrera also features some speed, a big part of the Twins game, and has a very good eye at the plate.  Cabrera had a 56:71 (BB:K) ratio this year.

Overall, we get a gold-glove SS with some good speed and some doubles power, as well as a very good eye at the plate.  Just two things wrong with Cabrera: bad clubhouse attitude (generally) and he is a Type A FA, which means that if we sign him, we give two top 40 picks to our nemesis, the ChiSox.

J.J. Hardy: 26 Years Old, Controlled for 2 Years, $2,650,000 - '08 Contract

Defense - Hardy has a very solid glove with a .977 FPCT with a 4.48 Range Factor and a .813 Zone Rating.  Hardy ranks up there with the best fielding NL SS.

Offense - Hardy has loads of power and gets on base regularly.  Hardy had a .283 Avg with a .821 OPS.  Hardy has a very good eye too, with a 52:98 ratio.  Hardy would fit perfectly in front of Mauer since pitchers would be more willing to pitch to him than Mauer, thus Hardy gets better pitches to hit (fastballs).

Overall, we get a slick fielding SS with good range, loads of power and a good eye at the plate.  Also, Hardy has GREAT road splits as opposed to his splits at Milwaukee.

Yunel Escobar: 26 Years Old, Controlled for 4 Years, $402,500 - '08 Salary

Defense - Escobar has a solid glove at SS with a .974 FPCT with a 4.79 Range Factor and a .837 Zone Rating.  Escobar has completed his first full year of playing in the major leagues and figures to be one of the best fielding SS in the league.

Offense - Escobar exhibited a .288 avg with a .767 OPS.  Escobar also has a very good eye with a 59:62 ratio in 514 ABs in 2008.  If we traded for Escobar, he would probably bat in either the 2nd spot or down near the 8th spot.

Overall, we get a young SS with great abilities and much room for improvement.  Escobar is a great fielding SS and a fairly good bat and very good eye.  Also, Escobar is cheap and under team control for about 4 more years.

Rafael Furcal: 31 Years Old, Free Agent, $15,730,195 - '08 Salary

Defense - Furcal has a solid glove with a .972 FPCT and a 4.96 Range Factor and a .851 Zone Rating in 2007.  He didn't play much in 2008 due to injuries.

Offense - Furcal doesn't light up the scoreboards much in terms of offensive ability.  In 2007, Furcal hit .270 with a .688 OPS in 581 ABs.  Furcal has great speed though, and features a good eye at the plate with a 55:68 ratio.  Furcal does not have a ton of power, usually hitting homers in the low teens if he plays regularly.

Overall, we get a decent fielding SS with not much power but great speed and a good eye.  However, Furcal wants 4 years with about $10-15 million a year.  I don't think the Twins will show much interest in Furcal.

Nick Punto: 31 Years Old, Free Agent, $2,400,000 - '08 Salary

This is a familiar face to Twins fans so I shouldn't have to say much.  However, I will enlighten them on some of his stats.

Defense - Punto, in his career at SS, has a .977 FPCT with a 4.67 Range Factor and a .857 Zone Rating in 168 career games at SS.  We can see from this, that Punto is a pretty good defender at SS, but that is not his weakness.

Offense - In 150 games in 2007 (most of career), Punto batted a paltry .210 with a .562 OPS.  Career-wise, Punto has hit a .252 with a .651 OPS.  Except for his breakout year in 2006 (in which every Twin seemed to have a breakout year), Punto has hit around his career line.  Punto does have some pretty good speed but that is about the greatest asset he has on offense.  Punto also has a pretty good eye (although it doesn't seem like it) with a 55:90 ratio in 2007.

Overall, we get a very good fielding SS but with paltry offensive abilities.  Personally, I think its time to move on from the Punto days and trade/sign for a real SS with abilities on both defense and offense sides of the ball.

That concludes Part 2 of 3 of the Twins possible offseason moves.  Once again, comments are welcome...and, if I forgot a name that has come up in rumors, please let me know, so I can add them.  Once again, I shall name who the Twins would most likely have to give up to get one of these players.

Cabrera:  Cash, Two Draft Picks

Hardy:  Perkins/Blackburn plus 1-2 prospects....

Escobar:  Slowey/Baker plus 1-2 high level prospects....

Furcal:  lots of cash for 3-4 years...think around $50 million for 4 years and you come pretty close...

Punto:  one year deal worth probably $2-3 million....

Finally, vote for who you think would be the best fit for Minnesota...there are several names here that could work, but remember the risks that the Twins would have to take with several of them.

Up Next: Part 3 of 3 - Relief Pitching Moves

Disclaimer:  Once again, these potential trades are the only ones that I have heard of.  I am only associating the Twins current players (who they will have to trade) in these talks because they are the names I have heard nominated...If you have heard differently, please say so in your comments.

I realize that I have posted a lot of these types of threads, but now with the winter meetings kicking in, I feel that I could make my predictions on who the Twins will be keeping their eyes on.

Lets start off with 3B:

Adrian Beltre:  29 Years Old, '07 &'08 Gold Glove, $13,400,000 - '08 Salary

Great Defense, as obvious by the two Gold Glove awards...In 2008, Beltre featured a .964 FPCT with a 2.77 Range Factor and a .844 Zone Rating.  Other great fielding third-baseman (Mike Lowell and A-Rod) feature a .970 FPCT with a .815 Range Factor (Lowell) and a .786 Zone Rating (A-Rod) respectively.  So clearly, Beltre holds his own with some of the premier fielding 3B of today.

Average Bat...Beltre usually slugs out 20+ homers and generally has an average hovering in the .270s.  Beltre had a .784 OPS this year.  A-Rod had a .965 OPS (46 less ABs).  Beltre has a pretty good eye (I think) with a 50:90 (BB:K) ratio.

Overall, Beltre is a slick fielding 3B with an average bat and good eye at the plate (0.44 BB/K career) and would fit perfectly behind Morneau in the order.

Garrett Atkins: 28 Years Old, $4,387,500 - '08 Salary

Horrible Defense, .963 FPCT in 2007 (played majority of games at 1B) with a 2.29 Range Factor and a .722 Zone Rating.  As you can see, a noticeable drop from Beltre, Lowell, and A-Rod.  So, if Atkins comes to Minnesota, we are basically guaranteed a few heart-aches here and there.

He has a fairly good bat...Atkins features a career BA of .298 with a .834 OPS in 2434 career ABs.  Atkins has a fairly good eye, although not as good as Beltre, with a 40:100 ratio.  Home splits are GREAT but his road splits are absolutely atrocious.

Overall, we get a horrible defender but with a pretty big bat.  Atkins would also be a good fit behind Morneau in the 5 hole.

Kevin Kouzmanoff: 27 Years Old, $410,000 - '08 Salary

Defense - better defense than Atkins' but not as good as Beltre's, In 2008, Kouz had a .974 FPCT with a 2.64 Range Factor and a .768 Zone Rating.  As we can see, Kouz is a little bit better than Atkins but not nearly as good as Beltre.  Beltre appears to be the best fielding third baseman out there.

Kouz is an out machine.  He batted .260 with a .299 OBP with a .732 OPS.  Kouz faired much better on the road (SD isn't a hitters park).  Nevertheless, Kouz has a horrible eye at the plate with a 23:139 ratio...sound like Gomez? 

Overall, Kouzmanoff is a decent defender with great power but horrible plate discipline.  If we did trade for Kouz, I don't think he would be the best fit behind Morneau.

Casey Blake: 35 Years Old, Free Agent, Wants 3 Years, $6,100,000 - '08 Salary

Defense - OK.  Blake featured a .957 FPCT with a 2.53 Range Factor and a .768 Zone Rating in 133 games at 3B in 2008.  Not bad, but not good...moderate.

Offensively, Blake has some decent power but makes a ton of outs.  Splitting time between Cleveland and Dodgers, Blake hit a combined .264 with a .781 OPS.  Decent eye at the plate with a 49:120 ratio.

Overall, we get a aging 3B with decent power, moderate defense, and a decent eye at the plate.  I wouldn't put him behind Morneau either....Plus, I wouldn't give 3 years to Blake on account of his age.

Joe Crede: 30 Years Old, Free Agent, $5,100,000 - '08 Salary

Defense - Crede has great defense when healthy.  He features a gold glove caliber play with a .978 FPCT (back in 2006 when he played most games) with a 3.24 Range Factor and a .790 Zone Rating.  However, Crede must stay healthy.

Offensive - Crede features a big bat with lots of power.  Crede, in '06, had a .283 Avg with a .823 OPS.  Crede doesn't walk much, but he doesnt strike out much either.  In 2006, Crede had a 28:58 ratio.

Overall, we get a oft-injured player with great defense and a big bat.  I think that if we could sign him to a reasonable deal, that he would fit perfectly with the Twins and would provide a threat behind Morneau.  If he did get injured, we always have the Harris/Buscher platoon ready to take over.  (Thanks to diehardtwinsfan for bringing Crede to my attention!)

That concludes Part 1 of 3 of the Twins possible offseason moves...comments are welcome!  One more thing before I wrap this up and that is who it looks like the Twins will have to deal in order to get these 3B.

Beltre - One of Perkins/Blackburn, plus 1 or 2 high level prospects...or 1 or 2 high level prospects (Duensing/Swarzak) and the Twins eat the salary.

Atkins - Cuddyer, plus one possible low ball prospect.

Kouzmanoff - straight up for Young with possibly SD throwing in an extra piece.

Blake - FA: 3 Year, $17 Million deal with incentives and bonuses and maybe an option.

Crede - FA: could sign him for 1 year, incentive laden deal with option for about $10,000,000 top price I think.  

Vote for who you would rather have among these third baseman...I know the majority of the votes will probably go to Beltre, but before voting, consider age, potential, splits, etc....

Up next: Part 2 of 3 - SS Moves

Disclaimer: These potential trades are the only ones that I have heard of.  I am only associating the Twins current players (who they will have to trade) in these talks because they are the names I have heard nominated...If you have heard differently, please say so in your comments.

For the second time in three years, the Minnesota Twins M&M duo snapped up the silver slugger awards for their respective positions.  In 2006, Mauer and Morneau both grabbed the awards without opposition.  This year, while I am sure Mauer grabbed it with flying colors, Morneau probably just barely won the award, especially considering the other 1B sluggers in the AL: Carlos Pena, Miguel Cabrera, and (I suppose) Kevin Youkilis.

Mauer has now won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, AL Batting Crown, and the Legacy Award.

Morneau has won his second award of the season: Silver Slugger and the NLBM Player of the Year.  Morneau is considered one of the top candidates to win the MVP award which will be given out next week.

via sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com

Now this post is concerned with the players who will be coming back next year and some hopeful trades and signings that might be pulled off.  Now, I have posted about two of these posts so far this year much to the chagrin of all Twins posters here (at least most).  Some blamed me of writing the Twins off as having lost the crown already (which I never did!)...I merely wanted to express my opinion on how I saw the Twins and how I thought they could improve in 2009, but unfortunately for me, I had several writers on here not believe me.  Now, with the season being over, I trust I will be able to post this without any negative comments about how I should focus on the season and not next season.

First off, I would like to start with the pitching staff.  This year, we saw 7 starting pitchers: Blackburn, Slowey, Hernandez, Liriano, Baker, Bonser, Perkins.  At the end of the year, we had regressed that total down to five: Baker, Blackburn, Perkins, Slowey, and Liriano.  Those pitcher exceeded expectations in their rookie and sophmore years.  Those five pitcher managed to hurl the Twins into contention for first and the crown, getting 52 of the Twins 88 wins!  Add Hernandez, who was traded at the deadline to that group and you have 62 of the 88 wins, won by our starters.  5 pitchers (Big Man, Blacky, Slow-Man, Baker, Perk) had more than 10 wins for the Twins!  No other Twins starting pitching staff (at least this young) had managed to get more than 10 wins a piece!

So now, let us focus on those starting five once again, and let us determine who will stay and who will go (if any).  Baker and Liriano will remain, as those are the two aces on this now very young staff.  Slowey will also remain with the Twins (he is a Radke, of course he would remain!).  Blackburn and Perkins are the only two who I can foresee being traded, and of course it would only be one of those two.  Seattle expressed interest in Blackburn/Perkins, +1 for Beltre (as I believe).  Beltre now appears to be on the trading block once again.  It will be interesting to see if the Twins once again will pursue the big bat and gold gloved Beltre, although he has undergone shoulder surgery.  However, if they do trade one of our young pitchers, I would hope to see Perkins be the one.  Blackburn, as I believe, has the better career ahead of him.  I like Perkins (except for in the final months of the season) but I would much rather see him (who doesnt have AS much upside) go than Blacky.  So, lets say we trade Perkins (for whoever)...who takes his spot?!  Here is my rotation with Perkins and without Perkins.

1.  Baker

2.  Liriano

3.  Slowey

4.  Blackburn

5.  Perkins

Without:

1.  Baker

2.  Liriano

3.  Slowey

4.  Blackburn

5.  Humber/Swarzak

I believe that Humber, who is out of options, would be the better long time pitcher than Perkins.  Swarzak also could get a look at, especially since he had a 1.80 ERA in his 7 AAA starts (winning 5 of those).  My vote goes to Perkins to be traded and letting Humber and Swarzak compete for the final spot!  Definitely I would not sign a "veteran" pitcher...I would leave it to the young guys!

Now, I turn my attention to the bullpen!  The bullpen let the Twins down more than several times this season.  They were in anguish without Neshek and with Guerrier suffering.  I could see the Twins sign a good RP only if it is for sure that Neshek wont be coming back next year.  We are still hanging on that thread; however, if Neshek can return, I dont see the Twins doing anything but promoting from within.  If we do lose Neshek for next season, here are his possible replacements among the FA class for the 8th inning role: David Weathers, Kerry Wood, Brandon Lyon, and Chan Ho Park.  Those are the only FA that stand out to me.  Of course, the Twins could go with Mijares and a possible trade for Heath Bell or some other.  Also, I think the Twins might bring back Guerrier, as he probably wont cost much (especially after this season) in arbitration.  I see Bonser getting traded with or separate from Perkins.

Revised Bullpen:

Closer - Nathan

8th inning - Neshek/other

7th inning - Mijares, Guerrier, Breslow

Long Man - Swarzak/Humber/Mulvey

Having settled the bullpen, I will now move onto the outfield.  We will have a surplus of outfielders in 2009 with Gomez, Span, Young, Cuddyer, and Kubel.  We will have to probably trade one of those players, and if it is any of them, it is looking like it will probably be Young or Cuddyer.  I would prefer to see Cuddyer go, despite his value after his injuries, but with Young, he still is young and has a lot of upside.  If Cuddyer gets traded, I see Young moving in RF and Span taking over LF, since LF is bigger at the Metrodome and also at Target Field, and of the 3 outfielders, his arm is the weakest.  Young has a cannon and fields pretty well, despite the criticism of Twins fans, and RF is his natural position, so he might be able to relax if moved back there.  Kubel, of course, maintains DH although occasionally he could spell either Span or Young.  So now, we have traded Cuddyer (and his contract) and now have brought the outfielders down to 4 very good players with lots of upside!

LF - Span

RF - Young

CF - Gomez

DH/4th outfielder - Kubel

Now, with the outfield taken care of successfully, or so it appears to me, let us move on to the infield, which as I forsee, has the most potential for change.  There are a lot of scenarios that could happen here.  Morneau, of course, stays at first, and Mauer at C; but pretty much all the other positions are up in the air.  Casilla will either take SS or 2B, most probably 2B.  Let us focus on the possibilities at SS and 3B for now.  Adding a power hitting 3B appears to be most Twins fans desire (and I cant blame them, as we have not had a legit threat over there since Koskie in 2004.)  5 years later, we are still looking for that bat that can protect Morneau in the lineup and be a power threat at 3B.  

Possible 3B on the market (FA and trades):  Beltre (trade), Blake (FA), Atkins (trade), Blalock (FA), Kouzmanoff (trade), and Crede (FA).  

Now, personally, although I know everybody will disagree with me, I would like to see the Twins pick up Atkins.  I know his home/away splits but who isnt to say that he would not like to hit in the dome or at Target field?!  As a matter of fact, I think Atkins would thrive better at either of those two parks than at Coors field.  Reason: Thunderdome and Homerdome = Metrodome; Target field will be a nice place to hit homers with the shortened fences but also, Atkins likes to hit outdoors.  And if you think about it, there is not MUCH difference in temperatures between Colorado and MN once you get outside...thus, if Atkins hits well in Coors in cold weather, who is not to say that he wont hit well at Target Field in cold weather.  This is a risk I am willing to take, and plus, he will be our only threat at 3B in 5 years!  Punto/Buscher/Batista didnt come close to what Koskie did....of course the defense of Atkins is a little risky but I am willing to take it!  

Possible SS on the market: Eckstein (FA) (another Everett anybody?), Furcal (SS), and J.J. Hardy (trade).

J.J. Hardy is the most intriguing SS on that list and it appears the Milwaukee will be looking for a suitor for him.  Lets go Twins!  Hardy has a great bat and decent glove.  I could really envision a Hardy-Casilla-Morneau DP combo in 2009 and would love to see it happen.

I am not really going to go into 2B, since I see Casilla there; however, since Casilla can be moved, I will look at one player.  Orlando Hudson.  Of course, he will be expensive but he has a GREAT bat and GREAT glove.  However, it appears that the Yanks will probably be chasing him and since they have the money, he will go there.  However, if he is willing to accept a $7 million plus bonuses and possible extension from the Twins, I would really like to see him in a blue and red uniform.  However, for now, I will not focus on him but on the others who I have mentioned.

Now, I will give the possible lineups with Hardy or Atkins stuck in there.  I certainly do not expect the Twins to get both players, although it would be beautiful!

The Hardy (pun) Lineup:

1.  Span - LF

2.  Hardy - SS

3.  Mauer - C

4.  Morneau - 1B

5.  Kubel - DH

6.  Young - RF

7.  Buscher/Harris - 3B

8.  Casilla - 2B

9.  Gomez - CF

It was tough to move Casilla out of the two hole, and if the Twins do get Hardy, it will be an interesting lineup development as both Casilla and Hardy have excelled in the 2 hole.

The Atkins (pun) Lineup:

1.  Span - LF

2.  Casilla - 2B

3.  Mauer - C

4.  Morneau - 1B

5.  Atkins - 3B

6.  Kubel - DH

7.  Young - LF

8.  Punto/Harris - SS

9.  Gomez - CF

I forgot to mention, but if the Twins do go out and get Atkins, Beltre, Blake, etc...I foresee them resigning Punto (however much I hate him) and going with the Punto/Harris combo at SS.  However, if the Twins sign Hardy, I see Punto hitting FA, and a Buscher/Harris combo at 3B.

Bench is my final stop in this long post.  I think the bench is probably the most important part of baseball.  It is the duty of those on the bench to cheer on their teammates, always be ready to go, and not whine about playing time.  Bench players scenarios:  If Twins trade for 3B, then Punto will be resigned....If Hardy is traded for, then Buscher/Harris combo will be at 3B.

3B Bench:

Redmond - backup C

Punto/Harris - backup SS

Tolbert - utility 

Ruiz - PH or DH

SS Bench:

Redmond - backup C

Harris/Buscher - backup 3B

Tolbert - utility

Ruiz  - PH or DH

As you can see, the bench doesn't change much.  Before I leave this post, I will nominate who gets traded:  Atkins - Perkins/Bonser or Perkins/Cuddyer or Cuddyer/Bonser;  Hardy - same trade scenarios as for Atkins.  I see Rockies biting on the Perkins and Bonser trade more than any other trade.  Same with Milwaukee, so we will either have to get rid of Cuddy for some prospects or maybe for Heath Bell or other bullpen help.

So now I leave it to you to decide if my team is a nice team or if you want something different.  Please leave NICE comments!!!!

Here is a summary of the games the Twins could and should have won, if it werent for a few problems.  In August, the Twins sat .5 games back of the White Sox for the division lead.  If the Twins had played in August like they had played in July, the Twins would have walked away with this division title but they fell apart.

Twins.

Aug: 17-12 record 

Possible win games: 

11-6 loss vs. Seattle on Aug. 4th...fault: Perk falls apart in 7th; bullpen management

8-7 loss vs Seattle on Aug. 5th...fault: Baker could not go 6 innings; Guerrier

3-2 loss vs. Oak on Aug. 18...fault: offense couldn't score vs off of Saarloos after Duchscherer left in third inning.

7-5 loss vs Ana on Aug. 23...fault: Defense...6 runs only 3 ER off of Blackburn.

5-3 loss vs. Ana on Aug 24...fault: Bullpen management...Reyes and Crain combine for 1.2 innings and 3 runs.

4-2 loss vs. Seattle on Aug 25...fault: Bullpen management...Nathan blown save...Crain allows 2 runs in 1.1 innings.

3-2 loss vs. Oak on Aug 28...fault: Breslow/Crain gives up winning run throwing .1 innings.

3-2 loss vs Oak on Aug 30...fault:  Nathan blows another save.

White Sox.

Aug: 16-12 record

Now, I realize I should give a few breaks in there to the Twins pen (it will fail from time to time so I will take off the Aug 18 game) but all the other games they should and could have won!  That would have put the Twins at a 24-5 record!  With the White Sox with a 18-10 record (lets say, for they had their share off bullpen gaffes) the Twins would have cruised to a 5.5 game lead in the AL central!

TWINS September record:

11 - 14

Twins should have won many games in here too!:

Sep 2 (Tor) 7-5 loss - Perkins and Bullpen.

Sep 3 (Tor) 5-4 loss - Nathan blows 3rd save of road trip

Sep 6 (Det) 6-4 loss - Bullpen (Reyes and Guerrier give up 3 runs w/o getting an out)

Sep 7 (Det) 7-5 loss - Perkins and Defense

Sep 11 (KC) 3-2 loss - Guerrier

Sep 16 (Cle) 12-9 loss - Guardado and Nathan

Sep 17 (Cle) 6-4 loss - Guerrier surrendered 2 runs (1 ER to Mijares) and got 1 out

Sep 27 (KC) 4-2 loss - Bullpen!

WHITE SOX September record:

11 - 15 (counting Sep 29)

Twins would have had a 19 - 6 record if Gardy had handled the bullpen (or rather sheeps pen) better.  I will make allowances and let the Twins lose the Sep 17 game and also the Sep 7 game...that would put the Twins at a 17 - 8 record.  White Sox had a 11 - 15 record (lets tack on another 4 games for them in the W column) and they have a 15 - 11 record.  Still, the Twins out "win" the Sox in September and the Twins would have built a 7.5 game lead!

Bullpen was the Twins downfall in ALMOST all these games.  If the bullpen had held strong the Twins would have been your 2008 Division winners hands down.  However, Twins bullpen failed and the Twins failed on themselves too!  The Twins should have really been division leaders and there is really no excuse for losing it, especially if they could have had a 7.5 game lead (or 3.5 game lead at the very least!)

All in all though, I am proud for our boys in Blue and Red and am very excited for the 2009 season.  It will feature a lot of YOUNG talent and probably some new faces too!

Buckle down for an interesting offseason...I see Bill Smith going out and getting a SS/2B (Hardy) or a 3B (Beltre/other) and probably add one player to the bullpen (think Heaths type).  Thank you Twins for an enjoyable season (with its heartbreaks in there too!).  Go out and get it next year!

(Please state why for your vote).....

Since I will miss this game tonight (which is very upsetting), I will make my predictions now and go ahead and make yours here under this post too!

My Predictions:

1 - Liriano, 7 IP, 8 K, 1 BB, 2 R

2 - Mauer, 2-4, 1 RBI

3 - Rabbits (Gomez, Span, Casilla) 7-12, 2 SB, 3 RS, 4 RBI

Twins win 6-2....

White Sox:

1 - Danks, 5 IP, 8H, 2 BB, 4 R

2 - 1 HR by Sox

3 - Sox lose 5-2

Enjoy the game and GO TWINS!

Twins down 6-4....top of the seventh and Crain is on for the Twins.

Gomez has had a great day and has two triples on the day.....we really need to ride on Morneau's back though.  He NEEDS to come up big in these final innings!

Mauer is 3-4 but failed miserably in the bottom of the sixth with a little grounder to second.

LETS GO TWINS!  LETS GO!  RALLY!!!!!  ITS RALLY TIME IN MN!!!!!!!!

I talked to my brother, CarterHayes, for a long time last night about the Twins.  We talked about next year and his impressions on what the Twins would probably do and what he would like to happen.  I will give a quick rundown of his 2009 Twins.

FA Twins next year:

Punto - 2B/SS

Dennys Reyes - LHP

Adam Everett - SS

He doesnt see the Twins bringing back any of these players.  He says they are now expendable and we can upgrade.  

CarterHayes doesnt expect the Twins to bring in any good 3B such as Garrett Atkins.  However, he would like to see the Twins bring in another outfielder.  You might be saying: What?  Why do we need ANOTHER outfielder with Gomez, Span, Young, Kubel, and Cuddyer?

CarterHayes predicts that Gomez will start the year in AAA to learn a little discipline before coming up in probably late June if he proves himself.  Span, meanwhile, takes over CF with Cuddyer in RF and Young in LF, and then Kubel spells either Young or Cuddyer from time to time.

Which outfielder do we bring in?  He at first said that he would like to see Raul Ibanez get picked up by the Twins.  I disagreed with him because I did not like to see a lineup stacked with LH bats which would get mowed down by LH relievers.  Then, he noticed Pat Burrell on the FA list. 

Pat Burrell is a right handed hitting DH/OF/1B who brings a lot of pop in his bat and a good OBP (his last four season he has posted a OBP of .388 or better and five of his last seven season, Burrell has had a 120 OPS+).  He sometimes gets ripped for having a low average but makes up for it by getting on base.  But if you look at his average it usually hovers around .260-.280 which is a good BA for a power hitting DH.  DH would be primarily his position.  He would bat 5th behind Morneau in order to give him a little protection.  Five out of his last seven years, Burrell has hit more than 25 homers with RBI counts generally around 80+....Perfect fit behind Morneau wouldnt you say?  I would sign him to a 2-3 year deal worth about 10 million a year....

So, now we have our everyday DH problem settled.  Then, CarterHayes said he would look at Orlando Cabrera for SS.  Cabrera brings a decent glove with a strong arm.  Mostly, it is his offense that he gets credit for.  Cabrera is a fast runner and hits a lot of doubles (as we have seen whenever we face the ChiSox).  CarterHayes says he would have Cabrera bat 9th in the order to maintain the speed at both top and bottom.  So we now have Cabrera plugged in at short and I asked if there was any chance we would go out and trade/sign a 3B.  He said he wouldnt because he wouldnt be willing to give up the talent for 3B and the only decent 3B on the FA market is Crede who consistently is battling back problems.  He says he would rather stay with the Buscher/Harris combo.

So lets take a look at our lineup:

1.  Span - CF

2.  Casilla - 2B

3.  Mauer - C

4.  Morneau - 1B

5.  Burrell - DH

6.  Cuddyer - RF

7.  Young - LF

8.  Buscher/Harris - 3B

9.  Cabrera - SS

Solid lineup with speed at both top and bottom and the two deadly power hitters hitting 4th and 5th.

I then asked him about the rotation.  He said that he would keep it the same and just turn it around a little bit.  I imagine something like this:

1.  Baker

2.  Liriano

3.  Slowey

4.  Blackburn

5.  Perkins

As we have seen this year, there is no need to go out and sign a vet in order to "calm" these young arms down after a long inning.  They all have the potential to be 15+ winners next year and with the new revamped offense I can see it.

Bullpen?  He said that Eddie would most probably stay and finish his career with the Twins.  Neshek will be returning next season.  Nathan of course will be holding down the ninth with Guerrier, Breslow also in their for their innings.  He sees Crain getting let go as he just doesnt see a need for him anymore.  I had to disagree there but it is CarterHayes and he does know what he is talking about.  He also would like to see the Twins take a chance with Mark Prior.  He does have arm issues it seems but it appears he is coming back after battling those since his great season with the Cubbies in the NLCS.  Prior would then fill the long man role and if he does go down with an injury we always have Mulvey/Humber in the minors.

Nathan - Closer

Eddie - 8th inning

Guerrier - RH Reliever

Breslow - Loogy

Prior - long relief

Uncertain who takes the 11th man role but with many pitchers in our Minor League system, we can always find somebody.  (oh, forgot to add Neshek to that pen, my bad).

Bench?  He predicts the Twins pick up Reddogs .95 MM option.  He didnt go very far into the bench players so I will have to pick up the slack here.

Redmond - backup Catcher

Harris/Buscher - 3B player combo

Tolbert - 2B/SS backup

Not sure who the final bench player would be but probably somebody with a little pop in their bat who can come off the bench in late game situations and drive in runs, maybe say a Randy Ruiz or some player like him.

So, as you can see, we do not sell any of our players, let a few go, and sign better ones.  I really like my brother's ideas and would just die if the Twins signed these players (especially Pat Burrell).  We really need a power bat batting behind Morneau to protect him and Burrell would fit that mold perfectly.  Kubel has done an adequate job but its nice to have the "Real Deal", a player who has proved himself in those situations.

Lets Get It done Billy!!!

(Please leave comments if you dont think Burrell should be signed)