Anybody else out there pi**ed off that we have one of the richest owners in bball(Pohlad), but yet we never go out and get that last 1 or 2 pieces we need??? I love the fact that we have argueably(?), the best minor league system in the majors but I really wish we could get some much needed free agents to bolster our lineup sometime. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the Wankees and the Sawks having all the cards and getting all the FA that are worth a damn. WE NEED A 3B AND A COUPLE SP NOW!!!! NOT IN A COUPLE YEARS WHEN THEY MATURE.
MLB: My Twinkies
- Thread starter RhoadsRage
- Start date
Yeah, I don't understand either. The fan support for the Twins is amazing, they go to the games, buy merchandise and got a new stadium right downtown. You'd think he'd throw us a bone.
Go figure.
Go figure.
1. Baker
2. Slowey
3. Blackburn
4. Pavano
5. Liriano/Duensing
Waiting in the wings: Manship, Perkins, Swarzak.
If the Twins wanted to acquire another pitcher the only thing worth going for is a guy with the potential to be an ace, and the only guy left out there to fulfill that role is Bedard who is incredibly risky. The Twins made nice moves to get Hardy, Thome, and to a lesser extent resigning Pavano. This is the most active and producting(aka no signing washed up folks like Livan).
A 3B or 2B signing would be nice just have to see how much Mauer costs(I'm betting he signs before the end of next weekend, just from comments out of the Twins org and Mauers agent) and how much guys like Orlando Hudson and Lopez will sign for.
Edit: Also, Polhad is dead, sons own/run it now.
I agree with all of your points. I would also like to throw in a plug for Liriano. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Twins assign him to the pen to begin with to prove himself. Based on the reports out of the Dominican league, I can see him in the rotation by June with a chance at putting up 15 wins. Supposedly he has consistently shown the velocity, control, and nasty slider that has been missing since 2006.
The Twins have done a better job filling in spots and spending money this year, with Pavano, Thome & Hardy. Their payroll will be over $90m for the first time.
Baker 15-9
Slowey 10-3 (injured 1st half last year)
Blackburn 11-11
Pavano 14-12
Liriano 5-13 (don't trust him anymore)
Duensing 5-2 (9 starts)
Manship 1-1 (5 starts)
Perkins 6-7 (17 starts)
Swarzak 3-7 (12 starts)
My point was that I think we needed a top level guy(Ace as you put it). These guys can do a decent job but we need that 1 guaranteed win in every 5 days.
This. While we haven't had any "blockbuster" signings, they've actually done a very good job this off season. Plus I believe they're trying to save something to be able to give Mauer his long-term contract.
I'm hoping that one of the benefits of signing Thome is to give Morneau a little more rest so that he doesn't hit the wall at the end like he has historically done. I know that he had the fracture last year, but he has tired down the stretch before that incident. It doesn't have to be Thome filling in at 1st. He can DH while Cuddyer plays 1st with Kubel in RF.
I think one of Baker, Slowley, or Blackburn is going to blossom into the Twins' ace this year. Both Baker and Slowley were hot down the stretch last year (I was at the Dome for Baker's 2-hit shutout of the Indians - it was the most dominating pitching performance I have ever seen in person), and while Blackburn went on a mid-to-later season swoon last year, he pulled it together in time for the post season run. While it would be nice to pull in a big-name free agent ace, it may not be necessary.
I wouldn't worry Morneau this season, now that we know that Cuddyer is a more than capable 1st baseman. If Thome's playing in the field, it's because we're desperate.
I don't, none of them have overpowering stuff, which is what it takes to be a true ace, I see Baker fulfilling the Radke role of being a passable number 1 but not a true ace(Slowey could as well though).
The Twins can't afford to buy an ace. They have to grow one. The best bet right now is that Liriano returns to his 2006 form, which he looked like again in the Dominican League this winter.
In the final game of their World Series, Liriano struck out 10 and gave up 1 hit.
Yeah supposedly he was hitting mid 90's with fastball and had sliders in the upper 80's again which are good signs. On the counterpoint, the hitters he faced aren't exactly MLB quality and the biggest issue this past season wasn't so much stuff but instead the inconsistent ability locate his fastball. He had a few dominating performances where he was able to hit the corners but on the whole he was either missing alot and giving up too many walks or throwing a fat one down the middle.
So far, all signs are pointing toward him turning it around but I'll believe it when I see it back in Minny. Anyone heard anything about Morneau's back injury? Don't know much about it but, stress fracture in the back sounded pretty serious to me.
Reporting from the TwinsFest fan session, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (via Twitter) has "got hints" that the Twins won't bring back free agent Joe Crede in 2010. In a follow-up tweet, Christensen said the reason was that it is "too hard to keep Crede on the field, which hamstrings your roster" and that the Twins would prefer to see Brendan Harris play third for now with an eye on prospect Danny Valencia eventually taking over the position.
Crede signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Minnesota last February that could have been worth as much as $7MM had he reached all of the contract's many incentive levels. Unfortunately for Crede, he was limited to just 367 plate appearances last season thanks to the latest in a series of back problems that have plagued the veteran third baseman. His September surgery to remove fluid from a herniated disk was the third procedure on his back in as many years. Crede hit .225/.289/.414 last season.
Crede signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Minnesota last February that could have been worth as much as $7MM had he reached all of the contract's many incentive levels. Unfortunately for Crede, he was limited to just 367 plate appearances last season thanks to the latest in a series of back problems that have plagued the veteran third baseman. His September surgery to remove fluid from a herniated disk was the third procedure on his back in as many years. Crede hit .225/.289/.414 last season.