MLB: More Twins Roster Moves

[FDWxMan]

Hughes to AAA, Tolbert will be utility inf
Manship and Perkins likely grabbing final two bullpen spots.
Nathan will be closer.

Roster Moves

Not sure I'm comfortable with Nathan as the starter right out of the shoot. Not that Capps is exactly superman, but he hasn't given up a run yet, and reports are Nathan really has no consistency with his breaking balls yet.

Just seems like Gardy made a few decisions before camp started, results be damned.

 

[CycloneNorth]

Probably a good thing that Hughes will be getting a lot of at bats. I really wish I could watch Twin's games here in Ames.

 

[jhill]

Probably a good thing that Hughes will be getting a lot of at bats. I really wish I could watch Twin's games here in Ames.

You should check out MLB.tv on line. Not that expensive. Did it last year and will do it again this season.

 

[mj4cy]

How much is mlbtv?

 

[FDWxMan]

How much is mlbtv?

Depending on the features, either $99.99 or $119.99 which is about $99.99 or $119.99 too much if you plan on watching the Twins in Iowa.

Or the Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Royals or Cardinals for that matter.

You will be blacked out. Every game.

 

[HGPuck]

The only way that I know to see almost all the Twins games in Ames/Des Moines, is to get the Sports Pack on Dish/DirectTV that includes all the Fox Sports Nets so you get Fox Sports North. We do it with Dish and I think the package is six or seven dollars a month.

 

[Bipolarcy]

The only way that I know to see almost all the Twins games in Ames/Des Moines, is to get the Sports Pack on Dish/DirectTV that includes all the Fox Sports Nets so you get Fox Sports North. We do it with Dish and I think the package is six or seven dollars a month.

I get the sports pack on DirecTV and don't get the Twins game on the Fox Sports channels because baseball games are all blacked out on all the Fox Sports channels. You have to subscribe to the MLB baseball package to be able to watch them. I don't think you have to be a Sports Pack subscriber to get the MLB package, but I'm not sure about that. I just know that Sports Pack alone is not enough to get you MLB baseball games.

 

[HGPuck]

That reminds me, you have to have a telephone line hooked up to your dish receiver to not be blacked out from the 'in-market' games, still blacked out on the out of market. But we live just south of Ames, have Dish Network with the Sports Pack, and get all the 'in-market' games on the Fox Sports Net channels, Twins, Cards, White Sox, Royals, Cubs, Brewers, ect.

I get the sports pack on DirecTV and don't get the Twins game on the Fox Sports channels because baseball games are all blacked out on all the Fox Sports channels. You have to subscribe to the MLB baseball package to be able to watch them. I don't think you have to be a Sports Pack subscriber to get the MLB package, but I'm not sure about that. I just know that Sports Pack alone is not enough to get you MLB baseball games.

 

[RING4CY]

That reminds me, you have to have a telephone line hooked up to your dish receiver to not be blacked out from the 'in-market' games, still blacked out on the out of market. But we live just south of Ames, have Dish Network with the Sports Pack, and get all the 'in-market' games on the Fox Sports Net channels, Twins, Cards, White Sox, Royals, Cubs, Brewers, ect.

I have never had to hook up a phone line to the receiver. I just call DirecTV and ask for Fox Sports Net North specifically for Twins games. $7 a month.

 

[HGPuck]

Yeah I was wondering if this was still necessary. We had to do it when we first got it, maybe five years ago. We just have never unhooked it because it still works.

I have never had to hook up a phone line to the receiver. I just call DirecTV and ask for Fox Sports Net North specifically for Twins games. $7 a month.

 

[HGPuck]

As an aside, I also have access to MLB.tv for out of market games and if I'm not at home. And there are a few wireless networks in central Iowa that I have found that I can watch Twins games and some where I can not (blacked out). No idea what causes this, but it might be worth looking into for some.

 

[ItsCyence]

What bothers me is that DirecTV doesn't give us around Des Moines FSN North (unless you have the MOST expensive package). I typed in my old zip code in FD and they give FSN North AND Comcast in the cheapest package. That kind of irks me.

 

[Dormeezy]

That reminds me, you have to have a telephone line hooked up to your dish receiver to not be blacked out from the 'in-market' games, still blacked out on the out of market. But we live just south of Ames, have Dish Network with the Sports Pack, and get all the 'in-market' games on the Fox Sports Net channels, Twins, Cards, White Sox, Royals, Cubs, Brewers, ect.

Can you explain this phone hook up thing a little more? I am planning to switch to DirecTV within the next month with the intention of subscribing to the sports pack (with the specific goal of to watch all the Twins games). I assumed doing this the Twins games would not be blacked out as I'm "in market" for them (Cedar Rapids). Do I need a phone line hook-up for these to not be blacked out? I don't have land line phone service, is this required for this to work?

 

[Iastfan112]

Twins trade Billy Bullock to the Braves in order to keep Scott Diamond.
Twins Retain Rule 5 Pick Scott Diamond | twinsbaseball.com: Official Info
Bullocks minor league line: Billy Bullock Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com

Poor trade in my opinion, Bullock is much more highly regarded, falling in the 8-15 range of Twins prospects whereas I've seen Diamond ranked no higher than mid 20's. Evidently Twins view Diamond as starter which makes me think someone on the major league team will be getting dealt in the next few months. Slowey is already in the bullpen, Gibson almost ready this move makes little sense unless someone else is going to get traded away.

 

[Steve]

Twins trade Billy Bullock to the Braves in order to keep Scott Diamond.
Twins Retain Rule 5 Pick Scott Diamond | twinsbaseball.com: Official Info
Bullocks minor league line: Billy Bullock Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com

Poor trade in my opinion, Bullock is much more highly regarded, falling in the 8-15 range of Twins prospects whereas I've seen Diamond ranked no higher than mid 20's. Evidently Twins view Diamond as starter which makes me think someone on the major league team will be getting dealt in the next few months. Slowey is already in the bullpen, Gibson almost ready this move makes little sense unless someone else is going to get traded away.

It's hard to tell if the Twins made the move because they value Diamond, have cooled on Bullock, or a combination of both.

Bullock has issues with control which makes it hard to project him as a legitimate candidate with the Twins. WHIP is a key statistic and his numbers have climbed throughout his career as he moves up the ladder.

Diamond does have better numbers while making a good showing at AAA as opposed to AA with Bullock. He is also a lefty which the Twins are always going after.

 

[FDWxMan]

Twins trade Billy Bullock to the Braves in order to keep Scott Diamond.
Twins Retain Rule 5 Pick Scott Diamond | twinsbaseball.com: Official Info
Bullocks minor league line: Billy Bullock Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com

Poor trade in my opinion, Bullock is much more highly regarded, falling in the 8-15 range of Twins prospects whereas I've seen Diamond ranked no higher than mid 20's. Evidently Twins view Diamond as starter which makes me think someone on the major league team will be getting dealt in the next few months. Slowey is already in the bullpen, Gibson almost ready this move makes little sense unless someone else is going to get traded away.

Never underestimate the Twins' desire to have something like 7 or 8 starters they think could be in the rotation at any given moment.

**Disclaimer, notice I said they, not me or other scouts. They will stockpile all these guys and threaten that they're all the next one ready to go. Plus, I just don't think it's in the Twins mentality to give the guy back. I think once they took him in the Rule V, they just made the decision, we took the guy probably felt that they need to keep him at all costs. Doesn't really seem in their personality to make the pick and not see it through, for better or worse.

 

[clone52]

Never underestimate the Twins' desire to have something like 7 or 8 starters they think could be in the rotation at any given moment.

**Disclaimer, notice I said they, not me or other scouts. They will stockpile all these guys and threaten that they're all the next one ready to go. Plus, I just don't think it's in the Twins mentality to give the guy back. I think once they took him in the Rule V, they just made the decision, we took the guy probably felt that they need to keep him at all costs. Doesn't really seem in their personality to make the pick and not see it through, for better or worse.

Quiz for you. How many pitchers started a game for them last year?

 

[clone52]

I get the sports pack on DirecTV and don't get the Twins game on the Fox Sports channels because baseball games are all blacked out on all the Fox Sports channels. You have to subscribe to the MLB baseball package to be able to watch them. I don't think you have to be a Sports Pack subscriber to get the MLB package, but I'm not sure about that. I just know that Sports Pack alone is not enough to get you MLB baseball games.

Channel 668 is Fox Sports North on Direct TV. I've had it for 2 years in Cedar Rapids. Not a single game has been blacked out. Not sure why they are blacked out for you.

 

[FDWxMan]

Quiz for you. How many pitchers started a game for them last year?

Yeah, no I agree with you. That's why I doubt this move implies anything about another starter getting moved.

I was more trying to imply that the insinuation since the Twins made the trade for this guy they were viewing him as a replacement for one of their existing starters, probably isn't the case, especially for this year alone. Nobody is getting traded just because they got Diamond, maybe they want to stash him lower as part of the Slowey exit plan, so maybe I should rephrase that as to nobody else besides Slowey is on the move because of this.

My point was that they're always going to have a 8 or 9 starters ready, but in reality, those 8th and 9th guys are probably nothing more than spot-starters or very temporary stop-gaps talent-wise. Did they give up too much for this one? I don't know.

But someone will get hurt, and probably not one at a time. There's a good chance Blackburn will throw up a 7.12 ERA for a month and a half stretch somewhere and have to spend a few trips through the rotation to "find himself'. Baker may be in Gardy's "doghouse" and so on.

To answer the question I think it may have been at least 10?...

 

[FDWxMan]

Pavano, Liriano, Blackburn, Duensing, Baker, Perkins, Manship, and Gibson will all likely make starts. Although Slowey will get the chance once someone goes down, I believe he is likely to be on the move. I guess you could throw Swarzak in if things get really crazy, so that's 10 guys right there, I doubt Diamond was absolutely essential to moving someone at this point.