SB Nation User Blog: Eric in Madison

The Wolves and the Salary Cap

Eric in Madison — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:28:47 -0000

A couple of questions have come up about the Cap situation to which I have responded. It occurred to me to do a post about the Wolves cap situation over the next couple of years.

(Ed note: Eric in Madison put together a wonderful post below the fold. Also, don't forget to check out Hoopus' salary cap page.)

For the 2008-09 season, the salary cap was between $58-59 million. I don't think it's going to change materially next season (We should know on July 7th--there's a moratorium on transactions between July 1st and 7th while they figure out next year's cap).

Right now, including Flynn Ellington, and Rubio, they have roughly $57 million in committed salaries for this season. That is for 15 players (including those 3 rookies). The salary commitments for the 3 rookies are 100% of their rookie scale contracts. Once they sign actual contracts, those real numbers are counted (and will usually be 120% of the rookie scale).

A lot salary is expiring after this year. Roughly $24 million in contracts that simply end after this season, with no options. This includes Thomas ($7.35M), Cardinal ($6.75M), Gomes (3.8), Madson (2.84), Smith (2.5) and Brown (.736).

There is another roughly $6 million in team options that I could imagine them not exercising (Brewer, Pecherov, though Brewer is unlikely). Decisions about these 2 2010-11 team options have to be made at the beginning of THIS season, I believe.

Assuming they keep Brewer, let Pecherov go, keep Flynn and Ellington, and all player options are exercised, you are looking at roughly $33 million in salary committments for 2010-11. Not including Rubio. Around $37M including Rubio. The two player options for 2010-11 are Darius Songalia ($4.8M) and Bassy Telfair ($2.7M). I am assuming they both exercise those options, though I suppose that if Bassy is still around, I could see him opting out. For this exercise, I assume he stays.

They will have a couple of million under the cap next week, but not a ton, The cap flexibility comes in having so much expiring salary for next year. They can keep it, and be well under the cap next off-season. Of course, we've discussed the issues with using cap space for free agents in the circumstances of the Wolves. More likely is that some of these expiring contracts get traded sometime between now and the trade deadline for longer-term pieces. It is difficlut to get young quality players that way, however.

Anybody want to talk Trade Deadline?

Eric in Madison — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:15:22 -0000

Now that the draft is over, I thought it might be time to talk about what the Twins' strategy should be heading toward the trade deadline. Buyers? Sellers? Both? Neither? Who do you want, who would you never deal?

I'll try to keep this briefer than I usually do. I'll just post a few questions, with short answers of my own, hopefully to spur some conversation.

1. Buyers or sellers? I think it's clear that the Twins aren't going to fire sale it--they are in their division. Are there major leaguers I could imagine trading? Absolutely. But the goal has to be to try to improve this year and next

2. What do they need? Seems clear they need middle infield help. Another set-up guy would be useful, but not worth overpaying for. I wouldn't be averse to a star level outfielder, but I don't see the 2009 version of Jason Bay anywhere.

3. Who do you want? A couple of names we've talked about are Freddie Sanchez (a rather short term 2B solution) and Alcides Escobar (A long term SS solution). Who else? What would they cost? Who do you have your eye on?

4. Who would you trade? There are a couple of guys on the ML roster that seem like good sell high candidates to me, notably Nick Blackburn and maybe Shaggy Guerrier. Is there anyone in the minors that you would really struggle to trade? For me, I'd be very hesitant to trade Swarzak and Hicks, though I wouldn't refuse in the right deal. Everyone else...I'm not giving them away, but I don't see a lot of future stars in the system. What say you?

Anybody Want to Talk Mauer?

Eric in Madison — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:20:26 -0000

Maybe I'll make this into a regular series...the "Anybody Want to Talk...?" series. Anyway, Charlie Walters has a brief piece in the Pioneer Press about Mauer's future with the Twins. He quotes Jerry Bell, who says nothing of substance, and suggests that negotiations might begin soon after the All-Star break. I thought we might use that as a jumping-off point to talk about how this might go and what it might take to sign him.

As we know, Joe Mauer's current contract expires after the 2010 season, during which he will be 27 years old. Obviously a player entering free agency in his prime--a rare and valuable thing.

First, I want to discuss, and dispense with, the "hometown discount" idea-a phrase that Walters uses and irritates me to no end. It might be that staying in Minnesota has some monetary value to Mauer, but you can't go into negotiations begging him to take less. You can't take on the role of victim to the big markets-as much as you might think it's unfair, this is a business, and you have to bring your best game, not approach it with a woe-is-me attitude.

Now, for the factors that will affect the negotiations:

1. I think you have to start as soon as possible, because the earlier you do, the more risk you are allieviating from Mauer's perspective, which has some value. Obviously, waiting until he's actually a free agent is a non-starter-at that point, you aren't offering him any risk reduction against serious injury.

2. He's a catcher. That cuts both ways: he's incredibly valuable at that position, but of course catchers don't generally have long careers, at least as catchers. Most catchers move in their early 30s.

3. He's smack in his prime--most guys don't get to free agency until they are on the wrong side of 30. Of course he's also a brilliant player.

Frankly, there aren't a lot of guys who have signed free agent contracts that you can compare him to. There hasn't been a great catcher in his prime in recent years that has signed a free agent contract in quite awhile. Mike Piazza signed with the Mets at age 30 in 2000-that's actually the most relevant catcher comparison, I think. He got 80+ million for 6 years--a decade ago. Jorge Posada signed a 4 yr/50+ million extension with the Yankees--when he was 36. Ivan Rodriguez signed with Detroit 4/40 at age 32, but he was seen as largely used up. He had been forced to take a 1 year deal the year before to reestablish his value.

Let's look at some other postion players who have become free agents at 27-28 in recent years:

1. Mark Teixeira. 8/189 with the Yankees. Biggest position player deal of the off-season. He's a first baseman, 29 years old this year.

2. Alex Rodriguez: 10/252 with the Rangers in 2001. Whatever anyone wants to say about it, there's an argument that he's been worth it, he's been so good. Of coruse, he got traded and renegotiated, but the original deal was as above. He was 25 his first year in Texas, which is one of the things that made him so valuable.

3. Carlos Beltran, 7/120 with the Mets in 2005. He was exactly the same age (to the month) as Mauer will be after 2010.

One thing I'd like to say about big free agent contracts for position players: for the absolute best players, who sign in their prime, they actually tend to work out fairly well. Beltran has been quietly brilliant for the Mets. Rodriguez, whatever else you want to say, has been a great, great player. Manny Ramirez, however it ended, signed an 8 year deal with the Red Sox and was truly great, and helped lead them to 2 championships. Jeter (one I didn't mention because it was an extention avoiding arbitration) got 10/189 and he's been pretty freaking great.

Taking all of that into account, here's what I would like to see, and what I think might get it done sometime between now and the beginning of next season--after that all bets are off. A 7 year extension (beginning in 2011) with an AAV of $22 million= 7/154. That's a little less per year than Teixeira, and one fewer year, but he'd be getting it a year+ prior to free agency, which has some value. That keeps him in a Twins uniform through 2017 and his age 34 season. Another alternative is to try for something like 10/200--lower AAV but an insanely long committment. He'd be 37 when that deal ended, and almost certainly no longer playing catcher, but it might be worth it.

Anyway, what say you?

Anybody want to talk Draft?

Eric in Madison — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:36:27 -0000

The draft is less than 2 weeks away, so I thought I'd start a thread for talking about it. The Latin American Free Agent signing period starts in early July--players who are 16 can sign with professional clubs starting then, so that's something to keep an eye on also.

After the jump, I'll mention a few players that either have been linked to the Twins or that seem interesting to me, with the caveat that I readily admit that I don't know anything about these guys personally; just want to create a place where information can be shared.

The Twins have pick #22 in the first round, 46 in the comp round (Reyes), and 70 in the second round. It's always impossible to know how the draft will unfold, but this year especially the people who follow this say there is no consensus after the first pick.

There is one guy that has been attached to the Twins in a few places that I've seen: Jared Mitchell. You might remember him as the Twins' 10th round pick in 2006--he was always unlikely to sign, and he didn't, choosing to go to LSU instead. That seems to have worked out for him, as BA ranks him as their 27th best draft prospect this year, and he should get a good bonus. His stll is seen as more of an athlete than baseball player, and his numbers aren't that impressive, but he fills up the toolbox.

Frankly, he's not the type of player that I like to see them draft, but the Twins have regularly taken unpolished athletes early.

I'd prefer they take more of a pure bat, though there aren't a lot of obvious choices. Guys who are really seen as elite hitters are long gone by this point. One guy who might be there and the Twins ought to be aware of is Bobby Borchering, a HS hitter from Fort Myers. He's seen as maybe the top HS hitter this year, and has power. He's a big guy currently listed as a 3B, but will have to move to 1B or a corner OF spot as a pro.

Other guys I've seen them attached to or that I think they might be interested in include AJ Pollock (Notre Dame OF), Max Stassi (HS Catcher), and Mike Minor, (Vanderbilt LHP).

I'd love to hear what anyone else has heard/knows about any of the possibilities out there.

On another note, I realize it isn't my money, but I wish they were more agressive in Latin America. They signed both Mijares and Ramos as free agents, but that's about it in terms of the current Twins or top prospects. The other Latin players on the team are all trade acquisitions (Gomez, Liriano, Casilla), or Puerto Rican players, who are subject to the draft (Morales, Morales). It's tough to compete with the big market teams for the top talent, and paying 2-4 million for a 16 year old is tough too, but I wish they would ocassionally target a top guy down there and go for it.

Anyway, any thoughts on these issues?

The Front Page and the Front Office

Eric in Madison — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:39:48 -0000

As I write, the two pieces at the top of the front page are Jesse crabbing about the offense and the lineup, and Jon asking just how bad the bullpen is. That got me to thinking about the choices the front office has made in building this team over the past couple of years. I don't know that I have any overarching conclusions, but I thought it was worthwhile to try to sort through what's happened and where we think we are.

When Bill Smith took over after the 2007 season, there were several issues facing the club. They had just completed a disappointing season that had centered around a weak offense that suffered from a lack of star power (Joe Mauer missed some games and didn't have a great year, Justin Morneau was down some as well) and poor secondary play especially from the bench and such nominal starters as Jeff Cirillo and Nick Punto.

The star-power wasn't such a problem--Mauer and Morneau weren't going anywhere. It was clear that the team had significant holes, however, and it was exacerbated by the impending free agencies of Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva. It was further clear that the team was in the process of deciding the future of the team's best player, Johan Santana. The team desperately needed to upgrade the offense--particularly third base and and left field where a parade of less than mediocrities had played--Nick Punto, Jason Tyner, Jeff Cirillo (nominally the DH, but Jason Kubel was the future there), and second base where they had traded Luis Castillo for reasons that weren't entirely clear and plugged in an overmatched Alexi Casilla. They also obviously needed a centerfielder to replace Hunter on the assumption that he was going to leave.

There was a massive flurry of activity in the off-season following the 2007 season. They (correctly, IMO) let Hunter and Silva both walk. To solve the infield problems, they signed Mike Lamb and Adam Everett, both formerly Astros, both with durability problems, both marginal starters. To sovle the left field/DH hole, they acquired Craig Monroe. Then they made 2 big trades. Recognizing that they needed power and young hitting, they made the Matt Garza/Delmon Young trade. There were people who thought that Young was overrated, but it was generally well recieved. One of the problems was that they also gave up their starting shortstop (Jason Bartlett), who never seemed to get respect from the powers that be. Then they made the big Santana trade, which among other things gave them a center field option to replace Hunter.

OK, the point of this wasn't to review. Here's what I take from this flurry of activity: there was a lot, and there was significant risk taking in one sense (trading away Garza, trading Santana), but ultimately, there was significant risk aversion in terms of money and expectations. They didn't REALLY solve SS or 3B, they stopgapped with guys who, if they failed, well, its not that big a suprise. They didn't REALLY look for a big hitter for DH (Frank Thomas), they got Monroe, who, if he couldn't hit, well, he couldn't hit before. These guys were all cheap, and they all played like it.

On the trade front, they traded 2 guys who they had crabbed about despite their talent--Garza and Bartlett, for the talented but mercurial Young. So far, not good. Young has not gotten better in 2 seasons. He's the same player now that he was a rookie. Then there was the Santana deal. I know this is going to chap some hides, and I know I can't "know" what other offers there were, but this was mishandled, and that isn't just in retrospect. Despite their protestations, it was clear they were going to trade him. The package they got...here's the problem: they got exactly nobody who they could be reasonably close to sure would actually have a significant major league career. Carlos Gomez was talented but hadn't dominated, or even really been very good, in the minors. Philip Humber was hurt and never got his stuff back. Kevin Mulvey was a limited stuff guy, and Deolis Guerra was so freaking young he could have turned into anything. Frankly, a year later, and the exact same things can be said about these guys.

This past off-season, there was much less activity. After a season in which essentially none of the previous seasons' moves actually worked, it appeared that Smith became gunshy. The bullpen had been a problem in 2008; they did nothing to solve it. Wouldn't make a trade, wouldn't give up a pick for Juan Cruz. They further, apparently, misread how shallow the offense was. Bolstered by an unsustainable performance in RISP situations, bailed out by a suprising Denard Span and a dubious Casilla, they scored more runs than they could expect. Starting the offseason by saying they wanted to upgrade both spots on the left side of the infield, they immediately capitulated, resigned Punto and called it a victory. They dithered around with 3B until Joe Crede fell into their laps. They punted doing anything about the outfield crowd of dubiousness. It appeared to be paralysis, made even more frustrating by the fact that their payroll was diminishing and a new stadium was a year away.

Here's my take: they have generally refused spend money. I mean, they signed Joe Nathan...but they wouldn't sign Santana. They signed Michael Cuddyer for 3 years...but let Hunter go (wisely). They also seem unable to surround their core with quality players. They have something of a "good enough" syndrome. The Young trade was their one attempt to add another real hitter...and it hasn't worked. The guys they dredge up...really not good. There are always reasons...but they have refused to either trade prospects or spend money--if you won't do either of those things, it's hard to get better. You can't expect your farm system to pump out above average players at every position year after year--and yet they seem perpetually confused when they have holes that need to be filled.

I'm not giving up on this team--it has things going for it. But I will say that I don't think they have done a good job of identifying and fixing problems in the last couple of years. At some point, Smith has to be responsible for that. I'll add this: one of the things that many fans like about the Twins is the continuity--they promote from within, they keep people, etc. That's a good thing, I agree. But I wonder sometimes if it also doesn't make things stale. When it's the same people with the same philosophies running thngs, you can get stale, miss out on new ideas. Sometimes you need new perspectives from the outside to see what you aren't doing well. I wonder sometimes if the Twins haven't become TOO reliant on the same people doling things the "Twins way."

That was insanely long, and I didn't even really get to a lot of things I wanted to talk about. REally I just thought it might be time to take a look at the front office under Bill Smith.

Twins Starting Pitching--An Early Look

Eric in Madison — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:48:57 -0000

There is a lot of randomness and luck involved in the results in any single baseball game. Or any month's worth of games, for that matter. It's my contention that there's a lot of randomness and luck involved in any season't worth of games. The idea that things "even out" over the course of a season is, in my opinion, not really true.

That's getting ahead of ourselves, though. I thought I'd take a look at some of the starting pitchers so far this year to try to figure out what's going on, good and bad, so far this year. By the way, if you haven't looked lately, Baseball-reference now has expanded stats for both hitters and pitchers that make it even more of a one-stop shop for this sort of thing. Sean Forman Rules.

Scott Baker: I really wanted to see what's happening with Baker, hence this diary. Looking at his numbers, two things really stand out. FIrst, his flyball/groudball ratio is even more extreme than usual so far. He's always been a flyball pitcher, and he's always going to be, but he's usually around .5 gb/fb; so far this year it's .33.

The really noticable thing, though, is his HR/FB rate. Major league average is around 8%. Baker in his career has been around 7.6%--pretty close. He gives up a relatively large number of homers because he gives up so many flyballs, not because more of his flyballs go out. This year, however, even after last night's 0 homer outing, his HR/FB rate is an astounding 19.4%. This is unsustainable, and will come down over time. Almost all pitchers who pitch full seasons wind up with a ratio between roughly 6-11%. He's given up 7 homers so far; if his ratio was normal, it would be 3 homers, and we'd be having a much different conversation.

All of his other stats are right in line with where he usually is--his Babap is .311--right at league average (though he was lower last year--part of his success). His K rate is solid (7.4/9) and right where it was last year. His BB rate is within normal parameters for him. His line drive% is exactly where it always is (league average). It seems to me that if he's getting his K's, limiting his walks, and giving up the normal amount of line drives, the HR% is probably mostly fluke. It ought to get back closer to normal, and then we'll see the Baker we should expect.

Francisco Liriano: It's less obvious what's happening with Liriano. He's become more of a flyball pitcher than he was before the injury, but that doesn't preclude success. He's walked a few more than we would expect, and I suspect that's an issue for him, but I also expect him to hone in. His HR/FB rate is normal, though since there are more flyballs, there are slightly more homers (1.2/9 as opposed to .9 in his career). One thing that has happened early this year is he's given up more doubles than you would expect: his XHB/PA is 11.5%, whereas his career is 7% and league average is 8%. His XHB/H is over 50% as opposed to his (and the leagues) normal 35%. You expect more XHBs with more flyballs, but this is extreme. HIs line drive% is normal. There might be some luck/defense involved in this as well; I'd certainly expect the XHB% to come down at least some.

His K rate isn't where it was in 2006, but it's still sustainable. I wonder if he's avoiding his slider too much? I know everyone's worried about injury, but it's a pitch he needs, because no matter who says how great his change up is now, it ain't Santana's. It seems clear that he doesn't have the stuff to dominate like he did in 2006, but I think a little better luck and a slight improvement in the control will make him a successful pitcher.

This has gotten hella long. I had intended to look at the whole rotation, but I will stop here and take it up again another time. It seems to me that a lot of what's happening with both of these guys--and Baker especially--is a result of bad luck. I certainly expect both to have significantly better results going forward.

DeRosa to Indians

Eric in Madison — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:11:20 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3802342

DeRosa to Indians for 3 minor league pitchers. Twins fail again--ths was a beatable offer.

None of whom are really top shelf prospects.

One AAA reliever with good K rates but already 25.

Two guys who haven't advanced past low-A, One starter, one reliever (who's 23!). Good K rates, marginal to poor control, limited results. I can't believe the Twins couldn't have put together a better offer.

5 that are 26 or younger

Eric in Madison — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:18:04 -0000

I was looking at the basic pitching stats the other day and realized that the Twins have a chance to have 4 starters finish the season with:

a) 150+ innings

b) ERA+ above league average

c) and are all 26 or younger

and I was wondering how often that had happened. Then I realized that there is another American League team likely to do that this year: the Rays. Anyway, that got me to thinking more about the Twins rotation, and in particular the non-Liriano members of it--what can we make of the seasons they've had?

The first thing I noticed is that the defense, which overall has been below average at turning batted balls into outs, has been average or above average for all 4 of these guys. (The pitchers who have been hurt by the team's DER are Bonser, Hernandez, and Bass, mostly).

Blackburn is the one that has an average GB rate, the others are all significant flyballers. This is why they give up so many homers, of course; Slowey is exactly league average in % of flyballs that go out, Baker slightly above average, and Perkins too, but all very close to average. Blackburn gives up less fly balls, and actually is below league average in FB/HR %.

Slowey and Baker have the above average K rates, along with the low walk rates, Blackburn and Perkins lack the K's, though they both also have the good control. Perkins seems like the odd man out, here--mostly flyballs and limited strikeouts is not a great combination. Indeed, he has the lowest K rate and the highest BB rate among the 4.

And in fact, he also has the worst FIP--the other 3 are clustered very close to 4, Perkins is at 4.77. (Bonser, by far the unluckiest pitcher on the staff, has a FiP of 4.20). I owe an apology to Nick Blackburn, frankly, who I've always thought was the weakest pitcher of the 4. In fact, his FIP is essentially indistinguishable from Baker's and Slowey's, well better than Perkins.

Another note is that Blackburn and Perkins have had the hardest schedules among the 4, especially Blackburn. 14 of Backburn's 25 starts have been against the top 6 R/G offenses in the AL, (other than the Twins), plus he had to start in Colorado. Perkins has had 12 of 19 starts against those 6 teams, though he got both Washington and SD in interleague. Baker has had 10 of 20 against the top offenses, and SLowey has had by far the easiest-- 8 of 19 starts against the good AL offenses, plus he got both Washington and SD.

Ultimately, Blackburn has been better than I thought, Perkins a little worse. I still have the most confidence in Baker and Slowey going forward, because they have the best K:BB rates and are above league average in K/9, which is predictive. They will both give up an above average number of homers, but a lot of successful pitchers give up lots of homers. But I'm now wondering if Blackburn might have enough ancillary skills to maintain a career. Ultimately, I think he'll have to develop into a true ground baller to survive, since his HR/FB rate is lower than it will be long term, so he'll have to limit the flyballs even more. Still, he's performed admirably this year. Perkins has been OK, but he's going to have to find a way to strike more guys out. He has the lowest K rate among the 4, and survive I think he's going to have to increase it, which seems possible but what do I know?

At any rate, it's nice to see the Twins go with the young guys, and it certainly is an inexpensive and potentially effective rotation--one stud (Liriano) and 4 guys clustered around league average is a good rotation. We'll see if it's kept intact, how they perform, and whether Bonser ever gets another chance...

what say you?

Twins Free Agent Signings--A Review

Eric in Madison — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:19:18 -0000

You know, the Twins organization is marked by it's continuity. The names remain the same; promotions come from within. Bill Smith replaces Ryan, Radcliff and Rantz are long-timers, etc.

The Twins as an organization do some things very well. Their drafting and development is good--see Mauer and Morneau; see 4/5ths of the starting rotation--all drafted by the Twins. That's very, very solid. Obviously, they make mistakes like every team, but their ability to generate talent is impressive.

They scout other organizations--particularly their minor leagues, very well. See Johan Santana, Kyle Lohse, Lew Ford, Jason Bartlett, Alexi Casilla, Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, Matt Guerrier, etc.

What they haven't done well, however, is sign major league free agents. Part of this is obviously budgetary: the Twins don't go out and sign Carlos Beltran. However, they have shopped in the bargain bin to solve problems, and it's justified to call them out for their failure to succeed. Below is a review of the free agent signings over the past five years. It isn't a pretty picture:

2004

Jose Offerman-- 96 OPS+ in 202 PA

Henry Blanco 60 OPS+ in 353 PA, though he did throw well

Terry Mulholland (Not technically an FA signing--they bought him from the Mariners in the spring of 2004): 2 seasons of mediocre, low-level pitching--most memorable for his star turn in Batgirl's opera.

Aaron Fultz 50 innings, 94 OPS+ as a poor LOOGY

2005

Juan Castro: a thoroughly execrable year and a half of play, both hurting the team's chances to win and inexplicably holding Jason Bartlett back.

Mike Redmond: Ah, a truly useful player; one of the better backup catchers in the majors over the past few seasons.

Jason Tyner: 3 mostly useless seasons as a part-timer who couldn't really hit or field.

2006

Rondell White: Two disaster seasons marred by injury and an inability to hit.

Tony Batista: Horrible in part of a season. Completely predictable, and arguably the worst, most craven move Terry Ryan made in his tenure--everyone knew that 3rd base was a problem if they were moving Cuddyer, and this was a pathetic attempt to solve it.

Ruben Sierra: transient, injured, half-season that showed he was toast.

Dennys Reyes: a reasonably useful LOOGY--had a great year in 2006, mediocre since--innings so limited that results are almost random given the sample sizes.

2007

Jeff Cirillo: terrible hitter over 174 PAs before he was jettisoned. Another vague attempt to partially solve 3B that failed.

Ramon Ortiz: Lousy pitching (84 OPS+) in half a season, but did get turned into Matt Macri!

Sidney Ponson: Disaster.

2008

Mike Lamb--Yet another attempt to fix 3B. 2 year deal, he's already buried on the bench after half a season. Hasn't hit, doesn't really field well, lost his job primarily to a minor league veteran.

Adam Everett: Injured, useless. Attempt to replace, at least temporarily, their traded shortstop, was on the verge of being cut until the Casilla injury. Simply can't hit enough to play.

Livan Hernandez: Apparently on the verge of being cut after 2/3rds of a season; ate a lot of innings, but belched up a lot of runs. Poor results, only marginally better than the Ortiz signing.

NOTE: Craig Monroe wasn't technically a free agent--though he was in spirit. Also terrible.

That, friends, is not a good record. It suggests a couple of things to me, and I wonder if you agree or have other ideas. First, this method of trying to find lightening in a bottle with inexpensive veterans isn't working. (AND THIRD BASE IS STILL A GAPING WOUND. Sorry, needed to get that out of the system).

The problem is that they make these signings, and then don't pursue other solutions, thus costing them, not in dollars but in opportunities and in talent. Wasting 2 months on someone who can't play, then being left with the options you didn't think were good enough in the first place.

Thus, they should stop it. Stop trying to grab these types of players to be any more than backups. Either open up the wallet to chase after a higher quality of free agent, or solve your problems another way. Spend some talent, if not money. Trade for Kouzmanoff, don't sign Lamb. This is essentially what they did to fill left field--traded talent to get Delmon Young. Young has yet to be great, but it's been a hell of a lot better than Rondell White. It's my opinion they are much better off making those sorts of deals than signing guys with forks in their backs and hoping.

Something that would never happen

Eric in Madison — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:37:22 -0000

But I'd consider it--and I wonder if anyone else would. Would you trade for Manny Ramirez? I think I might, actually--what say you?

I would install him as the full-time DH, DFA Monroe, and create a sort of platoon between Kubel and Gomez, with Span shifting between center and right depending on which of the other two are playing. Of course, if Cuddyer comes back, it creates a playing time problem, but I'd worry about that when the time comes.

Actually, if Cuddyer is anywhere close to returning, it isn't out of the realm that the Sox would take him back for Ramirez--I'd actually do that, I think. I don't know what the Sox would be looking for, but it couldn't be much in terms of inexpensive prospects given Manny's salary and issues.

He's owed something around 7M for the rest of this year, and then there are two team option years at 20M. As much as the Twins cry poverty, they could pick it up for next year as well. Manny can freaking hit, and as a DH, it keeps his knees healthier, and you don't have the defensive mishaps.

I know this is completely outside the Twins box, and I'm not sure I would do it--but something fun to talk about while the trade deadline approaches without activity.