SB Nation User Blog: Sev

Manny being money

Sev — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:19:43 -0000

Although Twins' fans must live with the issues that face a "small market" (more accurately, mid-revenue) team, for other reasons it's intriguing to be a fan in the big markets of New York and LA, the only two cities with two baseball teams that seem to be obsessed with each other. (I would suggest that the two Chicago teams are only concerned with each other.)

Deals in LA and NY get made as reactions to the what the other team in town is doing. First we had the Torri-Torre thing, and lately it was Mark Teixeira. The Dodgers had to do something after the Angles traded for Mr. Teixeira and kept getting all the attention and headlines, and what the Dodgers did will probably give them (and Joe Torre) the division title. Manny Ramirez has also had an immediate impact at the gate.

And if Mr. Ramirez keeps his attitude up, or at least wants to be in the lineup each day (which is a fair bet under a guy like Mr. Torre), the Dodgers' latest reactionary move will land them a post-season birth and also line their pockers. (Remember, Boston is paying the Dodgers about $7 million to take Manny off their hands, so financially the Dodgers appear to be big winners in this deal.)

Granted, Arizona is the main competition for the Dodgers, so fans should have turned out the past three days, but below is the attendance for the previous mid-week meeting at Chavez Ravine between the D-backs and Dodgers; a weekend series with the Cardinals - always a solid team - in May, as one comparison; the intra-city, weekend scrap with the Angels, last weekend's homestand with lowly Nationals; and this weekends's matchup with Arizona.

Manny is going to be money in the bank for the Dodgers, who haven't exactly been filling the stadium up till now.

Arizona (April. midweek)
42,590
38,350
-------
80,940

Cardinals (May)
52,281
44,785
46,566
-----------
143,632

Angels
50,419
55,784
48,155
---------
154,358

Nationals
47,313
42,122
38,660
---------
128,095

Arizona
55,239
54,544
52,972
----------
162,755

Eating celery

Sev — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:52:26 -0000

At the more-than-halfway point with the Twins still in the hunt, maybe it is time for them to consider a tactic they have avoided in the past, and that is to eat some salary.

My comments are not born of a dislike for Mike Lamb or Craig Monroe - who combined cost the Twins $10 million, I believe. It's just business.

And although it is still a lot of money to blow, it is not as much as it might seem.

Mr. Monroe's contract is half over and Mr. Lamb's one-quarter over, so the Twins are no longer "on the hook" for the roughly $10 million the two signed for, It is more like $1.5 million left to pay Mr. Monroe and $4 million for Mr. Lamb.

The team is not impoverished

This is not my money, of course, but:
1. If the Twins make the playoffs, they probably regain those millions. Of course, that's an "if."
2. No "if" here: The Twins saved a lot of money on the Hunter and Santana contracts, and took the field under budget this year, if I am not mistaken.

A move must be made when Michael Cuddyer returns, unless there is an injury. It is unfortunate that the less-productive Mr. Lamb has the more significant contract, and that he does not play outfield. Removing Mr. Lamb doesn't lighten the outfield roster, and it seems that the best outfield would be Denard Span in left, Carlos Gomez in center and Mr. Cuddyer in right.

The ultimate result

By removing Mr. Monroe, Delmon Young could become a part-time outfielder, and DH against lefties. Neither Mr. Monroe nor Mr. Young has hit left-handers very well, which makes this scenario more difficult to accept, but it would seem that Mr. Young has more upside in most regards, so we have to hope for the best if this move were to be made.

And after watching Mr. Young in Boston, it would not surprise me if he had post-traumatic stress disorder. Had he not been wearing a Twins' uniform, his performance before the Green Monster would have amused me, and even though he was wearing a Twins uniform I was still mildly amused. He is not a good outfielder in any park at this point in his career - despite some Twins officials maintaining left field in the Dome is difficult to play - and the Twins improve with Mr. Span out there.

Teams need shortstops

I'm not sure who would replace Mr. Lamb on the roster, but barring a trade for a third baseman, Matt Macri played pretty well when he was up with the big team, and it is not as if there is so much AAA season remaining that we can say it would be a shame to deny him valuable playing time while he sits for long periods on the Twins' bench.

On a "too bad" note, the Twins once had an abundance of shortstops, and there are a couple of teams, Toronto and Los Angeles when I looked recently, who could really use a shortstop. Had Adam Everett played well and remained healthy, or if he were just healthy now, and had Matt Tolbert stayed healthy, or if he were healthy now, the Twins would have numerous options to trade, perhaps for a third baseman or reliever.

Jesse Crain

Sev — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:22:03 -0000

One earned run (home run) for Jessie Crain in 13 and a third innings this month. He has struck out 14 and walked 3. He had a 5.4 ERA in May, and it's down to 2.76 now.

Unlike some here, I don't listen to the game commentators much, so maybe it has been discussed there. But with the attention on the starting pitching, Morneau, Harris, Mauer, and Buscher, it seems his performance in this month and this winning streak is passing quietly.