With as many as four spots needing to be filled in the rotation, it figured that Terry Ryan – with his traditionally risk-averse nature in free agency – would target low-cost pitchers with upside who could be acquired on one-year deals. This strategy makes sense for a couple reasons: it adds multiple options to the starting pitching mix without requiring huge commitments, and hurlers looking for the one-year make-good deal ought be more apt to sign with a club that ...
Originally posted at k-bro's baseball blog The Admitting of Errors and Omissions: The Twins haven't really erred or omitted -- as far as I can tell -- but I have. Specifically, I've omitted (although there's a better than even chance that I've erred as well, but I'm not aware of what it is yet). Last time, I totally forgot to mention that Alexi Casilla was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. I not only forgot this event happened, but I also forgot Alexi Casilla existed. ...
Updated 11-27-2012 at 10:16 PM by Kirsten Brown
We live in a society of instant gratification. This is certainly not a provocative or groundbreaking statement to make in 2012, but that doesn’t make it less significant. We’re one month into the hot stove, one week from the Winter Meetings and about three days from a five part expose on Kyle Gibson’s GOOD arm. Needless to say, the offseason is dragging a tad for Twins Fans. Why, however, is this? Is the offseason really dragging, ...
For the first week of the Winter League updates, we will not be chronicling the Arizona Fall League. Worry not! We still have no fewer than five winter leagues in which Twins players or minor league players are participating. Frankly, this week’s update is lacking in terrific performances as we have seen in recent weeks. But there are certainly a few worth noticing. Here’s how players from the Twins system did during the week from November 19-25. ...
It has been a continuous quest for the Twins to solidify their options up the middle. In recent seasons, it has seemed like a revolving door at some key positions on the field and this hasn't been beneficial to the club. One of the most problematic areas for the Twins in recent memory has been their search for a shortstop that could fit into their long-term plans. This search continues and it's hard to see an end in sight. In the last decade, the ...
1 Free agent starting pitchers from the TwinsCentric 2013 Offseason Handbook that have signed with a new team. It’s just Scott Baker so far. That’s it. I count five other are already off the market, but all of them re-signed with their old team (or had their option picked up and were traded): Jake Peavy, Hideki Kuroda, Hisahi Iwakuma, Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie. The bad news here is that a lot of those guys are the middle market - a level just below ...
Following the 2009 season, Joe Mauer was sitting pretty when it came to his contract negotiations with the Minnesota Twins. He was coming off the best season of his career and he was only one full season away from hitting the free agent market. The Baseball Writers Association named him the American League Most Valuable Player and it looked like Mauer could ask for any amount of money that he wanted from his hometown team. Flash-forward a couple of ...
Like the pretenders and imitators of the real Slim Shady, the Twins appear to have a preposterous situation at the SS position throughout the organization. Here, I discuss the 15 top shortstops in the organization with regard to their current output and future potential. Initially, the term "shortstop" will designate those players in the organization with significant playing time at the position in 2012 (Eduardo Escobar's 10 games at the position is the low point in terms of playing time ...
I think with this many teams going after pitching, average pitchers are going to get huge long term contracts. In one respect I feel sorry for Terry Ryan but in another sense we are all so tired of never getting an ace on this team because he is always bottom feeding. An ace will make the entire staff better and it is sorely needed. I think TR needs to forget what a cheapskate he is and be the highest bidder for the only true ace on the market. I don't even have to say his name, that is how clearly ...
Incomplete Voltron – 2013 Twins and Beyond Now that I am living in Kagoshima, Japan, I have been enjoying myself – it has been quite an adventure and a culture shock. I have procured a job at a Burger King, working as a greeter dressed up as the “Burger King”. I have had better jobs in my lifetime, but overall it has been a pretty good experience. The customers have some nicknames for me, which is touching. They call me “Okuraseru” and “Akushū o hanatsu”. It is nice to feel loved ...
Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of activity compared to last offseason, Denard Span and Josh Willingham trade scenarios, 40-man roster additions, prospect lists and the men who love them, Tsuyoshi Nishioka getting a raise back in Japan, Brett Myers rumors, avoiding Jeremy Guthrie, and the joys of Thanksgiving.
To hear the actual podcast, go to http://gleemanandthegeek.com/ After recording the 68th episode of their "Gleeman and The Geek" podcast Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes are joined by documentary filmmaker Nathan Fisher for a "Cribs"-like tour of Gleemanor.
I don’t think anybody expected to see the Minnesota Twins fall to such a low level after a terrific inaugural year at Target Field in 2010. Since losing three straight playoff games to the Evil Empire, the Twins have combined to go 129-195 over the last two years. The 2011 season was blamed on an enormous amount of injuries and the front office went out of their way to tell fans things would improve. Terry Ryan returned as the GM in November 2011 and wasted no time getting back in the groove ...
Updated 11-25-2012 at 09:18 PM by Fanatic Jack
The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went… At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride ...
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