Thread: AL Central - 2014/2015

Originally Posted by trader t

which falls on the head of guess who.

Burton Cummings?
Nikola Tesla?
Louie Anderson?

Are any of those 3 correct?

First point, pitching and defense does win championships. But if you look at Terry Ryans's track record, I believe the teams he has assembled in the past have won several AL Central titles. We may not always agree with him, but he is probably better at that job than any of us would be.

Secondly, I am one fan that thinks the Twins can have their cake and eat it too. If the Twins keep re-building and re-building, and trade off veterans we will have a poor MLB product for a while. Then in 2015 or so when our farm system bears its fruit to the MLB we will will have several years of cheap (potentially good, some growing pains) labor, but what happens when all of this young talent becomes arbitration eligible or ready for their FA pay day? If the re-building isn't a blend of veterans AND youth the Twins will be in this same cycle again. Around 2016-2020, the Twins could be winning the division again and be drafting in the mid to upper 20's year after year and missing out on the elite talent again. Doesn't this sound familiar?

Signing one solid starting pitcher via FA (Sanchez is my personal choice) for approximately 5 years is the first move I would make. Also, trading Span as his value is very high and his departure doesn't cripple the big league team for the best pitcher, regardless if its a Trevor Bauer (prospect) or James Shields (All-Star), period. Pitching at all levels is essential. Make a trade that involves Morneau and prospects for the best available middle infielder, either prospect or MLB-ready. Depth here is atrocious at all levels. The Twins need talent. If the Twins go the side of trading for prospects, then as fans we better be ready for some Jason Marquis/Sidney Ponson-type signings. BUT the as bad as the Twins have been, the team's luck has been pretty awful. Maybe the Twins catch some lightning in a bottle and sign the next RA Dickey (or at least at the right time) and the Twins get lucky and see WImmers, Salcedo and other pitching prospects start to get really healthy and dominate in the minors and advance to AA or higher by the end of the year.

AND maybe Anthony Slama gets a chance to prove he can get some outs in the Majors. Maybe, just maybe.

Originally Posted by one_eyed_jack

Originally Posted by Jim Crikket

It dumbfounds me that people think it must be either one OR the other. That the Twins can't make moves for pitchers that will both improve the product on the field this year AND be around a couple of years from now when the next wave of top position players arrive. You're going to want some kind of veteran presence on the team when those young guys get to Target Field beyond just Joe Mauer.

---Yeah the win-now or build-for-tomorrow is a false dichotomy that's thrown out way too often. It doesn't have to be an either/or. The Twins should always be looking to improve themselves now and beyond.

IMO, when you start to concede seasons because you've got some grand plan to start winning 3 or 4 years down the road, you're sending the message that it doesn't matter whether you win now or not because you're not trying or expecting to win, and that breeds a culture of losing.

Look at the Royals and Pirates who have been trying to "rebuild" under these multi-year schemes for 2 decades now. I view "we're rebuilding" as nothing more than a euphemism for "we suck".

Looking at the Royals and Pirates is probably deserving of an article.

In short, the Royals spent most of the 2000s trying to do both. Look at the ages of their rosters over the last several years. It isn't until 2011 that you can look at their roster and the clear direction was their intention to rebuild. The 2011 roster was their youngest since the expansion season of 1969. They had two players over 30. The average batter age dropped three years from 2010. They stayed young in 2012. Now after two years they are trying to take their new rebuilt foundation and add pieces. Will they begin to see a payoff this year? Are they adding pieces a year too early?

How about the Pirates? They 2009 Pirates were relatively young... particularly the pitchers. No pitchers were over 30. They also didn't stick with the plan. They signed a bunch of over 30 pitchers for the bullpen entering 2010. Last year they had most of their innings come from the over 30 crowd. It is not a surprise that they have languished in mediocrity for two decades.

Rebuild or patch? It doesn't work to do both. The Pirates and Royals are an example.

Rockies signed RHP Jeff Manship to a minor league contract.

Manship was limited to 12 games with the Twins last season, but posted a 2.91 ERA in 80-plus innings at the Triple-A level. The deal is expected to include an invite to spring training.

I'm sorry Roger, but he is who he is. When he said that the twins would compete for the central division, I thought at the time that there was no possible way they could contend based on the results the previous year and the below average players they signed for 2011. Based on the facts, he is either a con man or an out n out liar. Either way he should be replaced!!! and by the way, I will agree that he is dedicated....... to losing

Originally Posted by trader t

I'm sorry Roger, but he is who he is. When he said that the twins would compete for the central division, I thought at the time that there was no possible way they could contend based on the results the previous year and the below average players they signed for 2011. Based on the facts, he is either a con man or an out n out liar. Either way he should be replaced!!! and by the way, I will agree that he is dedicated....... to losing

With comments like this, calling Mr. Ryan a con man or liar, I respectfully request that Seth and the others here restrict you from access to their site.

And what is more telling about your comments above, Mr. Ryan wasn't the general manager before and during the 2011 season.

I messed up .I meant 2012
. Either way you can't change what he has done or hasn't done. Do what you have to do

loved it twinsnorth49, I don't have to take my blood pressure now

I think we actually agree, they should sign 2 pitchers this year, and deal for one. We agree Gibson is likely to be good. We agree Hendricks could he good, and should be given time. Diamond is a number 3. But Wimmers is at least 2 away. I do not think Hermsann is likely to be successful (more accurately, I think it highly unlikely both of the above are successful). I do jot think anyone else is less than 3 years away from being a starter, if they even work out. We likely agree more than disagree.

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

Originally Posted by Kwak

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

I cannot comprehend how the Royals signing guthrie means that the Twins should alter their plans at all. As a matter of fact the Twins current problem has nothing to do with who is in the AL Central. They can't beat anyone. The Twins don't need to do a complete slash and burn rebuild but they do need to avoid any ridiculous FA contracts that can cripple the team in the future. Anyone that thinks the Twins are going to magically turn this around by spending their way out of this mess is setting themselves up for a long run of ineptitude.

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

Originally Posted by Kwak

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

Separate devices, seperate networks and a new identity would allow dakota to bypass his banning. Seems strange that trader t starts up after dakota's 3rd banning. It must be tough for him to occasionally use the shift key.

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

nothing an IP anonymizer cannot solve...

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

Originally Posted by Kwak

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

Separate devices, seperate networks and a new identity would allow dakota to bypass his banning. Seems strange that trader t starts up after dakota's 3rd banning. It must be tough for him to occasionally use the shift key.

I thought dakota was probably using a mobile device, thus easier not to use caps.

Originally Posted by old nurse

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

Originally Posted by Kwak

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

Separate devices, seperate networks and a new identity would allow dakota to bypass his banning. Seems strange that trader t starts up after dakota's 3rd banning. It must be tough for him to occasionally use the shift key.

I thought dakota was probably using a mobile device, thus easier not to use caps.

Pairing writing style with techincal proficincy is a dangerous connection. I am probably an example of being reletivly bright and not being able to write well. Or having friends that could do this for you. Anyway this is probably a more offline discussion(if you wish).
Twins still need to identify and sign a couple of FA pitchers who will upgrade the talent level and give us a chance to compete. Trading Span for prospects is also likely to happen as the Twins have a glut of high level minor league talent in that area and it is not that far away from the major league level.
Trading a Joe Benson or a Chris Parmalee could also help bring talent back to the Twins when paired with a Span or a Morneau to a team that watches their payroll. Twins should treat themselves as a mid market team not a small market at this time.
Biggest issue is to evaluate the talent and make the correct decisions, not everything TR does is going to work. He just needs to be better than 50% on the bigger side.

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

Originally Posted by Kwak

Originally Posted by old nurse

Fat Beer = johnny dakota = trader t. IP adressed moved to confuse Brock's monitoring

Just curious--how does one track that down to find out? Not a defense of any poster/opinion.

You need access to users' IP addresses.

I'm pretty sure they're not the same person, BTW. The person would have to operate on a technical proficiency level that is... Unexpected, given their writing style.

Separate devices, seperate networks and a new identity would allow dakota to bypass his banning. Seems strange that trader t starts up after dakota's 3rd banning. It must be tough for him to occasionally use the shift key.

There's more to it than that. You have to use the correct kind of proxy for me not to know that it's a proxy. Also, the locations are wildly different.

Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

I'll take your word for it Pig