Weekend Update

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

For a Saturday a week into training camp, there is a lot to note, so here is a quick update on a few things:

·         Apparently the Kansas City Royals have added Juan Cruz to their bullpen by giving him a two year, $6 million contract with an option for a third year at $4 million. Wow!! With Cruz and Joakim Soria at the back end of the rotation, you have to like their chances if they can ever get a lead through seven!! For that price, I think even I would have been willing to get rid of a late first round pick! Remember when the Twins were allegedly considering a $3 million plus incentive deal for Eric Gagne? Great move for the Royals!

·         Corey Koskie apparently showed enough in the back fields in Ft. Myers that the Chicago Cubs offered him a minor league deal and an opportunity to make their roster as a reserve. That’s great news and I really hope that it works out well for him.

·         I missed this thanks to my overly hectic week, but on Monday, Adam Hope of MNSportsTalk.com posted a Q&A with Aaron Hicks that is excellent.

·         How cool is it that the Rochester Red Wings will be part of a 13 part PBS documentary (courtesy of Jim Mandelaro)?

·         Travis Talks has been busy again. He posted his Top 10 Twins Prospects and then posted his Opening Day Twins roster.

·         Pat Neshek continues to update his blog frequently, and even posted a Bad Letter today. Those are always fun!

·         The Twins beat the Yankees 7-3 today in Grapefruit League action.

o   Delmon Young continues to hit, with three more hits today, including a double off the wall in CF in the first inning.

o   Brian Buscher added two more hits.

o   Carlos Gomez hit a home run.

o   Wilson Ramos took over for Drew Butera and went 1-2. Listening to the Twins/Yankees game on Friday, I heard Ramos throw out two would-be base stealers. He certainly appears to be the total catching package!

o   Not a good day for Francisco Liriano, as if that matters. Three runs on four hits and a walk in two innings.

o   After homering in his only at bat on Friday, Jason Kubel went 1-1 with a  double and two walks on Saturday.

o   Jason Jones came in and threw two shutout innings despite allowing two hits and a walk.

o   Jesse Crain, Luis Ayala, RA Dickey, Bobby Keppel and Sean Henn each threw a scoreless inning.    

·         And again, be sure to scroll down to read all about My New Blog. Oh, and tomorrow, I may announce another such endeavor.

Any thoughts going on in your mind about the Twins, the roster, the games, the WBC, anything?  Send me an e-mail, or let’s talk about it in the Comments here.

My New Blog

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

OK, SethSpeaks.net isn’t going anywhere, so don’t worry… but I do have a new blog. Last week, I was asked if I would be interested in having a blog at the Star Tribune Your Voices location. Honestly, I didn’t really know anything about it, but after finding out what it is, I think it’s pretty neat. They have a few dozen bloggers from many areas of society, many disciplines. I’m a lowly sports blogger, but women’s hockey great Natalie Darwitz has a blog, there are artists, business people, politicians, doctors and others in there.

 

I will primarily be writing blog postings related to sports, but sometimes I will be able to branch into other arenas, and I am excited about that. My first blog entry was posted earlier this morning. It is called Jumping in Head First. It’s basically an introduction to me, but it is followed by a short posting on something that baseball bloggers probably shouldn’t be writing about, politics and the national deficit. But oh well. It’s fun. And again, SethSpeaks.net isn’t going anywhere. You can expect to see everything remain the same here.

 

So take a minute and bookmark not only the Star Tribune’s Seth Stohs blog, but all of the Star Tribune Your Voices bloggers

SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins Live Chat Tonight at 8!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Tonight at 8:00 (central time), I will take you questions on the Twins, the minor leagues, spring training, Boof, Crede, GoGo, Young, Valencia, whoever. Come up with a bunch of questions for me, and let’s talk!

I will open up the chat room 15-20 minutes before the show so you can start leaving your questions then.

Click Here - to join the chat room, or to sign up for a reminder, or to read the transcript later.

Random Twins Notes/Thoughts

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good morning everyone! Life has been more than hectic the last couple of weeks, so I apologize for a lack of postings here. I don’t have a lot of time tonight either, but I did want to at least post some new content for people to discuss.

·         First of all, be sure to check back later for details and times of tonight’s SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins Live Chat. It will likely be at 8:00 central time. As always, it is your opportunity to send me questions. I will answer your questions for up to two hours.

·         Boof Bonser had exploratory surgery on Tuesday, and yesterday we found out that he will likely miss the entire 2009 season with a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum. If you recall, these are the two surgeries that Jesse Crain had two years ago. Bonser can and will come back. Many are dismissing this, but I happen to think that Bonser would have really made big strides as a reliever in 2009. I think he would have been more comfortable in the bullpen, and known how to prepare himself differently. One can’t help but wonder if something was done wrong last year when he first transitioned to the bullpen?

·         Does the Bonser injury make the Twins more likely to do more to acquire Juan Cruz? I really don’t think so. I think whatever numbers or players the Twins offered, they were comfortable with, and Cruz is the same pitcher regardless of the Twins situation. With Pat Neshek and Bonser out for the season, it has become increasingly obvious that the Twins were wise to offer arbitration to Matt Guerrier, sign Luis Ayala and keep Philip Humber around. Injuries happen, and it’s unfortunate, but all a team can do is be prepared for the worst, and the Twins do a good job of that.

·         12 players currently in the Minnesota Twins organization made a WBC team’s final roster.

o   Joe Nathan will represent the United States.

o   Jesse Crain and Justin Morneau will play for Team USA.

o   Nick Punto will play for Italy.

o   Luke Hughes, Liam Hendricks, Danny Berg and James Beresford all will play for Australia. Hendricks told me the other day that they will begin workouts together in Arizona on Friday, and their first round of games will be played in Mexico City. Brad Tippett certainly would have been on the team if not for his broken finger, but he says it is healing very well and very quickly.

o   Luis Ayala will play for Mexico.

o   2008 pick Carlos Gutierrez will play for Puerto Rico.

o   Tom Stuifbergen will be playing for pitching coach Bert Blyleven and Team Netherlands. He informed me last night that they have been working out in Bradenton, Florida for about a week. If they play a third game, he will be the starter. I asked who the top two starters will be, and he said that Sidney Ponson would get the Game 1 nod, with Marlins starter Rick Vanden Hurk starting Game 2.

o   Finally, Hein Robb will play for the South Africa team. I honestly knew nothing about him, but found out that the Twins signed him last summer. He is likely going to be playing in the Australian Summer League this year.

·         Of course, one of the feel-good stories of the spring is Corey Koskie trying one more time to make a return. He is on Team Canada in hopes of getting one more shot with a big league club. Yahoo’s Gordon Eades wrote a nice article on him.  

·         Who needed Crede anyway? In the Twins spring training opener last night against the Red Sox, Brian Buscher started at 3B and went 2-2. Then Danny Valencia came in and also went 2-2!

·         If you’re a big Twins fan and enjoy learning more about those minor leaguers who get into the spring training games in the late innings and want to learn more, be sure to purchase a copy or six of my book, Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. (I haven’t shamelessly self-promoted it for a long time… well, not in a blog posting, just at the top of my page!!).

·         And finally, spring training box scores are some of the coolest things in the world. Twins fans seem to enjoy following where former Twins players are playing, so I will try to give updates on former Twins in spring training. Here are players who played in games on Wednesday:

o   Luis Castillo – NYM – 2B – 2-3, 2B, 4 RBI

o   Chris Gomez – BAL – SS – 0-1, R

o   Craig Monroe – PIT – DH – 0-1, 2 BB

o   Javier Valentin – WASH – C – 0-3, RBI

o   Randy Ruiz – TOR – PH – 0-0, BB

o   Jacque Jones – CIN – DH – 1-2, R, K

o   Darnell McDonald – CIN – PH – 0-0

o   Jason Bartlett – TB – SS – 1-2

o   AJ Pierzynski – CHW – C – 2-3, 2 RBI

o   Sergio Santos – CHW – PH-DH – 0-1

o   Michael Restovich – CHW – RF – 0-1

o   Mike Lamb – MIL – PH – 0-1, K

o   Danny Ardoin – LAD – C – 0-1

o   Luis Maza – LAD – DH – 0-1

o   Casey Blake – LAD – 3B – 1-2

o   Doug Deeds – CHC – RF – 0-1

o   Luis Rivas – CHC – 3B – 1-2

o   Augie Ojeda – ARIZ – SS – 1-2, 2B, R, RBI

o   Trent Oeltjen – ARIZ – LF – 1-3, RBI

o   Gil Velazquez – BOS – 3B – 0-2

o   Brian Bass – BAL – 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 WP

o   Danny Graves – HOU – 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

o   Eduardo Morlan – MIL – 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R

o   Eric Milton – LAD – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

o   Carmen Cali – LAD – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

o   Casey Daigle – TEX – 1 IP, 1 H

 

That is it for now. Again, be sure to check back later for details on tonight’s Twins Live Chat. For today, you will also want to review Aaron Gleeman’s chat from yesterday.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments, or e-mail me and I will try to get a response.

SethSpeaks.net Twins Podcast Live Tonight at 9!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

At 9:00 central time tonight, there will be a new SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins podcast. You can listen live at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks. If you go there now, you can hear last week’s show with Phil Miller, John Bonnes and Nick Nelson. I know that Josh Johnson will be on and we will talk Twins and his Top 50 Twins prospect list. I am also trying to finalize a second guest. If time permits, I will even open up the phone lines for your questions, so be sure to check it out, listen in, ask questions in the chat room, and maybe even call in!

Q&A with Jonathan Waltenbury: Twins Hitting Prospect

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good Monday morning everyone! For Twins fans, it certainly was an interesting weekend. Late Friday afternoon, it came out that the Twins and Joe Crede were close. It became official on Saturday morning. And that news was quickly followed with new that the Twins had offered reliever Juan Cruz a contract. That was followed by rumblings that the Twins and Diamondbacks may be close to the sign and trade. And that enthusiasm is now being tempered by reports that it is unlikely to happen. That shouldn’t be surprising because not only would Cruz have to accept the Twins offer but then the Twins and D-Backs would have to agree on compensation. That makes it tough. But in 48 hours, a lot can happen, so it is still worth following. Anyway, I did have a couple of posts over the weekend, so be sure to scroll down and check them out.

 

OSCAR ASIDE – I actually really enjoyed watching the Oscars last night. Maybe it is actually because I had actually seen several of the movies that were up for several awards. I had seen Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, and Wall-E. Maybe I need to see The Reader, but I thought that Kate Winslet was pretty incredible in Revolutionary Road and could have been nominated for that as well.  

 

But since we can’t just sit around and wait for something to happen, I thought it a good time to post another Q&A with another exciting, young Twins hitting prospect. Jonathan Waltenbury grew up in Ontario, Canada. He signed with the Twins after the team made him their 7^h round pick in June of 2006. He spent 2007 with the GCL Twins. 2008 was a very good year for him at Elizabethton where he hit for average and showed excellent power. Let’s see. Canadian, plays 1B, a big hockey fan, bats left-handed, a big powerful frame… Should we start hearing comparisons to the Twins Justin Morneau? Hey, let’s just let him play. He’s a good player, but to compare a 20 year old in A ball to the 2006 AL MVP and 2008 MVP Runner-Up probably isn’t fair. But I also don’t want to downplay the tremendous upside that Waltenbury does have if he continues to work hard and progress.  

 

Click here for the stats of Jonathan Waltenbury. (Click here to see previous Q&As)

 

Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Growing up in Ontario, can I make an assumption about who your favorite big league baseball team has been to follow while growing up? Who were or are some of your favorite players to follow?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: Growing up in Ontario, I was always a Jays fan, and I always loved watching Larry Walker and Ken Griffey Jr.

 

SethSpeaks: Tell us a little bit about your high school baseball career and teams at Henry Street high school. Did you play other positions?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: High School baseball in Canada is not what it is like in the U.S. We only play an 8 game season, I believe. In Canada, baseball players who seek a future in the sport are all on travel teams, like I was, such as the Ontario Blue Jays. They also have a regular season, but it’s only about 30 games. Growing up, I played all over, but as I entered high school, I stuck with the outfield and played right and left field up until the draft when the twins drafted me as a 1st basemen.

SethSpeaks: It’s impossible not to ask a Canadian baseball player about hockey. Did you play a lot of hockey as a youth as well, and are you a big fan today?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: HUGE fan of hockey. I played when I was younger and still do today; except when I play today its just pick up hockey with some friends.

 

SethSpeaks: Were you being recruited much while you were in high school? What were your options coming out of high school?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: Coming out of high school, I signed with Connors State Junior College in Oklahoma.

 

SethSpeaks: The Twins drafted you with their 7th round pick in 2006. Was that about where you were hoping and expecting to be drafted?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: I was happy when I was picked in the 7th because I was aiming for the top 10 rounds, so it all worked out well.

 

SethSpeaks: Had you talked to Twins scouts much? Were you surprised when the Twins drafted you?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: Yes, I talked to the Twins quite a bit actually and wasn’t really surprised when they took me.

SethSpeaks: How difficult was the decision for you to sign with the Twins?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: Actually not too difficult really. I knew what I wanted and I got my chance so took it.

 

SethSpeaks: What was the adjustment to pro baseball, on and off the field, like for you? What was the biggest adjustment?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: Adapting to the speed of the game was my biggest adjustment.

 

SethSpeaks: You had a solid debut in the GCL in 2007, but had a nice breakout season in 2008 at Elizabethton. How would you describe yourself as a hitter? What would you call your strengths and what areas are you most working toward improving?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: After my first season of GCL, I really wasn’t too happy about how I performed, but I think it had a lot to do with the speed of the game. I felt way more comfortable last year which is why I think it led to a fairly successful season. I guess I’d describe myself as a power guy. My strengths? Well I like to think I have some pop so I’d say power, but I definitely need to work on my approach against lefties.

 

SethSpeaks: You’re a big, tall left-handed hitting 1B from Canada… people probably want to assume similarities between yourself and Twins MVP Justin Morneau. Are there any similarities between the two of you on the field, in your opinion?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: I have been told on a few occasions that there are some similarities. and all I can really say is there is he’s a big left handed hitting Canuck and so am I.

 

SethSpeaks: Your 2008 Elizabethton team was pretty impressive. What was it like to be part of a league champion team? Describe the run toward the championship.

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: It was the most fun I’ve had in my life and to win a league championship was awesome. You could play 20 years and not win a championship. It’ll be something I will always remember.

 

SethSpeaks: The lineup was amazing, with you, Bigley, Morales, Harrington, de La Osa and good power throughout the lineup. Talk about watching some of those players and everyone having success together. Was there competition between each others?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: There’s always going to be competition in baseball but our team had pretty good chemistry.

 

SethSpeaks: What have you been able to do during your offseason? Did you get away from baseball? When did you start your preparations for 2009?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: when I first got back I took some time away from everything, just relaxed a bit. But I started prepping for ‘09 in early October.

 

SethSpeaks: Do you set goals for yourself? What are your goals for the 2009 season? Are there certain statistics that you pay more attention to than others?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: I try not to pay attention to statistics. I do set goals. My main goal for ’09? I’d love to improve on hitting all around, better off lefties.

 

SethSpeaks: What are some of your hobbies when you’re able to get away from baseball?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: I manage a professional hockey team….FANTASY!!

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite baseball book?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: not much of a reader.

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite baseball movie?

 

Jonathan Waltenbury: hands down, no question, Bull Durham.

Thank you very much to Jonathan Waltenbury for taking the time to answer these questions. We wish him the best success in 2009! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments, or e-mail me and I will try to get a response.

Is Juan Cruz Next?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Joe Crede is a Minnesota Twins player, and he will be announced formally at a press conference tomorrow morning. But is a second acquisition looming? From AZCentral.com, Bob McManaman writes:

The Diamondbacks were closing in on a likely sign-and-trade deal with the Twins involving relief pitcher Juan Cruz, who went 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA for Arizona last season in 57 appearances.

Various reports expected the transaction to be completed by Saturday, but Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes was unavailable for comment.

I find this whole situation rather interesting. Several second tier Type A free agents were not able to find a new team this year because of economics and other team’s unwillingness to give up a first round pick to acquire them. So, the Players Association agreed that these players could be assigned back to their old teams and a sign-and-trade could be worked out. The signing team would gain the player without giving up a first round pick. The team losing the player would not get the Type A draft compensation, but would receive something in trade in return. The alternative seemed to be that some of these free agents would just wait until after June 15^th and sign with anyone, with the team receiving nothing. So, it does make some sense.

 

We do know that the Twins made Juan Cruz an offer. If Cruz was interested and agreed to the terms, he would be assigned back to the Diamondbacks and the Twins and Arizona would have 48 hours to work out the details of a trade.

 

That makes for very interesting discussions:

 

First, in my first fantasy baseball draft several years ago, I actually drafted Cubs pitching prospect Juan Cruz ahead of Cubs pitching prospect Mark Prior. Crazy at the time, but hey, six or seven years later, I look way smarter! I like Cruz. I think that his strikeout numbers are incredible. I’m a little leery of the walks and what the American League will do. However, if people think the Twins need an 8^th inning guy, Juan Cruz is just that. And if Joe Nathan were to get hurt and miss time, Cruz would step into that closer’s role. The first discussion question becomes, what are the details of the contract. Because I am not a huge fan of big money and years for relievers, I hope that Cruz would accept less than the 4 years and $20-24 million he wanted earlier in the offseason. I would be very happy with a two year, $8 to $8.5 million contract with a third year option, or something like that.

 

The second interesting question becomes what would the Twins have to give up in trade. They would not have to give up the first round pick, but the Diamondbacks will certainly try to get as much as they can. You can’t blame them. I would love it if they would accept Matt Macri (who likely would be removed from the 40 man roster with the acquisition anyway and would probably be claimed) and a mid-tier pitching prospect. I don’t know if that would be enough.

 

This type of acquisition, if it were to actually happen, and I don’t have a real strong sense of where the situation stands, is very interesting, different than anything before, for two reasons:

1.)    he financial side of the deal, and

2.)    the trade details

 

LaVelle updated his blog regarding the press conference announcing Crede by saying:

 

The Twins have decided to hold the press conference at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. It makes it easier for Crede and his family to settle in tonight. It also helps me make the early deadline. 

 

The question is… does it also help the Twins front office by giving them time tonight to be negotiating and talking trade?

 

What are your thoughts? What would you offer in years and dollars, and what would you give up in terms of players? If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me or leave Comments here.

Belief in Crede? Let’s See!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It’s Saturday, but it kind of feels necessary to write something today. Anything going on with the Twins? Hmmm…

 

Well, we spent about four months waiting, waiting, waiting for something to happen. There were a lot of rumors, but in the end, the only addition to the team was Luis Ayala, and he just basically replaces Dennys Reyes on the roster. The other move (or non-move) made was re-signing Nick Punto.

 

After it was first reported by SI.com’s Jon Heyman that the Twins and Joe Crede were close to an agreement, today LaVelle is calling it a done deal. He is saying that the Twins will announce this afternoon that they have signed 3B Joe Crede. The deal appears to have a base salary of $2.5 million with incentives that could make the deal go as high as $7 million. Remember when it came out that Crede and his agent Scott Boras were looking for $7 million as the base with incentives to go beyond that?

 

Before going any further, I want to take people back to my Thursday night live chat and this exchange:

 

9:27

[Comment From JC] so you think Crede may get around 4mm with incentives. I know you like the current situation but would you pull the trigger at that price? It’s nice to have depth.

9:29

Honestly, I don’t think that Crede would give much depth, just different depth. I probably wouldn’t. In fact, I would probably make him an offer tonight… I’d offer him a base of $2.5 million, with incentives ($2.5 million for 450 plate appearances, another million for 550 PAs, and another million for 650 PAs)… I would give him until Friday at 6:00 Eastern time to accept it. If he does, great. If not, you just begin full camp on Saturday with what you got and move forward.

 

I believe if you add up that contract, it starts with a base salary of $2.5 million and includes incentives that could bring the total 2009 compensation to $7 million. The difference, as noted in LaVelle’s posting, is that the incentives will start at 250 plate appearances, not 450. Not a big deal, just means that Crede starts making more with few at bats.

 

I think there was confusion from people. Many seemed to think that I didn’t think Crede was a good player. But I think I have been pretty consistent in my stance on Crede. I think he is a good player. He was an All-Star after a very strong first half of 2008. But then soon after, he hurt his back and had his second major back surgery in about a 14 month time frame. I have said all along that he was probably worth picking up if the Twins truly believe that he will be able to play 120 or more games. I am completely comfortable with the contract they have agreed to. The risk is eliminated. The Twins will still have Harris and Buscher in the system (most likely) in case there is an injury. And if he is healthy, Crede provides right-handed power behind Justin Morneau while playing excellent 3B defense. A back injury playing on the Dome’s surface is a risk. I don’t think anyone claims it isn’t.

 

A couple of other questions this brings up:

1.      Who will be dropped from the Twins 40 man roster to make room for Crede?

a.       That would seem to be another very easy choice. With Crede, Buscher, Harris, Tolbert able to play 3B at the big league level, and Deibinson Romero simply having too much upside, and Trevor Plouffe, Danny Valencia and Luke Hughes strongly in the picture, it is obvious that Matt Macri should be removed from the 40 man roster.

UPDATE – The Pioneer Press’s Kelsie Smith reports that the Twins actually put Pat Neshek on the 60 Day Disabled List to make room for Crede. I didn’t realize that was an option yet, but that is an even better option.

2.      Who will likely not make the initial 25 man roster?

a.       This is maybe the more important question, but in my mind, it really isn’t as easy as you would think. I think that we can easily narrow it down to Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris and Matt Tolbert. Buscher provides a left-handed 3B option, and a lefty bat on the bench, but he can’t play the middle infield. Brendan Harris can play three infield positions, and could be a right-handed bat off the bench. Tolbert is probably the best of the three at all three defensive positions, and he’s a switch hitter. I guess my thought would be that Buscher would be the first to be sent down, then Tolbert, then Harris.

3.      Will the people who complain about the Twins lack of payroll be happy?

a.       Maybe a little, but many of them may have preferred the Twins just give him the $7 million, instead of $2.5 million, to make them feel better about the Twins payroll numbers.

4.      What could a potential Twins lineup be? (This is kind of exciting!) How about:

a.       Denard Span – CF

b.      Alexi Casilla – 2B

c.       Joe Mauer – C

d.      Justin Morneau – 1B

e.       Joe Crede – 3B

f.       Jason Kubel – DH

g.       Michael Cuddyer – RF

h.      Delmon Young – LF

i.        Nick Punto – SS

 

There are a couple of other Twins topics that I will be covering as well, but want to do so in separate postings to allow for discussion. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me or leave Comments Here.

SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins Live Chat Tonight at 8!

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Spring Training is pretty much in full swing as all of the hitters have reported to Ft. Myers as well. There is plenty to talk about, so I will be hosting another Minnesota Twins Live Chat tonight at 8:00 central time. Click the below link to 1.) set a reminder for yourself, 2.) attend the event, and 3.) read the transcript after the show is complete. Definitely try to come up with some questions and get them asked tonight!

Click Here

Spring Stream

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

 

 

 

Good morning, everyone! Hopefully everyone had a chance to listen to and/or downloaded the Tuesday night SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins podcast which featured Phil Miller, Nick Nelson and John Bonnes. If you haven’t, be sure to do so if you would like.

 

 

Before getting too far, I would like to mention that there will be a SethSpeaks.net Twins Live Chat tonight. Be sure to check back later this morning for the time and details of the chat.

 

For today, I just have several Twins-related thoughts that I would like to share as well as some links to other articles for you to read. It is kind of a stream of consciousness blog, so excuse the informality! And have a great day!

 

·         First things first, I want to thank Aaron Gleeman for the kind words he said about me and this blog in his posting today on the Twins-related blogs that he reads. As you know, I started this site in May of 2003, in part, because of Aaron and The Twins Geek, John Bonnes. At the time, they were probably the only Twins bloggers, and they’re both still going very strong.

·         You will also want to check out Aaron’s Live Chat from yesterday afternoon. Maybe it’ll give you some ideas of possible questions to ask me tonight.

·         LaVelle was the first to report that, as I expected, Bobby Korecky was the player that the Twins took off of their 40 man roster to make room for Luis Ayala. Korecky was claimed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs must just watch for the Twins to make players available. Remember that they were the team that similarly claimed pitcher JD Durbin when the Twins took him off of their 40 man roster. They were the team that claimed Alex Romero when the Twins chose to make him available. Also, when OF Trent Oeltjen became a six year minor league free agent a little over a year ago, the Snakes signed him as well. It would appear that Arizona, despite a rotation that boasts Brandon Webb and Dan Haren may have plenty of openings in 2009. It might be a good opportunity for Korecky to spend a little big of time in the big leagues. Although the former Michigan Wolverine was not blessed with the prototypical size of a big league pitcher, he had a toughness and confidence that helped him succeed. He was very hittable, but he also ‘got the job done’ a lot! Although he got only limited time with the Minnesota Twins, Korecky has been a very valuable part of the Twins organization since he was acquired with Carlos Silva and Nick Punto after the 2003 season in the Eric Milton trade. He has been a minor league closer throughout that time, with the exception of the 2005 season when he had Tommy John surgery. It was the easy choice to take Korecky off of the 40 man roster to make room for Ayala. But I’m certain that it wasn’t an easy thing for many on the Twins roster as, at 29, he likely played with a majority of the players. That’s the human element of the long baseball season that we too often forget.

·         With Joe Mauer’s kidney surgery and recovery taking him out of early activities this spring, the team needed another catcher to catch bullpen sessions. Toby Gardenhire was down there preparing for minor league camp, so he was asked to officially join big league camp as a catcher. For the most part in his minor league career, he has been a middle infielder, but over the last couple of seasons, in an attempt to make himself more versatile and more valuable, he has occasionally donned the catching gear and caught bullpens. With so many pitchers in camp, all needing to throw, having plenty of catchers around only makes sense. What is strange to me is that there are actually Twins fans who are offended by this, by the manager’s son being brought in to camp. I don’t see the big deal… he is the team’s #8 catcher at big league camp. I don’t think we have to worry about him claiming a big league roster spot out of camp. He is catching bullpens. Who cares? If they would have had Tommy Watkins come in to do the same thing, would it matter?

·         I heard today that FSN’s Telly Hughes will not be working Twins games in 2009. Instead, he will be doing the same thing for FSN but for Milwaukee Brewers games. Good luck… Brewers fans!

·         Am I the only one that simply wants the Joe Crede situation to go away? I think I have been pretty consistent throughout the offseason on my stance on the 3B situation. I’m fine with improving the position if we believe it will be a significant improvement. Yes, I am comfortable with a Brendan Harris/Brian Buscher platoon, although I would much prefer Brendan Harris just run with the job! Adrian Beltre? Significant improvement, but I wouldn’t trade what the Mariners are asking for him. Garrett Atkins? No thanks. Casey Blake? Not a big leap forward. Mark Derosa? He won’t even play 3B for Cleveland, and I prefer Brendan Harris anyway. Ty Wigginton? No thank you. Joe Crede? I do like his power. He was an All Star in 2008 after hitting a bunch of first half home runs. If I believed that he could play even 120 games in 2009, I would be OK with the Twins signing him. I do think he would be a very slight improvement offensively and a significant improvement defensively. But we are also talking about a guy who has missed over half of his team’s games the past two seasons, a guy who has had two major back surgeries in the last year and a half (one of which didn’t work for very long, and the other which he is just getting back from). If he would be willing to sign a one year deal worth $2.5 million, I would be fine with signing him. I would even be happy to offer an additional $2.5 million for getting 450 plate appearances in 2009. I’d be willing to add another million dollars if he reaches 550 plate appearances. And another million dollars for 650 plate appearances. But I really don’t think that I would do any more than that. And again, I just want it over, and I imagine the Twins players, coaches and beat writers are thinking the same thing!

·         I had read that the Twins will have as many as ten players eligible for arbitration following the 2009 season, but I hadn’t spent much time really thinking about what the would mean. Which players would be eligible? And secondly, I get so tired of people whining about the Twins payroll when in reality, it is completely a function of having so many pre-arbitration-eligible players on their roster. So here is a quick list at which players will probably be arbitration-eligible at this time next year. In parentheses, you will see an estimate of what that player would potentially make in arbitration for 2009 if they perform similarly as they did in 2008. Please remember that most of these players are going to make less than $500,000 in 2008.

1.      Scott Baker ($2.8 million)

2.      Francisco Liriano ($2.4 million)

3.      Pat Neshek ($1.0 million)

4.      Brendan Harris ($1.5 million)

5.      Boof Bonser ($1.5 million)

6.      Jesse Crain ($2.5 million)

7.      Delmon Young ($2.2 million)

8.      Matt Guerrier ($2.0 million)

And these players will likely be Super-2 arbitration-eligible in 2009:

·         Carlos Gomez ($1.8 million)

·         Glen Perkins ($1.6 million)

Of course, we also have to remember that some of these players may have breakout years, and if so, those numbers could go up. If these numbers would be at all accurate, there is an extra $15 million in salary without making any roster changes. Add to that the increases due to the likes of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel, and you can see how quickly a payroll can increase over the next couple of seasons when they enter Target Field.

·         If you check out the Twins Geek articles the last couple of days, he has asked a few questions related to Delmon Young and his ‘split’ contract. As he points out, I was able to verify that Young is indeed out of options, so he can not be sent to the minor leagues without being put on waivers. And as much as anyone may not appreciate Delmon Young, I can’t imagine there would be more than a couple of teams in baseball that would not claim him. So, although a split contract is typical for players with less than three years of big league service time, it is probably not terribly necessary to even make mention of the split contract. Again, not a big deal at all, but certainly an interesting learning discussion.

·         KFAN’s Phil Mackey has done a terrific job at his site PMac. He has made his AL Player projections available for download on his site. He wrote a very interesting article on what happened to Glen Perkins late last year. And now he wrote a blog called The Curious Case of Michael Cuddyer which is very interesting.

 

That’s all I’ve got for now. Again, be sure to take in tonight’s SethSpeaks.net Live Minnesota Twins Chat and ask any questions you may have. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me or leave Comments Here.