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The Twins just acquired JJ Hardy from the Milwaukee Brewers in exhance for Carlos Gomez. More details are sure to come!
48 Responses to “Twins Acquire JJ Hardy for C Gomez”
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Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2012
SethSpeaks.net 
Good exchange for both clubs I think. I thought Milwaukee would want some pitching in return for Hardy. We better hope Young’s offense comes around because the outfield defense with Young, Span and Cuddyer will be below average.
Love it.
-Buying low (hopefully) on a good SS, who will if nothing else be solid defensively.
-Giving up talent at a position of strength (Revere, Hicks, Morales)
-Gaining at probably the biggest organizational position of weakness.
Seth, what do think the percent chance is that we see Revere in the bigs in 2010?
This is unexpected. I was almost sure they would ask for some of our starting pitching, but I guess they figure they couldn’t afford to bring Cameron back if they wanted to keep both Prince and Braun. Now all we need to do is sign Felipe Lopez and see who between Punto, Valencia, and Harris takes over at 3rd base. I’m somewhat concerned that we lost our best outfield defender when we have so many fly-ball pitchers.
Nothing I have seen from Delmon tells me that he’s ever going to improve. He always finishes strong at the end of the year but strong for him is almost average for a corner OF in the ML. I think I would of preferred we kept Gomez in triple AAA to help him work on his offensive game and see what we can get from Delmon after a year playing full-time.
I think I would of preferred we traded Perkins, Swarzak, or some other starting pitchers instead of Gomez.
Oh well, at least we have our answer at shortstop, yay no more Orlando Cabrera!!!!!
Glad to see Hardy, shame to see such an excellent glove go. Weird to see the Twins make a commitment to Delmon Young, want to see him make a commitment to the team and lose some weight. Wish to see him actually live up to the potential he had in the minors. I’m a little torn. I liked Gomez, and the stats showed he was improving.
Good Move! I was expecting the demand for Hardy to be alot higher than just Carlos Gomez. If he bounces back from last season and plays to his capabilities, this really becomes a great trade for the Twins.
Love It!!!
Even if Hardy has another year like he did last season (which his numbers wouldn’t indicate as being likely) it’s still an upgrade over what we’ve had. Plus, we didn’t have to give up a pitcher (which a lot of people (including myself) thought might be necessary).
If Gomez does end up being a phenomenal player, it will be with a NL club, so that part of the move was great, too.
Hopefully there won’t be any issues with uniform numbers. I’d hate to see a clubhouse tiff over a number…
Wow, unexpected! Hate to see Gomez go, as I loved watching him play in CF, but feel the price was right.
Now let’s lock-up Mauer for life (feasible), get Lopez or Uggla (doubtful) and sign Chapman (laughable)!
🙂
Holy crap! Our Minnesota Twins made a move that actually made sense????
Just another thought that I can’t help but keep thinking about….
Do you think the reason why the Twins gave Gibson so much money and the other guys like Sano was because they are prepared to “save” money this offseason by signing a Type A free agent and not having to commit money to a draft pick(s)?
We spent a lot of money this past season on youth – I can’t help AND HOPE that they plan on getting someone else worthwhile in the free agent market!!
Please God!!!!!!!!!!
Like Rich Harden?
I would like Bedard first. All of his experience in the AL and he is truly a top of rotation guy when healthy. Lackey would be better yet but that just isn’t going to happen.
Bedard and Harden????
Jeepers – would that make Minnesotan’s swallow the winter much easier?
My thinking was they saved a lot last off season and had more to dedicate to this past draft. The Twins were in on a few mid-level guys last off season but couldn’t ink any of them.
I hope your take is spot on. It would be awesome if that happened.
seth who do you think is most ready to fill the x-tra outfield spot from our minor league guys?
This move made too much sense with Milwaukee needing to replace Cameron and the Twins desperate for a SS. Plus a change of scenary seems to rejuvenate some.
I really like this trade. I didn’t ever get the feeling Gomez was going to figure things out and I have been wanting Hardy. Hardy will be a player we can plug in every day. He could have another down year at the plate in 2010 as he adjusts to the AL pitching but he will play solid defense hopefully will regain his old hitting form. Good move.
“I liked Gomez, and the stats showed he was improving.”
Really?????? He certainly didn’t improve at the plate, he couldn’t steal bases consistently, and didn’t seem to have baseball instincts.
Great move! Now re-sign Pavano; go after a pitcher with a high upside – Sheets, Harden, J. Johnson, or Bedard; I could live with re-signing Crede (apparently BS is talking to Boras) as a mentor for Valencia; and sign an outfielder who can play all 3 positions and give some pop off the bench (how about a Rocco Baldelli type?). Lastly, I hope that Billy takes a page out of TR’s playbook and trades some of our dead weight for prospects – instead of just releasing them. (i.e. Perkins, Casilla, and others – let’s try to add some middle infield depth). We’ve released too many guys without getting anything in return.
I like the trade and like Hardy at SS. I’m a bit mystified why people seem down on Cabrera (who was never sold to us as being Jeter). I thought OC did a nice job batting second after coming from Oakland. There will no doubt be lots of speculation about 2nd and 3rd base. If the Twins make no other move to bring in an alternative at 3rd, what is the downside of moving Cabrera to 3rd while waiting for Valencia to be “ready”? Opinions, please…and be nice. I’m only asking — not suggesting I have the answers. 🙂
With locking up Hardy for 2 years do the Twins look to move Plouffe in a trade package?
I love this trade for the simple fact it gives us a reliable SS to throw out there day after day. It also hopefully puts Nicki on the bench more than 2 days a week. I love GoGo’s energy but the kid just never seemed to get ‘it’ with the bat. Granted the Muts rushed him 3 years ago and didn’t give him time to develop.
The TWins were 5th in runs scored, and their starters were near last in runs allowed. This team needs better defense, and Gomez gave them that. Not a fan.
I guess we’ll find out if DY can be good or not next year.
and Hardy doesn’t improve our MI defense?
Young is a terrible defender, and this is a fly ball pitching staff. Lots of balls will be dropping in the gaps now. Lots.
November 6 and we already have an ultra-positive development. Not just what we got, but how little, relatively speaking, we gave up. {Gomez may be a player some day but it’s at least 3-4 years down the line.} I’m with those who are mystified by the intense dislike for Cabrera. If he can play second or third, I’d love to have him back. Pavano, too. I know this is crazy, but any chance we could pick up Xavier Nady? I assume he’s still with the Yankees, and they could use pitching. What news!!
I was ready to lose faith in big Bill Smith til the Pavano-Cabrera-Rauch moves. Coco Crisp was non-tendered by the Royals. Maybe a solid extra outfielder til Revere is ready. Give Delmon 500 abs and let him play his way out of here!
The Twins only had room for one of Gomez and Young. They have Pridie who is out of options and Tosoni who is close to ready. And Revere may be close by the end of next season. If you look at all the trades for Hardy suggested around the blogsphere – this makes a lot more sense. It is a gamble on Hardy, rather than gambling on Gomez improving while he sits on the bench waiting for someone to get hurt or fail.
Its now Santana for Guerra, Rauch and Hardy. If Hardy hits like last year, the screams about the Santana deal will get uglier.
Hardy is not a number two hitter. So they still have a hole there.
It’s also Santana for Mauer. No way they can afford to sign both of those guys.
“Hardy doesn’t improve our MI defense?”
Compared to Cabrera? Probably. Compared to Punto? Maybe not. A lot rides on Hardy’s 2009 season being an aberration.
“It’s also Santana for Mauer. No way they can afford to sign both of those guys.”
I think the Twins dodged a bullet when Santana refused the deal they offered. But they would have found a way to pay Mauer in any case.
Ben Revere projects to have a OPS+ of 85 according to ZIPS. Carlos Gomez 75. Revere is not quite as good defensively, but could equal Gomez’s production as early as this year.
Anyone who watched game 2 of the ALDS knew Gomez was not playing in the majors for the Twins next year. He just isn’t savvy enough and the batting skills are not cose to AAA. If you compare these two guys and project the best you could expect them each to do if they played for the Twins next year, the Twins are huge winners. Hardy (just returning to form) .285, 25 hrs, solid defense at short vs. Gomez (hard to even project) .265(?), 10 HRs(?), 30with excellent defense in center. If you project the worst they each could do, the Twins are still huge winners filling the ss gap defensively with a player who will show power at an infield position. Gomez would likely have been at AAA next year with the Twins. Very, very good trade.
I think this trade probably reflects the conclusion of the Twins that Gomez is unlikely to develop into a solid hitter anytime soon. The Young/Gomez logjam couldn’t continue for another year, and neither is good enough to justify replacing Cuddyer. Meanwhile, the Twins have serious needs in the infield. This is a very nice solution- Hardy is serviceable at shortstop even if he struggles offensively, thanks to his defense. And if he bounces back to his career averages, he represents a major value.
The biggest issue exacerbated by the move is the Twins’ outfield defense. They have a lot of flyball pitchers and both Cuddyer and Young are liabilities, while Span is only OK in center (whereas he is elite in the corner spots). Kubel of course is poor defensively as well. Pridie or someone like him can serve as a late-innings defensive replacement, but Young needs to start hitting because, as he ages, his albatross status becomes less and less excusable.
In any case, I really like the move and hope the team continues to be aggressive in the off-season. In particular I hope this does not preclude looking at 2nd basemen, because there are some interesting options out there that probably won’t require much money to sign. Punto is best as a utility guy who can step into a M-IF spot in the event of injury.
Below average? I don’t think so. Worst case they are an average outfield with Span covering alot of ground making up for some of Cuddys and DY’s short comings. The Twins need to see what they got with DY and stop jerking him around. He finished the year strong once he got to play everday. Gomez is a project and should have been in in AAA…..he may be a great player someday but theres a good chance that he won’t. Good trade in my opinion.
Scot, look at the stats. Young and Cuddy are two of the worst corner OF in the game, and Span is mediocre in center (while great on the corners). This OF D will be terrible.
“Scot, look at the stats. ”
There are no reliable stats for defense.
I tend to trust people that look at EVERY play of EVERY game more than fans of one team who watch 120 games. While the stats aren’t perfect, they must be better than random fans that watch a few games here and there. But, to each their own. If you want to trust either your own eye, or nothing, that’s cool. I’m going to give more weight to people that watch EVERY play of EVERY game, and their judgement of defense than some random fan’s opinion. YMMV, of course.
All these whiners need to just shut UP!!!!!!!!!!
Be a Twins fan and quit nit-picking! You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out Gomez didn’t actually play that much as a regular. Did you watch the games? I wonder how many games/AB’s he had just filling in late in the games – and by the way – he had 315 AB all season – he won’t be missed! So quit trying to make it something that it isn’t!
We all were screaming for the Twins to make a deal, and then they do, and suddenly we have the closet experts coming out trying to thrill us all with their knowledge. Who cares! Be a real Twins fan and quit trying to pull out all these magical stats that nobody gives a damn about.
If we traded for Roy Halladay I bet those same experts would come out and complain about that, too!
Be a Twins fan and cheer when they do well, boo when they do bad, but quit trying to tell the rest of us what we believe is right or wrong.
try reading your last sentence, then your whole post….
Cheers for this trade. Delmon will come around, and if he doesn’t, Tosoni will. This move covers Bill Smith’s butt on a couple of trades: Santana-Gomez-Hardy isn’t a bad transaction. And now, instead of releasing Pridie, he suddenly has value as a back-up.
At any rate, I love the hot stove, but before anybody gets too crazy, lets see what other moves the Twins have in store. Cool to see an early strike, but Perkins and Crain still loom as likely tradebait in my book–bait that has to be cut soon.
No need for an argument over UZR with respect to Delmon Young- anyone with a functioning eye or two can see he is abysmal in the field. His problem isn’t athletic, which on one hand means he should be capable of improving, but on the other hand means his ineptitude is difficult to explain.
It’s also pretty clear Cuddyer isn’t a speedster, though he does have the great arm and is a more fundamentally sound defender than Young. I don’t mind having him out there, but it’s tough to stomach Young’s defensive incompetence when you also consider his inability to hit.
Plouffe is still in the mix. Another year at AAA. Then a season as backup (Punto finally gone). Maybe fulltime shortstop, maybe not. But no reason to sell him off. Rather Casilla than him, for now. Besides, Plouffe COULD be a backup at third, too. He does have some punch.
Santana Trade Update:
Santana = Hardy, Rauch, Guerra, $10 million annual salary (Cuddyer like player).
Aces are hard to come by but being a small market team, the Twins couldn’t afford Santana, couldn’t afford the risk of injury, and keep Mauer and Morneau long term.
Great proactive move. I do have concerns about the range of the starting outfield now, Young is not exactly a speed merchant in left. However, getting a known quantity at shortstop (despite last year), in exchange for the Enigma that is Carlos Gomez is a good deal.
I also like how the Santana trade has turned out. Instead of clinging to the pieces he received, Smith was able to parlay questionable prospects into a decent set up man and a starting shortstop. Not bad.
It will be interesting to see the Non-Tendered List.
I think it’s Buster Olney who thinks there will be 60-70 players non-tendered. Might be some useful players there as teams look to dump salary.
Regards,
Hardy gives us at least two years of above-league shortstop, probably three-four if he shines a bit next season and the Twins can work a deal.
Gomez would’ve had to shine next season, but where to play Span and Young. Now, the Twins have a chance to see if Young CAN gain some value, as the Twins outfield is likely to change bigtime come 2012-2013 when Revere, Morales, Hicks, Benson…maybe Tosoni, Parmelee et al come of age.
Gomez, despite his popularity and spark, was just holding the fort until Revere…who will give the Twins at least two comparable Gomez seasons…I would think…and probably much better!
Here is Matt Moses line at Fort Myers at age 20:
.306 .376 .453
Here is Revere’s at age 21:
.311 .372 .369
Its a mistake to start counting on any player who has not played above A ball. They are just too far from the big leagues and a lot can go wrong.
Personally, I’d sell Revere now – while he’s got high value. If we could sign Span long-term, as Seth has suggested, the outfield of the future would be Span, Hicks and Morales. Revere has speed, but he won’t have the defensive prowess that Gomez had. He has the arm of Johnny Damon or Shannon Stewart, and is considered a liability in the field. There has even been talk of shifting him to second base, to hide the arm strength (unlikely to happen). I like Morales’s power potential over Revere’s speed.
My point was that none of those guys, including Hicks, is a sure thing to ever be a major league player. My guess would be that, at most, only a couple on that list will ever amount to much at the major league level. If the outfield of the future includes more than one of them we should be very happy.