Twins Roster Projection

A few others have posted their projection (and I'm assuming mine isn't all that different), but last week after the Winter Meetings had concluded I went through their roster and made my assumptions. I've concluded - to myself anyway - that the Twins will start the year with a 12-man pitching staff. Players that I think will be on the 25-man roster are highlighted in red. Players who I think would be the next call-up, if mentioned, are in navy.

First, the fielders:
It's a given that Joe Mauer takes a lion's share of the innings behind the plate, with Mike Redmond being the primary back up. I expect to see Redmond catch more innings and get more AB's. His 129 AB's last year was the least since his rookie season. Mauer proved he could stay healthy, and hopefully will do the same this year. I'm hoping that Mauer will be able to do some DH to preserve his knees. If the Twins to decide to carry a 3rd catcher, which is possible, they will be choosing between Drew Butera and Jose Morales. My assumption is that Butera would be the guy that serves as the emergency catcher because he's a better defensive catcher.

Justin Morneau will play 162 games this year if he can stay healthy and the vast majority will come at 1B. It appears that Alexi Casilla is the starting 2B, although I wouldn't be surprised if he also sees time at SS. Little Nicky Punto was re-signed to be the team's starting SS. Although I think he will see a lot of time there, it appears the Twins are still pursuing others at this position. Punto's versatility allows him to play 2B, SS and 3B, which the Twins value. I anticipate that if the Twins add another SS to the roster that Punto becomes the primary 3B.
Right now it looks as though the Twins will platoon Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher at 3B. I don't think anyone out there views this option as perfect, but with the roster that is assembled, it makes sense. Buscher will see more time there because he is left-handed (he could also spell Morneau at 1B), but I anticipated Harris seeing a lot of time as well. The bench will be held down by UTL guy Matt Tolbert. Tolbert started last season hot before cooling down and getting hurt. He will be on the field when a defensive replacement is needed. There are a few guys on the farm that could see time in 2009: Matt Macri (3B/2B) played well for the little time he was up last year, Luke Hughes (?) has a great stick, but had a bad hammy last year and doesn't have a position, Trevor Plouffe (SS) is younger, but appears to have a decent glove, and Alejandro Machado (SS), although not on the 40-man, could fill a hole ala Howie Clark.

Denard Span showed last season that he is the team's leadoff hitter. I imagine he will split time among all three OF spots. Carlos Gomez might be the best defensive CF in baseball. Hopefully he has accepted the fact that he's going to be a #9 hitter. It appears that Michael Cuddyer is going to be the "everyday" RF. Although I'm not giving up on Delmon Young. Jason Kubel is the team's primary DH, although he can lumber around the OF when necessary. I don't see any one of those five spending long stretches on time on the bench and expect them all to play pretty well when given the chance. Jason Pridie will play CF in Rochester and be an injury away. (I also assume that Punto could play OF in a pinch.)

Now, the pitchers:
The rotation appears set (and young): Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins and Nick Blackburn. I like them in that order because it will prevent hitters from seeing a similar pitcher on consecutive days. The bullpen is when things get hairy. I've allowed for seven guys. It's obvious that Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain will be 3 of those guys. The other four spots are - in my estimation - up in the air.
Let's look at the candidates:
Boof Bonser - Boof brings some power to the table that not every guy possesses. As he has no options left, I hope he can get it under control, because I think he could be very valuable as a long-reliever/spot starter.
Craig Breslow - Breslow pitched well after coming over from the Indians during the season. Another guy who is out of options, he has value as a LHP.
Philip Humber - Humber came over in the Johan trade as a big name. He ran out of options and is making more money because he signed a Major League Contract out of college. He struggled badly early last season - and was moved to the bullpen - before re-emerging as a starter in Rochester and pitching pretty well.
Jose Mijares - Mijares came onto the scene in a big way last year. After missing the first half of the year with an elbow injury, he made the big leap from AA and became the primary setup guy during the playoff run. I'm hoping for a similar output, but expecting a little less. He is also a LHP.
Jason Jones - Came over from the Yankees in the Rule V draft. Big right hander.
Sleepers: Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak and Bobby Korecky.

My best guess: Breslow is safe because he's LH and out of options. Bonser is safe (for now) because he doesn't have the trade value that Humber does.

That leaves two spots: I think that Mijares and Duensing will battle for a left-handed spot. I think Mijares will hold off Duensing, who has primarily been a starter. In the other race, it will come down to Humber and Jones (and maybe Bonser). I think the Twins will try to move Bonser (and fail) before trying to pass Jones through waivers. If he makes it through and the Twins and Yankees can wourk out a trade, Jones will be sent to Rochester. Leaving Humber in the last spot. It wouldn't shock me if the Twins moved Humber, who is under team control for 6 more years (as opposed to Boof entering arbitration after this year and having 3 years plus 09 of control left). I think would like to see both Humber and Boof stick around, even if that means risking losing Jason Jones.

Regardless, the Twins will probably have 11 guys arbitration eligble next year (as opposed to 3 this year). Which will make for more off-season action. Look for the Twins to make some long-term deals in the middle of January with some core guys to avoid arbitration next year. My early guesses: An extention for Joe Mauer (at least 4 more years), a 5-yr deal for Scott Baker and a 3-yr deal for Franciso Liriano. Of course, these deals could be agreed upon already, but keeping with Twins tradition nothing will be announced until TwinsFest, all to drum up a little excitement.

A few roster moves...

Last time I posted I said that I thought Randy Ruiz's roster spot was in jeopardy. He was released the next day. I also said that I thought Bobby Korecky's roster spot was in jeopardy...

The Twins big "splash" this offseason is the re-signing of SS Nick Punto. I put SS because Gardie said he will start there. As much as I dislike Little Nicky Punto, I was going to be ok with them taking him back. And then I heard what Gardie said... and then I saw the figures (2 years, $8.5 m, option for the 3rd year). It bothers me a little, but I'm sure it will bother me more when the first time he slides head-first into 1st base. Bat 8th and hit over .260 and I'll lay off.

The Twins also acquired RHP Jason Jones from the Yankess in the Rule V Draft. They need to keep him on their active roster or offer him back to the Yankees. He will have a chance to compete for a role in the bullpen. Hey, if the Twins can keep Brian Bass on the active roster for almost an entire season, I see no reason why this guy won't stick. I think this also makes Bonser, Humber and the aforementioned Korecky more expendable.

The Twins lost 3 guys in the Rule V draft. In my opinion, none are worth mentioning.

I fully expect the Twins to make another roster move, possibly tomorrow. I anticipate the Twins clearly a spot on their 40-man (my guess: Korecky) and signing former Astros 3B Ty Wigginton. I can see him signing for 2 years, $16 m. (09: 7m, 10: 8m, 11: option for 9m with a 1m buyout.)

Just remember, you read it hear first...

Not much new...

As you know - or may not - the Hawks weren't able to get it done in the State Semis; but it sure was a fun year.

There isn't much new to report. Apparently the Twins have offered Casey Blake a contract. Details aren't certain, but a 2 year deal with an option for a third, at a little over $6m per year. I go back and forth about what I think about signing him. At this moment, I'm against signing him. I think some combination of Buscher/Harris/Macri/Tolbert/Punto (yeah, Punto) can get it done. It lacks punch offensively, but the whole team did last year and that turned out ok.

Things I would like the team to accomplish this offseason (in order):

• I would like to see a reliever brought in. I don't have a preference who it should be... but the bullpen needs to be upgraded. If Reyes accepts arbitration - though I doubt he will - that will fill the roster.
• Get a left-side infielder - preferably a SS. If JJ Hardy can be had, go get him. The Brewers need a starting pitcher and the Twins have a few (extra). It would probably cost Perkins or Blackburn plus a prospect. That is a reasonable price.
• Unclutter the OF. Some believe that having 5 OFs is a good thing. I don't. Span needs to stay. Gomez needs to stay. Young - yes, Young - needs to stay. That leaves Kubel and Cuddyer. Personally, I think either one is expendable (although I like Kubel's power). If the team could get anything with any value for Cuddyer, I wouldn't mind seeing that trade be made.

I have a feeling that Randy Ruiz won't be on the 40-man by the 1st of January. I also think Bobby Korecky's roster spot is in jeopardy. I think the Twins made a mistake adding Drew Butera (even though he probably would be lost in the Rule 5 draft).

The last thing I've noticed is that the Twins currently have a lot of LHP on their 40-man roster: Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, Craig Breslow, Jose Morales and Brian Duensing. Dennys Reyes could potentially be added to that list. Last year coming in, I believe it was only Perkins and Reyes (with Liriano injured).

I'm curious to see how it's all going to play out.

Been a little while...

Ok, so it's been a long while. Obviously, the Twins lost to the White Sox. More recently, they lost Pat Neshek for all of 2009. That's a bummer.

I just emailed Seth (of SethSpeaks.net) to pre-order his Twins Prospect Handbook. I'm excited about that. Profiles on 175 prospects.

The B-W Blackhawks are currently sitting at 11-1 and have a date with Wautoma on Friday night. Winner of that game heads to Madison to play for a Gold Ball. It should be a good game. We're a little dinged up, but I can't imagine any of 28 teams still playing not having some injuries. Like any playoff football game, it's going to come down to taking care of the ball and being the better team on special teams. (It won't hurt if our well-oiled-machine-of-an-offense keeps it rolling.)

My fantasy football year is not going as well as I hoped. For one, I have watched less NFL football in 10 weeks than I watched in any 2 weeks last year. I guess having the coaching thing still rolling - not to mention another child - will do that though. Besides the bad showing in Fantasy, not being able to watch a lot of football doesn't bother me too much. I believe my records are 5-4, 4-6, 4-6 and 3-7. I can confidently say that is my worst showing in the history of my fantasy football playing... and that's a lot of years. I didn't see the Browns being as bad as they are, nor did I expect the Cowboys offense to fall off the face of the earth. Expect me to come back and tell you my 5-4 team went on a roll. Or at least I finished at .500.

Marin and Cade are continuing to grow. Cade is over 18 lbs. He'll soon catch Marin. Marin is still a runt, and, somewhere, learned the word "butthead". She hasn't said it again since she got in trouble, but I wasn't ready for that. Plus, I never say "butthead". If she would have called me a "stupid f*ck" at least I would have known where she heard that. (Just kidding.)

I would talk about movies and books, but I don't have time for them. I do, however, have some time for TV and I really like Fringe. I also can't wait for LOST to come back on. Pushing Daisies, House, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice are other shows that get the DVR and rewatch treatment. DVR is a great thing; I never watch any commercials.

I will update you whenever my life has something significant happen... which is apparenly every couple of months!

Later on...

We'll See You Tomorrow Night

As you probably know, the Twins will face the White Sox tomorrow night to determine the 2008 AL Central Division Champions.

I'm not going to say too much about it, because there really isn't much to say.
It's a must-win playoff ballgame.

The part that appeals to me is the fact that the Twins club is so young. The only players that have any playoff experience (that will play tomorrow) are Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Nick Punto and (hopefully) Joe Nathan. The White Sox, on the other hand, are full of players that played on their World Series team.

That puts all the pressure on the White Sox.

I'll be cheering hard, but I never expected the team to be in this situation before the season started. Regardless of how tomorrow night turns out, the year will be considered a sucess.

And yes, until they play the Twins again, I will be cheering for the Brewers. How good is CC Sabathia anyway? It's just too bad that he'll end up in New York, L.A or Boston next year.

It's time

How long has it been anyway? A few weeks for sure. If only I had time to talk about everything that has happened since I last posted.

How about them Twins? The White Sox series was unlike anything I'd experienced before. I have been to a handful of playoff games; the game on Wednesday night was crazier. I've never seen fan emotion at that level. What's even more shocking, Thursday night was worse! Between triples, the bullpen and the comeback, I could barely stand to watch. And when it was all said and done, the Twins were in first... not entirely in control of their own destiny, but in first, nonetheless. And then the Royals came to town.

It's frustrating. I almost bought a "33 for MVP" shirt or two, but I'm glad I didn't. My gut feeling says that even up a half game, with only one day left, the Twins aren't going to see the Divisional Series. I'm hoping Baker can get a win and make it full game lead and see what the White Sox can do.

Neither team has been very good this weekend, but let's hope for better results tomorrow... with or without the Indians putting Cliff Lee on the hill.

In other news...
The local football squad is 5-0. We're a good team. If the time comes, I'll call us great. At this point, we're just good. Our conference isn't very good, so it's tough to gauge. I think we'll go into the final game of the regular season with a chance to win our conference and have to play a tough game. I want to play a good, tough, close game. That will teach our guys a lot heading into the playoffs. At this point, games where we win by 20+ points don't help too much.

Little Marin news: She woke up the other night at 3 AM and was whispering, "Daddy, Daddy" into the monitor. LeAnne was away for the night, so I went up to see what was wrong. She was standing in her crib and told me she had a bad dream. I picked her up and asked her if she wanted to lay in bed with me. Her response was great, "Watch baseball?" Unfortunately, there was no baseball on, so I had to lay her back down... but if she's able to use that line at the right time... it just might work.

Little Cade news: The little guy isn't real little anymore. During his last check-up, he was in the 95th percentile for both height and weight for his age. I'm not going to put any undue pressure on him, but if he's not 6-3, 215 by the time he's a junior in high school, how the heck is he going to be a good quarterback? I'm just playing. He can do whatever he wants... as long as it's not marching band. If the boy wants supper, he won't be in the marching band.

A Jerm Talk First: Tonight I went down to a local establishment to watch a band in which a friend of mine performs. At one point a cop happened to enter the facility. Apparently, the establishment had not been carding people and was getting a warning. Out of money, I offered to sit by the door and check ID's. A few hours and many free drinks later, everything had seemed to work itself out. All I really wanted was a shirt. Seriously though, at 5-10, 180 what am I going to do?

Have a good night. Check back for something about the Twins - good or bad!

A new post!

It's been almost two weeks since my last post. I've thought a lot about getting on here, I just haven't had the chance. You see, most websites are blocked at school, so that really limits my blogging from there. When I get home from football, it's usually after six... and by the time the kids go to bed, I'm too tired to think, let alone write anything productive.

The local football squad improved to 2-0. We start conference tomorrow night. We've played pretty well... better than in the past, but not well enough to fulfill our (and others) expectations. We have a strong group of 18 seniors, so if there is going to be a year to win some games, it better be this one.

The Twins have been hot and cold, and currently sit at 1.5 games behind the White Sox. The White Sox couldn't do much more to help the Twins: Carlos Quentin broke his wrist, Paul Konerko got hurt... it's just the bullpen isn't pulling its weight and because of that, the team is spinning their tires. My gut feeling says the Twins will be on the outside looking in, but then again, what does my gut really know?

The kids are doing good. Cade is getting big. The doctor said he's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. He's at something like 14.5 lbs and 25 inches. He's making gains on Marin in a hurry. Marin continues to be a goofball... but she says the most adorable things. In response to "I love you", she'll often say "Love you too much". I get a kick out of it everytime I hear it. It's little things like that that make me wish she'd stay this age forever. That and things like her not being able to make the "f" sound. So she hurt her "soot", or she ate her "sood", or daddy is coaching "sootball".

Oh, in my fantasy world I was 2-2 opening week. I can handle that, but I expect better. I also didn't fair great on my picks of the games. Of course, I expect to pick every game right, so a couple wrong irritates me.

Anyhow, I'm going to leave it at that. Thanks for stopping by. If you're looking to listen to some new, local music, check out www.myspace.com/davidjamesstewart. It's a friend of mine who is pretty good.

Until I write again, have a good one!

A little update...

It's been a while since I've had a chance to say much...

The football team that I help coach started off with a win. We didn't play as well as we're capable of, but the team we beat is picked to win their conference.

The Twins are hanging in there. They are getting to the end of their crazy road trip and have held their own. They are still a half game behind the White Sox, but ESPN's "playoff probability" lists them as 54 to 45 per cent favorites to win their division.

Fantasy Football (as well as the NFL season) is about to get into full swing. I just finished my 4th and final draft. I will keep both of you readers updated as my year progresses.

Cade is 8 weeks today. He's getting so big already and has slept til 6 AM two nights in a row. Marin is still goofy Marin... I'm going to miss them both when I have to go back to school on Tuesday.

I will try to post more frequently.

Quick update

So two-a-days are over, which means I'm actually home. Practice isn't all that bad... but the days sure can be long. Anyway, both kids are sleeping right now, so I thought I'd post a little about the last week.

Since my last post, the Twins have continued to play well. The problem is, so do the White Sox. Through it all, the runner-up in the Central has become a legit contender in the Wild Card Race.

The Twins mysteriously tried to acquire P Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners. (In a local twist, his old high-school baseball coach at Webster is now my boss.) To me, that says that the Twins are concerned about the innings their starters - namely Glen Perkins - need to pitch. I talked about that awile ago, so it should be somewhere in my achieves. Regardless, the acquisition fell through and the team plugs on with five young starters.

Second Baseman Alexi Casilla should be returning to the lineup tonight. To open a roster spot, the Twins outrighted P Brian Bass. It was a little surprising in that the bullpen has been carrying a heavy workload, but my money is on the Twins bringing up Philip Humber in the near future to help alleviate the problem. Humber has been a stud lately; I'm looking forward to him being in the 'pen and possibly the rotation next year.

Carlos Gomez has transitioned to part-time CF/defensive replacement/pinch-runner. I can't say I'm disappointed in that. I am, and will continue to be, a big fan of his... but Denard Span is clearly the better baseball player. Speaking of Span, I'm a pretty big fan of his too.

Casilla's return means Nick Punto doesn't get to bat 2nd anymore.... YES!!! I don't hate Punto as much as I used to... but I'm still hoping that he's not on the team past this season. If he does return, it needs to be on a 1-year contract, because it's obvious to me that he only plays well in contract years.

Well, Cade is awake and I'm sure Marin isn't far behind. It was nice while it lasted :)

Big road trip starts tonight. Let's see how they match up with Baseball's Best.

Twins Update

It was great to see the Twins take 2 of 3 from the Yankees. I thought Delmon Young played especially well, it would just be nice to see the guy crack a smile once in a while. Adam Everett seems to coming around. While I don't think he'll be back next year, it's nice to see him contribute positively. The starting pitching continues to perform. By my accounts, no Twins team has ever had 5 starting pitchers with 10+ wins. (In 1970, 4 starters and 1 reliever accomplished the feat.) It's possible that 5 -including the now-departed Livan Hernandez - could get it done this year.

In minor-league news: It appears the Twins have agreed to terms with 6th round pick BJ Hermsen. I didn't see that coming. If it is true, I would expect Hermsen to debut next year. The deadline to sign picks is tomorrow.

Francisco Liriano will be facing former-Twin Carlos Silva tomorrow.

Twins Beat Yanks

The Twins beat the Yankees last night behind a shutout performance by Glen Perkins. He pitched 8 innings, scattered a few hits, walked 3 and struck out 4. The offense was led by a 2-run HR by Adam Everett.

The White Sox apparently lost, because the Twins are back in the lead in the AL Central. It also appears that Alexi Casilla will be returning in the next week or so.

Posts may become few and far between for these next couple of weeks. Football practice starts this morning and we'll be rolling twice-a-day.

Have a good Tuesday.

Blog Update

UPDATE SUNDAY NIGHT 10:25 - I was going to post today, but after watching what happened, I just don't feel up to it. I am growing more tired of Nick Punto every day. At one point I said "Adam Everett is everything that Nick Punto is supposed to be." And then Everett went and "pulled a Punto" by messing up a throw. By "pulling a Punto" I mean: You're there for defensive reasons and your defense sucks! (At least for one play.) I'm convinced that when Alexi Casilla is ready to return it's going to be Randy Ruiz who is sent down. There is no way that Mike Lamb or Everett get DFA'd. Big series starts tomorrow.

On another note: I just watched the 4x100 swimming relay. Great comeback by the USA. Awesome!

-----

I wasn't able to watch the Twins game last night and I watched the DVR'd version of tonight's game. Either way, it's late and I'm going to bed. I should be able to post tomorrow.

It's too bad about Michael Cuddyer hurting his foot. It doesn't sound like he'll be back this year.

Twins Avoid Sweep

The Twins avoided a sweep by beating the Mariners 7-3 this afternoon.

They get a needed day off tomorrow. The bullpen needs some time to recover.

Three Stars:
Denard Span - 3 for 5, 4 RBI, 3B, SB, game-saving HR-robbery. Without doing any research, I can confidently put this into the "Twins Top 5 Individual Performance of the Year". Offensively, his bases-loaded triple was a game-changer. Defensively, his catch of an Adrian Beltre homerun was a series-changer. It's impossible to put into words what he's done for this team lately.
Brendan Harris - 2 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB. Maybe it's fitting to start calling him Brendan "Doubles Machine" Harris. He's got 23 2B this year, but over a quarter of them have come in the last week. I don't know where he'll play in the future, but I'm confident that he'll be on the roster next year. (Two weeks ago I wasn't.)
Randy Ruiz - 2 for 5, 2 R. Although he hasn't shown much (or any) power, he's been effective.

Watching the last three games has been a bit of a downer. It shouldn't happen that a team is in first place, winning a ball game, yet you're watching it and feeling a sense of doom. That happened every game this week. Luckily, Denard Span saved today's game. The reason is mostly the bullpen. Mix that in with some other issues that are coming up and here is what I think will happen:

The first and biggest issue is with the bullpen. Earlier this year, the team went with 13 pitchers. Maybe it wouldn't be a crazy idea to revisit. It also seems like Michael Cuddyer's return will come in the next week and Alexi Casilla's injury isn't as serious as it was first believed.

My steps to fix the problem:

1. DFA Brian Bass. He would probably clear waivers and remain property of the organization. If he clears he could stay on the 40-man (I think) and pitch at his level in Rochester.
2. Promote LHRP Ricky Barrett. We've seen what happens when Craig Breslow is the only left-handed option in the bullpen and it isn't pretty. Even though Dennys Reyes is back, I still don't think it would be terrible to have another left-handed arm. Plus, Barrett has been very good this year, except for a week in July.
3. I like Randy Ruiz. I don't think he's been in the lineup enough to justify him being here. Unfortunately, when Cuddyer comes back, there won't be room for Ruiz. So Ruiz should be sent down to make room for...
4. The return of Michael Cuddyer. The Twins front office is looking a little silly over the long-term deal they gave Cuddyer in the offseason. I believed at the time it was a very good deal because of the uncertainty of the Twins outfield. But now with Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span - not to mention Jason Kubel - the outfield will be fine. At this point, though, 5 guys for four spots - and you know that Span and Kubel have to play against all right-handers - it leaves one, and possibly two, of the guys on the bench.
5. You can't let young guys rot on the bench. Young has become a guy that needs to be in the lineup and Span has become everything that Gomez was supposed to be. It won't be popular, but in the best interest of the team, and himself, Carlos Gomez should head to Rochester.
6. That opens up a spot on the active roster. I mentioned earlier that the Twins wouldn't be crazy to carry 13 pitchers. One of the big names involved in the Santana trade was Philip Humber. He struggled early and was sent to the bullpen. Since his return to the rotation - more out of necessity than earning it - he has been great. 3 starts, 20 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 16 H, 6 BB, 24 Ks. Now, I'm not calling to add him to the rotation. I do think, however, that he could be a great guy for long-relief, and, since he is out of options after this year, this could be a great audition for a job next year. (Even though I'm pretty sure he'll be on the active roster all year.) So let's give Humber a shot in the bullpen.
7. Alexi Casilla is supposed to get healthy again. I know the popular opinion would be to DFA Adam Everett. But I like the way that Mike Lamb has looked lately and maybe he deserves another shot at 3B. So maybe Brian Buscher could head down to Rochester to make room for Casilla? I'm not 100% on board with that, but at least it's a possibility.

The nice thing with all of these choices is if they don't pan out, they can easily be reversed. (Unless Bass is lost.) I do think that doing these things would add some energy to the team and, besides sending Gomez down, not be too damaging to the egos. When rosters expand on September 1st, I expect guys like Barrett (who'd have to be added to the 40-man), Humber and Matt Macri to all be on the roster. I would just really like to see Gomez gain a little confidence for the stretch run.

In other news - I just stumbled onto the fact that the Twins signed 30th round pick Michael Tonkin. Normally, I don't say much about draft pick signings, but I feel this one can be significant. Tonkin was a highly-regarded high-school senior. (I've seen him ranked 47th in his high-school class). And he was expected to enroll at USC this fall. Generally, highly-ranked high-schoolers that don't seem signable will drop considerably. Teams will take a fliar on them, and they will go unsigned and nothing is lost.

In this case, though, I didn't see it coming. Right after the draft I went through the list of players and marked them as "will sign", "might sign" or "won't sign". So far, only 3 of my 20 "will signs" haven't signed. Of my 19 "might signs", 5 have signed. But of my 13 "won't signs", only Tonkin has signed. (That brings the total to 23 signed draft picks... to my knowledge.) Of course, it probably helped the Twins' case that Michael Tonkin's sister, Blake, is married to DH Jason Kubel. I guess maybe it shouldn't be so shocking...

In other draft-related news, Twins prospect P Shooter Hunt, who entered tonight's game for Beloit with a 0.62 combined ERA, gave up 6 runs (5 earned), 4 hits, 6 walks and only 3 Ks in only 3 1/3 of an inning. Ouch!

Enjoy the day off tomorrow!

Yikes!

I'd prefer to just no talk about last night's game. I was about to go to bed... and I wish I would have. Instead, I remained hopeful of a 5-run 9th. Nope.

Tonight's game pits Scott Baker against semi-former-Twin R.A. Dickey. Dickey signed with the Twins, but was lost in the Rule V draft. Dickey is a knuckleballer, so it should be interesting.

In other news...

Cade turned 4 weeks old on Sunday. He had some pictures done at Target. Enjoy...

First-Place Twins

The Twins completed their series with the Indians by beating them 6-2. Couple that with a White Sox loss to the Royals and the Twins are now in sole possession of first place. Not bad.

Three Stars:
Francisco Liriano - 6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K. He wasn't the Liriano of old. He also wasn't the Liriano of April. Today's performance, though, was better than I expected. (If I have time, I'm going to re-watch today's game and comment more thoroughly on Liriano's performance... if I have time.)
Mike Lamb - 1 for 3, 3B, RBI, R. Lamb's defense wasn't great, but he did make a good play on a bad throw. He made up for it with a triple that scored Kubel. He's expensive for a left-handed situational player, but he's been alright lately.
Nick Punto - 1 for 4, 3B, RBI, R. First of all, the head-slide into first base was unnecessary. For that, I would sit him a game. I would call him into my office and say something like this, "Are you an idiot? How many players on our team are hurt because they've slid head-first into bases? I'm not saying don't slide head-first ever, but don't do it just to do it. Take some time - tomorrow's game - to think about what it would be like to hurt yourself unnecessarily as you watch the game from the bench." With that being said, Punto did make some nice defensive plays (and one bad one which cost Harris an error). He also added a nice triple. Of course, the pattern of him batting second is becoming somewhat annoying. BUT, as long as he continues to get on base, I'll zip my lip.

The Twins head to Seattle in first place. The White Sox have tomorrow off and then welcome the Tigers for three and then the Red Sox for four.

I'm hoping for a solid week, at least solid enough that when the Yankees come to town, the Twins have a 2 or 3 game lead.

Let's hope anyway!

Twins beat Indians

The Twins continued their quest for the playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Indians on Friday night. At this moment the Twins trail the White Sox (Central) and Red Sox (Wild Card) each by a half game. ESPN also puts their chances at making the playoffs at 49.8%

Three Stars:
Joe Mauer - 1 for 4, 2-run HR. Mauer's 7th HR of the year - his 6th against LHP - was the "hit of the game". It looks like Mauer is developing more power... at least we're hoping he is.
Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 6 H, BB, ER, 2 K. Blackburn continues to get it done. The rotation is definitely going to be a strength for years to come.
Brendan Harris - 2 for 3, RBI, R, 2 2B. Harris continues to be a doubles machine, and he's been on a tear for the last six weeks.

*NOTABLE:
Randy Ruiz picked up his first major-league hit tonight. After calling for his release from Rochester earlier this year, I've come full-circle and have been calling for his promotion the last couple of weeks. It finally came; and you could tell he was nervous. I expect him to continue to be the regular DH against LHP.

I mentioned earlier that the Twins would have five spots open on their 40-man roster when the season concludes. I expect a few others - that will remain nameless - will be taken off of the 40-man. At this point there are handful of guys that I can almost guarantee will be added, therefore safe from the Rule V draft: AAA P's Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak, AAA INF Trevor Plouffe and AA INF Luke Hughes. There are many other players who have a case to be added. This is the closest I've followed the Twins minor leagues, so I'm not going to try to guess any more... but it will continue to be interesting watching what roster moves the Twins make.

Slowey tomorrow and the Franchise on Sunday... should be a great weekend!

Franchise

Many of us are wondering whether or not Francisco Liriano will be making his scheduled start tonight for Rochester. LaVelle doesn't think he will be. Remind yourself that you read it here first: Liriano will start of the Red Wings tonight. So no promotion yet...

UPDATE 5:00 - So I was a little off with Liriano. He will be joining the team and the rotation. Livan Hernandez and Craig Monroe are out. Replacing Monroe will be right-handed 1B/DH Randy Ruiz.

If you read my thoughts yesterday, here is what I said:

Craig Monroe will be traded or cut. To fill Monroe's spot, the Twins will call up 1B/DH Randy Ruiz from Rochester. Spot on! The thing with this move is that I had never even heard it before I posted it.

The Twins will fail in their attempt to land a second baseman. Right again!

Francisco Liriano will be promoted and in the rotation. Boof Bonser will be traded. The "8th inning" job that needs to be filled will go to current Twins starter Glen Perkins. Somehow, someway, Livan Hernandez, Mike Lamb and Adam Everett will all remain with the Twins. I was off a little bit. I totally didn't think Hernandez would be let go. It almost made too much sense.

It also appears that Ruiz will be in the starting lineup tonight. He will have to added to the 40-man roster. That is no big deal since they started the day at 38 and gained two more spots. After Ruiz is added, they will be at 37. (I also believe they have 3 other FA's at the end of the year - Punto, Reyes and Everett.) They will have to re-add Neshek to the 40-man, so that gives them 5 extra spots for next year.

More to come...

Twins take series

The Twins closed their series with the Sox by beating them 10-6. It was a game full of excitement and it pulled the Twins (again) within a half game of the division lead.

I'm not going to pick three stars tonight. I could, but the whole offense contributed to the win. The pitching was just good enough to hold on. Here's a look at some of the guys' nights:
Justin Morneau - 1 for 4, 2 R, 3-run HR. Have I mentioned I think he's the MVP?
Joe Mauer - 3 for 4, R, 2 RBI. For as long as I've wanted him in the 2-hole, I'm starting to come around to him batting third.
Jason Kubel - 1 for 5, 3-run HR. I was getting that "strikeout feeling", so I quick told LeAnne, "I'm starting to like Kubel less every game." It worked! Next pitch: 3-run blast. Face it Kubel: You need my support.
Brendan Harris - 2 for 3, 2 2B. I like Harris as a utility-guy.
Delmon Young - 2 for 4, 2B, RBI, R. Still has some brutal at-bats, but I think the page is turning...
Nick Punto - 2 for 5, 2B, RBI, R. Batting him second tonight turned out ok, but seriously...
Carlos Gomez - 1 for 4, R. For as bad offensively as he looks sometimes, at least he's not as bad as...
Adam Everett - 0 for 5. At least he didn't have any errors.
But the line of the night goes too:
Denard Span - 0 for 3 with 3 runs. I guess that must have helped his OBP.

The other news coming out of the Cities is that the Twins are expected to DFA Livan Hernandez. This would make room on the roster and in the rotation for Francisco Liriano. I am actually a little surprised by this report. I expected Brian Bass to be the one moved. If Livan is replaced in the rotation, I figured he's still experienced enough to keep around just in case. Although, I wouldn't jog him in from the bullpen in a close game.

Minor League Update: Shooter Hunt pitched for Beloit tonight. 5 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run, 5 BB, 9 K. The walk numbers are a little high, but that's been his story. At this rate, if he can gain control he may be competing for a rotation spot by 2010.

We'll see what happens, I guess.

Trade Deadline Today

The trade deadline is this afternoon and I expect the Twins to be active. By active I mean I think they will make some sort of transaction.

These are either rumors I've read or thoughts in my head:

• Francisco Liriano will be promoted and in the rotation.
• Boof Bonser will be traded. The Giants and Rangers are in the running.
• Craig Monroe will be traded or cut. The Rays may be interested.
• The "8th inning" job that needs to be filled will go to current Twins starter Glen Perkins.
• The Twins will fail in their attempt to land a second baseman.
• To fill Monroe's spot, the Twins will call up 1B/DH Randy Ruiz from Rochester.
• Somehow, someway, Livan Hernandez, Mike Lamb and Adam Everett will all remain with the Twins.

2:30 UPDATE: Still no action from the Twins. It appears that Liriano will be promoted sometime - although he is scheduled to start tomorrow for Rochester - so it is unclear whether his promotion will come before or after his start.

Twins prospect INF Luke Hughes was promoted to Rochester to replace injured OF Darnell McDonald. (I posted my thoughts earlier on Seth's work-in-progress blog. LEN3 just reported the promotion at 2 this afternoon. Apparently, I have decent sources.) I think this move suggests an additional move or moves because right now the Rochester roster only has one natural OF (Jason Pridie), one guy that can play OF (Garrett Jones) and an INF that has been playing a lot of OF lately (Howie Clark). Hughes has dabbled in center for New Britain, but is considered more of a 2B/3B player.

I believe that Rochester will have a spot after Liriano's promotion. It would make sense for either OF Dustin Martin and/or 1B/OF Erik Lis to be moved up. As I mentioned earlier, there may also be a spot when and if Randy Ruiz is brought up.

The deadline is less than a half hour away.

4:30 UPDATE: The deadline has come and gone; The Twins didn't make a deal. But hey, this sure beats being a seller like last year...

All signs point to Franciso Liriano being called up. Not sure if that means that Boof Bonser or Brian Bass will be DFA'd.

The big move that went down was centered around the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez, who went to the Dodgers. In return the Red Sox acquired Jason Bay. A deeper look reveals the Red Sox parted ways with Manny, kicked in $7m and gave up two decent prospects... and got Jason Bay in return. Doesn't that seem like a lot? The Pirates made out like thieves, getting four really good prospects, including top 3B Andy LaRoche, who many Twins fan were interested in. Even the Dodgers get Ramirez's salary paid and two draft picks after Manny leaves as a FA. I guess in Boston's mind, getting rid of a headache is worth doing whatever it takes.

Lost in the hoopla of today is the fact that the Twins close their series with the Sox tonight. I expect Scott Baker to get it done.

Twins Win (Game), Lose (Casilla)

The Twins came from behind to beat the Sox 6-5. It was a great win and it pulled the Twins within a half of a game of the White Sox.

Instead of naming Three Stars, I'm going to briefly talk about the other news surrounding the Twins. If you haven't heard, 2B Alexi Casilla was placed on the Disabled List this evening. He injured his thumb sliding into second base last night and apparently has a torn tendon. It's not known whether he'll be able to play again this year or not. In my mind, it's a big loss; but not a loss that can't be overcome. I anticipate Nick Punto will become the everyday second baseman. Punto clearly is not the hitter that Casilla is (so he shouldn't be in the 2-hole), but makes up for it with his defense. Personally, I would like to see Punto batting 9th and Gomez batting 2nd.

The second half of the news is about SS Adam Everett. Everett's rehab assignment expired today, so something had to be done. Initially, the Twins were going to designate him for assignment. He was apparently given his walking papers; he just had 3 days to decide whether he wanted to take a minor-league assignment. (He wouldn't have.) Shortly after he left - thinking his Twins career was over - the Twins called him back and probably had a conversation that went something like this:

"Hey Adam... you know how we cut you today... GOTCHA BITCH!"

Ok, it probably wasn't entirely like that. But I'm assuming that Everett had to agree to come back. With that being said, he should probably just find a piece of bench next to Mike Lamb, because that's where he will be. The only difference is that where Lamb offers limited offense and less defense, Everett can be a solid late-inning defensive replacement.

So where does that leave the roster? In my estimation, when Michael Cuddyer is ready to come back - which might not be for a while yet - Craig Monroe will be heading elsewhere. And then when Casilla, or Matt Tolbert is healthy again, Adam Everett will be re-issued his walking papers.

The other thing that I've been asked about is the trade today between the Angels and Braves that netted the Angels 1B Mark Teixeira. Personally, I think the Angels are getting better, but this trade allowed them to get a jump on free agency. The Angels don't make this trade if they don't think they'll be able to resign Teixeira. They'll throw a boatload of money at him; and the trade price was steep as well.

Why didn't the Twins throw their hat in the ring? Because they didn't have the ammo to pull it off. Casey Kotchman is a pretty good ballplayer and is under the team's control for a couple more years. It would have taken a piece the Twins are probably trying to build around... and with a small market club, there is no way that Teixeira would resign.

Anyway, tomorrow night's game is actually a battle for first-place. The game pits Livan Hernandez against Gavin Floyd. If you remember, Floyd almost no-hit the Twins earlier this year. It should be a good one!

Twins beat Sox

I (think I) have a little bit of time to write about last night's game...

I wasn't able to watch the game live. However, I did DVR it and watch it later last night without knowing the outcome. I like to do this because 1) I usually don't have a lot of time to sit and watch TV and 2) I can fast-forward in between pitches and minimize the amount of time I have to hear Dick 'n Bert.

On an aside, I've determined that ADD was created by the advancement in technology. Growing up, the Twins might have been on TV once a week; now, every game is broadcast and I don't even have to wait for commercials, let alone waiting seven days until the next game is on TV. I'm a pretty patient person - I work with 8 and 9 year olds for nine months out of the year - but even I love being able to fast forward everything. It's not that we have attention-deficit, it's that we usually aren't required to have any sort of attention-span... and when we are, well, we don't know what that's like...

Back to baseball...

Twins beat Sox 7-0. WOO HOO!

Three Stars:
Kevin Slowey - CG, Shutout, 6 H, BB, 5 K. Francisco Who? Slowey was amazing. Loved it.
Denard Span - 1 for 5, 2-run HR to start the scoring. Again, he's here because he's a catalyst and a stud on defense. You can't send him down when Cuddy comes back, can you? (No, you can't. Craig Monroe WILL be sent packing.)
Justin Morneau - 2 for 3, HR, 3 RBI, R. All-Star. Home-Run Derby Champ. Gold-Glove First Baseman. Team MVP. AL MVP. Yup, I really think so.

That's all for today.

Twins win series; gain game on Sox

The Twins completed their series victory today with a win over the Indians. It wasn't exactly pretty, but a win is a win. Couple that with a Tigers victory over the White Sox and the Twins now sit 2.5 games back in the Central Division heading into a 4-game showdown with the ChiSox. Personally, I wouldn't be disappointed with a split, although that wouldn't be progress. However, I expect by the time the Twins leave Kansas City (August 10), they will be on top of the AL Central. You can put that on the board! (The Twins are also 2.5 game back in the Wild Card Race. They trail both the Red Sox and Yankees, and they are currently playing.)

Three Stars - I think today's game is tough to pick!
Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K. This is a great line! His performance, on the other hand, wasn't this pretty. Blackburn had to deal with leadoff runners every inning... ok, not every inning, but pretty close. He was able to wiggle his way out of trouble and left the game with only one run allowed and a win staring him in the face. And then Reyes came in... No matter, Blackburn pitched very well. If it weren't for bad luck (or a bad bullpen?) - and thus, a few extra wins - I really think he would be in the running for AL Rookie of the Year. At 7-6, though, it's not gonna happen.
Craig Monroe - 2 for 4, 2B, R. I gonna give Monroe the benefit of the doubt today. On a day where the offense wasn't too visible, Monroe was able to get the ball rolling on a bloop double. This started the 2-run 6th inning and put them back in a position to win the ballgame. For today, Craig, we'll forget that your "specialty" - hitting against left-handed pitchers - you came into the game batting .125 (10 for 80), but just for today!
Denard Span, sorry Justin Morneau - I know, Morneau had a pretty big-deal double in the 9th, but let's talk about Denard Span and his defense! I forget the inning, but Span made a great catch running towards center and leaping/turning to snag a sure double. And then in the bottom of the 8th, a shot to the gap, a sure go-ahead double... wait, here comes SuperSpan. Dare I say it... does Gomez make that catch? He probably does, but holy smokes, what a catch!

Tomorrow, White Sox, 7:05, Slowey, Buehrle, GIDDYUP!

By the way, Francisco Liriano - you may have heard of him - pitched for Rochester. He improved his record to 10-2. 6 IP, 8H/1BB, 4 ER, 9 K. Not the greatest line, but surely skewed by a 3-run HR. With over 100 pitches, and roughly 60% strikes, it's definitely better than it was in April, but still not how it was in 2006. I go back and forth (oscillate, if you will) on whether or not I think it's F-Bomb time. Right now, I'm content with the rotation... but for real, can't Liriano be the 8th inning guy? I don't want to hear how it would screw him up... two months of relief... isn't there a reason for "spring training"?

On another, unrelated note - am I the only person that thinks that Barry Bonds could help somebody?!? Honestly, he seems to be messed up, sure, but he was injured last year and still managed to hit 28 homers. How about a .480 OBP? How about averaging over a walk a game? Mauer leads the team in walks - less than half a game. I'm not saying Kubel is junk - because Kubel would be the most directly affected when it comes to playing time. But let's compare:

Jason Kubel - $1.3 million in '08, .263/.327/.451, 13 HR, 20% K-rate
Barry Bonds - $200,000 (prorated minimum), 07 stats - .276/.480/.565, 28 HR, 16% K-rate

To me, that's more production for less money. And I'm not even going to say anything about how it would positively affect the on-field production of Mauer, Morneau, Young, etc. Off-the-field, locker-room type-stuff, yeah, maybe that wouldn't be great... but Bonds wouldn't need to be a leader... he would just need to take walks and hit HRs, which, I remind you, he's still pretty good at.

I'm not calling for the Twins to sign Bonds... but I really think he's unfairly taken the blame for what was wrong with baseball the last bunch of years. He deserves another shot.

Back to Winning

The Twins won tonight 11-4 behind a 6-run 1st inning. Even though the game lacked the suspense of last night's loss, I definately will take the outcome.

Three Stars:
Brian Buscher - 3 for 5, HR, R, 5 RBI. Buscher's first inning 3-run HR really blew this game open. Maybe this game makes the front office reconsider their quest for a different 3rd baseman...?
Delmon Young - 3 for 5, 2 R, 2 RBI. I wish he would hit for something other than singles. But singles are better than outs, so I'll take them. I really hope Young can get and keep his average over .300. Then we'll look for his power numbers to go up.
Denard Span - 1 for 5, R, BB. This has more to do with his patience at the plate than it does with his performance. Span's leadoff walk began a huge inning; would Gomez have taken a walk? Everything is different with Denard leading off.

On a side note, Carlos Gomez left last night's game on a stretcher. He seems to be doing better, but is still very sore. I don't know what's going to happen when all four outfielders are healthy. I do know that with Gomez being dinged up, it's an excuse to shelve him for a while. Maybe a stint on the DL wouldn't be too bad. Gomez to the DL, call up Liriano. When Cuddyer is healthy, DFA Bass. There, it's solved.

I posted previously about the sucess that Shooter Hunt was having in Elizabethton. That sucess earned him a promotion to Beloit. (Sidenote: Hunt and Ben Revere are two of the Twins top prospects and they are both at Beloit. If you could make it there, it would be worth it.) He made his premier at low-A today. He didn't disappoint.

5 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, (1 wild pitch), 9 strikeouts

The knock on Hunt was that he's a little out-of-control. He didn't do anything to show me that's gone, but the 9 Ks is a great start. Is it crazy to think that Fort Myers might not be too far away?

Twins Get Swept

I'm not too discouraged by the sweep that just occured. Yeah, it's disappointing; but only because the Twins couldn't get one win. No one expected more than that. The pitching wasn't great, but the offense was clearly disappointed.

The big news continues to be Francisco Liriano. When is he going to be promoted? Personally, I don't think arbitration has anything to do with him being held down there. I think other things - like his behavior from November 06 to April of 08 - are the things weighing heavier on the Twins mind. With that being said, if Liriano doesn't reach Super-2 status, his contract will be renewed and he will probably make about $420,000 next year. If he were to reach arbitration he would make significantly more. Of the pitchers who were arbitration-eligible last year, Scott Kazmir and Chien Ming-Wang are most comparable to Liriano.

Scott Kazmir avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1 yr, $3.875m contract with the Rays. He has since signed a long-term deal.

Chien Ming-Wang went to arbitration with the Yankees. He requested $4.6m, while the Yanks offered $4m. The Yankees won and Ming-Wang is making $4m this year.

Liriano's case differs in that he missed a whole year, but while he played he was better than either Kazmir or Ming-Wang. I would say $3.5m would be a fair guess - which is $3m more than he would make without arbitration. Regardless, this should be a moot point.

The part that needs to be addressed is getting Liriano up to the big club. It needs to happen. Having just pitched yesterday, he will need his rest, but should be ready by Sunday. In my opinion, it is Nick Blackburn and not Kevin Slowey who needs to be moved to the bullpen.

Nick Blackburn sits at 120 innings this year and is on pace to pitch 192. In my mind, I want him at a number that's more around 150 to 160. Kevin Slowey has only pitched 87.2 innings. He has a lower WHIP and BAA (although his ERA is higher) and is on pace to only pitch 140 innings.

My other concern is with Glen Perkins. He needs to stay in the rotation, but is now at almost 130 innings (combined MLB and AAA). If he stays in the rotation he will finish with around 180 innings. I think that number is too high.

So what's my solution? Slowey gets bumped up to pitch Sunday. Because of the off-day he will stay on 5-days rest. Liriano gets called up and pitches at home on Monday. Blackburn moves to the bullpen. To make room for Liriano, Brian Bass needs to be designated for assignment. For one, his spot on the 40-man roster will be needed in November and for another, Brian Bass will clear waivers and end up in Rochester, where he belongs. As for the the questions with Liriano's contract... well, they can play themselves out, because I doubt Bill Smith has let him affect his decision. (If anything, having to pay Liriano an extra $3m will limit Smith's ability to sign another Mike Lamb.)

I guess we'll see what happens...

Twins Win Big

Tonight's 14-2 victory was very exciting. Being in the Metrodome with 35,000 other people was also quite the time.

Three Stars:
Justin Morneau - 2 for 4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB. All I can say is, "MVP!"
Livan Hernandez - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K. I think he has earned another start. Oh, and this was his 10th victory.
Delmon Young - 3 for 5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. I was especially excited after Young's 3rd hit, which put him at .300 for the year. His line-out in the 8th dropped him back to .299. (Side note: Delmon absolutely destroyed the ball during BP. In my opinion, more impressive than Josh Hamilton even. And yes, my friend Tim did catch two of his BP Home Runs... in the air.)

According to LaVelle E. Neal III, the Twins will not be trading for Adrian Beltre. Apparently the price is too high. If the price, in fact, would be one of the four youngsters in the rotation, then yes - that is too high.

Neal suggested this afternoon that the Twins "are also on the lookout for bullpen help, an area some people in the organization feel is a greater need. There are a few out there. Jon Rauch of the Nationals is one."

If the name "Jon Rauch" rings a bell, it's probably because I suggested yesterday that the Twins may have interest in him. (I'm not suggesting that the Star Tribune hire me, but I would have broke that news for an earlier edition.)

Also of note (and new to me), Neal believes that four of the Twins top prospects are out for the year: Tyler Robertson, Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson and Deibinson Romero. I will be the first to say that none performed to expecations and all will probably dropped on prospect lists. Ok, I'm probably not the first to say that.

Going for the sweep tomorrow!

Twins open 2nd half with win

The Twins cruised to a 6-0 victory tonight over the Texas Rangers.

Three Stars:
Glen Perkins - 6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 98 pitches. With this performance, Perkins's ERA drops to 3.84. That is a pretty encouraging number for a guy that started the year in the AAA rotation and was viewed as a possible reliever. Although the 3 walks, with only 1 strikeout, isn't great; the fact that Perkins was able to hold a big-time offense to 3 hits - and 6 innings of shutout baseball - is a feat in itself. (This is the first game of the year that the Rangers haven't scored, I believe.) I think it should be pointed out that Perkins has never pitched more than 134 innings in a year as a professional. He is at 117.2 right now. So basically, when the calendar turns to August, Perkins will be in unchartered waters when it comes to innings pitched. I don't think it would be crazy for the Twins to limit his innings, especially coming off a shoulder injury, but at 7-2 and cruising, it would be tough to shut him down for any amount of time. Although, I do think the Twins might have a guy that could step in for a start or two...
Delmon Young - 4 for 4, RBI, SB. Don't look now, but D-Young is batting .294. I know the power numbers aren't there, but he's batting 30 points higher than Jason Kubel. And with tonight's game, he will be somewhere are the Top 20 in batting average in the AL. His slugging percentage on the other hand... four singles don't really help that.
Justin Morneau - 1 for 3, 2 R, BB, 2B. No let-down after the All-Star game. Tonight's scoring started after Morneau was able to reach with a double in the 4th. I think Morneau is officially on the radar when it comes to AL MVP.

Livan Hernandez will be on the hill tomorrow night. It is also Delmon Young bobblehead night. Hopefully, I will be able to snag a nodder or two from the "haters" that will be in the stands. I'm still a big fan of the guy; even though he hasn't performed as many of us had hoped. And his defense remains shaky. We'll see what happens with him.

On a side note, I wouldn't mind the Twins looking into making a deal with the Nationals to get Delmon's brother, Dmitri Young. He's relatively cheap ($5m this year and next) and would be a great mentor to little brother. He also still has some ability and could provide the team with a player much like Craig Monroe, only as a guy who could play a little 1B. The Nationals have the worst record in baseball, so they probably wouldn't hesitate to sell. Other guys on their roster that may generate some interest with the Twins:
-SS Cristian Guzman - .312/.341/.423. He's been (by far) the Nationals' best player. But his contract ($4.2m) expires at the end of the year and by trading him, the Nationals guarantee a return.
-RP John Rauch - 2.85 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 17 SV. If the Twins are actually looking for an 8th inning guy, this could be an answer. Rauch's contract is also affordable: $1.2m in '08; $2m in '09; $2.9m option in '10.

Of course, those names are all just curiousity/specualtion, but interesting as well. There is also that other rumor involving a Gold-Glove 3B. But at this point, with the team playing so well, why make a move?

Shooter Hunt

As much fun as it has been to follow Ben Revere's year -- and his assault on .400 -- I think it's now time to tune into the new career of Shooter Hunt.

For those of you who don't know, Hunt was a top prospect but fell to the Twins in the Sandwich Round after a disappointing last half of his collegiate year. Since signing, Hunt has played 3 games in the Rookie Level Appy League with the Elizabethton Twins. Here are his lines:

July 4 - 3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 K
July 11 - 5 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 10 K
July 16 - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K

His stats: 0.64 ERA, 0.29 WHIP, 16.7 K/9

People don't just luck out and have numbers like that.

My only question is does he make his next start with low-A Beloit or high-A Fort Myers?

Morneau wins Derby

Congrats to Justin Morneau, who just won the Home Run Derby. I'm fairly certain he will go down as "the guy that won the Derby the year Josh Hamilton hit 28 HR's in the first round".

If you didn't watch it, I'm sure it will be on ESPN Classic.

Twins head into break

The Twins finished their series with the Tigers today, ending their "first-half" with a loss. I think all Twins fans should be happy with where the team sits -- it's definitely exceeded expectations.

Instead of saying much about the last three games, I'm going to focus on a rumor that is starting to pick up some steam: Making a trade to acquire Adrian Beltre from the Seattle Mariners.

The obvious is this: The Twins lack power from the right side. They also lack a great glove. Enter Beltre - 16 homers, Gold Glove 3B. He is under contract for $12 million for both this year and next year.

If the price was only in dollars, that would be steep. He'd be the Twins highest paid player both this year and next. But the steeper price would be what the team would need to give up. I'm just going to throw out some possibility and finally, make a hypothetical trade.

Whenever there is a discussion about the Mariners, we first need to focus on what they've done - and that is trade away the farm for Erik Bedard. They gave up their 2007 #1 prospect CF Adam Jones and their 2008 #3 prospect RHP Chris Tillman, not to mention two left-handed pitchers and another right-handed pitcher. So those would be natural "need" starting points. Add into that the fact the Mariners would be giving up their starting 3B and we have a lot of potential trade possibilities.

First of all, pitchers are usually always included in trades like this. Some names I'd expect the Mariners to be tossing around:
LHP Glen Perkins
RHP Boof Bonser
RHP Philip Humber
RHP Kevin Mulvey
LHP Brian Duensing
RHP Anthony Slama
I also believe that guys like Swarzak (even though he's struggled), Robertson and Guerra would be mentioned, but I doubt the Twins would part with them; Swarzak because his value is not real high right now.

The other intriguing position would be outfielders. I would consider the Twins CF depth very good right now. Some possible names:
CF Denard Span
RF Michael Cuddyer
CF Joe Benson
CF Ben Revere
CF Angel Morales

I would also assume the Mariners would want to get an INF back, probably someone that could play 3B.
3B Mike Lamb
3B Matt Macri
3B/SS Trevor Plouffe
3B/SS Luke Hughes
3B Garrett Olson
3B Danny Valencia
3B Deibinson Romero

Presumably, for the Twins to take back $12m, they would require the Mariners to take some money back. In my mind, Mike Lamb or Michael Cuddyer would have to be included. With Cuddyer's big contract, I would have to assume that the package of prospects would have to increase. So the first part of the puzzle is easy: Mike Lamb. What's his value to the Mariners? Not too much.

Another piece of the puzzle would have to be a "top position prospect". The names that I would categorize there would be: Denard Span, Ben Revere, Joe Benson, Trevor Plouffe, Luke Hughes, Danny Valencia. Obviously, they are not all equal. I would have a really hard time giving up Span, Revere or Hughes. The other three - lesser prospects - could go. Of those three, the Mariners would probably find Joe Benson - an Adam Jones-like player - the most appealing.

Now the part that would make this trade actually happen - the pitchers. I think Perkins and a low prospect could make it work. I don't think the Twins would trade the guy from Stillwater. I don't think Bonser or Humber really excite anyone right now - their value is low. That leaves LHP Brian Duensing and RP Anthony Slama as guys the Mariners would probably focus on. (That's not to say some guys like Manship, Mullins, Rainville, Steadley, Devries, Waldrop, McCardell, Van Mil, etc. wouldn't/couldn't be traded.)

Would the price of CF Joe Benson, LHP Brian Duensing, RP Anthony Slama and throw-in 3B Mike Lamb be enough to get it done? Would the Twins need to include more major-league ready players? Is that too much? Who on the big-league club would the Twins be willing to part with?

If I was Bill Smith and the Mariners offered Beltre for these four, I would have to think hard about it. I would need to work out something money-wise, because $12m is a load to take on.

I would take a step back though and say this:
Joe Benson has fallen below Ben Revere, who will still be blocked by Gomez, Span and probably Young. Brian Duensing is a good prospect, but for a team that has all their "prospects" in the rotation already - and they're doing a good job at a higher level. Anthony Slama has been lights out, but he's old for his class. Mike Lamb... does anyone actually want Mike Lamb?

When I think about it that way, now I don't think that would be enough. Who else would have to be added? Who really knows? It's just something fun to think about.

Twins get back to winning

After a good couple of games at Boston, the Twins were destroyed yesterday to complete the sweep. Although the series did put some distance between the Twins and Boston in the Wild Card Race, and the Twins and White Sox in the AL Central Race, the are still within striking distance.

Today's game against Detroit was not televised. I saw the score in the 6th - 6-2 Tigers - and thought we were headed for a 4th straight loss. Later, while watching ESPN News, I saw the Twins pulled out a 7-6 win in 11 innings. I read through the play-by-play and think we missed a pretty good game.

Three stars:
Justin Morneau: 5 for 5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB. Morneau reached base all six times and hit a solo HR in the top of 11 to complete the comeback win. Let the official race for MVP begin.
Denard Span: 4 for 4, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB. Span reached base all five times. (Leadoff anyone? HELLO!) It is becoming increasingly difficult to envision Span being returned to Rochester when Cuddyer is ready to return. (The two guys in jeopardy - Craig Monroe and Mike Lamb - combined to go 0 for 5 today.) If I was in charge: Span replaces Monroe on the roster. In a 6-game week in the outfield, Cuddyer gets a game off, Span gets a game off, Gomez gets two games off, Young gets two games off. Kubel would be the only DH; however, against a LHP, Young (or Gomez) would play DH. Another option would be to play Cuddyer at 1B and DH Morneau. I also wouldn't mind seeing Cuddyer get a game or two at 3B. In fact, Cuddyer could become that super-utility player he came into the league as.
Bullpen: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 7 K. It's about time! Kevin Slowey had another brutal performance, but the bullpen was able to give the Twins a shot. In fact, it appears that Joe Nathan and Craig Breslow - the two most dependable guys in the bullpen - pitched the worse.

I haven't able to keep up much with the minor leagues lately, so I don't have any good information.

Tomorrow the Twins play at 6:05. Glen Perkins will be making the start.

Baby News

So shortly after I signed off last night, we headed to the hospital. We spent a long time waiting for things to progress... and they did at 2:49 pm. Cade Rodney Nygaard (8 lbs 7 oz, 20.5 in long) came into the world shortly before Nadal defeated Federer (in a 5-set epic match) and shortly after the Twins hung 3 runs on Cliff Lee in the 7th inning today. Needless to say, the big news - and pics - is below.

Marin was pretty excited to hold her little brother. Things will now be a little more interesting around the house.

Have a good night. I'll be sleeping like a baby!

Twins beat Indians twice

The Twins have beaten the Indians twice since I last posted.

On Friday night, the Twins put together a 12-3 win. For as lopsided as the score was, the game was actually quite close until the 7th inning. The Twins were able to pour on a few extra runs late.
Three Stars:
Delmon Young - 3 for 5, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI. Delmon's finally starting to come around offensively. (Defensively, he will always be below-average.) His 3rd HR of the year, which came in the 3rd inning, is a sign that the power is starting to come. I don't think he'll get 20, but 15 isn't out of the question. (I still think that Gomez will be more a power-guy throughout the course of their careers.)
Nick Punto - 2 for 4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB. LNP's coming out party? I don't know if I'd go that far *coughTimcough* but it was nice to see a performance like this. Punto's glove is what gets him into the game, so whenever he's able to put forth this kind of offensive effort, it's nothing to icing on the cake. (I also promised to only say nice things about LNP for a week.)
Justin Morneau - 2 for 3, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB. Regardless of how his teammates perform, Morneau continues to get it done. But would we expect anything less?

Saturday night's game started off with a quick lead and then Slowey gives up 5 second-inning runs. It didn't look good. But as always - at least lately - the offense is able to put together a rally. The Twins end up with a 9-6 victory. It is interesting to note that no Twins player had more than one hit. (Morneau was the only player without a hit; but managed to score twice.)
Three Stars:
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 K. This may be debatable. But without the big 2nd inning, Slowey's line is 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K. That is an amazing line. However, he had a really bad inning and bounced back to pitch a solid game. After Sizemore's HR, Slowey retired 13 straight; and 14 of 15 before leaving the game. I'm still not on board that Slowey is the BEST STARTER on the staff, but he definitely deserves to be mentioned along with Baker and Blackburn. (All three have ERAs under 4.00. I went back and looked - from 2002 to 2007, the Twins never finished a year with 3 starters under 4.00. There still is half a year to go, but that gives a good idea of how well these young guys are pitching.)
Joe Mauer - 1 for 2, RBI, 3 R, 3 BB. Not a lot of guys can improve their batting average by getting one hit in a game. Mauer can - he's up to .325 (2nd in the AL), he also improved his OBP to .415 (also 2nd). This goes without mentioning that he's playing the most physically demanding postition and statistically is light-years ahead of the other AL catchers.
Look (stats through yesterday's games):
Runs: 51 (1st by 12)
Hits: 90 (1st by 3)
Doubles: 22 (1st by 2)
Triples: 1 (2nd trails by 2)
Home Runs: 3 (low)
RBI: 36 (1st by 3)
Walks: 43 (1st by 17)
Average: .324 (1st by 25 points - among qualifiers)
OBP: .409 (1st by 68 points)
Slugging: .442 (2nd trails by 5 points)
OPS: .859 (1st by 64 points)
Denard Span - 1 for 2, 2 BB, R, RBI. I'm officially on board. Switch Span to lead-off and Gomez to 9th. When Cuddyer comes back, make a roster spot (either Lamb or Monroe), start Span at LF and let Young get his ABs at DH and rotating through the corner OF positions.

MY ALL-STAR PREDICTIONS:
I'm not sure if the whole line-up is announced tomorrow, or just the starters. But I'm going to make my prediction without doing too much research. Here are the guys that should represent the Twins in New York next Tuesday:
C Joe Mauer (starter) - I don't need to give you stats. I did that already.
1B Justin Morneau - He won't catch Youkilis, but Morneau should start. Oh, and he should be talked about in the MVP race too.
CLR Joe Nather - Because he's 5th in the AL in saves, he probably won't make it. His ERA, however, is 1.30 and that is pretty solid.

Anyway, I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. I hope you all enjoyed the holdiay. Still no baby news.

Another series win

The Twins completed their series against the Tigers with a 7-0 victory. Had the bullpen been able to hold the lead Friday night, they would have been able to sweep the Tigers - arguably a team just as hot as the Twins. Although taking two out of three is still acceptable. (That makes 15 of 18 since Friday the 13th of June.) They are 9 games over .500.

The highlight of today's game was the ability of Nick Blackburn to rebound from his 4 HR performance of last Friday night. Which leads me to...

THREE STARS:
Nick Blackburn - 7 IP, 3 H, 4 K, 1 BB. It would have been nice if he could have kept his pitch count (104) lower and been able to finish the game himself, but that's just being picky. Yesterday, Baker threw 70 of 100 pitches for strikes; today, Blackburn goes 69 for 104. And I thought Slowey was the control guy?
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, 2 2B, RBI, R. Admittedly a slow starter, Young has began to turn it around. His average is now up to .284. (He was 37th in the AL before today, where his average went up 6 points.) I know his OBP and SLG isn't great, but I think those will continue to climb as well. By the end of the year, I feel/hope that the "horrible trade" talk will subside.
Carlos Gomez - 3 for 5, R. As Go-Go goes, so goes the Twins. It really seems like that doesn't it? It also helps to have the other "Rabbits" around. (I don't think that's going to stick.)

The Twins have tomorrow off before opening a series against the disappointing Indians. The games might not be "must-win", but with the White Sox playing so well lately, the Twins need wins to keep the gap manageable.

Since the Family Update was so well liked, here's a little comical information from today:
LeAnne had made some toast for herself for breakfast and one piece remained on the plate on our fireplace. After dinner, the plate still hadn't made it's way into the garbage can. Marin brought me the plate and I told her it was "yucky". To which she replied, "No daddy. Dat not yucky, dat yummy in me tummy!" How can you not love that?! Needless to say, we threw it away anyway.

Have a good Wednesday!

Twins tame Tigers

After last night's disappointing loss, the Twins were able to get back on track with a 6-4 offensive outburst.

Three Stars:
Craig Monroe - 2 for 3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB. Monroe's 8th HR of the year was a big one. It got the offense back on track and helped lead the club to a victory.
Scott Baker - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 K. I thought Baker had a pretty good outing. He is keeping his ERA under 4 and remains healthy. Is it too early to already be excited about next year's pitching rotation (all a year more experienced, and Liriano replacing Hernandez)?
"The Rabbits" - (Bremer clearly referred to Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla as "The Rabbits".) 6 for 9, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB, 0 K. How impressive was this group tonight? There are two legitimate lead-off hitters in this group... and Carlos Gomez bats in between them. I'm not going to back off my prediction that eventually Gomez develops into a #3 hitter and Mauer bumps up to #2. It just won't happen this year.

That's all for the game tonight. Tomorrow afternoon's game doesn't appear to be televised.

Family Update: We are 12 days to the due date for baby #2. LeAnne continues to work her normal hours... and as soon as baby comes, she'll be taking 12 weeks off. Marin is excited for her baby brother to come out and play. She's a little confused about the whole thing though, but she sure is funny. We finished the baby's room, so we're ready too. Even though I'm not sure I remember how the whole "newborn" thing works. I'm ready to give it a shot...

Cuddy to DL

It's been reported during the game that RF Michael Cuddyer is heading to the Disabled List. He has a strained tendon in his left index finger. Cuddy spent some time on the DL earlier this year, but that was with a dislocated right index finger. So these injuries aren't at all related.

To take Cuddyer's place, OF Denard Span will be called up from Rochester. Many fans were excited with Span's performed during Cuddyer's last trip to the DL. If he can manage to play well while he's up, it will give the Front Office a tough choice to make: Send Span back down or release Craig Monroe? The decision to release Monroe will only get easier as he continues to struggle and the year continues to wind down. Unfortunately for the Red Wings, while Span recovered from a hand injury, the team really struggled. And unfortunately for Span, he was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game. It appears that with the promotion, he will probably still be with the Twins at the time of the game, and unable to participate. I believe that if Span can't play, the Twins will be able to send a different prospect. (Ben Revere?)

Twins prospects INF Luke Hughes was also selected to play in the game. He has played very well while healthy, but has been injured for a majority of the last few months. If he can stay healthy for a couple of months and continue to rake, he will be in line for a September call-up (or possibly earlier).

The Twins are currently leading behind a great start from Kevin Slowey. Let's hope they can keep it up.

It appears all good things must come to an end...

At this moment, the Twins are in serious danger of having their winning streak snapped. No one has done much. (At least not well.) So I'm not going to say much about tonight's game.

Last night's game, however, was very exciting. I had the opportunity to be in attendance. I would definitely consider it one of the best three games I've seen in person. The other two are the games that 1) Koskie got hit in the chest running to first as the winning run scored from third and 2) the game that Jacque Jones scored the winning run on a wild pitch, he was on second base and I called that it would happen. Last night's game absolutely had the most action. (26 hits, 7 home runs.) It really felt like a game in October. It would be be cool if the Twins could play the Brewers in October, although it would really nullify home field advantage for both teams.

Oh, and I was on the JumboTron during "Living on a Prayer". Cool stuff.

Anway, a quick summary of the three stars of last night's 7-6 win.
Joe Mauer - 2 for 4, BB, 2 R, HR, RBI. Mauer's game winning HR in the 8th puts him atop this list.
Brian Bass - 2.1 IP, H, 2 K. As much as I don't really like Bass, he really came in and pitched well. It gave the offense a chance to get back in the game.
Delmon Young - 3 for 4, RBI. Although he didn't have a huge night offensively, it was important for him to play well after his 3-day break.

Other notes:
Michael Cuddyer and Alexi Casilla are both missing tonight's game with finger injuries. Neither appear to serious, but we'll stay tuned.

Let's hope the Twins can get back to their winning ways tomorrow night...

Twins Streak Continues

The Twins completed their third straight sweep and ninth straight victory today.

Instead of naming stars, I'm just going to give you some information that I find important:
*Justin Morneau went 3 for 4 today with a HR and 3 RBI. He is now batting .310 on the year.
*Mike Redmond played today so Mauer could have a day off. He went 2 for 5 and is up to .286. That's not bad considering it took Redmond until the end of May to get to, and stay above .200.
*Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 and is not batting .268. Does anyone else think that Gomez could use a day off?
*Delmon Young didn't play at all this series. Maybe he could have played a game for Cuddyer (2 for 13 this series) or Kubel (2 for 12). I think Delmon will get better. I would say that being benched for 3 games was unjustified.
*Brian Buscher is still getting it done (.386).
*In the winning streak, the starters have been 8-0. Only Slowey had a no decision, and he pitched very well.

The Brewers are coming to town tomorrow. They are playing well (8-2 in last 10), so expect some good games. I will be there tomorrow, so look for me.

The Timberwolves - as expected - drafted OJ Mayo. In a somewhat surprising move, they haven't traded him (yet). Not much has been made of the pick, so I'm going to assume they are keeping him. In my opinion, they 100% did the right thing.

In the 2nd round the Wolves had two picks. They took foreign C Nikola Pekovic from Montenegro and Kansas G Mario Chalmers. The analysts liked both picks. Apparently, Pekovic is under contract for a few years oversees, but was described as having "lottery talent." He likely won't make it to Minnesota for 3-4 years. I was a little surprised to see the Wolves take Chalmers. I don't doubt that he's going to be a decent player, but teams don't have a lot of room for 6-3 shooting guards... and the Wolves took two of them tonight. It wouldn't shock me if the Wolves night isn't over.

UPDATE 10:20 pm - The Wolves have traded Mario Chalmers to the Heat for a couple of 2nd round picks and cash. No word yet if Miami's pick this year is part of this deal. I would assume it would be, but who knows?

UPDATE 8:28 am - I actually went to bed last night thinking that OJ Mayo was going to stay a Timberwolf. Why wouldn't I? Hoiberg was telling us all that. Well, it turns out we were wrong. Mayo is heading to Memphis. I know a lot of Wolves fans are disappointed. This trade isn't going to help with fan-base. But I do think the Wolves will come out ok.

The deal: Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.6m + 2 more years), Antoine Walker ($9.3m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m +2 more years) for Kevin Love, Mike Miller ($9m + 1 more year), Brian Cardinal ($6.3m + 1 more year) and Jason Collins ($6.2m)

Contract-wise: The Wolves actually took more money back this year. Let's compare totals on a yearly basis - 08-09 gained approx. $1.8m. 09-10 gained approx. $5.4m. The deal will look good in 10-11 when this trade helps reduce the payroll by almost $12m. So over the life of these deals the Wolves salary will be reduced by close to $5 million. That doesn't include the fact that Love will sign for less money than Mayo.

Skill-wise: Mike Miller is going to lead the Wolves in scoring. He will fill a role that hasn't been properly filled since Sprewell left. He will start at a wing. Kevin Love will probably start at the 4, but will not be nearly as good as Mayo over their respective careers. The rest of the players are just bad contracts that won't play much. (Although I do wonder if the Wolves have room for both Mark Madsen and Brian Cardinal on their bench...?)

Fan-wise: I think a lot of Wolves fans were excited about Mayo. He probably would have helped sell tickets. As far as winning games, probably not likely in the beginning. Because of that, fans would stop coming. The Wolves, and Mike Miller, will be better in the long run. If they can start winning a few games, that will put fans in the seats.

Realistically: The Wolves win 25ish games and end up in the lottery with another high pick. They also will have Miami's pick if the Heat don't end up in the Top 10. If the Wolves finish with a decent record - and a pick outside of the Top 10 - they send their pick to the Clippers. Early money says that Wolves struggle all year and end up choosing between 7-0 C BJ Mullens of Ohio State or 7-3 Haseem Thabeet of UConn. Although there will be better players on the board. Why? Because that's how Kevin McHale rolls!

An early look at the roster:
PG - Sebastian Telfair (RFA) - If he leaves, Foye moves to point.
SG - Randy Foye - Let's hope he can stay healthy.
SF - Mike Miller - Will also play SG.
PF - Kevin Love - Athletic big man who should be perfect compliment to Big Al.
C - Al Jefferson - Should still get 20 and 10.
Res - Rashad McCants - Could start, but I envision him as a 6th man.
Res - Ryan Gomes (RFA) - Would probably start at SF if Telfair leaves.
Res - Corey Brewer - Will be asked to be defensive stopper.
Res - Craig Smith (RFA) - Will be part of big-man rotation.
Res - Jason Collins - Will probably start - ala Mark Blount, Michael Doleac - until Love is ready.
11th and 12th men - Brian Cardinal and Mark Madsen
Have a good night.

NBA Draft Preview

The NBA Draft is tomorrow night. The Timberwolves hold the #3 pick. Unfortunately, if used, #3 will only net one player. If the Wolves are able to trade down, they may be able to fill additional holes. The Timberwolves have multiple holes to fill (in no particular order):

- A big man to compliment Al Jefferson. I believe that Jefferson is a true Power Forward (or a 4). An ideal big man would be a true center. I don't know that they exist anymore - and if they do they are extremely rare. The closest thing to a true center is Brook Lopez, Kosta Koufos and Roy Hibbert. Lopez would be a stretch at #3, but would be a possibility later in the lottery. I would view the other two as mid- to late 1st rounders.

-A guard to compliment Randy Foye (and to a lesser extent Rashad McCants). Personally, I think the Wolves need to view Foye as a PG and they need to draft a SG. OJ Mayo fits this mold perfectly, or if the Wolves trade down - Eric Gordon. The toughest part is determining how these guards can match up with the Tracy McGradys of the world.



Because the Timberwolves were so bad last year, the solution isn't nearly as simple as I may have made it sound. They need a lot of help. Here's how I hope it shakes down tomorrow:

At #1 the Bulls take PG Derrick Rose.

At #2 the Heat take F Michael Beasley. They are going to trade him. I think they would like the Wolves to offer #3 and Corey Brewer and/or the pick the Heat owe them. I don't think it will happen. For now, Beasley stays...

At #3 the Wolves take OJ Mayo. Immediately, the will begin working the phones. They will talk to the Heat. They will talk to the Grizzlies and Knicks... and other teams down lower. I don't think there will be any announced trades at this point.

At #4 the Sonics will take the guy they want the most. I just can't determine who they think it is. At this time, I'm leaning towards Arizona PG Jerryd Bayless. Regardless, this pick is the first domino.

At #5 the Grizzlies are going to be trying to move up. They are offering SF Mike Miller and PG Kyle Lowry as incentive. I really think the Heat will take the bait and move down to #5. I don't know who they'll take. If Bayless is available, they go that direction. If not, it's anyone's guess.

At #6 the Knicks will be trying to make a move to get OJ Mayo. The key for the Wolves is that Kevin Love is still on the board. I don't think they like anyone else enough to get rid of Mayo. If Love is on the board, I would be ok if the Wolves made this trade:

OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.5m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m) for Kevin Love, F David Lee ($1.8m), 6-6 PG Mardy Collins ($1m), the expiring contract of F Malik Rose ($7.6m) and a draft pick (either a protected 1st next year or something like that).

If the Knicks blink, keep Mayo. I really don't think Mayo is the next Jordan, but I think he'll be a very good player. He will be an all-star and he will sell tickets. I don't feel the same about Kevin Love, but I do think he'll be pretty good.

Other trade partner possibilities:
Clippers at #7: Corey Maggette and Al Thornton would be ok to obtain in a trade.
Bucks at #8: Rumor has it that Charlie Villanueva and Yi are possibly on the move. Michael Redd may also be on his way out - not to Minnesota - so a 3-way is possible.
Bobcats at #9: Adam Morrison has been rumored. That's not going to happen. The Bobcats just did acquire another 1st rounder, so #9, #20 and a player like Jared Dudley and/or Sean May makes sense.
Nets at #10. Mayo seems like a Jay-Z type of guy. The Nets have lots of picks in the bank and guys like Sean Williams, Marcus Williams and Adam Boone are all decent young players.
I could go on like this forever... but I won't.

Either way, we will see what happens tomorrow night.

I'm going to take the night off of making a Twins post. They did win again last night, and they are winning again tonight, so we'll hope it continues...

Have a good night!

Twins add another win

Today has been a very busy day, so I'm not going to post much at all.

The Twins won 5-3 today to complete their sweep over Arizona. Luckily, LeAnne and I were able to attend. We sat 12 rows up from Arizona's on-deck circle. They were pretty sweet seats.

After the game, we picked Marin up and brought her to her first movie - Kung Fu Panda. She liked it, but doesn't really understand what the theater is all about. She doesn't sit still and comments on everything. Good thing there were only two other people there.

So that brings us to back to the game...

Funny, but it's more of the same - seven with hits, five with runs, (only) three with RBIs.

Brian Buscher continues to get it done - 2 for 4, 2 RBI, R. He did come up with the bases loaded and fail to knock anyone in... that was different.
Livan Hernandez continues to do what he does - give up lots of hits (9) in lots - but less - innings (7), yet only allows 1 earned run (2 unearned) and collect his team-leading 8th win.
Jesse Crain is filthy. He only pitched one inning and didn't strike anyone out, but it was easy to see. (Maybe because we were sitting so close.) It was funny to see a guy come in and start throwing some pitches 3o mph faster than the guy he replaced. LeAnne also noticed that after one fastball, Mauer took off his glove and flexed his hand, like "man, that hurt."
Joe Nathan is the best closer in baseball... even with the twitch.

The Twins announced after the game that they'll be activating Nick Punto and option Matt Macri back to Rochester. Rochester fans should be happy. I would expect Macri, Sergio Santos and Trevor Plouffe to man 2B, 3B and SS in some combination. Macri has been playing well, so I'm sure it wasn't easy to send him down. Wait, "easy" could mean different things. It was easy in that it it had to be Macri or Buscher. It wasn't easy in that Macri has been performing better than other (higher-paid) veterans.

I'm not going to suggest any moves at this point. I will just list a few guys that I think need to step it up or risk being let go (sooner or later):
SOONER:
Brian Bass - this was probably "sooner" a month ago, but Bass has faired well lately. If there ever is a need for another pitcher and no one with options becomes likely to go down, Bass will be released.

Mike Lamb and Boof Bonser - I'm lumping these two together because I think the Twins should be actively shopping them. If the Twins decide to become sellers, Lamb could be moved to a contender looking for a left-handed bat. He could be had for a low-class low-to-mid-prospect. Bonser could be moved either way. If there is a NL team looking for a decent pitcher, I'm sure the Twins would be willing to part with Boof. I could see Bonser netting a high-class mid-prospect who maybe has a little pop. I don't have any possible partners... just thinking.

LATER:
Adam Everett - right now he's safe, but only because he's not taking up an active roster spot. For all I care, he could stay there for the rest of the year
Craig Monroe - he probably has a little time, but if Denard Span continues to play so well at AAA, there is no reason to keep Monroe around. Ok, there is 1: he has a little power.

Anyway, the Twins have a day off tomorrow before starting a series with the Padres. That should be fun. Don't get a case of the "Mondays"!