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...