The over/under on Correia

[Brock Beauchamp]

So, Kevin threw another clunker last night. I think his days are numbered.

 

What's the over/under on Corriea being removed from the rotation?

 

My guess is May 25th.

 

Secondly, who replaces him? Right now, I'd split the odds between Pelfrey and May, dependent on how May pitches over his next couple of starts.

[sorney]

May 25 sounds about right....

Being it's the Twins, I wouldn't even split the odds, it's probably a slam dunk it's Pelfrey. <sigh>

[Brock Beauchamp]

May 25 sounds about right....

Being it's the Twins, I wouldn't even split the odds, it's probably a slam dunk it's Pelfrey.

 

I think it all depends on May. If he throws two more good starts, that would put four of his last five starts as quality. I think that might be enough to get the call.

[Mike Sixel]

Pelfrey. Veteraniness....

 

edit: as evidence, I offer Matt Gruyere

[pierre75275]

June 1. I expect him to develop a groin injury

[Brock Beauchamp]

Pelfrey. Veteraniness....

 

I don't think the Twins are in any hurry to bring back Mike Pelfrey, particularly if he struggles with velocity in AAA.

 

This team is 18-20 and in a much stronger position than last season to stay in the hunt. I think the Twins will start getting more aggressive to put quality players on the field over struggling veterans, which is why I think Correia will be gone after two more starts if he continues to struggle.

 

Though I'm sure we'll see Mike Pelfrey in a Twins uniform again at some point.

[DocBauer]

Whenever it mercifully happens...Darnell?

[Mike Sixel]

I don't think the Twins are in any hurry to bring back Mike Pelfrey, particularly if he struggles with velocity in AAA.

 

This team is 18-20 and in a much stronger position than last season to stay in the hunt. I think the Twins will start getting more aggressive to put quality players on the field over struggling veterans, which is why I think Correia will be gone after two more starts if he continues to struggle.

 

Though I'm sure we'll see Mike Pelfrey in a Twins uniform again at some point.

 

Like Matt Gruyere? That "quality"?

[sorney]

I don't think the Twins are in any hurry to bring back Mike Pelfrey, particularly if he struggles with velocity in AAA.

 

This team is 18-20 and in a much stronger position than last season to stay in the hunt. I think the Twins will start getting more aggressive to put quality players on the field over struggling veterans, which is why I think Correia will be gone after two more starts if he continues to struggle.

 

Though I'm sure we'll see Mike Pelfrey in a Twins uniform again at some point.

 

I hope you are correct (minus the Pelfrey back in a Twins uni part)!! That would be awesome

[Brock Beauchamp]

Like Matt Gruyere? That "quality"?

 

A bad decision, to be sure... But one that has much less impact than a starting pitcher.

 

They didn't hesitate to make room for Parmelee when the need arose. I think they'll do the same if Correia continues to struggle.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I hope you are correct (minus the Pelfrey back in a Twins uni part)!! That would be awesome

 

If Pelfrey is throwing 92+ mph, he has value. I won't mind at all if the Twins bring him back if he's healthy and productive.

[Mike Sixel]

A bad decision, to be sure... But one that has much less impact than a starting pitcher.

 

They didn't hesitate to make room for Parmelee when the need arose. I think they'll do the same if Correia continues to struggle.

 

I admire your hope in the FO, despite all the missteps this year.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I admire your hope in the FO, despite all the missteps this year.

 

Not everything has been a misstep. They didn't hesitate to give Gibson a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training. They've been playing Pinto regularly. Arcia had a starting spot before the injury. They pulled the plug on Pelfrey pretty quickly and replaced him with Deduno.

 

I understand that the Twins have bungled several bench roles this season but honestly, it gets really tiring to see people use their back-of-the-bench decisions to invalidate the things they've done right this season.

 

It shouldn't work that way. Feel free to criticize the Twins for doing stupid things. The fans and media should do that but not at the expense of ignoring the things they've done right. Give credit where credit is due. The Twins have made some aggressive moves this season that helped the team, just as they've made some dumb decisions that cost the team some games.

[Mike Sixel]

Signing Pelfrey was not a "bench role" decision, was it?

 

I have given them credit for Suzuki. And have been pleased Pinto and Gibson are on the roster. If every post has to praise every good decision, and rip every bad decision, not sure what to do. IMO, they've done more wrong for the LT good of the team this year, than they've done right. I have no issue with others concluding otherwise.

 

I certainly praised them for trying to fix the SP. Other than that, I'd hardly call the offseason aggressive, for either the LT or the ST. Again, I have no issue with people drawing different conclusions.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Signing Pelfrey was not a "bench role" decision, was it?

 

The Twins had no reason to expect Mike Pelfrey to start throwing at 90mph with no control. He finished out the second half of last season throwing 92+ with decent control.

 

There was no reason to expect Mike Pelfrey to be this bad or to throw this slowly based on how he performed last season outside of "I hate Mike Pelfrey".

 

Mike Pelfrey, at his best, is a decent back-of-the-rotation guy. Teams need those guys to fill out a rotation, though the second year was baffling (and that's my problem with the entire situation). If the Twins signed Mike Pelfrey and sat on their hands, I would have been furious. They didn't do that. They picked up a decent #2/3, a reclamation project with big upside, and then they picked up Pelfrey. Considering their rotation woes last season and how many pitchers they ran through the rotation, I won't criticize them for being overly cautious and padding the back of the rotation a bit to prevent running out multiple AAAA guys at once.

 

But the second year shouldn't have been offered. It just shouldn't.

 

Anyway, back to my point about assuming incompetence from the front office with trite statements. It's not clever and it doesn't add anything to the conversation. Instead of moaning about the front office's supposed incompetence, why not offer a solution for what you'd like to see happen? Isn't that pretty obviously the point of this thread in the first place?

[Mike Sixel]

I'd like to see KC cut. Not on the roster at all. The second year was a mistake, a mistake they repeated this year. I'd like May up.

[kdrupp09]

Hopefully May will continue to pitch well in Rochester and essentially force the Twins hands and make them bring him up instead of Pelf.

[JB_Iowa]

Gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses ....

 

Guerrier is not one of my favorite pitchers.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Hopefully May will continue to pitch well in Rochester and essentially force the Twins hands and make them bring him up instead of Pelf.

 

That's what I'm hoping as well.

 

Inversely, I'd like to see Meyer continue to excessively throw his change and struggle a bit in the short-term. I think it's best if he stays down in the minors and pressure is taken off both him and the front office to call him up as he works on a new pitch.

[kdrupp09]

That's what I'm hoping as well.

 

Inversely, I'd like to see Meyer continue to excessively throw his change and struggle a bit in the short-term. I think it's best if he stays down in the minors and pressure is taken off both him and the front office to call him up as he works on a new pitch.

 

I agree with this thought as well. Clearly Meyer is the most important pitching prospect in the short term, so the Twins need to protect him, which in this case, means allowing him to refine/develop this change-up in Rochester.

[REPETE]

I understand that the Twins have bungled several bench roles this season but honestly, it gets really tiring to see people use their back-of-the-bench decisions to invalidate the things they've done right this season.

 

Good points. They spent money on 2 starting pitchers, and made some other good, and surprising, decisions . I think it was a risk worth taking on Pelfrey for 2 years, but for what they're paying him, he's a #4. If he truly is nicked, he may yet come back and be somewhat productive at the back-end of the rotation. Last year's signing of Chick Corea for 2 years was even more of a head scratcher that has them in this position this year. I still think they should've traded Correia this spring for a pitcher, of Mich Golden Light, while his value was still that high, and made room for the young guys.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Good question for this thread.

 

Correia is already at the Silva/Lohse demotion date from 2006 (both were sent to the bullpen in mid-May after 8 starts). The Twins had higher expectations for that season, and those two were arguably worse in their 8 starts than Correia so far, but they also had better track records and more team control left (both could be controlled through the following season, 2007).

[TheLeviathan]

Correia should have been cut on February 25th much less May.

 

I have a hard time swallowing the argument that the Twins acted quickly on Pelfrey. At this point every start past this one is terribly slow in pulling the plug. The guy has been awful and we don't need to see 3 or 4 more to make that call.

[Brock Beauchamp]

The guy has been awful and we don't need to see 3 or 4 more to make that call.

 

That's why I put the over/under between two and three starts from now (11 days after his last start). Personally, I'd think long and hard about pulling him now and I'd probably pull him if he stumbles in his next start.

[Brandon]

Corriea was eating innings at the beginning of the season but hasn't done that in his last 2 starts. I am going to go with 1 or 2 more starts then he'll go to the bullpen and Tonkin will go down. Any pitcher could get called up but Pelfey is 1rst in line if the velocity is up and control is better. I am ready for Meyer to get the call though.

[John Kelsey]

I am ready for Meyer to get the call though.

 

I would think May is a more likely option since he's on the 40 man and pitching better at the moment.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I would think May is a more likely option since he's on the 40 man and pitching better at the moment.

 

Not to mention that Meyer is refining a new pitch and, unsurprisingly, is struggling with it.

 

Now is not the time to call up Alex Meyer. Let him develop the new pitch against AAA hitting.

[Mike Sixel]

Corriea was eating innings at the beginning of the season but hasn't done that in his last 2 starts. I am going to go with 1 or 2 more starts then he'll go to the bullpen and Tonkin will go down. Any pitcher could get called up but Pelfey is 1rst in line if the velocity is up and control is better. I am ready for Meyer to get the call though.

 

why not just cut him? Why put him in the bullpen? AAA has several RP ready, and they already have too many RP.

[Cris E]

Once May or Pelfrey (or Johnson or whoever) is ready they should trade Correia to Texas for a CF or SS. Don't hold out for anything great, just shore up the roster a bit and free some room. His veteranhood was important when no pitchers were over the age of 25, but there are actual adults in the rotation this year and he is no longer required to hold the Pavano-Viola-Blyleven-Morris Endowed Chair Of Veteran Leadership.

[Rosterman]

Is Correria tradable. I think not. Best you can hope is that he develops an injury, sits for a couple of weeks, goes to the minors and gets 3-4 starts and take it from there. Same with Pelfrey. Before Mike returns to the Twins, he will throw in Rochester (20-25 innings). Right now both would pass thru waivers, becoming a free agent. (Does Pelfrey have Blackburn-like options, still). No one would claim either. But both would be signed quickly for paying the pro-rated major-league minimum by someone.

 

As for replacements, the Twins would argue Logan Darnell because he is a lefty. May could (should) get a tryout because we need to see him pitch and if he somewhat fails, he can go back down and work it out at Rochester. Sadly, I would see the Twins adding Yohan Pino to the 40-man and advancing him for some reason I can't explain.