Article: My Day as GM

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Have you ever considered what you would do if you were the General Manager of the Twins for just one day? For 24 hours, you get to make the calls. Think you could handle it? It's one thing to be the Monday Morning Quarterback. It's another thing to actually make the calls. Then there's the in-between of saying you'd make the moves - when you can't - and letting people rip you for it. So read. And rip away.4:30 am - The alarm goes off. It’s not set for this early in the day because I enjoy the morning, but because if I had 24 hours to run this club the way I want to run it, I can’t waste my team sleeping.

 

6:00 am - After hurriedly getting ready and getting a two-burrito breakfast at the local McDonald’s, I navigated the early morning traffic downtown and arrived at my home for the day before the sun comes up.

 

6:05 am - Get myself a cup of coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker. I haven’t had caffeine in years. But I can’t imagine there is a single general manager in Major League Baseball who doesn’t caffeinate frequently during the day. I mean, look at A.J. Preller, it wouldn’t shock me if he took caffeine intravenously.

 

6:10 am - Study the “Big Board.” I didn’t come into the day blind; I know what I want to achieve. The bullpen isn’t good enough. It’s not as far away as everyone thinks it is, I don’t believe. But it’s not the quality bullpen a playoff contender would have. I’m not in love with how Paul Molitor is going to be forced to write the lineup every day. The big boppers - Sano, Plouffe, Park - all bat from the right side of the plate. I don’t really want to see RRR every day, but there are worse problems in the world. Now it’s a matter of finding out who matches up and what the cost is going to be.

 

6:30 am - Call the Mets. Leave a voicemail. I think the Mets can be a potential fit.

 

6:35 am - Leave a message with the Rays. Wouldn’t Jake McGee look good in a Twins uniform? I don’t think I’ll find a fit, but I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. Not today.

 

6:40 am - Get hold of Brian Cashman. He always seems to answer right away when the Twins call… is he serious about keeping Andrew Miller? He sure sounds like it.

 

6:45 am - Call the Orioles and congratulate them on winning the Powerball. I mean, how else could they afford to give Chris Davis that much money? They need some rotation help now, though. I don’t have much to offer and they never ask about Ricky Nolasco. I can’t blame them.

 

7:00 am - Get a return call from the Mets. During the Winter Meetings they pursued Todd Frazier and Ben Zobrist and came up empty. They added Neil Walker, but still have David Wright at third base. Most believe that, ideally, the Mets would like to move Wright across the diamond to preserve his back. They’re cool on Trevor Plouffe, or at least that’s how it comes across. Personally, I think Plouffe would be a good fit for the Mets. But I’d want the right guy or guys in return. I have my idea, but this one might take awhile. I tell the Mets I’ve got another move coming - I don’t - and that I’ll call them back.

 

7:15 am - Call Ron Shapiro and tell him I want to run something by his client (#7).

 

7:30 am - I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the Brewers listening to offers on Jonathan Lucroy. So I’ll make that call, but I’m not real interested. I’m more curious about what types of players they like in the Twins organization. They’re a real mess, so I can’t imagine they’d be too picky about positions. They just lack talent.

 

7:45 am - Call the Mets back. Ask them what they’d do with Lucas Duda if they moved Wright over to the first base. (They’d obviously have to trade him and he’s been mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time.) Discuss a potential Duda-for-Plouffe swap, but neither are comfortable making the deal straight up at this time and without working through some other things first.

 

8:00 am - Call Seth. Ask him if there’s room for another first baseman on the team. (Because I know Seth always looks for the bright side of things.)

 

8:05 am - Call Jay-Z. Invite him to do a concert at Target Field this summer. (Don’t know if I have the power to make that offer, but nobody told me I didn’t.) The offer, of course, is contingent on him agreeing to let me join him onstage to do Eminem’s part on Renegade. He didn’t answer, obviously. So I left him a voicemail. I rambled until it cut me off.

 

8:08 am - Realize I placed the call to tell him I want to sign his new client, Miguel Sano, to a 10-year deal and I want it done in the next 12 hours. Let’s see if the Jiggaman calls back.

 

8:55 am - Wake up from an unplanned nap. Whoops. Check voicemail. Nothing.

 

9:00 am - Take a stroll around Target Field. Introduce myself to everyone I see. Everybody seemed pleasant, so that was nice. Stopped in the ticket office to see how sales are. They “aren’t up” is what I’m told. My solution for that: more bobbleheads. I also suggest looking into hosting a Kernels/Timber Rattlers weekend sometime before the draft. (I don’t remember if that was originally a Seth plan, Steve Buhr plan or something that manifested in my own brain… but it’s a good plan, so why not throw it out there?)

 

10:00 am - Return to my office and have messages from the Yankees, Mets and Brewers.

 

10:05 am - Before I can return any of the calls, I get a phone call from my current first baseman, Joe Mauer. I pick up the phone and ask him how his winter has been. You know, small talk. I tell him I caught a replay of his 1999 State Championships football game and, golly, did he have a good arm. I proceed to tell him it’s a shame that we don’t get to see “that cannon” at first base. He says, “Gee, thanks.” I ask him if he thinks he could play right field. He doesn’t respond. I tell him to give it some thought - but not too long - and I want to know for sure by noon.

 

10:25 am - Get Cashman on the phone. He reiterates that he is keeping all of his closers.

 

10:30 am - Call the Brewers back. We’re no fit on Lucroy, but they’re willing to be reasonable about left-handed reliever Will Smith. Reasonable as in three prospects. We exchange some names. They really like Stephen Gonsalves and I don’t blame them. The difficulty is going to be agreeing on the quality of the other two prospects. We agree to talk later.

 

10:45 am - Mauer calls back. He’s not super excited about moving to right field. I promise him that this is a necessary step to lengthen the lineup, and - more importantly - this is also a move that gets us closer to the World Series. I point out that, as a GM, I’m never made a bad trade and I don’t intend to start. He tells me all he wants is a ring. I tell him I’m in the same boat.

 

10:55 am - Re-engage with the Mets. They have warmed up to the idea that they’ll move Duda for Plouffe, but they want a sweetener. They’re not going to like that I also want a sweetener. I tell them I want them to give me a list of minor leaguers they like and we agree to talk again at 1:30.

 

11:15 am - Make a call to the Rockies. They have three left-handed hitting outfielders and just added Parra. They are going to move one of those guys. We talked about CarGo before the Winter Meetings, but didn’t seem to be in the same ballpark. They like Kyle Gibson, but let’s be honest, we need Kyle Gibson. But at the same time, I don’t hate the rotation: Santana, Hughes, Gibson, Duffey and Milone to start the year and Berrios and Nolasco in the mix as well. Could we get it done without Gibson? You might be able to convince me of that…Anyway, CarGo still has a very high price tag and I’m not going to be able to swing a deal before I turn back into a regular person at midnight.

 

11:30 am - I realize my time as the GM is limited; so is my time as someone who can eat at the nicest restaurants. I gather everyone who is working at Target Field and bring them all to the nicest restaurant in town - I’m not even sure what that restaurant is - and pick up the tab. I figured a prorated day at the GM salary will cover the cost. I’d do this job for free.. and now I’m putting my money where my mouth is. And if I don’t make enough to pay the bill, I’ll get some help from a Pohlad.

 

1:00 am - Back in the office and making a call to the Mets. They’ve come up with a list of about a dozen prospects they’re interested in. I scoff at giving up the powerful bat of Adam Brett Walker, but long-term, I don’t see him fitting in an outfield of Rosario, Buxton and Kepler. They also like the right-handed Aussie Sam Gibbons. Now it’s my turn to ask for more: Jenrry Mejia. Trading for Mejia does not come without substantial risk. He’s got 63 games of his 162-game suspension left to serve. He’s not eligible to pitch until early June and, even then, he’s one positive test from a lifetime ban. The Mets tendered Mejia a contract last month in a somewhat surprising move, but given the recent addition of Antonio Bastardo, the Mets can move Mejia without issue. We tentatively agree to a deal that will send Plouffe and Gibbons to New York in exchange for Lucas Duda, Jenrry Mejia and a player to be named later. Mejia’s suspension also opens up a 40-man spot. The “player to be named later” is insurance in case Mejia gets suspended again before the end of July. The Mets agree to send a non-prospect over in late March and if Mejia is re-suspended, that player will be sent back to the Mets in exchange for a better prospect, one that will be on a list that the teams have agreed on.

 

What this trade did: It added a powerful left-handed bat to the middle of the order. Duda has a lot of swing-and-miss to his game and putting him in between Sano and Park is a little scary from a strikeout perspective. But his potential to put up an .840 OPS makes this lineup considerably better. Duda and Park will split first base and DH responsibilities, Miguel Sano can move to third base and Joe Mauer shifts to right field. Mejia can be a potentially dominant set-up man and has three years of control left.

 

2:00 pm - Both teams have received medicals on all the players. We’ll get back in touch at 5 pm.

 

2:15 pm - Receive a return call from Roc Nation. It’s not Jay-Z. They don’t seem (with the help of CAA) too inclined to start listening to a long-term deal for Miguel Sano. I ask about Cespedes because, let’s be real, he would be awesome at Target Field. I know I said the lineup is too right-handed, but you think he couldn’t play left field and be phenomenal? Throw him into the lineup (in place of Rosario) and I’d take that lineup in a heartbeat over what the Tigers have. Plus, Sano and Yo are good friends - it’s part of why Sano left his old agency. It sounds at this point like the Nationals have a pretty good offer on the table for him… so he’s not coming back to the Midwest.

 

2:30 pm - Reconnecting with Milwaukee. I’m bound and determined to acquire Will Smith. You’ll all seen it in the media lately, “The Twins like Will Smith.” I’ve been barking up the Will Smith tree since mid-summer. That’s one of the best things about Twitter… if you said something, there’s proof. It’s also one of the worst things about Twitter. (On June 24, I tweeted this, “It might be early in the morning, but one name I'd go hard after if the Twins remain in contention: Brewers LHRP Will Smith.” I then immediately followed it up with this, “Problem with Smith, who hasn't even hit his arbitration years, is that he'd come at a price. Almost guaranteed Brewers would want Gonsalves.”)

 

I’m not thrilled about the potential of giving up Gonsalves. It make me sick, to be honest. Twitter’s also good to show how much I like him. (In fact, my first tweet after he was drafted was “LOVE IT!”) But the price for four years of Will Smith is understandably high. And the idea of Perkins, May, Jepsen, Mejia and Smith, plus the arrivals of guys like Burdi, Chargois and Melotakis makes it a little easier to swallow. This does up the ante for Tyler Jay, Kohl Stewart, and the return of Lewis Thorpe. but you have to give to get. And I end up giving Stephen Gonsalves, Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Del Rosario and cash to the Brewers to get Will Smith and satisfy the Neal Cotts trade. It’s a steep price to pay, but one I feel is worth it. We’ll review medicals and reconvene at 6 pm.

 

3:30 pm - After going into Preller Mode and completing two deals in less than two hours, I spend the next 90 minutes checking with the scouting supervisors to see how they feel about the 2016 draft. As much I’d like to go get one of the many stud free agents still available, I’m not comfortable giving up a draft pick. We’re going to make the 2016 draft count and with the scouting staff the Twins have in place, I’m confident of that happening. Look at some of the recent drafts. Impressive!

 

5:00 pm - After all medicals have been reviewed and given the OK, both the Twins and Mets send out a press release announcing the trade: The Twins send Trevor Plouffe and prospect Sam Gibbons to the Mets in exchange for Lucas Duda, Jenrry Mejia and a player to be named later. Neither Duda or Mejia are under contract for 2016. Duda (two years) and Mejia (three years) are both under team control and have exchanged arbitration figures with the Mets.

 

5:30 pm - Order Jimmy Johns. I know I can have that Gargantuan finished by the time I get back on the phone with the Brewers.

 

6:00 pm - Everything checks out with the Brewers and the medicals. In exchange for Stephen Gonsalves, Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Del Rosario and cash the Twins get Will Smith and the Neal Cotts trade is considered complete, both teams announce.

 

6:15 pm - I feel pretty good about the new setup of the team. I rearrange my roster and it looks like this:

 

C - Kurt Suzuki, John Ryan Murphy

INF - Byung Ho Park, Lucas Duda, Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, Eduardo Escobar, Eduardo Nunez

OF - Joe Mauer, Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Danny Santana

 

SP - Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Duffey, Tommy Milone

RP - Glen Perkins, Will Smith, Trevor May, Kevin Jepsen, Ricky Nolasco, Fernando Abad vs Ryan O’Rourke, Casey Fien vs Michael Tonkin

SUSP - Jenrry Mejia

 

That leaves one spot. I’d prefer to add a bopper to the bench. But I’m not sure there’s a good fit. I’m not OK with bringing Max Kepler north if I didn’t think he’d be in the lineup every day. Two of my four outfielders aren’t really outfielders. I know where I’m going with my last 40-man and 25-man roster spot.

 

6:45 pm - Make a phone call to the agent for free agent outfielder Will Venable. Venable is an Ivy League guy, fantastic on the basepaths and versatile in the outfield. He’ll mentor the likes of Buxton and Rosario and serve as the 4th outfielder. We quickly agree to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with some plate appearance incentives. It’s all wrapped up before 7:30 and Dustin Morse gets him to agree to come to TwinsFest before Jon Heyman can even tweet, “twins will venable agreeto one year deam.”

 

7:30 pm - It’s already dark outside and I feel like I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do. Part of me thinks, “Go home” but the other part of me thinks, “You’ve only got four and half hours left.” I compromise with myself and decide to make no more phone calls outside of the organization, but stick around for another half hour in case the phone rings. Only one question remains: Is Jay-Z going to call me back?

 

9:15 pm - Home with no return call from Jay-Z, the adrenaline hasn’t worn off. I realize it’s been a long day and that I should just go to bed. And then it hits me… “I need to go read the comments at TwinsDaily!”

 

Click here to view the article

[Monkeypaws]

Jeremy, great read - I enjoyed it.

 

I do think you invested WAY too many assets in the bullpen though.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

Jeremy, great read - I enjoyed it.

 

I do think you invested WAY too many assets in the bullpen though.

 

I probably did. I hate the idea of signing a reliever. Always have. Believe that Mejia is a buy-low guy. And TINSTAAPP or something. (Basically, the chances Gonsalves is ever as valuable as Smith is not high... and I really like Gonsalves.)

[bluechipper]

That was a really entertaining article, especially the Mauer conversation.

 

I doubt the Mets would give up Duda for Plouffe, and I would also be greatly pained to have to give up Gonsalves and Arcia for Smith, but that would be one heck of a bullpen though. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

You traded Plouffe and opened third for Sano, which was the big thing.

 

Next up on Day 2: mike wants wins becomes GM for the day........

[Monkeypaws]

 

You traded Plouffe and opened third for Sano, which was the big thing.

 

Next up on Day 2: mike wants wins becomes GM for the day........

I'll look forward to that. 

[Seth Stohs]

Why not have Duda play RF instead of Mauer. At least Duda has played a lot of outfield in his life. None the last two years, but he came up and played several years in the outfield.

 

Arcia to Milwaukee makes so much sense because of Orlando being there. Together, those two could really be good. My assumption is that Polanco would have to be part of any deal to Milwaukee, but a team that needs pitching would likely be thrilled to get offered Gonsalves. Eduardo del Rosario isn't a big enough third piece, and it would likely take a fourth, but I'd give up a lot to get Will Smith too. Anyone else and I wouldn't give up much. 

 

I want to be a fly on the wall with those conversations with scouts! 

 

Fun article!

[DaveW]

Dave's day as GM:

 

8:30 wake up

8:31 call up Jim Pohlad telling him I want to cut bait on Nolasco (trade him and 50% of salary for a PTNBL to an NL team)

8:32 tell Pohlad I want to offer Cueto a 5 year deal (for less AAV then what we currently are paying for Nolsaco, Hughes and Milone)

 

8:33 Pohlads fire me and rehire Terry Ryan (who said 2 days earlier he was stepping down from GM)

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Dave's day as GM:

8:30 wake up

8:31 call up Jim Pohlad telling him I want to cut bait on Nolasco (trade him and 50% of salary for a PTNBL to an NL team)

8:32 tell Pohlad I want to offer Cueto a 5 year deal (for less AAV then what we currently are paying for Nolsaco, Hughes and Milone)

8:33 Pohlads fire me and rehire Terry Ryan (who said 2 days earlier he was stepping down from GM)

8:34 set cell phone back on night stand

8:35 back to sleep

[TNLooky2015]

10:30 am - Call the Brewers back. Turns out we are a fit on Lucroy, and they’re willing to be reasonable about left-handed reliever Will Smith. Reasonable as in 3 prospects:  We exchange some names on Smith and Lucroy. They really like Stephen Gonsalves and I don’t blame them. The difficulty is going to be agreeing on the quality of the other prospects. We agree to talk later.

2:30 pm - Reconnecting with Milwaukee. I’m bound and determined to acquire Will Smith. You’ll all seen it in the media lately, “The Twins like Will Smith.

 

..............The Brewers talk Smith first and settle for Alex Meyer;  Jorge Polanco;  and  Oswaldo Arcia.  They ask for Gonsalves, but we felt he was too much for a reliever.  

 

Once settling on the Smith Deal, we talk on Lucroy.  We (Twins) start by offering Susuki and paying half his salary for 2016.  Then we talk prospects and players:  Gonsalves (LHP) comes back into the talks.  Mitch Garver ( C) and Adam Brett Walker II (OF/1B) are  added to the list along with Trevor Plouffe (3B).  The Twins originally balk on Walker, but eventually agree to terms after both teams add players: Twins add Brandon Peterson (RP) and the Brewers add  Will Middlebrooks (3B).  DONE  DEAL

 

4:30 pm - I call the Mets to distinguish earlier talks on Plouffe.  This deal made more sense.  It helps the Twins win now and allows the Twins financial flexibility to make mid season moves as needed.  Brewers are building for the future and add some nice pieces for that future.  They already have Zach Jones.  We (Twins) even gain a MLB ready player (Middlebrooks 3B) in case Sano struggles.  WIN  WIN

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

Why not have Duda play RF instead of Mauer. At least Duda has played a lot of outfield in his life. None the last two years, but he came up and played several years in the outfield.

 

 

 

Personal belief: Mauer is way more athletic and a much better bet to be at least an average outfielder. But it wouldn't hurt to give them both outfield gloves to see... if the organization thinks they can turn Sano into an average outfielder, who knows...

[DaveW]

8:34 set cell phone back on night stand

8:35 back to sleep

indeed!

[Vanimal46]

 

And if I don’t make enough to pay the bill, I’ll get some help from a Pohlad.

Unfortunately this is where it went all wrong for you Jeremy. You see, Carl Pohlad gets text alerts for fraudulent charges on the company card. The restaurant you chose, Blue Door Pub, isn't on the normal expenses. Pohlad immediately calls the credit card company to deny the charge, and cancel the card. (You should have went to Manny's Steakhouse!!) 

So now, the waiter returns, and says "I'm sorry sir, but the card has been declined." Which really puts you in a pickle, because you went above and beyond ordering everything on the menu, racking up a $220 bill. What do you do?

12:03: You call Seth. Unfortunately Seth is out of town, and unable to wire any cash to you. 
12:05 You call John. He laughs at your predicament, and says "Better start washing dishes!"
12:08 You call Parker. Parker says he can wire you the money, but would rather see you suffer for an hour or two. 
1:35 After spending the last hour and a half worried about how you can get out of it, you come to the LAST Resort. Calling up Chief. Chief uses his intimidation tactics to scare the owner into letting you leave. 
2:00 You call your wife, telling her that being a GM is a lot harder than you imagined, and that you almost got picked up by the cops because of a $220 bill at Blue Door Pub. She's mad that you are not bringing home any leftovers from lunch.
2:15 Stop by Target to pick up milk, thinking that will ease the tension of not bringing home leftovers.
2:35 Arrive home with the milk. Wife is still upset. You say I still have time to be a GM. Wife gives you more errands to run. 
5:05 You're finished running errands. By this time, you're tired, and no longer in the right mind set to make any trades with GMs. 
5:30 Jeopardy comes on. 
6:00 Watch the news
6:35 Fall asleep on the couch. Wife still upset for not bringing home leftovers. 

[Mike Sixel]

Great read. Not in love with giving up Gonsalves, but that is probably a fair trade. Now we need to work with Goin and Molitor to figure out how to best use the SP / RP group.

 

As the one formerly known as Mike Wants Wins, I'm not sure what I could do after that! There isn't much out there to go get. The bullpen is now set, this year and probably in the future. The OF is pretty much set at this point, this year and in the future (thank goodness we still have Kepler). 3B is set for the future.

 

That really means that SS, 2B, C, SP are the areas to think about for the future. Right now, I would not make any realistic changes.....so you'll have to wait until next offseason or the ASB for me to make any more moves.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

We tentatively agree to a deal that will send Plouffe and Gibbons to New York in exchange for Lucas Duda, Jenrry Mejia and a player to be named later. Mejia’s suspension also opens up a 40-man spot.

Mejia wouldn't count towards the 40-man roster right now while suspended, but this trade wouldn't open up a 40-man roster spot for the Twins.  Duda would take Plouffe's place, and the team would still be at 40.  You'd have to move someone to sign Venable.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

6:10 am - Study the “Big Board.” 

Great read, having been in Terry Ryan's Spring Training office before the start of the season, I can attest he has one wall that is covered with every team's 40 man roster broken down to 25 man roster to who had options etc.  While the wall behind his desk had the Twins MLB and MiLB rosters broken down to depths.  Quite an impressive sight, couldn't imagine all the calls; a GM has to be one of the most time consuming jobs in professional sports.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Bob Sacamento

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

And I end up giving Stephen Gonsalves, Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Del Rosario and cash to the Brewers to get Will Smith and satisfy the Neal Cotts trade

That seems light.  Oswaldo Arcia is pretty worthless right now to the Brewers, who are set in the OF corners and can't use a DH, and he's out of options coming off a bad season at AAA so they can't exactly flip him, and Del Rosario is obviously a lottery ticket.  Gonsalves is a nice prospect, but he's a B- by Sickels and is a long ways away yet, and if all it took was him and filler, I suspect Smith would have been dealt already.

 

With Giles, Kimbel, Chapman, etc. already dealt, Smith would probably be the top reliever on the market if the Brewers made him available.  And with 4 years of control left and just now becoming a closer, I don't think the Brewers are in a rush to move him either.

Edited January 22, 2016 by spycake

[Otto von Ballpark]

Nitpicks aside, very fun article!

[Eris]

I enjoyed this article.  Thank you.

 

Hire an advanced sabermatrician to be incorporated into the scouting system with the goal of projecting future late round draft picks that will profile as top of the rotation starting pitchers.  

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

..............The Brewers talk Smith first and settle for Alex Meyer;  Jorge Polanco;  and  Oswaldo Arcia.  They ask for Gonsalves, but we felt he was too much for a reliever.  

 

Once settling on the Smith Deal, we talk on Lucroy.  We (Twins) start by offering Susuki and paying half his salary for 2016.  Then we talk prospects and players:  Gonsalves (LHP) comes back into the talks.  Mitch Garver ( C) and Adam Brett Walker II (OF/1B) are  added to the list along with Trevor Plouffe (3B).  The Twins originally balk on Walker, but eventually agree to terms after both teams add players: Twins add Brandon Peterson (RP) and the Brewers add  Will Middlebrooks (3B).  DONE  DEAL

In those two deals, the Brewers would be giving up 2 guys from their 40-man roster, and taking back 6. That's not happening, especially not for a rebuilding team like Milwaukee clearly would be.

[shs_59]

Ahhh Woa....

 

And you've been off Caffeine for how long?

 

Amazing simply amazing use of time and space.

 

The Brewers minor leagues has actually gone from bottom 5 (annually) to borderline top 10 tho.

 

So they're not that bad off....on the MLB side of things....yeah , yikes

[shs_59]

I like Wil Smith and Henry Me High A a lot too as Relievers (Jenrry Mejia)

 

I too, wanted Smith back last deadline, but we settled for Cotts who is not too shabby actually!

 

Quick assesment , I would think 80-90% of Twins fans and Twins daily members for that matter would be overwhelmingly grateful and positive with our New GM or even Apprentice GM.

 

Even if Oswaldo within the next 2-3 years turns into an annual .275 hitter mashing 25-33 HR's a year while striking out 180-220 times!

 

 

Things i would Change : Taylor Rogers would be in the competition with Abad and O"Rourke for that loogy type of spot (and should be the favorite)

 

Hopefully May gets more of a chance to beat out Duffey for starting spot.

 

***Duffey could be in for a real sophmore slump !!  (at least in ST and out of the gate)

HOPE I'm WRONG on THAT!

 

BTW, great job Jeremy

 

 

[Thrylos]

Thought you gave Rosario to the Brewers

 

I really thing that the Duda + Mejia for Plouffe + Gibbons +  does not make much sense.  Not a fan of Duda.  The guy is worse on the OF than Willingham or Arcia.  Career -33.4 UZR/150 1900 innings. Compare to about -10 for Willingham in his Twins' years and -13 in 1700 innings for Arcia.   And I'd rather have Vargas rotate with Park in the DH/1B role  Duda is a stiff.  Really.  Willingham is a ballerina compared to this guy.  Seriously. []

 

If the Mets want Plouffe, I'd start the discussing with Matt Harvey.  Ryan has done enough dumpster diving and you have one day to repair that.  And instead of Mejia who cannot start right away, I will ask for Hansel Robles.  Better stuff, better make up and not afraid to throw inside    And then see what the Mets want in addition to Plouffe.  I do not see them needing pitching, so I would be more than happy to toss Kepler and Gordon their way.  So Plouffe, Kepler, & Gordon +? for Harvey and Robles.  Step 1 to fix the pen.  Step 2:  Move Phil Hughes to the closer position and Perkins to the LH Set up position, Robles to the RH set up role and Jepsen to the 7th.  Now that start to look like a pen.   Rotation of Harvey, Santana, Gibson, May, Nolasco does not look bad either, with a couple of decent arms in AAA.  Milone is a problem that needs to be taken care of and I would try to get a low level prospect or two for him.  

 

However,

 

The first thing I would do though, is to send home Mr Antony, Radcliff, Krivsky, Johnson, and every other baseball operations front office person  who has been around more than 10 years and replace them with fresh blood with 21st century thinking.   Second, I'd cut half the scouting department, and replace it with analyst types.  And I'd combine scouting and analytics and have that headed by an analytics person.

 

That would make certain that when Ryan came in the next day, he'd re-retire for good.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Thrylos

[DaveW]

Mets aren't giving up Harvey for a league average third baseman and a couple of decent prospects.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

 

That seems light.  Oswaldo Arcia is pretty worthless right now to the Brewers, who are set in the OF corners and can't use a DH, and he's out of options coming off a bad season at AAA so they can't exactly flip him, and Del Rosario is obviously a lottery ticket.  Gonsalves is a nice prospect, but he's a B- by Sickels and is a long ways away yet, and if all it took was him and filler, I suspect Smith would have been dealt already.

 

With Giles, Kimbel, Chapman, etc. already dealt, Smith would probably be the top reliever on the market if the Brewers made him available.  And with 4 years of control left and just now becoming a closer, I don't think the Brewers are in a rush to move him either.

 

It's either going to be not enough or too much... regardless, I'm going to get him. Having a stud reliever on a brutal team is a wasted asset. They should move him while his value is so high.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

 

Thought you gave Rosario to the Brewers

 

I really thing that the Duda + Mejia for Plouffe + Gibbons +  does not make much sense.  Not a fan of Duda.  The guy is worse on the OF than Willingham or Arcia.  Career -33.4 UZR/150 1900 innings. Compare to about -10 for Willingham in his Twins' years and -13 in 1700 innings for Arcia.   And I'd rather have Vargas rotate with Park in the DH/1B role  Duda is a stiff.  Really.  Willingham is a ballerina compared to this guy.  Seriously. [ ]

 

If the Mets want Plouffe, I'd start the discussing with Matt Harvey.  Ryan has done enough dumpster diving and you have one day to repair that.  And instead of Mejia who cannot start right away, I will ask for Hansel Robles.  Better stuff, better make up and not afraid to throw inside    And then see what the Mets want in addition to Plouffe.  I do not see them needing pitching, so I would be more than happy to toss Kepler and Gordon their way.  So Plouffe, Kepler, & Gordon +? for Harvey and Robles.  Step 1 to fix the pen.  Step 2:  Move Phil Hughes to the closer position and Perkins to the LH Set up position, Robles to the RH set up role and Jepsen to the 7th.  Now that start to look like a pen.   Rotation of Harvey, Santana, Gibson, May, Nolasco does not look bad either, with a couple of decent arms in AAA.  Milone is a problem that needs to be taken care of and I would try to get a low level prospect or two for him.  

 

However,

 

The first thing I would do though, is to send home Mr Antony, Radcliff, Krivsky, Johnson, and every other baseball operations front office person  who has been around more than 10 years and replace them with fresh blood with 21st century thinking.   Second, I'd cut half the scouting department, and replace it with analyst types.  And I'd combine scouting and analytics and have that headed by an analytics person.

 

That would make certain that when Ryan came in the next day, he'd re-retire for good.

 

I didn't trade for Duda to play him in the outfield. Joe needs to be willing to move to swing this deal.

 

As far as your other moves... well, maybe you should title your plans "My 7 Minutes as GM."

[Jeremy Nygaard]

Thanks for the kind feedback. It's a fun exercise. Next time, though, two (or three) parts.

[Buford_T_Justice]

 

That seems light.  Oswaldo Arcia is pretty worthless right now to the Brewers, who are set in the OF corners and can't use a DH, and he's out of options coming off a bad season at AAA so they can't exactly flip him, and Del Rosario is obviously a lottery ticket.  Gonsalves is a nice prospect, but he's a B- by Sickels and is a long ways away yet, and if all it took was him and filler, I suspect Smith would have been dealt already.

 

With Giles, Kimbel, Chapman, etc. already dealt, Smith would probably be the top reliever on the market if the Brewers made him available.  And with 4 years of control left and just now becoming a closer, I don't think the Brewers are in a rush to move him either.

Does it work better if we swap Arcia out for Kennys Vargas? Milwaukee traded Adam Lind, so they need a 1B. Still, I would rather use Vargas in the probably-will-never-be-proposed trade for Lucroy...Murphy (because I don't think they want Suzuki at any price), Vargas and a decent prospect?

 

Thanks to Jeremy for the mental exercise!

[nater79a]

My guess is that Jeremy would just hang out with the scouts all day prepping for the June amateur draft.  Get him a conference room with whiteboards on all four walls and he'll be happy as a clam!

[Thrylos]

 

 

As far as your other moves... well, maybe you should title your plans "My 7 Minutes as GM."

 

Sorry for having the audacity to have an opinion on what needs to be changed in the Twins' organization to make this team a winner, which might conflict with yours  

Edited January 22, 2016 by Thrylos