I see the Angels just DFA'd RHRP Rich Thompson. I am curious about the possibility of the Twins putting in a waiver claim for three reasons:

 

1) He was effective in 2011 and could potentially help in the bullpen.

2) The Twins have had a pretty big run of signing guys named "Thompson" in the last six months.

3) The Twins love mates from Down Under.

 

In all seriousness though, do the Twins give Swarzak a shot to keep the 5th spot in the rotation and let Hendriks build his strength back up in AAA? That opens a spot for RHRP, which is already a thin-spot in a bullpen that isn't exactly strong. Thompson is on the hook for $495K and out of options. He could be had for a gamble that isn't even of Zumayan proportions.

If he's healthy, I love this idea. He was who pitched against the Twins on Thursday, right? He got shelled, but I didn't think he velocity was bad, so I assume he's healthy.

 

The Angels are in full blown panic mode on their bullpen. This could well be a mistake they made.

Yeah, the guy the Twins jumped all over Thursday afternoon.

 

If you can't beat us, join us.

Could use another RHP who can throw pretty hard in the pen, for that price, not a bad idea.

I think after seeing the Twins offense which had been slow at best, jump all over this guy, Ryan and Gardy looked at him and thought, no way are we taking this guy if we are hitting him this badly

I hope the Twins are smarter than using 1 performance to judge his value. Over time, he has been more effective than many of the other options the Twins have in the bullpen. Why not claim him and give either Hendriks or Burnett time at AAA?

Let's see, even if Swarzak were promoted to the rotation and Hendriks demoted, the Twins will add Marquis (who would take Hendriks spot) so there really aren't any vacancies in the 'pen. They also have Waldrop eligible to return soon (I imagine he will rehab in Rochester) and have Fien available in Rochester. The two guys who didn't really make the bullpen on merit (Burnett and Gray) have done nothing to get themselves demoted. Burnett could be optioned, but Gray is out of options.

Swarzak has been starting in Hendriks place. Pavano, Liriano, Blackburn, Swarzak and Marquis would make five. Waldrop is only on the MLB DL because he was injured, on the 40-man, and hadn't been demoted yet. The minute he's activated, he'll be optioned. Burnett made the team by default, so I would expect him to be optioned. Baker could be moved to the 60-day DL and then there is an open spot on the 40-man.

 

There are a lot of way to make this work, if the Twins were interested in doing so... in my opinion, Thompson is better than Burnett, so it's really an easy choice to make.

The Twins picked up 3 Thompson pitchers this off-season (Aaron, Brad, Daryl). Why not a 4th?

Let's see, even if Swarzak were promoted to the rotation and Hendriks demoted, the Twins will add Marquis (who would take Hendriks spot) so there really aren't any vacancies in the 'pen. They also have Waldrop eligible to return soon (I imagine he will rehab in Rochester) and have Fien available in Rochester. The two guys who didn't really make the bullpen on merit (Burnett and Gray) have done nothing to get themselves demoted. Burnett could be optioned, but Gray is out of options.

Waldrop was going to make the club before Gray or Burnett, so if he is ready to go, the questions are 1) Is Swarzak a better choice overall than Hendriks? 2) Is Thompson better than Waldrop? 3) Is it worth losing that spot on the 40-man to pick him up?

Why not take Nishioka off the 40 man roster? What is the risk?

i assume Thompson has to be put on the 25 man roster and that he's out of options. so it's not just about finding room on the 40 man. Stringer Bell is right that the obvious choices, Gray and Burnett, haven't looked back so far, so maybe the Twins would be hesitant to send Burnett (the obvious choice because he has options) down.

The 40 man roster or 25 man roster should not be an issue. The Twins are not deep in talent. The bottom of their 40 man is filled with cast offs. They can outright Gray. They can drop Mastroianni from the 40 man and option Burnett. The issue is their assessment of Thompson's talent and health. I can't assess either. My view is the narrow one of data. According to Thompson's data, he has been more successful than Gray, Burnett and Maloney.

He has good enough minor league numbers and has always had a good K rate. I say pick him up.

It should come as no surprise that the Angels are going to try and trade him. Apparently there is some concern about a slight loss in velocity.

 

I say put in the claim and see if thats the case. If it is, put him back on waivers and maybe he'll get a chance to regain his velo in Rochester.

I think after seeing the Twins offense which had been slow at best, jump all over this guy, Ryan and Gardy looked at him and thought, no way are we taking this guy if we are hitting him this badly

Of course, this is the same thought process that led the team to pick up Dusty Hughes. That worked out nicely.

 

Rich Thompson is definitely the kind of guy the Twins can be targeting. Still young enough to be a long-term asset. Mystifying that the Angels would let him loose if he's healthy.