Joe Maddon is Out in Tampa. Could Twins Get Him?

To be clear, I don't think this is happening, but the timing is incredibly conicedental.  As noted, the Twins are the only team without a manager under contract.  So if the Twins are not his destination, that means he either has another gig likely lined up where another manager is about to get a late axe, or he plans to sit out a year.  I'm not sure why he would choose to sit out a year however unless it's under protest against his cheap club which he has defended multiple times in the past. He won't get paid if he sits out.

Don't you have to think he wouldn't be resigning unless he has something else cooking?  Maybe the Twins were dragging their feet while they were working something out behind the scenes.  The Twins would probably be one of the only clubs who could keep such a thing quite seeing as how cloak and dagger they are.  Trips to central Florida wouldn't raise many eyebrows considering their base of operations is only a couple hours away.

Hey, if they do snag Madden, they may just get Dave Martinez to Minnesota after all!

There isn't a free agent available that I'd rather have than Madden.  Considering Ryan's defensive responses to Parker's payroll questions, I'm guessing he doesn't plan on putting a lot of money into free agency.  Well, here's a good spot to put it. 

Why do people think he's a good manager?  I'm not saying he isn't but I'm wondering what they are basing it on.  His teams actually under perform their pyth w/l records.  He shifts a lot but most of that is supposed to come from the FO and he just implements it.  His record in one run games changes a bunch year to year (like most managers).

 

Success with a small payroll team?  Good clubhouse atmosphere?  Development of young players?  Developing scrappy teams that fight? I think all of those things have their pros and cons.  

He's open-minded.  He's more than that, but really, that's enough to get me excited.  No more stubbornness please.  For some reason, some people lately have been promoting the idea that stubborness is a good trait, when it's basically the death blow to inovation and evolution.  I'm not saying Molitor or Meintkiewicz would be bad managers, but to me they seem like the type that would be described as bullheaded and they'd be proud of that fact.  This game's always changing, we need people who will adapt with it, not drag their feet and insist the game must be played the way they most feel comfortable playing it.