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* Since dismissing Terry Ryan as GM, Twins ownership has made some remarks that I would generously refer to as "tone deaf." Antony, for his part, seems a bit more interested in saying the right things.
During a Q&A with MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger this week (well worth reading), Antony suggested that he will "use advanced statistics as the first tool to evaluate players before relying on the club's scouts." He also talked about the prioritization of bulking up the analytics department.
Whether this is lip service or an actual indication of Antony's evolution on the subject remains to be seen. But at least he recognizes the problematic perceptions of the front office regime under his predecessor, and is actively trying to draw a distinction.
* Speaking of the general manager search, the Twins announced that they are hiring search firm Korn Ferry to assist with the process. It's good news, ensuring that the they plan to conduct a comprehensive search for their next baseball ops leader.
Most recently, Korn Ferry assisted with the GM hirings of David Stearns by the Brewers and Ross Atkins by the Blue Jays.
Stearns, 30, became the youngest general manager in the game when Milwaukee fished him away from Houston. For three years, he had been the right-hand man to Jeff Luhnow with the Astros, helping craft one of the league's most talented young rosters. It was a bold hire.
In the case of the Blue Jays, Atkins beat out internal candidate Tony LaCava, the other finalist who had been serving in an interim capacity following the departure of Alex Anthopoulos. Atkins came over after spending 15 years in the Indians organization. It's hard to believe this choice wasn't heavily influenced by Toronto's new president Mark Shapiro, who was very familiar with Atkins having brought him up in Cleveland's front office.
* Switching to trade rumblings, it sounds like the Twins won't trade Ervin Santana unless they're overwhelmed by an offer. Given the uncertainties surrounding Phil Hughes (health) and Ricky Nolasco (performance), that's a logical approach, if the team does indeed have aspirations of returning to contention in 2017.
He threw nine good innings on Tuesday night against the worst lineup in ball, but Santana just isn't the kind of arm that's going to entice someone to give up a haul.
* As for Nolasco, based on everything I've been hearing and reading, the front office would happily ship him to any willing recipient, but interest in the veteran right-hander is undoubtedly low. Nolasco's 5.40 ERA ranks as fifth-worst among qualified MLB starters, and he has tallied more walks than strikeouts this month. Even if the Twins are throwing in a wad of cash, why bother?
* A source from a contending team told Mike Berardino that the Twins are in "listening mode--at best" on Kyle Gibson. That's probably the right mindset. Gibson is a fairly reliable rotation piece going forward and his value is depressed right now thanks to a poor start and a shoulder injury that cost him a chunk of the season. The righty quietly has posted a 3.03 ERA over his last five starts.
* One club that may be expressing interest in Twins pitchers is Miami. In a column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo wrote that the Marlins had scouts at Fenway last week to watch Nolasco and Tommy Milone.
Both got shelled, but regardless of how they pitched in those outings, no one was going to form any illusions about either hittable hurler.
* Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted on Tuesday that Eduardo Nunez is among options the first-place Indians have evaluated as they seek to bolster their offense. Presumably, they would install Nunez as their regular third baseman. Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis are holding down the middle infield, while Juan Uribe has done little to distinguish himself at the hot corner.
This is one worth keeping an eye on.
* Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote last week that Minnesota's trade chips drawing the most attention are Nunez, Kurt Suzuki, Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler.
This list isn't surprising, but sort of encapsulates why it's hard to get too jazzed up about this deadline period. The Twins have assets that are intriguing to contenders, but we're talking about a career bench player (prior to this year), a decent-at-best catcher, and a pair of relievers on minor-league contracts.
The only opportunity that Antony has to make a major splash would be a shocking move involving, say, Brian Dozier or one of the kids he feels is expendable. But is the interim GM really going to uproot the long-term roster foundation, not to mention the clubhouse dynamic, by taking such a gamble? Hard to envision.
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