EephusKnuckler

Aoki is a good player and smart pickup for the Royals considering how often Lorenzo Cain seems to get injured. What's not to like? KC likes to steal bases too so I wouldn't be surprised to see him get 30+. If they can also still land Beltran, they'll have a pretty solid looking outfield. But as others said, doesn't work for the Twins right now.

Looks like I have a team to root for in the NL!

Ya, almost 22mil a year for a 30 year old oft-injured speed guy seems like a poor use of funds. It's funny because of all the gnashing of teeth from Sox fans, though. The article says they're still trying to retain Cano, but this move makes me doubtful. The way Cano and his camp have operated so far, I can't imagine they'll take this news lightly. Just earlier today there was a report that Cano and the Yankees were far apart and I don't think this kind of signing is going to help matters. He's gonna take a reasonable (not 300 million, lol) deal somewhere else.

Agreed and this would be an example of a real gamble, as opposed to past signings like Harden and Zumaya which weren't very risky at all. If the Twins farm system is so head and shoulders above everyone else in the league, then they can afford to sacrifice a bit of that strength to fix a problem. Also, I'm not too worried about getting fleeced here. I think Ryan is smart enough to not give too much away for a guy with so many injury red flags. A move like this would also instantly make the Nolasco and Hughes signings even better. It would send a strong signal that the team is serious about contending in the near future. I wanted them to go after Kazmir so we'd have a lefty in the rotation but I think the 2/22 he got from the As (coincidentally) is too rich. Maybe there was no interest in Kazmir because they were focused on Anderson all along? Even if they don't trade for him, I like the idea that the team is still looking to add starters.

Good news. Surprised by the three years though...thought for sure it would be a 1 or 2 year deal. Safe to assume that TR is done signing starters.

I think Burnett has made it known that he's going to either resign with the Pirates or retire. I wouldn't get my hopes up.

I'd rather have Kazmir, if we're talkin 2 year deals. We need a decent leftie in the rotation, right? He could probably even be had for less than Hughes. I haven't heard a peep about him in free agency, though. Has he been linked to any teams? I'd be fine with Hughes, I'm just happy that the team is rumored to still be looking for another arm. Two new starters for the 2014 rotation means this team might have a shot at not being god-awful.

ehhh...not completely. Nolasco instantly becomes the "ace" but is his sole addition to a terrible rotation really going to have a big effect on W-L? I'm not convinced. Remember, this is the team that's had arguably the worst starting pitching in the league over the past three seasons. They need to do more than just add one underwhelming innings-eater. Ok, resign Pelfry but also go get another guy like Kazmir or Arroyo. Then we might actually have something resembling a real MLB pitching staff. I'm gonna say 4 like Sconnie, not disgusted but disappointed. I have a feeling that it might stop with Nolasco and Pelf, tho

I haven't seen Paul Maholm mentioned in any of these threads talking about the starting rotation. He seems like the kind of guy he Twins would go after. Soft-tossing lefty groundball (PTC!) guy. Probably won't ask for a ton of money either. He's nothing special but IIRC, he was good for a stretch last year. Would be another Correia-type presence in the rotation: lackluster but a step-up from a lot of the garbage we've put on the mound in recent years. It's not very realistic to think the team will sign guys who want big deals like E. Santana, Nolasco, or Jiminez. The Twins don't do that. They'll go out and sign one or two mediocre starters for little $$$ and maybe a bigger name on a 1 year deal.

I agree with the OP, Hughes seems like the "best" Twins fans can hope for. Given their penchant for reclamation projects lately, it would not surprise me to see them bring in Johan, Haren, or Johnson. According to a new article on startrib, apparently the Twins have even contacted Johan's people and checked into the medical stuff, for whatever that's worth. Not a far-fetched idea. Could be a savvy move for the team, on the field and in the PR realm. I wonder if we see Deduno get moved to the pen at some point next season. He's fun to watch and has some good stuff but his style clashes with how the team traditionally likes their starters. I don't know what to think about Worley...we'll see him as a starter again at some point but I don't have high hopes. It's hilarious that he was the opening day starter this year.

If his deal with the Pirates falls through, I would not be surprised at all if he ends up back with the Twins.

I'm not too familiar with contract stuff in MLB, but I wonder if there's ever a chance that Mauer's contract can be reworked. The "hometown kid" thing works both ways. The organization takes care of him, and he does what he can to help the team win. If that means reworking a deal and taking a paycut so the team around him can improve, then that needs to be done.

Nice, Marquis gives up two solo shots in the 1st

Maybe, but I don't think he's a headcase in the same sense that Liriano is. Frankie gets all up in his head when he's on the mound, but I think Greinke's deal is more off-the-field. Seems like he doesn't crave a lot of attention and is probably the introverted loner type. I don't think if affects him when he's pitching, or he's just good enough to overcome it. He's not super-elite like a Verlander, Weaver, or Kershaw but he's still a damn fine staff ace. If he's more comfortable in smaller markets and the Twins are willing to pony up, I would love to see him in a Twins uniform. It seems like a good fit, and the organization is already fairly familiar with him. Then just let the dude do what he knows and don't fill his head with some pitch-to-contact nonsense. It would be a strong statement that the team acknowledges that the pitching staff is ass and they're committed to improving it.

Awesome to hear that Target Field is now serving Surly brew. It'll be nice to have an alternative to the regular Bud/Miller/Coors swill. Hopefully it's not $10 a cup.

I won't be happy, but I won't be disgusted either. Revere won't be able to stay in the big leagues on his speed alone, so he's gotta pick up another way to contribute. It'll never be his arm strength because apparently he has the weakest arm in the league, so he's gotta get that AVG up. He's gotta be more than just a .250 hitter. I do like watching him play. He's definitely one of the more exciting players to watch on this team right now.

I agree, and it's just bad right now because all the supports for it are out of whack. As already pointed out, our pitching philosophy requires solid and consistent fielding, which we haven't had. Also, our bullpen is in shambles right now. Remember when our bullpen was loaded with guys like Crain, Guerrier, and Nathan? Now, we have maybe the worst group of relievers in the league...? If the fielding improves and we get better arms in the 'pen, suddenly the starting rotation and the pitching philosophy won't seem so horrid.