stringer bell

I don't agree with Escobar/Casilla comparison. Casilla only has demonstrated above average fielding skills at second, Escobar at second and short for sure and probably third. As an offensive player, Lexi had one very much above-average skill--the ability to steal bases. Escobar doesn't have that skill, but looks like he could have decent power for a middle infielder. It would be great to have two guys in the middle infield, both under thirty, both with OPS+ above 100 and both above average defensively. Oh well, we can dream.

Hanigan would serve the Twins' needs very well IMHO. Having a defense-first veteran would be the way I'd want to go if I were the team.

Nice writeup Parker. While I hope Pelfrey wouldn't be the top pitcher the Twins signed, I wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what happened.

I hate to say it, but my prediction is that Pelfrey will be signed for more than most think he should get and that he will be the best player the Twins sign. 2-$13? Two years plus an option? I dislike his mound presence, but he did improve as the season progressed and he'll only be 30 next year. He throws harder than anyone on the starting staff and he is willing to come back to Minnesota.

Maddux, Glavine, Biggio, Bagwell, Raines, Piazza and Thomas.

I agree that many have gone overboard on the Doumit's defense behind the dish. He doesn't excel at anything, but he's passable in most areas (arm, blocking pitches, working with the pitchers and maybe calling a good game. I doubt Pinto will DH much, if at all, if he makes the club (I'd put the over-under at 5 games). If the Twins add a catcher, I would hope it would be a veteran who can work with Pinto and the young pitchers on the staff. I know that Navarro was available for nothing once (DFAed or released) and maybe a second time as well. He's had a couple of good years and was horrible the rest. If he were a great receiver, teams would look the other way when he struggled at the plate, but he has moved around, indicating to me that he is not a defensive wizard.

You beat me to it, Chief! Failing to include Duensing to the Cubs, how about Duensing to the Reds for Hanigan?

Beresford--nice story, but his hit tool is powerless and he doesn't have game-changing speed. I'd rather have Dozier, Florimon, and Escobar man the middle infield. Rohlfing--much like Herrmann, he's versatile, can catch, but isn't much of an offensive threat (he hit better at a higher level). From what I can see, both guys only ever see the majors because they can capably play catcher and other positions. Robinson--also no great shakes with the glove and certainly not a better offensive threat than Plouffe and how old is he? I checked and he is only three months younger than Plouffe. I hope Oliveros survives the Rule 5. When healthy, he's been very good in the minors.

I liked it when the Twins acquired Hardy and was disappointed when they traded him, but his performance in his only year with the Twins wasn't above average. He has absolutely found a home in Baltimore and has been one of the best shortstops in the AL. On Liriano, what remained of the fan base was completely fed up with his performance. Minnesota seems to be in a rut right now--they hold on to too many guys for too long--but when they let one go he thrives.

Yes, yes, and yes! Improvement has to come from within, although free agents to augment the staff this year make perfect sense. I have said on another thread that the players that will play supplementary roles need to be developed and last year was disappointing because only one guy, Dozier, stepped up and established himself. It would be great if half of the guys mentioned by Jim H establish themselves this summer. It would be great if one new pitcher steps up and is part of the future.

OK, I'm back. It seems that the front office hasn't figured how to go about getting better starting pitchers in this new (pitching dominated) sub-era, where strikeouts are reaching record numbers and pitching to contact has become the watch-word for guys who don't have enough stuff to consistently succeed. Finally, it seems the FO has shrugged off three straight failure seasons as part of a cycle. With the resources available, the drop-off shouldn't have been this deep and lasted this long. I really don't see much hope for improvement in 2014 and the culture of losing is becoming more and more the accepted atmosphere. I understand that the answers aren't as easy as opening the checkbook, but there is money to spend and I think the time for patience for the major league club should be over.

On the larger issue of "same old, same old", I have to agree. There is a stockpile of great talent in the minors and if it pans out the Twins will have a couple of perennial all-stars. However, the parts that fit around that talent haven't been finalized, in fact the picture is more unclear than it was a year ago. I don't see anything that indicates that the team has changed direction in several areas. More later.

Not good news, but nothing to lose sleep over, either. I do think a defense-first receiver would be of benefit to the team and especially to Pinto. It sounds like Molina is staying in Tampa. I hope Mr. Ryan acquires such a veteran. I don't think the team needs to add any more position players.

I checked mlb.com and my most trusted source (Wikipedia) and confirmed that you are absolutely correct.

The problem here is that the Twins don't really have much to trade. Obviously there is no starter who could net much (except for Meyer) and of the position players (excluding Buck and Sano) there isn't much either. As Shane has mentioned on the 40-man thread there is an abundance of late-20s marginal major leaguers who couldn't net one future starting pitcher or starting position player. The others are all pretty vital to the team this year and in the future: Dozier, Pinto, Arcia, Hicks and Perkins. The two veterans could go for the right price even though there isn't anyone established to fill their role.

Nope, I believe the rule was changed a few years back because teams were stashing Rule 5 players on the DL. I don't know the exact rule but it is something like 150 days active when rosters are limited to 25 players.

A couple of thoughts--I am thinking that Swarzak is a goner from the Twins. With so many candidates for the rotation, some are going to the bullpen to be long men or sixth starters. I expect the Twins trade Swarzak, actually selling high on a player. Secondly, if Johnson has decent stuff and is a lefty, how did he last in the minors for so long? Unless he has found a new pitch or finally has gotten healthy, it is hard to believe he didn't get multiple chances to pitch in the majors before this year. Someone said that he goes to the top of the list of Twins' LH starters, both Albers and especially Diamond are both younger and have had success as major leaguers, they both have to start ahead of Johnson in any competition for a starters slot.

When I saw Cedar Rapids play, Polanco was the SS. He seems to have good hands and good enough range, but his throws didn't look as strong from short as we see from the likes of Escobar and Florimon. I really don't know if he can be stretched into a major league SS.

I continue to hold out hope for both Diamond and Worley. Both have had a successful season or more "at the major league level" and both are young enough to duplicate that success. While I realize advanced metrics don't provide promise of equalling their previous success, I think it is reasonable to expect results closer to their best than repeats of last year.

I've said this about Arcia before--he has the requisite skills to be a decent outfielder. He was bad in the outfield, but with hard work, he should be able to be an adequate corner OF, at worst. I don't have a problem with him DHing on occasion, but he shouldn't be pigeonholed at the age of 22 (or 24 or 25) as solely a hitter. There are always an abundance of hitters who can no longer play in the field to play DH and it would benefit both the team and the player for Arcia to be considered an outfielder and not just a DH.

I think Dozier's BA and OBP will go up and he'll get double-digit homers, yielding a slightly improved OPS. As for Hicks, I can't see a scenario where the Twins can hand him center field this spring. If he looks as good as he did last spring, he still will have to spend a few weeks in Rochester. I expect Arcia to start the season in Minnesota, but struggle. I do think his next trip to Rochester will be his last.

I'm thinking something like Arroyo and Pelfrey, which combined with Corriea, would make 60% of the rotation 30-something former NL innings-eaters.

This will include a bit of a 2014 blueprint, some prognostication and some thinking outside the box. I would like to see some other predictions for the coming season. 1) The Twins starting rotation will add two free agents. However the most improvement will come from within, with improvement from Kyle Gibson, emergence of Alex Myer, and a bounceback from one of Vance Worley or Scott Diamond. 2) Joe Mauer will be a contender for both a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. He will exceed .900 for OPS and 20 for home runs. Mauer will be the Twins lone representative at the All-Star game at Target Field. 3) Josh Willingham will be traded after gaining some value with a 2014 that more resembles 2012 than 2013. 4) Josmil Pinto will not make the club out of spring training. He will be in the majors by Memorial Day and play more games at catcher than any other Twins receiver. 5) Aaron Hicks will start the season in Rochester and start somewhat slowly, but will be with Minnesota by the All-Star break. 6) The bullpen will be seen as far less effective in 2014 than 2013. Casey Fien and Caleb Thielbar will regress significantly. 7) Byron Buxton won't be recalled until September at the earliest. 8) Oswaldo Arcia will get demoted to Rochester one more time before he really "gets it" and becomes a force in the middle of the Twins' lineup. 9) Miguel Sano will be promoted before midseason. His batting average will be below .250, but he will show great power and pretty good plate discipline. Trevor Plouffe won't be on the Twins team by September 1. 10) Brian Dozier will follow up his "breakthrough" by increasing his batting average, but not hitting for power. Eddie Rosario will be promoted in Sepember and share time with him at second. My guess is that the team will improve it's record after another slow start and that there will be a lot of optimism for 2015 after a good finish.

I think the Cubs would be a tough trade partner for the Twins, because their needs and strengths are similar and they, too, are rebuilding. Billingsley and Gallardo both look intriguing to me. I suspect there is something seriously wrong with Ricky Romero, and the Twins record with reclamation projects seems to have bottomed out lately.

Jack, one question that you've been asked where I haven't seen the answer is in regard to fielding metrics. Does your group use any of them and which do you see as being valid measures of player defense?