Tcrose3636

Ish, I wouldn't trade anything more than Arcia and a low level prospect who's name I have never heard of. I have no faith that Lucroy will have a healthy season again, concussions as a catcher....all you need is a foul tip off the mask to re-aggravate the symptoms...and getting hit in the mask is an every game event. No way would I trade anything significant for him.

Unless that player is Ricky Nolasco, that might add 1 or 2 to the W column.

8th inning, Twins down by 6...intentional walk Kipnis to get to him...Flip that bat to the moon and do a few cartwheels. There is no reason to intentionally walk someone down that much in the 8th inning with 2 outs already, I don't care how many short throws and force outs you want to talk about. Molitor was trying to get to cute with in-game strategy and trying to get to a weak hitter...that hitter burned you. Isn't intentionally walking a batter when down by that much an unwritten rule as well....kind of like stealing bases when you are up or down by a lot. These unwritten rules need to go away....

How bout the deal that sounded like it was going to happen on the deadline? Shield/Norris/XXX for Nolasco/Meyer/Arcia/Stewart

lol, nice On another subject, sounds like the Padres held firm because Preller thinks they can make the playoffs See what I did there

Heard earlier that the Padres were insisting that Mateo be included in the Kimbrel deal....then is sounds like the Yankees included him, but the Padres thought they could do better....yikes no wonder the Padres didn't deal anybody (as of now, I know stuff could still be rolling in).

Sooo, will the big losers of the day be the Padres? Holding on to just about everybody because they thought they were holding all the chips.

I don't think I would throw Berrios & Kepler at the Brewers for a catcher OPS'ing .648 and has been declining production wise the past 2 or 3 years. Lucroy is what, in his 6th year catching in the major's. The decline of Lucroy will get very Joe Mauer like way faster because Lucroy was no where near the hitter Mauer was (and I like Joe Mauer). I would be up for the Tulo trade, just because he is probably my favorite SS in the game. But I think a middle releiver is the safe route.

I think the off-season blue print is very well laid out, and very realistic...except for one part, I do question that the payroll will be much north of $90M let alone over $100M...especially with how bad season ticket renewals are to be expected.

Like this a lot considering they don't have a decent other all-around-option (offense & defensive). Money should not be an issue with minor league options coming up next year on minimum salary contracts. I don't think they will be very active in FA in the off-season either due to blocking young talent, so they won't be spending there. I like this deal.

I have a really hard time thinking about trading Suzuki and not extending him on a 3yr/$7m deal like Salty got last year. The Twins have and will have flexibility with payroll when all of the young prospect come up playing on the cheap. If all signs that people within the organization say about how he handles the pitching staff, I think it might possibly stunt the growth of young pitchers that are going to pitch in the majors. But if he isn't willing to take that kind of deal that I mentioned above before the deadline, then I think he kind of forces your hand to move him for something.

Well... that pitcher can't pitch a complete game unless a hitter puts up a run to win the game.

Wow, I was all for Gardy coming back, thinking that the only way he would come back was with some reassurance on getting a better ball club through FA...but TR just killed that hope. Now I don't know what to think, this is just kind of brutal. Here is to hoping they get Tanaka because they are not getting anyone through FA.

Didn't you hear? They don't go with what the stats say, only if they pass the eye test/smell test/ Ouiji board test. That said, I am fine with Gardy coming back for 2 years. Only wish they would start looking at statistics and not being so reactive (I/E they are about 5 years behind the times everyone started to draft power pitchers).

Only if it doesn't take a huge amount over $21m over 3 years to sign him.

Maybe he is not underperforming. With the roster he has, maybe this is all he can get out of it. If he had something that resembled a MLB starting rotation, maybe he would be back in the Playoffs.

This is a good statement and question. TR has done well with the minor leagues but refuses to spend any kind of money in FA. How long does he get a pass for not making the MLB club better, we saw what another GM could do and we didn't like that. Is this a stretch of years were we as fans have to be patient until the minor league prospect come up and then judge who stays or goes? Lots and lots of question about this team, managers, and in the FO.

I would be pretty pissed off if I were Gardy if Ryan fires him. Look at the **** he has had to work with the past 3 years because of Smith/Ryan. If Ryan lets him go just before the top talent comes up, I think it would be a disservice to him. Struggle through 3 talentless teams, I think Gardy gets 1 or 2 years with good players. If he can't get back to the playoffs, then let him go but at least give him a decent rotation and more than 4 regulars in the everyday line up to work with.

I will make this +1

A 2-3 year $7m per year is a drop in the bucket considering they will still be around $65/$70m? We are not talking about paying him $12, $15, $20 like Fielder. All of the free agent 1B in 2014 are over thiry and have question marks too. So, FA is a crap shoot. Why not take that chance with someone that hits .270 with 20 hrs and wants to play here....especially when there are no good in house options at 1B other than Mauer? And I would take Cuddyer back too. Letting him go seemed to work out much better for him than the Twins.

Well, I guess because the money is there to spend and they won't carry the money forward to next year and the year after that. I would take the shell of a former MVP at $7per year for 2 or 3 years that can hit .270 with 20hr vs a guy making less money hitting .220 with 10hr as a stop gap until you can find a better replacement, and looking at the in house options and free agent market this year...I do not see a better option. I just don't get being a fan of the team, wanting to watch a cheaper stop gap for 2 or 3 years so the Twins sit on more cash that they won't spend on a decent free agent.

But that also says what people want to replace him are not that good either, and the free agents (less the Cuban) aren't too good either...not to mention whether or not they would sign here to play for a team that loses +85 games. I guess Morneau would be the stop gap until you have a better team with the younger guys coming up to make FA want to come here again.

.270 with 20hr and + defense is not a bad 1B, when the in house options are worse.

Yes, resign him. What else are they going to spend $40m on? They have showed us in the past that they will sit on that money and not spend it before trying to sign an impact player and try signing scrap heaps in the offseason. I would rather them spend $7 per year on Morneau than 2 crap pitchers for $7, so 3 years for between $20 - $22 is a yes for me.

I have to qualify my statement and question by saying that I like Trevor Plouffe and I really hope that he is clean. In this day of baseball, it is hard to know who did and who didn't and that is why everyone is very suspicious of players that do amazing things. What makes me question and wonder about Plouffe and his association with Braun is that I believe Plouffe was up and down, up and down, and eventually out of options...I believe. Then it seemed like the talk was DFA-ing him. The next week it seemed like he went on his home run streak. I could see the temptation if he was about to lose his spot on the roster...I also don't think Roids work that quickly but if he was back and forth a few times and decided to take them so he would eventually remain in the big leagues...I don't know. I hope there will come a time in baseball where we don't have to question the guys doing amazing things like Davis, Braun, and Cabrera...and now Plouffe because of his association with Braun.