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On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox announced that their closer, Andrew Bailey, would have season-ending shoulder surgery. While the news is certainly disappointing for Bailey and the Red Sox fans’, it may end up becoming good news if you are a fan of the Minnesota Twins. Even before the injury to Bailey, the Red Sox bullpen was struggling with a combined 4.03 ERA. Because of this, the team was rumored to be in the market for a reliever who could bolster their bullpen at the trade deadline, even after acquiring Matt Thornton from Chicago last week. With the American League East being one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball, the need for the Red Sox to address their bullpen, if they want to remain competitive and at the top of the division, is increasing by the day. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4889[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports One team that could assist in helping the Red Sox solve their bullpen quandary is the Twins, who have two relievers—Jared Burton and closer Glen Perkins—who could be of great value to the Red Sox if they are willing to pay the price to acquire them. Perkins, an All-Star this season, is the most valuable and intriguing option of the two pitchers due to his team friendly contract and his dominating stuff on the mound that is garnering him a reputation for being one of the brightest “young” closers in all of baseball. Perkins, age 30, has two years remaining on his contract after this season—and a team option for 2016—that would pay him a total of $12 million if the option is picked up. For a dominant, hard-throwing, left-handed closer that currently is sporting a 1-0 record with a 1.72 ERA, 23 saves and a miniscule 0.791 WHIP, that is very affordable and very intriguing to teams who may be looking to acquire a talented closer; the problem is, Perkins’ price-tag is going to be awfully steep. ~~~Originally published on RantSports.com~~~ In order to acquire Perkins, the Red Sox would likely have to surrender a player such as pitcher Rubby De La Rosa or a high-end prospect like left-handed pitcher Henry Owens (currently in High Class-A with a 7-4 record and a 2.93 ERA over 18 starts), right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo (currently at Double-A with a 8-3 record and 2.87 ERA over 17 starts) outfielder Bryce Brentz (currently at Triple-A with a .272 batting average, 16 HR and 53 RBI over 75 games) or a combination of the prospects of some sort. While that is a very steep price to pay, the Twins’ asking price is going to be very high and it is going to center around high-end pitching talent that the Twins are in the market to receive. A more realistic, and affordable, option for the Red Sox to consider may be Burton. Burton has had an up and down season so far, but has settled back in over the last few games and could be a nice addition to the bullpen, and a great stop-gap solution for the Red Sox, until their array of closers return from injury sometime next season. On the year, Burton is 1-6 with a 3.53 ERA, a 1.338 WHIP, an 8.1 SO/9 and a 0.5 WAR over 45 games and 43.1 innings pitched. While the stats aren’t overly impressive, Burton is a very effective pitcher, did sport a 2.18 ERA over 62 innings last season and would likely come at a much cheaper price than Perkins would. Whereas Perkins could fetch the Twins a possible combination of a big-league ready arm and a nice low-level pitching prospect, Burton may only fetch a high-end, low-level prospect in any trade. While the Red Sox claim they are not in the market to acquire a big-name closer, if they begin to falter and fall in the standings, don’t be surprised if they don’t warm up the phone lines and give the Twins a call. With the Twins not in position to compete for a few seasons, they seem to be an ideal trading partner for the Red Sox to deal with. This surely will not be the last time you hear trade rumors of Perkins and Burton to the Red Sox; but until the trade deadline passes, keep an eye on the transaction wire because you just might see a deal between the Twins and Red Sox grabbing headlines sometime soon. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

I'm not necessarily hating on Gardy not having Plouffe bunt in this situation, but Gardy has refused to bunt runners into scoring position numerous times this year. It was more frustration out of having Plouffe in the number two spot when he cannot bunt. I do concede that since he cannot bunt, giving him the bunt sign may have been wasted strikes; but to me you have to at least try once to bunt. I understand that Francona would likely walk Mauer but there is no guaranteeing that. Heck, we thought Francona would walk Mauer with a runner on third and first base open, but he opted not to. The article was supposed to be more focused on the fact that Gardy didn't construct the lineup correctly in my opinion and that he needs more players who have the flexibility to bunt in order to be successful. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it!

Last night I was able to take in a Minnesota Twins’ game live for the first time this season and I came away with one thought in mind: Ron Gardenhire is sure making it tough for me to defend him with the managerial moves he is continually making. Last week I came out with an article that, in essence, supported Gardenhire and stated that firing him would change nothing. To access this article, simply click here. Based on that article, I believed that Gardenhire hadn’t lost his ability to manage and that the Twins should give their manager some slack as the team endures a rebuilding process; but as the game unfolded last night, a situation in the eighth inning has made me question my initial premise. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4865[/ATTACH] With the game tied at two last night, up stepped Trevor Plouffe with nobody out and runners on first and second base. Plouffe was hitting second in the batting order last night—which in itself was a huge mistake—and was put into a great position to drive some runs in, which was the reason that Gardenhire reportedly placed him there to begin with. With the Twins only needing one run to break the tie and Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau waiting in the wings, Plouffe was in an obvious bunting situation. Brian Dozier had failed to successfully bunt over Pedro Florimon the at-bat before, but was bailed out by a Nick Swisher error which allowed Dozier to reach first safely setting up the Plouffe at-bat. ~~~Originally published on RantSports.com~~~ It is no secret that Plouffe is not a good bunter; but during his at-bat, which lasted all of two pitches, Plouffe didn’t even attempt to bunt once. This obviously is Gardenhire’s call and fault for not sending in the sign to have Plouffe bunt and it should have cost the Twins the game last night if not for Mauer’s clutch RBI single. Such a managerial mishap has been a hallmark for Gardenhire this season and it is for that reason that it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to support him and defend his credibility as a manager; but as I got to thinking more about the situation, I came to an additional conclusion that goes even deeper than the Gardenhire mishap: Gardenhire doesn’t have enough players on the team who can bunt. The players on the roster who can be considered competent bunters would be Jamey Carroll, Pedro Florimon, Clete Thomas, Aaron Hicks and Dozier. Thomas and Hicks have proven that they are most effective as bottom-of-the-order hitters, Dozier currently bats leadoff and Carroll is not an everyday player. With that being said, having Plouffe bat second in the order still makes little sense because it seems as if Dozier would be a better fit as a number two hitter. It’s possible that Carroll could be an effective number two hitter, but that would likely come at the expense of Plouffe—or one of the other “competent bunters”—sitting. Ultimately, Plouffe belongs in the middle of the order and the Twins need to have more players who are more fundamentally sound and can play station-to-station baseball. Part of that is Gardenhire’s fault for not placing the players he has in the right spots in the order to be successful, but part of the blame also falls on Twins’ management for not giving Gardenhire enough flexibility to place players in different spots in the order to play effective station-to-station baseball. The Twins used to be very effective under Gardenhire at playing solid fundamental, station-to-station baseball during the years of the “Piranhas”, but the team also had significantly more talent during that time as well; nevertheless, there is plenty of blame to go around. There are no excuses for Gardenhire not at least attempting to bunt with Plouffe out of the two spot and there are no excuses for his inability to successfully manage the game to get runners in scoring position, but let’s not forget that there still is a talent deficiency on this roster which does handicap Gardenhire’s ability to manage slightly. However, at the end of the day, it starts and ends with Gardenhire and if he plans on keeping his job and getting the most out of the team he has been given, he needs to get back to the basics of managing. 99 percent of the fans knew the Twins’ should have bunted in the eighth inning last night; the fact that Gardenhire didn’t seem to know, worries me. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter@BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

Over the years, the MLB All-Star game has taken on a whole new feeling and meaning following the disaster that was the 2002 All-Star game which ended in a tie. Since then, Bud Selig has reorganized the game and has given it a new sense of meaning by giving home-field advantage to the winning league of the game. While I have no problem with Mr. Selig putting this provision in for the winner of the game, I do believe the commissioner needs to make yet another change to an outdated rule surrounding the All-Star game. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4823[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Traditionally, each team has been allowed to have one representative for the All-Star game no matter how bad or how good the team is. This was likely put in place for teams to be equally represented and thus, fans from all markets could be drawn to the game. For teams like the Minnesota Twins—who have benefited from this rule during their down years such as the mid-1990s—this is a great rule because it ensures that no matter how bad the team gets, there will always be one player representing the team in the mid-Summer Classic; however, this rule is outdated and needs to be changed. ~~~Originally published on RantSports.com~~~ With the provision that the winning league is granted home-field advantage in the World Series, the dynamic of the All-Star game has changed. This provision was put in place for managers and players to take the game more seriously and the message has been largely received by all; however, is it really fair for a manager/league to play in such a crucial game without the best players in the league on the roster? By requiring each team to be represented by at least one player, roster spots are being taken up by players who aren’t as valuable or worthy of a spot compared to a better player who is left off the roster simply because another team needed to have a representative. If the All-Star game is to continue to operate under the new provision of home-field advantage for the winning league, they need to allow the manager to fill the roster as they wish and not with a player from each roster to fulfill a requirement. I have no problem allowing fans to vote for the starting lineup for each team because it prevents a manager from playing favorites and it allows for a nice interaction piece with the fans of the game, but the remaining roster spots should be the manager’s choice. If the manager is going to be in charge of leading his team to a victory and securing home-field advantage, he should be allowed to build the roster as he sees fit in order to play to his managing style/strength. Whether that means some teams are represented or not, is irrelevant. Fortunately for the Twins, they have players like Joe Mauer and future prospects like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano where they may continue to receive an All-Star representative even without the one player per team requirement because of the players’ talent on the roster. In my opinion, that is why the player should be elected or voted for in the first place: their talent. If a player is truly deserving of an All-Star spot, he should let his playing do the work and not some provision. Sure, fans tend to elect big names because they are familiar to them; but if a player has a good enough season and the manager is allowed to fill out the roster, the player will certainly be noticed and rewarded. I understand that this change may worry some Twins’ fans because they may be concerned that the team is going to fall into a talent abyss—or may trade away some of their established stars/veterans—and may not have a representative to watch over the next few years; but think about it this way: since the Twins are a few years away from contention, wouldn’t you want the rule changed so that when the Twins are contending for titles again, they have the best chance to earn home-field should they advance to the World Series? In my opinion, the answer to that question is simple; but in the end, fans may not be able to see the big-picture ramifications of the current provision because of the short-term distress the team is enduring. Change is needed in the All-Star game, but the likelihood of it occurring is similar to the Twins’ playoff chances this season: slim to none. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

I truly believe Gardenhire isn't the problem and i've stated why in my article, but you both bring up valid points about what has gone wrong with the Twins. I still tend to believe that it is the personnel moves, or lack there of, that have put the Twins in the funk they are currently in which is characterized by a lack of starting pitching depth. With a rebuilt farm system and a consistent flow of talent to the majors, Gardenhire will succeed once again. Certainly changing managers will have a short-term affect on a team by re-energizing them, but will it sustain over a long period of time. In my opinion, Gardenhire has a proven enough track record that indicates he can manage; firing him would solve nothing with the team.

Over the past few weeks, the Minnesota Twins have resorted back to their old ways of the past two seasons which has been hallmarked by long losing streaks and feelings of inadequacy. While the team searches for answers to solve their many ailing problems, the media around the Twin Cities and around the nation have started to clamor for a change at the top with the firing of manager Ron Garenhire. While this may be the popular move at a time like this, it certainly isn’t the correct one. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4799[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of: Kim Klement- USA TODAY Sports Typically when a team struggles, the first person who takes the brunt of the criticism and responsibility for the team’s mishaps is the manager; whether or not that criticism is justifiable or not is another matter. While the manager is the face of the team, he by no means is the sole reason why the team struggles. He does not make the plays on the field, he does not hit with runners in scoring position and he doesn’t get hitters out on the mound. Instead, he manages the game and attempts to put players in the best position to succeed. The managers who do these things the best, the most often and with the greatest efficiency are the ones who stick around the longest and are remembered as “great managers”. ~~~Article originally published on RantSports.com~~~ Up until 2011, Gardenhire was characterized among the best managers in baseball. His teams were wining division titles under the financial constraints of playing in the Metrodome and he had to often put together a team with an organization unwilling to go out and spend money on players who could take the team to the next level in the playoffs. Instead, Gardenhire and his staff relied on a strong farm system and a strong core of young players. Because the Twins continued to compete, win division titles and make the playoffs—despite not performing well in the playoffs—Gardenhire’s ability to manage was rarely questioned; yet, over the last three seasons, the name that often gets thrown into the blame game first is Gardenhire’s. That, Twins’ fans, is utterly ridiculous in my opinion. Gardenhire has won six division titles, Manager of the Year in 2010 and a total of 969 wins compared to 903 losses during his 12 year tenure. In addition, 247 of those 903 career losses have come over the past three seasons. While Gardenhire’s poor record over the last three years should not be excused, it by no means indicates that he has lost his ability to manage. Sometimes in sports, a team fails to respond to a manager’s message and style after a certain period of time. This results in a lack of effort and poor performances. Because of this, teams normally fire the manager in hopes of reigniting the team and bringing in a new person with a fresh message that the players may be willing to embrace. In the Twins’ case, this would not be the correct move. If you look at the Twins this year, they certainly have played poorly, but they have continued to play hard and haven’t complained about playing for Gardenhire. The losing streaks and poor play haven’t been Gardenhire’s fault. The reason the Twins have struggled is simply been due to a lack of talent at the majors. There certainly is talent on the way headlined by Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano and I’m confident that once Gardenhire has the full array of talented players on his roster—most importantly a competent starting rotation—he will again return to his consistent winning ways. Changing managers now would not alter the team’s success this year or next year because this team is built to contend two years from now, not this season. Unless the organization decides to spend big in free-agency this winter, that plan will not be altered; thus, it won’t matter who is managing the Twins because they will continue to lose. Unfortunately for Gardenhire, he may not have that long. Instead, he may need to rely on the 2013 version of the Twins to turn it around in order to save his job. If the Twins decide to part ways with Gardenhire, it will be a horrible mistake for the organization and will simply be a public relations move. Gardenhire knows how to manage and do so effectively and if longevity—in addition to six division titles in 12 overall seasons—is any indicator, Gardenhire deserves to stay; firing him would solve nothing. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

With the addition of [B]Eddie Guardado[/B] to the [B]Minnesota Twins[/B]’ Hall of Fame two weeks ago, I got to thinking about the opposite end of the spectrum from great players. When I began watching the Twins in the early nineties, [B]Kent Hrbek[/B] was retiring, [B]Kirby Puckett [/B]was at the tail-end of his career and the Twins were about to be enveloped by a period of mediocrity that would damage the franchise for a few seasons. During that time, I grew up expecting mediocrity, but I also got to see the complete spectrum of players the Twins had to offer.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In addition, the Twins have been criticized over the years for signing or bringing in players who were cheap, over-the-hill, underwhelming and unproductive; players the team hoped could be revitalized or that they would find some value in. Often, the Twins wasted money on players who had nothing left to offer and had no business being in the majors; yet, the FO gave them their one last chance. [attachment=6215:2768.attach] Photo Courtesy of Ben Tesch [CENTER]~~~Article originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/06/30/5-nominations-for-minnesota-twins-hall-of-shame/"]RantSports.com[/URL]~~~ [/CENTER] With that in mind, I started to have an idea that could recognize some of these moves and players scattered throughout Twins’ history. My idea led me to the Twins’ Hall of Shame. While this idea may not be fully unique, I think it’s a great forum that could generate great conversation. In order to be nominated for the Twins’ Hall of Shame, my only requirement is that the player had to play/be on the team a minimum of 40 games with the Twins, which is the equivalent of one-fourth of a season, or be acquired via trade/signed at some point during the season. This would allow for a good enough sample size to be considered worthy of the Hall of Shame, but also would allow for a player who was acquired via trade or signed during the season and quickly released again a chance to make the list. Without further ado, I will release the five nominees for the inaugural Hall of Shame class of 2013. I will release an article next week revealing the players who will be selected to enter the Hall of Shame based on your votes. Players must receive a minimum of 75 percent of the votes in order to be selected. You can vote on my group page on [URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]Facebook[/URL] or via Twitter at [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL]. [SIZE=4][B]Bret Boone[/B][/SIZE] Boone was a career .266 hitter with 252 HR and 1021 RBI, with 22.6 WAR over his 14-year big-league career, but his brief time with the Twins was shameful. Boone was acquired from Seattle after the team designated him for assignment and the Twins put in a claim to trade for him. The Twins agreed to pay the balance of his $9.25 million salary and also agreed to send Seattle a player to be named. General Manager Terry Ryan had this to say about Boone when he was acquired, "I'm not saying that Bret Boone is going to be a savior, but he might be a guy that can help. There's a lot at stake for him, obviously." If those aren’t inspiring words, I don’t know what are (sarcasm). Ryan went on to say that, "This is a high-reward, low-risk situation. I don't think there's any downside." Besides paying a player a portion of 9.25 million dollars to appear in 14 games (58 AB's) with a .170 batting average, zero HR and three RBI in 58 at-bats, the Twins also missed the playoffs after hoping Boone was the player who would revitalize the team. All in all, Boone made himself a strong candidate to enter the Hall of Shame as a first-ballot member. [SIZE=4][B]Jason Marquis[/B][/SIZE] The typical off-season pitcher signing of the Twins was well beyond his productive years; the Twins thought they’d take a chance on signing the starter in hopes of catching lightening in a bottle like they did when they acquired [B]Carl Pavano[/B]. In reality, the Pavano acquisition working out probably was the worst possible thing to happen to the Twins because it was validation for their ridiculous strategy of acquiring players to fill out a roster. At any rate, in 2012, Marquis was horribly ineffective with a 2-4 record, 8.47 ERA, 1.941 WHIP and a not-good 13.8 H/9 in seven starts with the Twins. Marquis was a 10 game winner for a six straight seasons in the mid-2000s, but he hadn’t won more than eight games since then and had an ERA near 4.00 over that time. The Twins figured he was better than what they had and so they made a move to sign him and ended up getting what they paid for. Marquis did have a nice run in San Diego after he left town, but his performance with the Twins was bad enough that he wound up on the ballot for Hall of Shame in 2013. [SIZE=4][B]Pat Mahomes[/B][/SIZE] Mahomes wasn’t your one-year wonder with the Twins and in fact, he spent a total of five years with the team. Well, while that may be more an indication of how bad the team was in the mid-1990s, he still lasted longer than other players on this list. During his five-year run with the Twins, Mahomes went 18-28 with a 5.82 ERA, 1.617 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 9.9 H/9 and a total of 237 earned runs allowed over 366.2 career innings. Mahomes was seemingly always trying to work himself out of trouble and never really seemed to have a plan when he was on the mound. The image of Mahomes consistently taking off his hat to wipe the beading sweat off his forehead because he was in a difficult situation is engrained in my memory; he, in my opinion, best represents the ineptitude of the Twins’ starting pitching during the mid to late 1990s; thus, he is a candidate for the Hall of Shame. [SIZE=4][B]Tsuyoshi Nishioka[/B][/SIZE] Nishioka was supposed to be the solution to the Twins’ problems at shortstop when the team signed him from Japan and traded away [B]J.J. Hardy. H[/B]e ended up being a huge bust and cost them a valuable shortstop in the process. Hardy wound up having a couple great seasons in Baltimore and Nishioka ended up being vastly overmatched by American baseball and seemed lost and overwhelmed on the most routine plays and situations. Even time in the minors couldn’t save Nishioka’s career in Minnseota. The Twins signed Nishioka to a three-year, 9.25 million dollar contract before the 2011 season after the team gave more than $5.3 million to his Japanese team to gain negotiating rights; talk about money wasted. In his two years with the Twins, Nishioka wound up hitting .215 with zero HR and 20 RBI over 71 games with a WAR of -2.4. If you watched the Twins during Nishioka’s two-year run, you’ll understand why he is Hall of Shame-worthy. [SIZE=4][B]Butch Huskey[/B][/SIZE] No list of Hall of Shame candidates would be complete without Butch Huskey. Before the start of the 2000 season, the Twins were looking to add a player with DH experience. They threw half a million dollars at Huskey and gave him the role over a young [B]David Ortiz[/B] who was also fighting for at-bats at DH; ultimately, the experience factor mattered more for the Twins. In the end, playing Huskey over Ortiz may be Hall of Shame-worthy in itself. Huskey was a career .267 hitter and put up seasons of at least 15 HR and 49 RBI in four of five seasons from 1996 to 1999. Those weren’t great stats, and expectations of him as a power hitter and run producer on a team that didn’t possess those qualities in abundance were never fulfilled. At any rate, in 2000 Huskey hit .223 with just five home runs and 27 RBI in 215 at-bats with the Twins. Huskey wound up being dealt to Colorado; the shameful part of his time with the Twins can, unfortunately, be seen by the team not playing a man who became David Ortiz and instead choosing to play an over-hyped, not very good player on a team that was young and emerging as a playoff contender. These are the candidates for the inaugural Hall of Shame class of 2013. Remember to vote via Twitter or Facebook on who should be placed into the Hall of Shame and also let me know if I missed anyone who could be included on next year’s ballot. [I]Brian Wille is a [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/minnesota-twins/"]Minnesota Twins[/URL] writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL] or “Like” him [URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]on Facebook[/URL] or add him to your network on [URL="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101730027510780138135"]Google[/URL] To view more articles by Brian Wille, click [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/author/brianwille/"]here[/URL][/I] View full article

With the addition of Eddie Guardado to the Minnesota Twins’ Hall of Fame two weeks ago, I got to thinking about the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to great players. When I began watching the Twins in the early nineties, Kent Hrbek was retiring, Kirby Puckett was at the tail-end of his career and the Twins were about to be consumed by a period of mediocrity that would damage the franchise for a few seasons. During that time, I grew up expecting mediocrity, but I also got to see the complete spectrum of players that the Twins had to offer. In addition, the Twins have been criticized over the years for signing players or bringing in players who were cheap, over-the-hill, underwhelming and unproductive players that the team hoped they could revitalize or find some value in. Often times, the Twins were left wasting money on players who had nothing left to offer and had no business in the majors anymore; yet, we gave them their one last chance. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4640[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of Ben Tesch ~~~Article originally published on RantSports.com~~~ With that in mind, I started to think of an idea that could recognize some of these moves and players throughout Twins’ history. My idea led me to the idea of creating a Twins’ Hall of Shame. While this idea may not be fully unique, I think it’s a great chance and forum that could generate great conversation. In order to be nominated for the Twins’ Hall of Shame, my only requirement is that the player had to play/be on the team a minimum of 40 games with the Twins at the majors which is the closest equivalent of one-fourth of a season or be acquired via trade/signed at some point during the season. This would allow for a true enough sample size to be considered worthy of the Hall of Shame, but also would allow for a player who was acquired via trade or signed during the season and quickly released again a chance to make the list. Without further wait, I will release the five nominees for the inaugural Hall of Shame class of 2013. I will release an article next week revealing the players who will be selected to enter the Hall of Shame based on your votes. Players must receive a minimum of 75 percent of the votes in order to be selected. You can vote on my group page on Facebook or via Twitter at @BeeWill15. Bret Boone Boone was a career .266 hitter with 252 HR and 1021 RBI with a 22.6 WAR over his 14-year big-league career, but his brief time with the Twins was shameful. Boone was acquired from Seattle after the team designated him for assignment and the Twins put in a claim to trade for him. The Twins agreed to pay the balance of his $9.25 million salary and also agreed to send them a player to be named. General Manager Terry Ryan had this to say about Boone when he was acquired, "I'm not saying that Bret Boone is going to be a savior, but he might be a guy that can help. There's a lot at stake for him, obviously." If those aren’t inspiring words, I don’t know what are (sarcasm). Ryan went on to say that, "This is a high-reward, low-risk situation. I don't think there's any downside." Besides paying a player 9.25 million dollars to only appear in 14 games with a .170 batting average with zero HR and three RBI in 58 at-bats, the Twins also missed the playoffs after hoping Boone was the player who would revitalize the team. All in all, Boone made himself into a strong candidate to enter the Hall of Shame as a first-ballot member. Jason Marquis The typical off-season pitcher signing of the Twins was well beyond his years and the Twins thought they’d take a chance at signing the starter to a contract in hopes of catching lightening in a bottle like they did when they acquired Carl Pavano. In reality, the Pavano acquisition working out probably was the worst possible thing to happen to the Twins because it was almost verification for their ridiculous strategy of acquiring players and filling out a roster. At any rate, Marquis was horribly ineffective with a 2-4 record, 8.47 ERA, 1.941 WHIP and a horrific 13.8 H/9 in seven starts with the Twins. Marquis was a 10 game winner for a period of six straight seasons in the mid-2000s, but he hadn’t won above 8 games since and had an ERA that was near 4.00 over that time. The Twins figured he was better than what they had and so they made a move to sign him and ended up getting what they paid for. Marquis did have a nice run in San Diego after he left town, but his performance with the Twins was bad enough that he wound up on the ballot for Hall of Shame in 2013. Pat Mahomes Mahomes wasn’t your one-hit wonder with the Twins and in fact, he spent a total of five years with the Twins. Well that may be more of an indication of how bad the teams were when he pitched on them in the mid-1990s, he still lasted longer than other players on this list. During his five-year run with the Twins, Mahomes went 18-28 with a 5.82 ERA, 1.617 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9, 9.9 H/9 and a total of 237 earned runs allowed over 366.2 career innings. Mahomes was always seemingly trying to work himself out of trouble and never really seemed to have a plan when he was on the mound. The image of Mahomes consistently taking off his hat to wipe the beating sweat off his forehead because he was in a difficult situation is engrained in my memory and he, in my opinion, best represents the ineptitude of the Twins’ starting pitching during the mid to late 1990s; thus, he is a candidate for the Hall of Shame. Tsuyoshi Nishioka Nishioka was supposed to be the solution to the Twins’ problems at shortstop when the team signed him from Japan and traded away J.J. Hardy, but he ended up being a huge bust for the Twins and cost them a valuable shortstop in the process. Hardy wound up having a few great seasons in Baltimore and Nishioka ended up appearing vastly overmatched by American baseball and seemed lost and overwhelmed at the most routine of plays and situations. Even some time in the minors couldn’t save Nishioka’s career in Minnseota. The Twins signed Nishioka to a three-year, 9.25 million dollar contract before the 2011 season after the team bid more than 5.3 million dollars to his Japanese team to gain negotiating rights; talk about money wasted. In his two years with the Twins, Nishioka would up hitting .215 with zero HR and 20 RBI over 71 games with a WAR of -2.4. If you watched the Twins during Nishioka’s two-year run with the team, you’ll understand why he is Hall of Shame worthy. Butch Huskey No list of Hall of Shame candidates would be worthy without Butch Huskey. Before the start of the 2000 season, the Twins were looking to add a player with DH experience. They threw half a million dollars at Huskey and gave him the role over a young David Ortiz who would also be fighting for at-bats at DH; ultimately, the experience factor mattered more for the Twins. In the end, playing Huskey over Ortiz may be Hall of Shame worthy in itself. Huskey was a career .267 hitter and put up seasons of at least 15 HR and 49 RBI in four of five seasons from 1996 to 1999. Those weren’t great stats, but his expectations as a power hitter and possible run producer on a team that didn’t possess a lot of power was expected and never fulfilled in Minnesota. Those expectations are what ultimately doomed Huskey in Minnesota. At any rate, Huskey hit .223 with just five home runs and 27 RBI in 215 at-bats with the Twins in 2000. Huskey wound up being dealt to Colorado, but his time with the Twins can be summed up best by the team not playing Ortiz and instead playing a player who was overhyped on a team that was young and emerging as a playoff contender. Those are the candidates for the inaugural Hall of Shame class of 2013. Remember to vote via Twitter or Facebook on who should be placed into the Hall of Shame and also let me know if I missed anyone who could be included on next year’s ballot. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

One of the bright spots for the 2013 Minnesota Twins’ season, so far, has been the performance of their bullpen, specifically their closer Glen Perkins. With this being the first full season that Perkins has been the closer for the Twins, Perkins has performed like a stable and clutch veteran and the rest of the league certainly has taken notice. According to a Tweet sent by ESPN Baseball Expert Buster Olney, if the Twins were to make closer Glen Perkins available this July, prior to the trade deadline, a major bidding war would break out. Olney told 1500 ESPN that he's spoken to several people who think Perkins would be the "No. 1 guy on the market". [ATTACH=CONFIG]4607[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports While that information certainly shouldn’t be shocking to Twins’ fans or baseball fans around the league, due to the low amount of impact closers available or impact relievers available for that matter, it should make fans wonder if it’s worth it to trade Perkins. In addition, it does also pose the question as to what the Twins could receive if they ever did decide to make Perkins available. Some of the teams that have been rumored to be interested in Perkins, or could have strong interest in Perkins based on their current bullpen situation, are Detroit, Toronto, Colorado or Pittsburgh. Those certainly aren’t the only teams likely interested in Perkins, but they are some of the first teams that come to mind, with Detroit being at the front of the list. ~~~Article originally published on RantSports.com~~~ This year, Perkins is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA, 20 saves, 41 strikeouts, a 0.84 WHIP and a 5.86 strikeout to walk ratio over 29.2 innings. The Twins currently sport a 35-40 record and with Perkins saving 20 out of those 35 wins, with only two blown saves, his value and consistency have demonstrated how important Perkins has been to the Twins and how attractive he has become to other teams. Perkins is currently making 2.5 million dollars with three years and 12 million dollars—the last season being a team option for 4.5 million dollars—left on his contract. That affordability, coupled with his value and performance out of the bullpen, is what makes him such an attractive and sought after commodity to many teams. What could the Twins expect to get in a trade for Perkins? I would say it all depends on the team and their willingness to sacrifice future pieces for an emerging closer. If I were the Twins, I would demand two things: a player who is close to being ready to contribute in the majors or is young and already contributing in the majors and/or a top three prospect in the organization. Now the price may be a little steep and there could be other movable parts included in the deal, but the value that Perkins currently sports for the Twins and the value that he could have for the team as they return to contenders over the next few years is very high. It is rare that you find a young and affordable closer like the Twins currently have and in order to be a contender, you have to be strong in the backend of the bullpen; thus, trading Perkins is a complicated situation. The question the Twins must now ask themselves is: is it worth sacrificing a current and future asset now in order to hopefully maximize his value and get future rebuilding pieces in return? I personally would say no, unless the deal includes a big-league ready youngster—who must develop into an impact player—and an organization’s top three prospect who would preferably be a pitcher. Even at that rate, I’d be hard-pressed to trade away a proven closer that may only get better over the next few years. It certainly is a tough situation for the Twins to be in, but it is a situation of privilege and shows that’s the Twins do possess valuable players that may return them to contention once the prospects in their minors progress and are ready to contribute. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

With all of the hype and excitement surrounding the Kyle Gibson promotion to the majors, the Minnesota Twins behind closed doors are likely pondering a much more complicated question: who is going to get the axe to make room for Gibson long-term? Twins’ General Manager Terry Ryan stated that once he called up Gibson—baring some historically awful performances—it would likely be for good, which means that someone is going to have to be removed from the rotation unless the team opts to go to a six-man rotation or move Gibson into the bullpen. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4560[/ATTACH] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Moving Gibson to the bullpen would save some innings that the team plans on limiting for him this season—his first full season back from Tommy John surgery—which would mean that he could pitch longer this season, but Ryan and manager Ron Gardenhire have made no inclination that they have any plans for putting Gibson anywhere but the starting rotation. With that in mind, the Twins could opt to go with a six-man rotation—which I have discussed in a previous Twins’ article accessed by clicking here—to limit the wear on Gibson’s arm for the rest of the season and to keep all of their current starters in the rotation at least until the trading deadline where they then could trade one of them and open up a spot that way; however, Kevin Correia is currently the only one in the rotation with any real trade value and a trade for him isn’t likely until the deadline gets closer and the price for him hopefully goes up. ~~~ Article originally published on RantSports.com ~~~ With Correia the most likely trade candidate—which could happen before the deadline once Mike Pelfrey returns from injury if the right deal presents itself—that leaves Pelfrey, P.J. Walters and Scott Diamond as the three most likely candidates to receive a demotion to Triple-A due to Gibson’s promotion. Samuel Deduno seems safe for now and I’m inclined to believe that Diamond also will be kept around, which essentially cuts the choice for the Twins down to Walters and Pelfrey. With Pelfrey—who has been pitching better of late, but still hasn’t pitched great—on the disabled list for the next week or more, the Twins can use the time as an audition for who should be sent down or dealt to make room for Gibson long-term. This could mean demoting a player or also waiting for the right trade possibility to present itself for a team looking to add starting pitching at a great value before the deadline. Don’t forget, the Twins also have Trevor May rising through the minors and he could also be threatening for a position in the rotation by season’s end so don’t be so sure that the makeup of the rotation isn’t going to be undergoing even more changes after the Gibson situation is settled. It also wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see the Twins promote Vance Worley sometime this summer if he continues to pitch well in Triple-A. While the Twins may fall out of contention at some point this season, watching youngsters like Gibson pitch and develop is something to look forward to if you are a Twins’ fan; although, watching how the game of musical pitchers works itself out might also be quite entertaining during the dog days of summer. If I were a betting man, I’d say the rotation will consist of Gibson, Diamond, Deduno, Worley and Walters by the July 31 trading deadline with May joining the rotation to replace Walters by September. While the Twins may not be actively pursuing a division title come August and September, they certainly will have plenty of headlines surrounding them that will make them an interesting team to follow as the season trudges on. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4510[/ATTACH] Photo courtesy of: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on RantSports.com Following the sweep of the Chicago White Sox, the talk around Minnesota water coolers has been whether or not the Minnesota Twins will be buyers or sellers on the July 31st trade deadline. The Twins are currently 33-36 and are entering a stretch of games that could bring them at or over .500 when the trade deadline approaches. With that in mind, would it make sense for the Twins to become buyers if they continue to play well and are firmly in contention as the trade deadline approaches? In one word: no. When the Twins entered the season, expectations were low and fans and analysts stated that if the Twins could find a way to stay around .500 for the majority of the season, it would be a successful year. Many around the organization and media were looking toward the future with this team due to the immensely talented farm system the team had assembled. As a result, the team was not very active this past off-season and championed their moves by making cheaper and short-term moves in order to assemble stop gaps on the roster until the next wave of talented prospects is ready to take over full time in the majors. The fact that some of these stop gap moves have worked out and the team is suddenly approaching contention should not alter the strategy and plans by which this team has operated under as of late. This team has assembled a talented farm system by trading away current pieces for future prospects, making great international signings and drafting solid high school and college players. Now that the pieces are beginning to fall in place in the minors, the Twins must now play the waiting game for these prospects to mature and make it to the majors. Once that vision materializes, it is expected that the Twins will, yet again, become perennial contenders. Why would the Twins jeopardize that vision and progress for a team teetering on being simply relevant? Typically, trade deadline deals are made for teams who believe they are one player or one trade away from making their team a legitimate playoff or World Series threat. As they are currently constructed, the Twins are not one player or one trade away from making their team a legitimate playoff or World Series contender unless that trade is historically lopsided. Even so, a trade that would make the Twins “instant contenders” would certainly cost their entire farm system, leaving the team bare in the future and setting themselves up for future failure and mediocrity. Thus, becoming buyers at the trade deadline makes little sense for the Twins. If the Twins were to rattle off a run where they win 30 out of 40 games—or something similarly impressive—the temptation will be for the team to add another piece to solidify this team; but in my opinion, if the team goes on a run of that caliber, I’d rather stand pat with the guys we have assembled and see what happens while waiting for the team to improve even more once the talented prospects can contribute. If the team is good enough to get themselves in contention via a long winning streak, they’d be good enough to go to battle with in the playoffs where—I still believe—the Twins would still be huge underdogs because of their lack of pitching depth in the starting rotation; one player or trade cannot and will not alter that perception. Standing pat and not selling out the future for a minimal post-season run is how teams can become perennial contenders. By not sacrificing their future and operating with the idea of “what is best for the franchise long-term”, the team can continue to compete without relying on free agency or trades to supplement their talent; the team would essentially become self-sufficient like the St. Louis Cardinals who, despite losing Albert Pujols, have remained a perennial contender and legitimate threat at winning a championship year in and year out because they remain committed to not sacrificing the future for the present. While it may take restraint on behalf of the Twins’ organization, the team must resist the urge to make a deadline trade to improve a team that is not constructed to win a championship this season. Winning championships is the ultimate goal in professional sports, not simply contending. If the Twins become buyers at the deadline and sacrifice their future in the process, they will never reach that ultimate goal. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google To view more articles by Brian Wille, click here

Photo Courtesy of: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on RantSports.com On June 12, the Colorado Rockies designated outfielder and leadoff hitter Eric Young Jr. for assignment and recalled right-handed reliever Chris Volstad from the team's Triple-A affiliate. While you already may have heard this news, and since no corresponding move has been made regarding Young since last Wednesday’s DFA, it should come as no surprise that I believe it is time for the Minnesota Twins to step up to the plate and grab a very talented and useful outfielder from the Rockies. Since Young was designated for assignment, the Rockies have 10 days to trade him, release him or place him on waivers. If the player clears waivers, he can then be outrighted to the minor leagues; however, if you read Young’s Twitter account, it sounds like Young has closed the chapter of playing with the Rockies. In a Tweet sent on June 12, Young stated, “Best wishes to the Rockies organization. Thank you for my time with you. Truly a blessing to be with the city of Denver. Thank you all for the support. Love you all. Always have faith in the man upstairs and in yourselves.” If you take that message into consideration, it sounds fairly certain that Young will be traded or placed on waivers instead of being sent to the minors. If he were to be placed on waivers or traded, the Twins should sprint to the front of the line to acquire this talented youngster. Young has appeared in 57 games this season and batted .242 with one home run, six RBIs and eight stolen bases. Over his career, Young is a .261 hitter with six HR, 40 RBI, 70 SB, a .329 OBP and -0.1 WAR over 313 games in five big-league seasons. Young also has the ability to play second base, which he has done periodically throughout his career, which should make him even more attractive to the Twins. The Twins currently are in dire need of a leadoff hitter, a short-term replacement for Aaron Hicks in centerfield and a solid everyday second basemen. Young, in my opinion, would meet all of the required characteristics that I have mentioned above. Sure he may not be an All-star caliber player or an above-average second basemen, but he surely could do better than what we are getting right now at second base and he could likely be acquired at a bargain price. You could argue that Young’s talents may not be maximized under manager Ron Gardenhire and his hesitation to steal a lot of bases, but I believe Young could still flourish if given the chance to earn a meaningful role on the Twins If you look back at his career, Young has never really had a chance to play on an everyday basis. That could be related to performance or it could be related to organizational depth, but right now the Twins have needs at multiple positions that Young could fill and he easily could become an everyday player with the team or, at a minimum, become a valuable player off the bench. While there have been no indications that the Twins are interested in Young, let this be the official notice to the organization that the team should pursue and look into acquiring Young’s services from the Rockies. This is your typical low-risk, high-reward type of move that the Twins love to make, so why wait to pull the trigger on such a transaction? The time is now to improve the team and fill it with talented players who could help the team out over the next few seasons at a relatively low cost. Young fits the mold; it’s time to bring him aboard. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

Photo Courtesy of: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on RantSports.com On June 12, the Colorado Rockies designated outfielder and leadoff hitter Eric Young Jr. for assignment and recalled right-handed reliever Chris Volstad from the team's Triple-A affiliate. While you already may have heard this news, and since no corresponding move has been made regarding Young since last Wednesday’s DFA, it should come as no surprise that I believe it is time for the Minnesota Twins to step up to the plate and grab a very talented and useful outfielder from the Rockies. Since Young was designated for assignment, the Rockies have 10 days to trade him, release him or place him on waivers. If the player clears waivers, he can then be outrighted to the minor leagues; however, if you read Young’s Twitter account, it sounds like Young has closed the chapter of playing with the Rockies. In a Tweet sent on June 12, Young stated, “Best wishes to the Rockies organization. Thank you for my time with you. Truly a blessing to be with the city of Denver. Thank you all for the support. Love you all. Always have faith in the man upstairs and in yourselves.” If you take that message into consideration, it sounds fairly certain that Young will be traded or placed on waivers instead of being sent to the minors. If he were to be placed on waivers or traded, the Twins should sprint to the front of the line to acquire this talented youngster. Young has appeared in 57 games this season and batted .242 with one home run, six RBIs and eight stolen bases. Over his career, Young is a .261 hitter with six HR, 40 RBI, 70 SB, a .329 OBP and -0.1 WAR over 313 games in five big-league seasons. Young also has the ability to play second base, which he has done periodically throughout his career, which should make him even more attractive to the Twins. The Twins currently are in dire need of a leadoff hitter, a short-term replacement for Aaron Hicks in centerfield and a solid everyday second basemen. Young, in my opinion, would meet all of the required characteristics that I have mentioned above. Sure he may not be an All-star caliber player or an above-average second basemen, but he surely could do better than what we are getting right now at second base and he could likely be acquired at a bargain price. You could argue that Young’s talents may not be maximized under manager Ron Gardenhire and his hesitation to steal a lot of bases, but I believe Young could still flourish if given the chance to earn a meaningful role on the Twins If you look back at his career, Young has never really had a chance to play on an everyday basis. That could be related to performance or it could be related to organizational depth, but right now the Twins have needs at multiple positions that Young could fill and he easily could become an everyday player with the team or, at a minimum, become a valuable player off the bench. While there have been no indications that the Twins are interested in Young, let this be the official notice to the organization that the team should pursue and look into acquiring Young’s services from the Rockies. This is your typical low-risk, high-reward type of move that the Twins love to make, so why wait to pull the trigger on such a transaction? The time is now to improve the team and fill it with talented players who could help the team out over the next few seasons at a relatively low cost. Young fits the mold; it’s time to bring him aboard. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google