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nicksaviking

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Everything posted by nicksaviking

  1. nicksaviking
    I'm not usually against minor league signings but Sweeny, Benson and Mastroianni? That speaks pretty loudly that they aren't going to go get an actual MLB outfielder even though they really, really need one who can hit lefties since Rosario, Arcia and Kepler are in the mix. I just don't get it. Chris Young and Ryan Rayburn will be very affordable (though I guess not minor league contract cheap) and Raji Davis wasn't expensive. I've said several times recently that I thought the Twins didn't have money issues, but just didn't want more long term commitments at the moment. I'm wondering now though if Park's $12.5M negotiation fee did actually eat up every dime available this year.
  2. nicksaviking
    Offseason DFAs probably aren't such a big deal, however those in season DFAs we've seen recently, mostly involving Toronto it seems, leave the player in limbo for a week. When it happens to the guy repeatedly, the guy can lose a month of playing time simply because some clubs are jerking him around.
  3. nicksaviking
    Only four out of five games though, he'll be the starting pitcher every fifth day.
  4. nicksaviking
    I didn't like Nolasco signing as I didn't think much of him as a pitcher, but I applauded the effort and risk Ryan made in getting him as it had been so uncharacteristic and I said at the time that no matter how it turned out, I'd never hold the signing against him as I wanted to see him continue taking risks. However continuing to run him out there because they want to see if they can get their money's worth out of him is really only hedging that risk. If the absolute, number one goal is to win in 2016, then Nolasco's contract should have zero impact on his role (if any) with the team. It should be based on who is most likely to help the team, and clearly, recent track records would show that Duffey is more likely to help than Nolasco. Now, winning in 2016 and winning in the future may not consist of the same elements. If Ryan thinks that running Nolasco out there may increase his trade value and bring back pieces for the future (which I absolutely do not think is possible seeing as Mike Pelfrey and his wholly affordable contract still couldn't be moved last year), that's fine, but I'd really protest if the team then says that their number one goal is to win in 2016.
  5. nicksaviking
    I wouldn't like the Twins chances of retaining him if they wait until he's 29. Heck, me and my "25 under 30" philosophy might be against it. I'd have to think if he keeps hitting, he will be extended and any kind of free agent projected contract would be moot. If he is hitting well with very few question marks, I'd be advocating for an extension come July.
  6. nicksaviking
    Welcome to TD and thanks for the great first post!
  7. nicksaviking
    I have to say, if the Twins end up trading for McGee now, they might get eaten alive. Wouldn't the logical question be, "Why didn't you trade for him last July when he was reportedly available and the team desperately needed him in the pen?" I'd guess Souhan would start gathering up the townsfolk and the pitchforks after about a half hour. Maybe I'm wrong. Either way, after seeing what Giles and Kimbrel went for, I'm pretty sure I'm not interested. Giles got Velasquez, Fisher and Oberholtzer. Velasquez is a top 100 guy and Fisher very likely will be. The Rays will probably be asking for Kepler. What's the best the Twins can get away with here, some kind of combination of Polanco, Gonsalves, Duffey? The market is set, and it is ridiculous.
  8. nicksaviking
    Well I'd like to think that O'Rourke's measly 22 career MLB innings wouldn't be enough for the front office to give him the edge based on experience. They might though.
  9. nicksaviking
    I thought the Twins got the short end of the stick in the trade but didn't get too upset as I still think Hicks is going to turn back into a pumpkin. But the move was done way too early in hindsight. San Diego clearly needs a trade partner now and I think I'd rather have Norris or Hedges over Murphy.
  10. nicksaviking
    I'm dismayed by the inactivity. There aren't many free agent options left, and I don't want to be one of those sucker teams giving up good prospects for relief pitchers. However, despite my desire for action, my first hope for the 2016 pen was to throw Burdi, Meyer, Chargois, Peterson (and Jones) right into the fire and see which of them has what we need. So while this team has historically been extremely averse to relying on young arms, if something like this does come to pass, I'll be satisfied regardless of the results. I can't say that I like the idea of waiting four months to cast judgement though, I do like to point fingers.
  11. nicksaviking
    Are you suggesting the plan from the onset of the signing wasn't for Nolasco to end up in the pen?
  12. nicksaviking
    Winter leagues are fun to follow and can provide some benefits, but I don't want my star players there. Sorry if my desire for localized baby sitting borders on paranoia, but a lot is riding on these guys making healthy, safe and sane decisions. Maybe I'm just a jerk, but I'm never sure if those in charge of these young men are most concerned about their MLB careers. Better the DR than Venezuela though I guess.
  13. nicksaviking
    I don't know if it will get better or not, but he's kind of worked himself off of my radar. The Twins have future options for utility guys so Santana, even if he picks up his offensive game, doesn't seem like a long-term fit to me. I'm all for letting him keep his, um, "versatility" and roll the dice that his bat picks back up. A young guy who can hit and can be squeezed into both SS and CF has got to be attractive to another team or two. Like catcher, it seems to me that anyone that can put an SS behind their name gets bonus points, even if the SS is written in pencil.
  14. nicksaviking
    Worst case is that Shields comes here, is ineffective but still gets two years in the rotation, trumping the prospects due to his contract/name. Nolasco has already worn out any overriding allowances that come with his contract/name and will likely not be a roadblock for the younger talent.
  15. nicksaviking
    Nope, but Shawn Kelley is now gone as well; the quality options are dwindling quite fast.
  16. nicksaviking
    I agree, however the relief market in 2016 seems to be playing out similarly to the starter market in 2013 when Ryan exhasberatedly said on MLB network that the Twins were trying to upgrade the rotation but they couldn't get anyone to bite. At the beginning of that offseason he also said upgrading the rotation was the top priority. They seemed to over compensate in money and years for swingman Kevin Correia that year after watching starters of all skill levels get far more than expected. All I'm saying, is if the Twins can't do better than whoever the 2016 BP version of Kevin Correia is, go with the kids. I don't want a vet just because he's a vet.
  17. nicksaviking
    The problem with this swap as I see it, is Shields would be guaranteed a rotation spot, Nolasco likely not. So the question really is not is Shields an upgrade to Nolasco, it's is Shields an upgrade over May, Duffey or Berrios? At this point? Likely yes. By mid season? Tough call. In three years? I have no desire to see a 35-year-old in the rotation.
  18. nicksaviking
    The pen clearly needs to be fixed, and I'm sure Ryan was forthright when he said fixing it was a top priority. However I also wouldn't be surprised if Ryan is currently surprised and frustrated by the sudden cost in dollars, years and prospects bullpen help is going for currently. I would bet the front office didn't expect the free agent/trade market to play out this wildly. The market is already pretty picked through, I am beginning to become significantly concerned that the Twins will end up over compensating and getting a third or fourth tier reliever who will do little to fix the deficient strikeout problem, but give up prospects or committed years well beyond reason for such a pitcher. I want a serious BP overhaul, but if the Twins can't get a couple of the remaining few true upgrades, I'd just as well prefer to see the fireballing minor leaguers get the job regardless of spring training performance. However with that the fear is that the Twins traditional comfort level for pitchers has always been based on experince, and we'll still see guys like Fien in high leverage situations even if a strikeout artist like Chargois, Burdi or Meyer are also in the pen.
  19. nicksaviking
    I'd rather sign Chris Young to a cheap 1-2 year deal. The 4th OF really is only needed to hit lefties and Young does that well.
  20. nicksaviking
    With the recent losses of Scherzer and Price (and in all but name Verlander) count me thrilled that the Tigers are now building around mid-to-low strikeout contact arms Norris and Zimmerman. This new look Detroit rotation looks pretty unthreatening to me.
  21. nicksaviking
    Good write up. I certainly didn't need convincing that this team needs to get and stay young. I hope those in charge of putting the rotation together keep it in mind too.
  22. nicksaviking
    AL teams should have had priority over the NL teams when it came to claiming Pinto.
  23. nicksaviking
    I think I would have protected Michael, Jones and Pinto over O'Rourke, Dean and Landa, but if the Twins needed to rely on any of these guys in the next two years, something went wrong. I agree that Jorge likely doesn't get claimed as a low 90's starter in A ball isn't too attractive on paper, but I think some team could fix that if they're ambitious and have a roster spot to kill. This guy has the weakest delivery I've seen outside of a knuckleballer. The guy basically has a high leg kick and plants it right back where he picked it up from. He doesn't step to the plate at all, he throws with all shoulder and looks like he's trying to step on an egg without crushing it. I'd love to see what he does if he didn't throw like a dead-ball era pitcher playing catch with a toddler in the back yard.
  24. nicksaviking
    Agreed, Duffey is a guy who we didn't see coming, but when we see his stuff, it's easy to see that we should have paid more attention. I'm not sure that we actually need to see Dean pitch to know that a 89 MPH fastball an a sub 5.0 K/9 is an extreme long shot.
  25. nicksaviking
    I'm in the minority, but I agree about Michael. I really did not like the draft pick, and certainly he hasn't lived up to his draft status, but this guy has been getting on base the past two years. He can take a walk and doesn't strikeout much. He doesn't look overly special but he also doesn't look a whole lot different than Brian Dozier at the age of 24. I think a utility guy who can get on base gets selected and I can still see him being useful to the Twins. Also good point on Achter, Darnell and O'Rourke, are these guys with minimal MLB experience really more valuable than the guys behind them with no experience but a much higher ceiling? I like Tonkin's MiLB strikeout numbers and 94 MPH fastball enough to keep him though. Also agree on Harrison. I'm not giving up on him, but as far as I can recall, the only players who have been successfully hidden on rosters despite the need for more MiLB seasoning have been relief pitchers and batters who can play a premium defensive position. No one's going to keep a corner OF on the roster who can't hit yet. Even if he did get selected, so many guys are blocking him at the moment that we'd be destined to play the Rule V game with him the next two years too.
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