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2007 ARCHIVES
Are you listening? December 26 - OK, Twins management, I give up, what is your big plan to make the Twins competitive this year? The Twins preach pitching and defense and now you sign Mike Lamb to play 3B. I can see signing a 3B that is not a strong fielder if he is going to hit 30 or more home runs and knock in 100+ runs, but a 32 year platoon player who committed 33 errors at 3B in Texas when the Rangers tried to give him a full time job back in 2000? The day before you acquired Lamb you signed Adam Everett because he was a stellar shortstop and now you plan on putting Lamb next to him? Lamb has not been a regular in the past because he has proven he cannot play 3B. The Astros were desperate for a 3B in 2007 and yet Lamb was not given the job full time, you have to ask why!
It is so frustrating for me as a Twins fan to see the Twins just like clockwork throw a few bucks each spring at several free agent players that no other team seems to be interested in. Why not pool that money, throw a little more in the pot and go out and sign a real free agent that fills a hole and can play! This year the Twins have already lost Torii Hunter and. Johan Santana will be traded soon and Joe Nathan may follow. How can you with a straight face say we are not rebuilding? The Twins have a number of good young players and should be looking to fill holes to become more competitive with teams like the Tigers who have reloaded, Kansas City that is getting stronger, and the Indians who are looking to upgrade their outfield. Sure, I like the trade with Tampa, but that did nothing to fill holes at 3B, 2B, and CF and actually created a hole at SS.
Twins ownership has been saying for years that if they got that new stadium it would generate more revenue flow and we will be able to be more competitive in signing players. Mr. Pohlad, signing the Everett’s and Lamb’s of the world does not qualify. Now as I sit here in Plymouth and look east towards downtown Minneapolis I see a new stadium going up and Twins salaries going down. Tell me sir why that is the case. You want to own a major league ball club, then start acting like a major league owner. You are the richest MLB owner on the Forbes 400 list with about $2 billion in you coffers, spend a couple million (maybe sell one of your lots on Lake Minnetonka) and make the Twins the competitive team they should be. I am a baseball fan and as pathetic as it may sound, I will still go out and buy my season tickets and keep cheering for the Twins but I gotta say this Carl, you are tearing my heart out. You keep raising the Twins ticket prices year after year and who knows what they will be in 2010 when the new stadium opens. It does however; appear that you are raising ticket prices as much as you can each year before the new ballpark opens so that when the new park becomes a reality you can do a modicum increase and tell us all how little you are raising the price of the tickets at the new ballpark. It is appropriate then at this time of the year Mr. Pohlad that you look in the mirror, and then I want you to tell me that you really are not Minnesota’s Ebenezer Scrooge.
Twins Now Houston North?  December 16 - The Twins signed free agent shortstop Adam Everett to a one year $2.8 million deal on December 13 after Everett was non-tendered by the Astros after they acquired Miguel Tejada from Baltimore. The 31 year old Everett joined the Astros in 2004 and has pretty much been there shortstop ever since. Everett was limited to 220 at bats in 2007 after breaking his fibula in a collision in the field. Everett is considered by some to be the best defensive shortstop in baseball but comes to Minnesota known as a player with some offensive challenges. Strangely enough, Adam’s average has dropped each year he has been in the big leagues from .273, to .248. to .239. and finally to .232 in 2007. Everett, who bats right handed, does have a little pop in his bat as he showed in 2005 when he hit 11 round trippers.
I can see Everett filling the Twins starting shortstop hole for a couple of years time and I think the fact that he was non-tendered by Houston will spark a renewed energy in his play. The Twins love strong defense and Adam fills the bill here, throw in the fact that he can steal a base now and then and I think Everett is a nice fit. If Adam can get his average up to the .270 range, Minnesota fans will enjoy this man play baseball at the Metrodome.
 December 17 - Just one day after signing shortstop Adam Everett to a contract the Twins signed free agent 3B Mike Lamb making it two ex-Astros in two days. The Twins apparently have signed Lamb to a 2 year deal for about $6.6 million with an option for 2010. The 32 year old left handed batter has not been a regular in any of his previous eight seasons in the big leagues with two big league teams, both in Texas. Lamb has been a platoon player who has played the corner infield positions and occasionally he has been seen playing in the outfield. In less then 382 at bats per season, Lamb has hit between 11 and 14 home runs in each of his last four seasons with the Astros. Lamb seems more suited to DH then 3B but the Twins appear ready to hand Lamb the 3B position right now.
Are Prospects Really Valuable? December 5 - What does prospect mean? In the American Heritage Dictionary it means "something expected or foreseen; possibility, chance for success". The keyword here is chance, there is a chance that the prospect will turn into a major leaguer, but, there is an even better chance he will not be nearly the star you thought he would be. Think back to how many Twins prospects over the years have not panned out as compared to the ones that did. While I believe in building from within, you need to be flexible enough to move prospects when the opportunity presents it self to acquire talented proven players. That why I think that the recent trade with Tampa was so nice. We shipped out Garza who was still a top notch prospect and we got a young everyday outfielder that can hit and should deliver more power then he has shown. Prospects are all about turning potential into an everyday major leaguer. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush they say. My brother Stan who used to be a big Twins fan passed away this past Spring used to always say "How do you cook dem dar potentials"? The bottom line is that you want to turn prospects into stars, does it really make any difference if you accomplish that by trading your prospect for that proven star? Do you want to wait and hope for the best from your prospect or do you take the proven player behind door number one? Another thing to always keep in mind is that the next year will again give you another chance at drafting another great prospect, they are always out there.
Twins deal with Tampa
December 5 -A week ago today, in their first ever deal with Tampa Bay, the Twins acquired Delmon Young a 22 year old outfielder that bats and throws right, Brendan Harris a 27 year old who has played some 2B, SS, and 3B and bats and throws right handed and minor leaguer Jason Pridie a 24 year old outfielder that bats left and throws right. Bill Smith's first big trade is a nice deal with the Twins getting a potential superstar outfielder in Young who is just scratching the surface of his baseball abilities. Granted, Young has had some distractions in his very short career but the potential seems worth the risk. What I like best about Young is that he played in all 162 games this year and the fact that he drove in 93 runs with only 13 home runs. You have to figure his home run count will climb as he matures and he slides very nicely into the middle of the Twins line-up. Harris, I am not that excited about as he appears to me to be another Nick Punto coming off a career hitting year but with no where near the defensive skills that Punto has. I see Harris as a utility player at best. Jason Pridie was picked up by the Twins once before I believe as a Rule 5 pick and then returned to Tampa and here he once again surfaces as a Twin so the Twins brass must like something about this 24 year old with some speed but little power. Not to sure where he fits in either since he does not have the power to play a corner outfield position and he does not appear to be a center fielder either. In return the Twins gave up stud pitching prospect Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett, and minor league relief pitcher Eduardo Morlan. Giving up Matt Garza must have been a difficult decision for Smith but we all know that you have to give up something to get something in return. To my way of thinking, Young has more up-side then Garza does. Bartlett will be missed at shortstop but he seemed to be a hot and cold player and this year seemed to have more injuries then most players his age should have. I liked Bartlett but he did not seem to have that fire that I think a good shortstop needs. Eduardo Morlan has potential to be a closer but has had no major league experience to-date. Bottom line? I think this trade helps both teams and at first blush there does not appear to be a clear cut winner or a loser in this trade, time will tell.
My take, such as it may be! November 25 - Torii Hunter was fun to watch and I will miss him patrolling center field at the Dome for the Minnesota Twins in 2008 and beyond. Having said that, I have to agree with Twins management on this one, the Twins are not in a position to give a 32 year old outfielder a five year $90 million deal when they have a number of good young players that they need to sign in the next few years. We just can't tie up that kind of money even if it is Torii Hunter. Torii apparently wants to play for a championship team and his perception is that the Twins can not attain that status over the next few years, time will tell, so he probably would have passed on the Twins even if they had offered him the big bucks. A number of former Twins players that left here via free agency have stated publicly that leaving the Twin Cities was a mistake. we will see what the future holds for Torii. This may sound like sour grapes but I think that Torii has lost a step the last year or so, maybe it's the ankle he broke in Boston or maybe it is just time, but there have been balls that have dropped in for hits recently that would have been caught by Hunter in the past. We also need to remember that we did not win the division with Torii last year and resigning Torii to take an even larger piece of the financial pie still leaves us with huge holes at 3B, DH, and possibly 2B to fill. Most Twins fans wish the best for Torii and I think they will welcome him back when he runs out to center field at the Dome on March 31 to open the 2008 season, but this time as a member of the opposition when the Twins open their 2008 season against the Los Angeles Angels. | |
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