Fire Gardy

From Phil Miller’s Pioneer Press blog:

He backpedaled on his statement last week that Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span will form his starting outfield, basically saying he didn’t realize how that would be portrayed as snubbing Delmon Young. Gardenhire sung the praises of the 23-year-old outfielder and insisted there will be plenty of work for all four of them. He admitted he didn’t make general manager Bill Smith too happy with that.

Um, how did he not realize this?  By saying “these three guys are my starters” means that anyone not included in that statement is NOT a starter.  How did he not see that he was calling Delmon Young either a)expendable, or b) a bench player?  Maybe he was excited being at the Fargo livestock convention or whatever the hell worthless winter caravan deal he was at.   I would hope Smith was upset with those statements.  Just by saying those things, he basically decreased perceived trade value.  If everyone else in baseball knows we are “desperate” to trade him, they will sit back and wait for us to accept their offer, instead of continually increasing their offer to outbid everyone else.  Damn you, Ron!

I know most of this is old news, but I was traveling the past few days and haven’t really had a chance to address the topics that arose over the weekend, aside from a few comments on other posts.

In other news, I read somewhere, probably on one of the local paper’s blogs, that it will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 4MM per year to keep Punto.  That is absurd.  In another display of Gardy not wanting to consult anyone before making lineup decisions in December, he said if Punto returns he is the starting shortstop.  I believe this time last year Punto was christened the 2008 starting second baseman, until he hurt himself doing “Punto things”.  So now he is christened the starting shortstop of December, next year it will be third base, moving one step closer to the dugout.  Maybe this is how Gardy benches his favorite players.  Just moves them around the diamond until they reach the dugout.  Instead of, you know, just telling them to sit their ass down.

General winter meetings thoughts:

After reviewing all of the left side infield rumors, I have decided the Twins should stand pat.  The “available” thirdbasemen (Beltre, Atkins, Kouzmanoff, etc) are all priced WAY too high.  Kouzmanoff intrigues me the most because he is in a bizarro-Atkins situation.  His numbers are pretty decent when you get him away from Petco.  However is defense is bad (at best) and we’d have to give up too much to get him.  If the Padres were desperate to dump him for some reason, then we’d talk.  That isn’t the case with young, cheap, marginally talented players.  Beltre is the only player linked to us who I consider more than a lateral move from a Buscher/Harris platoon.  His price tag will probably be the highest of them all, too.

Anyway, if anyone else has any thoughts as to what the Twins should do/will do, please post them.

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LaVelle is really going crazy with winter meetings updates. Awesome. Although, it’s a pretty slow work day today for some reason; I could do with some more updates.

But I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got for now. And in one of LaVelle’s recent updates, he mentioned a couple of interesting things.

There is one report that Nick Punto met with the Phillies yesterday. If that’s true, Punto could indirectly help the Twins because he could be insurance for Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz, who are coming back from surgeries. That might help the Twins’ efforts to pry Jason Donald away. Just my theory.

Was told that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is very fond of Punto.

Very interesting. We couldn’t make progress in Jason Donald talks because the Phillies wanted insurance for their middle infield … and the much-maligned utility infielder could come in on some sort of shining white horse and save the day? Hilarious!

Well, that’s one way to look at it. The other way is this one:

We’d been trying unsuccessfully to trade a 22 year old who hit .290/.336/.405 in the American League for a 23 year old who hit .307/.391/.497 at AA. Both players are sub-par defensively, though the elder minor leaguer fails at a more valuable defensive position. The trade talks had stalled because the Phillies over-value their possession while realizing that the Twins greatly under-value theirs … which means the Phillies think they can drive down the price to acquire a needed replacement bat in LF that’ll be around for years and probably dominate in that lineup and ballpark. They make up an excuse about middle infield depth to make it seem like they’re not just trying to drive down the price for Delmon. Then Nick F’ing Punto comes along and says “Hey, you know what? I’ll do my best friend Ron Gardenhire a favor and help him get rid of Delmon Young! I know how much Gardy hates that talented jerk (who wouldn’t hate someone with talent, after all?), so this will really help the team by making Gardy happy!” At least I presume that’s what he said right before walking in the door to his meeting with the Phillies.

Oh, and for those who think Donald’s AA numbers look good, consider this: When Delmon Young was at AA, he was just 19 years old (which is a lot younger than 23 for that level) and hit .336/.386/.582 (which is, obviously, a whole lot better than .307/.391/.497). Seriously, are we just trying to do something stupid?

From the same notebook:

There are a lot of people here who think Twins’ first-round pick Aaron Hicks is an uber prospect. Some still think highly of him as a pitcher – he did hit 97 on the gun as a senior in high school. The Twins drafted him as an outfielder.

I’ve been pretty pleased with Hicks so far, and it’s cool to hear that he’s highly regarded around the league. He’s only 18 and hasn’t even gotten to A ball yet, so he’s years away. I suppose this means we won’t be able to make any trades at all, since everyone will just demand Hicks and Slowey for every castaway over-the-hill dead-weight loser on their roster.

Also, does anyone else feel like the Twins’ outfield situation in 2011 will be a lot more ridiculous than it is now, given that Revere and Hicks (and maybe the rest) will be blooming just as Gomez and Span hit arbitration, and Young is (hopefully) still around?

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Great news!

As you’re no doubt aware, the Twins have been in talks with Casey Blake to sign the elderly third baseman to a multi-year deal, one that would make him the new largest free agent signing in franchise history. The Twins wanted to go two years with an option; Blake wanted three years guaranteed. This was, apparently, the only point of difference, and the Twins have now broken off the talks.

Blake would have been an expensive non-upgrade, and guaranteeing him a third year would have been foolhardy. It’s good to see the Twins sticking to their guns here, and not caving to the demands of Blake’s agent. Too often, teams look at their list of needs and allow themselves to be held hostage by agents who think they set the prices — the teams set the prices.

Also, I’m really annoyed by players who want more guaranteed years, and won’t even take an option year with a buyout clause. If Blake were actually planning to be playing well in three years, then the option doesn’t matter at all; either the Twins take it and he gets the money, or they give him his buyout and he signs somewhere else and makes more money. Demanding the guarantees on the backend of the contract means the player doesn’t expect to be worth another contract by then — they’re basically telling you they’re trying to swindle you. Don’t do it.

I think the Twins have the right philosophy when it comes to these free agents. Torii Hunter knew he wouldn’t be worth the money in the fourth and fifth years of that contract, which is why he wouldn’t negotiate with the Twins, who also knew that. Casey Blake knows it too, which is why the Twins are walking away.

La Velle goes over most of the rest of our options for the left side of the infield; the list of options is shrinking as teams make deals and shortstops find their new homes. The price in trade for guys like Beltre, Atkins, and Hardy are sure to rise from their already inflated levels. I can’t see the Twins parting with Slowey and Span for anyone, especially not one of those guys. It seems to me that it’s increasingly likely that the Twins don’t make any moves this offseason. At least not significant moves.

And an update on Delmon?

Delmon Young as part of a package? There have been rumblings that the Twins have shopped him around, but I was told yesterday and this morning that’s not true. Yes, the Twins have fielded calls about Young. But they aren’t giving him away. They like the possibility of having great outfield depth next season. And, I was told, they haven’t forgotten what happened when they gave up on David Ortiz.

You mean the Twins are actually capable of learning a lesson from the mistakes they made in the past? I’ve been drawing the connection between DOrtiz and Kubel for a while; it’s just as applicable with Delmon. It’s great to hear that the Twins plan to give Delmon more time, and that they appreciate the value of outfield depth. I’m well aware that these “rumblings” aren’t coming from Gardy, but from the front office.

I guess I’m just glad Gardy doesn’t have any say.

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Unsurprisingly, Delmon Young found out about Gardy’s disparaging comments. Somewhat surprisingly, he took them well.

“It’s not in my hands,” he said from Santa Barbara, Calif. “If I come back, I come back. If I don’t, I don’t. I’ve enjoyed my time up there, but it’s a business, too.”

Of course, everyone is aware that Delmon considers baseball a business — he famously planned to “do [his] six and bolt,” back when he was with the (Devil) Rays. But it doesn’t sound like that’s Plan A any more.

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Young said. “It’s his decision. He writes the lineup. We just go out and play when we get the opportunity.”

At this point, I think it’s safe to wonder how a 23 year old renowned for immaturity can demonstrate so much more maturity than Gardy. 

Asked how much better shape he’s in now than September, he said, “way better,” adding, “I’ve got things to fix with baseball and with my body.”

The words just keep getting better — again, we’re all rooting for Delmon to fix everything, both with baseball and with his body. And I, personally, am glad he’s taking the initiative to do it. I think there are plenty of guys around the league who are content to coast on athletic ability, and Delmon doesn’t seem to be one of them.

Last year, we were all excited about Delmon coming into a new environment, saying all the right things. On one level, the words played out — he didn’t have any of the personal or clubhouse problems that everyone feared; in fact, he’s been close to a model citizen. (I say “close” because Mauer sets a pretty high bar for model behavior that even Morneau doesn’t match.) On the other hand, he also didn’t bring the high level of performance that we were hoping for.

Last time, the words were about fitting in and starting anew; he did. This time around, the words are about getting in shape and improving as a baseball player; let’s see what happens. I’m inclined to trust Delmon.

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Well, Gardy’s kicked it up a notch in his Delmon-hating game. According to Sinker, Gardy wants a starting outfield in 2009 of Gomez, Span, and Cuddyer. That leaves Delmon on the outs, obviously.

Aside from the obvious problem of actively dangling him on the trade market, having the manager basically come out and say that he’s useless to us cannot help his trade value. And having him in a DH platoon with Kubel is terrible for many reasons — the top two of which are that they both need 500+ AB. #3 is that Delmon is 23 years old, and it seems a little early to relegate him to a bench role given his obvious talents.

“Those three guys need to play every day. Delmon is in the mix. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a talent. But to me, those three guys should be your outfield and then you go from there.”

What a twit. How can you say, with a straight face, that you think Delmon is a hell of a player, and immediately follow it up by saying he has absolutely no chance to play? Let me fix that for you:

“Delmon is in the mix. He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a talent. But to me, he should be in your outfield, and then you go from there.”

There. Isn’t that better?

Furthermore, I simply don’t understand Gardy’s apparent refusal to accept depth in the outfield. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it’s a damn good thing we had four good outfielders last year, given that they kept getting injured (especially the oldest and least talented of the group, a certain Michael Cuddyer). If we decide not to learn from our immediate history, we could run into the exact same problem and see a bunch of Pridie and Kubel (and Punto?) stumbling around in the outfield, and I don’t think anybody wants to see that.

Also, I just saw word from LEN3 that Delmon’s been hitting the weight room since the season ended, and that he’s lost weight. It seems to me that nobody expected Delmon to lose any weight — all the jokes have been about the size of brother Dmitri. But this leaves open the possibility that Delmon will get both faster and stronger, in addition to more experienced and skilled at the plate. How come everyone’s willing to wait for Mauer to develop into his power, but are willing to give up on Delmon’s, despite the fact that Delmon already has more power, has the build of a big time power hitter, and is three years his junior?

Damn it, you Twins. Drop this talk about Blake and his elderly, overpriced ass. We’re not running the Social Security program, we’re running a baseball team. We don’t need to sign a 35 year old mediocre player to a multi-year deal. We also don’t need to sign the biggest free agent contract in franchise history for a second consecutive year at the same position, this time targeting a guy who is even older. If you feel like you have too many outfielders, then move Cuddyer to third base to lessen the logjam. And then be happy when Gomez tweaks his groin prancing around in center like a deer, or Span hurts his shoulder diving over the fence after a ball, or Delmon strains his oblique chasing after a slider six feet off the plate; “happy” because we have another real outfielder to use, rather than having traded one of them away for pennies on the dollar just so Gardy doesn’t have to make tough decisions like “which one of these good players should play today?” and can instead make tough decisions like “which one of these bad players do I have to start today?”

(Oh, and in other interesting news, Adam Dunn has apparently also been hitting the weight room, and has lost 15 pounds. He’s also projected to make less than $10M per year on the free agent market, due to the economy. He also wasn’t offered arbitration, so there are no draft picks involved. I know I want Kubel to play, but a .380 OBP and 40 HR from the DH spot, with the “ability” to fill in occasionally at LF and 1B are calling out to me. Also, Mauer-Morneau-Dunn is a pretty fearsome 2-3-4 or 3-4-5 in any lineup. Also, Dunn hasn’t been linked to the Twins in any rumor, and left handed hitters aren’t exactly our need, and we already have a left handed LF/DH. But I don’t see why we shouldn’t consider Dunn if the price is right.)

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According to Joe C, the Twins have offered arbitration to Dennys Reyes, who qualified as a Type B free agent. (We have to offer him arbitration to get the supplemental draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.)

This was the necessary first step to getting that valuable pick, and now we just have to hope Reyes doesn’t accept our offer.

I’ve heard Reyes is interested in a multi-year deal, so he might be inclined to decline the arbitration and leave as a free agent — this is the Twins’ dream scenario. (At least it should be.) Because if he accepts the offer, he’ll be “worth” over $2M in 2009, according to the arbitrators, and he’s certainly not worth that to us given that we have Mijares and Breslow available as lefties out of the pen.

Also, the Type A/B rankings are based on the player’s previous two seasons — given another year, Reyes might not qualify as even a Type B. On the other hand, he might have a great 2009 and become a Type A.

Honestly, I would not bet $2M on Reyes having a great 2009. The runs he gives up might start counting against his ERA, instead of everyone else’s. I hope he gets a nice three year deal from some misguided franchise, and gets safely away from the Twins. Maybe to Detroit, where he can serve up some meatballs and wild pitches to Mauer and Morneau 19 times next year.

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