Twins 2012 Season Thread

[ducky]

OTOH, maybe you're right because he just isn't very good, even for an innings eater.

The Twins have been rumored to be interested in him a couple of times now in his career (once via trade and the other time when he was a FA a couple years ago). So maybe the coaching staff and scouts see something in him that they can make him more effective.

I don't know. I have only seen him pitch once I think and other than that I am just going off the numbers (which are NOT good especially when you dig into them and realize he has made a living off of pitching around real batters and going after the pitchers in the NL). Hopefully he is better than us Twins fans are expecting.

[Fandango]

Hopefully he is better than us Twins fans are expecting.

Certainly I hope he replicates his early years rather than his 2012. But it just seems like the middling type of FA move that the Twins always make - we won't pay big money for a higher end pitcher and don't want to give the innings young guys, so instead we sign a "proven veteran" who is simply not very good (see: Ponson, Marquis, Ortiz, etc.).

[Fandango]

The Twins signed Mike Pelfrey to a 1 year $4 million contract. Another ho-hum signing, and I am concerned about him being healthy enough to pitch this year given that he had TJ last April. I like this move more than the Correia signing, less years and money, and Pelfey prior to injury had more of a track record of being an innings eater. But returning from TJ and expecting anything from a guy that was already not too good is a big risk.

[ducky]

For as cheap as the twins are evidently going to be this offseason that is the type of low risk/low reward you can expect.

It is really starting to piss me off at how cheap the Twins are being. We should have known better than to build a stadium for those dirtbag Pohlad's.

Break it down this way : Over the last 3 seasons we have drawn right around 1 million more fans than the AL central champs tigers. Overthose same 3 seasons we have spent $62 million less than them. And now we are heading into next year likely adding around another $30-$40 million in pay roll difference. So over a 4 season period we will have outdrawn the tigers by over 1 million fans....and paid out over $100 million less in payroll.

**** the Pohlad's. I had a bad feeling those greedy ********** would do this.

[Fandango]

And that is where the spending money on below average players comes in. If we are going to cut spending on the major league team then just do it, redirect it to other youth player development avenues, and stop wasting money on bad major league players.

[PsychoViking]

Pelfrey is fine, basically a replacement for Baker. As a plus he has already had TJ so they won't have to do that.....

The attitude of the ownership and front office is really pathetic, though. People need to stop going to the games.

They are going to have one of the worst starting staffs in all of baseball but somehow they aren't rebuilding and won't trade Willingham.

Clueless all around.

[The Q]

And that is where the spending money on below average players comes in. If we are going to cut spending on the major league team then just do it, redirect it to other youth player development avenues, and stop wasting money on bad major league players.

Problem is the small market owners "won" and now amateur spending is almost entirely capped.

One of the dumbest, more short sighted "victories" for small market teams i've ever seen.

[Nastradamus]

For as cheap as the twins are evidently going to be this offseason that is the type of low risk/low reward you can expect.

It is really starting to piss me off at how cheap the Twins are being. We should have known better than to build a stadium for those dirtbag Pohlad's.

Break it down this way : Over the last 3 seasons we have drawn right around 1 million more fans than the AL central champs tigers. Overthose same 3 seasons we have spent $62 million less than them. And now we are heading into next year likely adding around another $30-$40 million in pay roll difference. So over a 4 season period we will have outdrawn the tigers by over 1 million fans....and paid out over $100 million less in payroll.

**** the Pohlad's. I had a bad feeling those greedy ********** would do this.

Well to be fair, the Tigers probably aren't turning a profit. Illitch is basically burning money at this point. The Twins' payroll isn't embarassingly low or anything.


That said, their offseasons this year and last were pretty embarassing.

[Fandango]

I think the Twins have made pretty solid trades this offseason and the signing of Willingham was a great patient approach. But outside of that it has been disastrous - resigning Capps, signing Marquis, signing Correia - and I am sure there are other moves I have missed.

[Fandango]

I am sure this isn't news to anyone, but the Twins signed Harden to a deal as well.

One question I have in regard to Harden - why hasn't anyone tried him as a reliever yet? The assorted injuries he has had over his career might be reduced if he was put in a bullpen role where he wasn't asked to throw as many innings on an annual basis. Plus his stuff (fastball, slider, splitter) could be quite devastating, and perhaps even more effective, in a relief role.