Cuddyer is probably not coming back

The Twins may not have relief pitcher Michael Cuddyer next season. Jim Thome has signed with the Phillies, and there are some that are speculating that Thome might be instrumental in convincing Cuddyer to head to Philadelphia, since the two are buddies. It also helps that the Phillies are actually good, and can offer Cuddyer a tremendous amount of money.
Also, Darren Wolfson has been tweeting all morning that the Red Sox were prepared to part with Jed Lowrie and more for Cuddyer. Obviously, this means Boston will be in deep on Cuddyer. I have to believe this prices the Twins out of contention for Cuddy to return.
Also, why in the fk didn't they trade him in July, like I pleaded with them to do?

So Long, Big Jim

The Twins have let Jim Thome move on, back to Cleveland, his original club. He was fun to have around, and letting him go to a club that is contending a little bit more than the Twins is certainly the right thing to do. Still, it's just another sad thing about the Twins, that we had to get rid of him because the Twins aren't competing, and that the best we could do is send him back to Cleveland. Good luck Jim. Hope you stick around one more year, if only for that ring.

Is Jim Thome Brett Favre?

Well no, of course not. He isn't an arrogant, egotistical attention whore like Favre, but there is a chance, in my opinion, of his presence detracting from the team in his own way this season, just like Favre did in his second year back with a Minnesota team after a very successful first campaign in the Twin Cities.
Think back to last season, before the dreadful Morneau injury.  Delmon Young struggled. Jim Thome wasn't much. Then Morneau got hurt and they both took off for the rest of the year. I assert that it was because of the regular playing time each player suddenly started to get. With Morneau in the lineup again, that means someone is going to be left on the bench. Who will it be?
I say it should be Michael Cuddyer. Cuddy is the logical choice, because he has so much versatility, but at the same time lacks so many components that his teammates excel at. If Thome is to be platooned, that would take out Young or Cuddyer, logically, when Thome is played. After Young's season last year, it will be hard to sit him (for most people, but this is the Twins we are talking about). The other option is the same handed Jason Kubel who on the surface looks like the weakest of the three players.
Strange though it may sound, he isn't. Cuddyer's defense has been going downhill steadily, to the point that he and Kubel are approximately the same value in right field (that's not a good thing) and both are less valuable than the faster Young (that's definitely not a good thing). Kubel is also younger and has a better power bat than Cuddyer, who again is retrograding in that category. Despite Kubel's low batting average, he is a better hitter overall with more potential.
Additionally, Cuddyer has a history of playing the three infield positions. If Gardenhire wanted to get creative and keep Cuddyer in the lineup, he could theoretically replace Danny Valencia or Tsuyoshi Nishioka as well and bring Cuddyer into the infield. This way, despite the detriment to the infield defense, nobody truly gets rusty.
Still, the best idea would be to have Thome platoon with Cuddyer and wait for someone to get hurt so everyone could get their regular playing time. I worry, though, that Thome's return may be a problem, since it forces the team to get creative with the daily lineup. Thome's return this year might just Favre up things for the Twins.

Jim Souhan, WTF

... is your problem with Delmon Young? I was all ready to piss and moan about the Twins, call Gardenhire a loser, all that, but then Jim Souhan presented his 6 things the Twins need to do to retool. Let me be the first to tell you, it is an unrelenting pile of....
Why don't I just break this down, FJM style? (but less funny and more angry)

They must alter their team chemistry and organizational philosophies to better enable them to compete against powerhouse teams in the playoffs

Sounds like Souhan wants the manager out! So long, Gardenhire!

Here are my point-by-point recommendations on how to react in the wake of the Twins' most embarrassing playoff loss in recent history:

I can't wait! We're already off to a good start!

1. DON'T BLAME THE MANAGER

Sh*t


If Gardenhire has a relevant flaw, it's that he is highly emotional and intense

And he's a poor tactician. And his teams come out flat in the playoffs. And he's a little overweight. Oh, sorry, that's not relevant.


Some of the greatest managers of all time enjoyed limited postseason success. Atlanta was right to revere Bobby Cox despite his team's playoff failures, and Minnesota should regard Gardenhire similarly.

Bobby Cox's postseason record: 65-63. Gardenhire: 6-21. Also, Cox has a World Series ring and 5 NL pennants, which is 1 more World Series ring and 5 more pennants than Gardenhire has. Cox has been to the World Series almost as many times as Gardenhire has won a postseason game. So, if Souhan means "Minnesota should regard Gardenhire similarly if they only care about how many times he gets ejected from baseball games," then I totally agree,

2. ACQUIRE POWER ARMS

Agreed.

The teams that have beaten the Yankees in the postseason -- the 2001 Diamondbacks with Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, the 2002 Angels with their power bullpen, the 2003 Marlins with Josh Beckett, the 2004 Red Sox with Schilling and Pedro Martinez, the 2006 Tigers with Justin Verlander, etc. -- were able to strike out the Yankees' best hitters in the biggest situations.

Wait, you aren't going to base all of your strategy on beating the Yankees in one series are you? You're not about to propose some sort of ass-minded trade in order to acquire a pitcher that would probably lead to the Twins not making the postseason, in the attempt to beat the Yankees IN the postseason, are you?

Delmon Young is at his highest value, and the organization is down on Kevin Slowey. Could they offer those two plus a prospect and swing a trade for Zack Greinke? 

Dammit.

That might not be possible, but it's the right way to think. 

Delmon Young is the best right handed hitter on the team that plays in a stadium that favors right handed hitters. Kevin Slowey, when healthy, is a serviceable back of the rotation pitcher . You could trade Delmon Young alone for Greinke... if the Royals would be willing to take on Young and his salary for one season. They certainly wouldn't tkae Young AND Slowey. They would LOVE those prospects, though. And besides, the Twins next year, and listen very closely, will be BETTER with Young and Slowey than they would without those two and with Greinke on the roster.
Young led the team in RBI (BS statistic, I know) but was the top HR hitter from the right side of the plate, and had an OPS of .826, (between Vlad Guerrerro and Carlos Quentin, btw), and is still under team control for another year or two. you, Jim Souhan, are the only person I know that thinks that Young should be traded, let alone as part of a package for Zack Greinke.
Slowey, on the other hand, is being plagued by a very high BAbip, which is indicative of bad luck, and WILL be better next year, no matter what your gut tells you.
So in summary, Mr. Souhan, no, trading Young Slowey and a prospect is decidedly NOT the way to think.


3. GET YOUNGER AND FASTER

The impression this offseason is that the Twins need to cut payroll, which means that the team will get younger. Faster? Who cares.

Facing a Yankee team with a weak-armed catcher in Jorge Posada, the Twins found themselves with only one starter who could run, center fielder Denard Span.

Oh right, rebuilding the entire team is focused exclusively on defeating the Yankees, never mind that with your plan, the Twins would be about 14 games behind the Royals, who now have Delmon Young and Kevin Slowey.

While Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy were comforting because of their sure hands and experience, by the end of the year neither had produced much offensively or shown range in the field. The Twins, who won't be able to afford bringing everyone back, should get younger, cheaper and faster up the middle.

Orlando Hudson is 32 and coming off a Gold Glove season. JJ Hardy is 28 (if that's old, then I'm screwed) and hit ,300 with 4 HRs over the last month of the season. But you know, facts.

One possibility is starting Alexi Casilla at short and Luke Hughes at second, with Trevor Plouffe and Matt Tolbert waiting their turn.

/Cough cough choke

Casilla would give them speed and range and would produce more runs than Hardy. Hughes would lack range but add pop to the lineup.

So wait, you are troubled by the lack of range, but want to add Hughes who you say would lack range? And his "pop" involves 10 home runs at triple A. And the whole "runs produced" idea that you cite with Casilla? Yeah, runs are essentially produced by the hitters behind you, since they have to, you know, drive you in. The only time you would have created a run solely by yourself is if you hit a home run, which Casilla doesn't do. Casilla would need someone with a big bat behind him to create a run, like Delmon Young.

Oh wait.

Hudson won't be back. Hardy will be only if he's willing to take a large pay cut.

This is from his 4th point, which is to be smart about free agents, and I generally agree with this. The only thing I have to say is that Hardy is arbitration eligible, so his salary is likely to be unchanged, or at the very least increase slightly. Anyways, no way he gets a pay cut.

5. BRING BACK JIM THOME

Yeah OK. You always start so good, but right now you have Luke Hughes starting at second and Delmon Young taking the Royals to the World Series.

The Twins might have to overspend to keep Jim Thome.

So so so so so.... wait a minute. Wait. Just a minute. Hold on. So.... You want to let go of JJ Hardy for nothing to get his payroll off the books even though he is an above average fielder and power from an unusual spot in the defensive outfield (AND HE BATS RIGHTY), but you advocate overpaying for Jim Thome? Jim "one of 15 lefties on the team" Thome? Jim "will have to split time with Jason Kubel" Thome? Oh right, Delmon Young is gone, so the all lefty line up can play all the time. You're right. No problems here!

6. CROSS YOUR FINGERS

.... and hope nobody listens to you.

What can you afford?

I know, breaking news, but the Twins signed former nemesis Jim Thome to a one-year, $1.5 million (plus $750,000 in incentives) contract. I don’t mind it. I’ve never really personally hated Jim Thome, except when he was hitting home runs against the Twins, which means I really only hated him when he was up to bad against the Twins…

I don’t think this was necessarily a bad signing. Rather, it was a confusing one. In fact, because I initially thought he was a right-handed hitter, I thought it was excellent. But three of the Twins top four* home run leaders were left-handed, including the presumed DH. As for next year, I don’t see Cuddyer hitting 32 home runs and leading the Twins in 2010 (I’d love it, but I don’t expect it). Whereas, I presume that Morneau will be healthy and lead the team, and Kubel and Mauer showing similar home run production. Maybe a little higher for Kubel, and a little lower for Mauer, but somewhere within the ballpark (pun intended) of their 2009 performance.

* Why did I choose the top four? Because two guys were tied for third (Mauer and Kubel), and there was a huge drop-off to the number five (28 to 15—Crede). A top three wasn’t going to work, and the fifth most home-runs didn’t really totally count, partially because of the drop-off, and partially because he’s not presently signed by the Twins. For the record, I would not be adverse to him wearing a Twins uniform again this year, for a Thome-esque contract. Or a Crede2009-esque contract.

Now we add into the mix of Thome. As a left-handed hitter off the bench, I like it, but someone pointed out that Thome’s career stats as a pinch-hitter are lacking. Granted, it’s less than 100 plate appearances (98, to be exact), but his hitting line is .213/.333/.338. To put it into perspective, Ryan’s presumed nemesis, Nick Punto, has a career hitting line of .248/.322/.324. (Shockingly, Punto has never been a pinch hitter.) In other words, you’re getting a Punto-esque slugger as a pinch-hitter. Now, I’ll grant that Thome’s pinch-hitting appearances are limited, and perhaps he’ll learn to prepare to be a pinch hitter. But at present, that may not be the best line of work for him. That leaves the option of moving Jason Kubel to the outfield, and Thome DHing when the Twins are facing a right-handed pitcher, presumably placing Delmon Young on the bench. However, like Ryan, I would like to see Delmon Young get more consistent playing time. Because he’s been in the majors so long, we forget how young he is. (Along that line, I was absolutely stunned to find out Albert Pujols was only 29 last year—he just turned 30 a few weeks ago. Happy belated birthday, Mr. Pujols! I’ve been hearing his name so long, I didn’t realize he was just a kid. I suppose those outside Minnesota might be shocked to find out that Joe Mauer’s won’t turn 27 until April, and Justin Morneau won’t turn 29 until May.)

So, I’m not really sure what the Twins are going to do with Thome. However, with his price tag, it really shouldn’t affect any plans of getting a real second baseman or real third baseman. (I love Brendan Harris and Nick Punto. I really do. I’m just not sure they’re real second baseman or third baseman. They can fill in in a pinch, but I wouldn’t build my team around both of them as starters—one, okay, but not both on the same team. We shall see, I suppose. I’ve been wrong before.) However, the salary of the team so far is high enough that the possibility of finding a good free agent infielder may be tricky, without a trade. (I’m still betting on a Glen Perkins trade by opening day. Part of me is sentimentally sad, because I like guys playing for their home town teams, but part of me will be relieved, because there are so many bridges on fire between Perkins and the Twins, I’m not sure they can be saved.)

As for the Vikings…well, I expected no less of them. I’m not a Vikings fan, per se, because I don’t follow football. I have enough friends/family who are Vikings fans that I care enough for their sakes. But, well, I’ve vicariously been a Vikings fan long enough to expect no less of them than to do exactly what they did: Build up hopes, and crush them. From what I understand, it was from questionable game decisions, too. It’s nice to have consistency in life: the Wild will be streaky, the Twins will go out in the first round of playoffs, the Timberwolves will win one of five games, and Vikings will break hearts.

Timberwolves update: They have a 0-4 record since I last reported. They’re now at 9-38, or a 19.1% winning percentage. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record in the NBA, 4-40.

Wild Update: The Wild have a 26-23-4 record, for a 49.1% winning percentage. Petr Sykora is gone (last I heard, the Wild assigned him to the minor league team, he refused, and they’re working on terminating his contract), but Brent Burns is back!

What to make of Thome?

Frankly, I don't think anything should be made of the Jim Thome signing today. Sure, it's nice to have one of the best home run hitters of the past 15 years or so on your team, but he doesn't really add anything the team doesn't already have. He can play DH or 1st. We already have Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel for those spots, and they are both lefties. There are murmurs about putting Kubel in left and letting Thome DH, but that means 5 lefties at least in the lineup. Also, I would be surprised if the lesson hasn't been learned yet that Delmon Young is at his best when he is in the lineup every day.
I read somewhere that platooning Young and Thome would be the "right thing to do". I almost went into a 5 page tirade about how how wrong minded this is, but instead, I will make this simple statement, saving my first Delmon Young screed of the year for another time. Delmon Young's age 23 top 10 all time comparables according to baseball reference include: Roberto Clemente, Carl Yastrzemski and Carl Crawford. His top comparable, Carlos May, was even an all-star in a season. Kirby Puckett (for example) doesn't compare to anyone at age 23, as he hadn't yet spent a season in the league by then. I guess what I'm saying is, give him time.
If we are giving him time, then, what the hell are we doing with Thome?