I know I should post more here but the last couple of months I was fully involved with personal endeavors.
That said, I have been using my Twitter account to quickly and easily post info I have about the Twins and Vikings (and some of it scooped all professional bloggers and sportswriters recently, namely the J.J Hardy acquisition and the 3 year extension of Brad Childress. Thank you classmates!)
With the recent news that Pavano has accepted an arbitration offer (and that contract will end up being about around $5.5 million plus incentives), the logjam in the Twins' pitching staff is getting bigger. Given that Pavano, Baker, Slowey are a lock for 3 starting positions (and I am not mentioning Blackburn for a good reason), the other 2 will be filled by 2 of Blackburn, Bonser, Liriano, Duensing, and Perkins.
Still, a large portion of the Twins' fans feel that the Twins do not have an ace (I do not subscribe to this opinion and every reader here knows that I think that a healthy Slowey is an ace pitcher). Fact: the Twins are having deficiencies in 2B and 3B. I was informed (and tweeted about a month ago, thanks to a certain unnamed classmate who works for the Marlins) that they are looking to make a deal with the Marlins for Dan Uggla. In the initial deal the Twins were looking to make a blockbuster with Ricky Nolasco as part of the deal (and giving the Marlins some pitchers). Since then (a month ago) it appears that Josh Johnson (a Twin-Cities native to boot) has been made available. The ante is upped. My gut feeling says that Bill Smith will make this trade (and, btw, I hated to see GoGo go) but this will practically result to Blackburn being a Marlin (and Perkins and at least one of the slated bullpen guys, in addition to Casilla and prospects)
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11 comments:
Nice post. But, with all due respect, it raises a few questions:
1) How does vaguely referencing an impending move count as a scoop if you give no specifics? Particularly when multiple reliable reports claim that talks over said trade did not begin until long after you claimed it was coming?
2) What is a "large opinion"? Is it greater in size than a normal opinion? Does Shaq have large opinions?
3) Regardless of your thoughts about him, do you truly believe Nick Blackburn is not a lock for a spot in the starting rotation next year? Are you at all in touch with reality?
4) What is "twitted"?
5) When this ridiculous Marlins trade fails to materialize, are you going to stop claiming to be some sort of insider?
6) Finally, when Slowey inevitably surpasses Greg Maddux's numbers in every major category, will Maddux forfeit his spot in the Hall of Fame?
lollercoaster
Nick,
1. I could not give specifics about the Hardy trade, but I was the one that mentioned the upcoming trade. I was extremely specific about the Childress extension and that came few hours before any announcement of the time of this new contract.
2. Better now?
3. Blackburn will be a lock if not traded. Right now he is number 4 behind Slowey, Baker, Pavano and if the Twins can get a number 2, he will be traded. There are just too many arms in the system right now and Blackburn being a. the oldest (other than Pavano) and b. more successful that Perkins or Liriano recently, is a prime candidate for trade
5. Never claimed to be an insider :) I just get information sporadically and I pass it along.
6. Slowey likely will not pass Maddux' numbers, but likely will have single seasons that would resemble the Cy Young Maddux seasons...
I'm skeptical but sure hope you're information is legit and that a trade will actually materialize. It seems that with the surplus of arms the twins have, they could make a big deal with a couple pitchers and a mid- to top- prospect.
Nice to have you back. I'll be checking in.
Welcome back from wherever you were hiding, thry!
Josh Johnson? Well that would be pretty exciting.
If the Twins got Uggla would they move him to 3B? I understand that his fielding at 2B is not that great and also that his agent has suggested that Uggla considers himself a 2B and would resist a move to 3B.
Any comments?
And why is there a conversation about picking up Robb Quinlan? Can you explain what this guy brings to the club that an inexpensive AAAA guy wouldn't?
Is he better than his stats show?
Hi Marv,
thanks. As far as Quinlan goes, the only thing he brings to the club is that he a "Gardy" type of guy (read: lots of hustle with little results). Punto and Tolbert are more than enough, as far as I am concerned.
Hard to tell, but I suspect that Uggla will stay at 2B, regardless whether he is traded to the Twins or any other team. We know that Punto will have a starting job to lose from ST on. Whether this is 2B or 3B, would depend based on the acquisitions.
Do you still think we can swing a Josh Johnson deal after the rumor surfaced that the Marlins turned down Smoak and Feliz (two top 15 prospects)? Or do you think there is no truth to that rumor? I don't think we have the pieces to trade for Johnson.
Robert, we will see. Again, Uggla, and not Johnson is the main target here. I agree with the rest of the universe and think that Feliz and Smoak are too much for Johnson at this point.
"I don't think we have the pieces to trade for Johnson."
At least not without including Ramos & Revere among others.
Don't want to give up Hicks. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this kid could be something special.
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