Twins trade rumors

[Neighbor_guy]

Mauer will be a twin forever, but not the Canadian.

Joe has said that the days of the "hometown discount" are over.

The Twins have said when the got a stadium they would start spending money to keep and get players.

I say... RIGHT The twins will sell out the first and second year of the stadium. They will pocket the money just like Bud did over in wisconsin. Then sell off, trade off, let go anyone with a big contract and start over.

I would like to be proved wrong, but Nathan, Mauer, and Morneau will not sign new contracts with this team. They can get MUCH more money someplace else. The Yankee's are just using "place holders" behind the plate, wonder who they are waiting for? They already know they can outbid the twins for him.

Like it or not, this is what we got, this is what we are. A .500 team with a handfull of guys who can play, a bunch of below average pitchers, a never ending list of broken down "could've/should've been's" who come in as bottom rung free agents (or as the twins call them, 3rd basemen), and fill out the team with guys who would strugle to be on many AAA teams.

They wont get rid of GO GO GOaway because they dont want to admit they got NOTHING for santana. They are to cheap to get middle infield help, and the leage has been laughing about the young trade since it went down.

[harvey lee]

I can see Mauer and Justin leaving. They want to be on a team that has a good chance at a ring before their prime time playing is gone or going downhill.

They will also get paid much more elsewhere. I would be very suprised if the Twins can keep them like they did Kirby.

[PierBridge]

I do agree whole heartedly with Gardy's GM comment above.

I'm hoping once the New stadium ACTUALLY opens "LOL" that we only slightly tweak our premier business model in ALL of professional sports and add select players here and there.

Of course this is just my redundant opinion ...

And if Mauer wants to make more CASH elsewhere go for it Joe it's your call!

[DHanson]

This team will be awfully boring without Mauer and Morneau. I know I would lose some interest.

[harvey lee]

Yes, if they let those two go, which more than likely they will as the Twins don't seem to want to field a true contending championship team, they won't be near as good.

Smart money says they will be gone if we look at the history of the Twins and how they pay.

[zamboni]

Hats off to the Philadelphia Phillies. Defending world champs going out and making a great team even better. Wish we had ownership and a GM like that. I see them being a WS contender for years to come, that is what the Twins should model themselves after.

[PierBridge]

Oh and good luck to the Yankee's winning the world series this year.

Yankee's Worlds series Wins in the last 9 years...ZERO.

Central division World series titles in the last 4 years ONE.

Yankee's World Series participants in the last 8 years.. ONE

Central divisions World series participants in the last 4 years TWO.

Go Yankee's maybe you can buy it this year. I'll take baseball the way it was meant to played any day of the week over this $250,000,000 a year payroll non-sense any day and sunday!

Go Yanks..LOL

[harvey lee]

Pier, that does not excuse the Twins for doing nothing.

I love to watch the Twins and cheer for them but it becomes very diffucult to do that when they do nothing come trade time.

One cannot say that they are so solid or a great contender that a few trades wouln't help.

One can bank on one thing for sure, they got their new stadium and will not improve one bit. Thats simply facts and no jibber jabber.

[greebs]

central has a good playoff record compared to the yanks but I think most of us here cheer for a particular team in the central that has done a good job of keeping us interested during the regular season but not so much in the post season.

[PierBridge]

You make a lot of good points and your future pessimism is warranted until they do something.

I just go with the flow and understand how difficult it is to make trades at the deadline which of course is prov-en by the lack of trades which continue to be minimal around the league year after year.. it ain't easy everybody wants more for their product because they know you are in need.

My concerns are more in the off season free agent signings which I still hope will improve with the supposed revenues increases coming our way. Then again the M*M boys will chew up a big portion of that ...

[jigging-matt]

The frustrating part is how cheap the pirates gave away sanchez for. I like the twins but they need to do a little to improve.

[KMR85]

Oh and good luck to the Yankee's winning the world series this year.

Yankee's Worlds series Wins in the last 9 years...ZERO.

Central division World series titles in the last 4 years ONE.

Yankee's World Series participants in the last 8 years.. ONE

Central divisions World series participants in the last 4 years TWO.

Go Yankee's maybe you can buy it this year. I'll take baseball the way it was meant to played any day of the week over this $250,000,000 a year payroll non-sense any day and sunday!

Go Yanks..LOL

I think you need to look at the payrolls of the two central teams that went to the WS in the last 4 years compared to the Twins. Chicago and Detroit spent some big money. Of course it wasn't Yankee spending, but no one here wants us to be like the Yankees. I absolutely despise how they spend money. Pretty sure this last offseason they spent close to our entire payroll. Either way, we could have picked up Sanchez and a reliever from Pitt without giving up too much. Probably could have thrown in Casilla, Keppel, and Harris to get two decent guys from Pitt. I like Harris, but he brings more in a trade than Punto or Delmon.

[PierBridge]

I guess I'll take having a better team year in and year out than the Tigers and Sox like we have for the last decade. To me anyway that gives us a better chance to Win the Series!

And if we're going to be flip flopping "not you kmr85" and basing it on World series titles I'll take our 2 in the last 21 yrs over the Tigers ZERO in 25 yrs and the Sox's 1 in the last 90 yrs.

Different strokes for different folks I guess and thats fine!

I was hoping we'd get Sanchez and starter also but I disagree we could have easily done it nor do I think Sanchez would have been that big of a difference maker.

Lets face it short of signing Pujols or Nolan Ryan we aren't going to be pleasing a lot of FANS around here J/K "joke" "lighten up "...

[KMR85]

Star Trib is reporting that we could have had Sanchez for Valencia straight up. That's kind of a tough one to decide, since Valencia is supposed to be our future 3B. I still think the future is now and if we got Sanchez for a run, we may have a better chance at keeping Joe around. Although it would take more than just Sanchez to keep him here, it would be a start.

[PierBridge]

Agreed! I feel the Pain but it is what it is so I just go with it.. kind of like politics...

[KMR85]

Yes, very much like politics. Just go with the flow. If things turn out for the worse in a couple seasons, the owners will see it with low attendance.

[PierBridge]

I didn't say I necessarily like everything they do. I just know I'm not going to change the Pohlads mind on how they run a very successful business in a smaller market with the rules stacked against them.

I don't see us losing Mauer or any attendance issues in the near future.

EDIT: I just noticed Sanchez is a lot better than I thought and he could have been a difference maker.

[SledNeck]

The Pohlads are running a very unprofitable team for many years.

The success on the field is not of their doing.

[PierBridge]

That's crazy in MY opinion!

And the team is not all that profitable and it has no bearing on their already BILLIONAIRE wealth!

[zamboni]

The Pohlads are running a very unprofitable team for many years.

The success on the field is not of their doing.

Anyone that says they aren't making money has never bought a $6 beer at the Dome, then multiplied that by number they sell a year divided by the cost of a keg and how many beers can be had out of said keg. Not to mention hot dogs, $40 hats (that same hat costs $25-$30 at the mall) foam fingers and anything else they sell out in the concourse. Then throw in ticket prices and luxury box prices. If that isn't making them money, nothing is.

[harvey lee]

I didn't say I necessarily like everything they do. I just know I'm not going to change the Pohlads mind on how they run a very successful business in a smaller market with the rules stacked against them.

I don't see us losing Mauer or any attendance issues in the near future.

EDIT: I just noticed Sanchez is a lot better than I thought and he could have been a difference maker.

Justin Morneau told the press in an interview that Mauer stated that if the Twins did not go out and get a few better players to make the team a bit better, he would leave the Twins.

So I would beg to differ with you Pier on the statement that mauer will not leave.

[Jim Uran]

I would agree with ya Harvey, it's hard to think otherwise. I just don't think we'll have what it takes to keep those guys here. Why do you think Santana, and Hunter left. Yeah more money, but if they thought we were going to win they would have stayed. i would say the same for the M&M boys!

[KMR85]

Anyone that says they aren't making money has never bought a $6 beer at the Dome, then multiplied that by number they sell a year divided by the cost of a keg and how many beers can be had out of said keg. Not to mention hot dogs, $40 hats (that same hat costs $25-$30 at the mall) foam fingers and anything else they sell out in the concourse. Then throw in ticket prices and luxury box prices. If that isn't making them money, nothing is.

I think a big portion of the money that comes from food concession stands goes to the vikings, even during Twins games. I think the Vikes are the main lessee of the dome and the Twins sort of sub-lease from the Vikes. I am not 100% sure on this, but I think that's how it works.

[SledNeck]

If the Twins dont pick up help and keep Mauer and Morneau then Im done with baseball forever. New public funded stadium now, no more excuses.

[KMR85]

My thoughts exactly. I won't support a club that gets a publicly funded stadium, then the owners don't put any money towards bringing in good ball players.