Twins sign Zumaya.

[pikestabber]

Just another typical broken- down- washed- up- over- the-hill twins free agent signing!

While I can agree with the overall disappointment most are feeling in terms of the direction of this team, I think it was a good signing that just didn't work. High risk, high reward, low dollars. Granted, $400,000 may seem like a lot of money to you or I, but it's less than the league minimum and chump change in our payroll. If Zumy comes in, is relatively healthy, and helps us win a few games, he is well worth that investment. Mauer makes that much every other day or so! As it turns out, it wasn't meant to be. He is only 27 years old--to me that is a far cry from investing multi-millions in a 35+ year old pitcher as we are accustomed to seeing. A bad result? Sure. A bad idea to begin with? I am not so quick to agree.

[harvey lee]

Bummer

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Pikestabber- totally agree it was low risk. But thats all the twins ever do is sign low risk players for CHEAP and it never really works out. Why not pony up and get a guy that is proven and not injury prone? Theres a reason the twins got Zumaya, cuz no one else wanted him. The pohlads are cheap and always will be- Lets not forget, they would have rather contracted the team not too long ago.

[B. Amish]

it's easy to rip decisions (this one is really easy). but, if you're going to say they should be spending more money, please list who they should spend it on.

[JBMasterAngler]

Well, I know who they should NOT have spent it on! But they did it anyway and the franchise is already in the toilet because of it!

[SledNeck]

FIRE TERRY RYAN!

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

it's easy to rip decisions (this one is really easy). but, if you're going to say they should be spending more money, please list who they should spend it on.

Starting pitchers that could have helped- Cj Wilson, Adam Wainright, Mark Buerhle, Hiroki Kuroda, Edwin Jackson, Joe Saunders and many more

Relief Pitchers that could have helped- Heath Bell, Ryan Madsen, Francisco Cordero, Kyle Farnsworth, Kerry Wood, Jeremy Affeldt, Takashi Saito and many more

There.... am i allowed to rip them now or should I keep going with position players?

[blue_healer_guy]

Dang, looks like no reason for me to post here no more. Yiggin pretty much summed it for the last 15 yrs. One word- Pohlad.

[B. Amish]

Starting pitchers that could have helped- Cj Wilson, Adam Wainright, Mark Buerhle, Hiroki Kuroda, Edwin Jackson, Joe Saunders and many more

Relief Pitchers that could have helped- Heath Bell, Ryan Madsen, Francisco Cordero, Kyle Farnsworth, Kerry Wood, Jeremy Affeldt, Takashi Saito and many more

There.... am i allowed to rip them now or should I keep going with position players?

if the twins signed any of these guys, they'd be the new whipping boy for twins fans.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

So if the twins singed a GOOD free agent that actually helped the team he would become a whipping boy?

Doh kay

[blue_healer_guy]

Yiggin Is the common man, even better!

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Bigvoiceuy- "Copyright Dan Cole"

[mrklean]

I see zumaya is gonna have tommy john surgery does he really think he can come back

[Rick G]

I see zumaya is gonna have tommy john surgery does he really think he can come back

Twins better hurry up and sign him to a long term deal now that he's getting this all taken care of

[B. Amish]

Starting pitchers that could have helped- Cj Wilson, Adam Wainright, Mark Buerhle, Hiroki Kuroda, Edwin Jackson, Joe Saunders and many more

Relief Pitchers that could have helped- Heath Bell, Ryan Madsen, Francisco Cordero, Kyle Farnsworth, Kerry Wood, Jeremy Affeldt, Takashi Saito and many more

There.... am i allowed to rip them now or should I keep going with position players?

cj wilson - yes, although he's setting himself up to be the guy that can't win in the playoffs.

adam wainright - missed all of 2011 with tommy john. yes, exactly what we need.

mark buerhle - too much $ for an aging pitcher

kuroda - career high 13 wins last year. yes, let's please add another 3 or 4 starter.

jackson - 4.46 career era.

joe saunders - another 4+ era

bullpen - nice names, but how many closers can any team afford to sign.

[SledNeck]

cj wilson - yes, although he's setting himself up to be the guy that can't win in the playoffs.

adam wainright - missed all of 2011 with tommy john. yes, exactly what we need.

mark buerhle - too much $ for an aging pitcher

kuroda - career high 13 wins last year. yes, let's please add another 3 or 4 starter.

jackson - 4.46 career era.

joe saunders - another 4+ era

bullpen - nice names, but how many closers can any team afford to sign.

Buerhle isnt a hard thrower, he could have a long career

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Twins staff last year- Baker- 8 wins... 3.07 era- Career 4.15 era

Liriano- 5.09 era 9 wins

Blackburn- 4.50 era last year and for his career, 7 wins(gross)

Pavano - 4.30 era 9-13

Duensing- 5.23 era, 9-14

the guy we did sign this year- Marquis has a career 4.55 era in the national league

Pavano, Liriano and Duensing tied for the team lead with 9 wins.... Let me repeat that in case you missed it- 9 wins

Please let me know what it is you saw with our starting staff last year that you thought it was a good thing to basically do nothing with it and not at least try to upgrade it. I would like to hear you explain further.

Buerle last year- 3.59 era, 13-9

Wainright last season of play- 20-11, 2.42 era, 213 k's

Kuroda last year- 3.07 era, 161 k's

Jackson last year-3.59 era, 12-9

Saunders last year-3.69 era, 12-13

Anyone of these guys would have been a good addition to the rotation. Cj wilson would be our #1 pitcher instantly.

[B. Amish]

i never said anything about not upgrading the starting staff. just pointing out that the list of potentials wasn't that great besides cj wilson.

[Musky Buck]

Agree Amish, CJ was about it really and we're not that forgetful that verlander may have went .500 last year on our squad, or he may have broke a record of 1-0 wins in a season, we didn't or couldn't score enough runs for any of them to win much and when it got turned over to the pen the W went to a no-decision or L in a hurry. Honest truth is we need Latin or Dominican throwers that are on the un-tested or yet to be testable "juice". You know how it would've went, Twins voodoo, we add 3 of those names, 2 get hurt 1 gets busted for HGH, that'd be our luck. We can't touch Detroit if they're healthy with a ten foot pole, that's the American League central as it is today. Detroit is gaining separation, KC is trying to gain and has some bodies to gain with, Us the sox and cleveland get in line for the roller coaster.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

so your saying we shouldnt have improved our pitching staff because we couldnt score enough runs anyway? I would think that would be a GREAT reason to improve the pitching staff....

With all these injuries last year we got a good luck at our minor league system, and its pretty apparent that the cupboard is bare. Who excited you guys more- Luke Hughes, Trever Ploof or Ryan Dinkleman? EVEN MORE REASON to go out and get someone to help this team! You guys are letting the Twins off way too easy.... Just stand pat cuz we have no chance to beat detroit? Im sorry, not me... The twins are printing money at target field and they are putting none of it back into the team. I want them to do well this season but i really dont see it happening with the bunch they have. I hope they prove me wrong, but i dont give them a pass for not trying to improve this roster at all. I think its a joke

[mrklean]

We didnt sign pitching because of money we wanted to lower payroll and spending 15 mil a year isnt gonna happen and never will thats not the twins and never will be

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

We didnt sign pitching because of money we wanted to lower payroll and spending 15 mil a year isnt gonna happen and never will thats not the twins and never will be

Agreed Mr Klean, thats my whole point on this thread. We signed a broken down joel zumaya cuz we're cheap, it always has been the twins way.

The twins are printing money at target field, they claimed one of the reasons they needed target field was to compete with other teams so they could sign more players.... But their not putting any of the profit back into the team, so i dont give em a free pass. In fact, they actually CUT payroll now and its a frickin joke IMO.

[mrklean]

There trying to go back to there roots develope players and pick up cheap vets and win we have a long road ahead because the farm system is ugl bare with it for 2-3 years we will be back its rebuilding time

[B. Amish]

you just can't spend money and expect to win. the only team that can afford to do that is the yankees and yet some of their best players are home grown.

most teams that try to spend to win end up flat on thier face.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Last time i checked there is no payroll in baseball and we have one of the richest owners. We have nothing in our farm system at all right now. Those are all facts.

Im not saying we should have a yankee size payroll. But the fact that the twins cut close to 15 mil OFF of the payroll after a 99 loss season is completely laughable.

2-3 years sounds pretty optomistic to me Mr. Klean with nothing currently in the farm system.

Get ready for mid 90's twins baseball again, its coming!

Amish- You say spending a bunch of $ doesnt get u wins.. Thats true sometimes.

But signing broken down free agents that no one wants like the twins always do sure doesnt get you wins either, I think thats fairly obvious. If they would have spent a little more those years the central was a joke and we won it every year, we may actually have another world series title! But no, we just got swept out weakly every-single-time....

Most teams that spend to win are in the playoffs from what i see. Yeah the red sox collapsed last year but they are still one of the best teams in the league, i dont think anyone would argue that. Building from your farm system is a nice concept, and the twins have done it before... but its pretty clear the cupboards bare in the farm system right now, good luck with that happening anytime soon