How many wins?

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

pavano - under contract this year

baker - under contract this year

blackburn - under contract this year

liriano - final year of deal

this was a transition year no matter how you want to spin it. they weren't going to buy a bunch of free agent pitchers for the 2012 season because they already had guys under contract. (yes, we all know they didn't work out)

2013 will be the year you guys can b and moan about them not getting at least one decent starter in free agency because they will have at least 3 or 4 spots to fill in the rotation.

And you can spin it any way you want to spin it. Baker has been hurt every year and inconsistent. Pavano was a good #3 before this year, now hes just flat out done. Liriano has been inconsistent at best and Blackburn has NEVER been any good. Just because theyre under contract doesnt really mean much. Go ahead, give em a free pass if you want.

Tax payer funded money printing stadium and they drop the payroll almost 20 mil and call er' good, thats the way i spin it.

Clearly they have a team that can hit, so to me its pretty said they would rather save a few million this year then sign someone that can actually pitch.

[B. Amish]

wonderful.

[SledNeck]

I heard on the radio that the twins have never signed a type-a free agent

[B. Amish]

i think willingham is the most they've ever spent to bring a player to mn.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Willingham looks like a great signing at this point. Even though he isnt much of an outfielder. The twins dont sign type A free agents, most of the time they trade them away or lose them for nothing when they are about to be paid as such. Mauer and Morneau the exceptions.

"Wonderful" is all you can give me B. Amish? I would have expected more out of you.

[B. Amish]

so you admit they don't sign high dollar free agents but you expected them to do it last year even though 4/5 of their rotation was under contract and they were coming off of 99 losses??

[thatoneguy]

i think willingham is the most they've ever spent to bring a player to mn.

You are correct. And it will prove to be a great signing, as they should be able to trade him before the deadline for a nice haul of prospects (and maybe even one big league-ready pitcher).

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

so you admit they don't sign high dollar free agents but you expected them to do it last year even though 4/5 of their rotation was under contract and they were coming off of 99 losses??

Coming off a 99 loss season in a brand new stadium one would think would compell u to sign somebody other then the same staff that gave you 99 loses the year before... Marqui was a waste of time and i said that before the season started.

Of course i admit they dont sign high dollar FA, everybody knows that. But they shouldnt get a free pass for it now or ever again, because they TOLD US they needed the stadium to compete for revenue. More revenue they are clearly making, but i really dont see them investing it in the team. For that they dont get a pass from me. Thats fine if you wanna give em one, i think its lame, but its your choice.

[B. Amish]

you're funny.

adding a better free agent pitcher than marquis last offseason would maybe give the twins 5 or 6 more wins, 10 max.

they're rebuilding. get over it.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

you're funny.

adding a better free agent pitcher than marquis last offseason would maybe give the twins 5 or 6 more wins, 10 max.

they're rebuilding. get over it.

What a twins apologist you are! Get over it he says...

If the twins had 10 more wins theyd be right in the thick of the division race, but i understand where your coming from, not really at all.

[thatoneguy]

if anyone thinks there was a free agent the Twins could have signed that would have added 10 wins, they're delusional.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Dillusional? Really? Why is that? Have you watched this pitching staff this year? Pretty much ANY of the top ten FA pitchers could have added a # of wins from the garbage we've been seeing all season. Cuz its pretty clear this team can hit. I dont know what that specific # it would be, but they would sure be in alot better spot then they are right now. AND this just in- The central sucks. Very winable divsion and the twins pi$$ed away another chance to win it by doing nothing. Hope the Pohlads are extatic with that extra 20 mil in their pockets, they really need it.

[LABS4ME]

if anyone thinks there was a free agent the Twins could have signed that would have added 10 wins, they're delusional.

They could have made a run at Darvish... I think he signed for around 10 mil a year. Cheap price for what would have been your ace. And yes he would have them at least competing in this weak division. Our pitchers blow! They signed garbage for free agents in the off season and had to throw it all out. Then they re-signed Matt pile of Crapps to be their closer based on what? He has always been terrible. Could have used that money towards a true starter.

Wake up front office, the villagers are rioting! and people want to hang this mess on Gardy... I personally think he deserves a lot of kudos getting this team to play at the level they are with the misfit pitching staff.

Good Luck!

Ken

[B. Amish]

They could have made a run at Darvish... I think he signed for around 10 mil a year. Cheap price for what would have been your ace. And yes he would have them at least competing in this weak division.

wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong

the rangers won the right to negotiate with darvish because they paid darvish's japanese team $51 million dollars.

[LABS4ME]

Got it. I stand corrected. I just thought I remember the contract at around 10 mil a year...

Good Luck!

Ken

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

LABS the fact is they could have made a run at SEVERAL more pitchers then they did and instead they chose to pocket more money to the tune of 20 million. Thats about all you can say about it.

Did you guys hear? Nick Blackburn is back with the big club! OH GOODIE!!!!

[B. Amish]

There were lots of rumors about them wanting oswalt. Even some rumors about buerhle. But why on earth would any decent pitcher choose to sign with a 99 loss team anyways??

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

$$$$, an easy division to compete in and a brand new stadium to play in should be somewhat attractive i would think....

I bet the Nishioka disaster is a part of why the penny pinching pohlads didnt even try to do anything about it. They are trying to make all that money back in one year.

[LABS4ME]

There were lots of rumors about them wanting oswalt. Even some rumors about buerhle. But why on earth would any decent pitcher choose to sign with a 99 loss team anyways??

The same reason reggie White signed with the Packers... good money and the promise they were the spear head to produce a championship caliber team...

With that said, one pitcher isn't going to solve their woes.. but sheesh, trotting out the same old retreads every year isn't moving them forward either. Yeeeeaaaahhh... Blackie is back! NOT!!!

Still scrath my head on why the payroll shrunk over 20% in one year... like that is going to help turn around your 99 loss season! And yes, major league sports is one of the few problems that throwing money at WILL solve.

Good Luck!

Ken

[B. Amish]

How are the marlins doing after their record breaking spending spree last offseason?

[B. Amish]

Detroit was supposed to walk away with the central. Best offense in baseball. How's that working out for them?

How are the phillies doing? The red sox are in first place, right?

[LABS4ME]

How are the marlins doing after their record breaking spending spree last offseason?

Who said anything about record spending? But shrinking the payroll certainly isn't going to solve a woeful situation... especially in light of the fact that they basically have very few guys to bring up from the farm system. I'm all for the 'Twins' way... except they can't even pull it off any longer.

Picking a couple of true starters with the 20 million they cut from payroll would have a bearing on the success or lack there of, of this squad. They have a line-up that can compete... the pitching is wretched! You obviously believe they are taking the right tact. I don't.

Good Luck!

Ken

[B. Amish]

i believe they had too many question marks coming off of a 99 loss season where their 2 best players were terrible, their rotation was terrible, their minor league system was terrible, and most of the team spent time on the dl.

too many question marks to believe that adding another mid range starter would help them finish above .500 this year.

their retooling. i think it's the right decision given what happenend last year and the uncertainty they faced coming into the year.

and the 20/20 hindsight saying this division is terrible and they woulda had a shot at it is complete hogwash. because most people thought detroit was a lock for 95 wins before the season started and was one of the favorites to win it all.

[LABS4ME]

I never would put them in a 95 win scenario... but a low -mid 80s (15 more wins over last year sure sounds good!) could have been realistic with some viable pitchers... not re-treads and has beens. The ownership owes the fans at a very minimum, a true viable team. What they did was inexcusable.

Again, cutting the payroll helps you to re-tool? They know they are going to have to sign pitchers this off season, which most likely means off the free agent market as they have no locks on minor leaugers to come up... they should have done it the last year, to in the least, give them an opportunity to put a fairly competitive product on the field.

I get the 're-tool'... I don't get where going further backwards is 're-tooling'. There is not one part of the pitching staff with the exception of Diamond which could be considered an improvement over last year.

Good Luck!

Ken

[B. Amish]

go look at the free agent class from last year and look at their career numbers prior to this year. outside of cj wilson and buerhle, they were all very mediocre.

mediocre is what the twins currently have for starters. how is replacing mediocre with mediocre going to help you win more games?