Santana and Garza

[toughguy]

Twins are reportedly looking at bringing 1 or both back. I'm on board. I hope this turns out better than the AJ pursuit.

[mrklean]

I really dont see Garza coming back he didnt get along with Anderson or Gardy and we are a losing team, Santana we got the best years out of him and made the smart move to trade him before he went downhill no need to add another washed up player to the roster

[toughguy]

Well you're no fun

[BryeGuy]

Santana is cooked! Hate to say it.

Garza would be nice but too much personality for the Twins. (Why does the guy spit every 10 seconds?)

[toughguy]

I wasn't suggesting Santana would lead the league in strikeouts again or anything but But he would be a good 4-5th guy for the right $.

[BryeGuy]

He has blown out his shoulder twice. Hasnt pitched in a year and a half. Hate to say it but he will get a AAA deal and maybe make a spot start or 2 in the bigs.

[Hoyt4]

Garza said he would come back here if the deal works out.

Would take Garza right now not a #1 but better then what we have.

Still hope they pursue Steven Drew more we are on of the 3 teams looking at him but do not think the twins will give up a #2 pick for him.

[Hoyt4]

Sorry looks like Boston is just shopping Drew out there and plan on resigning him. But seeing what other teams would offer up.

Hope some team signs him and do not give BOston a chance to. TWins will just say there were interested and not do anything. I just like that there name was in the mix.

[Musky Buck]

What $ amount did we give Sydney Ponson ? I'd take Santana and give him the opening day ball, Vance Worley had it last year. Kidding really, we don't need to add pieces to the roster that aren't part of us righting the ship. Rather lose with triple AAA types again and get Mauers contract over with the sooner the better. Wonder if Dan Gladden got over last season yet, he was so disgusted with what he was seeing, very comical listening to him some last year, best was when Jamie Carroll pitched. Do we still have Nishioka ? Santana and Garza, why in MN do we long for "nice" players ? I'd take Garza any day really, nice or not. If nice is our intangible then Cuddy woulda been signed back immediately. I think it just plain stinks we fell apart so quickly, we had year 1 target field magic and it's been a disaster ever since, no one can homer yet every incoming team is hitting the deep drive that we can't. Pitchers park, but not if you can't break 88 on the heater.

[mrklean]

Nishioka is back in Japan playing i believe

[Cicada]

Don't want either one. Santana was great, but he is toast. Garza is wired all wrong in the head.

[greebs]

I wouldn't mind seeing garza back. Not sure he fits the mold of the nice vanilla types gardy likes so suppose he'd be in the doghouse often but team needs a few of those types.

[nofishfisherman]

I wouldn't mind having Garza back based only on the fact that he doesn't fit the typical Twins mold. Look what that mold has gotten them over the past 10 years. Maybe its time to break with the same old stuff and get someone with a little bit of an attitude.

[thatoneguy]

Garza has a .500 career record and has won more than 11 games all of once. I would't mind if they signed him, just understand that he's nothing more than a #4 starter with injury and head case risk.

[DonBo]

...just understand that he's nothing more than a #4 starter with injury and head case risk.

He should fit right in.

[eyebenband]

The Twins have found their veteran mentor for young catcher Josmil Pinto.

According to two people with direct knowledge, the Twins agreed Friday to a one-year deal with catcher Kurt Suzuki. Terms were not immediately available, but FoxSports.com reported Suzuki would be paid $2.75 million in base salary plus performance bonuses.

The Twins cleared $3.5 million from their 2014 obligations with Wednesday's trade of catcher/outfielder Ryan Doumit to Atlanta for Triple-A left-hander Sean Gilmartin.

Suzuki, 30, averaged 14 home runs per season from 2009-11 with the Oakland A's. He hit a combined .232 with five homers in 94 games last season with Washington and Oakland, but is considered a solid defender who can handle a pitching staff.

He threw out 30 percent of attempted base stealers in 2012, slightly better than his career figure of 26 percent. However, his throwing number dropped off significantly in 2013, when he nabbed just 12.3 percent (8 of 65) attempted base stealers.

After earning just less than $15 million combined over the past three seasons, Suzuki will be taking a sizeable pay cut as he attempts to rebuild his value on a short-term deal.

A former College World Series star at Cal State Fullerton, he earned the nickname "Kurt Klutch" en route to being drafted in the second round in 2004. Suzuki was a first-team All-America and won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher.

Twins closer Glen Perkins, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher, tweeted a reference to Suzuki hitting a game-winning homer off him in a 2004 NCAA Regional at Fullerton's Goodwin Field.

"Payback will be easy now that we are (allegedly) teammates," Perkins wrote on his Twitter account (@Glen_Perkins).

Perkins indeed fell 7-1 to the eventual CWS champions in the regional opener, but Suzuki went 0 for 4 with a stolen base off the Gophers' ace. Perkins went the distance as Suzuki flied out twice, grounded back to Perkins and reached base on an error.

Suzuki spent close to five full seasons as the primary catcher for the A's before being traded to Washington in August 2012. Advanced metrics showed he was among the game's better pitch blockers last season, but his pitch-framing abilities were deemed merely average.

The Twins made two-year offers to A.J. Pierzynski and Jarrod Saltalamacchia earlier this offseason, but the proven catchers signed with Boston and Miami, respectively. The Twins also held talks with veteran catcher John Buck, who remains unsigned.

Pinto, who will turn 25 on Opening Day, had a strong offensive season in 2013, including an eye-opening September in the majors (.342, four homers, 12 RBIs). However, his defense still needs work, and he has been limited to 10 games in the Venezuelan Winter League because of nagging soreness in his throwing shoulder.

The last time the Twins signed a free-agent catcher away from Oakland, it was a homecoming for New Ulm's Terry Steinbach after the 1996 season. Steinbach, now the Twins' bench coach, was coming off a 35-homer season and signed a three-year deal, $6.2 million deal that paid him $2.85 million each in 1997 and 1998.

[blue_healer_guy]

Those numbers will fit right in with the twinkies.

[knoppers]

there are better pitchers out there other than Garza. arroyo would be my favorite to join the club. I am surprised that the twins have jumped into the free agent market so quick this year, they usually wait till all the good players are gone, and pick up the scraps.

[toughguy]

I read somewhere that the 2014 payroll is still less than 2013. They should spend another $20-40M. But they won't

[Musky Buck]

Since this was still on top Garza is still in the mix. I wish Tanaka was in the mix but Joe Joe's contract sucked that maybe down the drain. Bet Joe is thinking can't wait for spring training following up a season where they broke the strikeout twins record in the wrong direction. We're really like a bull elk in the mud the twins, wallowing around. Sano and Buxton need to be somebodies.

[Cicada]

http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/ma...vacation-021714

[mrklean]

Looks like he hasnt changed a bit