Twins trade Romero

[Willy]

Twins have traded JC Romero.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have acquired infielder Alexi Casilla from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for lefthanded pitcher J.C. Romero.

Casilla, 21, began last season at Arkansas (Double-A, Texas League) and played in just seven games before being promoted to Salt Lake (Triple-A, Pacific Coast League) on April 30. After 13 games he was transferred to Cedar Rapids (Class A, Midwest League) on May 16 where spent the remainder of the season. He batted .325 (100-for-308) with 62 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, three homers, 17 RBIs and 47 stolen bases in 78 games for Cedar Rapids. He had a .392 on-base percentage and was fourth in the Midwest League in stolen bases.

Signed by the Angels as a nondrafted free agent in 2003, Casilla has a career Minor League batting average of .297 (206-for-694) with 129 runs scored, 18 doubles, 11 triples, three homers, 49 RBIs and 103 stolen bases in 189 games. He has 74 walks, but just 68 strikeouts and has a career .375 on-base percentage. In 2004, Casilla led the Arizona Rookie League in strikeouts/total plate appearances (1/18.60) and was second in stolen bases (24).

Romero, 29, was 4-3, 3.47 ERA (57.0 IP, 22 ER) allowing 50 hits with 39 walks and 48 strikeouts in 68 games last season for the Twins. Drafted by the Twins in the 21st round of the June, 1997 free agent draft, he had his best season as a Twin in 2002, when he went 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA in a career-high 81 games. Romero had a career record of 25-20, 4.35 ERA (407.2 IP, 197 ER) with two saves, allowing 395 hits with 209 walks and 336 strikeouts in 327 games, 22 starts for the Twins.

Sounds like another patented Twins trade. Maybe if we are lucky this kid will pan out into the next Nick Punto.

[mnwild]

What a joke this trade is, from what I gather the Twins are not even trying to put a competitive team on the field this coming year, that is just my opinion and I am sure I will get hammered for it. There had to be some other team out there looking for relief help and we could of got someone to play come opening day. They need to sign a few veterans instead of trading for these minor leaguers. Again this is just my opinion.

[Fishin Beast]

We definitely need another career Farm system player

[blue_healer_guy]

Brutal trade, they might have well said they released him. What this tells me is there done looking. We got a 2nd baseman and that's it. Romero, from what I read was going to be included in a big deal with Loshe going somewhere. Romero didn't have a real good year last year, but my God for a minor leaguer? WERE GONNA WIN TWINS, WERE GONNA SCORE, bllllaaaaahhhh bllllaaaahhhh bllllaaaahhhh!

[Mitty]

We might as well get used to this dump as long as goof-ball Ryan is running the show.

[buzzsaw]

I know it doesn't look like the immediate gratification that everybody always wants... but I'd say Terry Ryan has a pretty good track record with trading for minor league players... in fact he has made a living doing so and is considered one of the best along with Billy Beane. I will wait to pass judgement on this trade with the hope we can still get Blalock.

[Mitty]

All Im saying if you want to play with the big boys you have to act like the big boys with Ryan always garage sale buying its not going to happen you can only go to the well so many times.

[Eric Wettschreck]

The reason Ryan does garage sale buying is that Polad only gives him 5 bucks to pay players.

Ryan has a very good track record of getting decent players for little $$$. Anyone remember the Knoublach for Guzman, Milton, and Big Buck trade? I'm going to hold off any judgement on this trade until the season is in full swing.

[friendlyfisher]

I agree with boiler and Buzz. The fact that Romero was going to be traded no matter what was obvious. He was discruntled and we wanted to dump his 2+million salary. If all we get is a prospect then thats what we take.

[PerchJerker]

Romero always seemed to have OK numbers but he also seemed to choke it up in the important games too. But after he got in a yelling match with Gardy at the end of the year and tried to show up his manager ...... well, you could figure his days were numbered. It's pretty obvious no one was willing to offer anything for Romero. Not much of a loss in my opinion.

[knoppers]

they were talking trade for hank blaylock from texas, and they trade him for a minor leauge picther troubles me. this is another year as we all watch all the good players being taken by other teams, and we pick up the scraps.

blaylock would have given us a quality 3rd baseman, which we need.

I also hope we don't start the year with lecroy as our DH.

[8-Ball]

Romero? Good riddens. Go throw wild pitches and look like a circus act on the mound somewhere else (for $ 2 million). Ryan will never get into bidding wars "with the big boys". Face the facts- we are a small market team w/ a small market tight-fisted owner and that is the way it is. I say Ryan has done a good job, based on his financial limitations. We did win the Central 3 years in a row, did we not? Look at other small market teams that have spent big $ and done nothing over the last 12-15 yrs.. K.C., Milwaukee, Detroit, etc. Just the way it is here and always will be, IMO.

[porterhouse]

I'm happy Romero is not a Twin any more!!!!! He didn't go after hitters. How many times has he come into a game the last few years and throw Ball One, Ball Two, and Ball Three and come back with a 3-0 89MPH fastball down the middle of the plate? Or 4 straight pitches not even close to the strike zone!!! Alot of times As a left handed relief pitcher your job is to get only one out but Romero had problems with That. It's to bad because he does have good stuff!!!

[B. Amish]

what happened to the deal with the red sox, romero for their third baseman, mueller or something like that?

i'm going to make a call right now, the twins try to sign piazza as a dh/catcher/1b

[Eric Wettschreck]

Wouldn't bother me at all to see Piazza in a Twins uniform. I like the guys toughness and he can still hit it hard.

[nofishfisherman]

For those of you blaming Ryan for the twins spending habits you don't really know how the system works do you.

Poland is the guy telling Ryan how much he gets to spend.

Its just like when your wife says you only have $100 to spend on a new fish finder. You can't expect to go by the newest Marcum on the market.

Terry Ryan is the only reason the twins ahve been competetive in the last 5 years. People are forgetting about the Joe Nathan, Fransico Lirano and Boof Bonzer for AJ Pyrzenski trade. We gave up one solid guy and got an all star closer, and a potential Cy young winner out of the deal. Also the Castilla trade we got him for very little.

One thing the twins might be thinking is that they got all they could for Romero and now they have a decent prospect as well as 2 million more to work with, pair that with the 2-3 million mays was making last year and now we can go buy a $5 million man. Hopefully the will go out and do just that.

We can't compete with most teams dollar for dollar so Ryan needs to be smart and I bet he is alot smarter about running a baseball team then everyone here combined.

[genegodawa]

And he probably writes better chatboard stories than some of us. Not all, but some.

[soldoncass]

nofish,

I agree! Romero and his meltdowns cost the twins dearly the last couple years. My only question is "who's going to be the lefty out of the bullpen'? Guardado available? Mullholland coming back? Liriano? Maybe if he can throw strikes, he has nasty stuff. Could be an interesting training camp.

[Fishin Beast]

I wouldn't mind bringing up a pitcher or 2 and see what ones might be ready. Otherwise maybe trade Rivas for one

[nofishfisherman]

Rivas is worthless. He couldn't even hit a ball in the minor leagues. And his fielding has been going down hill gradually over the last year. You couldn't get anything worth while for him.

If you sign a guy like Piazza then Lecroy is movable

[soldoncass]

I'm pretty sure Lecroy was released.

[8-Ball]

Did we not dump Rivas, as well? Please tell me we did.

[bigbucks]

They're both gone, neither are on our 40 man roster.