Twins' offseason: even if it's broke, don't contract it

gyb13 · 12-30-2002, 02:25 PM

Having staved off Bud's contractional impetus for a couple of seasons, the vice-Cinderella team of baseball returns to the weakest division, looking to hold off the rebuilding Indians and the no-man-at-the-helm ChiSox. As usual, their off-season has been more of a cold stove, with a few players being re-signed and the departures of Bob Wells, Mike Jackson, and David Ortiz. Besides showing up, what do the Twins need to do to stay atop the AL Central in 2003 (and beyond)?

C Pierzynski, Prince
1B Mientkiewicz
2B Rivas
SS Guzman
3B Koskie
LF Jones
CF Hunter
RF Cuddyer
DH LeCroy
IF Hocking, Sears, Morban
OF Kielty, Mohr, Restovich, Ryan
SP Radke, Reed, Mays, Milton, Lohse, Santana
RP Guardado, Romero, Hawkins, Rincon, Fiore, Frederick

LeGrandOrange · 12-30-2002, 02:49 PM

Only thing they need is a second backup infielder; you ink a Relaford up to a contract and you have the roster for the Central Division champions in 2003 set.
No offense to Denny Hocking, the guy who puts the super in super-utility, but one man can only do so much.

gyb13 · 12-30-2002, 03:33 PM

you'd be happy with LeCroy (or whichever RF doesn't win the starting job) substituting Ortiz at DH? or do the Twins need another bat?

sweaver · 12-30-2002, 04:07 PM

The Twins have sufficient bats, but they could use a second baseman unless Rivas can stage a rally. He could be a weakness if another team (say, the White Sox) manages to mount a threat.

gyb13 · 01-02-2003, 04:37 PM

ex-Tiger, Padre, and D-Ray SS Chris Gomez has signed a minor league contract with a NRI. He gives them MIF depth behind Guzman, Rivas, and Hocking, as he has also played 2B on occasion...

LeGrandOrange · 01-02-2003, 05:50 PM

I'm sure you can get him to play 3B at well. He's exactly the kind of player they needed.

Now why wasn't I aware that he was a free agent?

I'd been talking about him endlessly in Rey Ordonez threads so why wasn't I aware that he was a non-issue in them?

gyb13 · 01-02-2003, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeGrandOrange
Now why wasn't I aware that he was a free agent?

go to your room and don't come out until you have memorized the last 25 ATM reports

LeGrandOrange · 01-02-2003, 06:00 PM

I haven't even read the last 25 ATM reports.

I have reasons why but I don't want to explain them.

And you can't tell me to go to my room, I'm there most of the time anyway.

WiredTiger · 01-03-2003, 10:02 AM

LGO... I read the ATM reports and I still can't keep straight on where people are going.

The Twins should be better this year just based on staying healthier. They had a lot people go down this year. Losing Ortiz doesn't hurt that much because they had a log jam in the OF. They should probably try to trade one of their good OFs for help else where.

sweaver · 01-03-2003, 01:40 PM

John Sickels writes the Twins' Hot Stove Heater on espn.com http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove2003/twins.html Sickels lauds the Twins' approach, even though their run differential was low, signalling possible trouble. Of course, a healthy rotation would go a long way to fixing that problem.

gyb13 · 02-12-2003, 06:11 PM

The Twins (as well as the Angels) may be the team that most suffers this season from their lack of off-season reshuffling. The one thing of note they did was pick the wrong 1B/DH type, in keeping Mientkiewicz over Ortiz. Meanwhile, the White Sox have made some major moves, and their pythagoreans from a year ago signal that these teams may be closer than their records indicated.

sweaver · 02-17-2003, 03:45 PM

The Twins were destiny's darlings during the season, marching to a division title after the contraction scare. A fine young team emerged, even with a number of pitching injuries.

This year, two things could happen. The young hitter who took a step forward last year could continue their development, or at least hold their place, and the pitching could get healthy, making the Twins a powerhouse. Or, the hitters could take a step back, and the injury-prone pitchers could stay injury-prone, causing the team to slip back to the pack.

I figure what will happen is somewhere in between. Some of those hitter, like Jacque Jones, will lose some of their gains, but this could be compensated by the wealth of young talent coming up. On the mound, some of the pitchers will recover and some won't, and the bullpen won't be quite as good. It should make for a good race with the White Sox.

I predict the Twins will win 90-95 games this year.

12-30-2002, 02:25 PM	#1
gyb13 NS Omnipresent Brasilian Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Crazy George's playground Posts: 10,903	Twins' offseason: even if it's broke, don't contract it Having staved off Bud's contractional impetus for a couple of seasons, the vice-Cinderella team of baseball returns to the weakest division, looking to hold off the rebuilding Indians and the no-man-at-the-helm ChiSox. As usual, their off-season has been more of a cold stove, with a few players being re-signed and the departures of Bob Wells, Mike Jackson, and David Ortiz. Besides showing up, what do the Twins need to do to stay atop the AL Central in 2003 (and beyond)? C Pierzynski, Prince 1B Mientkiewicz 2B Rivas SS Guzman 3B Koskie LF Jones CF Hunter RF Cuddyer DH LeCroy IF Hocking, Sears, Morban OF Kielty, Mohr, Restovich, Ryan SP Radke, Reed, Mays, Milton, Lohse, Santana RP Guardado, Romero, Hawkins, Rincon, Fiore, Frederick __________________ Gustavo NDF Moderator Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

12-30-2002, 03:33 PM	#3
gyb13 NS Omnipresent Brasilian Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Crazy George's playground Posts: 10,903	you'd be happy with LeCroy (or whichever RF doesn't win the starting job) substituting Ortiz at DH? or do the Twins need another bat? __________________ Gustavo NDF Moderator Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

01-02-2003, 04:37 PM	#5
gyb13 NS Omnipresent Brasilian Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Crazy George's playground Posts: 10,903	ex-Tiger, Padre, and D-Ray SS Chris Gomez has signed a minor league contract with a NRI. He gives them MIF depth behind Guzman, Rivas, and Hocking, as he has also played 2B on occasion... __________________ Gustavo NDF Moderator Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

02-12-2003, 06:11 PM	#11
gyb13 NS Omnipresent Brasilian Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Crazy George's playground Posts: 10,903	The Twins (as well as the Angels) may be the team that most suffers this season from their lack of off-season reshuffling. The one thing of note they did was pick the wrong 1B/DH type, in keeping Mientkiewicz over Ortiz. Meanwhile, the White Sox have made some major moves, and their pythagoreans from a year ago signal that these teams may be closer than their records indicated. __________________ Gustavo NDF Moderator Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

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12-30-2002, 02:49 PM	#2
LeGrandOrange Membership Suspended 4/11/04 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 3,783	Only thing they need is a second backup infielder; you ink a Relaford up to a contract and you have the roster for the Central Division champions in 2003 set. No offense to Denny Hocking, the guy who puts the super in super-utility, but one man can only do so much.

12-30-2002, 04:07 PM	#4
sweaver Netshrine Cleanup Hitter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Mountain State Posts: 8,883	The Twins have sufficient bats, but they could use a second baseman unless Rivas can stage a rally. He could be a weakness if another team (say, the White Sox) manages to mount a threat.

01-02-2003, 05:50 PM	#6
LeGrandOrange Membership Suspended 4/11/04 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 3,783	I'm sure you can get him to play 3B at well. He's exactly the kind of player they needed. Now why wasn't I aware that he was a free agent? I'd been talking about him endlessly in Rey Ordonez threads so why wasn't I aware that he was a non-issue in them?

01-02-2003, 06:00 PM	#8
LeGrandOrange Membership Suspended 4/11/04 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 3,783	I haven't even read the last 25 ATM reports. I have reasons why but I don't want to explain them. And you can't tell me to go to my room, I'm there most of the time anyway.

01-03-2003, 10:02 AM	#9
WiredTiger Guest Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The city of Kaline, Cobb and Greenberg Posts: 3,395	LGO... I read the ATM reports and I still can't keep straight on where people are going. The Twins should be better this year just based on staying healthier. They had a lot people go down this year. Losing Ortiz doesn't hurt that much because they had a log jam in the OF. They should probably try to trade one of their good OFs for help else where.

01-03-2003, 01:40 PM	#10
sweaver Netshrine Cleanup Hitter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Mountain State Posts: 8,883	John Sickels writes the Twins' Hot Stove Heater on espn.com http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove2003/twins.html Sickels lauds the Twins' approach, even though their run differential was low, signalling possible trouble. Of course, a healthy rotation would go a long way to fixing that problem.

02-17-2003, 03:45 PM	#12
sweaver Netshrine Cleanup Hitter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: The Mountain State Posts: 8,883	The Twins were destiny's darlings during the season, marching to a division title after the contraction scare. A fine young team emerged, even with a number of pitching injuries. This year, two things could happen. The young hitter who took a step forward last year could continue their development, or at least hold their place, and the pitching could get healthy, making the Twins a powerhouse. Or, the hitters could take a step back, and the injury-prone pitchers could stay injury-prone, causing the team to slip back to the pack. I figure what will happen is somewhere in between. Some of those hitter, like Jacque Jones, will lose some of their gains, but this could be compensated by the wealth of young talent coming up. On the mound, some of the pitchers will recover and some won't, and the bullpen won't be quite as good. It should make for a good race with the White Sox. I predict the Twins will win 90-95 games this year.

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