I'll be leaving town early this afternoon for about twenty-four hours, so there will be no Minor Details tomorrow, and the Players of the Month will also be delayed.
Last night I came up with a couple of Twins uniform trivia questions:
1. Since the Twins moved to Minnesota, seven numbers have been issued to only once to a player on the roster during the regular season. What are those numbers, and who are/were the players?
2. More fluid player movement within and between the leagues in the free agent era has meant that uniform numbers see more frequent turnover. Even when a number is assigned to a player on the roster, a newly signed player might be able to coax the current to give up his number in exchange for a gift (e.g. JI JIM THOME was able to get #25 from Casilla in exchange for a Rolex in 2010.) Even with all the player turnover, there are currently two (non-retired) numbers tied for the longest streak without being reissued to a new player. During what season were those numbers last worn by a player, what numbers are they, and who were the last players to wear them?
#3 seems like a no-brainer, since Harmon came over with it and it was probably retired soon after he did.
#0 (Ortiz) and #77 (Batista) because they were known oddball numbers that a player wanted.
I did just spot an inconsistency between that and the numbers listed on b-ref. If b-ref is incorrect, then that changes the correct answer to the second question. If b-ref is wrong, then there's only one correct answer to the second question, but it's not the one you and Rhu_Ru supplied.
Well, the difference I see is John Candelaria, who was the last player to wear 35, in 1990, before Gardy took the number for coaching. That's the same year 0 was issued to Ortiz, but Ortiz wore it for 1991 as well. B-ref has Candelaria wearing #45 as well, which isn't on mikeespress. I don't see anything else.
I've been through a full scroll of Google image searches for Bedrosian in a Twins uni. Almost all of his baseball cards have him wearing the old blue mesh BP/Spring Training pullover. One (Fleer, I think?) has him wearing a proper uni with the 4 of his #40 visible as he completes a delivery. So I don't really know when he changed or how long he wore #35 before Gardy got it. Gardy was the third base coach for all of the '91 season, right?
Ok: 3 is Harmon
77 is Tony Batista
Wasn't Joa Roa a weird number like 73 or something like that?
Chrissy Chrissy Parm Parm wore 64 when he first came up
I think Joe Benson was wearing 65 that same summer.
I've got nothing else.
How can you forget that Tyler Robertson and Shairon Martis have since worn 64? Parms was the first player with that number
Benson wore 63, but so did Gabino before him and Albers and Pino since.
I was bored awhile back and decided to research teams no longer giving players "good" numbers. I remember back when no one wore uniforms in the 60's and only a few guys were in the 50's. Now it's pretty frequent.
For example, the Twins never had an inning thrown by a player in the 60's until 2006 (Glen Perkins!). Yet, last year 16.7% of their innings came from the 60's.
Here's a link for y'all to play around with. (Note, I only got halfway through the Royals a while back before getting sidetracked.)
Depending on whether b-ref's data is accurate or not.
I'll be leaving town late saturday for two weeks. DG: are you on for 1st Monday this month? Is anyone interested in taking over 1st Monday for the long term?
I should have actually finished Gravity's Rainbow by Monday, so I can take it this month, if DG wants (but can also sit it out). I'd be interested in being part of a rotation, but probably don't read enough to actually take it over.
Yours for this month. I'll take next month.
I'm happy to take it over, but it would be cool to do an every other month thing to get a few different voices.
I like that there's trades being made. It might help create some demand for what appear to be the Twins' untradable pieces?
The A's are really trying to improve the rotation.
Seriously. They have approximately 30 pitchers now that would be upgrades in the Twins' rotation.
Ha.
Good call.
they also got Jonny Gomes. That's a pretty big part of the deal, I would think. He's hitting 302/400/431 against lefties (140 PA) this year. I presume he will get all of the DH starts against lefties and/or some LF starts against lefties.
I'm surprised by the deal. Cespedes has not hit for a high average, but the A's have a bunch of outfield injuries (Gentry has a broken hand; Crisp has been out with...a hammy?) that have limited their defensive flexibility and top-of-the-order performance. But this deal does nothing to address those issues. Gomes has been terrible against righties this year (151/236/258 in only 106 PA) so its not likely that he will be an every-day player.
I guess Billy must have decided that Jason Hammel was not an answer for the rotation. Even so, he had the option of sending Hammel down and bringing back up Tommy Milone.
Re: Crisp, it looks to be much, much worse: "'chronic, degenerative changes' in Coco Crisp's neck".
Acquiring Gomes makes a lot of sense with the platoon happy A's. Cespedes is better against righties (.263/.298/.467) but not as good against lefties, but with more power in both instances. Seems like a left-handed version of Gomes, or just someone that doesn't suck so much, would be a good match and increase flexibility.
Fuld to Oakland for Tommy Milone. I guess that solves the defensive inflexibility issue without needing Punto to play center.
Edit: As observed by others below.
Holy Crap. WS champs or bust in Oakland, eh?
Interestingly, Cespedes' contract calls for him to be non-tendered when it ends so no qualifying offer can be made. Unusual and his agent is looking like a genius.
Tommy Milone to the Twins from Oakland?
Fuld?
Fuld.
And Kennys Vargas called up! So I assume Consuela will be on the move too?
ah. Fuld makes some sense for the A's in a very-short-term sense. They need a speedy defensive OFer to spell Crisp/Gentry for a couple of weeks.
And as a counterpart to Gomes.
Not as a counterpart to Gomes directly, I would think. Fuld is a CFer, which the A's need. Impressionistically, I'd say Gomes is a very good defensive DH. Fuld for his career has a 645 OPS against righties, 700 against lefties.
Perhaps as platoon with Brandon Moss at LF/1b/DH? Moss actually has hit pretty well against lefties (276/353/461 in 85 PA) this year, albeit small sample.
They have been using Stephen Vogt a lot in a utility role (some RF, especially while Josh Reddick was out, some at 1b, some at DH), and Vogt has been perhaps their best hitter (351/381/530 in only 160 PA) in limited action. But those numbers are not sustainable (career 302/367/498 at AAA, half in the hitter-friendly PCL). Vogt is not really an option in LF, however.
very good defensive DH
I don't know that I've ever seen this description before, and I love it.
I'll put this in the same category with me not being aware of catchers using calf pads. 😉
I'm still comfortable with making fun and being made fun of (within reasonable limits). That's what we do.
Aye. I can just sometimes unintentionally take it beyond those reasonable limits, so try to take every opportunity to remind myself of this one.
I am ever so frequently 1/10,000.
well, ok then. I guess that helps explain the Lester deal. Traded for what?
Well, he certainly seems like a "Twinsy" pitcher (not many strikeouts, not many walks).
he's been right around league-average (slightly better in 2012, slightly worse in 2013, up-and-down this year) overall in terms of run prevention. League average on K% is 18-19 pct. Last year, Milone was at 18.5 with the A's, this year he's been down (15.2).
My comment came off a bit snarkier than intended. The price seems right (nothing against Fuld, but he's not exactly the type of player I'm hoping the Twins build around), and like my previous comment alluded to, the A's were sending to the minors pitchers that would've pretty instantly become #3's in the Twins rotation.
Plus Milone isn't coming from the NL!
zing!
Yeah, the price is the nice part. I mean, we don't have outfielders, so that hurts in the here and now, but... the Twins flipped two guys they picked up part-way through the season for two different players who look slightly better than what we had. Can't object to taking advantage of the market like that.
It's even better. The Twins picked up Fuld from the A's off waivers. They got him for free, he performed well, and then they flip him back to the team for an okay* pitcher they have under control for three more years. Morales is almost the same, but Fuld was at least a positive in the field and at the plate (0.7 rWAR vs -0.4 rWAR). Both smart moves by the FO.
* Not an insult as the Twins desperately need okay starting pitching.
* Not an insult as the Twins desperately need okay starting pitching
.
This is the sentiment that I was trying to get across before while simultaneously implying that he's the type of pitcher the Twins would target.
co-sign on the overall goodness of this purported deal. Plus, the A's could easily turn around and DFA Fuld again in a few weeks, so TR could reacquire him yet again for free!!!!
Yeah, relative to the Twins staff this trade seems like highway robbery!
Darren Wolfson @DarrenWolfson
I'm told not to read too much into Milone heading to AAA. Just pitched Tuesday. He'll be w/ the #MNTwins soon.
Love this deal. This is a guy with a 100 ERA+ in 468 innings in the majors for a light-hitting fourth outfielder that the Twins picked up off waivers earlier this year. Fuld was hitting .214/.288/.336 on July 1. He got hot for four weeks and then the Twins turn him around at his peak value for a league-average starting pitcher. That's awesome.
Also failed to mention that it clears room for Kennys Vargas to be called up. Really love that. That's a guy that should be fun to watch bat regardless of what happens, kind of when Arcia was first called up. It will at least generate some interest in the team. Sadly, I'm sure this is just a temporary call-up until Mauer gets back, unless Willingham gets traded.
Also failed to mention that it reduces our Cubs Factor.
I've notice that Arcia remains awfully damn cocky for a corner outfielder slugging .383 and hitting near the Mendoza line.
Now I say they should trade Willingham and call up Buxton, that'd really generate some interest. (I want this for selfish reasons even though I know it doesn't really make good baseball/business sense to bring him up in a lost season right after getting back from injury.)
Fuld was hitting .214/.288/.336 on July 1. He got hot for four weeks
Huh. Shows how much I've been paying attention. Over his last 28 days (75 PA), Fuld hit 351/479/421. Way to time things, Sammy! Smart guy, heating up like that to get picked up by the team with the best record in baseball. Can you say "playoff share"??? Talk about winning a lottery ticket.
Twins again discussing Suzuki extension. Although selling high makes sense, I don't hate extending him. I generated a list of every player that has played catcher for at least 200 PA. The players that will be free agents for 2015: Martin, Pierzynski, and Suzuki. I wouldn't mind Martin, but unless the Twins opt to use Pinto they will need to trade for a catcher if they want someone not in the above list. Having Suzuki around next year gives them insurance if Pinto doesn't pan out.
I'd read somewhere else that Suzuki wasn't eligible for a qualifying offer either (not that he'd get one...). I think this all turns on the length of the deal and whether it serves to block Pinto. "If Pinto doesn't pan out" is something we'll never know at the rate we're going.
It's really tough to be a fan.
On the one hand, I really want to see a competitive (or at least entertaining) team on the field. It's no fun following a potential 90-loss team year-in and year-out. Suzuki certainly helps in that area and that although Pinto's bat seems to be MLB-ready, his glove apparently is not.
On the other hand, I know that if I hope this team is competitive in the coming years, a better proposition would be to trade guys like Suzuki for prospects and allow guys like Pinto, Arcia & Santana to play with the understanding that this may produce some less than attractive baseball in the short(er) term.
Sigh
I'd probably be less upset with keeping Suzuki as time went on, but it's frustrating that in these last few seasons the Twins have avoided trading players while they still had value. I don't know what value Suzuki realistically has, but I don't know. They're not going anywhere this year. I hope he isn't asking for a ton of money.
I hope he isn't asking for a ton of money.
I think this is the problem I have with trying to keep Suzuki. Signing an older player to an extension as he's having a career year? I don't see how that can end up being good value, but hopefully I'm wrong.
Ryan Willingham has no market, and the Twins' asking price on Suzuki is way too high. I still think he'd be a great fit for the O's, but Dan Duquette says they're content with their catching situation.
-espnjerrycrasnick
To borrow a sentiment from a poster at TwinsCentric:
Sounds like the way they've handled the trade deadline for guys like Willingham since 2011. Shoot, even Delmon pre-trade deadline 2010 (.335/.366/.550 with 14 HR's & 81! rbi...oy)
For some reason I find this report less than credible...
Apparently there is at least a hint of a market for Consensual Pork:
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal 33m
#Yankees taking this down to the wire. Willingham, Denorfia types of names under consideration. Byrd, too; talks currently at impasse.
Denorfia to the M's, so that might speed up talks with Yanks.
I've always had an irrational appreciation for Denorfia. He looks like he should be a stud. Plus, he has the right birthday.
What about Josh Willingham?
Sorry, I'm not on Twitter - perhaps it was a retweet of something regarding TR. Not sure - on Crasnick's Twitter page, the only mentions of Josh are:
One competing exec says #twins really want to move Willingham, "but I don't think they're getting any bites.''
and
Josh Willingham doesn't fit with #royals for same reason. He's strictly a LF-DH type. He's also hitting .179 in July.
My goal in sharing it was to convey disappointment with the idea that they're overvaluing the guy, especially if they're unable to get an extension done at good value.
Eh, the O's say they're overvaluing. The O's who haven't been willing to give up any prospect at all, for anyone.
Jim Hoey?
Was joak on I thought the tweeter.
Willingham now has the best OPS+ on the team, even better than Santana. He's slumped in July, but his OPS+ is still 95 for the month and he's been hitting better of late. He has a 1.099 OPS over his last eight games.
Great time to trade him!
Did the trade deadline used to be noon?
Might have been 1 pm EDT. Now it's 4 pm EDT.
Used to be midnight. I remember Matt Lawton getting traded really late.
Price to the Tigers? Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
And an extension for Suzuki. The last thirty minutes of this trade deadline has suh-hucked.
$6 million for Suzuki in 2015 & 2016. Vesting option for 2017. That's not terrible, but with him entrenched for the next 3 years I worry about when they will find playing time for Pinto. It's just an excuse to keep putting it off.
Not awful. $6 million is the Twins forecasting him for one win each season. This is the first season since 2011 he topped that, but not exactly buying high.
If they trade Hammer in Aug, Pinto could DH & backup Suzuki.
Still no experienced CF's on the team, but Parmelee and Arcia have both played a few games in LF while the other & Colabello cover RF and Vargas backing up Mauer at 1st and DHing when Pinto isn't?
I am completely in favor of making Pinto a full time DH/backup C/1B so that the lineup will include a real DH and Gardy can technically have three C's on the roster without sacrificing a bat.
Do we know the terms of the vesting option? Is it games behind the plate, and so they call up Pinto and make sure it doesn't vest? Eh?
Twins FO doesn't play that game. Just ask 'em.
I doubt that's allowed anyway. I believe vesting options have to be very generic, generally just in terms of plate appearances or innings pitched. I do like the idea of it, provided it vests at high enough PAs, such as 500 PAs.
The vesting option is based on plate appearances in 2016. That figure is considered reachable provided Suzuki stays healthy and continues to produce.
-Bernardino
They did have a few calls about him, but preferred an extension to a trade.
Barring injury, the worst that happens is Suzuki ages quickly and becomes the backup catcher to Pinto and his mentor, which was the original plan. I think the Twins really wanted another veteran player to help a young team next year, assuming Willingham won't be re-signed or extended. I'm sure the vesting option is based on games started so that if Suzuki becomes the backup catcher, he won't get the extra year.
@JonHeymanCBS
mariners got austin jackson and send franklin to tampa. thats all of seattle's involvement.
The Tigers apparently got David Price for freaking Austin Jackson and Drew Smyly? AND THAT'S IT? Why do teams continually trade them good players for next to nothing?
Because he's going to cost a lot in 2015. $14 million this year, so about $18-19 million next year. Jackson has some surplus value but Smyly probably has the most.
plus, it's a three-way deal with the Mariners (Nick Franklin to the Rays).
Because Dombrowski is always the DD for his players the winter meetings.
So, does anyone want to buy my old house? It's way better than when I lived there.
I feel a bit ashamed at posting something so commercial here, but this is what I spent July doing. More sharing relief that we actually got it listed.
Where are you at now, relative to that?
0.45 miles Northwest
Nice work - that looks like it should show well!
You may want to check image 7, it appeared a bit wonky when I was clicking through.
My first thought when you said that was that about #7, I was expecting that dick pic.
"I was expecting that dick pic."
!?!
I don't understand this comment.
Oh, sorry, I thought it was more widespread. A week or two ago a house listing had a picture of its bathroom with a naked picture-taker in the mirror, which "went viral".
Oh man - no, I didn't hear about that. You'd think a listing agent would pay attention to details considering how much home shopping is done by way of online photos. At least, that was my experience house-hunting last year.
You need to befriend Magoo on FB.
I am ... I think /checks/ yup, but perhaps you have to actually be on it more than once a week.
yeah, Edina Realty isn't the agent we have, but their website seems to be the most user-friendly.
If I lived in the area, I'd seriously consider it. It's similar in size to my current house but looks way more interesting (and better built) at about the same price range. But, I'm entrenched down here.
Man, that looks awesome. Well done on the work this month. I'd be super interested if this was 3 years in the future, but I'm trying to stay put in one place for awhile at this point in my life.
Thanks for all the kind words fellas.
It's a good house for 2-4 people. I could see a couple with one kid or a single parent with two really enjoying it. Or maybe with someone with larger dogs.
I was really, really fond of the lot/yard and location. Now that it has central air, I'd like the house a lot more, too. The windows aren't great for watching birds out of, though.
The galley kitchen gets annoying, though, and it'd take a lot of work to put in a dishwasher.
First showing tomorrow, I just got back from cleaning all our stuff out of the garage. (Tenant's left-behind/forgotten stuff is still in the garage, where we moved it all to allow them easy access to pick it up. It's been 30 days, so I'm pretty sure we can dispose of it. Some nice things, some garbage. Some kids clothes and stuffed animals.)
It looks like a mirror image of my house in Texas with nicer finishes inside. I'd be all over that if we lived in the motherland.
So I had a job interview this afternoon and I think it went pretty well. I'm not searching got jobs right now, but I was contacted by a recruiter and I'd hate to miss a potential opportunity (and it's the same sort of position I'm in now, but in a different industry.) It sounded interesting and I'd like to get it if only for a potential pay increase and my work travel schedule dropping to about zero. Also, it's right near a Costco.
Good luck! How long until you hear back?
I expect to hear back sometime next week, so the wait won't be too long.
Hope it's a positive outcome.
I applied for a position a couple weeks ago and this is the response I got: We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above. However, you were not among the most highly qualified candidates. Therefore, your name will not be referred to the employing agency at this time.
I'm only slightly disappointed because a) I wasn't even sure I was qualified and b) they took the time to let me know. Many (most?) of my applications in recent months haven't even resulted in a response!
Huh, I've never gotten that one before. Usually it was the "thank you for your resume, but we've decided to go in a different direction" letters. I collected those for awhile. Now I'm at a point where I'm not searching but get contacted by recruiters, which takes a lot of stress out of the process.
Best of luck, citizen. It's amazing how far the worm can turn in one solar circumnavigation. Last year at this time I was unemployed and thoroughly depressed. Now, not only do I love my current job and company, there have been recent indications they may want to move me up the depth chart -- conversations about management training, expanded role and responsibilities, task delegation, a direct report, etc. Since all of you helped get me through the bad times, I wanted to share a little of the good times with you, too.
That's great twayn. Jobs are so much more enjoyable when you know there's somewhere to go and you'll be rewarded for good work.
congrats, Twayn. Moving from the bullpen into the starting rotation? From long relief into a setup role? We need you to 'splain in our language!
Good luck yes!
My roommates and the dog are back in El Paso starting right now through Monday night. I've been so stressed lately, partially since my first roommate's boyfriend became roommate2 and there's that adjustment period. And around the 1st I always get stressed because of money. And the dog has been pissing me off lately.
Anyway, it'll be a nice 4 days. I may avoid my monthly full-on breakdown and only be slightly useless.
Man, I would kill for four days by myself with no responsibilities (if you don't have any, that is). I would drink so much beer and play so many video games, it'd be great. I love my kids and all, so I feel bad saying it, but I almost had tonight to myself because my wife had wanted to go to get sister's tonight, so I'm sorry if bummed.
I have to work for half an hour tomorrow and an hour and a half on Monday.
Saturday night is poker with the lads from footy and Sunday is the skeeball playoff finals (which includes free beer). I am going to make the most of this for sure.
I'm on extended leave from the real world here in the isle. It's absolutely glorious. There will be a steep price to pay, but that's future meat's problem.
I was just thinking the other day it's been far too long since I've been to Ireland. If only I had a full-time job and some vacation time.
My wife and kids have been at the in-laws since yesterday afternoon. I'm heading out there tomorrow. Work obligations have interfered to some extent, but the free time has been nice. Until I get lonely.
I had a weekend in late June where my wife and kids went up to her folks' place, and I was left with no responsibilities.
Nothing like that had ever happened before.
It was pretty great, but I pushed myself really hard biking. I didn't have a vehicle, so that was my only way to explore the places I've wanted to.
More than anything, I want MLB to institute a loan system a la soccer. Can you imagine the Yankees paying the Twins $2M for Dozier for the rest of the year, then we get him back*? We aren't really contending, so might as well get him some playoff experience and pocket a little side money.
*Teams, player, and dollar amount pulled out of ass. Don't read into it too much. It's just an example folks.
are you implying that the Twins don't play in the same league as the Yankmes?
free [or anyone else] - you want to go to the game(s) on Saturday?
So, I just got a text from the mrs. It seems the Girl passed her behind-the-wheel test (first attempt). I wonder if I should have warnings posted on major roadways.
I'll be leaving town early this afternoon for about twenty-four hours, so there will be no Minor Details tomorrow, and the Players of the Month will also be delayed.
Last night I came up with a couple of Twins uniform trivia questions:
1. Since the Twins moved to Minnesota, seven numbers have been issued to only once to a player on the roster during the regular season. What are those numbers, and who are/were the players?
2. More fluid player movement within and between the leagues in the free agent era has meant that uniform numbers see more frequent turnover. Even when a number is assigned to a player on the roster, a newly signed player might be able to coax the current to give up his number in exchange for a gift (e.g. JI JIM THOME was able to get #25 from Casilla in exchange for a Rolex in 2010.) Even with all the player turnover, there are currently two (non-retired) numbers tied for the longest streak without being reissued to a new player. During what season were those numbers last worn by a player, what numbers are they, and who were the last players to wear them?
1.
2.
Guesses, with some actual knowledge on #1.
Not here.
I was bored awhile back and decided to research teams no longer giving players "good" numbers. I remember back when no one wore uniforms in the 60's and only a few guys were in the 50's. Now it's pretty frequent.
For example, the Twins never had an inning thrown by a player in the 60's until 2006 (Glen Perkins!). Yet, last year 16.7% of their innings came from the 60's.
Here's a link for y'all to play around with. (Note, I only got halfway through the Royals a while back before getting sidetracked.)
I'll be leaving town late saturday for two weeks. DG: are you on for 1st Monday this month? Is anyone interested in taking over 1st Monday for the long term?
I should have actually finished Gravity's Rainbow by Monday, so I can take it this month, if DG wants (but can also sit it out). I'd be interested in being part of a rotation, but probably don't read enough to actually take it over.
Yours for this month. I'll take next month.
I'm happy to take it over, but it would be cool to do an every other month thing to get a few different voices.
I say boo to this:
http://deadspin.com/jon-lester-traded-to-oakland-for-yoenis-cespedes-1613903535
Cespedes is a Sock. Dislike.
But can opt out after 2015!
I like that there's trades being made. It might help create some demand for what appear to be the Twins' untradable pieces?
The A's are really trying to improve the rotation.
Seriously. They have approximately 30 pitchers now that would be upgrades in the Twins' rotation.
Ha.
Good call.
they also got Jonny Gomes. That's a pretty big part of the deal, I would think. He's hitting 302/400/431 against lefties (140 PA) this year. I presume he will get all of the DH starts against lefties and/or some LF starts against lefties.
I'm surprised by the deal. Cespedes has not hit for a high average, but the A's have a bunch of outfield injuries (Gentry has a broken hand; Crisp has been out with...a hammy?) that have limited their defensive flexibility and top-of-the-order performance. But this deal does nothing to address those issues. Gomes has been terrible against righties this year (151/236/258 in only 106 PA) so its not likely that he will be an every-day player.
I guess Billy must have decided that Jason Hammel was not an answer for the rotation. Even so, he had the option of sending Hammel down and bringing back up Tommy Milone.
Re: Crisp, it looks to be much, much worse: "'chronic, degenerative changes' in Coco Crisp's neck".
Acquiring Gomes makes a lot of sense with the platoon happy A's. Cespedes is better against righties (.263/.298/.467) but not as good against lefties, but with more power in both instances. Seems like a left-handed version of Gomes, or just someone that doesn't suck so much, would be a good match and increase flexibility.
Fuld to Oakland for Tommy Milone. I guess that solves the defensive inflexibility issue without needing Punto to play center.
Edit: As observed by others below.
Holy Crap. WS champs or bust in Oakland, eh?
Interestingly, Cespedes' contract calls for him to be non-tendered when it ends so no qualifying offer can be made. Unusual and his agent is looking like a genius.
Tommy Milone to the Twins from Oakland?
Fuld?
Fuld.
And Kennys Vargas called up! So I assume Consuela will be on the move too?
ah. Fuld makes some sense for the A's in a very-short-term sense. They need a speedy defensive OFer to spell Crisp/Gentry for a couple of weeks.
And as a counterpart to Gomes.
Not as a counterpart to Gomes directly, I would think. Fuld is a CFer, which the A's need. Impressionistically, I'd say Gomes is a very good defensive DH. Fuld for his career has a 645 OPS against righties, 700 against lefties.
Perhaps as platoon with Brandon Moss at LF/1b/DH? Moss actually has hit pretty well against lefties (276/353/461 in 85 PA) this year, albeit small sample.
They have been using Stephen Vogt a lot in a utility role (some RF, especially while Josh Reddick was out, some at 1b, some at DH), and Vogt has been perhaps their best hitter (351/381/530 in only 160 PA) in limited action. But those numbers are not sustainable (career 302/367/498 at AAA, half in the hitter-friendly PCL). Vogt is not really an option in LF, however.
very good defensive DH
I don't know that I've ever seen this description before, and I love it.
I'll put this in the same category with me not being aware of catchers using calf pads. 😉
Probably. But see.
I'm still comfortable with making fun and being made fun of (within reasonable limits). That's what we do.
Aye. I can just sometimes unintentionally take it beyond those reasonable limits, so try to take every opportunity to remind myself of this one.
I am ever so frequently 1/10,000.
well, ok then. I guess that helps explain the Lester deal. Traded for what?
Well, he certainly seems like a "Twinsy" pitcher (not many strikeouts, not many walks).
he's been right around league-average (slightly better in 2012, slightly worse in 2013, up-and-down this year) overall in terms of run prevention. League average on K% is 18-19 pct. Last year, Milone was at 18.5 with the A's, this year he's been down (15.2).
My comment came off a bit snarkier than intended. The price seems right (nothing against Fuld, but he's not exactly the type of player I'm hoping the Twins build around), and like my previous comment alluded to, the A's were sending to the minors pitchers that would've pretty instantly become #3's in the Twins rotation.
Plus Milone isn't coming from the NL!
zing!
Yeah, the price is the nice part. I mean, we don't have outfielders, so that hurts in the here and now, but... the Twins flipped two guys they picked up part-way through the season for two different players who look slightly better than what we had. Can't object to taking advantage of the market like that.
It's even better. The Twins picked up Fuld from the A's off waivers. They got him for free, he performed well, and then they flip him back to the team for an okay* pitcher they have under control for three more years. Morales is almost the same, but Fuld was at least a positive in the field and at the plate (0.7 rWAR vs -0.4 rWAR). Both smart moves by the FO.
* Not an insult as the Twins desperately need okay starting pitching.
.
This is the sentiment that I was trying to get across before while simultaneously implying that he's the type of pitcher the Twins would target.
co-sign on the overall goodness of this purported deal. Plus, the A's could easily turn around and DFA Fuld again in a few weeks, so TR could reacquire him yet again for free!!!!
Yeah, relative to the Twins staff this trade seems like highway robbery!
Darren Wolfson @DarrenWolfson
I'm told not to read too much into Milone heading to AAA. Just pitched Tuesday. He'll be w/ the #MNTwins soon.
Love this deal. This is a guy with a 100 ERA+ in 468 innings in the majors for a light-hitting fourth outfielder that the Twins picked up off waivers earlier this year. Fuld was hitting .214/.288/.336 on July 1. He got hot for four weeks and then the Twins turn him around at his peak value for a league-average starting pitcher. That's awesome.
Also failed to mention that it clears room for Kennys Vargas to be called up. Really love that. That's a guy that should be fun to watch bat regardless of what happens, kind of when Arcia was first called up. It will at least generate some interest in the team. Sadly, I'm sure this is just a temporary call-up until Mauer gets back, unless Willingham gets traded.
Also failed to mention that it reduces our Cubs Factor.
I've notice that Arcia remains awfully damn cocky for a corner outfielder slugging .383 and hitting near the Mendoza line.
Now I say they should trade Willingham and call up Buxton, that'd really generate some interest. (I want this for selfish reasons even though I know it doesn't really make good baseball/business sense to bring him up in a lost season right after getting back from injury.)
Huh. Shows how much I've been paying attention. Over his last 28 days (75 PA), Fuld hit 351/479/421. Way to time things, Sammy! Smart guy, heating up like that to get picked up by the team with the best record in baseball. Can you say "playoff share"??? Talk about winning a lottery ticket.
Twins again discussing Suzuki extension. Although selling high makes sense, I don't hate extending him. I generated a list of every player that has played catcher for at least 200 PA. The players that will be free agents for 2015: Martin, Pierzynski, and Suzuki. I wouldn't mind Martin, but unless the Twins opt to use Pinto they will need to trade for a catcher if they want someone not in the above list. Having Suzuki around next year gives them insurance if Pinto doesn't pan out.
I'd read somewhere else that Suzuki wasn't eligible for a qualifying offer either (not that he'd get one...). I think this all turns on the length of the deal and whether it serves to block Pinto. "If Pinto doesn't pan out" is something we'll never know at the rate we're going.
It's really tough to be a fan.
On the one hand, I really want to see a competitive (or at least entertaining) team on the field. It's no fun following a potential 90-loss team year-in and year-out. Suzuki certainly helps in that area and that although Pinto's bat seems to be MLB-ready, his glove apparently is not.
On the other hand, I know that if I hope this team is competitive in the coming years, a better proposition would be to trade guys like Suzuki for prospects and allow guys like Pinto, Arcia & Santana to play with the understanding that this may produce some less than attractive baseball in the short(er) term.
Sigh
I'd probably be less upset with keeping Suzuki as time went on, but it's frustrating that in these last few seasons the Twins have avoided trading players while they still had value. I don't know what value Suzuki realistically has, but I don't know. They're not going anywhere this year. I hope he isn't asking for a ton of money.
I think this is the problem I have with trying to keep Suzuki. Signing an older player to an extension as he's having a career year? I don't see how that can end up being good value, but hopefully I'm wrong.
To borrow a sentiment from a poster at TwinsCentric:
Sounds like the way they've handled the trade deadline for guys like Willingham since 2011. Shoot, even Delmon pre-trade deadline 2010 (.335/.366/.550 with 14 HR's & 81! rbi...oy)
For some reason I find this report less than credible...
Apparently there is at least a hint of a market for Consensual Pork:
Denorfia to the M's, so that might speed up talks with Yanks.
I've always had an irrational appreciation for Denorfia. He looks like he should be a stud. Plus, he has the right birthday.
What about Josh Willingham?
Sorry, I'm not on Twitter - perhaps it was a retweet of something regarding TR. Not sure - on Crasnick's Twitter page, the only mentions of Josh are:
and
My goal in sharing it was to convey disappointment with the idea that they're overvaluing the guy, especially if they're unable to get an extension done at good value.
Eh, the O's say they're overvaluing. The O's who haven't been willing to give up any prospect at all, for anyone.
Jim Hoey?
Was joak on I thought the tweeter.
Willingham now has the best OPS+ on the team, even better than Santana. He's slumped in July, but his OPS+ is still 95 for the month and he's been hitting better of late. He has a 1.099 OPS over his last eight games.
Great time to trade him!
Did the trade deadline used to be noon?
Might have been 1 pm EDT. Now it's 4 pm EDT.
Used to be midnight. I remember Matt Lawton getting traded really late.
Price to the Tigers? Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
And an extension for Suzuki. The last thirty minutes of this trade deadline has suh-hucked.
$6 million for Suzuki in 2015 & 2016. Vesting option for 2017. That's not terrible, but with him entrenched for the next 3 years I worry about when they will find playing time for Pinto. It's just an excuse to keep putting it off.
Not awful. $6 million is the Twins forecasting him for one win each season. This is the first season since 2011 he topped that, but not exactly buying high.
If they trade Hammer in Aug, Pinto could DH & backup Suzuki.
Still no experienced CF's on the team, but Parmelee and Arcia have both played a few games in LF while the other & Colabello cover RF and Vargas backing up Mauer at 1st and DHing when Pinto isn't?
I am completely in favor of making Pinto a full time DH/backup C/1B so that the lineup will include a real DH and Gardy can technically have three C's on the roster without sacrificing a bat.
Do we know the terms of the vesting option? Is it games behind the plate, and so they call up Pinto and make sure it doesn't vest? Eh?
Twins FO doesn't play that game. Just ask 'em.
I doubt that's allowed anyway. I believe vesting options have to be very generic, generally just in terms of plate appearances or innings pitched. I do like the idea of it, provided it vests at high enough PAs, such as 500 PAs.
They did have a few calls about him, but preferred an extension to a trade.
Barring injury, the worst that happens is Suzuki ages quickly and becomes the backup catcher to Pinto and his mentor, which was the original plan. I think the Twins really wanted another veteran player to help a young team next year, assuming Willingham won't be re-signed or extended. I'm sure the vesting option is based on games started so that if Suzuki becomes the backup catcher, he won't get the extra year.
The Tigers apparently got David Price for freaking Austin Jackson and Drew Smyly? AND THAT'S IT? Why do teams continually trade them good players for next to nothing?
Because he's going to cost a lot in 2015. $14 million this year, so about $18-19 million next year. Jackson has some surplus value but Smyly probably has the most.
plus, it's a three-way deal with the Mariners (Nick Franklin to the Rays).
Because Dombrowski is always the DD for
his playersthe winter meetings.So, does anyone want to buy my old house? It's way better than when I lived there.
I feel a bit ashamed at posting something so commercial here, but this is what I spent July doing. More sharing relief that we actually got it listed.
Where are you at now, relative to that?
0.45 miles Northwest
Nice work - that looks like it should show well!
You may want to check image 7, it appeared a bit wonky when I was clicking through.
My first thought when you said that was that about #7, I was expecting that dick pic.
"I was expecting that dick pic."
!?!
I don't understand this comment.
Oh, sorry, I thought it was more widespread. A week or two ago a house listing had a picture of its bathroom with a naked picture-taker in the mirror, which "went viral".
Oh man - no, I didn't hear about that. You'd think a listing agent would pay attention to details considering how much home shopping is done by way of online photos. At least, that was my experience house-hunting last year.
You need to befriend Magoo on FB.
I am ... I think /checks/ yup, but perhaps you have to actually be on it more than once a week.
yeah, Edina Realty isn't the agent we have, but their website seems to be the most user-friendly.
If I lived in the area, I'd seriously consider it. It's similar in size to my current house but looks way more interesting (and better built) at about the same price range. But, I'm entrenched down here.
Man, that looks awesome. Well done on the work this month. I'd be super interested if this was 3 years in the future, but I'm trying to stay put in one place for awhile at this point in my life.
Thanks for all the kind words fellas.
It's a good house for 2-4 people. I could see a couple with one kid or a single parent with two really enjoying it. Or maybe with someone with larger dogs.
I was really, really fond of the lot/yard and location. Now that it has central air, I'd like the house a lot more, too. The windows aren't great for watching birds out of, though.
The galley kitchen gets annoying, though, and it'd take a lot of work to put in a dishwasher.
First showing tomorrow, I just got back from cleaning all our stuff out of the garage. (Tenant's left-behind/forgotten stuff is still in the garage, where we moved it all to allow them easy access to pick it up. It's been 30 days, so I'm pretty sure we can dispose of it. Some nice things, some garbage. Some kids clothes and stuffed animals.)
It looks like a mirror image of my house in Texas with nicer finishes inside. I'd be all over that if we lived in the motherland.
So I had a job interview this afternoon and I think it went pretty well. I'm not searching got jobs right now, but I was contacted by a recruiter and I'd hate to miss a potential opportunity (and it's the same sort of position I'm in now, but in a different industry.) It sounded interesting and I'd like to get it if only for a potential pay increase and my work travel schedule dropping to about zero. Also, it's right near a Costco.
Good luck! How long until you hear back?
I expect to hear back sometime next week, so the wait won't be too long.
Hope it's a positive outcome.
I applied for a position a couple weeks ago and this is the response I got:
We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above. However, you were not among the most highly qualified candidates. Therefore, your name will not be referred to the employing agency at this time.
I'm only slightly disappointed because a) I wasn't even sure I was qualified and b) they took the time to let me know. Many (most?) of my applications in recent months haven't even resulted in a response!
Huh, I've never gotten that one before. Usually it was the "thank you for your resume, but we've decided to go in a different direction" letters. I collected those for awhile. Now I'm at a point where I'm not searching but get contacted by recruiters, which takes a lot of stress out of the process.
Best of luck, citizen. It's amazing how far the worm can turn in one solar circumnavigation. Last year at this time I was unemployed and thoroughly depressed. Now, not only do I love my current job and company, there have been recent indications they may want to move me up the depth chart -- conversations about management training, expanded role and responsibilities, task delegation, a direct report, etc. Since all of you helped get me through the bad times, I wanted to share a little of the good times with you, too.
That's great twayn. Jobs are so much more enjoyable when you know there's somewhere to go and you'll be rewarded for good work.
congrats, Twayn. Moving from the bullpen into the starting rotation? From long relief into a setup role? We need you to 'splain in our language!
Good luck yes!
My roommates and the dog are back in El Paso starting right now through Monday night. I've been so stressed lately, partially since my first roommate's boyfriend became roommate2 and there's that adjustment period. And around the 1st I always get stressed because of money. And the dog has been pissing me off lately.
Anyway, it'll be a nice 4 days. I may avoid my monthly full-on breakdown and only be slightly useless.
Man, I would kill for four days by myself with no responsibilities (if you don't have any, that is). I would drink so much beer and play so many video games, it'd be great. I love my kids and all, so I feel bad saying it, but I almost had tonight to myself because my wife had wanted to go to get sister's tonight, so I'm sorry if bummed.
I have to work for half an hour tomorrow and an hour and a half on Monday.
Saturday night is poker with the lads from footy and Sunday is the skeeball playoff finals (which includes free beer). I am going to make the most of this for sure.
I'm on extended leave from the real world here in the isle. It's absolutely glorious. There will be a steep price to pay, but that's future meat's problem.
I was just thinking the other day it's been far too long since I've been to Ireland. If only I had a full-time job and some vacation time.
My wife and kids have been at the in-laws since yesterday afternoon. I'm heading out there tomorrow. Work obligations have interfered to some extent, but the free time has been nice. Until I get lonely.
I had a weekend in late June where my wife and kids went up to her folks' place, and I was left with no responsibilities.
Nothing like that had ever happened before.
It was pretty great, but I pushed myself really hard biking. I didn't have a vehicle, so that was my only way to explore the places I've wanted to.
More than anything, I want MLB to institute a loan system a la soccer. Can you imagine the Yankees paying the Twins $2M for Dozier for the rest of the year, then we get him back*? We aren't really contending, so might as well get him some playoff experience and pocket a little side money.
*Teams, player, and dollar amount pulled out of ass. Don't read into it too much. It's just an example folks.
are you implying that the Twins don't play in the same league as the Yankmes?
free [or anyone else] - you want to go to the game(s) on Saturday?
So, I just got a text from the mrs. It seems the Girl passed her behind-the-wheel test (first attempt). I wonder if I should have warnings posted on major roadways.
did we discuss this already? I read about it in this morning's paper, but seeing it is spectacular in its boneheadedness.
Pirates get two picked off in rundowns after a BB.
We didn't, but we probably should have. It was pretty much art.
I give it 9/10 WTFs. Only thing that could have made it more perfect was if it fell under the "Damnit, Astros" series
Lynx end Phoenix Mercury's 16-game win streak tonight. Mercury still lead the conference with about 6 or 7 games left.
as mentioned in today's Cup. I saw the 4th. Pretty good basketball. Lynx were in control throughout.