Mauer wins AL MVP award
November 23, 2009
Joe Mauer received 27 of 28 first place votes to be awarded the American League MVP. The near unanimous decision gave Mauer a sizable lead over the second place choice, Mark Teixeira.
Mauer got off to a late start this season after missing the month of April, but he still put up MVP quality numbers in the 138 games he played in. He picked up his third batting title in four years with a .365 average and also earned his third Silver Slugger award and a second Gold Glove of his career.
Aside from the batting average, Mauer lead the American League with a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage. On top of that, Mauer put up career high numbers with 28 home runs and 85 RBIs. He scored 91 runs while only striking out a total of 63 times.
Mauer became fifth player in team history to win the award. Teammate, Justin Morneau, won the award in 2006, while three Twins won the award throughout the 1960s and 70s with Zoilo Versalles winning in 1965, Harmon Killebrew winning in 1969 and Rod Carew winning in 1977.
Only one first place vote for the award, which is voted on by two baseball writers from every American League city, was given to Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.
Mauer wins AL MVP
November 23, 2009
No surprise here. Most everyone expected Joe Mauer to win the award with the performance he displayed last year.
Mauer recieved 27 of the 28 first place votes and was 162 votes ahead of 2nd place finisher Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees.
Mauer became the fifth Twins player in history to win the MVP Award. Fellow teammate Justin Morneau took home the honor in 2006. Zoilo Versalles won in 1965, Harmon Killebrew in 1969 and Rod Carew in 1977.
Mauer handily catches AL MVP Award- Kelly Thesier
Domo Arigato Mr Morillo
November 16, 2009
According to npbtracker.com, right handed pitcher Juan Morillo has signed with Hanshin Tigers of Japan.
Morillo was just recently added to the 40 man roster and would mean the Twins will have to be compensated for Morillo.
Japan is also rumored to have signed Justin Huber who was just out righted to Triple A Rochester.
Don’t forget the infield
November 13, 2009
The Twins started the off season making a bold move with the trade of Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy.
The trade made so much sense for several reasons. The Twins need a good hitting defensive short stop, Hardy is friends with Joe Mauer, it gives Denard Span a chance to stay in one position, and Gomez gets to go to a team where he can start.
“You can observe a lot just by watching.” -Yogi Berra
The trade also helps focus a light on some issues the Twins have going into 2010.
Orlando Cabrera
Ron Gardenhire has expressed to the media that he would like to re-sign Cabrera and move him to second base. He would then move Nick Punto to third base.
Picking up Orlando Cabrera late last year was not my favorite move, but it ended up proving to be a good one for the Twins. I am willing to take my lumps and admit that without his presence in the line up, that the Twins would have had a much harder time taking the Central Division Championship. That doesn’t mean he should get a blank check for 2010.
Orlando Cabrera moving to second is the only place on the field he still has a chance to be successful defensively. The type A free agent is unable to play short stop with his aging 35 year old body. Last season he had to overcome a slow start with the bat. After moving to Minnesota from the Oakland Athletics, Cabrera picked himself up on offense, but his numbers are still those of a below average short stop.
Gardenhire sees Cabrera hitting in the two hole in 2010, but Cabrera has struggled in his career to get on base, as his .322 career on-base percentage .
Unless Cabrera comes with an extremely small price tag, the Twins should politely decline re-signing him and look to either keep Punto at second or upgrade.
Joe Crede
Crede offers another option at third if he can be signed to another contract that incentive based like this years. The 31 year old third baseman could hold onto the 3rd base position long enough for Triple A prospect Danny Valencia is ready. The problem is he has a back injury that keeps reoccurring. Crede is a gamble, but one that can pay off with his power at the plate and good defense. 2010 will get Crede off the hard concrete of the Metrodome and onto the dirt and grass of Target Field, which could also help keep his back healthy.
Options at 2nd
The Twins already have about $80 million in salary tied up for next year and that is without any new signings. The dream list of infielders would include players like Chone Figgins from LAA, Adrian Beltre from Seattle, Placido Polanco from Detroit, and Orlando Hudson from LA.
The fact is that we are talking about the Minnesota Twins, and I highly doubt that they will sign any Type A free agent at this juncture. So just who might the Twins sign as a free agent and or trade for?
My short list of affordable “Twin Friendly” players are as follows.
Felipe Lopez: Turning 30 in 2010, Lopez could be very attractive considering he hit .310 last year with a .383 OBP, 88 runs, nine homers and 57 RBIs. Lopez split his time between Arizona and Milwaukee last year. Lopez had an OPS of .855 as a Brewer in the second half of the year.
Jamey Carrol: The Cleveland second basemen could be a good pick up. His numbers are consistently good and his OBP has been over .360 for the last seven years.
Luis Castillo: Rumored to be on the trading block as part of a three player deal going to Chicago for Milton Bradley. This trade is a long shot, but means the Mets are willing to deal him. Castillo hit .302 last year and had an OBP of .387. Castillo was traded to save $2 million on the roster and the pickup of catcher Drew Butera and OF Dustin Martin are just making there way to Triple A Rochester this last year.
Adam Kennedy: Had a big-time resurgence after being traded to Oakland. The 34 year old Kennedy hit .289 with 11 homers and 63 RBIs in 529 at-bats in 2009, the most at-bats he’s had since 2000. He’s a solid defender at second base and has tried third base where he struggled a bit in the field while trying out for the first time in his career.
I knowing pitching needs to come first at this point, but there is an opportunity for the Twins to look at shoring up the infield this year. There are several options and at this time the worse case scenario is Punto at second base and Harris at third base, leaving the Twins without a legit bat in the two spot of the line up.
Mauer wins Silver and Gold
November 13, 2009
Just a few days after receiving his second consecutive Golden Glove award, Joe Mauer has added a Silver Slugger award for his mantle.
It is the third Silver Slugger Award in the last four years as he took home the award in 2006 and 2008.
Mauer led the American League in batting average with a .365, a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage in 2009. The season ended with Mauer earning his third batting title, an accomplishment that has never been done by a catcher in Major League history.
The Twins All-Star catcher also set career highs with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs, all of which he accomplished after missing the entire first month of the season due to lower back inflammation.
Twins add four pitchers to 40-man roster
November 11, 2009
The Twins moved pitchers Boof Bonser, Pat Neshek, and Kevin Slowey off of the 60-day disabled list and onto the 40-man roster this Tuesday.
Pat Neshek
Bonser had surgery in February 2009 to repair partial tears in his rotator cuff and labrum. The shoulder surgery came just before the start of the season.
Slowey went deep into the season before having to go under the knife to remove bone chips in his right wrist. Slowey was 10-3 with a 4.86 ERA in 16 starts before his season ended in July.
Right-handed reliever Juan Morillo was also added to the 40-man roster by the Twins. The 26 year old Morillo posted a bush-league 22.50 ERA in three appearances for the Twins after being claimed off waivers from the Rockies. Morillo is a hard-throwing right-hander with control issues. He went 6-6 with a 3.90 ERA in 46 relief outings for Rochester. In that period Morillo ended up striking out 87 in 67 innings while issuing 51 walks.
The Twins’ have 36 players on the 40-man roster at this time. The ball club has until November 20th to nail down its 40-man roster in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft which takes place on December 10th.
Twins pick up Cuddyer’s 2011 option
November 7, 2009
The Twins had until Monday to decide whether or not to pick up Michael Cuddyer’s $10.5 million option for 2011 or pay a $1 million buyout. They didn’t have to wait long as they chose to pick up the option on Saturday, hot on the heels of Cuddyer’s best career season.
Cuddyer hit a career high 32 home runs in 2009 with 94 RBIs and 93 runs while putting up a .274 batting average. Cuddyer also showed his versatility while taking over first base after Justin Morneau was put on the disabled list with a stress fracture and he even played second base on one occasion.
Cuddyer also provided a late season spark which was pivotal to the Twins winning the AL Central Title that put them in the postseason for the first time in three years.
“This is where I want to be, I’ve made no secret about that. To know that I’m going to be here at least two more years is gratifying,” Cuddyer said when he heard about the Twins picking up his option.
Dissecting the Gomez/Hardy Trade
November 7, 2009
Carlos Gomez’s career has seen tremendous highs and lows in his two years with the Minnesota Twins. Many will remember Gomez popping up after scoring the winning run in the tiebreaker against the Detroit Tigers. Just as many will also remember his base running blunder that cost a run in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees.
Those two moments, which happened four days apart for each other, really sums up the time Gomez spent with the Twins. Gomez, a highly talented centerfielder with an amazing amount of speed, has all of the potential in the world but is still rough around the edges and is prone to making mistakes.
With that said, I was still surprised when I found out that Gomez was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Hardy was on my personal short list of potential shortstops to look at before possibly resigning Orlando Cabrera. I thought Hardy, along with Marco Scutaro, would both fit well in the Twins organization. Since the Brewers are in need of pitching, I figured Hardy would be a prime target ever since his playing time has diminished due to the emergence of Alcides Escobar.
Both Gomez and Hardy had seen their playing time drop in 2009 due to falling on the depth chart, however, with all things considered, the trade is great for both teams. They are both young, talented, players that should be playing everyday. With Hardy coming to the Twins and Gomez going to the Brewers, both teams are turning bench players into everyday starters.
What was the most surprising over the trade was on how quickly it was done. The trade happened just a day and a half removed from the final game of the World Series. With free agency looming and Orlando Cabrera being eligible, it was necessary for the Twins to act fast and explore other options before possibly looking at Cabrera once again.
Cabrera provided a huge spark for the Twins midway through the season and instilled a winning attitude and a veteran presence to the young team. With the Twins acquiring Hardy, Cabrera’s time with the team should all but be over. The next question is, will Nick Punto be shifted over to second base or will the Twins be looking to fill a player to fill that role as well?
Since his time in the General Manager role for the Twins, Bill Smith has been heavily criticized for his trades and acquisitions. For all of the bad moves he has made, one has to give him credit for his work over the past four months by picking up Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, Jon Rauch, and now J.J. Hardy.
It is yet to be seen, but picking up Hardy may just be Smith’s best move yet.
J.J. Hardy
The Twins traded for a young, defensive shortstop who is just a year removed from an All Star season in 2008. Hardy is a career .262 hitter with 75 home runs, 265 RBIs and a .428 slugging percentage. Hardy is also only 27 years old and could hold on to the shortstop position for a while. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2011.
Carlos Gomez
The Brewers got a 5-tool player who hasn’t quite lived up to his potential. Gomez has an extraordinary amount of energy and speed, which translates well when he is patrolling center field. Gomez is one of the better defensive outfielders in the game today and will get better with regular playing time and coaching. At the age of 23, Gomez is a career .246 hitter with 12 home runs, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.
A busy November
November 6, 2009
The Twins organization will definitely be busy in the next few weeks. At least one would think they would be.
The organization has until Monday to decide whether they will pick up right fielder Michael Cuddyer’s $10.5 million option for 2011 or exercise a $1 million buyout.
Twins GM Bill Smith
The Twins front office also has an exclusive negotiating window through November 19 with pending free agents Orlando Cabrera, Joe Crede, Ron Mahay, Carl Pavano and Mike Redmond. Crede, Mahay and Redmond have already filed for free agency.
Again, the JJ Hardy Twin likely means Orlando Cabrera is no longer a priority and many are skeptical that the Twins will re-sign Mike Redmond (even Redmond is doubtful but optimistic).
This means the Twins can focus on Crede, Mahay and Pavano before the November 19 deadline.
Questions still loom about Crede and minor league third base prospect Danny Valencia. Crede has continued to struggle with back injuries and although he gave Minnesota what they were looking for with his solid defense and occassional power, his health will remain a detractor. Valencia has been considered the number one prospect out of Rochester, but never got the nod last year and their are many who feel he is still not ready for the big leagues.
Mahay was picked up in late August and the left-handed reliever went 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 16 relief appearances (nine innings). At 38 years of age, it is hard to know if the how bad the Twins want him in the bullpen. The Twins right now have Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, Jose Mijares, Jesse Crain, Bobby Keppel and Armando Gabino. Francisco Liriano has likely moved his way to the bullpen as well. Barring further injury one would expect Pat Neshek and Boof Bonser back next year as well. If the Twins are looking to sign another starting pitcher this off season such as Carl Pavano, the bullpen should be shored up well with Liriano moving there and Neshek and Bonser back.
Carl Pavano was another great late season pick up. After signing with the Indians last off season for a one-year, $1.5 million contract, he saw his numbers jump after joining the Twins. It is very unlikely that he will sign for so low this next year simply because he avoided the injury bug for a full year. Signing Pavano will depend on what the market demands for him. If his stock goes up considerably and he is being offered $6 million a year, look for the Twins to pass on him and focus on some of the other pitchers Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, or Ben Sheets.
Rich Harden is in his late 20′s and is the Cubs top free-agent, but he has a history of shoulder problems and would come with a big price tag of around $7 million a year.
Erik Bedard will be 31 and is the type of strike out pitcher the Twins so desperately need. Erik Bedard will likely command about a $6 million a year contract.
Ben Sheets will also be 31 this season and is another overpowering strike out pitcher. He recently had elbow surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon. His salary could be as low as $7 million a year or as much as $10 million.
The Twins seem to have started the off season with a great head start, trading for Hardy. The infield is not solidified yet, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. These moves also clear up some early questions about the ball clubs infield and outfield as well as letting the organization focus on pitching issues.
Twins land Hardy in exchange for Gomez
November 6, 2009
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel, the Minnesota Twins have acquired JJ Hardy from the Brewers in exchange for center fielder Carlos Gomez.
We have been discussing possible trades Minnesota would negotiate for Hardy here at Twins Digest and all were with the expectation that the Brewers would be looking at pitching. Having mentally prepared to deal Swarzak, Perkins, and or Duensing to the Brewers for Hardy late in the off-season, this trade was a big surprise.
Carlos Gomez
2009 off season has already started with a BANG! This is a great trade in our opinion and we wish our young Carlos Gomez the best of luck in Millwaukee.
