Twinkie Town

This Could Get Messy: Revenues and the Minnesota Twins

2009-11-20T22:17:32Z

I've been inspired.

Eric in Madison is one of Twinkie Town's original members, and I'm fairly certain he was onboard for the switch from Twins Territory via Twins Geek over to where we currently chill and chat about Twins baseball. Eric, you signed up on November 19, 2005. That was four years ago yesterday. Well done, sir.

At any rate, I want to get this out of the way: I usually don't tackle things like this. Why? Honestly, part of me doesn't care. Part of me is more concerned about evaluation of current or prospective players (and prospects) and how they fit into the future of the club. But part of me, a small part, agrees that it would be extraordinarily helpful in our evaluation of the organization's use of funds if we knew how much they had to spend. Generally.

This gets a little tricky in that next spring, the Twins more into Target Field. Revenues will jump, dramatically, because...well, because it will actually be the home of the Minnesota Twins. For those of you who weren't hip (how about that for dated slang that outdates me), the revenues the Twins received through the Metrodome were stunted because it was a building that belonged to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikes grabbed a major percentage of revenues from things like parking and beer and hot dogs. And so now that the Twins have their own park, they'll start to reap the benefit of additional revenue, because they won't have to give up a percentage of it to a sports team that plays a completely different game.

Eric's conversation in the FanPosts is intriquing, and ultimately it asked one question: how much can we expect the Twins to take in revenue in 2010?

I can't answer that question, because I have no idea how to find out how much more they'll be able to pull in now that revenues belong exclusively to them. But what I can do, courtesy of Forbes, is tell you what revenues the Twins have pulled in via the Metrodome over the last ten years.

We'll compare those revenues with the payrolls of the following season, because that's how the Twins have allegedly awarded money towards payroll. We can't use revenues for the the same year as the payroll, because that doesn't make any sense.

Year	Revenue	Year	Opening Day Payroll	Payroll % of Revenue
2000	$48,000,000	2001	$24,100,000	50.2
2001	$58,000,000	2002	$40,200,000	83.8
2002	$75,000,000	2003	$55,500,000	74.0
2003	$87,000,000	2004	$53,600,000	61.6
2004	$99,000,000	2005	$56,200,000	56.8
2005	$102,000,000	2006	$63,400,000	62.2
2006	$114,000,000	2007	$71,400,000	62.6
2007	$131,000,000	2008	$62,200,000	47.5
2008	$149,000,000	2009	$65,300,000	43.8
2009	$158,000,000	2010	$83,000,000	52.5
Total	$1,021,000,000	--	$534,900,000	52.4

Now, these numbers are based off either A) the revenue number provided by Forbes or B) the payroll numbers provided by relevant links or Cots Contracts figures.

The problem is that I can't guarantee what those revenue numbers include, but the Forbes article itself says the Twins spent around 63% of revenue on players over the last five seasons compared to 57% league average. Obviously the numbers somewhere don't jive.

Minnesota has averaged a $14 million bump in revenue over the last four seasons, but ignore that for now. If we're taking this season's revenues to calculate next year's payroll, then $83 million isn't a bad total. No doubt, however, the Twins are correctly anticipating increased revenues thanks to Target Field.

If we want accurate figures there's a lot of research to do, and there's still no guarantee how close or accurate we could be in regards to predicting next year's available payroll. Knowing what I know now, and keep in mind that is more than subject to whatever facts are laid out in the comments section below, I have to believe the Twins are probably right around the mark in terms of payroll VS revenues. At least, until someone can prove otherwise.

Seth Stohs On 40-Man Roster Additions

2009-11-20T12:52:53Z

Seth Stohs On 40-Man Roster Additions

Head over and see Seth's thoughts on who the Twins added to the 40-man roster. Today was the deadline, and there were some interesting names excluded. But who made it?

3B--Danny Valencia
P----Alex Burnett
P----Deolis Guerra
P----Rob Delaney
P----Loek Van Mil
SS--Estarlin de Los Santos

Five Hours and Counting

2009-11-20T00:06:18Z

Free agency looms. Will any of the Twins five free agents return?

It's been confirmed that the Twins have had opening talks with Carl Pavano's agent, but other than Ron Gardenhire saying he'd be interested in bringing back Orlando Cabrera as his second basemen there's been no news on the rest of Minnesota's remaining free agents.

Mike Redmond

#55 / Catcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 5-11

Weight: 200

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: May 05, 1971

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Mike Redmond	45	135	9	32	5	1	0	7	11	19	0	0	.237	.299	.289

Redmond's had a distunguished career, and he's earned himself a reputation as a "gamer". He plays hard, he's a leader and he's a mentor. With Joe Mauer as the game's best catcher and Jose Morales getting his feet wet with some decent results, Redmond's time in Minnesota as a player is likely done. He'll be 39 next May, and NBP has done the expected and said he'd like to remain with the Twins.

During his five seasons in Minnesota Redmond hit .297/.339/.359 in 931 plate appearances, with 44 walks and 85 strikeouts. I'll remember him for the "Smell 'Em" bit, for hitting .341 in '06 and for being pretty much the best backup a team could ask for.

Odds for a return in 2010: Improbable

Ron Mahay

#37 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 195

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Jun 28, 1971

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ron Mahay	1-0	16	0	0	0	0	0	9.0	7	3	2	1	3	8	2.00	1.11

The 38-year old southpaw pitched about as well as you could ask him to down the stretch for the Twins, and he helped to solidify the LOOGY role when Jose Mijares lost his mind and threw at Adam Everett. Over the course of his career he's been a pretty decent relief pitcher, succeeding as a middle relief guy especially when used as that lefty-one-out-guy. Mahay's struggled with his command for most of his career, and he's averaged 4.4 BB/9 across his last three years.

With fewer positions available than there are arms already it doesn't make sense to bring in a LOOGY when it's going to take seven digits to get him to commit, especially when Mijaries can do the job for a fraction of the cost. Thanks for the contributions sir, but I think it might be time to shake hands.

Odds for a return in 2010: Improbable

Joe Crede

#24 / Third Base / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Apr 26, 1978

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Joe Crede	90	333	42	75	16	1	15	48	29	56	0	0	.225	.289	.414

He was excatly as advertised in 2009: great with the glove, some pop in his bat, can't get on base and can't stay on the field. At points over the last few weeks I've advocated the possibility of bringing Joe back on a similar contract to the one he signed last February, but the more I tihnk about it the worse of an idea it becomes. If you're going to shell out for a free agent, make sure it's a guy who has a good chance of playing. Don't pay millions for a guy who will require a contingency plan because he's almost a guarantee to miss stretches of time. Nick Nelson spells it out much better than I have.

Crede isn't opposed to returning, and I have to agree with Nick: if the Twins wait this out and try to make something happen at third base but can't by February, then sure, give Crede another shot. In reality, he might get another shot. But I won't be upset if he signs elsewhere, and I'm hoping that I can remember him as the guy who hit the grand slam to put us over the White Sox early in the year.

Odds for a return in 2010: Possible

Orlando Cabrera

#18 / Short Stop / Minnesota Twins

Height: 5-9

Weight: 185

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Nov 02, 1974

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Orlando Cabrera	59	242	42	70	13	3	5	36	11	32	2	0	.289	.313	.430

O-Cab was a high-energy guy who brought a buzz to the team when they needed it. Like Crede he came up with some massive and memorable hits, but also like Crede his overall production doesn't warrant a whole lot of consideration for a return. He's already showing decline, and at 35 he's not going to get better.

Cabrera was great to have around and I'll remember him not just for his homer in game 163, but for his relationship with Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla, and for giving the club a shot of adrenaline. Unfortunately second base isn't going to make his millions any more palatable, particularly when there are so many second base upgrades on the free agent market.

Odds for a return in 2010: Possible

Carl Pavano

#48 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-5

Weight: 240

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 08, 1976

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Carl Pavano	5-4	12	12	0	0	0	0	73.2	85	39	38	7	16	59	4.64	1.37

This season was a bit of a revival for Pavano, and he proved himself to be a big game pitcher for the Twins down the stretch. When he's healthy he's can strike a few guys out and has good command, and while he'll be 34 in January he's still young enough to have another good season or two to give.

Pavano has stated he'd like to return to the Twins, and naturally the prospect of playing for a competetive team like Minnesota will have some draw. Minnesota's interest is likely mutual, but Pavano's future here (unlike the rest of the guys on this list) will depend greatly on what kind of interest he draws from other clubs and how much they'll be willing to pay him next year.

I expect Pavano to get an offer from the Twins within the next couple of weeks.

Odds for a return in 2010: Realistic

Poll

Which free agent are the Twins most likely to bring back?

Howard Sinker Fixes the Twins

2009-11-19T19:35:00Z

Howard Sinker Fixes the Twins

Check out Howard's blog from this morning where he names a trio of free agent additions that would help the Twins be a better team without totally busting the bank.

2B: Felipe Lopez
3B: Pedro Feliz
SP: Ben Sheets

Selig Talks Playoffs 2010, Draft Picks

2009-11-19T16:19:56Z

Selig Talks Playoffs 2010, Draft Picks

Bud Selig is attempting to tighten up the 2010 playoff schedule so there aren't as many off days. He also discusses free agency and more equality in draft picks, while talking very briefly about instant replay (still not in favor).

Twins, Washburn Continue to Make Eyes At Each Other

2009-11-19T00:13:31Z

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

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Does anyone else feel like this one is inevitable?

The Twins had interest at the trade deadline this year. There were trade rumors involving the Twins and Washburn back in February. Back in August of '08, the Twins placed a waiver claim on Washburn and actually won it, but the Mariners in another moment of moron-mania screwed it up by asking Minnesota for one of their young starters instead of just taking the salary dump. This is a romance that's been brewing for an awful long time, and with the Twins seemingly on the verge of becoming a premier team in baseball with one or two more quality additions I have little doubt that Washburn will do whatever he can to don a Twins uniform.

Bill Smith has already dropped hints that the front office will be taking a look at the starting pitcher options on the free agent market. Washburn, apparently, fits the bill. He wants to be here, he qualifies as a veteran (he turned 35 in August), and he's been a lock for averaging six innings a start over the course of his career. Those are some pretty basic qualifications, but that doesn't mean they're bad ones.

As long as they're not the only ones.

I haven't made a secret of my reservations about having Washburn in a Twins uniform. Allow me to illustrate why using the simplicity of the numbers, in case you remain unconvinced.

Year	AGE	IP	GS	FIP	tRA	K/9	BB/9
2006	30	187.0	31	4.78	4.88	4.96	2.65
2007	31	193.2	32	4.77	4.81	5.30	3.11
2008	32	153.2	26	4.72	5.59	5.10	2.93
2009	33	176.0	28	4.58	5.21	5.11	2.51

To make sure we're on the same page: Washburn isn't getting any better as he gets older. Which should surprise absolutely nobody. In fact he's been on a steady decline for a couple of years, and his rebound in Seattle this summer (which I'll take a pit stop at in a moment) seems more like a blip on the radar than a sign of a late-career revival.

The best thing Washburn has going for him, apart from the fact that he should (note: should) cost less than some of the other free agent starters on the market this winter, would be his durability (at least 28 starts seven of the last nine years). But that should probably be a slight concern considering the problems with his knee at the end of the season, in spite of the arthroscopic surgery. It's just another red flag for a guy who:

Has averaged a strikeout-to-walk ratio of less than 2:1 over the course of his career.
Can lose control at any time; first of the strike zone, then of his emotions.
Is a flyball pitcher (bad for next year's outfield defense) who is going to give up more than his share of bombs.
Isn't likely to out-play Minnesota's current top starters (Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, possibly Nick Blackburn)

Washburn had a bit of a revival in 2009. Before his injury in Detroit he made 20 starts for Seattle and averaged 6.7 innings a go. His fastball was legitimately a good pitch for the first time since 2002, and his slider was better than it ever had been. He was stranding 80% of his base runners and opponents were managing a meager .249 BABIP. None of that is sustainable.

Conclusions

Where this gets tricky for me is when I know the answer to this question: does Jarrod Washburn make next year's rotation better? Because as long as he's healthy, he probably does. On paper, giving him 200 innings instead of Anthony Swarzak or Brian Duensing or Glen Perkins just might actually yield better results. And in that sense, he could make the Twins better by stengthening the back end of the rotation. We all know how the Twins like their depth.

Would it be a bad signing? Depending on the contract, probably not. I'm just hoping for something more.

I'll leave you with a conversation I had with a friend over Facebook.

Jesse wishes the Twins would stop flirting with Jarrod Washburn. STOP IT.

Ben: Dodgers are flirting with Smotz... Have you ever been at a bar, and your friend is SOOOOO wasted drunk that he's chatting up the ugliest chick in the bar? Do you see them touch hands? Maybe even noses? You try to stop him but he's too drunk to believe you? At least the twins are chatting up a hottie. Who cares if they are let down, at least they're trying. All my teams gonna get is a hang over, crabs, and a rude awakening come tomorrow.

Jesse: yeah but at least your friend is going after a cougar. i mean, at least she USED to be hot, right? the twins are just going after the girl because she's there...she's only a hottie because the twins just drank all the way through happy hour.

Ben: Point taken.

Manager of the Year

2009-11-18T19:23:38Z

Manager of the Year

Scioscia, Tracy Named Managers Of The Year

and Rich keep getting richer? Red Sox and Yankees both looking to get Halladay:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/heyman-yankees-red-sox-have-shot-at-halladay.html

Update: Add another link, linking Washburn and the Twins:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/twins-and-brewers-on-washburns-radar.html

Zack Greinke Wins 2009 AL Cy Young Award

2009-11-17T19:11:50Z

Zack Greinke Wins 2009 AL Cy Young Award

Well, he deserves it. It's great when the guy who deserves it gets the award.

Twins 2010 Uniforms, Illustraded

2009-11-16T18:19:20Z

Twins 2010 Uniforms, Illustraded

A three-dimensional view of the five possible Twins uniforms for 2010.

Photo Gallery: New Twins Uniforms

2009-11-16T18:15:28Z

Photo Gallery: New Twins Uniforms

2010 uniforms you say? Follow the link!

Juan Morillo & Justin Huber: Japan Bound

2009-11-16T18:12:59Z

Juan Morillo & Justin Huber: Japan Bound

Joe C. confirms what we already knew about Morillo, but it wasn't official on Huber until now. The moves will be officially announced later today.

New uniforms are currently being unveiled in downtown Minneapolis. Are you there? Are you taking pictures? Post them here!

On Productive Outs

2009-11-16T14:00:36Z

A couple of weeks ago, I read this blog post from Joe Posnanski, in which he discusses comments made by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein about outfielder J.D. Drew. The whole thing's interesting, but what caught my eye was the following quote from Epstein:

He [Drew] does the single most important thing you can do in baseball as an offensive player. And that’s not make outs.

Well, this really hit me, because it's about the most concise possible argument you could make about hitting - just to simply state, "We get only three outs an inning, and when we reach three, we have to start over. Wasting outs for any reason does not help us." And yes, I realize that slugging percentage plays a big part in scoring runs, too, and a single is sometimes more valuable than a walk, and all of that. But ultimately good hitters that help their teams simply don't make outs.

This, however, got me thinking about "productive outs," and sacrifice bunting and all the rest of the things that managers and announcers talk about. How many times have you heard the Twins broadcast crew laud Nick Punto for grounding out to the correct side of the infield, thus moving the runner from second to third?

With all this in mind, I went over to Baseball Prospectus to grab the Run Expectancy Matrix for 2009. If you're not familiar with this graph, simply put, it tells you how many runs a team can be expected to score, given a certain situation and all else being equal. Here's the 2009 version:

Situation / Outs	0	1	2
Bases Empty	0.5173	0.2789	0.1064
Runner on First	0.8834	0.5330	0.2234
Second	1.1415	0.6884	0.3219
Third	1.3146	0.9655	0.3701
First and Second	1.4837	0.9217	0.4556
First and Third	1.7686	1.2018	0.5220
Second and Third	2.0137	1.4138	0.5623
Bases Loaded	2.2790	1.5580	0.7499

If you're new to reading this table, examine with me the second row ("Runner on first"). This row says that, in 2009, a team could be expected to score .8834 runs, on average, if it had a runner on first with nobody out. With one out and a runner on first, it was expected to score .5330 runs, and so on.

What I thought I'd find, from this table, was the ability to state a hard-and-fast rule about outs. I assumed that we could all live by the following statement: "Making an out ALWAYS decreases the number of runs a team can be expected to score in an inning."

What I found was close to that statement... but not quite.

Of course, the value of an out always depends on the situation, the batter at the plate, the runners on base, and so forth. (For example: it's a better idea to have Alexi Casilla try to bunt a run home than it is to have Joe Mauer try to bunt a run home, because Casilla is far less likely to get a hit or otherwise drive the run home.) However, with all else being equal, I was surprised to find that there are productive outs.

By this, I mean outs that actually increase the expected number of runs that a team would score. Here's the list of plausible productive outs I've found; perhaps you can find more.

With the bases loaded and fewer than two out, an out that advances all three runners is a productive out. (Just as an example, here's the math: With nobody out and the bases full, a team is expected to score 2.2790 runs. If the batter advances all three runners - say, with a sacrifice bunt - a run comes home, and the team has second and third with one out, an expectancy of 1.4138. In other words, the run expectancy has gone from 2.2790 to 2.4138. With one out, the expectancy goes from 1.5580 to 1.5623.)
With a runner on third base and one out, getting the run home via a sacrifice or simple ground-out is productive (the expectancy goes from .9655 to 1). Interestingly, this isn't true if no one is out (decreases from 1.3146 to 1.2789).
With runners on first and third and one out, moving both runners along is productive (1.2018 to 1.3219). This can plausibly be done via sacrifice, or possibly a deep fly ball to Johnny Damon or any other outfielder with a terrible arm.

And that's it. In all other situations, all else being equal, making an out - whether the announcers think it's productive, or not - doesn't help the team score more runs.

Of course, productive outs are better than non-productive outs. It's better for Nick Punto to move a runner over than strike out. But these are Pyrrhic victories; in most situations, the team is worse off.

I thought, when I looked at the numbers, we'd end up with a strict rule. Instead, we're stuck with more of the ambiguity that baseball will always be famous for: "For the most part, making an out decreases the number of runs a team can be expected to score, all else being equal."

Starting Pitchers: Damaged Goods Available

2009-11-16T01:33:46Z

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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The Twins now have approximately $62 million committed to eight players who are under contract for 2010, and with J.J. Hardy's estimated arbitration salary likely somewhere around $6 million Minnesota will have approximately $17 million to shell out to their arb-eligible players. Even with a payroll which would open the year at over $80 million for the first time in frachise history the organization is still in a position to add some payroll. How much? Probably not too much. But with third base, second base and two rotation spots up for grabs there's no doubt the front office will continue on their quest to improve the team.

Minnesota has picked up a bit of a stigma as an organization that likes to rely on bargain-bin veterans to flesh out their roster, and there hasn't been a shortage of that philosophy applied to the starting rotation over the last few years. Do your ears still flush red when you think of Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson? Or maybe Livan Hernandez still has you a bit baffled? Those moves, at the time, were railroaded for the quality of the player rather than the organization's decision to bring in veteran help, although there was also a strong belief that a rotation centered around Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker would be just fine.

The front office agreed with us last winter, and they stayed fully in-house when constructing their rotation.

Things can change a lot in the span of a year. An area of strength going coming out of 2008 is a bit of a weakness, or at the very least not nearly as deep as we thought it would be, coming out of 2009. For a team that will always look to get the most value for their dollar, if they do choose to supplement the rotation in the free agent market, their highest reward scenarios might center around these guys. Read all about them after the break.

Rich Harden

#40 / Pitcher / Chicago Cubs

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Nov 30, 1981

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Rich Harden	9-9	27	26	0	0	0	0	141.0	122	74	64	23	67	171	4.09	1.34

26 starts in 2009 and 25 starts in 2008--not bad. Then there were the 13 starts in '06 and '07 combined, with 19 starts made in '05. In fact, in Harden's six-plus star-crossed seasons in the majors he has had exactly one full season: 2004.

A couple of back injuries, a strained left oblique and a rap sheet full of right-arm issues, Harden's inability to keep himself on the mound isn't exactly a secret. Which is why he's even on this list. Anyone who can strike out more than a man per inning while allowing less than a hit per inning, with that kind of fastball and that kind of stuff, is a guy who's makeup has "Ace" dripping out of every pore.

This past season Harden missed 19 games in May and June due to issues with his back, before coming back and eventually being shut down at the end of September because of his pitching arm. Again.

Obviously he's a risk, but that's why I wanted to talk about these guys. The oblique strains don't bother me--it's the problems (plural) that Harden has had with his rotator cuff and his UCL. His mechanics aren't exactly smooth and without constant training to strengthen and stabalize his cuff I'm worried he could have to resort to Tommy John surgery at any time. But I'm not a doctor.

Harden is likely to garner a lot of guarded interest this off-season, and in spite of his injuries and high pitch count innings could still receive multi-year offers that would be worth double-digit millions easy. Naturally I'm not opposed to the Twins chasing him and signing him to a deal as long as it's done right. While the Twins may not be able to guarantee more money than most of the other clubs out there, offering him a low base with a number of achieveable incentives for games started and innings pitched could make a deal at least tempting.

My offer: Two years with team option for year a third. 2010: $4 million base ($500K for 12, 17, 22, 27 and 32 starts; $500 K for 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 innings pitched; $9 million possible; $1 million buyout option if less than 100 innings pitched). 2011: $6 million base, same incentives. 2012: $10 million base, same incentives, $1 million buyout.

Ben Sheets

#15 / Pitcher / Milwaukee Brewers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 18, 1978

Sheets didn't pitch at all in 2009, and at two years older than Harden would be 32 in 2010. His rap sheet of injuries is even more varied than the Cubs ace, with long stretches of time missed for back injuries, finger injuries and, of course, right arm injuries. This last time around he's had flexor tendon surgery and, if you listen to his agent, would be ready for spring training.

He doesn't strike out quite as many guys as Harden but he still allows less than a hit per inning, has better control and is far more efficient with his pitches. Prior to this last surgery anyway. Like Harden his fastball is mid to upper-90's, and his breaking balls can break your knees. Prior to this last surgery anyway.

Sheets made 31 starts and pitched 198 innings in 2008 before missing all of '09, but from '05 to '07 he wasn't pitching full years either. From the ages of 23 to 25 though, which may be where some of these problems began for a guy who was at the time a younger pitcher, Sheets made 102 starts and threw more than 670 innings. You could argue he was over-worked, although by the time a guy hits his mid-20's he should be able to handle a full load. I tend to lean away from the over-worked arguement.

Where I see Harden landing with a more high-profile team who is willing to take a chance on him and spend a little more ching, Sheets is the option who already looks like he'll appeal to everybody. Second-tier teams (like the Twins) who still have a little wiggle room might run straight for the former Brewer to avoid getting drawn into a process with Harden.

My offer: One year with a team option for a second. 2010: $3 million base ($500 K for 11, 22 and 33 starts; $500 K for 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 innings; $7 million possible). 2011: $5 million base, same incentives, $500K buyout.

Erik Bedard

#45 / Pitcher / Seattle Mariners

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Mar 06, 1979

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Erik Bedard	5-3	15	15	0	0	0	0	83.0	65	29	26	8	34	90	2.82	1.19

Bedard had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder back in August, repairing what had been a spot of general disrepair. A torn labrum was the main issue, but the area apparently needed a good clearing. Apparently he'll be ready for the beginning of the season, but it's the second time in as many years where he made just 15 starts.

His stuff, just like the stuff of Harden and Sheets, qualifies him as an ace. He can be a dominant strikeout pitcher at times, although a little streaky even when healthy and not as efficient with his pitches as Sheets. What had been very low fly-ball numbers increased slightly in Seattle, but his plus fastball and plus breaking ball continued to be his best pitches and were seemingly unaffected.

The biggest issues with the former Mariner and Oriole enigma are his consistency and, just like the other two guys on this list, his inability to stay healthy for a whole season. His control tends to stray at times as well.

My offer: Identical to Sheets' offer.

Conclusions

Clearly there are more guys on the market than these three who could qualify as damaged goods. Mark Prior is attempting a comeback, Bartolo Colon is still floating (or sinking) around out there somewhere and even a guy like Noah Lowry has some appeal. But these three guys are the creme of the crop, because they all have the ability to be that elusive Ace pitcher.

Is there a safer option between the three? Which guy would you prefer, if any?

Poll

Which of these three pitchers do you prefer?

Organization Review (Relief Pitchers)

2009-11-15T23:47:15Z

This will be the final installment of the review of the top players in the organization on a position basis. Historically, the Twins have had a dominant bullpen. That all changed in 2008 when Pat Neshek was lost to injury and the Twin's strength became a glaring weakness. There haven't been any top relievers coming up from the minors during this time of need, however, that appears to be changing. The Twins again have several strong bullpen arms who will be ready later next year if not out of spring training.

The Tenth ranked reliever is a young man who was the Twins second first round pick in 2008, Carlos Gutierrez. In an unusual move for the Twins, Guttierez reported straight to the Ft. Myers Miracle following the draft. The Twins have stated that they would like to convert the former U of Miami closer to a starter, yet, all 16 of his appearances in 2008 were out of the Miracle bullpen. Gutierrez had a 3-1 record, 2.10 ERA and 19K/7BB in 25.2 innings to rank as the 11th best pitcher in 2008. This season Gutierrez returned to Ft. Myers as a starter, where he was excellent in 11 games (54.2 innings) with a 2-3 record, 1.32ERA and 33K/22BB earning a mid-season promotion to New Britain. While at New Britain, the innings began to wear on Gutierrez who had arm surgery while in college. He made six starts before moving to the Rock Cat bullpen, appearing in 22 games (52.1 innings) with a 1-3 record, 6.19ERA and 32K/24BB. Based on his performance at Ft. Myers, Gutierrez would have been rated amongst the top five pitchers in the organization. Although it is unknown how much of his problems at New Britain were related to the quality of hitters in AA, it is safe to assume that the bigger problem was the number of innings pitched coming off surgery a few years ago. After moving to the New Britain bullpen, Gutierrez did not allow a run in eight of his last ten appearances during which time he had an excellent 2.25ERA. Unfortunately, one cannot discount the games that he started at New Britain, thus, Gutierrez finished as my 17th ranked pitcher. It is likely that the Twins will return him to a starting role again next spring, however, to date he has been more effective as a reliever during his brief time with the organization.

The ninth ranked reliever is a young man from Moscow, Russia who signed with the organization in August, 2007. Andrey Lobanov began his career with the GCL Twins in 2008 where he had a 3-1 record and 3.54ERA in 9 games (20.1 innings) with 17K/3BB. The young lefty also made one shutout appearance with the Miracle when he struck out three and walked one in 2.0 innings to finish his rookie season in North America as my 44th ranked pitcher. This season the 19 year old Lobanov returned to the GCL Twins where he had numbers that were nearly unbelievable. In 15 games (22.0 innings), Lobanov had a 2-1 record, 7 saves, 0.82ERA, 0.68WHIP and 35 strikeouts with only one walk. No matter how you look at it: 35 strikeouts in 22.0 innings (1.59K/inning), a 35:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 1 walk in 35 innings (0.26 walks/9 innings), or an unbelievable 2.333 Dominance Ratio (Strikeouts/hits+walks)...Lobanov was virtually unhittable. His dominance of GCL hitters put him as my 16th ranked pitcher, which means that three of the organization's top 20 pitchers were with the GCL Twins. Can Lobanov continue to dominate hitters at higher levels beginning next year? Only time will tell!

Early this season the Twins picked up hard throwing right handed reliever Juan Morillo from the Colorado Rockies. Morillo pitched briefly with the Twins, appearing in 3 games (2.0 innings) with 1K/3BB and a 22.50ERA. Morillo, who is capable of throwing a fastball approaching 100mph, has struggled throughout his career with control. There are indications that he made some progress at Rochester where he struck out 87 in 67.0 innings with 51 walks. The Twins were recently forced to make a decision on Morillo who would have become a minor league free agent had they not added him to their 40-man roster last week. That decision means Morillo will again be with the team next spring, yet, he is out of options and the Twins will need to keep him on their 25-man roster or again risk losing him through waivers. Morillo finished his season in Rochester with a 6-6 record and 3.90ERA as the 15th ranked pitcher and eighth ranked reliever in the organization.

Robert Delaney is the seventh ranked reliever and fourteenth ranked pitcher. Delaney had a remarkable 2008 season, when he was named the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year and also ranked as my top pitcher in the organization. Delaney began his award winning season in Ft. Myers where he appeared in 23 games (31.2 innings) with a 1-2 record, 13 saves, 1.42ERA and 34K/4BB. He moved up to New Britain mid-season where he appeared in another 23 games (34.1 innings) with a 2-1 record, 5 saves, 1.05ERA, 0.79WHIP and 38K/7BB. Delaney began this season back at New Britain where he was again excellent, appearing in 22 games (36.0 innings) with a 1-1 record, 2.00ERA and 40K/6BB. Delaney moved up to AAA Rochester where he appeared in 36 games (47.2 innings) with a 7-3 record, 7 saves, 4.53ERA and 38K/15BB. Delaney finished his season with 78 strikeouts in 73.2 innings and a 0.813 Dominance Ratio. Although his numbers weren't anything like his 2008 season, Delaney was excellent this year in the highest levels of the minor leagues to finish as my 14th ranked pitcher.

The sixth ranked reliever is a young lefty who was a 25th round pick in 2007, Spencer Steedley. Steedley began his 2008 season at Beloit where he had a 2.14ERA and 5-3 record in 31 games (46.1 innings) with 8 saves and 59K/17BB. That performance earned Steedley a promotion to Ft. Myers where he appeared in 15 games, including four starts for 28.2 innings. Steedley had a 1-4 record, 1 save, 6.59ERA and 19K/19BB for the Miracle to finish 2008 as the 52nd ranked pitcher. Steedley returned to Ft. Myers this spring where he had a 4-0 record and 6 saves in 35 games (50.1 innings) with a 1.79ERA and 46K/18BB. He again earned a mid-season promotion to New Britain where he was very good, picking up a 2-1 record in 20 games (18.2 innings) with a 3.38ERA and 16K/10BB. Steedley's performance this season ranked him as my 12th ranked pitcher and earned him an assignment from the Twins to the Arizona Fall League.

Santos Arias is another young man who keeps moving in and out of the starting rotation. Arias spent 2008 with the Beloit Snappers where he appeared in 30 games (15 starts for 110.0 innings), with a 5-6 record, 4 saves, 3.27ERA and 91K/29BB to finish as my 26th ranked pitcher. This season Arias moved up to Ft. Myers where he spent most of his season working out of their bullpen. Arias, who started in 9 of his 38 games, finished his 2009 season with a 6-3 record, 3 saves, 2.15ERA and 72K/27BB in 100.2 innings. My tenth best pitcher and fifth ranked reliever, Steedley missed qualifying for the FSL lead in several categories by only a handful of innings. Had he qualified, Arias would have had the league's second best ERA and tied with teammate Steven Hirschfield for the best WHIP (1.06). Look for Arias to move up to New Britain next year, however, their is some risk that this young man from the Dominican Republic could be lost in the Rule V draft if not added to the Twins 40-man roster.

The fourth ranked reliever is former first round pick, Kyle Waldrop. We all know about his career which saw him move quickly through the organization, arriving in Ft. Myers in his third season following his draft out of high school. Unfortunately, Waldrop began to have arm problems and missed all of 2008 with a right shoulder injury. He returned this season, putting in time at both Ft. Myers and New Britain. Waldrop appeared in 20 games for the Miracle with a 3-2 record, 3.09ERA and 20K/7BB in 35.0 innings. Waldrop finished his season at New Britain where he was one of the more reliable relievers in the league. He had a 2-3 record with a 1.46ERA in 31 games (55.2 innings) with 30K/18BB to rank as the 7th best pitcher in the organization. Waldrop had always been a starter prior to his injury and it remains to be seen if the Twins will return him to a starting rotation next year. That is if he is with the Twins. Will the Twins add Waldrop to their 40-man roster? If not, he will be eligible to be a minor league free-agent. Will he sign with the Twins if not added to the 40-man roster?

The third ranked reliever is a wonderful story of a young man who the Twins signed as a non-drafted free agent in June, 2008. Joe Testa had a good rookie season with the Twins pitching for their GCL team where he had a 2-0 record and 1.32ERA in 7 games (11.0 innings) with 17K/1BB. Testa was fortunate to have the opportunity to move across the parking lot to help out the Miracle bullpen where he appeared in four games (2 starts for 14.2 innings) with a 1-0 record, 4.91ERA and 13K/7BB.....to rank as the 23rd best pitcher in the organization. Testa began this season at Beloit where he pitched so well that he was the Snapper's lone all-star. Testa appeared in 25 games for Beloit (1 start and 45.2 innings) with a 0-2 record, 2.56ERA and 63K/23BB. Testa moved up to Ft. Myers following the all-star game where he pitched better than during the first half. Testa appeared in 21 games (37.0 innings) out of the Miracle bullpen with a 5-0 record, 1 save, 1.22ERA, 1.27WHIP and 53K/18BB. Testa finished his season with 116 strikeouts in 82.2 innings and a 1.208 Dominance Ratio which is higher than any other pitcher in the organization playing higher than rookie ball and good for a ranking as the sixth best pitcher in the organization.

The second ranked reliever is Anthony Slama who the Twins drafted out of the University of San Diego in the 39th round of the 2006 draft. Slama had a year every bit as good as Delaney last year, appearing in 51 games (71.0 innings) for the Miracle with a 4-1 record, an organization high 25 saves, 1.01ERA, 0.94WHIP and 110K/24BB. Slama, who ranked as my third best pitcher in 2008, moved up to New Britain this spring where he appeared in 51 games (65.1 innings) with a 4-2 record, 2.48ERA, 1.19WHIP and 93K/32BB. With some wondering why Slama wasn't being called up by the Twins, he was promoted late in the season to Rochester where he appeard in 11 games (15.2 innings) with a 0-2 record, 4 saves, 3.45ERA, 19K/8BB and combined 1.155 Dominance Ratio. Slama again led the organization with 29 saves and his 25 saves for New Britain led the Eastern League even though he spent nearly the last month of his season in AAA. Slama's ERA at Rochester is a bit misleading as he didn't allow an earned run in nine of his eleven games with five of his six earned runs coming in one game shortly after his promotion. Slama is the fifth ranked pitcher in the organization and a young man who should see his first duty with the Twins sometime next summer.

The top ranked reliever and top ranked pitcher is a young man who was an excellent starter until this past spring. Alex Burnett, who was a 12th round pick in the 2005 draft, was only 20 when he began the 2008 season in the Ft. Myers starting rotation. Burnett, who was one of the Miracle's best starters throughout the season, finished with a 8-6 record, 3.76ERA and 84K/36BB in 143.2 innings to rank as the 25th best pitcher. Something the Twins saw in Burnett caused them to move him to the bullpen this year and he began his season back at Ft. Myers as a short reliever. Burnett had a fantastic beginning to his season, appearing in 18 games (22.2 innings) with a 2-1 record, 4 saves, 1.99ERA, 0.93WHIP and 26K/7BB. Burnett earned a promotion to New Britain where he was the team's primary closer once Anthony Slama moved up to Rochester. So many pitchers hit a wall when promoted to AA, but not Burnett. Rather, he was as good if not better than at Ft. Myers, appearing in 40 games (55.1 innings) with a 1-2 record, 9 saves, 1.79ERA, 0.99WHIP and 52K/19BB. There are several short relievers who will likely begin their season at Rochester which may cause the Twins to return Burnett to New Britain to start next season. But don't expect him to stay there long as Alex Burnett may be the best of all the excellent short relievers working to achieve that final dream and pull on a Twins jersey for the first time.

Sunday Morning Breakfast & Baseball: Mauer, Hardy, Uniforms, Vikings

2009-11-15T15:52:41Z

Top o' the mornin' to ya...

Here's a Q&A with Joe Mauer over at the Strib online. There are some good quotes, all about his game and his rewards and no contract talk, but if you've read the Twins coverage at the Star Tribune at all this week then you've probably already seen most of this.
The boys over at FOX Sports say that the Brewers only went with the Twins after the Pirates tried to pull in J.J. Hardy with Matt Capps or Ryan Doumit. Apparently Milwaukee was looking for either Paul Maholm or Zack Duke.
This has already been talked about here, and there's been a lot of good discussion--the Twins will unveil new-look road uni's (along with "subtle" changes to the home threads) on Monday afternoon.
Be sure to check out Han Joelo's gem.
After a week to get healthy the Vikings are back in action this afternoon. It looks like Antoine Winfield will take another week, but hopefully the Lions won't give the Vikings too much trouble and they won't miss him for one more game. Be sure to head over to Daily Norseman for all your Vikings needs.

Minor League Report...November 14, 2009

2009-11-14T14:34:41Z

There were several player moves this week including Seth Stohs reporting from Arizona yesterday that Michael McCardell has left the Mesa Solar Sox to have some bone chips removed from his pitching elbow. The Twins removed Justin Huber and Armando Gabino from their 40-man roster. Huber was outrighted to Rochester and will remain with the organization next year. Gabino was claimed by Baltimore. The Twins then added hard throwing righthander Jose Morillo to their 40-man roster. The Twins have also released catcher Jeff Christy and outfielder Ozzie Lewis. The Twins have signed three of their minor league free agents, Rochester pitcher Jose Lugo, New Britain shortstop Yancarlos Ortiz and Ft. Myers pitcher Henry Santos. Former Minor League Player of the Year David Winfree is a minor league free agent and word is that the Twins are very interested in re-signing him.

The Puerto Rico winter league got started on Thursday. The team to watch is Mayaguez who has four Twins on their roster, Nelvin Fuentes, Ryan Mullins, Kennys Vargas and Jose Morales. Joe Christensen is reporting that Danny Valencia will be playing winter ball somewhere for a month or so. Christensen is also reporting that Pat Neshek's rehab is going very well.

Seth published an excellent report of last night's Mesa Solar Sox game including personal observations of three of the Twins top prospects, Rene Tosoni, Chris Parmalee and Steve Singleton. The Solar Sox saw their six game winning streak come to an end on Thursday and now have a 12-14 record, 3.5 games out of first place with less than two weeks remaining in their short fall season.

Spencer Steedley had a nice game last night to lower his ERA to 3.75 in 10 games (12.0 innings). Steedley's problem this fall has been his control as he has walked 12 batters with 7 strikeouts. Alex Burnett continues to be a rising star for the Twins. He has appeared in 8 games (8.2 innings) with a 3.12ERA and 9K/9BB. Starter Steven Hirschfield has had a couple rough outings but has been better of late as he has gotten his ERA down to 9.95. In 8 games (3 starts) with 12.2 innings, Hirschfield has 14K/6BB. Tosoni is hitting .240/.318/.373 with one home run in 75 at bats. All indications from Seth's report is that Tosoni is an excellent defensive outfielder who has to work on hitting left handed pitchers. Chris Parmalee has 3 home runs in 69 at bats while hitting .217/.296/.478. Steve Singleton has been the best Twins hitter for the Sox, hitting .281/.284/.484 with 3 home runs in 64 at bats.

The lone Twin to appear for Mayaguez in Puerto Rico has been Nelvin Fuentes who pitched 1.1 inning of shutout ball yesterday with a hit and 1K/1BB. Fuentes is a young man who the Twins picked in the 16th round of the 2007 draft. After missing all of 2008, he had a wonderful season this past summer for the GCL Twins where he appeared in 12 games (21.0 innings) with a 1.29ERA and 24K/4BB. He is another young left handed reliever who may have bright future in the Twins organization.

Alexi Casilla is now playing regularly for Gigantes del Cibao in the DWL. Casilla, who has appeared in 5 games with 21 at bats, is hitting .190/.190/.333. Since Casilla's arrival, Estarlin De Los Santos has played sparingly yet is hitting very well at .277/.320/.319 in 47 at bats.

Aragua has been playing better of late and the Tigres are now 9.5 games out of first place with a 12-17 record. The scare a week ago was reports that Wilson Ramos had injured his knee. It does not appear to be serious as Ramos returned to pinch hit on Saturday with several appearances as DH before catching on Thursday. Ramos continues to be this winter's hitting star in the VWL at .382/.451/.697 with 6 home runs and 26 RBI although he was only 3-12 this week as he deals with his injury. Dustin Martin was 3-14 this week with a home run and 2 RBI. Martin is hitting .281/.398/.461 in 89 at bats with 4 home runs and 18 RBI. Justin Huber is hitting .282/.385/.474 in 78 at bats with 3 home runs and 19 RBI. Edgar Ibarra made two appearances this week, pitching 0.1 inning with 0 hits, 1 run and 1K/1BB.

Armando Gabino, who is now an ex-Twin, has appeared in 3 games for Aguilas in the DWL with a 1-1 record and 3.00ERA and 2K/1BB.

Next week should be an exciting week for many top prospects as the Twins will have to finalize their 40-man roster by Friday. With the five free agents (Crede, Pavano, Redmond, Cabrera and Mahay) departing the roster and the three players added who were on the 60-day disabled list (Slowey, Bonser and Neshek), the roster stands at 36. The Twins normally like to have a roster spot available so they can make a Rule V pick, yet, they have 6-8 players who may be at risk of being drafted if exposed to the Rule V draft. Will they make additional moves this week to clear more openings on the roster? It seems a given that Deolis Guerra, Alex Burnett and Danny Valencia will be added. But what about Santos Arias, Rob Delaney, Steve Singleton, Brian Dinkelman, Loek VanMil or Winston Marquez?

There will not be a report next week as I will be out of town at a seminar.

The Hosken Powell Memorial Offseason/Hot Stove Linkdump II

2009-11-13T18:26:35Z

More photos » by Bruce Bisping - AP

Fans waited in line for hours at the annual Run Your Fingers Through Anthony Lapanta's Thick, Luxurious Hair Charity Event. Proceeds go to the Twins Community Fund and Roy Smalley's pomade expenses. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Bruce Bisping)

Browse more photos »

Item: Buster Olney thinks Joe Mauer's contract negotiations might be the most important story of the offseason.

Nobody asked me, but: well, duh. Obviously, this is a big story for Twins fans. But, as Olney notes, the question of parity and the gulf between the haves and the have-lesses (or, if you'd rather, the Yankees and everyone else) is a big story everywhere. (See also: Joe Posnanski, Jon Marthaler.) One thing that I can guarantee: whatever changes are or are not made to the system, the Royals will continue to blow.

Item: Your 2010 Twins 3B is...Joe Crede?

Nobody asked me, but: Scott Boras swears that Crede's third back surgery in as many years did the trick. Since agents are nothing if not scrupulously honest, consider me sold! (Seriously, though: Joe C.'s article lists the current in-house options. They are LNP, Brendan Harris, and Matt Tolbert, with Valencia and Hughes in the wings. Is Crede at a not-insane, incentive-laden price that bad of an idea? I'm starting to waver. Commenters, attack!)

Item: the Twins have not made a single roster move as I've been writing this.

Nobody asked me, but: I fully expect to post this and see that we've signed Jerrod Washburn.

Item: MPR took a walking tour of Target Field.

Nobody asked me, but: that was pretty cool.

Enjoy your weekend, kids!

Joe Mauer wins Silver Slugger

2009-11-13T03:51:06Z

Exactly nobody is surprised, as Mauer is about as good at the plate as any other two AL catchers combined.

This is Mauer's third Silver Slugger, and second in a row. He still has a ways to go to catch Mike Piazza, though - Piazza leads all catchers with ten awards.

Joe Mauer

#7 / Catcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-5

Weight: 225

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Apr 19, 1983

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Joe Mauer	138	523	94	191	30	1	28	96	76	63	4	1	.365	.444	.587

SB Nation Awards: 2009 American League MVP

2009-11-12T20:50:09Z

Scioscia...Andrus...Greinke...and looky looky who completes the puzzle!

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

YES! Clearly there were five people who weren't watching the same baseball season as everyone else, but look at that point differential between first and second place. And nobody voted Joe lower than third place, so kudos to all voting parties for that.

Having to vote for ten candidates means this is a pretty large chart with a lot of stragglers, and after Mauer I can't honestly remember who I voted for. I know I voted for one of Cuddyer and Kubel, although I can't promise full homerism by saying I voted for both. Still, I'm positive that Longoria, Cabrera, Zobrist, Jeter and Youkilis were in there somewhere.

The only two AL teams not represented on this list? Oakland and Chicago.

Poll

Who gets your vote for American League MVP?

Mauer to Joe C: Contract talks haven't started

2009-11-12T17:58:35Z

We have conflicting reports on whether Mauer contract extension talks have actually started. Joe C. in this morning's Star Tribune: "Contract talks haven't started". My guess is this is Mauer downplaying any preliminary discussions that may be taking place. No cause for alarm...yet.

Other random notes (many thanks to MLB Trade Rumors):

Joe C. also notes that Carl Pavano's agent had an "excellent first meeting" with the Twins, and that Glen Perkins has settled his grievance.
According to Joel Sherman, Detroit has reportedly put Curtis Granderson on the block. According to Phil Rogers, the Cubs need to go after him. Considering their need for left handed hitting, this would make a lot of sense.
Buster Olney is skeptical that the major free agents, Bay, Holliday and Lackey, will receive a $100M contract this offseason. Does this make Mauer a bit more affordable?
MLB.com's Mark Bowman thinks the Braves may trade Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe. Would the Twins have any interest for the top of their rotation?
Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun thinks the Orioles may be interested in bringing Erik Bedard back to Baltimore, and that they might be players in the 3B market.
As many of you know, Carlos Gomez is a "Super 2", eligible for arbitration now that he's a Brewer. Apparently Adam Jones, Mike Fontenot and Micah Owings are all right on the cutoff point, and Fontenot was selected as the last Super 2. This saves the Orioles a lot of money, but it may also make Fontenot available. Not the most attractive option, but he was mentioned here last offseason.
Dave Cameron thinks the Marlins may have waited too long to shop Dan Uggla. Has the price gone down?