Trade Deadline Moves

As Aaron Gleeman discussed the Twins’ somewhat surprising pre-All Star game numbers in his blog, he took a look back at the Twins’ first-half records since 2001. With the exception of the 2001 season where the Twins took a second half plunge with a 30-45 record after the break, each of the seasons since have seen the team put up a winning second half record. Now if the Twins were your typical big market “stop-at-no-cost-to-win-now-even-if-it-means-depleting-our-farm-system” club, I might be spending this time and space talking about the great trades that then GM Terry Ryan made and how it helped push the club to the front of the AL Central race. Now don’t get me wrong, the Twins have made some trade-deadline moves in the past, such as bringing in Rick Reed and Shannon Stewart, among others. But more often than not, the Twins haven’t made that big last-minute midnight deal on July 31. Let’s recap each season and look at what moves the Twins made (or didn’t make) during the second half of the year.

2001: Traded for Todd Jones & Rick Reed. Claimed Casey Blake off waivers.

2002: No moves made, but made the playoffs for the first time since winning the 1991 World Series.

2003: Traded for Shannon Stewart and Jesse Orosco.

2004: Traded away Doug Mientkiewicz for minor leaguer Justin Jones, who is no longer with the organization.

2005: Received Bret Boone from Seattle on July 11 and was released on July 31st, never to play again.

2006: Released Ruben Sierra and Tony Batista. Traded away Juan Castro and Kyle Lohse for minor leaguers. Acquired Phil Nevin from Chicago Cubs.

2007: Traded away Luis Castillo for two minor leaguers. Traded away Ramon Ortiz for minor leaguer. Released Jeff Cirillo.

Now it’s 2008 and the Twins find themselves in the same situation they have faced in each of the past five seasons—staring at one of their rivals perched atop the standings. The next few weeks will be critical for the team as they spend much of the rest of the season on the road, where they haven’t fared nearly as well as they have at home. In addition to the tough schedule, players who had been on the DL, (Michael Cuddyer, Matt Tolbert, and Adam Everett) are scheduled to come back, and the players who initially took their place (Denard Span, Brian Buscher, and Alexi Castilla) have established themselves as everyday players in the lineup and on the field. Another issue that the team faces is the recent success of 2006 phenom Francisco Liriano following Tommy John surgery and an unsuccessful comeback attempt at the beginning of the season. Now normally this wouldn’t be such a problem, except that the Twins’ young hurlers (Scott Baker, Glen Perkins, Nick Blackburn, and Kevin Slowey) have no doubt met expectations so far this year.

Now I’m not completely sure if every Twins fan thinks about what move the brilliant Bill Smith is planning next, but I like to play fantasy GM whenever situations like this come up. If I was Bill Smith, here’s what I would do:

1) The first move I would make would be a page out of Terry Ryan’s book (see Chapter 10 : 2006 Minnesota Twins). Cut your losses and get rid of the players that aren’t helping your team. Mike Lamb is not part of the team’s future, even with his guaranteed $7.6 million salary. No one who hits for a .220 average on a team in need of a power third baseman deserves to stick around. (FYI: The salaries of Sierra & Batista only totaled about $1.5 million combined.)

2) Stop using the excuse that we haven’t seen the full potential of Adam Everett because of injury. What you see is what you got, and you ain’t got much.

3) As much as it pains me to say this…Craig Monroe, I don’t think there’s room for you either in Twinkie Town. After using you in the role that I had hoped you could fill (right-handed power off the bench) in the series against Boston before the break, you killed two rallies in two much needed road games.

4) Finally, when I call up Liriano towards the end of July, Livan Hernandez will be on his way out. Even though credited with 9 first-half wins, he did nothing to earn them, entering the break in either last or second to last in ERA, opponent's batting average, opponent's on-base percentage, opponent's slugging percentage, and opponent's OPS.

So to finally conclude…I wouldn’t make any outside moves. The rumors that the Twins may be interested in Adrian Beltre from Seattle or picking up Freddy Garcia via free agency is absurd. You can’t keep veteran players around if they simply aren’t producing when you have young guys proving they deserve a chance. There are enough guys on the team that have playoff experience (Cuddyer, Mauer, Morneau, Punto, Redmond) to guide the younger players through the second half of the season. The likelihood of the Twins dumping $17.4 million guaranteed is about as likely as Babe Ruth coming back to solidify the rotation and add some pop to the lineup. A more likely scenario could be to try and trade Hernandez to an NL team in need of starting pitching, Everett to a team in need of a late-inning defensive replacement, and Monroe to a team which needs a right-handed bat off the bench.

But that’s just my fantasy two cents…

The Twins Dilemma

Alright, its my turn to play fantasy GM again for the Twins. They will soon have a number of players returning from the DL, with no real clear options as to who's spot on the roster they will take. Let's assume that the Twins stay with 12 pitchers and 13 position players. Starting at the top with the most obvious to stay:

Keepers:
Joe Mauer: All-Star catcher would have to be dead to lose his spot on the team.

Justin Morneau: All-Star 1st baseman, 2006 AL MVP, not a chance.

Mike Redmond: Oldest player on the team, only 20 games played all year...may have the best job in baseball, backing up Mauer.

Alexi Casilla: Called up on May 11 and is 4th in RBI's this season while hitting a solid .318 through July 7. Even if he is unable to keep up this pace, he's done absolutely nothing to warrant being sent back to Rochester.

Jason Kubel: Finally coming back around after devastating knee injury in 2004. Tied for the team lead with 12 HR's while establishing himself as the team's DH.

Delmon Young: After slow start to the season (.264, 0, 15 through May 31) has come alive (.327, 3, 18 since June 1). Even though his K/BB ratio isn't getting any better (22 K/ 4 BB since June 1), he's still a solid hitter for his age.

Carlos Gomez: The speedy CF projected at 39 SB's by ESPN.com has played 83 games in CF providing a formidable replacement for departed CF Torii Hunter. He's on pace to set the team record for K's in a season (Bobby Darwin-145 in '72), which isn't ideal from a leadoff man.

Nick Punto: The Twins stuck with him last year through his hitting woes, and most certainly won't the piranha go this year after hitting over his career averages thus far. As long as he stays healthy after two stints on the DL already this year, he'll be in the lineup.

Brian Buscher: Saw action in only 2 games for his first call up, but was outstanding in the month of June during his second call up, putting up a line of .360, 1, 14 with an OPS of .810. Has cooled off as of late after splitting time at third with both Harris and Punto when facing left-handed pitching.

Brendan Harris: RH hitting infielder struggles to hit LH pitching (15-80) this season, and overall average is below career mark. Is currently switching between starts at 2B and SS with Punto and Casilla

Craig Monroe: Best AB/HR ratio on the team at 17.3. Also has 2 HR and 5 RBI in 10 PH AB's this season. Could have 20 HR potential if played everyday, but his .217 AVG is less than to be desired.

Denard Span: Was a solid replacement for Cuddyer in April, but has performed beyond expectations during 2nd call up hitting .350 in 7 games. His range is far greater than that of Cuddyer's as well, but Cuddy's arm is far superior.

Mike Lamb: Where do I start? You follow up a horrendous April (.197 BA) with an amazing May (.302 BA with a .747 OPS) only to slide back down to a dreadful June (.063 BA). Now with 6 AB's in the last 20 GAMES, the Twins appear that they're already beginning to eat your $3.5 million salary. But can they do that through next year and justify it? Beware when Everett and Tolbert come back...

So...where does that leave us??? With Cuddyer looking to be the first one to return, it would seem absurd to keep 6 OF on the squad. We all know that Kubel, Young, and Gomez aren't going anywhere. Monroe, as much as his .217 BA hurts, has been the RH pop off the bench all year, plus he's making $3.8 million this year. That again leaves Denard Span who, at least this time around may have some backing from Twins fans when he complains he got the raw end of the deal. Denard, we feel your pain, but until the Twins realize that its really not worth spending millions on chance FA's like Monroe, Lamb, and Everett, guys like you, Buscher, and Tolbert may be the odd men out.

Decisions done...for now

Well, the big decision is done. Next year it will be Mr. V- 8th grade Science teacher at Timothy Christian. Wow, sounds a little scary to finally say that. It was pretty much the hardest decision I've ever made. Declining anything is hard for me to do, especially with all the great schools that offered me jobs. But...I'm looking forward to teaching there, getting my classroom, and everything else that comes with the job. First things first though...I'm ready to come home. I've accepted the fact that I won't see mountains everyday again, that I won't have kids begging me for prizes and rewards for just about anything, and that I'll have to leave my track guys 2/3 of the way through the season.

On the other hand, I do have to somehow get across Nebraska (do they have Starbucks there) On the other hand, who needs Starbucks when you have good old gas station coffee, right Verlan? It's my goal to leave Gwyn's house around 7:00 on Thursday morning, if I can't get myself to get up and leave earlier. That way, hopefully I'll make it back on time to spend some time with Linds. (I won't mention The Office is on at 8:00)

Well, this might be the last post for awhile. I think I managed to average over 1 post/week, which isn't great, but yeah...hope I kept some of you up to date on things.

So long everybody...

Rockies pictures

Here are some pictures from the Rockies home opener that I went to with Gwyn and a couple of her friends. The first picture is us in our seats, which were in the 3rd deck along the 3rd baseline, about even with the left fielder...oh, and they were obstructed view, kinda. (That's what the tickets said, it just meant that we were in the 2nd row, so the fence in front of us was in the way...we didn't care) Anyways, the 2nd picture is of my and a 2-LO sign I picked up from some fan who left it. I was like a scavenger picking up Magnet schedules and this sign. 2-LO stands for the Rockies shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, one of the more popular players on the team.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering...yes I did wear that SWEET yellow bucket hat all game. Gywn gave them to me and my brothers a number of years ago when you could go to Rockies games where the first 10,000 fans got hats and Gwyn got 4 of them because no one came to games until the end of the season last year.

Options, Choices, and BIG Decisions

Just got back from the Chicago area, little update...

Visited both DeMotte and Timothy Christian schools and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. They have very similar missions, but are also very different in their makeup. Urban vs. Rural, Variety of subjects vs. the same subject, large school vs. small school, and I could go on... My honest opinion on both of them...excellent schools, both have their definite pros as well as cons to living/teaching there.

Those are the options...and as of now, I also have choices as both schools offered me a job.

Now comes the big decision, which won't be an easy one, but I almost feel as if I can't go wrong in which one I decide. I have felt all along that God has provided us with opportunities to enter a school/community that knows what its mission is and is very welcoming. Which I believe is a good dilemma to have, I just wish it wasn't driving me crazy. I know I have leaned one way and then the other already and it hasn't even been a day since interviewing.

I know that God has a plan for us (especially since we made it through Chicago with a sellar GPS... A.K.A-Girl in Passenger Seat) Sorry Linds...I had to:) It was a bit of an adventure driving through somewhere Chicago after we weren't sure which exit we needed to get out of there Monday night after flying in, but we made it eventually. I think the bullets only skimmed the tires and scared the rest of the drug dealers away, which was a good thing. (Again kidding, it wasn't that bad)

Pray for us as we attempt to make a decision as to where God will be able to use us best in the lives of my future experiments (students) and Linds' future (wherever that may be, as long as it doesn't start with "Hi, welcome to McDonald's, how can I help you?")

It's 10:00 at night and I'm running on all cylinders...I could keep going, but I better get to lessons, and sleep, and watching the weather in hopes that the 10 inches of snow forecasted goes away...fast.

So long everybody...

Devastating news...

I might have, quite possibly, most likely, definitely burnt my face and neck from being in the sun during the Rockies game and at the track meet all day Saturday. (I figured a title like that might get people somewhat interested in the rest of the post)

Well, the end seems to be in sight now. I did an ice cream lab with the freshmen science class. We were talking about chemical reactions and rates, so we talked about freezing point depression and how salt reacts with ice to lower the freezing point below 0 degrees Celsius. So we were able to combine milk, sugar, and vanilla and shake it in our ice cream mixture for 15 min in order to spend the last 10 min of class enjoying a bowl of ice cream. It was great...I just hope the remember why it all worked. I'll find out the answer to that when we review our conclusions in class Monday.

I'm almost done with the P.E. classes. I gave a rough golf test to the seniors on Thursday. The Team Sports class gets a softball test on Wednesday, so then I'll be done with them. They all groaned when I told them they got Coach back next week. I figure it means one of two things. 1) I was just that good that they were learning so much and I was such a great motivator for them, or 2) I was way too easy on them and he's harder, so they'd rather have me. I'm going with the latter on that one.

Well, the Rockies game was...well, the atmosphere of the home opener for the defending league champs was sweet. The game was awful. They only got 2 hits all game and lost 7-1. It was the least number of hits they had in a home game in over 2 1/2 years (looked it up). Then it was the fun fact for the game the next night. Maybe when I'm done teaching I can work for baseball coming up with weird stats. (For example, for all of you Michael Cuddyer fans...he's a career .213 hitter when its a tie game, but hits .288 when the margin is 4+ runs)

Oh, and my Mark Redman prediction was correct...he stunk.

I spent the morning over at Highlands Ranch for the bagel party...it was awesome. I was mobbed by the 8th graders when I walked downstairs and they all had to show me pictures of stuff I had missed in the past 6 weeks. Then the girls complained I didn't even stop to say hi to them and went straight to talk to the guys. (I tried to beat them off with a stick, but 8th grade girls are very persistent) As I was leaving they invited me to the dance that night (I won't say whether it was the guys or girls that invited me...we'll just stick to 'I was invited')

So begins the week of decision-making for the future. I'm about 90% sure that by this weekend, I'll know what the future holds as far as next years plans. What a tough decision it'll be, I know that already. (Much harder than the whole getting engaged deal...I knew what the answer would be there:) What I've learned so far...it's a trust God moment, and I'm trying my hardest.

Well, since I've been writing this, I've managed to set off the smoke detector twice with the burning experiment I'm conducting, so I better get back to that before the neighbors start window peeping.

And as far as that devastating news with the sunburn...I was just trying to get a tan to cancel out the worst haircut I've ever had, hopefully it works for the interviews this week! Oh, and I'm officially firing my barber, which means the female in the house will be cutting my hair come mid-June. This guy is staying away from his own head with the scissors/mirror combo.

So long everybody...

Update

It could be a busy few days coming up, so I figured I would give you an update as far as what's been going on lately. I'm not at school today for two reasons: 1) This morning I'm going back to Highlands Ranch to have a Bagel Breakfast with the kids there. We had a pedometer challenge when I was there right before I switched to the high school. All the teachers had to wear a pedometer during the day at school and the one who walked the most in 3 days won a Bagel Breakfast for their homeroom. Well...turns out Mr. V won (quite handily I might add) with something like 33,000 steps in three days at school. 2) Gwyn and I are going to the Rockies home opener this afternoon, which I've talked about before. I could've gone to school for most of the day today, but I still would've had to make up the time later that I missed, so I figured if I could put the two together it would be great, and it worked.

So, I better run off to the bagels!!

So long everybody...