To Soriano, or not to Soriano

If you don't know who Francisco Liriano (right) is by now, it's time to get familiar real quick.
He's not only the top pitching prospect in the Twins organization, ahead of potential studs Scott Baker, JD Durbin, Travis Bowyer, Boof Bonser and others, he's one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.
The Twins got him in the Joe Nathan-AJ Pierzynski trade.
He's lefthanded, throws in the high 90's, and is 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA since getting called up to AAA a month ago. Oh, and he's 21.
Entering this season he had struck out 347 batters in 319 minor league innings.
Some scouts have dared to call him, 'The next Santana, only better'.
The trade deadline is 2 hours, 40 minutes from this writing, and ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Twins can have Alfonso Soriano if they are willing to part with Liriano.
I'll go on record right now that if the Twins make that deal, and assuming that they don't plan on keeping Soriano beyond this year, that it would be a monumentally bad deal. The kind of deal that could send us back towards a 1993-esque downward spiral. And that one took 8 years to get out of.
If the Twins actually tried to keep Soriano, then maybe I could live with it.
But Liriano is just soooooo good. And with Torii Hunter likely out for the year, this season is looking more and more like a lost cause.
Why trade away the top prospect in the game for a rent-a-player for a season that isn't going anywhere anyway? Makes no sense at all.
Either way, the Twins are apparently going to make a deal of some kind.
Olney was just asked on TV to name one team that guaranteed will make a deal by the deadline.
He said the Twins.

Manny in Minny?

Just throwin' this out there.
Manny has asked to be traded. Again. Manny's reasons are that he's tired of 'not having a private life' because the East Coast media is so pervasive.Theo Epstein, the Sox GM, has supposedly wanted to trade Manny ever since they won the Series.
The Sox have expressed interest in Joe Mays, Kyle Lohse and JC Romero.
Why not offer those three, plus maybe Jacque Jones or Lew Ford, or hell, both of them, for Manny.
If Manny wants to play for a quieter team not in the media spotlight, but one that is still a contender, Minnesota seems like a good option.
The catch, of course, is that Manny makes about $16 million a year.
The Twins would be dumping about 10-12 million if they traded the players mentioned above, but they already were going to dump that much money just to get under next year's payroll, without adding a $16 million contract on top of it.
To fit Manny, they'd basically have to completely break the bank, because they wouldn't be able to trade enough salary to fit him in for next year.
Same thing for Soriano.
Fun to dream, though, I guess.
A 40-homerun hitting right-handed bat would look really good in the middle of Gardy's lineup.

Take That, Leiter

Al Leiter tried his damndest to give the Twins the game last night, but the Twins would have none of it.
7 hits, 5 walks, a hit batter in 5 innings? And one run? Nice try, Leiter.
But the bats came alive (a little) and The Boone made a couple great plays in the field, and Leiter got his way in a Twins win.
Why am I not more excited?
Maybe because I am starting to doubt this team.
And I dont just mean doubt them, like, 'Hmm...maybe these guys aren't the best team ever.'
Maybe it's more like, 'Hmm....maybe this team kinda sucks and I should start getting ready for the Vikings and their autumn of discontent.'
Basically I'm counting down the hours to the trading deadline. Not like I'm excited to see if we land Soriano or Sweeney (we won't) but more because I'm anxious to see if Terry Ryan sees it like I do and decides to be a seller and not a buyer.
I think the Twins are going to be fine. They still have more young talent than any team in the sport.
But I don't really like their chances of hanging on to that wild card spot.
Maybe this year is just a process they have to go through.
They're at the 100 game mark (54-46), but there's as good a chance of them going 25-37 the rest of the way as there is of them going 42-20.

A Proper Send-Off

Bret Boone's time with the Twins appears to be nearing its end. The local papers are already writing his obituary, while wringing their own hands of all the jumping up and down they did about the deal in the first place.
So I thought I'd put together a nice photo essay summing up The Boone's tenure in Twinkies pinstripes.
Which photo best sums up Project Boone?

The Strikeout

The Boone strikes out fairly often these days. He often looks uncomfortable at the plate, swinging at bad pitches, or at least "pitcher's pitches", while taking hittable pitches right down the middle. His reaction of throwing the bat in the air and catching it in a singular, violent motion, seems to suggest insecurity. He wants everyone to know he can hit, and that he is upset that he struck out, and that he intends to get a hit his next time up.

The Muff

The Boone has won four gold gloves, and was brought to Minnesota as much for his glove as his bat.
But, much like his bat (.195, 1 walk, all singles), his glove has been a dissapointment.
When the Boone misses a ball he feels he should not have, he will sit or kneel on the ground where the mishap took place, again making it clear to all those around him that the Boone expects more of himself, and that he very well should have made the play.

The Double Play

The Boone has done this fairly regularly since joining the Twins. He's had plenty of opportunities, batting at the top and/or middle of the Twins order.
After killing a rally by grounding an 0-2 slider that was a foot outside to the left side for an easy 5-4-3 twin-killing, The Boone is left only one option - the same option pretty much any rally killing player is left with. Turn back towards the infield, and stare blankly with your hands on your head as you think to yourself - "It would have been better for my team if I had struck out."

The Agony

The Boone is not used to losing. It hurts. When he loses, or goes 0-for-4, or commits a costly error, it is more than he can bear.
This is a guy who once batted 4th for the American League All-Star team. This is a guy who put up numbers no 2B in history ever has. This is a guy who helped the Mariners win 114 games in 2001.
When that kind of success eludes the Boone, he is left no choice but to wretch on the field, as he attempts to purge the mediocrity from his body.

The Help

There have been suggestions that some of the numbers that The Boone accumulated in his glory years were obtained by less than ethical means.
I will make no such accusation.

The Tom-Hanks-on-Coke

Seriously look at that picture.
I swear this guy was in Turner and Hooch.
It looks like he shot an episode of Bosom Buddies, threw on an M's cap and buried his face in a mountain of blow.

Still Waiting

You may have heard that the Reds finally traded Joe Randa this weekend.
To the Padres.
For next to nothing.
So while the Twins lost three of five to Detroit, they did nothing to help their still feeble offense.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lohse stunk in Sunday's start, a day after Scott Baker (pictured) looked terrific in his second M.L. start. Baker also looked great in his first big league start, losing 2-1.
It couldn't be more apparent that Lohse or Mays (preferrably Lohse) are expendable. Baker is ready.
The Strib appears to be predicting a Lohse and or Romero for Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar deal with Boston.
Wowee, hooray, hooray.
It's gonna take more than that.
I still say the best, and at this point damn near the only option, is Mike Sweeney.
If they could get Alfonso Soriano, great. I don't see that happening.
*Big day for Morneau on Saturday. Is he coming around, or was it a fluke?
*Man, is Lew Ford bad right now.
*The Shannon Stewart in the 3-hole experiment is over. It was a good idea on Gardy's part, but no one else is capable of leading off, and Stewart didn't do much batting 3rd.
*The clock is ticking on Bret Boone. Hurry up and figure it out Booney. Right now you're doing no better (and possibly worse) than Luis Rivas.

Is there anyone that can help this lineup?

That's the question.
Thursday's 10-run explosion notwithstanding, the Twins lineup can't produce runs at all, and everyone is clamoring for Scott Ulger to be fired and for Terry Ryan to go get a hitter.
Who's he going to get?
Bill Mueller?
Hey, I'd take him if Boston would be willing to take JC Romero off our hands, that's a good deal. But Mueller is a No. 7 or 8 hitter, and we already have about 12 of those on our roster.
Interestingly enough, rumors have surfaced (namely on ESPN's insider page) that the Twins could be players for both Mike Piazza (no shit) and Alfonso Soriano.
I assume either of them would DH, but I would gauge the odds of Mike Piazza ever donning a Twins uniform at about 100 to 1.
Soriano on the other hand might not be totally far-fetched.
I have a feeling Terry Ryan might have something cooking. and if he does it might be big, because he has to know that Bill Mueller and Joe Randa, as nice as they are, really won't make much difference on this team. It's time to get drastic.
Still, Soriano is probly a long shot, so I'll hold out hope for Mike Sweeney.
While not the hitter he once was, he's still the goods, with experience, power, patience, and a hunger for postseason. He's hitting .305 with 13 homers. And he's sick of losing in KC.
Would KC make a deal within the division?
I think so. They're not going anywhere, and Sweeney's best days are behind him, so taking whatever they could get would be wise on their part.
How about Cuddyer and Dave Gassner for Sweeney?
*Sounds like Justin Morneau might soon be making a trip to Rochester. Wonder if T-Ry could get the Mets to throw in Dougie baseball in a Piazza deal.
*Brad Radke got ejected from Thursday's game (he wasn't pitching) from the dugout. Cool.
*Matt LeCroy needs more AB's. This is the guy they kept over David ORtiz. I'm not saying he's as good as Ortiz, he isn't. But if you made the decision, you might as well play him.
LeCroy has the best OPS on the team, and Lew Ford is becoming the next Rich Becker.
*I have a hunch that if Brad Radke could make all 34 of his starts against the Twins in a given year, that he'd go 29-2 with a 1.25 ERA. And he knows it.

Mario would be proud

Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire was spittin' mad with starter Carlos Silva after Monday's 3-2 Twins loss.
"We scored," Gardy said. "In the seventh inning we got a run. I mean, what the hell does he want? Two runs, 83 pitches through nine innings? That's just not gettin' it done. Our hitters battled their tails off. To see them work so hard to score not just one run but two and not get rewarded with a 'W' is really frustrating."
* The Twins are batting .198 in their 1-4 start to the second half.
* Every position player on the team sucks right now.
* The Strib reports the Twins may be close to a deal sending JC Romero to the BoSOx for 3B Bill Mueller. Whatever. Bill Mueller. Yay. I'm sure the bats'll be scorching with him in the 3-hole.

An eventful (and shitty) weekend

Like I said, alot of stuff going on this weekend.
After Sunday's feeble 4-hit, 10 K performance against John "Cy" Lackey, Gardy got on the phone to Terry Ryan asking if he can call up his son Toby to be the new DH, or so I heard. Granted, Toby is in A-ball, and considered a minor prospect, but hey, Gardy should be ready to try anything by now.
*Jim Souhan's column in the Strib suggests the Twins are considering sending Justin Morneau to the minors, which isn't terribly shocking, as the guy has been horrible.
But think about it. If he goes, the Twins will have a different starter at ALL FOUR INFIELD POSITIONS than they opened the season with (Morneau, Rivas, Barlett, Cuddyer). To have that much chaos in the lineup and still be 49-41 is amazing, and a true testament to the pitching staff, including Gardy and Rick Anderson.
*Saturday was a nice win, coming back from down 4-0 to win 5-4, against Bartolo Colon, no less.
Boone finally got his first hit in his 11th at bat, driving in the eventual game winning run.
It was clutch, coming with 2 outs and a man on third.
You can rip on Boone's 2-for-16 weekend if you want, but remember much of the Twins struggles have come from failing in situations like that one, and Boone is being brought in to be the "professional hitter", not necessarily a savior. He's had some good at-bats, but also struck out alot. Jury still out.
*Mike Ryan hit a 433-foot homer off Colon. I like Ryan. He has value. I hope he sticks around.
*One thing I have to point out that no one is talking about (enough, anyway).
The defense.
The Twins made two first inning errors Saturday, leading to three unearned runs.
This is becoming common.
The Twins are still regarded as a "small ball" team that "plays the game the right way" and blah, blah, blah, and talking heads on ESPN still talk about their great defense but that is a fallacy (phallacy? hmm not sure).
For all the talk of how the Twins needed to get rid of Mientkiewicz, Rivas, Guzman and Koskie, that infield made extremely few errors and won three straight division titles.
This year's bunch kicks the ball around and puts pressure on the pitching.
*A quick note on Rivas: The guy hasn't been getting it done, and no matter how bad he's slumping Bret Boone is an upgrade.
But the Twins would not have won their first AL Central title without in 2002 without Luis, and he deserves a nod for that.
*Can we stop gnashing our teeth every time the White Sox win? Get a clue, it's fucking over. They won it. Time to focus on the wild card.
*Speaking of wild-card, who else doesn't want to have to go down the wire against the Yankees, no matter how bad they've been so far?
*I wonder how long Gardy will stay with the lineup change (Punto leading off, Shannon Stewart in the 3-hole). It's not a bad idea, but it could change if the Twins add a new guy.....

Another new guy?

The guy you see in the picture is Mike Lowell, a three time NL All-Star who the Twins are apparently scouting very seriously. The Marlins have shown interest in Kyle Lohse, so don't be surprised if you see a deal.
Lowell is similar to Bret Boone, in that he has dropped off significantly this year.
Last year Lowell hit .293 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs, and in '03 hit .276 with 32 homers and 105 RBI. This year he's dropped off to .227 with 4 homers. But while Boone is 36, Lowell is 31, so there's a little more reason to think he can be productive.
But geez, instead of getting guys hitting .225 and hoping they turn it around, why don't we just get a guy like Mike Sweeney who we know can hit?

Bye, bye Luis

There were a million things that happened Saturday night that I could get to here, and I will, but not until Monday.
Probably most significant is that the Twins sent Luis Rivas to the minors.
I wouldn't be surprised if we never see him wearing the pinstriped No. 2 again.

A Gardy Shakeup

Saturday's Twins lineup had Nick Punto batting leadoff, and Shannon Stewart in the 3-hole. Mauer hit 4th.
That's kind of a big deal.
I'm not sure if I like it, but I guess I kinda do.
Stewart's been a bit overrated at the top, as his OBP and steals are down to career low levels.
But he's still hitting well, so a move to 3 might be a good idea.
Even though he's hitting over .300, Mauer has only 32 RBIs, not enough.
Lew Ford is not a No. 3 hitter. In fact, Matt LeCroy could be the everyday DH right now and I'd have no problem with that.
I also think Punto can be a good leadoff guy. He almost always has good At-Bats.
At least, it would seem, Gardy is finally willing to do more to shake things up than move Cuddyer to second.

0-4, K - Part II

Two games, 0-8, 2 K's for Booney.
But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for at least a series because he hasn't played much in the last month (the M's had benched him before they released him).
Good news Friday?
Radke was terrific. Mauer hit a ball that could've should've been a homer.
4 hits, 2 runs...another one run 3-2 loss - that's the bad news.

A little too close?

We always here all about this team chemistry thing and how well these dudes get along.
Maybe they're getting a little carried away with that.

0-4, K

That would be Bret Boone's line in his first game batting 3-hole for the Twins.
I'm not going to make any judgements on one game.
But only two runs were scored, a fine performance by Kyle Lohse was wasted, and a 1-0 White SOx win put the deficit back at 10 games.
Morneau was not in the lineup, so we'll see what happens tonight. I think the Twins picked up Boone as much for Morneau's benefit (and Mauer's) as anybodys.
Just once, (okay 13 or 14 times in this second half) I'd like to see the Twins have one of those 15 run, 22 hit games.
Also worth noting, Gardy told the Strib that Punto will be the 3B when Cuddy comes off the DL.
I don't know if the Twins are interested in Cuddyer taking that role of power utility players he had last year, but he's done as far as being an everyday player.
I think there's a very good chance he'll soon be traded.

What a dork

Our Lord and savior, Bret Boone.

Boone Town

I have to admit, I'm much more excited about the Twins getting Bret Boone than I probably should be.
For as much as I have ripped on Michael Cuddyer (see 'I Hate You Number 5 - A Haiku'), Bret Boone's numbers are actually worse than those of No. 5.
I should also admit that Boone has always been one of my favorite Non-Twins players, even though I always thought he was on Roids. (Why isn't anyone talking about the steroid factor? - the Strib, the Geek, nobody brings it up!?!)
Thing is, as long as we're getting Boone for nothing, it's a great pickup. He's righthanded, still very good with the glove, and he's a VETERAN. Something we need.
Boone has a rep for being a little cocky and that's also a good thing.
I can just see him talking to Morneau:

JM (after a called 3rd strike): "That pitch was totally inside."
BB: "Why didn't you just hit it over the fence, pussy."
JM: "My elbow hurts."
BB: "What are you, 22? I'm 36 and play a positions where you have to do more than stand in one place all game long and I'm not complaining, pussy. God, what's with you Canucks? Do they only play 110 games in the Canadian Leagues? Sack up and start hitting the goddamm ball."

At least I hope so.
Truthfully, if Boone hits 10 homers and drives in 35 runs, that'd be great. If I had to bet money on it, I'd bet that Boone will do allright.
He'd better, because if he sucks again, his career is over.
He's going to be hitting 3-hole, my guess with Mauer moving up to 2.
Ideally, you could have:

LF Stewart
C Mauer
2B Boone
1B Morneau
CF Hunter
RF Jones
DH Ford/LeCroy
3B Punto
SS Castro
-Notice it alternates R/L all the way down. And notice I'm ready for LeCroy to start taking AB's from Lew Ford.

Of course, Gardy is to making lineups what Adam Sandler is to making good movies, so he'll probly bat Morneau 7th or something stupid.
The best news out of all this is that I don't think T-Ry is done. I still think the Twins might be in the market for Joe Randa. If they hold out til the deadline, the Reds might relent in demanding a top prospect.
Then you'd have Randa at 3rd, and presumably Punto at short with Castro as the utility guy. And all of a sudden you have an actual Major League infield.

Boone to be a Twin

The Twins are finalizing a deal to acquire 3-time All-Star and 4-time Gold Glove second baseman Bret Boone.
The M's will reportedly pay his salary.

Breaking down the break

The Holiday weekend has to be considered a success for the Twins.
They had to get at least five of six against KC and TB, and they did just that.
Then they opened a difficult road series with the Golden State Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim California-Los Angeles with a nice win. Scott Baker, the Twins second round draft pick in 2002, makes his long-awaited first Major League start tonight. Baker is one of the top prospects in the Twins entire organization - they're very high on him. I'm excited to see how he does. He pitched one scoreless inning of relief against the D-Rays while Rincon was serving his suspension.
As daunting as the 81/2 game deficit is, the Twins actually have a better record right now than they have at this point in the season in any of their three division championship seasons.
Still, it would be way cooler to hang a banner in the Dome for a fourth straight division title than that of a wild card, so even though there'd be no shame in qualifying for the playoffs that way, (as the last 3 World Series champions have) the Twins still want to find a way to catch their rivals.
The pitching, after a not-quite-brief-enough slump, seems to have righted itself, though Radke and his sore neck remain a question.
The bullpen is also going strong, with Nathan's control problems somewhat under control.
So of course, the big question remains the infield.
Lil' Nicky Punto is back, and that's great, but anyone who thinks he's the savior is wearing their ass for a hat.
Luis Rodriguez has been very good as well. The Twins were never high on him, but he's proving that he belongs in the big leagues.
And Juan Castro seems to get a couple big hits just when you're ready to bench him no matter how good his glove is.
Cuddyer sucks, and is hurt, Williams is hurt, Rivas sucks and is hurt......it remains apparent that the Twins need to add a player here.
The way I see it there are three serious options:
A. Joe Randa
B. Edgardo Alfonzo
C. Bret Boone

A: Randa
Age: 35
Pos: 3B
Bats: R
Salary: 2.15 M
Numbers: .296, 12 HR, 43 RBI, .367 OBP, 20 2B.
Odds of a deal: I'm guessing 10 to 1.
Randa has been discussed at length among the Twins Cities media and blogworld, including here, and I must say the above numbers are pretty damn good for a half season. In fact, he's having his best year since 1999-2000, when he went .314-16-84 and .304-15-106.
Over an 8-year career Randa's seasonal averages are: .287, 14 HR, 82 RBI, 35 2B, .342 OBP. He's never won a gold glove, though he's generally regarded as one of the top 5 or 6 in the game at his position with the glove. With his salary, the Twins could explore keeping him beyond this year, though at his age that'd surprise me. Then again, they need a veteran in that infield somewhere.
The Twins reportedly were close to a deal for Randa, but now reports say the Twins interest in 'The Joker' has cooled, though it isn't clear exactly why. My guess is the Reds asked for a front line prospect like Liriano or Durbin, when the Twins were thinking more along the lines of Cuddyer or Lohse.

B. Alfonzo
Age: 31
Pos: 3B/2B
Bats: R
Salary: 7.5 M
Numbers: .306, 2 HR, 30 RBI, .370 OBP
Odds of a deal: I'm gonna say 15 to 1.
The Twins haven't said this guys name out loud, which I don't know how to take. T-Ry usually plays things close to the vest. But right now he's on the DL, so depending on when he comes back he might not be going anywhere.
Five years ago Alfonzo was one of the top infielders in the game - hence the 7.5 M salary.
In '99 he hit .304 with 27 homers and 108 RBI and 85 walks with the Mets. He followed that up the next year by going .324-25-94, with a .425 OBP, 40 2B, a .542 SLG... the guy was good.
He slumped badly the next year batting .243, and while he rebounded the following season to hit .308 with 16 HR, he's never gotten back to the level of a premier player.
The Giants haven't officially declared themselves as sellers yet, but they're 10 1/2 games out, and seven games under .500.
Chronic injuries have slowed Alfonzo on the bases and in the field. He has a strong arm, and the know-how to play 2nd or 3rd, but he's no Gold Glover.
One problem: The last time the Twins and Giants made a deal, the Twins got Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano for AJ Pierzynski.
Nothing against AJ, but some are calling that the greatest trade in Twins history, considering Bonser and Liriano have both been lights out in the minors.
Giants GM Brian Sabean will be leery of getting ripped off by the Twins again.

C. Boone
Age: 36
Pos: 2B
Bats: R
Salary: 9 M
Numbers: .231, 7HR, 34 RBI
Odds: 4 to 1
In 2001, Boone hit .331 with 37 homers, 141 RBIs, 118 runs, 206 hits....I could go on actually. Let's just say he had a decent season.
The following three seasons weren't quite that good, but he was still pumping out a minimum of 24 homers and 83 RBIs a year. He has also won 4 gold gloves at 2B. He was getting to be a borderline Hall of Fame player.
And now this year has been a disaster.
In 74 games, 52 K's, a .231 avg, 7 homers, a .299 OBP, a .385 SLG.....it's been bad. I won't even mention the potential role the steroid testing may or may not have played in Boone's sudden decline.
But I still think he's not a bad risk.
A change of scenery, and being thrust into the middle of a pennant race, could rejuvenate Boone at the plate.
And because the M's have already placed Boone on waivers, they can't hold out for top prospects from the Twins. After 10 days Boone is a free-agent and can sign with anyone.
The Twins can wait and try to claim him off the waiver wire, but any team with a worse record than the Twins would have first dibs.
Instead the Twins could offer Seattle a low level prospect or Luis Rivas and get Boone before he is exposed. They could even try a package deal and maybe land Eddie Guardado as well.
Either way, what's the risk here? Would the Twins be worse off by adding Boone and dropping Rivas or Abernathy?
No.
It could be a win-win situation for Boone and the Twins.