Josh's Thoughts: Top Twins Prospects 2008 (41-55)

Hello everyone. To jump start this week, I'm giving you all a little bit of my top 50 Twins Prospects list. Today, I'm going to be posting my "almost" list, which are guys who almost made my list and four were actually on the list, before the Johan Santana trade. So essentially, I'm giving you my top 55 Twins Prospects for 2008.

Here we go:

41. Brian Dinkelman | Second Base | Born: 11/10/83 | Throws: Right | Bats: Left | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 200 lbs.

Brian Dinkelman was taken with the 246th pick of the 2006 draft. This 8th round draft choice made the jump from Low-A to Advanced-A in '07 and might have been able to play a little for the New Britain Rock Cats, but he hit a snag in the Florida State League. His home run and RBI's totals were very similar in both of his stops, but his average and OPS both took big hits with the jump. Before his second-half slump, he was becoming one of the Twins top infield prospects, and I think he still has quite a bit of upside. If the Twins stick with him at second base, he could have a bright future with good power and good plate discipline. However his age for his level is probably his biggest downfall. He'll likely be in New Britain this season, and hopefully can make it to Rochester whenever there is an opening in the infield.

.....ETA: 2009

42. Cole Devries | Pitcher | Born: 2/12/85 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'1'' | Weight: 200 lbs.

Cole Devries was signed as a non-drafted free agent after pitching for the Minnesota Gophers. This Eden Prairie native pitched very well for the Beloit Snappers in '07 and looks to be a prospect who could ride quickly through the system. He posted a good 9-5 record to go along with a 3.41 ERA through 148 innings to help the Snappers make it to the playoffs. He will likely start the season in Fort Myers, but should end up in New Britain when a spot opens up.

.....ETA: 2010

43. Zach Ward | Pitcher | Born: 1/14/84 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'3'' | Weight: 235 lbs.

Zach Ward was acquired by the Twins in a trade with the Reds which sent pitcher Kyle Lohse to Cincinnati. He had a rough year in the Florida State League in '07. He posted a respectable 4.08 ERA, but a lack of run support by one of the worst offenses in the league, made him a 17 game loser. He still posted a 7.41 K/9 ratio, but he allowed batters to hit .260 against him. He was very good before the All-Star break, and was pretty dreadful after, which is something he'll have to work on this season in either the Eastern League or if he should need to repeat the Florida State League.

.....ETA: 2010

44. Matt Macri | Infield | Born: 5/29/82 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'2'' | Weight: 200 lbs.

Matt Macri was acquired last summer in a trade with the Rockies for Ramon Ortiz. Primarily viewed as a third baseman, he's also played his fair share at both second base and short stop. He will likely be a solid utility bench player in his career, but some view him as being better than Brian Buscher at this point. I have to disagree. Buscher showed quite a bit of promise with the Twins, however he needs work on his defense. Macri only has a handful of at bats in Triple-A, but looked lost at the plate, besides being able to crack a few home runs in his limited time. I think that he's not too far behind Buscher, but I don't see him having the edge just yet.

.....ETA: 2010

45. Angel Morales | Outfielder | Born: 11/24/89 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 185 lbs.

Morales was the Twins' 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft out of Puerto Rico. He's considered the highest regarded Puerto Rican to come to the U.S. since Carlos Beltran, and many compare him to the All-Star center fielder as well. Unfortunately for Morales, the biggest factor that may stunt his growth is not necessarily his own talent, but the surplus of outfielders the Twins have in the lower-levels of the minors. He probably is not ready for Beloit just yet, but he already has been labeled the "best outfield arm" in the Twins system, according to BaseballAmerica.com. He will probably end up in extended spring training this season, and will probably wind up with the Elizabethton Twins. He's only 18-years-old, so there's no rush for him. A season in the competitive Appy League will probably be best for him.

.....ETA: 2010

46. Anthony Slama | Pitcher | Born: 1/6/84 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'4'' | Weight: 190 lbs.

Anthony Slama started '07 with the Elizabethton Twins, and after Rob Delaney was promoted, the Snappers needed a closer and called up Slama. Slama picked up where Delaney left off in the closing role, and he compiled 10 saves with a very good 1.48 ERA in 24.1 innings in the Midwest League. He also 'wowed' teams while striking out 14.42 per 9. He will probably start '08 with the Fort Myers Miracle.

.....ETA: 2010

47. Matt Tolbert | Infielder | Born: 5/4/82 | Throws: Right | Bats: Both | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 177 lbs.

Matt Tolbert was one of the Twins top minor leaguers last season, before he had a late-season drop off which lowered his statistics significantly. Early in the summer, the Twins planned on moving Tolbert to third base in hopes that he'd become a serviceable replacement for the struggling Nick Punto. However, the emergence of Brian Buscher and the promotion of Tommy Watkins derailed that scenario and he seemed to let it affect his play. Many fans were extremely optimistic of Tolbert and many thought he'd become the Twins long-term answer at third base. He will likely never be an everyday player in the majors, but he does project to be a relatively good option off the bench as a utility infielder and hopefully a better offensive version of what Luis Rodriguez provided for us.

.....ETA: 2008

48. Rene Leveret | First Base | Born: 11/19/85 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'2'' | Weight: 224 lbs.

I know I could probably catch some 'heat' with projecting Rene Leveret so low. And rightfully so, he was a major contributor to the Elizabethton Twins season success by hitting .307/.399/.463 with 8 home runs and 65 RBI's. I fail to see him having a successful career in the majors though, as it took him 3 years to make one of the minor league rosters, after playing on the Dominican League team for 3 years. He has a nice bat, but playing first base limits his upside. If he can cash in a good year in the Midwest League, I think we could all see him climb the charts a considerable amount.

.....ETA: 2010

49. Rob Delaney | Pitcher | Born: 9/8/84 | Throws: Left | Bats: Right | Height: 6'3'' | Weight: 225 lbs.

Rob Delaney had a remarkable season in '07. He started with the Beloit Snappers and compiled a ridiculous 28 saves while maintaining a very low 0.77 ERA through 46.2 innings. He moved up to the Florida State League and continued his dominance with 7 saves in 23.1 innings. He averaged more than 10 strikeouts every 9 innings in both of his stops in '07. If he can have another fantastic season in '08 like he did in '07, we could all see him near the top 10 come this time next year.

.....ETA: 2010

50. Steven Tolleson | Infield | Born: 11/1/83 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 5'10'' | Weight: 180 lbs.

Steven Tolleson was selected by the Twins in the 5th round of the 2005 draft. He's never been able to live up to the hype after he was drafted, however he's slowly progressed through the Twins system and put up some fairly respectable numbers at Fort Myers this season over the last year and a half. One thing that you could say that Tolleson has going for him is his good discipline at the plate. He's walked 156 times opposed to 182 strikeouts in nearly 1,000 AB's at the minor league level, definitely could improve, but still nice to see that out of a minor leaguer. His speed allowed him to steal 27 bases this last season, but he did ground into 10 double plays. He should start the season in New Britain.

.....ETA: 2009

51. Matt Moses | Third Base | Born: 2/20/85 | Throws: Right | Bats: Left | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 210 lbs.

Matthew Moses was the Twins' 21st pick in the first round of the 2003 draft. He had minimal success before reaching Ft. Myers as a 20 year old when he hit .306 with an .829 OPS and 7 home runs in 265 AB's. He still poses quite a bit of power in his bat, but his horrible plate discipline and low career OBP of .312 has held him down. He also has struggled to find a position in the infield and has been a liability at third base. The Twins may choose to move him to second base this season, however his "top propsect" status is diminishing very fast (even though he's going to be only 23) and unless he gets off to a good start in New Britain (or Rochester), he will likely be casted aside for incoming players who are rising through the system.

.....ETA: 2008

52. Brad Tippett | Pitcher | Born: 2/11/88 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'2'' | Weight: 176 lbs.

Brad Tippett is a non-drafted free agent who signed on January 4th, 2006 out of Australia. He has been a reliever through both levels of rookie league, and has faired well in both. He allowed only 4 walks through 38 innings while striking out 51 in '07. He had a sub 1.00 ERA as well and allowed only 1 home run on 20 total hits. He will most likely be a reliever through his career, however he's been known to pitch 2 or 3 innings at a time while holding other teams to minimal damage. He's only 20 years old, so the Twins will not rush him at all through the minors. He'll likely be in Beloit this season, but could move up fairly quickly if he continues to dominate his opponents.

.....ETA: 2012

53. Danny Rondon | Pitcher | Born: 6/21/88 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 161 lbs.

Danny Rondon was signed by the Twins out of Venezuela and was selected to the Rookie League All-Star team in 2007. He had a good season with the GCL Twins team as a 19-year-old in '07 and compiled a respectable 1.14 ERA through 23.2 innings. He also struck out 16, but walked 11 en route to picking up 12 saves. His K/BB rate is alarming, however he's still young and will likely get better control of his fastball before he comes close to making the major leagues. He should be ready to pitch for the Beloit Snappers this season, but may be in Elizabethton. We'll have to wait and see with this one.

.....ETA: 2012

54. Daniel Berlind | Pitcher | Born: 12/3/88 | Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'7'' | Weight: 210 lbs.

"Big Berlind" was drafted by the Twins out of L.A. Pierce College with the 242nd overall pick in the 2007 draft. This 7th round pick has a great frame and was able to dominate the GCL this season as a 19-year-old. He compiled a 6-2 record while holding a respectable 1.92 ERA. His size suggest that he'll add more to his fastball which currently sits around 90 MPH. He is more so a ground ball pitcher, which may surprise people with his frame. However if he can add a little velocity, he should have good success through the Twins system. Don't expect him to sit low on my prospect list for long, he can climb my list quite a bit with a solid season in '08.

.....ETA: 2012

55. Greg Yersich | Catcher | Born: 10/7/86 |Throws: Right | Bats: Right | Height: 6'0'' | Weight: 205 lbs.

Greg Yerisch was drafed by the Twins in the 7th round of the 2005 draft (225th overall). He had a lot of success for the Elizabethton Twins in 2007 as he hit .312/.373/.409 with 14 extra base hits and 30 RBI's. He'll likely start the season as the Beloit Snappers starting catcher, but with success in the first half of the season, we could be seeing him in Ft. Myers before the end of the season. I expect him to move up fairly quickly. He's another guy I don't expect to sit in the 50's for long on my prospect list. He will likely climb a substantial number this season if he can duplicate anything near his number in Elizabethton.

.....ETA: 2011

Let me know your thoughts!

A little something to chew on...

I got an e-mail from a very trusted baseball 'mind' (you all know who he is, but sorry I can't tell you) who's covered the Mets-Twins trade through he entire process.

Here's what I asked:

Well I'm mostly shocked that the Twins couldn't get Fernando Martinez or Mike Pelfrey from the Mets. Instead they had to settle for a package that was supposedly offered nearly a month ago. I just can't see how the Twins not only couldn't get one of those players substituted in the deal, but at least another mid-level prospect.

He responded:

Well Martinez was there for the Twins to grab, but it would've cost them both Gomez and Guerra, and the Twins are very high on Guerra. The Twins also views Martinez as a corner outfielder, and although they have a few center fielders in the system, they already have the corners locked for a few years. The Mets viewed a Martinez, Humber, Mulvey deal to be equal to the Red Sox offer of Ellsbury, Lowrie and Masterson, which I'm not sure was on the table on Tuesday. Omar never wanted to give up Pelfrey, and I don't believe the Twins ever asked about him.

Just something to chew on, I guess.

Santana Agrees to Contract

Earlier this evening, Johan Santana agreed to a contract extension with the Mets worth $137,500,000 million over 6 years. The total amount of his contract will be $150,750,000 over 7 years (including his $13,250,000 salary for 2008). The only thing that is holding this thing from being completely done is Santana's physical which is supposed to be done sometime on Saturday.

I personally hope that he he has a great career in a Mets uniform and can help them reach the World Series this season. I'm definitely a bigger Mets 'fan' than I already was. And they were one of my favorite teams to begin with.

Best of luck, Mets fans. You're getting a very good player and I know you'll all be loving him for years.

Twins interested in veteran pitching?

Good morning. Yesterday, I mentioned that the Twins would not surprise me if they decided to sign a free agent pitcher to come in here and eat up some innings. In particular, I mentioned Josh Fogg being a possible player of interest, and later both Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press and La Velle E. Neal III of the Start Tribune both suggested this as well. Neal also said that John Thompson is another possibility.

This (like I said yesterday) does not surprise me that they'd show interest in a veteran pitcher. Remember, we're going to be relying on two pitchers (Boof Bonser & Scott Baker) this season who've had 48 starts apiece in their careers. Kevin Slowey has only 11 career starts. Those three are all expected to be in the rotation come opening day. Who is going to fill out the rest of the rotation is anyones guess. There should be a healthy competition between these following players:

Glen Perkins, Phil Humber, Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing

That is definitely a good group of young pitchers. I expect Liriano to make the rotation, however I would be more comfortable seeing him in the bullpen to begin the season. Thompson has been pretty unimpressive in his career. He's won only 43% of his 216 career games (212 starts) while posting a 4.68 ERA. He's an injury waiting to happen, so signing him to a guaranteed contract before he could earn a spot in Spring Training would be foolish. Fogg would likely be able to come in here and give us 170 innings next season, but with a career ERA of 4.90 I think I'd rather just see the Twins go with our young core of pitchers. And it looks like Ron Gardenhire feels the same way:

"There are some veterans out there coming off injuries and so forth that we could take a look at, but we've tried that route," Gardenhire said. "I would rather take my shot with some of these young guys than some of the guys coming off injuries.

"We really haven't seen people out there that are better than our young guys. We've got a young lineup and some young pitchers and there is no sense that they can't go together. We have to give some of those young guys a chance, and they can help us."

(Thanks to "Neckrolls" from Sense from Center for the quote)

That quote is encouraging, however it just doesn't seem right that the Twins won't go out and add a veteran starting pitcher to come in and compete. I also want to reiterate something I said yesterday as well, don't sleep on Zach Day in Spring Training. He has quite a few starts under his belt (60) and some could argue that his overall numbers in both the majors and minors are better than Josh Fogg's and he's signed to probably a fraction of what Fogg is looking at. Despite what Gardenhire said, he'll always prefer veterans over rookies and I just can't say that I'd be at all surprised if we either signed a free agent or a guy like Day makes the rotation out of Spring Training.

Have a good weekend. I might post something on Saturday or Sunday, but I'm hoping to post my "Top 50 Twins Prospects" list on Monday. (Keep your fingers crossed).

Where are we at?

Good morning. Yesterday was a pretty depressing day. I've kept my optimism, but it's never easy to lose a player like Johan Santana. That's the second big sports star the great state of Minnesota has lost in the last 6 months (Kevin Garnett the other) and I just can't say that I'm happy, regardless to the fact that I see everything working out in the long run.

The Twins have gotten a completely new look this off-season.

Loses	Additions
Johan Santana, LHP	Delmon Young, OF
Carlos Silva, RHP	Carlos Gomez, OF
Matt Garza, RHP	Deolis Guerra, RHP
Torii Hunter, OF	Adam Everett, SS
Jason Bartlett, SS	Phillip Humber, RHP
Eduardo Morlan, RHP	Kevin Mulvey, RHP
Jason Tyner, OF	Jason Pridie, OF
Lew Ford, OF	Brendan Harris, 2B
Luis Rodriguez, 3B	Craig Monroe, OF
Chris Heintz, C	Mike Lamb, 3B

And you could even argue that Francisco Liriano could be under "Additions" as he missed all of the 2007 season due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. However under "Loses" that list may soon have another prominent Twin player on that list. The team now has to make a decision on Joe Nathan. They can trade him to a contender for maybe one or two high-end prospects, you can try to re-sign him (imagine the uproar from fans if we re-signed Nathan over Santana), or they could just simply let him walk at the end of the season and receive two high draft choices in return. I doubt Bill Smith will trade him now, but if they do attempt to re-sign him and it fails, I hope they choose to trade him instead of just letting him walk. As nice as it is to get multiple high-end draft picks, I'd rather get guys who are closer to the majors who can help us out in '09 or '10 when we begin to regain our "swagger" in the tough A.L. Central.


But back to 2008, here is what this seasons payroll looks like after the trade of Johan Santana:

	Starting Lineup
Pos.	Player	Type	Salary (Approx.)
C	Joe Mauer	C	$6,250,000
1B	Justin Morneau	C	$7,400,000
2B	Brendan Harris	S	$460,000
3B	Mike Lamb	C	$3,200,000
SS	Adam Everett	C	$2,800,000
LF	Delmon Young	C	$700,000
CF	Carlos Gomez	S	$460,000
RF	Michael Cuddyer	C	$5,000,000
DH	Jason Kubel	A	$1,300,000
		Total	$27,570,000
	Bench
Pos.	Player	Type	Salary (Approx.)
C	Mike Redmond	C	$950,000
2B	Nick Punto	C	$2,400,000
3B	Brian Buscher	S	$460,000
OF	Jason Pridie	S	$460,000
OF	Craig Monroe	A	$3,820,000
		Total	$8,090,000
	Starting Rotation
Pos.	Player	Type	Salary (Approx.)
S1	Scott Baker	S	$460,000
S2	Boof Bonser	S	$460,000
S3	Francisco Liriano	S	$460,000
S4	Kevin Slowey	S	$460,000
S5	Nick Blackburn	S	$460,000
		Total	$2,300,000
	Bullpen
Pos.	Player	Type	Salary (Approx.)
CL	Joe Nathan	C	$6,000,000
SU	Matt Guerrier	A	$950,000
SU	Pat Neshek	S	$460,000
LO	Dennys Reyes	C	$1,000,000
MR	Juan Rincon	A	$2,480,000
MR	Jesse Crain	C	$1,050,000
		Total	$11,940,000
	2008 Total: Contracts		$8,550,000
	2008 Total: Arbitration		$36,750,000
	2008 Total: Serf		$4,600,000
	2008 Totals:		$49,900,000

And remember, in terms of competition at starting pitching, you also have to include: Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Zach Day (gag me), Brian Bass, Phil Humber and even Kevin Mulvey could all be in competition for a spot in spring training. I list Day for obvious reasons that he's a veteran and Ron Gardenhire is our manager.

Right now, the Twins definitely have a weakness in starting pitching, but they have so much depth that they'll be able to correct any problems they may have from within. At least I think that's what management is going to be hoping. But it would not surprise me to see the Twins go look at a veteran pitcher or two who could come in here and "mentor" some of our young arms. Now, that's not what I'd like to see, but it's what Gardenhire likes to do and I see the team looking into free agency to see if there's anyone worth their time. But remember that they did sign both Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson last year, so anyone is probably "worth their time". I don't see the team signing a pitcher who's looking for $10 million per season like Kyle Lohse or Livan Hernandez (although Hernandez wouldn't be horrible, but I think signing Lohse is at -100%... if that's at all possible), and I'm praying that they don't try and sign a rehab experiment in either Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon. I actually wasn't against signing Garcia to a low-cost deal, but many don't feel he'll be ready to pitch until mid-season and that's still being optimistic. Anyways, I think signing a guy like Josh Fogg wouldn't be a horrible addition. We also have the possiblity of trading one or two of our young pitching prospects for a solid veteran who could eat innings for us. However, I think I'd rather just see what the young arms have got. (Edit: Looks like Charley Walters also thinks Fogg might be a good fit.)

Another thing this team could still potentially do is sign a free agent center fielder such as Kenny Lofton or Corey Patterson. Now, I don't expect this as much as I'd expect them looking for an arm, but many don't feel that Gomez is ready to play everyday in the majors. I personally would not like to see him platoon in center field with either Jason Pridie or Denard Span. If we give him the reigns at all, I'd like to see him out there everyday without having to share at bats.

Obviously the Twins are well below the project payroll for 2008 which was thought to be close to $80 million. At the Twins current prices, the team looks like they're going to be sitting in a great place when the 2009 free agents come out which is thought to have a strong offensive group of players like Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira and possibly even Carl Crawford (although I doubt it). The team could also look at a few intriguing pitchers, however I'd rather just let our young pitchers go at it for a couple years. I just like that if the team wants to make a splash in free agency, they could. It's a nice feeling to have.

This team is almost unrecognizable and I think that's not a horrible thing. Obviously we had success with a small payroll for the last few years, but those players who had significant roles in those years are gone and it's the beginning of new Twins baseball!

I want to be apart of it...

New York, New York...


As I know you've heard, the Twins have decided to trade Johan Santana to the Mets. Unless the Mets cannot agree to a contract to sign Santana, this thing is done. In return, the Twins will reportedly get 4 prospects who many have mixed feelings for. Those players are outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Deolis Guerra, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey. Gomez and Guerra are the key players in the package, however Guerra is a few years away and Gomez is unlikely to contribute a lot this season although he likely we be the Twins starting center fielder come opening day.

I really don't know how I feel about this trade. My gut reaction is "DAMN YOU BILL SMITH!", but you can't just blame Smith on this issue. He did what we had to do, trade him. I more so blame Jim Pohlad (owner Carl Pohlad's son) for not re-signing Santana. Jim Pohlad is the equivalent to New York's Hank Steinbrenner in that he's not the official owner, however he mainly runs the team. Pohlad could've worked something out. We just re-sign Justin Morneau & Michael Cuddyer to long-term deals. As much as I love both of them, how can you let the best pitcher in the league leave, while you concentrated on signing two average-above average players at their respected positions? Especially when those positions can be filled much better than a #1 pitcher. Really, I put more blame on Pohlad. He did offer him a 4-year $80 million deal, however he wanted a 6-year deal. I really think a 5-year deal worth $105-110 and possible options for years 6 and 7 would've been enough. But we may never know.

The Twins fielded offers from the three teams in the "hunt" for Santana, which includes the Yankees, Red Sox and of course the Mets. The Yankees supposedly dropped out of the competition, the Red Sox reportedly offered the same two packages that have been rumored for about the last two months, and the Twins accepted a Mets offer which was also offered about a month ago. Personally, out of all the reported offers, I preferred the Jacoby Ellsbury package by the Red Sox.

This trade definitely focuses on the future and that's really always been the Twins philosophy. The Twins aren't looking at competing this season, especially as the rest of the AL (specifically the AL Central) have improved immensely. Instead, the Twins will now choose to focus on competing in a year or two as the team prepares to open the new stadium. Sure this kind of move is extremely risky as the Twins are both risking that none of these players turn out, and not putting enough people in the seats leading up to the opening of the new stadium and that is not what the team wanted, I'm sure. But really, the team had nothing else they could've done but trade him if they weren't going to re-sign him. Letting him walk after the season and letting him sign with a team of his choice and receiving two draft picks would've been much worse than getting a few high-potential prospects for him and letting him switch to the National League.

Now, I will admit that I'm shocked the Twins couldn't get the Mets to include top prospect Fernando Martinez, especially since the Red Sox were offering arguably their top prospect in Ellsbury, who's hands down a better player than Gomez as of right now. Guerra and Jed Lowrie (who was another rumored player in one of the Red Sox packages) would essentially cancel each other out as both are highly regarded prospects. I just don't understand how two back-end starting pitchers would've been able to make the Twins choose the Mets deal over the Red Sox. And don't forget, there was another one (possibly two) player(s) that was reportedly being offered along with Ellsbury and Lowrie and it was rumored to be another highly-regarded prospect by the name of Justin Masterson. I really think that moving Santana to the National League had enough value in itself to make the Twins choose a Mets package, I really do. I don't blame the Mets for not including Martinez, actually I applaud them, but from the Twins standpoint, I just don't see how they couldn't have snatched another player in the deal such as Ryan Church, Joe Smith, or Aaron Heilman. If Mets GM Omar Minaya allowed one of those players to stand in the way of a deal, I think that he would've been scrutinized in New York by the media and fans to such a point, that he probably would've been done as GM after the season if it didn't result in a big October.

I can't even begin to speculate who won this trade. Obviously right now, it looks like the Twins were robbed, but that will remain to be seen. The Mets after trading away 4 of their top 5 prospects will now have to turn around and sign Santana to a record-setting contract worth somewhere between $20 and $25 million annually. That's a big risk regardless of the pitcher.

I do have to say that I am truly relieved that this thing is all over (hopefully) and that it's going to be nice to finally move on with the rest of the off-season and try to get ready for the 2008 season. The Twins have a lot of young players to be excited about. Gomez, as well as Delmon Young and the return of Francisco Liriano are all reasons to be optimistic about this teams future. However I'm sure I'm probably the only person on earth who's actually still at all optimistic about this team as we've lost our top 3 starting pitchers and arguably our best offensive producer the team has.

Call me crazy, but I do see grass greener on the other side. It's going to be a long and ugly process to see this team back in contention, but I truly see this thing working out in the end.

Monday Tidbits

Good morning. There's not a whole lot to talk about right now, so I'm just going to give some thoughts on a couple items and re-direct you to other things that I find a bit interesting.

• Mark Healey feels the Dodgers may creep into the picture for Johan Santana. We can only hope. Also got word that the Angels have been having "ongoing discussions" with the Twins revolved around Santana, but what the Twins want would "gut out our team" which is what I was told Angels Manager Mike Scoiscia said. But since I haven't seen anything else that supports this claim, I'm not going to put a whole lot into it. I was told that it's what Scoiscia said on the radio last night in LA (KLAA 830 AM), but I'm sure somebody would've picked up on it by now if that's exactly what he said. We'll have to wait and see though, nothing would please Twins fans more than to see another team jump in and sweep the Twins off their feet with an offer they can't refuse. Well, I guess re-signing him would make them happy as well.

• Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com gives us his thoughts on the Santana trade front that now seems to be just between the Mets & Red Sox. He tells us what the Twins should get in the result of a potential Erik Bedard trade. Make sure to check that out.

• Aaron Gleeman continues with his top 40 prospect list. My list should be coming out in the next couple weeks (hopefully), so just sit tight. Baseball America has also released the Twins top 30 prospect list. It's a little bit of older news (sorry), but make sure to check that out as well.

• Twin Cities Dugout has a nice interview with Twins pitching prospect Matthew Fox. They also recently did one with Liam Hendricks as well.

• Speaking of interviews, check out SethSpeaks latest Q&A with John Manuel of Baseball America. He defends his Twins top 30 prospect list as well give us some insight on some of the players. Also make sure to check out his experience at TwinsFest.

• Joshua Taylor continues with his "Pre-Pre-Season Predictions". This time, he's in the N.L. Central.

• Boof Bonser lost over 20 lbs., and he seems ready to get this season going. (Aren't we all)

• Some good news coming from a few of out injured pitchers of 2007. Both Francisco Liriano and Jesse Crain feel "better than ever" and both are ready to help this team out in '08. I have to be honest, even with both of them feeling confident that they'll be able to help this team out, I'm less optimistic. I don't expect much from either this season, and Liriano needs to let the team take it slow with his recovery. I think that starting him in either the bullpen or Ft. Myers would be the best options. Starting him in Rochester would seem ideal, however I'd prefer to keep him in a warmer climate or play indoors for at least the first month or so of the season. After the snow melts and the temperatures get about 70, then I'd let him start in Rochester. Lets just hope that his "illness" over the weekend at TwinsFest (with an early exit Saturday, and a no-show on Sunday) was in fact just an illness and not a sore elbow from signing autographs. But it seems as if a few players were ill. Crain is recovering from a "slightly" torn labrum and rotator cuff. Still, any pitcher that has surgery to repair labrum problems is very unlikely to come back effective at all, let alone in his first year back. But I'll hope that he proves me wrong.

• Brendan Harris discusses the possibility of leading off in the order.

How would this effect any Santana trade?

Good morning. Last night, a report broke that the Orioles and Mariners have potentially agreed to a trade that would send Erik Bedard to Seattle in exchange for a package headlined by young, prized outfielder Adam Jones.

I haven't seen a report of who else would be included, but if this is true, it should be out shortly. Bedard is supposed to travel to Baltimore on Monday to complete a physical and Adam Jones has been told to be in Baltimore as well tomorrow to complete a physical, leaving behind his Venezuelan Winter League team before game four of the finals. Jones responded with, "It sucks..." when told that he wouldn't be able to play with his team.

This trade is just another that has been discussed for the majority of the off-season. Bedard along with Dan Haren would be two pitchers on the hill of new teams come opening day. They may not be the only two, most reports suggest that the Twins will trade Johan Santana as well, but besides the speculation those talks have not really gone anywhere in the last month or so. But Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (hold your enthusiasm) suggests that a trade "is expected to occur within 10 days." Honestly, I'll believe it when I see it.

The Athletics got a "mother load" of prospects in return for Haren, and it's expected that the Orioles will get a fair amount of prospects for Bedard as well. One of the reasons that these teams have been able to get so much in return is because both of these players have more than one year remaining on their contracts, something that Santana does not. Bedard is often considered one of the best left-handers in the American League, but many consider Santana the best.

Bedard, 28, is not eligible for free agency until 2010, but it's expected that the Mariners will work on a deal with him to stay in Seattle, long-term. Despite ending the season on the disabled list, Bedard put up great numbers for a pretty horrid team.

Level        G      W        L      ERA        IP       K      BB     K/9

MLB         28     13        5     3.16     182.0     221      57   10.93

Those numbers are very good, and without being injured, he may have been in contention to win the American League Cy Young Award. He will be Baltimore's second big-name player to leave via trade this season, the first was shortstop Miguel Tejada. And some don't expect them to be done. The Orioles have been linked to trade rumors that would send second baseman Brian Roberts to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for another solid group of prospects. Bedard has also been linked to those rumors as well, in speculation to a possible 7-2 player exchange.

Jones, a 22-year-old center fielder is considered to be a very complete prospect and has a lot of potential. His upside has been compared to that of Andruw Jones during his good years with the Braves. He has a lot of potential both on offense which could help him become a 30 home run threat, and on defense which he may be able to grab a few Gold Gloves during his prime. He is the same type of player the Twins would like to headline their return trade for Santana.

Level        G     AB      AVG      OBP       SLG     OPS      HR     RBI

AAA         67    420     .314     .382      .586    .968      25      84

MLB         16     65     .246     .300      .400    .700       2       4

With two pitchers already reportedly off the market, teams that are looking for a potential #1 pitcher for their rotation will now (hopefully) be looking at Santana of the Twins. That includes the Mets, who've reportedly been after Bedard since he was rumored to be available. The Mets have also been linked to free agents such as Livan Hernandez and Kyle Lohse, but neither will be more than inning-eaters for them. Many feel that the Mets are the "front runners" to landing Santana, but it's unsure to what extent. The Twins have reportedly said they would accept a deal right now if the Mets would add young outfielder Fernando Martinez to a 4 player package, but that's easier said than done. I find it hard to believe that the Mets would just add their top prospect to an offer that they have felt is fair enough. The two seem to be in a staring match.

The Mets may have to find a way to get Santana now, as they have more of a need for a top-of-the-rotation starter with uncertainties surrounding Pedro Martinez as he missed the majority of the 2007 season. The other teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox that have been linked to Santana, don't seem to be in as dire of a need for an ace. The Mets may now need to come to reality that Martinez is the player that is holding this thing up, and I'm not suggesting that they need to do the reported 5-1 trade that's been floated around, but adding Martinez and taking out a player such as Carlos Gomez or Deolis Guerra is probably what's going to need to happen.

The Twins may have been given a little bit of boost in leverage if this Bedard trade is true, but I'm not sure if it's the amount of leverage that will help them get a deal done, at least any sooner. We're going to have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, everyone is tired of hearing about Santana rumors with contradicting reports that come out every day.

Look who's sticking around, TwinsFest

Hey everyone. I got a little side-tracked yesterday and didn't get to follow up on the post of both Michael Cuddyer & Justin Morneau agreeing to long-term deals. My apologies.

• First, Morneau signed a 6-year $80 million deal. It'll ultimately take him 3 years past free agency and will make him 33 when the deal is complete. He'll still make $7.4 million this season (which he agreed to a deal last week to avoid arbitration), $10.6 million in '09, and $14 million from '10-'13.

Morneau's deal is the largest in Twins history.

• Second, Cuddyer's deal is worth $24 million over 3 years. He also has a $10.5 million club option for 2011. He's set to make $5 million in 2008, $6.75 million for 2009 and $8.5 million for 2010.

Twins fans have to feel happy about these signings. Neither players salaries will hold the Twins down, financially, and it's going to be nice to see both signed when the new stadium opens up. The signings came as a shock to everyone as they were very quite and nobody knew of them until they were completed. And everyone expected the team to wait until after they made their decision on what they intend to do with Johan Santana. The generally feeling is that this is most likely a sign the Twins will not re-sign their two-time Cy Young winner, but you never know. I'm surprised to see Morneau get $80 million, not that he's not worth it, but I'm surprised to see the Twins sign a player to a deal like that (both in length, and amount), so perhaps Twins owner Carl Pohlad has given the Twins the green light on re-signing current players? Probably not. Most people expected both of these two to be signed to long-term deals, it's just surprising it was done before the club made a decision on Santana. But I would like to think that the Twins could and may re-sign Santana, even if it is a slim chance. Joe Nathan also is looking for a long-term deal, and I'd be thrilled to see both of them signed as well, however that's an extremely slim chance.

• I got an opportunity to check out TwinsFest last night. I got many autographs, mainly the minor league players, though. However I did get Delmon Young's and Cuddyer's and found out that Young will likely be wearing #21 for all of those out there who's thinking of getting a jersey of one of the newest Twins.

I went down to the prospects booth and got a chance to chat with Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net a bit. He was also getting graphs of the MiLB players.

I got a chance to talk to both Denard Span and Jeff Manship a bit (both did Q&A's for the site previously, so make sure to check them out on the left side of the page). Span's really a great guy and I really have big hopes for him this year. I know many fans out there have lost hope in him, but I haven't yet and I hope he gets a fair shot to claim center field in Spring Training. Manship's also a great guy and I'm happy I got a chance to talk to him as well. Trevor Plouffe & Joe Benson were joking around a lot and making Twins fans feel really comfortable. Really all the prospects were pretty cool guys and I'm glad to get all of their autographs.

I also got a chance to meet Bill Smith and no, I did not even both to ask him about anything with Johan Santana (didn't feel like getting the "I can't comment on that right now" reply), but he's really excited about the new stadium. And honestly, I wasn't as impressed with all the photos of the stadium as I was when I saw the 3-D model and the presentation done on a big screen down on the field. I'm definitely even more excited to get this thing built than I was before. (And yes, I was impressed with it before, but that feeling definitely was nothing as how I feel about it now)

All in all, it was a pretty good day for both me and the Twins.

Cuddyer & Morneau agree to long-term deals.

Just found out that the Twins have signed Justin Morneau & Michael Cuddyer to long-term deals.

Source

If this report is true, this is truly a great day for Twins fans! I'll try to post something when the reports are confirmed.