WE'VE MOVED!!!

It's time to change your bookmarks, reset your RSS feeds, and move your favorite links to TWINSMVB.COM - the new home to The Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger!

Please tell your friends, family, and baseball fans about the new blog location and thank you for the support. We thank Blogger for a great year of blogging and promise an even better 2009 season at twinsmvb.com!

Reyes future will soon be clearer

UPDATE!

As of 4:13 pm, Joe C. of the Star Tribune announced that the Twins DID offer Dennys Reyes arbitration. Big Denny has until this Sunday to either accept or decline the offer. If declined the Twins will receive a draft pick from whatever team signs Reyes.

The Twins have a decision to make today regarding the future status of relief pitcher Dennys Reyes. Monday at 11 PM marks the deadline to offer arbitration to any eligible players.

The team must decide to either offer arbitration and determine the salary of a one year deal, offer arbitration and if Reyes signs elsewhere receive a draft pick as compensation, or simply allow Reyes to walk with no compensation. Of course, the Twins could also not offer Reyes arbitration and then try to resign Reyes later.

I believe the Twins will offer arbitration today to Reyes and I think they should. The Twins certainly value their draft picks and if Reyes leaves an extra pick in next year's June draft would hopefully be put to go use. However, if Reyes accepts arbitration the Twins aren't stuck in a bad situation. The team would only be on the hook for a one year deal for a player who has been quite solid for the Twins bullpen for the past three years.

Twins fans and Reyes alike will have a clearer picture on his Major League future by 11 PM tonight.

Black Friday

As opposed to last year on this blog, I decided to take Thanksgiving off and instead celebrate Black Friday! Now let me assure you I do not celebrate this holiday constructed by consumerist America. You will not find me waking up at 3:00 am to get in a long line waiting to buy at flat screen TV at 30% off, but rather in the comforts of my chair I will write about which Twins I'm buying on great deals for 2009.

1. Kevin Slowey - This kid really impressed me in 2008 and I think he still has much improvement ahead of him. Buying Slowey is like purchasing that new grill for the family, it's an investment that will only get better with time. Slowey went 12-11 with a 3.99 ERA last year and given his pitching style surprisingly struck out 123 batters in 160 innings. He's a fly ball pitcher who gives up a fair amount of homeruns but makes sure he does it without runners on base. Most of all Slowey has great control walking just 24 batters and simply throwing strikes and letting his defense help him out. With Denard Span and Carlos Gomez both behind him for an entire season look to Slowey to post great numbers.

2. Jose Mijares - Mijares is like the new gadget that everyone has read is really cool, but haven't seen it yet. The 24 year old lefty pitched just 10 innings in the big leagues this year but made a big impression. His 10 innings were in pressure packed situations and the young Venezuelan not only showed great composure but the tenacity and confidence to go after hitters and trust his stuff. I know this is a risk with such little pro experience, but I think it'll be a good buy. Mijares will be in a good situation pitching in front of Joe Nathan and should have great success in his role if he keeps his confidence and nerves of steel.

3. Jason Kubel - Like Tickle Me Elmo it seems like Kubel is on this list every year, but last year he made sure his value was known and I expect nothing less in 2009. Kubel finally established himself with a healthy season getting 464 at bats in 141 games. Kubel had an 08 line of .272 with 20 HR and 78 RBI. Despite what seems like many disappointing seasons, Jason will still be just 26 at the start of the 2009 season. Kubel will have control of the DH position and should get to hit behind Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Look for the native South Dakotan to build on his 08 success with another solid year. I'm not expecting any ridiculous breakout year, but I think a .280/25/85 year is within reach.

4. Michael Cuddyer - If you can afford big purchases this holiday season you can't go wrong with a Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, or a Joe Nathan. With the poor economy I also can't afford a young project with high potential like a Carlos Gomez or a Delmon Young. So to do some discount shopping look to pick up a Michael Cuddyer at a reduced rate for 2009. His 2008 campaign was nothing less than a disappointment playing in just 71 games while batting .249 with just a .369 SLG%. However, I think Michael Cuddyer is too competitive and too good of an athlete to allow another disappoint year to drag him down. Yes, I agree that he'll never have seasons like 2006 year after year, but I expect a solid comeback in 2009. As long as Cuddyer is still in Minnesota and gets his fair share of at bats I think he'll start to produce some value based on his big contract.

That's my shopping list for great deals in 2009. Let's hope I get a good return on my investments!

And That Happened

Monday morning sportsfans and again a relatively quiet weekend on the baseball front. As the ESPN boys have noted (Gammons and Olney) CC Sabathia is in control of the free agent market. Because all GM's and player agents want to reach a deal at "fair market value" everyone is still waiting around to see where the fair market value will be.

Gammons says when Sabathia signs than it'll trickle down to AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, Mark Teixeira, and even Manny Ramirez. I did read one report on MLB Trade Rumors that Rafael Furcal is close to signing. The article is in Spanish but I'll link it anyways because Twins MVB has a surprisingly large percentage of Hispanic followers???

The article notes the rumored deal, from the Oakland A's, at four years $48 million. This seems like a pretty good signing if you ask me. I know I'd love to see Minnesota make a run for Furcal but I understand why they are not. The per year price would actually fit the Twins just fine especially considering Orlando Cabrera could command $10 million a season. However, Furcal does have a history of injuries and I don't think the Twins would want to go four years. Third base seems to be Bill Smith's focus as the moment but I think we'll know more next week during the GM meetings.

Finally, I leave you with another video to start of your week. My good friend Kate sent met this video and knew I would enjoy it. It comes all the way from Japan during MLB's season opener between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A's.



As I searched on YouTube the comments mentioned that the "announcer" in this video is actually John Mayer playing a joke because he apparently he hates baseball. I must admit I'm not a huge Mayer fan, especially because when I went to college everyone thought my name was John Mayer.... annoying.

If there are any huge John Mayer fans out there, feel free to confirm in the comments section of this is the real John Mayer.

Happy Birthday Twins MVB!

Dear Twins MVB fans and readers today is a day to celebrate. Twins Most Valuable Blogger is celebrating its' first birthday!

A year ago today, which was actually Thanksgiving Thursday, I wrote my first post about Torii Hunter signing with the Anaheim Angels. Funny how quickly things change in one year. Hunter seems like a thing of the past. In that first post I was writing about who will play centerfield, is Johan Santana going to stay a Twin, and how do the Twins rebound from a poor 2007.

Flash forward one year and it's Justin Morneau just missed out on MVP, who's going to play SS and 3B (which were also questions last year), and too bad we just missed the playoffs in 2008.

Doing this blog has been a great experience for me and I think the first year for the blog was a great succes. We had nearly 6,000 visitors in our first year (5,852 to be exact) and I'd like to thank every one of you for stopping by. The blog has continued to grow and evolve and I think we can get three times as many visitors in our 2nd year.

We have a few more exciting changes ahead this offseason for MVB so continue to come back, tell your friends, sign up for the RSS feed, link us on your blogs, and just spread the word about Twins MVB.

Thanks again sincerely to all our fans and readers and go Twins in 2009!

Blogs: In Plain English

Thanks to all who checked out my podcast appearance over at Seth Speaks. It's been a quiet week in baseball since the MVP awards were announced. Other than the Seattle Mariners naming their new manager Don Wakamatsu, Coco Crisp getting traded to Kansas City, and Mike Mussina announcing his retirement it's just been a few hushed rumors here and there.

The Twins did add eight players to their 40 man roster yesterday to prepare for the December 5th Rule 5 Draft. No big surprises here, but some good young player added to the 40 man.

Because of the quiet baseball week I want to take a moment to plug one of my favorite websites. The site is called Common Craft.com.

Common Craft is run by a husband and wife team out of their home in Seattle, WA. Their business model is in the art of explanation. I think the idea is brilliant! There is certainly information overload in today's global world and we all need a little explanation.

If you're reading this blog you probably understand what blogging is, but to get a taste of what Common Craft is check out Blogs: In Plain English...

In other news, I want to see how many, if any, Twins followers use the social connecting service, Twitter. Twitter is another one of my favorite websites and I want to use it to connect Twins fans on a whole new level. Check out the sidebar poll on the left and let me know whether or not you use Twitter. Then if you do use it feel free to leave your user name in the comments section, or if you don't feel comfortable simply email me at twinsmvb@gmail.com. Have a great Thursday!

Seth Speaks and Morneau Misses

MVB on Seth Speaks

An exciting opportunity took place last night as I made a guest podcast experience on Seth Stohs' Podcast. Check out Seth's blog here to listen to yours truly as well as author Tom Swift and Twins' Prospect Nick Papasan.

More on Seth Speaks

I highly recommend checking out the Seth's upcoming book release of the  Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2009. Seth is not only a fantastic contributor to the Twins blogging community but is the number one resource in my opinion when it comes to the Twins minor league system. Seth has tirelessly worked to put together this 77 page handbook with over 175 player profiles and a foreword by Twins pitcher, Pat Neshek. It's a great holiday gift for any casual or intense Twins fan!

Morneau Misses MVP

As I predicted yesterday, Justin Morneau missed out on his second MVP award finishing in 2nd place behind newly crowned AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia is a deserving winner but it's too bad Morneau came up a little short. Nonetheless, great to see Justin honored for his great season as well as Joe Mauer who finished 4th in the MVP voting. 

The M&M boys are undoubtedly the cornerstones of the Twins franchise and hopefully we'll get another MVP award between one of these guys.

Morneau for MVP?

We will see today at  1 pm EST. The honor would be a great one for Morneau who would join a small club of multi-MVP winners. However, I'm not feeling too optimistic about Justin's chances.

In no way a slight against Justin, the guy had an awesome season batting .300 with 23 homeruns and 129 RBIs, but I just feel like his stumble down the stretch will cost him this award. There is also a hot debate among Twins bloggers and writers if Morneau is even the MVP of his own team. As much as I like Justin, I happen to be in the Joe Mauer as team MVP camp and if any other MLB writers feel the same way it'll cost Morneau the award.

It's too bad because I feel like once Chicago's Carlos Quentin went down with injury the MVP was Morneau's to lose. Sadly, he did a pretty good job at trying to lose it down the stretch. It must be noted the Twins would not have even been in playoff contention if it weren't for their Canadian first baseman, but unfortunately in the final 10 games of the season Morneau batted just .135 with zero homeruns and only one RBI. He struck out nine times and just stopped coming up with the big hits that he had for the five months prior. It is no doubt that with the playoff pressure and talk of MVP Justin appeared to press a little at the plate but it's just too bad he couldn't have even hit just .200 with one or two homeruns and like five or six RBIs.

However, I'm not completely counting out Morneau. The American League race is wide open with Dustin Pedroia, Morneau, Carlos Quentin, Josh Hamilton, and Francisco Rodriguez all most likely receiving recognition. I think the winner will really come down to the 2nd and 3rd place votes. The numbers will be spread around and maybe like in 2006, Justin Morneau will come out the surprise MVP winner!

Countdown to Target Field

I was away for a few days and unable to post but thanks to DY21 for his post. However, when I returned home I had an interesting package in the mail from the Minnesota Twins. 

I was greeted with my season ticket renewal package, and look at the following little treat:

Only 504 days! It's just around the corner! Obviously my clock moves, but to honor the countdown we'll add a counter of our own here on the left sidebar and hope that this blog still exists by the time this clock hits zero. Here's to 504 more successful days!

Okay that is still a long time from now, but looking forward to next year is just as exciting. The Twins will be fielding a great team and it'll be a special year as the "final season" in the Metrodome. I'm planning on upgrading my season ticket plan from last year so look forward to a few free ticket giveaways on this blog is 2009!

In other Twins news, I'm going to wait and see on some of the recent Twins rumors until there is some more substance. But to catch you up, Twins Territory discusses the Twins "framework fo a deal" for free agent 3B Casey Blake. Aaron Gleeman discusses his affordable bullpen options for 2009.

A Foul Ball Story

It's a cold blistery Wednesday here in Minneapolis with snow lying the ground. I figured enough writing from me, so today I'm leaving you with a very, very funny video that came from a CBS nightly news story. 

I have to admit I never thought I would put Katie Couric on my blog, but hey everyone loves Katie! The following story is about one of the craziest fans you'll ever see at a Major League Baseball Game. This guy has caught over 3,000 foul balls at MLB games over his lifetime and when you watch this video, in my opinion, fans like this are what ruin the experience for thousands of wide-eyed kids. But who am I to say, I'm an obsessed fan who has a blog???

After you watch the video in the comments section write your most memorable foul ball story whether you caught a ball or nearly missed!

My 2008 NL Pitching Staff

When not writing here for Twins MVB I've been writing some articles over at sports fan site called Bleacher Report. I was asked to write a post about the top pitchers in the National League in 2008, thus the non-Twins theme. I thought I'd post it here as well...

In honor of the upcoming National League Cy Young Award I decided to play the role of GM and construct my Fantasy Rotation for the 2008 season. Hopefully this club could beat the Phillies...

ROTATION
C.C. Sabathia - Brewers
Tim Lincecum - Giants
Brandon Webb - Diamondbacks
Johan Santana - Mets
Cole Hamels - Phillies

BULLPEN
Carlos Marmol - Cubs
Kerry Wood - Cubs
Billy Wagner - Mets
Brad Lidge - Phillies

Sabathia - Although C.C. only played three months in the National League his impact was felt throughout the NL Central and on the playoff race. The burly lefty was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in his 17 Brewer starts. Seven of his 17 starts Sabathia pitched a complete game. He literally put the Brewers on his back and got them into the playoffs taking the ball on three days rest three starts in a row. This is the type of competitor I want on my club.

Lincecum* - The young righty had a great 2008 campaign on very poor San Francisco club. Lincecum finished 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a Major League-high 265 strikeouts. The 24-year-old pitched 227 innings for the Giants and who knows what is record would have been on a better club. I want this kid on my team.

Webb - The D'Backs ace seemed to falter down the stretch when his team needed him, but Webb is undeniably one of the bests arms in all of baseball. The former Cy Young winner went 22-7 with a 3.30 ERA and struck out 183 batters in 226.2 innings. Webb is a proven pitcher who takes the mound every five days and delivers his best performance possible.

Santana - The two time Cy Young winner who should have won three in a row with the Twins posted another Santana like season in his first year in the National League. The lefty went 16-7 and with better run support would have been a 20 game winner. Santana struck out 206 batters, pitched three complete games with one shutout, and lead the NL with a 2.53 ERA.

Hamels - The newly crowned World Series and NLCS MVP earned a spot on my team this October. Hamels proved himself a big game pitcher leading his team to a World Series title. The lefty went 14-10 in 2008 with a 3.09 ERA and 196 strikeouts.

Marmol - Carlos Marmol brings electric stuff onto the field when he comes out of bullpen. The righty often tops the radar gun at 100 mph and posted a 2.68 ERA. Marmol struck out a ridiculous 114 batters in 87.1 innings.

Wood - The only thing keeping Marmol from becoming the Cubs closer was Kerry Wood's All-Star season. Wood saved 34 games for the Cubs while posting a 3.26 ERA. Wood isn't the closer on my team, but when I need a strikeout I'll call one of my Cubs relievers.

Wagner - Billy brings both a lefthanded arm to my bullpen as well as a fiery veteran presence. Wagner struck out 27 for the Metropolitans and notched a salty 2.30 ERA.

Lidge - There is nothing more you can ask for in a closer than perfection. That's why Brade Lidge is the closer for my team. Lidge saved 41 of 41 games while posting a 1.90 ERA and picking up 92 K's in just 69.1 innings. If my team can get the lead to Lidge in the ninth inning, I like our chances to win.

*Lincecum is my pick for the 2008 NL Cy Young Award. This kid posted awesome numbers and his Giants were 22-12 in games that Lincecum pitched in as opposed to 50-78 is the rest of their games. We'll see what happens on Tuesday!

Mauer Goes Gold

For the second time this week I get to congratulate Joe Mauer on this blog. Yesterday the 25-year old Minnesota Golden Boy truly won gold. After winning his second batting title in 2008 Joe will have to find room in his trophy case for his 1st ever Gold Glove Award.

The Gold Glove Award often has the reputation of being biased towards players who are good at their position, but also do great things with the bat. Mauer certainly fits the bill, but really is a great defensive catcher and proved it this year with his numbers.

Mauer caught a career high 134 games behind the plate and refused to rest down the stretch during the playoff run putting on the pads and gear everyday. Mauer posted a .997 fielding percentage which ranked 1st in the American League. The award winner committed only three errors all year while throwing out 29 of 80 potential basestealers, a rate of 36% which ranks 2nd in the AL.

As usual Torii Hunter collected his 8th straight Gold Glove so it was good to see another Twin win the award after the perennial winner Hunter left. Mauer becomes just the second catcher to win the award in franchise history. Former great, Earl Battey, won the award twice in 1961 and 1962. As long as Joe stays healthy I have no reason to believe he won't win a few more Gold Gloves of his own.

With a 2008 season that ended in a batting title and a Gold Glove there is no denying that Joe Mauer is one of the best, if not the best, catchers in baseball!

Twins should consider Furcal

A week after the World Series is over it seems the list of free agents is nearly complete. There is one that I think the Twins should put a target on: Rafael Furcal.

Last season was nothing less than a disappointment for the speedy shorstop due to injuries. Although through 36 games, Furcal did bat .357 with 5 homeruns, 16 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases. This is certainly a small sample size but Furcal proved his value to the Dodgers when he returned at the end of the year for a playoff run. Through the first month of the season Furcal was the sparkplug at the top of LA's lineup getting on base and scoring runs. He brings a switch hit bat to the top of any lineup and a very solid glove at shortstop.

If Furcal has any interest, I think he and the Twins have a mutual fit. Furcal would fill the Twins vacancy at shortstop and take over as the team's leadoff hitter. Now I know many think we already have Denard Span, but Furcal is a proven leadoff hitter for many years and would allow Span to slide to the two hole. Yeah I like Alexi Casilla as much as you but he seemed to wear down at the end of the year and doesn't have a major league track record of production. With Furcal and Span at the top of the order those two can get on base, move runners over, and be RBIs for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau behind them. This would also allow young guys like Casilla and Carlos Gomez to hit eighth and ninth in the order. They could continue to develop and be productive speedsters at the bottom of the order with less pressure and more importantly less at bats. Furcal, Span, Casilla, and Gomez would reek havoc on the bases for opposing teams and make Twins hitters like Mauer, Morneau, Delmon Young, and Jason Kubel lick their chops in the middle of the order.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that after a short meeting between Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and Furcal's agent that Furcal may have to test the open market after originally thinking he would simply stay put in L.A. Furcal could command up to a four year deal if he hits the open market and given his injury history and age (31) this does provide some risks, but the Twins have the money and if they're willing to take a risk I think it can pay off big.

All I ask is if the Twins are considering signing Orlando Cabrera for three years at $30 million they should wake up and recognize the better investment of Furcal at four years at $40-42 millon. Bill Smith.... think about it!

Turn on the Hot Stove

With the World Series out of the way the 2009 Hot Stove season has officially begun. Here's one of my favorite baseball reporters, Buster Olney, starting up the stove...

In news that maybe only I care about, the Chicago White Sox declined an option of Ken Griffey Jr. leaving the 38-year old future Hall of Famer a free agent this offseason. With Griffey's rapidly declining numbers, a name still commanding somewhere around $6-8 million a year, and a (deserved) desire to play for a championship contender you got to wonder where Griffey will land this summer. Too bad he doesn't fit with the Twins in any way. I'd be the first in line to purchase that Griffey Twins jersey!

LEN III documents all the players that filed for free agency yesterday. As expected, Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, and Dennys Reyes file for the Twins. If I were a betting man, I'd guess that only Punto returns.

And now for something completely different...

MLB.com's Kelly Theiser got to take a tour of Target Field this week. Her article isn't too exciting, but it's worth checking out the two picture galleries to see the park start to shape.

Have a great Friday Twins fans!

Elmer Fudd and the Flap Caps

Has anyone else noticed the new hats with weather flaps sporting the field in this wet and wild World Series?

A few nights ago in Game 4 I noticed Joe Maddon in the dugout and I thought, does that hat have flaps? Maddon never flapped down his flaps over his ears but I immediately saw this odd looking cap and was wondering if this was a special order for the little boys from St. Pete who were foreign to the brisk Philly Air. But last night in Game 5 the Elmer Fudd look could be found on the field by BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Shane Victorino, and Jimmy Rollins.

I did some research and it seems as if the caps, made by MLB hat maker New Era, were released this spring during Spring Training but had not been debuted on a field until the World Series. There is no official word from New Era or MLB.com on how to order a flap cap, but with winter vastly approaching I'm guessing they will be a hot item in the weeks to come.

I'm still undecided on what's being called the "Elmer Fudd" look. Part of me thinks, "Wow, that's kind of cool. I can support my Twins pride and stay warm in the freakin cold Minnesota winter!" The other part of me thinks, "Wow, those are really nerdy!"

Let me know what you think of the funky caps. Leave a comment below... would you wear one?

Twins 4 Holliday!

As a blogger, I feel it is my duty to sometimes say what people are afraid to say or don't think about. Because bloggers are "journalists" with no editorial or contractual commitments we have the luxury to freely speak our mind and say whatever ridiculousness we want. And with the spirit of election season I'm going to start my campaign: Twins 4 (Matt) Holliday! Pretty ridiculous huh?

This past June during the season I wrote a post about why I thought the Twins should trade for Adrian Beltre of the Seattle Mariners. At the time this move seemed pretty ridiculous to other Twins bloggers and fans but to me really seemed to make sense. This potential trade was perhaps out of the normal realm for the Twins but seemed to make sense both as a good fit for the team and a trade with true possibility. Today the Beltre rumor is regarded as a true possibility for the Twins.

Now I'm not trying to say I told you so or that I have all the answers because I also thought that the Detroit Tigers would defeat the New York Mets this year in the World Series. But today I'm straying away from a rumor that is both a good fit for the team and a plausible reality. This is one of those rumors that although may be very far from plausible is a great fit for the team and makes you wonder... what if? It's one of those ridiculous rumors.

TWINS 4 HOLLIDAY!

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post writes that the Colorado Rockies have stated to rival executives that Matt Holliday is available. Before you start thinking we won't need another outfielder, why would we want Holliday? Think about why we would want Holliday!

The 28-year old leftfielder is entering the prime of his career. He's a righthanded power bat (which is exactly what we need) who hit .321 with 25 homeruns and 88 RBIs in 2008. The 6'4'' 235 lb slugger even stole 28 bases last year. That would put him 2nd in SB behind Carlos Gomez for the Twins. Plus, imagine the right hander hitting in the cleanup role, sandwiched between fellow All-Stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Dangerous!

So as I argue, Holliday would be a great fit for this team that could be the missing piece with a healthy bullpen to take this team to the World Series. Now what would we have to give up to get him (besides money, we'll get to that!)...

In my head I'd like to believe a package of D.Young/D. Span/G.Perkins would be enough. Perhaps, a Boof or a P.Humber would have to be included because the Rockies desperately need arms. This may seem like a lot, but Holliday would be three times more valuable than Young in leftfield and I personally think given Span's minor league track record there may never be a better time to trade him. We would definitely miss his leadoff ability and his defense, but Holliday is an upgrade defensively over Young and Cuddyer in right isn't too shabby. Throw the speedy Gomez, who caught more balls than anyone last year, in between Holliday and Cuddyer and the Twins have a very solid outfield defense. As Brett noted in his Matt Cain rumors, I think Perkins would be expendable and could be replaced with another arm.

However, the Denver Post says that Colorado is looking for an elite pitcher in return. We may not have "an elite pitcher" to trade but I don't think the Rockies will get that from anyone because they aren't going to trade Holliday to San Diego for Jake Peavy. So another possible package could be K.Slowey/D.Young/P.Humber. The Rockies would get two young arms and a great arm in Slowey (although his flyball rate could be dangerous in Coors Field) and get a young back with potential in Delmon. Slowey would be a big loss for the Twins but we could either move Boof back into the rotation or would still have an extra outfielder in Span or Cuddyer to move for pitching or middle infield help.

Here comes the part of the deal that makes this rumor ridiculous. If you think my trade package to the Rockies seems impossible and that Colorado will never take it, you must realize that Matt Holliday is entering his final year of his contract and if traded will probably require a multi year deal of roughly 5-years for $90-100 million. Do the Twins have that kind of money??? I believe they do, but it's a question of whether or not they will spend it. The deal would beat Morneau's franchise record 6-year of $80 million. But what a better way to make a run for the title in 2009 and enter the new ballpark in 2010 built around a core of Mauer, Morneau, Holliday, Nathan, Baker, Liriano, Blackburn, Gomez, and Casilla.

So as I said, because I have no editorial or contractual commitments I'm going to start this ridiculous (but smart) rumor and get those little ideas planted in your head. Just think about that potential lineup next year? And on November 4th vote: Twins 4 Holliday!

Garza in Game 3

The World Series is back on the ticket tonight with game 3 in Philadelphia. I don't know what I'm going to do at night when the playoffs are done??? I'll be lost, until Lost returns I guess.

Everyone's favorite missed Twin at the moment, Matt Garza, takes the bump tonight for the Rays against Jame Moyer, the oldest player in Major League Baseball. What an intriguing matchup? The hotheaded kid with wicked stuff versus the lazy ole lefty who lulls hitters to sleep. The two hurlers will both be making their first World Series appearance.

Tonight's game can certainly throw the momentum in either direction for these teams. If Philadelphia can take a 2-1 lead they get to play the next two games at home with a chance to clinch the title. Yet Tampa has looked like the better team throughout the entire series despite the current 1-1 tie. The Phillies need to hit better with runners in scoring position and the Rays need to continue to put pressure on Philly with their speed.

Either way, this is starting to have the makeup of a very good series.

Friday Thoughts

Here are my thoughts for Friday, October 24:

• Bill James, a pioneer in statistical analysis and a baseball mastermind, ranked the Minnesota Twins #1 in terms of youth talent within the organization. Certainly an item of note! James ranked Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Justin Morneau, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Carlos Gomez, Nick Blackburn, Jason Kubel, Denard Span, and Glen Perkins in the top 150 young players. "The average team has five players in the top 150; the Twins have 10," James said.


• In an announcement that is close to home for me, the Twins announced that Daktronics Inc., based out of my hometown Brookings, SD, will construct the new scorebard for Target Field set to open in 2010. The board will be the 4th biggest in Major League Baseball. You got to love the idea of a 101 x 57 foot HDTV!


• Matt Garza gets the start in game 3 of the World Series. He's looked great during these playoffs, but I feel that for every great game he pitches on the national stage Bill Smith and Twins fans feel more and more compelled to trade Delmon Young. I admit being a fan of the Cain rumors, you can read my comments below on Brett's post, but you got to have a short term memory as a general manager and as a fan. Because don't get me started on David Ortiz!


• The Seattle Mariners announced their new GM, Jack Zuduriencik, who is known for his great drafts and scouting success. In this article, Rob Neyer, uses the Minnesota Twins as a great example of what the Mariners could be with a new approach. In contrast to the Seattle organization Neyer says, "What happens if you take the Twins' scouting success and add $40 million to the budget?" Good question Rob??? I do think this new rebuilding, youth emphasis in Seattle may make it easier for the Twins to pry Adrian Beltre out of Seattle.

World Series Game 1

Here we go, the moment 30 teams have been working for since last February. Alas, only two teams can be here. And I can honestly call anyone a bold face liar if they would have predicted those two teams to be the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tonight's matchup pits a pair of stud lefties against each other. The NLCS MVP, Cole Hamels, for the Phillies and the Rays 24-year old "veteran," Scott Kazmir. 

I picked Kazmir to be my series MVP (see below) so I need him to have a good game. If the Rays can beat Hamels in game 1 they will be in the driver seat for the rest of this series, but if the Phillies can win a huge game 1 on the road that would be even bigger. You can predict your World Series winner with the poll on the sidebar.

Only time will tell...

MVB's World Series Predictions

The 2009 World Series will mark the first fall classic for this blog, so to honor this event we brought the whole team out to make their bold predictions for the series.

MVB

Winner: Tampa Bay - 5 games  MVP: Scott Kazmir

Major League Baseball's feel good story will be feeling good after a quick 5 game series. The Rays not only represent the superior American League, but they had to battle a great Red Sox club through 7 games as 

well as prove over the course of 162 games that they were for real in the toughest division in baseball despite having a meager payroll. 

Great to see former Twins Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Grant Balfour all play key roles for this young club. The star of this series though is the franchise leader in wins, Scott Kazmir. Kazmir pitches 2 gems to win the MVP. Upton and Longoria both hit 3 homeruns each.

Brett Werner

Winner: Tampa Bay - 6 games  MVP: BJ Upton

Just like the Twins have Mauer as a great batter at an otherwise weak batting position, the Phillies have Utley and J-Ro at weak batting positions in the field (to go with Burrell and Howard, not to mention Victorino who is having a great postseason). This gives them a dramatic advantage against other NL teams.

But the Rays are no NL team: they have a stronger overall bullpen than Philadelphia (who have Lidge et rien) even if the closer position may be falling to Price in the WS. And they have as good or better hitters at nearly every position, guys who can get to anyone except maybe Hamels. I give the Rays' starters a big edge once you get past the Phillies' ace.

The Phillies are better rested, but obviously that didn't help last year's Rockies. Two off days is more than enough for the Rays to recover.

The Rays have been on a run all year, have been on the verge of losing it for most of the last month or two, and they haven't yet. I don't think they lose it now. 

Mark Werner

Winner: Tampa Bay - 5 games     MVP: James Shields

The Phillies may have a strong, bopping offense but, if their inter-league games are any preview, they will struggle against the Rays rotation. Although it is a small sample size, the Phillies batted just .220 against the American League this year for an OPS of .682. The Phillies lost every series against AL teams, finishing 4-11. On the flip side, the Rays were 12-6 against the NL. While the Phillies were busy getting shut-out by the Rangers, the Rays were sweeping the Cubs.

Like the Rockies last year who had a payroll 66% below league average, the Rays arrive at the final stage having a payroll 50% below major league average--and one fifth the size of the long-idle, much-maligned Yankees. Unlike the Rockies, the Rays will prevail, taking the series in 5 games. Where the Rockies were overdependent on their thin-air hitting, the Rays have a sturdier foundation in their pitching: a young rotation and an experienced bullpen capped by a talented rising star in Price.

In stark contrast to the Twins, the Phillies slug 40 points higher against LHP. Unfortunately, the Rays rotation features just one lefty in Kazmir. Righties Shields and Garza will combine for three wins. Your World Series MVP: James Shields (and not the semi-transient 19th century senator from Minnesota)

DY21

Winner: Tampa Bay - 7 games  MVP: Evan Longoria

As college basketball analyst Dickie V says, "They got the big M.O. baby!" M.O. referring to momentum, and its ironic Dick Vitale is arguably the biggest Tampa Bay fan on this planet. Therefore I gotta say the Rays win this series in 7 games. The World Series MVP goes to boy wonder Evan Longoria.

PS. Is anybody else sick of EVERY ANALYST saying the key part to the Delmon for Garza trade was Jason Bartlett because he "shores up the Tampa defense?" He is terrible at short! He led all AL ss in errors for the Twins in 2007, and seems to make errors in every other game in the playoffs! I just don't get it, but it is nice to see two former Twins playing key roles in the playoffs.

Dain TePoel

Winner: Philadelphia - 7 games MVP: Cole Hamels

I hate to say it, but I want to be the guy who takes a chance on the Underdog in this situation....But really, the Phillies? World Series Champs? They haven't played a game in a long time, especially by Wednesday.

Hmm...I'll roll with it.

Feel free to leave your predictions for series winner and MVP in the comments section.