A letter to Bill Smith

I wrote the following letter to Bill Smith, Twins GM, earlier this morning.

Hello, Mr. Smith, my name is Ryan Henning, lifetime Twins fan. i wanted to say that, from the outset of your tenure as General Manager, I have been a huge supporter of the team you are trying to build, and am praying that as the trade deadline approaches, you continue to mold the team to the squad YOU want. I understand that members of the team and even the manager have made it known that they would like to see you make a roster move in the coming days.
I implore you not to.
True, a trade may allow the Twins to win the Central division, but I feel there are too many holes on the roster that you can’t fix this team without severely hampering the squad in coming years. Furthermore, I believe that, the acquisition of a middle infielder will not help as much as the addition of a starting pitcher, which runs contrary to popular opinion. Starters that can get deeper into the game will strrengthen the bullpen, and perhaps the offense will not need to be improved.
Additionally, the middle infield is not necessarily supposed to be an offensive juggernaut. The outfield is. Michael Cuddyer has seen a return to form this year, and Denard Span is as pure a center fielder as the Twins have ever had, Torii Hunter notwitshanding. That said, Delmon Young has gotten stronger as the season progressed, following the unfortunate passing of his mother. I cannot fathom why his playing time is being reduced. I know the excuse is that Carlos Gomez is a faster player and a better fielder, however, if he cannot get on base, speed doesn’t matter, and if the pitching staff can’t keep the game within 5 runs, his glove is irrelevant as well. Mr. Young is hitting .310 this month, but has only been in 10 games.
Judging by your history in your brief tenure, I feel that you are in agreement with me on at least a few points that I have made. Despite some of the results of your trades, I feel that you made intelligent moves. Unfortunately, the manager, Mr. Gardenhire, has a history with talented but discontented players leaving and meeting success in a different uniform, and of promoting “Small Ball” a fundamentally flawed offensive strategy, and one definitely not suited for the roster you have assembled. It is certainly not your fault that Mr. Gardenhire did not adapt to his roster.
Again, I wanted to express my support for your tenure as general manager, and request again that no roster moves be made with the dawning of the trade deadline. Thank you for your time. Go Twins!

– Ryan Henning

**In the interest of full disclosure, I do run a website at www.victoriatimes.blogspot.com