The Deadline

In case you may have missed Baseball Tonight over the past, oh, three weeks straight, the baseball trade deadline is on Monday. This time of year feeds me with more stress and excitement than finals ever did, which could perhaps explain why my grades were less than exemplary. I think it has to do with the fact that I am watching someone else, i.e. Terry Ryan, tinker with something I love, i.e. the Twins, and I have no control over it. I so desperately want to go to TR and say, “Terry, don’t do anything stupid, but please, for the love, do something!” But as of yet, he is not returning my calls. So I turn to my blog. Here is the advice I would give to Terry if I can get past security.
First, don’t fall for the Lew Ford trick again. You know, where a 29 year old rookie comes to the majors and sets the world on fire? There’s a reason it took him 11 years from high school to make it to the majors and contribute. Now, instead of trading high, or acquiring a more etablished 4th outfielder, the Twins stumbled out of the blocks, in part because they relied on Lew Ford as a starter three or four times a week. You need more production out of corner outfielders than what is provided by Ford. And now, because of the flash of brilliance that he once provided, the Twins are hanging on to him, way past his peak value, and he is bringing the team down. This current hot streak scares me, because I worry that the organization may actually believe career minor leaguers Jason Tyner and Josh Rabe will be their ticket to the post season. That kind of faith could sink this team down the stretch. It would be more appropriate to find another corner outfielder, especially since Shannon Stewart and Jason Kubel are always a threat to sustain an injury. Even when all the pieces are in place, a good designated hitter could make all the difference in the world.
Don’t even get me started on the situation at third. Nick Punto has all the makings of being the next Lew Ford. To be more precise, Punto is a utility infielder thrust into the spotlight who is overachieving. If the Twins don’t realize that they still have a need for a corner infielder, I’m going to scream. Oops… seems I got started.
Secondly, the Twins have a wealth of pitching prospects. Don’t be shy to deal them. There are 5 spots in the rotation, of which only 4 need to be consistent, and the 5th can merely be adequate. Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano are a hell of a 1-2 punch for the future. That leaves at most 2 spots that need to be filled. Let’s assume they will be filled by phenomenal prospects Scott Baker and Matt Garza. So that means the Twins have Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse, Kevin Slowey, Glenn Perkins, Boof Bonser and Dave Gassner as pitcher that should be available in a deal. And those are just the pitchers. If you package two of those guys together to acquire a needed bat, say a third baseman, you have plenty of leftovers to fill the bullpen and that pesky 5th starter spot for years to come.
Third and finally, don’t be offended when people ask for Garza. Or Juan Rincon. Because they will. Believe it or not, you, Terry Ryan, are not the only GM trying to get the better of the other. Sometimes, you need to take chances. They pay off sometimes, and become franchise pitchers, or all-star closers, but more often those chances don’t end up paying off. So don’t be shy about dealing prospects, even though you think you might be overpaying. Not everyone will agree with you. Keep in mind that you have a new stadium coming, and you need to sell tickets and put butts in seats. The best way to do that is by getting names, sad to say, and not always talent. So go ahead and expand the payroll, give up the prospects for an established player, because, as they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

In case you were wondering, my proposal at this point would be Matt Garza for Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates, straight up. I don’t think either side would take it, but I would still propose it. – Ryan