Monday,
November 9, 2009
Weekend Update
Seth on Sports on
Demand Today!
Hello everyone, and welcome
to another week starting with yet another Monday. I’ve got another busy week
ahead of me, so if I miss a day or two this week, I do apologize. On Tuesday
morning, I will be flying to Phoenix for a work conference. But I am also
hoping to get to an Arizona Fall League game or two while I am down there, and
that may happen later in the week. But for now, here is a quick rundown on the
events of the weekend and a few other thoughts:
· The weekend started a little early with the announcement that the Twins traded Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for JJ Hardy. John Bonnes wrote a tremendous article on the trade. To summarize, the Twins traded a bench player for a guy that they hope will be their starting shortstop 155 times each of the next two years. Obviously there is some risk that Hardy’s disappointing 2009 season becomes his normal. There is a chance that, since he’s just 23 years old, Carlos Gomez could actually learn to hit a little bit, and take good routes to fly balls and get on base and steal bases. He may gain some baseball IQ. But I happen to think this is a great trade for the Twins. By the way, be sure to check out Nick’s Twins Blog for his thoughts on the trade, as well as the thoughts on the trade from a Brewers blogger. Over the Baggy did a very in-depth analysis of JJ Hardy.
· On Friday afternoon, John Manuel of Baseball America wrote that Wilson Ramos had left a game in Venezuela with an apparent knee injury. That is more than a little alarming. Ramos missed time twice during the 2009 season due to injury, and knee injuries are always worth being cautious with. Fortunately, everything seems just fine as he played both Friday and Saturday again.
· On Friday night, the TwinsCentric guys got together and went to the Timberwolves/Bucks game at Target Center. It was a lot of fun even if the Wolves played absolutely horribly in the 2nd half. It’s always fun to hang out with John Bonnes, Nick Nelson and Parker Hageman. And hey, those steak sandwiches at Murray’s were all they have been touted to be. Excellent!
· Speaking of TwinsCentric, here are a couple of notes. Of course, you can still buy your copy of the Offseason GM Handbook, both the electronic book or now the print version, by going to www.TwinsCentric.com.
· Secondly, be sure to follow TwinsCentric on Twitter, @TwinsCentric. Of course, you can follow SethSpeaks at @SethTweets.
· On Saturday, the Twins made the easy and correct decision in picking up the 2011 option on Michael Cuddyer’s option. The option was for $10.5 million. The buyout would have been $1 million. If Michael Cuddyer was a free agent right now, instead of having at least one year left with the Twins, what would he get? Since he is 30 years old, it is likely that after a 32 home runs season, he could get a contract equivalent to the two year, $19 million contract that Bobby Abreu signed with the Angels last week Since Cuddyer is younger, it is possible that he would get a third year guaranteed, with an option for a fourth year. My guess is as a free agent this offseason, Michael Cuddyer would get a three year, $29 million contract. So, adding just one more year, and taking him through age 32, is just an easy decision.
· Also on Saturday, Roger posted his organizational review of Centerfield, an area where the Twins have some strong prospects.
· Sunday was the bye week for the Minnesota Vikings, and yet it was a great week for the team. The Bears got crushed by Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals. Soon after that game was complete, the Green Bay Packers managed to lose against the previously 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings are now 7-1. The Packers and Bears are both 4-4.
· MLBTradeRumors posted its annual top 50 free agents with projections for where they will wind up. Can you believe that the Twins are the projected team for one of the top 10 free agents?
· Finally, if you have a chance to watch, I will again be on Sports on Demand on Fox9 in the Twin Cities. The show begins at 3:00 central time and to watch it live, you can click here a little before three and see the link. Although we will talk about other Twin Cities sports, I am told that close to 75% of the show will focus on the Twins.
Any thoughts? Send me an e-mail, or leave your Comments here.