Saturday, December 1, 2007
Six Questions with Tim Kolehmainen
Here is another Six Questions with one more Twins blogger.
Actually, this one isn’t technically a Twins blogger. He
blogs about the New Britain Rockcats at The Truth about Cats and
Blogs. Tim Kolehmainen participated in our NFL “Expert” Pick
panel. This is another perspective from a Twins fan from a distance, a view
from someone who covers the Twins minor leagues.
SethSpeaks: You’re the GM, what do you do about Johan Santana? To trade, or not to trade? If your answer is “To Trade”,
what would it require in return to make it happen?
Tim Kolehmainen: I'm
really of two minds on this one. First, my thought is to trade him, as it would
be a shame to lose him to free agency for a couple of low first-round draft
picks. Baseball isn't like the other sports in that first-rounders
are much more prone to crash and burn. When people talk about losing Hunter for
the same picks as being better than a trade, I cringe. I think it would have
been much better to get some minor leaguers who have already established that
they can play pro ball to some degree.
But I really would like to see the Twins
keep Santana, both for their chances this season and in years to come. I'm
hoping (along with many Twins fans, I'm sure) that the new ballpark is the revenue
cash cow we all assume it to be, and the Twins can suddenly spend more freely
in 2010.
SethSpeaks: The Twins have been hesitant in the past to trade young pitchers.
It sounds like that theory may be somewhat altered this offseason. Are there
any of the Twins young pitchers that you would call untouchable?
Tim
Kolehmainen: I'm thinking this question is
a bit dated after the trade of Garza and Morlan to Tampa
Bay. If I had to answer it before Wednesday night, I would have said that Garza
was the only one who may have been untouchable. But you've got to give
something to get something. And Delmon Young
certainly has the potential to be "something."
What worries me is that Young is a corner outfielder at heart, and the Twins didn't
have a hole in the corner outfield (if you believe Kubel
can play LF). Their holes were at 3B and CF...and now
they still have those holes, plus another at SS...and
their biggest young pitching bargaining chip is gone.
SethSpeaks: As of today, where would you rank the Twins in the AL Central?
Tim
Kolehmainen: I'd rank them solidly in
third place, behind Cleveland and Detroit. I'm not a believer in the White Sox
rebounding.
SethSpeaks: What would you consider the top three things that the Twins need
to do this offseason?
Tim
Kolehmainen: I think they need to: 1.
determine the future of Santana with the club, 2. find a 3B who can rake, and
3. convince their existing stars (like Morneau) that
there is reason to stick around in the future.
SethSpeaks:
On a scale of 1 to 10,
how confident are you that Bill Smith will be able to do the things that the
Twins need to compete?
Tim Kolehmainen: I'm
an optimist at heart, so I give Smith a solid 7.
SethSpeaks: Tell us a little about what you do on your blog, where we can find
it and what you write about during the offseason?
Tim
Kolehmainen: My blog is pretty much
dormant during the offseason, as I shift my focus from minor league baseball over
to other sports. That's one of the problems or working at a smaller daily, you
have many hats to wear (and benefits, if you like variety). In the fall, I
cover UConn football (it's been a good year for that)
and in the winter, I shift over UConn women's basketball
(another solid winning choice). In the next week or so, my blog for the Husky
women should be up and running.
Thank you to Scot from Tim Kolehmainen
and everyone for stopping by this site. Keep checking back throughout the
weekend. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future postings, please
e-mail me.