A real live second baseman??

*shameless repost from my comments in the last news post, because I'm lazy and this is a much more apt place for it*

I think that's sort of good news. I'm still questioning whether the Twins are reloading for 2006, or building for 2007/8. If it's one step on the way to reloading (signing Frank Thomas would be another huge step, giving them a veteran power bat to complement the young power hitters Mauer/Morneau), then I think the Central WILL prove to be a pretty good 3 team race next season, with a chance of being, dare I say, the best division in baseball. Just, ignoring that team out in Missouri, anyway.

But yeah, a high BA guy with (potential, he's not run much of late) speed is something the Twins could use. .300 hitters on the Twins were scarce last year, if things come together, I could see 4 .300 hitters pretty easily next season in Jones (who regains his 2002-4 hitting), Castillo, Mauer, and Morneau.

But yeah, it'll be hard given the Twin's relatively constrained budget to get Washburn or Thomas, and pretty much impossible to go after Burnett (if he'd even be interested, he seems like he wants to follow Pavano to the high-rollers out east), but get another #2 starter, hope for a solid spring from Liriano, and I could see this move being the catalyst for a 87-94 win season.

Dear Batgirl

Sith Lord Thomas is stil available for DH'ing duty. Just don't let him get to be friendly with Lew, he could make him a Sith apprentice.

Hmmm.. what Sith name would Lew take ? Darth Adorkous maybe.

p.e.m.

Let's hope this works out a little better than the last second baseman fiasco (boone). Welcome!

Not Thomas. Please o please o please, not Thomas.

Nice deal for the Twins. Castillo is a great on-base guy and a solid infield glove; he and Stewart should ensure more phat pitches for the mid-order guys. Given another mid-lineup thumper and a rebound from Dr. Morneau, runs shouldn't be nearly as hard to come by in 2006.

I'm also just pleased to have Castillo out of the Phillies' division. That little pest. I only wish you could have taken Juan F. Pierre out of the NL East too. Keep selling, Marlins!

You gotta love the OBP. Walk and strikeout numbers are nice. Yeah you'd always like more power, but as a leadoff threat, he's got some nice offerings.

Dear Jeff Stone

We(NYY) are trying to get Mr.Pierre, please return the favour and get Manny out of ours.

thanks
p.e.m.

Huh - they didn't want JC either -or are we 'saving' him for something else -
Oh what happens to Little Nicky Punto =(

Much Love
Wonder Woman

Let me concur wholeheartedly with CarrieICL - please, oh please, let's not sign Frank N. Furter. I honestly can't bear the thought of that overrated, washed-up, fragile prima donna in a Twins uniform. If we're going to go after idiots, why not chase Juan Gonzales? He'd be cheaper, he's younger (I think), he's thinner (better for the new vests), and he's just as big a moron as Herr Furter. Or maybe Cansucko would consider a comeback...anyone else, just not Frank. Please. I beg you.

The Strib now has a story up.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/509/5760096.html

Not much we didn't already know.

OK, my feeling is that optimism about the 2006 Twins can officially begin. This is a very nice upgrade at one of their weakest positions and it signals that Ryan is serious about getting this thing done. I feel rejuvenated as a fan and I'm looking forward to the next move!

Not bad -- he only cost two minor leaguers. I would've thought we'd lose Rincon or Romero.

I'm hoping that LNP will become Tiny Super Utility Hero.

k-bro

The animosity for Frank is undeserved. If his ankle heals, he's a solid 40HR ANYWHERE. I think a move will do him good, sort of get him out of a stale environment. He's obviously been a hero to the Sox in general, and I'd have loved to see him hit 500 here, but sadly for the good of the team it's not meant to be.

However, like I said, you take frank, you're getting .275/40/110 with an OBP around .415. He can't run, but he can DH the dickens out of the ball. And furthermore, the question remains, what other options are out there? LeCroy just doesn't cut it as an AL DH. Frank's the best gamble the Twins can take, say a 2 year $10 mil offer. You won't find more bang for the buck than that deal, plus I really believe his negative character portrayal is undeserved, he's easily one of the smartest, articulate, and hard-working players in the game. His heart is in winning.

Twins could turn from a terrible lineup to a very solid one in a year. Getting Castillo is reminiscent of the Sox getting Podsednik, just the knowledge that you have a solid leadoff hitter with speed has an invigorating effect on everyone. You go from scrambling to get guys on, to having the much more luxurious option of "Bunt, hit and run, straight steal, or hit away...hmm, the options..."

Possible lineup:

2B Castillo
LF Stewart
C Mauer
DH Thomas
1B Morneau
CF Hunter
RF Jones
3B Tiffee?
SS Castro/Bartlett/Punto?

Obviously 3B/SS could use a little upgrade (Nomar sweepstakes if you really wanna be risky!), and some sort of change in the starting rotation would be nice (Silva's been improving, but has he hit a ceiling or will he get better? Lohse doesn't seem like he'll ever harness a winning ability)...

Buuuut, like I was saying, that would be a very solid line-up, especially with upgrades at SS/3B. It has a solid mix of lefties and righties, good speed and power mixed around, and a team BA of somewhere around .274. Very promising stuff.

My first post in many moons, and I hate to rain on the parade, but . . . but ESPN Radio reports that the Marlins think Castillo is "an idiot."

Marlins brass thought that Castillo didn't want to play out the season and faked an injury at the end of the year.

Hope this is not true.

Geeetings, batlings.

I'm optimistic about Castillo and nervous about the prospect of getting Frank Thomas. If it's just a rent-a-player type deal, maybe. But I can't see putting any long term hope on the big stiff. Health issues aside, we don't need another one-dimensional player, with, if you'll excuse the crudity, a really big behind. (even in slimming pinstripes!)

I dunno ... if that one dimension is hitting the crap out of the ball, I'll take him*. That's what a DH is. See Ortiz, David. (The guy who many people thought was the MVP last year? Remember him?)

* if he's healthy, which I know is a big if and hard to predict.

I'd have rather given up Romero than Bowyer, personally. A year from now when the Twins decide they can't afford the increases to Nathan's salary that he's going to be due, Bowyer would have been a valuable commodity. Romero needs to play somewhere that there's absolutely no pressure on him to perform in the clutch... like Florida.

How about the other guy, Tyler? What was his value as a prospect?

I like getting Castillo, just wondering how much we really gave up for him.

Dear Mr. Pander,

Your assessments are right on, except about the Twins starting ro. The only problem there has been run support. Radke/ Santana/ and Silva are a magnificent 1-2-3 punch and if this is hitting a wall for Silva, I want everyone to get that wall. Any combination of Baker/Liriano/and Lohse should make for an extremely solid starting 5. What we need is runs.

Sincerely,
BG

I feel like, year after year, we set the bar too low in the off season. I know we're not a big budget team, but why Frank Thomas? Why not try to make a trade for a young power hitter like Wily Mo Pena or even better, Adam Dunn? The Reds need pitching and have one of the scariest offenses in the league. The Twins need hitters and have a stock pile of quality pitchers. It seems to me that these two teams are made to trade with one another (though I will admit to being biased since I like them both). Still, why not try to shake things up a bit, instead of focusing on the White Sox' castoffs? Frank Thomas isn't going to be enough to counter Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.

But I hate to sound all gloomy and doomy. it was great to see the Castillo trade go through, and it does give one hope that more is in the works for TR and company. Mr Mia Hamm at third perhaps?

I'm not high on getting Darth Thomas, but there would be one huge plus if the Twins *do* get him: listening to his first post-game interview with Dazzle and Gordo. Talk about awkward!

I'm predicting the Twins backtrack a bit on the Cuddyer thing. They'll get a DH, and stick Cuddyer/Tiffee at third hoping Cuddyer takes it over for good.

This lineup would be a huge improvement over last year's mess:

Castillo (SH - 2b)
Stewart (RH - LF)
Mauer(LH - C)
Thomas?(RH - DH)
Morneau(LH - 1B)
Hunter(RH - CF)
Kubel/Ford(LH/RH - RF)
Cuddyer/Tiffee(RH/SH - 3B)
Bartlett(RH - SS)

Any lineup which has Cuddy batting eight and Hunter batting sixth - legitimately - is pretty damn deep.

Bye bye, Travis. I am glad I got the chance to meet you. Good luck in Florida...or whereever they end up....

And now, the only Twin (major or minor league) that actually shared a birthday with me..is gone. Bye Scott!

I'm not sure of anything on Castillo and I'll wait until the season starts to start making opinions.

Christy -

How do we know they're not trying to make those trades? Because the media hasn't reported it? It's not usually a good idea to shop players around in the media, because of the disadvantage in dealing and the potential headaches if you don't trade said players.

You just have to have faith that these guys (except Pohlad) are doing everything they can to make this team better.

Pander:

I'm impressed by your Twins know-how, but also by your Twins optimism.

I really can't see Twins HQ taking a serious swipe at Frank Thomas, and I'm not sure they'd want to. He doesn't play the game the way that Gardenhire and Ryan like. I'd be interested to see it (I still own his rookie card, and have a soft-spot in my heart for the guy), but I doubt it's going to happen. I also don't think he can really offer much in terms of leadership, you know? We're a team that relies on bringing up and mentoring good young talent. Realistically, if we took his contract it would be for one or two years. Thomas wouldn't be playing in the field, and all he'd being doing is hitting long balls and singles that should be doubles. Justin Morneau isn't going to learn much from that.

I'd prefer to see us go after Nomar, to tell you the truth. He's been getting a bad rap in the past couple of years, but the guy's got a lot of heart, he's quick, and he's a nasty defenseman. He and Castillo in the middle would be formidable. Or, better yet in my opinion, Nomar at 3B, Castro/Punto at short, and Castillo at 2B. That type of defense would put us back on the 2001-2004 map... right where we want to be. (I miss Dougie).

Does this mean we finally get to excise that lump Luis Rivas?

I really hope Pohlad took this season to heart, and is willing to open up the wallet a little bit this off-season.

So I take it this means Cuddy to RF or 2nd is essentially confirmed?

Wait wait...he's a 2b, my mistake.

But no Bowyer? Guess I'll have to update my listings elsewhere.

We let Rivas go earlier this offseason. Not sure whether we can afford another signing after Castillo, but as to why we are setting the bar "low" and going after Thomas instead of Pena or Dunn, it is because Thomas is free (other than salary) while we would be giving up serious talent to get Pena/Dunn/Blalock/others in a trade. I for one am suprised we got Castillo, probably a top-5 to top-10 2B in the league, without giving up major league talent. Sure, Bowyer or Tyler may turn out well, but given our minor league pitching depth, it was a move we can afford to make.

And my choices of FA in order would be:
Nomar
Frankie
Mueller
Piazza

I think this deal rocks. For any doubters, just picture Christian Guzman actually playing to his potential. Wait. We never actually saw that. Bad analogy.

Add me to the "Please God anyone but Darth Thomas" throng. Ozzie all but kicked his @$$ off the team. If Ozzie didn't want him around, I don't want him around either. Plus, the guy is like a negative 24 on the "I actually have a personality" scale. If he's not putting the bitch in bitch sox he's just plain BOOOORING.

Now Piazza on the other hand... he's a riot, one might even go so far as to classify him as "sassy". And a move to DH would only help his hitting production. You'll get the same numbers you *might* get from Darth and none of the bitchiness.

Dunn's too freakin' expensive (in salary and in what we'd have to trade to get him) and I think he has an adverse affect on overall team health. It gets a little breezy with all those strikeouts, and we all know Dr. Morneau can't afford to keep fighting off miscellanous pneumonia-like ailments again.

I like Wily Mo Pena (hard to beat that name), but he's spotty on defense. I'd like to see us try Cuddy in right. He's got the arm for it and it'll let him focus more on his offense.

BTW, What makes anyone think Nomar's going to be any better defensively at 3B than Cuddy was? I saw a lot of those Cubs games last year when he was at third. He looked pretty lost to me. I'm not convinced he'd be any better, defensively, anyway.

If we are going after one of these old guys,
the simple case for Piazza over Thomas:

Games Played 2004-2005
Piazza = 241
Thomas = 108

Not sure about this trade--only because Castillo is 31 and was hurt for a while last year. On the other hand, we didnt give up much--Bowyer did not look that good in Sept. and was hammered in Arizona League. If Balfour comes back, then no room for Bowyer in pen anyway. Other guy is way behind Baker, Durbin, Liriano on prospects.

Where does this leave DJ Cuddles (RF?? how about Kubel) LNP, GTX, and Lil Rod??

Add me to the list of dont go after The Big Hurt--or Piazza, we can do better than old injury prone guys.

Nice trade here-about time the stockpile of pitching started to get used to help the team. I also hope this shows that TR is serious about 2006 and wanting to return the Twins to where they belong-better than the Bitch Sox.

As for a DH, Thomas was having a good year last year inbetween injuries. Plus, Piazza might have a bit of adjusting to the AL pitching (and I know this doesn't mean as much as it used to). I would be happy with either, and a certain Garciaparra at 3rd base.

This is a good start.

I would hope for Nomar at short (it's looking like his price is falling), and for third, let's give some love to Wes Helms. A totally solid 3b.

It seems we gave up very little to get Castillo so I'm okay with the deal. As to the Big Baby, if they could give him a personality transplant I wouldn't mind having him on the team.

"Not sure about this trade--only because Castillo is 31 and was hurt for a while last year."

I've heard nothing to indicate that his injury is chronic, and 30 isn't that old for a baseball player. Hell, he's younger than Jacuqe Jones by about five months and I've never heard anyone call JJ old.

"Where does this leave DJ Cuddles (RF?? how about Kubel) LNP, GTX, and Lil Rod??"

Kubel will probably win the RF spot and Cuddyer can go back to being a utility man with a little pop.

Does anyone know what the Marlins fans are saying about this trade? (That is assuming there are any Marlins fans still left after their firesale)

Scratching my head at the F.Thomas animosity. The guy can mash. I think if the Twins could sign him to a incentive laden deal ($150k per homer), it would be brilliant.

Or, a base salary of $330k and $75k per homer and $30k per walk. :) Get over the big bad "he doesn't play the game the right way" crap. He's a DH. He doesn't play any defense.

Lew Ford vs Frank Thomas... hmm.

Drake, fthe last 2 seasons, "The Big Hurt" has taken on a new meaning. He's always injured.

My two cents about Thomas: he is the pure antithesis of a Twin and for that reason alone we should leave him be. The Twins are one of the rare organizations that actually has an identifiable culture, one that persists even with major change-over in personnel. Twins players are typically gamers who play good defense, work their tails off, and like to horse around from time to time. I'm thinking Bert Blyleven, Mickey Hatcher, Kent Hrbek, Dougie Baseball, etc. This is probably the main reason I--and I'm guessing many others--like the Twins so much despite the many things they do to disappoint. I for one would rather be disappointed because my team loses, than disappointed because my team has players who are whiny like the Bitch Sox.

Ummm ... Lohse's tantrum, Hunter taking a swing at Morneau, Hunter calling out young guys for not playing through pain, Romero's theatrics, Silva calling out the hitters for not scoring any runs ... I think the illusion of the harmonious, get-along-gang Twins should be down the toilet by now. That just ain't how it is anymore, and even less so with Big Matty out the door. Unfortunate, yes. Reality, yes.

Looking at the names the Twins are chasing and being happy has the ring of baseball beer goggles to it. Thomas, Piazza, Nomar, Mueller, might as well add Lowell, are for all appearances over the hill and sliding rapidly towards a crashing oblivion. Thomas in his day was a potential MVP every year for seven or eight years. Can he come close to doing that again? Unlikely but is half a frank better than a lotta big Leroy? Probably. Perhaps another incentive to give him would be to give him a bonus for teaching the Twins hitters how to take a pitch and work a count. I can't count the number of times I screamed at the TV this year when Jacque or Torii would swing at the first pitch after the guy just walked two straight batters.

It's unrealistic to think the Twins can get a Dunn or a Delgado, it's not in their mindset or budget. Chili may have been the last significant free agent signing and you could argue that he was a 2nd tier sort of guy tho I'll always love him for 91.

Castillo's a start but if he's the finish too then we are finished (well 3rd place anyway).

I have to agree with Mort here. The Twins to me seems to be a team that has to win with what they have. No shiny name FA is going to come in and save this team,and for that reason I'd only kind of happy of today's trade.

Welcome to the Twins Castillo but you are going to have to be ready to play ball for me to be really singing your praises. It seems like he is the type of player the team needs and we didn't give up much for him but whenever the Twins put their hope on someone outside their system I get worried. (Probably due to the mess that was Booooooooooooooooone)

I like the idea of bringing Bill Mueller in to play third (or Joe Randa, but I haven't heard any rumors to that effect), Blalock would be even better, but I have a hard time believing the Twins would do what it takes to get him. Also, the Twins still definitely need a big bat. Is there one out there that is affordable besides Thomas or Piazza? Is it possible to pry Kevin Mench away from Texas or something like that? How about Raffy? I know nobody likes him anymore, but he can still hit...

funoka sez: "I hate to rain on the parade, but . . . but ESPN Radio reports that the Marlins think Castillo is 'an idiot.'"

And the Giants thought AJ was an idiot. Sometimes it just means a guy is a bad fit. I would be distressed if it is true that he's a malingerer, but until I know better, I'm willing to go with one of these theories: sour grapes on the part of the Marlins, or it was a Florida thing, and he'll be better with the spunky Twins.

I'm excited about this trade. I like knowing, in December, who will probably play 2B next spring. Hooray for OBP!

Tony, the Twins aren't going to get Delgado-he was already traded to the Mets.

I think the key here is we need a guy to DH everyday. We thought that was Matty, but when he couldn't cut it, it pretty much seemed everyone got a shot. Have a regular DH who can produce would be a huge help, and other than Piazza or Thomas, free agent-wise there isn't much. Unless we have Morneau DH and bring back Doug (j/k).

Dougie baseball does need a team and Morneau has the potential power to be a solid DH.

just kidding even though I really miss Doug in a Twins uni (not pixie vest though) sorry

The Twins need to do something to get a real DH. If Kubel isn't ready does anyone think Ford could be in the mix for starting in RF? I think I remember people saying he has better offensive numbers when he plays the field too.

Looks pretty darn good to me.

I'm more excited than most on the Castillo signing. Great glove, good speed when he's healthy, and gets on base a lot. Best news? He almost never strikes out. Sounds like a guy that I'm really, really happy to have on my team in exchange for a closer worse than Crain and a 2nd-tier pitcher in Scott Tyler. I'd rather have Romero than Tyler.

Don't forget that Ploffe isn't too far from the majors, so I'd like to see a 3rd base and a DH upgrade before the year is over, leaving SS with the rivas/bartlett/cuddyer combination. DH: Anyone that hits the ball far. We don't need a high batting average out of the spot b/c the people around him should get on base a lot. We just need someone to keep everyone pitching to Mauer, Morneau, and Hunter. 3B: We want average here. I like Mueller for that purpose, but I'd take a handful of guys. Who knows? If Cuddles plays like he did at the end of the year, I'm ok hanging onto him, grabbing a guy like Nomar to solve the SS situation for good, and hope for the best. 3B is the most interesting problem left to be answered, I think.

I still like Raffy =) he was nice when I met -him and I still think he can hit -
I'm excited to hear how the media pronounces Luis' name =)
I'm picky about things like that =)

Much Love
WW

Dougie may have a team soon ;-)

Much love
WW

Regarding "Darth" Thomas...

Frank was pretty hard to like as a personality for the bulk of his career. He whined, and was obsessed with his own stats. He was, however, possibly the most feared hitter in baseball for a large portion of the 90's.

That all said, when Ozzie became manager of the Sox, there was a moment of truth. And the Frank that showed up on the other side, in 2004 and 2005, was a stand-up guy. He shut up and played, through a lot of pain, and still put up good power numbers.

In short, if he can prove he's healthy, you guys should grab him if you can (though as a Sox fan, I'd be pained to see him in a Twins uni). If he's healthy, I'd bet he's a .250-.300 and 40/100 guy if he plays full time. And I think you'd be pleasantly surprised how well he could get along in the clubhouse.

Just my two cents.

Sox Matt,

Thanks for the clarity on FT's personality. That pretty much sums up how I felt when Pierzynski went from the Giants to the Sox, i.e. "you'd be pleasantly surprised to see how well he can get along in the clubhouse"

I'd take Frank Thomas in an instant. I mean, I love the Twins, and yes, he's a White Sox...but he can mash the ball. If we get a real incentive laden contract, if he gets hurt we're not spending too much money and if he's not we're paying for a producing player, which I have no problem with. I'm kind of hoping for Piazza myself though...and maybe a mueller too, though that might be stressing it. Will probably see us address one of these concerns through trade, because Kyle Lohse and JC Romero probably are still on the block.

Luis has long been one of my favorite non-Twin players.

I am happy we now have a guy at the top who will consistently set the table and force the opponents to pitch to hitters behind.

I'll take that .390 OBP leading off ANY day of the week.

Hooray Terry!!!

I know this site is not about stats--but I did a little research--Castillos BA and OBP over the past 5 years are about what Mauer did last year. Thats pretty good--cause Mauer was our leading hitter--so Castillo is a nice addition to the lineup.

But one stat nobody has mentioned--payroll--according to Twins web site--Twins are holding to $55 million payroll next year. Torii is due $11 mil, Santana and Radke 9 each, Stewart 6 and Nathan Silva and JC total another 9. Now Castillo gets 5. Per my NJ math (where I grew up) that equals 49 million. Throw in NBP, Boo Rincon and GTX at about a mil apiece and we are up to 52. (they are all signed). LNP, Kyle and DJ Cuddles all go to arbitration. Kyle got 2.4 million last year--will get at least that. So to me we are over not even counting everybody else. That means somebody has to go--that worries me...unless of course its Kyle and/or JC

My one little caveat about this move, which I should have mentioned before, is that Castillo's speed is the key to his whole game. He has no power, and a lot of those singles are of the infield variety. This isn't a guy who's likely to age very well; as he gets into his 30s, many of those infield hits will become groundouts, his range will decrease, and that nice .300 average will curdle into the .240-.260 range. Given his fine walk rate, he'll still have value at that point, but not at what he'll likely cost.

Bottom-line, this is a great 1-2 year answer for the Twins, but if he's still manning 2b in 2008 you'll likely be unhappy about it.

Now to address third base!
Nice job, Terry Ryan.

(And please...just say "no" to Darth Thomas.)

*sigh* So, basically, we deal for a guy who had quad and hip problems all last year. We're looking at a guy who sat out most of the year with an ankle problem to DH. And, we're hoping to deal for a guy that sat out a significant part of the season with assorted injuries the most serious being a TORN groin to play a new position.

Forgive me if I don't seem all giddy and optimistic.

Well, if you want to be pessimistic, the Twins also have a CF, a 1B, and a LF who battled injuries last year, a #2 starter who had injury concerns at the end of the year, a #3 starter who had offseason surgery, and a catcher who's still only one year recovered from a serious knee injury. On the bright side, Juan Castro has been pretty healthy.

I'll admit to being a little concerned about Hunter's injury. Morneau and Stewart played most of the year, not sat out. Same for Santana and Silva. Mauer's shown he's over the knee thing as well.

For a guy whose main selling points are speed and defense (i.e. range), to have leg problems that impacted his performance somewhat considerably, that's a bit of a concern, too. And the other two? Well, neither played much last year. Both have a recent history of significant playing time lost to injury, too. I'm just saying is all.

On Castillo, though, I admit, that I'm rather HOPING he had a motivation issue in Florida, rather than legitimate injuries. I think the Twins clubhouse has a way of invigorating players.

IMHO, Frank ends up with Oakland. His career OPS numbers (.995) make guys like Beane drool. His baserunning won't be a concern given Oakland's institutional aversion to anything resembling agressiveness on the basepaths. And, right now, he is seriously undervalued because of his health. Billy's just waiting for him to go from discounted to clearance rack.

Besides, I don't think the Twins go after a guy like Frank. My impression of them, admittedly biased and limited though it is, always led me to believe the Twins liked flexibility and versatility in their players. That is certainly not Frank.

However, if they're desperate...

Castillo was a nice pick up. Gold Glover, still young enough, great two-hitter, and has relatively cheap contract. Even if he's lost a step, he's still a significant upgrade and only cost you two minor league pitchers.

Dear BG

If Darth ends up on the Twins, would you make a line of Darth Thomas is my boyfriend/nsmc shirts, and could you ever wear one ?

p.e.m.

Dear Mr. Mike,

Yes, And No.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

Could our year... finally be oh-SIIIIIIXXXXXX?

Great work, Team Ryan. Now let's get another bat. And not one of the ass kinds.

Regarding Castillo's "attitude problems"

I'm thinking that the Marlins' front office is just trying to spin that to their fans for trading a dollar for three quarters.

Chemistry is overrated is baseball. Get me a good baseball player, that's all I care about. Yeah, I'd like him to be a good guy. But if he isn't and he can mash...so what? And I'm not just saying this...a number of former baseball players have said the same thing. John Kruk talked about corner infielders that hadn't talked for years going out and playing like all-stars. Maybe it's not as much a non-factor as that...but chemistry is overrated.

I think you can make a pretty strong arguement that team chemistry played a large role in the Twins coming back to win game 1 against the A's in the 2002 playoffs. I think team chemistry played a descent size role in why the Twins won that series.

Team chemistry combined with individual character makes a descent team into a winning team. You know the sum being greater than the individual parts speech.

In my opinion it's always been part of the Minnesota Twins. It's why everyone thought Detroit would beat them in 87' but didn't and why the Twins won the greatest WS in 91'.

Well, I'll vote for Thomas. I think our homerism or anti-Soxism is getting in the way here a bit. I see a talented, right-handed hitter who slots in PERFECTLY between Mauer and Morneau.

And as for chemistry concerns, I also see a guy who is going to motivated out of his socks (sox?) to stick it to his old team. Guillen stuck it to him. His teammates took shots at him. So did most of the sportswriters there. And then they went and won the damn WS without him playing. And then KW dropped him and now he's trying to convince some team to give him another chance.

I don't see a problem. I see one very hungry, very scary guy.

Yeah...exactly...I think Thomas would be totally ready to show the Bitch Sox why they made a mistake in letting him go.

Attitude is different from chemistry. Players don't have to like each other to make a good team in baseball, is my point. As long as they are hungry to win, they'll do well.

*squeals uncontrollably*

I am with Josh-it would be nice to see Frank have a tremendous year and make the Bitch Sox pay for letting him go. Who wouldn't want to see him in a Twins uniform hitting a home run off that punk Buerhle?

But still whatever happens, the Twins need a regular DH as I said before and not a guy who can't hit righties or they guy whose foot is sore or the revolving door of guys who need a break from the field.

What's this about Dougie almost having a team?

Details!

Way to go Terry Ryan!!! Now do some more wheeling and dealing.

I have no problem with getting Darth Thomas. Of course, we would have to return to calling him Anakin Thomas if he left the dark side. Problem is, if the analogy holds, doesn't he die right after leaving? Oh wait, he overthrows the emperor first (literally). So: Anakin Thomas helps the Twins recapture the AL Central, then dies. I'll take it.

BG, I'm sorry to interupt this jedi council meeting to inform everyone that the pixie vests are now available to be gawked at on www.minnesotatwins.com.

Here is the direct link:
http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2164471&cp=1452357.1452810.709215&parentPage=family

This is such a smart trade. What a deal!!! I'm so pumped for baseball season.

Regarding Darth Thomas:

Josh sez: "Chemistry is overrated is baseball. Get me a good baseball player, that's all I care about. Yeah, I'd like him to be a good guy. But if he isn't and he can mash...so what?'

I appreciate the sentiment, and I have heard the arguments, too. (I.e. 1970s-era Athletics.) It just seems ironic to apply this argument to Thomas, who figured hugely in the all-mash no-chemistry underachieving Wox teams. Ozzie and Kenny came in and got rid of Magglio and Carlos Lee, and Ozzie basically told Thomas, "my way or the highway," and the team finally got good. Saying chemistry doesn't matter, power-hitting does, would be more effective if the object of the discussion wasn't such a good example of the contrary argument.

I respect the view (sox matt) that Thomas reformed and fit in and contributed, and also that if he's pissed at the Wox, that's not a bad thing for a Twin's DH. It could all work out ducky. But beware of saying that clearly chemistry doesn't matter because some notable teams overcame chemistry problems.

(I would acknowledge, though, that great chemistry on a team of replacement-level players is a fairly silly concern. It can't replace talent.)

Frank Thomas may be a bad guy, granted. However, by all accounts so were Mientkiewicz and AJ, and we were at our best with those guys.

MAYBE WE NEED A LIL SASS IN THE CLUBHOUSE.

If worse comes to worse, Torii will punch him in the grill.

"Saying chemistry doesn't matter, power-hitting does, would be more effective if the object of the discussion wasn't such a good example of the contrary argument."

Hmmmm, I would venture that the lack of success of those Sox teams had more to do with shortage of solid pitching and defense.

Or we could go with the easy "chemistry"/boogeyman answer.

I just cannot conjure up an opinion on Thomas. I mean, I do think such a possibility has an outside chance of working out very well. It's a risk, but sometimes one needs to take risks.

and btw, I very much enjoy sacky's Jedi-related assessment. I could go with that.

Yeah, Eric -- the Sox's pitching is certainly the more important factor in their improvement. I'd taking pitching over chemistry any day of the week.

Chemistry might be easy to blame, but I don't buy that its effect is merely a bogeyman. I've worked in functional workplace situations and the other kind, and I know which were on average more productive. (And that's without having to leave my family to spend big chunks of six months in hotels with my colleagues. Shudder.)

And Ovie, if what Thomas brings is Sass, I say sign him up. (I wonder if there's such a thing as anti-sass. Perhaps we could call Steve Lombardozzi to check. If such a thing exists, it might demand a sassy response from teammates.)

On a more thread-responsive, but still related, note, I liked this quote from the Strib article:

"Castillo acknowledged that injuries have slowed him, but added moving to No. 2 in the batting order behind speedy leadoff hitter Juan Pierre in recent seasons also cut down on his base-stealing opportunities.

'It depends on what the manager wants to do,' Castillo said. 'If he wants to be aggressive, that's what I like.'"

Hopefully that says good things about A) Castillo's potential steals, B) his willingness to be what the team needs, and C) his spunkiness. I think I'm really going to like this guy.

Yeah. I would rather have Mike Piazza or acquire on of the players out on the market (maybe Troy Glaus?)...but hey, I think Frank Thomas could fit in well here. We'll see how everything works out.

Nomar at 3rd base might also be an option...

Chemisty is a weird thing for some teams it can mean everything and for others nothing. But as long as you don't have players that go around and start fistfights in the locker room you should be ok. that and if every puts forth a god effort so his teamates don't feel they have to start riding him. Those are probally the things that hurts the team the most.

Dear readers,

The Geek is probably right, as he so often is, and it would really be sort of funny if we had him. At least we already have the Lego for him.

Sincerely,
BG

Wouldn't Thomas helping the Twins overthrow the Sox be some sort of karmic payback for them winning a Series with AJ? I think I like that.

I think Thomas is a risk, but there was no guarantee that Jack Morris was going to pan out in '91, either. I seem to recall hearing that he was washed up ...

(No way to score points in a discussion with other Twins fans than to call upon the memory of '91, right?)

Hey, while Darth Thomas is who he is, I still think the good doctor morneau, especially in the pixie vests looks a whole lot more like Anakin, especially in ROTS. Imagine our favorite man-child with a scar.

The Chairman's almost a dead ringer for one Anakin Skywalker. In fact, my brother and I have a hard time watching Ep. III without wishing there was a Twins game on...

I think there have been teams in the past that where able to overwhelm their lack of chemistry with their abundance of talent. We will never be one of those teams, so we need moderate amounts of both.

Frank Thomas has always been a "me" guy. He always will be. That concerns me. There probably are other "me" guys on the Twins (it's not like I go clubbin' with them) but why even take the risk?

The aversion to Piazza utterly perplexes me. Would someone care to explain? ;)

I have no aversion to Piazza, Thomas, Palmeiro or anyone else who's proven they can hit the damn ball. After last year, I'm willing to give anyone who's ever hit with any serious pop a shot.

A little late getting here, but this is a huge move! I'm tickled. And unlike most here it seems, I'd love to have Frank Thomas dh'ing for us next year. For those who think he's washed up, ummmmmm, how do it say it? Well, ok, he's better washed up that most of our players. If healthy he would hit the 30+ homers that everyone's been crying about. He'll wash the ball up into the batcave, that's what he'll do. And probably hit .300. So, let's get him.

First off, I'm glad that Mike is finally posting occasionally as himself instead of "public enemy mike".

Secondly, as I posted on another thread, and as we'd all appreciate had we actually read the assigned Book Club reading, Castillo's HUGE for you guys with his OBP and you shouldn't fret too much over lost speed because steals don't yield as much as we once thought- after all, the object is considered by great baseball minds to be to avoid outs, which is something cas-TEE-yo (pronounced OK, WW? ;-)) does.

Thirdly, in the wake of Matty-boom-batty, your hot stove talks should definitely mention fat bats like those of Darth Thomas and Miguelito Piazz'... let me tell you a story- first time I saw Piazza play in person, I thought he was overrated. I was seated almost directly behind home plate, up a little and towards the 1b side... he comes up in his half of the first inning and having that angle of view on his swing when he laid the wood to the horsehide, I must say that I was convinced of the man's greatness, much more so when a few seconds later, he's standing on third with a triple. Granted, this was a few years ago, but that same hit is still a double today and you can't argue with one swing of the bat giving you a RISP.

Fouth, thanks for even further weakening a NL East team (although it had already been obvious that they had no intentions of competing this season when they dealt Beckett and NEW YORK MET Carlos Delgado (who is actually VERY articulate and personable, it would seem- see the interview with him after his signing on mets.com if you're interested in the man, not just the ballplayer).

Finally, re: "Could our year... finally be oh-SIIIIIIXXXXXX?" "Finally"? Granted, '87 and '91 are nearly two decades behind us but to say "finally" is to be greedy when you look at fans of teams like the Cubs and Indians who've been waiting longer than the Twins have even been in existence. Don't get me wrong- I'd still love to see the Mets pull out a 20-year anniversary championship, but I'm not just a fan of the Mets but a fan of baseball and if our gratification is delayed for the sake of Cleveland or ChN fans, well, it's good for the game.

*If worse comes to worse, Torii will punch [Thomas] in the grill.*

Uh, yeah, that's a good plan. Just so long as the Twins staff can pry Torii out of the locker that Big Frank shoves him into.

On a more serious note, Thomas is articulate and hardworking. He's talented. He's motivated to prove that he's an inner circle Hall of Famer and that the White Sox were wrong to let him go. He comes with a voluminous and encyclopedic knowledge of hitting that he can pass onto others. He fills a Twins need. He's inexpensive.

In short, the only thing Thomas has going against him is his phantom past reputation--which rests on Jay Mariotti's credibility as a journalist--and the fact that he may have a chronic injury.

Take a second, and look at those lists. Weigh the pros and the cons. Look at the cost/benefit ratio. Examine the possible risks and rewards. And finally imagine the best case scenario vs. the worst case scenario of signing Frank Thomas to play DH for the Twins.

And then come to your decision as to whether you want him signed. There is a right answer here, people. I'll give you a hint: Like most things in life, if you're standing next to Jay Mariotti, then you're on the wrong side of the line.

You don't pass up Hall of Famers of any age. Thomas would be the best player ever to put on a Twins uniform, just the role he played with the Sox.

And if you STILL put weight in the "Thomas as a clubhouse cancer" theory, let me remind you of this: the media often blames a team's best player when that team underachieves. In Texas, they blamed ARod. In NY, they blamed Arod. In Boston, they blamed Nomar. In Florida this year, they blamed Cabrera. Right now, this very second, they're blaming Ichiro in Seattle. And even in Minnesota this past year, some ignorant fans blamed Santana for not winning every start.

None of these players are the problem. I don't care if they poison the town's drinking water, throw puppies at orphans or host sex parties on boats--they aren't the reason that those teams lose.

And anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about--and that includes hack journalists.

Those of you asking how Marlins fans are reacting to this deal, here is your answer: We are devastated. This trade hurts more than any of the previous trades our damned front office has made. You are getting a class act in Castle and don't let the gimp fool you, he is fast as hell. As for the whole bad attitude crap being put out by the Marlins FO, it is just that — crap. You will be singing the praises of Luis before long. My only hope is that Bowyer turns out to be the stud closer we hope he will be, because we will probably be throwing him into that role next season, maybe from the get go. Just a word from a dejected Marlins fan.

Don't worry, from what I saw of Bowyer, you won't be disappointed.

Good luck with the Marlins, I'm hearing a lot of random stuff, including a move. We Twins fans know what those rumors do to fan moral.

"Thomas would be the best player ever to put on a Twins uniform, just the role he played with the Sox." - MikeQ

Harmon Killebrew. Rod Carew.

But, Geek was convincing. I've been reluctant at the thought of Frank Thomas signing with the Twins, but (and that's a big one) I want to know that his ankle is healed before he's handed a pen by Terry Ryan. Even with a heavily incentive-laden contract he's taking up a roster spot. If he's healthy, and we don't overpay him, I'd like to see him on the Twins.

Ah, always fun to play catch-up on a thread.

Castillo - Yay! Injuries, sminjuries. The only numbers that have gone down for this guy recently have been steals and - as was mentioned - a move in the lienup spot contributed to that. All for a fine prospect who might be looking at a bullpen spot at some point this year, but so are a couple of other prospects (Durbin, for one), and Balfour, who's recovering from injury.

That doesn't even count that at this point we have three likely starters (Baker, Lirano, Guerrier) for only one guaranteed hole (Mays). Oh, and the other pitcher we traded finished the year at high-A, IIRC. Not bad for a guy who's a major league starter.

Thomas - Strangely enough, I have no strong opinion.

Nomar - I'll say I'm optimistic that if he feels his name doesn't earn him the $$$ it used to, he'd be a worthwhile pickup for 3B. Honestly, if I had to choose between Frank and Nomar, I'd go with Nomar. The health questions are similar, the age questions are similar, the attitude questions are similar, the potential is similar (Nomar hit 3 fewer HR when he was healthy last year, but he also batted .280 to Thomas' .212.) So, that being the case I'll go with the guy who can fill a fielding hole and a lineup hole over the guy who'll just fill a lineup hole.

Bartlett - Word is he's the starting SS, and will remain so. My guess is they feel more comfortable subbing Castro/Punto/Rodriguez there than at 3B.

Cuddyer - Since apparently TR and Gardy don't trust him at 3B, and 2B is now taken care of, I see him probably as a RF/DH/1B utility guy. That is, if we have someone to play 3B.

Ford - Lew seems to do better when he plays any spot consistently, so if JJ does indeed go, I see him as the likely RF replacement.

Castillo is fast too. I get the impression that he is what they wanted Rivas to end up like. We have great team, but we need everybody to stay healthy and work up to their potential.

Didn't the Press say that Pohlad was willing to go into $60,000,000 - $64,000,000 for payroll? It certain seems like it would come to us at a good time.

And is it just me or is everyone counting off Kubel for the RF spot? I'd rather see him out there if he's healthy than see Cuddles. (No offense to Cuddles fans.)

Oh, and I can't imagine Darth in a pixie vest. >_

*Harmon Killebrew. Rod Carew.*

Ok. Maybe Carew. I was more thinking along the lines of Thomas being better than Puckett.

But you're right that I did forget about both Killebrew and Carew.

I saw the vest at the pro-shop - they look like they just cut off the arms of the regular jersey -
I did pick up a nice long sleeve red shirt for myself tho =)

WW

Regarding our mets fan's response to "finally" Oh-siiiiix:

No offense to fans who have waited longer than 15 years for a WS champeenship. It's merely a reference to a 2005 spring trainig masterpiece.

"Thomas being better than Puckett."

In their primes I would take Kirby over Thomas in a heart beat. Frank hit a ton of HRs, Kirby won two titles. Frank gets a ring for being on the DL, but he did nothing to help that team win a title last year. Kirby was also a great defensive player.

Two MVPs don't mean as much as two titles.

Regarding Frank Thomas being the best player ever to don a Twins jersey:

Steve Carlton was almost certainly the best pitcher ever to play for the Twins. In two seasons, he was 1-6 with an 8.54 ERA. It sort of matters when you get 'em.

sacky- beh. There's nothing wrong with wanting your team to win every year. please forgive me for the lip I gave you- extremely tired + beer = a little ornery ;-)