caulfield12

If it's not Molitor, I'm guessing it will be Doug Mientkiewicz, who's already leading Twins' minor league teams to league championships...possibly (although not likely) with AJ Pierzynski as his bench coach. Terry Steinbach (catchers always make the best managers) is another strong candidate.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 07:42 AM) I wondered that initially, but all of their coaches had their contracts expiring anyway. The new manager will be able to pick his own staff. So technically Molitor is gone, but apparently still a candidate to take over. Personally, if they are saying they didn't win enough with the players they gave Gardy, I don't see how an internal hire makes sense. But if I were a manager, the Twins job has to be about attractive as there is. A loaded system and an organization that doesn't like change in that position. You could ride it into retirement. The Twins are like the White Sox, but even more insular. Twins Way, etc. Why would they want to bring in someone like Dave Martinez (Maddon Way), Torey Lovullo (Red Sox Way/Blue Jays, AL East, etc.)...when they have a homegrown favorite son to take over, ala Robin Ventura in Chicago? The only other hire of the hot names out there that I would support if I were the Pohlads is Jeff Bannister...because they've lost a lot of their identity (pitching, strike throwing, lockdown pen, defense, fundamentals, speed, execution, letting their opponents beat themselves) from the 2001-2010 period. Sure, they spent money on Phil Hughes, Nolasco and Suzuki, the two of those guys were excellent. That doesn't mean they're still not 2 starters short (Meyer and Gibson look like keepers)...and Joe Mauer has been a shadow of his former self. When Buxton, Sano, Hicks, Vargas, Arcia, Plouffe, Dozier, etc., start firing on all cylinders, they'll be a TOUGH TOUGH out. In some ways, they're ahead of the White Sox, because they also have two of the top 10 prospects in baseball. With that said, as the Cubs' example has proven, they also have a 1-2 year learning curve ahead of them.

If they trade Ramirez, they better get a major league average or above player for 6 seasons at an important position.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Sep 30, 2014 -> 05:48 AM) They are going to hire Molitor after they just fired him? If that's how you choose to look at it...they aren't letting all 7 coaches go, by the way, it's going to be at the new manager's and Terry Ryan's discretion. http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/277536121.html Buxton, Sano, Danny Santana, Brian Dozier and Kennys Vargas will be the Twins’ most important position players for the rest of this decade. They all swear by Molitor. This summer, I asked Buxton and Sano who they rely on in the Twins’ organization. Both said, “Molitor.” I asked, “Who else?” Both said, “Molitor.” Of the thousands of baseball people I’ve encountered, perhaps only Kelly sees a game with the same incisiveness and prescience as Molitor, who can steal signs and find a pitcher’s “tells” before he starts his windup. Those seeking a symbolic changing of the guard will beg the Twins to look outside their organization, to steal brainpower from the Cardinals. Hiring candidates associated with success is risky, though. Bill Belichick’s coordinators have not lasted as head coaches (see Dave Martinez). The Twins know what they have in Molitor. He’s a baseball genius, a gifted teacher of young players, a Hall of Fame competitor and, as something of an outcast on Gardenhire’s coaching staff, the rare detached insider who knows exactly what this team needs to improve. So the Twins should do as Ryan insists, and conduct a wide-ranging international search for their next manager. And then they should hire Molitor.

Molitor will be the choice. Book it. As far as the next White Sox manager, I want Jeff Bannister. He just missed on the Astros' job to AJ Hinch. I watched him for a whole season with the Augusta GreenJackets when we won the South Atlantic League championship in 1995, and he's a fair but strict disciplinarian (military background) who was able to keep Jose Guillen in check that season. I can guarantee we wouldn't be seeing any of the same mistakes in terms of baserunning and fielding we've consistently been seeing out of the White Sox the past two seasons. http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/97006...-get-astros-job

Teahen would come back to play 3B then, or Uribe? C'mon. Gillaspie as a corner outfielder is just not a good idea. Platoon outfielder, at that.

It's still back to that defensive question. Even if Garcia puts up an 800 OPS (and I'm expecting 725-750 just to be happily surprised), then you've got four bad or below average fielders: Gillaspie, Garcia, 2B (if it's Semien, maybe average if it's Sanchez) and 1B Average=Flowers (maybe you can argue a tick above average) Above average=Ramirez and Eaton If you trade Ramirez, that leaves you with only Eaton. And the only quick fix is moving Avisail Garcia to DH, which isn't going to happen, or Viciedo to DH, which is UNLIKELY to happen. Micah Johnson's not going to improve the 2013-14 defensive numbers, either. I just don't see any conceivable way the 2015 team is going to have something approaching even an average defense unless they find a "defense first" outfielder (like a Parra, Michael Saunders or Leonys Martin...or think Lagares, Bourjos or maybe Endy Chavez or F.Gutierrez 2-3 seasons ago) who will probably struggle to be average offensively. That leaves you gambling on one of those guys like Rasmus who MIGHT put it together on both sides of just as easily turn into the White Sox version of JD Drew. With bad baserunning (even if team speed improves in LF and at 2B) and what will PROBABLY be an average or below-average pen without a minor miracle, there's just no path to competing unless they exchange players and eras with the 1999-2001 Twins, when they were on the cusp of becoming the best team in the division. I would give Hahn a B/B+. If Eaton was 100% healthy the entire season and that wasn't an ongoing concern, I might be willing to push it up to A-. I think there's also a decent amount of uncertainty about how good Avisail Garcia becomes...if he's not a cornerstone or building block, that puts us 3 bats out of contention, not just 2. The Downs/Cleto/Paulino/Boggs/Belisario moves (albeit low risk) all blew up, especially Downs, who was this year's Keppinger. Paulino was a mess and quietly went away. Erik Johnson completely self-destructed. Then you have the Davidson debacle. I'll give him Putnam, Noesi and Guerra, although SOME of those moves had to work by the process of elimination. The jury's still out on Sierra. He also got decent (under the circumstances) returns for DeAza and especially Dunn.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 05:36 PM) Anyone know when the game times come out for first round of playoffs? I have tickets to Saturday's Dodger game and am curious what time the game will be at. 930 pm....aka 630 pm local

The Sale situation is more like what the Royals did with Finnegan out of TCU this last month or so. With Downs as your best option (at the time), he was undoubtedly a better choice for the Royals even after being on a college mound just two months prior. I would be totally shocked if he wasn't starting along with Duffy and Ventura next spring, as they work to replace Shields. Plus, with a Boras client, you're just not expecting to ever work out a Sale/Quintana-esque extension, so there's that to consider as well.

Not a whole lot of LH options out there right now. Heyward L.Martin Gardner Yelich Span Blackmon Seth Smith, but we'd be severely overpaying for in terms of talent coming off this season... then you have the likes of Dave LaRoche and the oft-mentioned Rasmus Victor Martinez, Justin Morneau, Ibanez, Carlos Pena, Adam Lind, Ethier, Crawford...past their primes

Petricka B/B+ based on expectations Putnam an A Guerra a B+ Belisario D Downs F Webb C- Surkamp and Snodgress....C's Cleto C Lindstrom C-/D+

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 29, 2014 -> 05:44 AM) Victor is having his best season. Still he is a lifetime wRC+ 125 . If he has an average for him year that is a lot more help in a spot the team has nothing than if Wilson has an average year for him vs. Flowers. Except there are 20-25 alternatives to Victor Martinez (of course, not the same level of production, but age and cost/production are just as revelant....along with future projected production), and only a few to Wilson. Of course, that's why Wilson will end up with 9-12 bidders for his services and Victor Martinez only 3-4 at 3+ years and and $16-22 million per season. In the end, the Sox won't go after either player because of the prohibitive cost of outbidding too many other teams.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansa...cle2279444.html Dayton Moore, and the playoff appearance 8 (or 29) years in the making...

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Sep 25, 2014 -> 12:33 PM) It would be cool to get a winners season, if you can't get them all back then try to get some people from the international big brothers and bring them over. Would be very interesting They should do like Africa big brother where they have players from diff countries....except it would be states/regions and they would have competitions in each area to get to the national show.

The defense and bullpen absolutely must be addressed for this franchise to go anywhere besides .500

QUOTE (raBBit @ Sep 25, 2014 -> 08:20 PM) Damn Chinese Google! Technically Hong Kong google

Handing the royals a game yet again... That would be 0-6 or 0-7 for Quintana decisionwise against kc the last two years despite a strong era.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 25, 2014 -> 07:27 PM) Sierra almost killed himself hitting 1B with the wrong foot. That dude is so far behind the baseball IQ curve it isn't even funny. Hopefully he catches up, because he has some talent, and seems to be a guy that everyone loves. How is that possible when Ruben Sierra is your dad?

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Sep 25, 2014 -> 03:37 PM) How is he a corner OF. He has started less than 10% of his career starts in LF and in half those games he was pulled late for defense. He got moved to IB and he is a pretty good defensively there. We need an above average corner outfielder defensively to offset Avi on the other side. I'd almost rather have lo mo or smoak since they already know the al and would come at a fraction of the cost.

We all know it's a LOT different getting those 3 outs in the 9th than the 7th or 8th. Sure, there will always be anomalies like Grilli, Jim Johnson, Frieri, that rise up for a season or two...but very few (maybe 8-10) can sustain successful closing roles for a minimum of five years or more. It's the reason Dotel and Linebrink struggled when pushed back in the pen (although Dotel was better after leaving the Sox with DET)...and we've seen what happens with guys like Belisario, Petricka and Putnam when they're out of their comfort zone and in uncomfortable positions they're not familiar with. My biggest concern with Jones is simply his lack of movement when he overthrows and his control, which would end up looking like the Bobby Jenks Tightrope we saw the last 2-3 seasons of his Sox career (or Joe Nathan in 2014). If I was a gambling man, I'd guess that Jones wouldn't have lasted a full season (as closer) unless he really refined his offspeed stuff, added a third pitch and/or learned how to consistently get ahead of opposing hitters. Nobody ever confused him for a strike thrower, like a Foulke. I do think Jones would have done better (if healthy) than Lindstrom or Belisario, but consistent enough to nail down the job permanently....probably not.

If we had one full year to assess where Rodon was development-wise, signing Victor would be the right idea for 2015...but, due to his signing late (partially) and the fact that he didn't follow the 2010 Sale route (or even 2014 Finnegan with KC), I'm not read to count on him being a 3+ WAR guy until we actually see him at the major league level. For every Kershaw or Sale, there's 50 Andrew Millers who are high draft picks who never amount to quality starters. Signing Martinez, you're at least one year away and you're already expecting a decline in 2015...so what will we actually have in 2016 and 2017 when we really need him to hit like he has for DET this year? I'd say something more like his numbers from 2011-2013, subtracting 10-25% for aging/wear & tear.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Sep 24, 2014 -> 09:02 PM) Gavin Floyd coming back from a fractured elbow could be converted to a reliever. Tom Gorzelanny will be available as will Luke Gregerson. Gregerson's going to be too expensive for another "rebuilding" year. I don't think we're ready to pay top market value for relievers like him, Miller, and some of the closers out there on the FA market.

Forgot about Nolan Sanburn from the Dunn/A's trade for the bullpen...although it would be pushing it to go from the CAL League to the majors. Nolan Sanburn, rhp Age: 22 An Athletics second-round pick in 2012, Sanburn had the potential to be one of the organization’s best pitching prospects, but he wasn’t healthy enough to show much since turning pro. He moved back to the bullpen this season after working as a starter in 2012 and part of 2013. A reliever at Arkansas, Sanburn signed as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2012 and has pitched just 120 (innings) in three seasons. When healthy, he has an electric fastball at 93-94 mph and can touch 96 with riding life. His curveball also shows impressive depth while coming in hard in the high 70s. www.baseballamerica.com

Forgot about Nolan Sanburn from the Dunn/A's trade for the bullpen...although it would be pushing it to go from the CAL League to the majors. Nolan Sanburn, rhp Age: 22 An Athletics second-round pick in 2012, Sanburn had the potential to be one of the organization’s best pitching prospects, but he wasn’t healthy enough to show much since turning pro. He moved back to the bullpen this season after working as a starter in 2012 and part of 2013. A reliever at Arkansas, Sanburn signed as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2012 and has pitched just 120 in three seasons. When healthy, he has an electric fastball at 93-94 mph and can touch 96 with riding life. His curveball also shows impressive depth while coming in hard in the high 70s. www.baseballamerica.com

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...ra-leaves-cuba/ Another Cuban on the market, one of the Top 5-6 remaining guys, 2B Hector Olivera. He's already 30. Wonder if he can play LF?