Crede cuts ties to White Sox, moves to rival

The Chicago Auto Show is taking place downtown this week and heading down for a day has become a minor tradition for my brother-in-law and me. This makes for interesting timing, as we spent part of last year's visit discussing the future of Joe Crede and what the White Sox would do at third base for the 2008 season.

As of this morning, we'll have to think of something else to talk about.

Crede was in the Twin Cities to take his physical and presumably get back on a plane to Fort Myers, where he stands to be the starter at third for the Twins unless he gets hurt again. White Sox fans are more than aware that Crede's back has been a little iffy lately. This could very well be Chicago's version of a Trojan Horse in free agency form.

From the Twins site:

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the deal features a base salary of $2.5 million, with the chance to earn $7 million in appearance bonuses. The bonuses begin once Crede reaches 250 plate appearances and tops out at $7 million following his 525th plate appearance...

The structure of the contract should help protect the Twins if Crede doesn't prove to be healthy. Crede, 30, has been limited to just 144 games the past two seasons due to back injuries. He's undergone two back surgeries over that time span, including one this past fall to remove a nerve impingement. His agent, Scott Boras, has told reporters that Crede is ready to go for Spring Training.

Back in Chicago, the team put a feature up on their site to pump up Fields a bit, drawing odd comparisons between Crede/Fields and Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers. I know, weird, huh?

More interesting were the Green Bay parallels that ran right down to managing fan expectations of the new guy getting set to take over.

From the White Sox site:

Truth be told, Fields might not wind up quite as spectacular as a healthy Crede was with the glove at the hot corner. He might never win any accolades for his fielding.

Then again, a scant few third basemen match up with Crede when he's on his game. The present concern for Fields is not these personal highlights, as much as simply fitting into the White Sox big picture. To reach this goal, Fields knew his defensive play had to improve from an inconsistent 2008...

In 2007, Fields hit 23 home runs and drove in 67 over 100 games. In 2008, Fields hit .156 without a home run over 14 games. When Crede went down because of his balky back, the White Sox opted to start Juan Uribe at third because of his stronger defense.

(Image from: MLBlogs.com)

Free baseball!

Well, not free baseball - tickets are going for $200 a pop and climbing as of late this afternoon - but Game 163 is upon us.

John Danks will start for the Sox and Nick Blackburn starts for the Twins. Despite Danks' issues of late - and face it, all of the Sox starters have been shelled in one game or another in September - I'll still take him over Blackburn.

Both have pitched 187 innings this year and have 11 wins. Danks wins pretty much every other category of note, incuding ERA (3.47 to 4.14), earned runs (72 to 86) and K/9 (7.46 to 4.48), just for a random sample.

Also, with the game being held in Chicago and not at the Ball Mall, the Sox have a huge advantage walking into the game.

Twins closer Joe Nathan was on the air with one of the radio shows in Chicago as I ran errands this afternoon and was asked to sum up the season with regard to matching 88 and 74 records leading to the one-game playoff.

Nathan said that in addition to both teams being division rivals and constantly beating on each other for the AL Central title, it seemed fitting to come this far to be tied. He pointed to the teams mirroring each other - when the Twins went on a skid, so did the Sox and when the Sox got on a roll, so did the Twins - all season long.

Regardless, both teams weren't expected to be here at the end of the season. I wasn't the only one to completely write off these two in favor of the Indians and Tigers.

Of course that won't help fans of whichever team loses tonight, but it's something.

Late note: John Kruk got done watching Danks speak to Pedro Gomez and was laughing at Danks' comment that he didn't know where this win ranked for him.

"I can tell him," Kruk said. "It's the best he ever pitched in his life. It's the most important game he's ever pitched in his life and it's the best he's ever pitched because he won the big game for this team."

I need Kruk to help me put events in my life in perspective. What do you think he does in the offseason? I mean other than take naps and make crank calls.

(Image from: Some random blog. I'll assume it's from MLB.com)

Well, this just got interesting

The White Sox game in Minneapolis just ended a few minutes ago in extra innings, with the Twins completing the sweep and giving themselves a slim 1/2 game margin in the AL Central.

For those up to date on their SportsCenter clinching celebrations, the Red Sox have a spot, the Rays have a spot and the Angels clinched in mid-August, leaving Chicago and Minnesota to duke it out for the final playoff spot.

The Twins got the better end of the series.

Now, as Cubs fans quietly whisper about the wisdom of printing World Series tickets by virtue of their best record in the National League, Sox fans anxiously watch the weekend series at the Cell with one eye on the out of town scoreboard.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but if you could choose three games to determine your fate would it be against the Royals, who never contend but have had a hand in the AL Central two of three years now or the Indians, who were expected to run with the Tigers for the Central crown before the bottom dropped out on both teams?

(Quick time out. Which of those statements would have sounded strangest in early March? Indians and Tigers in the toilet before the All-Star break? White Sox and Twins in the mix with three to play? Cubs with the best record in the NL? The Rays winning the AL East? Seriously, this year is a total funhouse.)

Now, the good news.

Go back two years and the Twins were playing out of their minds down the stretch, winning game after game when - and stop me if you've heard this one - they had no business winning that often.

As Joe Mauer became the first batting champ while playing as an everyday catcher, the Twins trailed the Tigers into the final weekend against the White Sox. Detroit had Kansas City at their own park.

I'll turn it over to me for the breakdown:

Regardless of where you are or how good you think your team will or will not be, strange things can happen at both ends of the season. Just ask the Royals.

With that in mind, we were at the Twins game this afternoon to see a game that on paper in April and May should have been the Twins serving as spoilers to a White Sox title defense run. In practice, it was Kansas City pulling three games from deep in its collective ass to knock the Tigers from the top spot and give the Twins the division title for the fourth time in five years.

So, not only is there historical precedent, but with the teams involved. The Royals have played the frontrunner on the road and swept before.

Is it possible that the Royals are just better at playing the spoiler than other teams? Granted, they get plenty of practice where others teams fold under bad attitudes and crushing expectations, but could they really be the best spoilers in the league?

I'm totally serious about this.

Francisco Liriano starts for the Twins tomorrow, John Danks for the Southsiders. I'd post who they start against, but I'm betting no one else has heard from them unless they have teams in several AL-only keeper leagues.

Oh, and the "Post-Season 2008" tag just got minted for this post. This is the second most exciting thing that's happened today.

Late edit:

The teams that have tickets punched for the postseason are:

NL:
Chicago
Los Angeles

AL:
Tampa Bay
Boston
Los Angeles (by way of Anaheim, etc.)

(Image from: StarTribune.com)

Twin Cities sees uptick in wheelchair thefts

In the land of ice and nice, it's a big deal when people don't act in a manner that would please their parents, so it shocked me to see that a wheelchair was stolen at the Metrodome during last night's Twins-Sox game.

When Danny e-mailed everyone, I saw the Kare 11 web address and knew it was something strange and something from the Twin Cities. I never would have guessed that it would be for this.

I know what you're thinking - Where the hell is the security tape? - well, right here.

Note the helpful stadium attendant who opens the doors for the thief. It just goes to show you that someone stupid enough to steal a wheelchair is also too stupid to operate a door. My guess is that there are too many moving parts.

As for the victim of the theft, he's taking things pretty well, but just wants his chair back.

"It helps me get places. I have much more freedom with it. I can do things with my friends a lot easier," says Sam. "Just no hard feelings. Just bring it back."

I'm at a loss for words. You know, aside from the ones already here. Wow.

(Image from: Blogtown.PortlandMercury.com)

The Twins sure like it when you eat

Aside from the usual late-June spamming from teams to vote early and often for the local All-Stars, the e-mails I receive from MLB are usually of the "Buy this!" variety. Already this week, I've gotten word from two teams that it's time to gear up for the All-Star Game and I can click one simple link to start dropping cash on dated jerseys that my favorite players will wear once at most.

Awesome.

The Twins have bucked that trend by not only urging me to vote for Joe Mauer in his heroic fight against Varitek and Posada, but by sending three food-related e-mails in a little over a week.

In their defense, two were for their all-you-can-eat section, but that's still a lot of invitations to come and power through a few pounds of nachos and a half dozen hot dogs.

It's important to note that, "Beer will NOT be included in the 'All You Can Eat' package but will be sold next to the All You Can Eat concession stand along with ice cream and candy."

Still, at five bucks a pop for a hot dog, you start making money in the middle of your seventh dog. That's a total steal of you come dressed in some sort of pants with an elastic waistband. Additionally, the games offered are against good teams - Tigers, White Sox and A's - I totally would have scheduled these during games against the Royals and other assorted bottom feeders.

For the serious bargain hunter, the other e-mail should raise some eyebrows - $30 for a skybox with one small catch. No peanuts, no Cracker Jacks.

I guess it comes down to how you feel about bumping a child with food allergies from a spot for your shot at sitting in a skybox.

Regardless of the moral implications involved with implying a serious allergy for better seats, tonight is the evening where both worlds collide and you can either opt for a peanut-free evening or jump on board the glutton train headed for Severe Heartburn Junction with a stop in Roll Down the Windows On the Car Ride Home Gulch.

If you ask me, the team is just getting the jump on clearing out their warehouses before the new ballpark opens and the team switches concessions vendors. Really, how else do you offload a few hundred gallons of bright green relish without drawing the suspicions of the EPA?

(Image from: Flickr User anglerove)

Swing and a miss... not in a good way

Normally, the "This is Twins Territory" ad campaign is pretty good. Not so much in a, "Let me see that again and again and set it to play when I boot up my laptop" kind of way, but in a "Heh, that was funny" kind of way.

At the very least, I used to leave them on during commercial breaks instead of TiVoing right through them.

This is not one of those.

Expect this to appear and be summarily mocked on Deadspin 2.0 (with holographic replays!) in 10 years like the cheesy music videos of the Bills in the 80s. Hell, it's being mocked right now on With Leather.

(Not for nothing, but isn't this the worst possible music for a Joe Mauer tribute? It sounds like it came off of a 12-year-old girl's mixtape that she made for her friends to remember her over the summer.)

Francisco Lirian-uh-oh

Three starts after returning from Tommy John surgery and Francisco Liriano is not looking good.

Not at all.

In what should have been a relatively safe start against Oakland, Liriano couldn't even make it out of the first inning as he got shelled for six runs, five hits, walked three and was chased after retiring two batters.

For those frustrated souls who picked him up in their fantasy leagues, that brings his record to 0-3, with an ERA of 11.32 in 10.1 innings of work. Not feeling sick yet? That works out to 15 hits and 13 earned runs in those 10 innings.

Manager Ron Gardenhire wins the understatement of the week award for this gem:

"That was a tough one for Frankie," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He feels bad about it. I don't think he has a lot of confidence right now."

Twins fans, enjoy what's shaping up to be the Mark Prior of the North. And you thought you dodged a bullet by drafting Joe Mauer, right?

(Image from: MLB.com)

For what it's worth

For the fans who are still crossing their fingers regarding the return of Francisco Liriano, I saw this today via Yahoo! Sports:

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Joe Christensen reports Kansas City Royals OF Mark Teahen could tell the difference in the 2008 version of Minnesota Twins SP Francisco Liriano and the dominant one in 2006. "I know his velocity's down a lot," said Teahen, who went 0-for-3 against Liriano. "I saw his slider pretty good today. Obviously I didn't produce, but it was easier to pick up the slider. He's still throwing 91 [miles per hour] and can still be a really productive pitcher, but definitely not the flash that was there in '06."

It's not the end of the world, it was just one game and his first back, but that's not very promising if things don't start to get better. Besides, how do the Royals rate "productive?" Is that some sort of sliding scale?

Buy me some peanuts and foie gras

The Twins released word this week that they will be using Delaware North Companies Sportservice to handle sales of their drinks, snacks and overpriced crap at their new ballpark.

This puts Minnesota in the same type of partnership agreement with several other major league clubs - Cleveland, Texas, St. Louis, Milwaukee, the White Sox, Detroit, Cincinnati, San Diego and the Dodgers - who are already working with DNCS.

Speaking as someone who has eaten at Miller Park, this is an awesome idea.

Of course, the suits had to ruin it by unveiling their gourmet options - more than likely not available at the hot dog hut on Concourse A - which seem a little odd for ballpark fare. This tends to crop up when new ballparks are announced, but luckily for Joe Sixpack in Minneapolis, they're trying to add a little local flair at the bottom of the press release.

Of course, DNCS went the extra mile and spoke like the chess club president, trying to talk his way out of an ass-kicking by the football team by awkwardly dropping sports buzzwords.

Rick Abramson, president of Delaware North Companies Sportservice, said his company will try to localize the food and beverage options available at the Twins' new ballpark with the interests of the fan in mind. "We will pick out, with the fans, what the food will be like," he said. "We believe the Twins fans deserve a home run in the culinary area, and we plan to deliver."

For those who won't be dining out of anything fancier than a paper trough choked with nitrates, things get a little more normal.

Some different items expected to be offered at the new ballpark include walleye tacos, meatloaf and potato sliders, Asian dishes* and cheese curds. Traditional ballpark favorites like hot dogs, brats, nachos and peanuts would also be available.

I have no idea what a meatloaf slider is, but it sounds five kinds of kickass.

* Asian dishes? Are the Twins eying up the next Japanese import? From Nomo to Ichiro, this has been a hallmark when a team adds a new player from the Japanese league.

(Image from Aero.com)

Cups, underpants and tiger-related injuries

I was online last night and jumped to the Twins shop linked from their site. Every now and again, I'll see what's been added to the "new" section to see if there's something my wife might like, if a new product line has come out that might look good in Cubbie blue or Sox red or if MLB is just rubber stamping products to make a quick buck.

Here's one from that third column.

Keeping in mind this is a newly released product, what's the thinking behind a Twins tumbler featuring Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Johan Santana? It wasn't a major surprise when Santana left and it had been a major story in the Twin Cities for months before the season ended.

Was this wishful thinking or are plastic tumblers much, much more difficult to manufacture than I ever knew?

I can only imagine that the Twins will sell a few of these cups - great for storing salt to later be ground into open wounds - box up the rest and sell them in 20 years as "throwback glasses."

* This came from the Extra Bases feature on Boston.com today, when Red Sox manager Terry Francona was asked about heading back home after his team was forced to play in three countries over the past two weeks:

Francona said Opening Day is "special anyway. Then you add the ring ceremony and half of us will be wearing clean underwear. How do you beat rings and a clean underwear?"

Uh, buddy? What about the other half? Were they already clean or some of those weird, superstitious guys who never do laundry in season like a boy in a sitcom?

* And finally, from my favorite White Sox site, the April 4 edition of Palehose 8. If you're confused by the set up this season it's well worth the time to start at the beginning and work your way back.

He's not going anywhere and I'm not planning to stop linking to him any time soon.

(Image from MLB.com)

Bill James thinks the Twins are dirty cheaters

I'm not the best person to ask about the Twins teams that won the World Series twice in 1987 and 1991 - my opinions are greatly colored by my own memories from watching the games as a kid and from rosy speeches given by co-workers when we lived in Minneapolis.

I guess that's why it was so shocking when I read Cameron Martin's piece at Bugs & Cranks about Bill James' suggestions that those teams might have been running on something other than team spirit and a little, old fashioned Northwoods hustle.

Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti are targeted because they had oddly sub-par seasons in 1984 before finding their form in time for the two championship seasons. I'll need to grab a copy of James' book to see if he's speculating about the rest of those Twins teams in addition to the two stars.

More from Martin:

Maybe I’ve been on Mars, but I’ve never heard Puckett’s name mentioned in the conversation about performance-enhancing drugs.

He’s become an easy target after his death, especially in light of the unflattering revelations about his personal life, e.g., he was arrested for groping a woman in the ladies’ room of a Minneapolis restaurant, but was acquited at trial. Puckett might have had his cheerful veneer pulled back after his playing days were over, but saying a guy died early because he was using PEDs? I mean, this isn’t Ken Caminiti, who was an admitted steroid user. It’s Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer. Who else does James think is in Cooperstown via the aid of performance-enhancing drugs?

As long as it's not Ryne Sandberg, I'll be able to continue to sleep through the night. If a guy who looks like his blood type was cheddar can be accused, who's safe anymore?

(Image from: MSN.com)

Today in closers

Two quick links today as Minnesota kept their closer and the Cubs named theirs.

Joe Nathan inked a four-year, $47 million deal to stay with the Twins, while Kerry Wood is being named the closer in Chicago, despite his little scare from back spasms last week.

I'm currently working on the "don't pay for saves" post as soon as I brush up on Moneyball.

Expect that to follow a sleep-deprived rant after tomorrow morning's 5 a.m. Red Sox season opener, Live! From! Japan!

I'll also point you to numbers 42 and 43 from the Bugs and Cranks listing of the 162 things you need to know about the upcoming season.

42. Sean Casey is inactive for the Red Sox/A’s series in Japan because he got a stiff neck from sleeping in a bad position on the 17-hour flight.

43. Until DeLoreans can transport teams to the Far East in less than 17 hours, trips to Japan are stupid wastes of time for everyone involved.

(Image from CNNSI.com)

Just buy a damn roof

Here's an update on the Twins new stadium, via the Star-Tribune. Apparently, the Twins have discussed the option package on their new home and have reached a decision.

According to the story:

On Tuesday, Twins President Jerry Bell told the Hennepin County Board that the team will cover $22.4 million in upgrades to the stadium plans.

They include a high-definition scoreboard and a soffit to cover the exposed beams of the canopy that hangs over the infield. And then there's Mankato limestone for the stadium's skin, additional restrooms, more concession stands and something you're unlikely to see in a ballpark outside Minnesota: three-sided "shelters" where fans can go to warm up on chilly game days.

Seriously, guys - just buy the freaking roof already.

It'll be much better than shelters with exposed heating elements like they have on the CTA.

I'll keep you posted when they look for funding for empty barrels to start fires in, should the Twins make the playoffs before global warming gets going full swing.

(Image from: CollegePublisher.com)

Dear Twins Fans... Uhhh, sorry?

The Twins spammed their e-mail contacts today to let everyone know that they tried everything they could to keep Johan Santana, but he simply refused to comply with their "don't kill kittens" policy, so they shipped him to New York where that sort of thing is socially acceptable.

At least that's my guess because I lost interest midway through this long-winded e-mail from Twins President, Dave St. Peter. The tone is essentially, don't blame us, we tried. Seems a strange way to bring an end to the Santana Era.

St. Peter also fell back on the cheerful excuse put forth by some Minneapolis columnists - mainly that Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser were all added to the Twins' family because of the AJ Pierzynski trade. Going further back into the past, they point to the Frank Viola trade years back as another lopsided trade with a happy ending.

I'm sure that makes Twins fans feel a lot better about losing the most dominant southpaw since Koufax.

Here's the big hitter in the e-mail:

As the club has stated many times, our first choice was to sign Johan to a contract extension ensuring he remained in a Twins uniform for years to come. Despite the largest multi-year offer in Twins history - one which would have rewarded Johan with the highest annual salary among all pitchers in Baseball - the team and Johan's representatives respectfully were unable to reach agreement. Only at that juncture did the team and Johan's agent begin considering trade options.

In other words, "Please don't come down and set fire to the ticket office on Monday in response to the trade being approved. It wasn't our fault. We checked under the couch cushions for extra cash and everything. Sorry, guys."

If I'm Ron Gardenhire, I'm printing this out and putting it in my personnel file, just in case things go south in March and April this year.

Here's the e-mail in its entirety for those who are curious:

Dear Twins Fans:

On behalf of the entire Minnesota Twins organization, I'd like to take this opportunity to follow up regarding today's announced trade of Johan Santana to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey.

Trading a pitcher of Johan Santana's stature and character was a very difficult decision for the Twins organization. Since being acquired as an unknown 20 year old by the Twins in the 1999 Rule 5 Draft, Johan has emerged as one of the game's elite pitchers, as well as an ultimate competitor, teammate and role model. The Twins organization is incredibly thankful for Johan's significant contributions to this franchise and wish he and his family all the best going forward.

As the club has stated many times, our first choice was to sign Johan to a contract extension ensuring he remained in a Twins uniform for years to come. Despite the largest multi-year offer in Twins history - one which would have rewarded Johan with the highest annual salary among all pitchers in Baseball - the team and Johan's representatives respectfully were unable to reach agreement. Only at that juncture did the team and Johan's agent begin considering trade options.

As has been well documented, the Twins organization has a rich history of acquiring quality players via trade. Examples include the acquisitions of Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser from the Giants; Eric Milton and Cristan Guzman from the Yankees; and Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani from the Mets. With that history in mind, Bill Smith and talent evaluators such as Mike Radcliff, Rob Antony and Terry Ryan engaged in a process aimed at helping ensure the long-term competitiveness of the franchise.

With hopes of repeating that trade success, the deal brings four high quality young players to the Twins system:

Carlos Gomez - OF - 22 Years Old - Ranked as Mets' 3rd Best Prospect by Baseball America
Native of Dominican Republic is a true five-tool athlete with game-changing speed and an above average arm ... Made Major League debut with the Mets in 2007.

Deolis Guerra - RHP - 18 Years Old - Ranked as Mets' 2nd Best Prospect by Baseball America
The Venezulean native was the Opening Day starter for Mets' Class A Port St. Lucie club at the age of 17 ... projects to be an impact starter ... pitched in the 2007 Futures Game

Philip Humber - RHP - 25 Years Old - Ranked as Mets' 7th Best Prospect by Baseball America
Won championship game of 2003 College World Series for Rice ... Was the Mets first round pick - third overall - in the 2004 draft ... Has a great curve ball.

Kevin Mulvey - RHP - 22 Years Old - Ranked as Mets' 4th Best Prospect by Baseball America
The Mets top pick in the 2006 draft, throws four pitches for strikes ... Was the Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year and pitched in the 2007 Futures Game.

These acquisitions only add to the Twins impressive nucleus of young, impact players. Ron Gardenhire can take comfort in knowing he has a lineup anchored by some of the game's best young offensive stars in Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young; a veteran bullpen led by all-star closer Joe Nathan; and a young emerging starting rotation featuring Scott Baker, Boof Bonser, Kevin Slowey and the return of Francisco Liriano. The pitching rotation will be young, but talented, and we are confident that Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson will mold this group into a successful unit.

Once again, thank you for your incredible support of Twins baseball. We look forward to seeing you at the Metrodome again this spring.

Win Twins!!!

Dave St. Peter
President

(Image from: Newsday.com)

Johan Santana needs some boxes and a friend with a pickup

Cheer up, Mr. Met - maybe the addition of Johan Santana will make your long-suffering ballclub suck a little less. Then again, maybe not.

Honestly, I'm OK with Santana to the Mets. I have a feeling that Minnesota was asking for half of the farm club from either the Red Sox or the Yankees (wait, wouldn't the rest of the league be the farm clubs for those teams?) and this deal puts him in a major market without escalating the Cold War showdown in the AL East.

See, it's win-win for all parties! And we don't have to suffer through any more ESPN speculations of where he's headed or more Yankee/Red Sox coverage.

On a related note, how badly is Santana going to destroy the NL hitters this year? If Bronson Arroyo can come into the league and beat down batters, exactly how much damage will Santana do? I'm really looking forward to seeing how this plays out. I imagine it'll look a lot like Pros vs. Joes through the All-Star Break.

According to USA Today, which appears to have broken this story:

The Mets paid a high price in prospects to land Santana, agreeing to send the Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey... While the deal drains much of the talent out of the Mets' farm system, they did manage to hold on to top prospect Fernando Martinez, an outfielder. Instead, they headed the package with Gomez, who turned 22 in December and spent 58 games with the Mets last year.

Well, enjoy that Twins fans - first you get bitch-slapped by mother nature, then your hometown papers can't seem to keep up with this news (I was shocked to see this coming from the McNewspaper and not from one of the local dailies) and now you get a handful of prospects for one of the top pitchers in baseball.

We're just another step closer to my prediction for the the 2010 Twins - Joe Mauer and the 2008 Rochester Redwings! Maybe a little Nick Punto thrown in there to spice things up.

Update: There's two. And the second is from Peter Gammons, so I think it's safe to say that Santana can call his realtor now.

Update 2: Same song and dance from the Star-Tribune, but they're running the headline "Twins trade Santana for four of Mets best prospects." Well, if they're the "best" prospects, I'm sure that'll make the fans much happier with the situation.

(Image from: Cardnilly.com)

Oh yeah, I forgot about him

Out of the shadows and onto ESPN.com (via the St. Paul Pioneer Press) today comes Francisco Liriano. For being the kings of legit media, ESPN.com acts more and more like a blog these days.

The man who no one knew, then everyone knew and then blew out his arm and broke some hearts in the Twin Cities is ready to pitch. Yup, no doubt about it, that arm is right as rain and if you have any doubts, just look at Kerry Wood... wait, nevermind, I'll just see all you Twins fans at church tomorrow morning.

I think the timing is comical - and this isn't an indictment of the the announcement - where as the entire eastern seaboard does the Santana hokey pokey, Liriano pokes his head out and makes his return to the national media.

In another posting from the Pioneer Press, Santana was a no show at TwinsFest. If memory serves, it wasn't always a star-studded event, but it's something to consider anyways.

Honestly, it has everything to do with TwinsFest, but it should come as a ray of sunshine to Twins fans mired in the middle of January weather. After the staff was further depleted by the exit of Carlos Silva who fled for Seattle and the Santana sweepstakes has dragged on for months on end, this has to help just a bit.

They're still having an offseason that only fans of the White Sox, Royals and Marlins can sympathize with, but at least this is a little positive.

Speaking of the Marlins, do their front office workers just put a temporarily out of order sign up at the ticket office until March? You know, after they jettison any star players who kept their heads down enough during the season to still hang around?

(Image from: WYoung.net)

The plot thickens

For those watching the Johan Santana trade with nervous/gleeful/heartbroken anticipation (that would be Red Sox fans/AL Central fans/Twins fans) the Boston Globe is doing a phenomenal job with the updates.

That link is here.

As of a half hour ago, the Angels seem to be making a strong play to close a deal immediately and the Twins are rumored to want the whole thing wrapped up today.

From the site:

From the Globe's Nick Cafardo (3:37 p.m.): "We've said here all along that the Los Angeles Angels have the ability to make any deal they desire because they have the chips to make it happen. If they have jumped into the Johan Santana hunt, they pose a real threat to the Red Sox and Yankees for Santana's services.

The Angels have extra pitching, so they're able to offer a major league-ready starting pitcher like Ervin Santanta or Jered Weaver as well as a host of positional players - anyone from Howie Kendrick to catcher Jeff Mathis, infielder Brandon Wood, outfielder Reggie Willits, and even Gary Mathews Jr."

"I do not believe the Yankees are out of the Santana hunt yet."

Well, OK, then.

Actually that makes perfect sense. The Angels have a recent history of sniping players at the last second, usually with half of America unaware that they were even in the market - this includes their recent signing of Torii Hunter.

No word yet on which fast food restaurant will host the signing if the deal goes through.

Also worth keeping an eye on is this new rumor that sends Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for pitching and prospects.

Update: That last deal appears to be final with Detroit capturing both Marlins stars in exchange for outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and three other minor league pitchers.

(Image from Angels in the Outfield)

La Velle makes ESPN his bitch

While Minnesota suicide hotline operators hunker down for the next week in anticipation of Johan Santana jumping ship - Nightmare now with 100% more Joe Nathan! - the Twins continue to prove that they are prepared for life after Santana.

A deal is reportedly in the works with Tampa Bay to trade young talent for young talent with Matt Garza headed south as Delmon Young packs his bags for Minneapolis.

According to the story which was first reported by La Velle E. Neal III:

The main pieces changning teams would be outfielder Delmon Young, the first overall pick in 2003, and righthander Matt Garza. But indications were strong on Wednesday that as many as six players could be involved.

In addition to Garza, the Twins would send Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett and reliever Juan Rincon for Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie. Pridie was with the Twins during spring training of 2006 as a Rule 5 pick.

Twins players for several weeks had expected the club to deal for either Young or B.J. Upton.

Young, 22, hit .288 last season with 13 homers and 93 RBI and is considered one of the better young hitters in the game. Harris, 27, hit .286 with 12 homers and 59 RBI.

While surprising, this is actually a safe play for the Twins as they attempt to shore up their outfield with the loss of Torii Hunter. You take a pitcher the casual fan has not seen much of, lacks the buzz of Francisco Liriano and add a young bat to the lineup with a strong outfield arm in the process.

Without being too negative, he has been known to be a little bit of a hothead - not Elijah Dukes hotheaded, but enough to have some baggage - so maybe Minneapolis will mellow him out a bit.

Just to be sure though, the clubhouse attendants might want to make sure that the umpires are reminded to double check their gear before they take to the carpet at the Metrodome.

(Image from: SPTimes.com)

Hunter didn't sign for more money - He left

Say what you will about Torii Hunter, but the guy seems to be pretty honest. In interviews I've heard with Hunter when I was living in the Twin Cities, he towed that line between being straight with the fans and getting himself in hot water for saying things he probably shouldn't have.

I guess there's no reason to expect any less now that he's packing up his things and getting ready for next year in California.

According to Sid Hartman in the Star-Tribune Sunday, Hunter could see the writing on the wall and made his decision partially based on his perception that the Twins weren't gearing up to be a contender.

This is a major problem for the franchise, as Johan Santana has voiced similar concerns this summer following the trade of Luis Castillo to the Mets.

(As a short sidenote, in the first start for Santana after the trade and minor controversy that followed, Castillo's replacement, Alexi Casilla had a rough game behind the pitcher. At one point a cutoff throw from the outfield hit Casilla in the chest. I was paying attention to those next few starts and it seemed like Casilla's jitters came into play when Santana was the starter. That probably didn't help matters and certainly can't be helping now.)

Hunter had a few choice words on the subject when talking to Hartman (which, of course, are subject to backpeddaling to start the week because of the exclusive nature of the interview):

"Sometimes you're going to ask for a raise or whatever. And it just so happened that in major league baseball the market is up, it's way up." he said. "So, I was going to get what I was going to get. I just wanted to make sure that I was with a team that wants to win, that's going to try to win day in and day out. Whatever pieces to the puzzle that they need, they were going to go out and get it. I just didn't feel the Twins were that ballclub."

I just had this conversation last night with a few White Sox fans I went out with. When the topic turned to the Twins and exactly what was going on up north, it was pretty much word-for-word with Hunter's assessment.

You take away Hunter, you plan on Santana jumping ship before Spring Training and there's not much left on that team for next year. Sure, the Twins appear to be stocked with good young arms from the farm system, but why would you gamble away one of the best pitchers of this generation?

Assuming that the exodus continues, Minnesota will be hurting for star power in March.

There is a very real possibility that Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau will be the only bankable stars on the roster in the near future. On it's own, this isn't the end of the world, but Hunter also raised a point that has been kicked around here as well - the new stadium on the horizon.

The simple facts remain that the Twins need to fill that new stadium and the best way to do that would be to stock it with proven commodities like Hunter and Santana. So much for that.

The strongest Plan B would be to sign a new crop of stars to build a buzz around the team, but with Hunter being the first I've seen to publicly question the decision to leave the ballpark without a roof, this doesn't look good.

Now you have the perception that Minnesota is a team that doesn't value its stars, refuses to pay them market value (or negotiate with them at all) and prospective players will spend time freezing their tails off when the weather turns.

Again, quoting Hartman's column:
"People aren't even thinking about [the open air stadium]," he said. "I wouldn't play in Minnesota unless my career was at an end and I had to go to Minnesota to play the game. ... People think that's not true -- that's 100 percent accurate. This is coming from a player, so I'm telling you."

Whether or not Hunter is correct remains to be seen, but there's a lot to be said for perception. People perceive Minnesota to be a very cold place to live and that can't be very appealing to Latino, California- or Florida-bred players.

Think of the problems the Green Bay Packers had signing free agents before they shocked the football world and signed Reggie White. This situation has the possibility to be just as bad.

With the image problems brewing from a fan and a player perspective, it could shape up to be an ugly winter for the Twins. And no amount of small-town charm is going to fix that.

(Image from: MLBlogs.com)

Hunter racking up frequent flyer miles

At the very least, Torii Hunter is going to make some poor airline his bitch.

Bouncing around between Chicago, Texas and who knows where else, Hunter's name keeps coming up in Chicago and in his home state.

Hunter reportedly had dinner with Rangers' owner Tom Hicks Monday night at his home with G.M. Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington. Frank the Tank officially checked in this week to place his vote for Hunter over the return of Aaron Rowland.

I tend to agree with that take, though there's something to be said for the fan favorite in Rowland, over the on-paper smarts of Hunter. In addition to adding a Gold Glove center fielder, the White Sox would simultaneously cripple a division rival by taking the face of their franchise away.

This also opens the door for all sorts of crazy trade scenarios for Johan Santana as the Twins look to offload his contract - assuming they don't take the savings from passing on Hunter and use that to lock up Santana to pair with Francisco Liriano - and we all love crazy trade scenarios, right?

Incidentally - and this is not backed up with any sort of fact or substantiated rumor - why wouldn't Minnesota be a good fit for Joe Crede? If the White Sox are holding out for young, cheap talent and need to move Crede to make room for Josh Fields, why not Minneapolis?

They have an abundance of young arms, a problem at third with Nick Punto and if the aforementioned intra-divisional incest doesn't bother the Twins or the Sox, it seems like a good solution for the two teams.

At the very least, the Twins would upgrade at a traditional power position - though Crede has not had monster numbers in the past, he's been consistent - and move Punto in the process.

Well, it's that or listen to more fan-generated schemes about Joe Mauer moving to the hot corner.

(Image from: USAToday.com)