Twins Acquire J.J. Hardy For Carlos Gomez

Wow what a start to the postseason, four trades already

Great trade by both team's gm's, the twins finally made a nice splash for the left side of their infield, and dealt from an area of strength. The brewers did a great job of getting a young cntrollable player in a needed area with nice upside.

Wow this has been an active off-season already! I think it's a good trade.

Wow!

I agree with bravesbeast, good trade for both teams. While the Brew Crew needs SP, they also needed a CF (this pretty much solidifies the idea that Cameron won't be back, IMO) and get one with upside in Gomez. JJ gives the Twins a shortstop with considerable upside - nice deal.

so the twins got JJ hardy for Johan.

still a good deal for both team

Wow, very exciting hot stove already!

I guess you can say the Twins got Hardy for Santana, making that deal look a little more respectable.

I say Minnesota wins this one.

Great move by the Twins. Hopefully for them, Hardy can pick up where he left off offensively in 2008.

If the price was Gomez why weren't the Red Sox in on this?

I think this trade leans toward favoring the Twins, but assuming Mike Cameron is gone now, this creates about $14 million in salary savings for the Brewers. They will inevitably use that flexibility to add starting pitching.

Brewers got fleeced. Probably could have gotten a nice young arm from Boston or Toronto for Hardy (even though he is over valued)

Nice deal.
So OCab will be looking for a job again. Could he be an option for the Mariners if Jack Wilson's option is bought out?

Gomez and Alcides really, REALLY strengthen Milwaukee's Defense up the middle, and if they can each hit to their potential, there's some serious speed on the bases. I like it.

What sort of teams have room for Cameron in CF? St. Louis maybe?

Twins got Hardy without including pithing, nice. I sugested Gomez and Liriano for Hardy a while back. Looks like I was overvaluaing Hardy's trade value.

But you knew this had to happen for the Twins. Even if his bat doesn't fully recover his glove will be profoundly apreciated by their pitch to contact starters mentality.

How about the Twins make one more big splash and sign Beltre and have a fantastic defense of Beltre-Hardy-Punto-Morneau.

There's no way you can't love this one for the Twins. Gave up nothing they couldn't lose and got a great glove. If Hardy starts hitting again then they look good to repeat for the division.

Yes, the Brew Crew needed a CF but their may focus for trading away Hardy was starting pitching.

I'm not sure what they're going to do now.

Nice trade. Im glad Gomez is gone. I don't know why it is but there are always certain guys on rival teams that seem to hit well against your favorite team and no one else. In 132 PA against the Sox his slash was .317/.344/.504 with 3hr and 18rbi.(his career 1102 PA .246/.292/.346) He could barely hit his weight vs anyone else but seemed to always come up with big hits against the Sox. He would rob them of a ton of hits in the gaps as well. Im glad he's gone. That should weaken the twins OF defense.

After nearly 2 years of semi-bad deals by Bill Smith, this one was great! Thought the Red Sox would be able to get Hardy for more, which makes the move even more impressive.

The Twins minor league system has OF prospects (Aaron Hicks), so the loss of Gomez isn't a large blow. Loved his D and his energy, but Gomez was absolutely terrible at the plate.

A decent 4th OF can be found on the free agent market (Hinske, Baldelli, etc.) if needed. Kubel can fill in at OF and Twins have Pridie at AAA if they want to go cheap.

The Twins absolutely needed stability at SS and won't have to waste $$ on O-Cab. Hardy was under-rated this year due to a terrible season so I expect him to bounce back and hit 6th/7th. He's also batted in the 2 hole in the past.

Now it'll be interesting to see where Punto's $4 million salary goes (probably 2B) and what is done with Alexi Casilla (probably back to Rochester for depth).

Since Bill Smith took a flier on Crede (Boras candidate) this year, maybe we can get in with Beltre on a 1 year deal? It makes sense to let Valencia have another year at AAA and ready to go if Beltre doesn't pan out with injuries.

Twins still need starting pitching depth (Pavano, Duchscherer, or Harden?).

Still can possibly make trades happen from surplus (Liriano, Perkins, Delmon Young, etc.) but they have very low value right now.

Overall, the Twins have started the off-season off on the right foot!

Next up: Cuddyer and Mauer!

Great trade for both sides both players have high upside and we wont know who wins this one for a few years after seeing which one fills into their potential.

If they let Looper go as well, they'll net about a $20 million savings in payroll (of course that doesn't include possible arbitration raises). They will use that money to acquire starting pitching via trades and free agency. They still have Mat Gamel, Casey McGehee, Corey Hart, and multiple minor leaguers as possible trade chips.

So O-Cab is gone :( . He's the reason we made the playoffs. It's an improvement though.

Dang it the Mariners missed out.

The more I think about it, this must mean that Alex Gonzalez isn't going no where. the Red Sox had to be the first team contacted and they likely turned down the offer.

How any of this translates on to the field is anyone's guess.
Will Hardy bounce back from a downward spiraling 2009?
Will Gomez become the player the Twins were hoping for?

Right now it's Hardy's D for Gomez' D
On the offensive end both still have alot to prove.
Both are gifted but inconsistent players.

As a Milwaukee native, I hate it. You keep Cameron's defense with Gomez in CF, but lose a lot of offense... not to mention the offense we lost by replacing Hardy with Escobar. Aside from saving $14MM, this deal is asking the team to alter its offensive philosophy to speed-first then hope Braun & Fielder can bat them in.

It's a roundabout way of going for pitching, but the Brewers have to get the quality of a Wolf or better for this to make sense.

Talent wise Minnesota wins this trade but it appears to free up a lot of money for the Brewers (Hardy & Cameron). As long as the spend it wisely (that doesn't mean spending it on Looper) then I guess it would work out well for them. Gomez doesn't excite me, I can't really see him ever being a good offensive player. Hardy probably needed the switch if he's going to revive his career.

"Will Hardy bounce back from a downward spiraling 2009?
Will Gomez become the player the Twins were hoping for?"

Tune in next week for another adventure of Rocky and Bullwinkle!

Good for both teams, obviously. Like other say, it's probably better long term for the Brewers.

Yes Gomez strikes out a lot, but more than Mike Cameron??? I find that hard to believe. I wonder if Gomez will be hitting ninth like Escobar was at the end of last year. That would be a pretty speedy top three, Gomez, Weeks, and Escobar!!! (in no particular order).

I would rather see this trade and give this guy a chance to reach his potential than have seen Doug bring in a #3 starter who has alredy reached his potential.

A risk worth taking. Now go get some damn pitching!

Look at Tim, talking to the stars.

So, who's gone next? Alexi Casilla or Nick Punto?

Good to see Hardy isn't too bitter about the demotion - he knew if he didn't produce, he wouldn't stay in the majors.

Aside from saving $14MM

That's the 14m you need for pitching. It's a huge savings.

Gomez is an upgrade, perhaps a small one but maybe bigger than we think as Cameron is a year older, at the fraction of the price.

"So O-Cab is gone :( . He's the reason we made the playoffs"

Thinking Mauer had something to do with that as well.

meant to say, defensive upgrade. Sorry. Obviously he's pretty poor with the bat at this stage.

As a Twins fan I really like the deal. Gomez was just a defensive replacement and pinch runner for the most part so adding a SS like Hardy is a big plus for the Twins everyday lineup. Gomez still has considerable upside though if he can ever get an effect approach at the plate, he's got power and speed but really lacks plate discipline.

"I asked Hardy..."

Tim, did you expect these kind of perks when you started this little blog?

I predicted this about a month ago. It just makes too much sense. Milwaukee needed to replace Cameron. The Twins needed a SS and Hardy was expendable. Good move for both sides.

Lackey? I guess they've saved enough money to make a run at him, but I'd imagine that they'll have to endure some stiff competition for his services. That would definitely take some of the burden off of Gallardo's shoulders, anyway... but would they have enough in the bank to pick up a second quality starter?

How in god's name is this even a "decent" trade for the Brewers???

I'm a Mets fan, so I got to see Gomez a lot before he was traded, and to say he is a blackhole offensively would be mild.

He doesn't walk, hit for power, hit for average, or make even close to decent contact. All he does is play good defense.

Hardy is a solid fielder, gets on base respectably, hits for a good average, and hits 20 HRs every year... as a SS

Bill Smith robbed Melvin completely in this trade.

As a RS fan, I was really hoping that we'd get him. A lot of upside if his bat returns. If it doesn't, then you still have a good defensive SS for 2 years.

I really am surprised they didn't go after a pitcher. I really think the Brewers should of kept Cameron, still a very good fielder and I wouldn't see Gomez outhitting him next year.. Maybe even the year after that.

dont know* lol sorry

Now that the brewers have free agency as pretty much their only option to improve the pitching staff it's more likely that they'll overpay someone and be burdened by a suppan-esque contract for years to come.

I guess now the brewers will have more flexibility to pursue the kinds of pitchers that their new pitching coach thinks he can work with. They seem to be quite taken with the guy.

Horrible trade for the Brewers, they could've gotten so much more for Hardy from someone else. Instead, they get a CF who can barely hit .200
At least Hardy has proven he can hit.

ridiculous payroll*

Uh, people who are freaking out about pitching...this move helps free the payroll up. DER DER DER.. Thank you TheKid19 for applying some logic.

"Nice move, I hope both teams make out."

I've got professor "bore-ofil" up there and she's asking me if the Twins and Brewers want to make out

but seriously...
"not to mention the offense we lost by replacing Hardy with Escobar"

ummm...Escobar out hit, slugged and OBP'd Hardy this year as a 22 year old...why is it assumed he's going to be a worse hitter? simply because he doesn't hit 15-20 HR a year like Hardy?

Brewers next deal should be Gamel for some young Blue Jay arms

I wouldn't suggest the Twins trade Cabrera quite yet. Hardy's very questionable hitting and defensively. Gomez will definitely improve by moving to the NL where his type of play is much better suited and into one of baseball's best lineups. I say the Brew-Crew's gonna win this one.

Posted by: insomniac | November 06, 2009 at 02:54 PM"

So much as I like Braun and Fielder, I take the Twins lineup every day of the week.

Smith made a terrible trade with Santana but redeems himself, at least slightly, with this one.

Hardy has shown the ability to post up good numbers in the majors. (2008)

However, Gomez has done nothing in the big leagues.

Plus the fact that CFer's are much more easier to find than quality SS's.

If you've ever watched Gomez then you can see that he has a terrible bat. The guy is so fast but is such a bad hitter that he can probably bunt more hits than when he swings away.

"I realize Gomez isn't all that with the bat, but if they can teach him to work the count, and draw a few walks, he'll be a decent option for the immediate future."

That can be applied to every player... It's easier said than done. It's like saying, "if only he could hit more, then he would be more useful..."

I like this move a lot for the Twins.

brewers19101 - contact bat? The guy has yet to put up a .300 OBP in his career.