We've already checked out some NL Central rumors. Let's now move from the Central to the East and from the National League to the American League…
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that Adrian Gonzalez has been "on or ahead of schedule the whole winter" while rehabbing his shoulder. The Red Sox feel their new first baseman will be ready for Opening Day.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown evaluates Boston's offseason and says the Red Sox are "talented, deep and expensive" with an offense that should compensate for shortcomings in other areas.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs points out that the Yankees would be the most obvious suitor for Francisco Liriano if the Twins make him available, but suggests the Yankees would likely balk at trading Jesus Montero for the Twins lefty. Minnesota is open to the idea of dealing Liriano.
I don’t think the Yankees are in position to ‘balk’ at anything.
Liriano is not worth their top prospect. Others and maybe the FO might feel differently, but I would hold onto Montero for more than Liriano.
You won’t come close to getting anyone as young and good as Liriano for just. Future DH!
^ Fortune tellers seem to be in high supply on this site.
I don’t understand why people are so down on Liriano. He is worth at least a Matt Garza-like package. A deal surrounding Montero is not unreasonable at all. I hear a lot of Yankee fans saying they’d rather hold onto Montero, but I see them all changing their tune come October. Yankee fans tend to get really angry at the FO when they don’t make the playoffs, which is a distinct possibility this year.
“I don’t understand why people are so down on Liriano. He is worth at least a Matt Garza-like package”.
That being said, who was the top 20 mlb prospect in the Garza deal? Exactly.
You are right. But the Cubs gave up a TON of talent. Whether or not that talent is equal to a top 20 MLB prospect is up for debate I guess.
“You are right. But the Cubs gave up a TON of talent. Whether or not that talent is equal to a top 20 MLB prospect is up for debate I guess”.
I never said they, or anyone, would get away with low balling the Twins. What I said was that a deal centered around Montero was too much to give up.
The Garza deal, in essence, was centered around Lee, Archer and to a lesser extent, Guyer.
A deal of Brackman or Betances + Noesi + David Adams + Brandon Laird is as good or better. And all 4 are at AA or higher and can help immediately.
I see loneliness in your future!
The Twins would hold all the cards in a Liriano trade! Montero would be just a starting point with Nova, and maybe even Gardiner, having to be included! ( I know the twins already have Mauer btw)
calm down there
breathe in. breathe out.
They do hold all the cards but if they are seriously interested in moving him then their demands certainly would have to be lowered.
If I were the Twins, I’d draw a hard line at Jesus Montero with the Yankees. It’s not like the *need* to trade Liriano, but they could force one of the best prospect bats out of the Yankees if New York gets desperate. Otherwise, no harm, no foul.
On an unrelated note, “in the toaster” is quite possibly my favorite new expression.
Well the fact of the matter to is that Montero alone is still well short of a good return for Liriano. It would Take Montero, Joba and another arm to get Liriano from the Twins. I don’t see Liriano being traded until next offseason anyway. I just hope if the Jays are looking for an ace we could work out some sort of Liriano for Travis Snider swap.
If your going to claim that the Yanks are in “no position to balk” for Liriano, then I’d sure hate to be in the Jays position.
And what planet are you on where Travis Snider gets Liriano but Montero falls well short?
Travis Snider is far and away a better prospect/player then Montero.
Maybe because he can play a position at least averagish…
but Montero is not that far behind Snider in terms of worth, Snider may have the defesnive advantage, but Montero is younger and has more service time left.
So as much as I am a Snider fan, you can’t say one would be balked at and one would be taken.
Also I wonder how you can feel his a far and away a better prospect, yet want to trade him?
Montero isn’t a ‘twins guy’ he doesn’t have a position other then DH. The Twins like players they can use in the field. Travis Sniders defense isn’t the best but he sure can play the OF and a lot better then Jason Kubel.
regardless
The Yankees can withstand losing Montero and need pitching
the Jays can’t withstand losing Snider and don’t need pitching
Case closed, you lose.
I don’t lose because you can never have enough pitching. If the Blue Jays don’t need pitching then why would they be interested in Zach Grienke?
You lose.
it’s strange how people try to construe their subjective opinions based on personal bias as genuine facts . . . you can’t win this one Tyler, no matter what you say you are wrong because you don’t root for the Yanks
we were interested in greinke? i thought it was just reporters talking out of their asses
Sorry AA told you that himself??
If your whole argument is based on a factless rumor theres nothing more I can tell you.
Relax man, I think you’re being a bit excessive in driving home a point that doesn’t really matter. I don’t think telling someone that they lose for an opinion is ever reasonable or mature.
Remember, serenity now, serenity now…
Ha! I’m watching Seinfeld right now!
It wouldn’t make any sense for the Jay’s to trade away Snider, last year he made major strides into becoming a very good player. 2011 maybe his breakout year.
“case closed, you lose”! How lame!
highly debatable. You can say Snider is better since he has a position but far and away is being a little naive.
Yeah maybe far and away is a far and away statement. IMO he is a better prospect the Montero and more valuable because of the fact he can play a position.
So any position player is more valuable than any DH? Is Pie more valuable for the O’s than Vlad?
you must know that he means hitting is the same + he plays a position. So better. Not anyone who plays a position is better then any DH, if you cant tell that then I don’t know what to think of you.
As for the debate its self (small sample) Snider AAA numbers 334/420/623/1.043 Montero .289/353/517/870
Snider hit for better at every level and he plays a fine left field. Montero has really nice numbers as well not close to as good but plays a premium position. So if he stays at catcher I would like Montero more since its way harder to find a C who can hit like that. If he cant or play it well enough then Snider is far better then Montero as DHs who hit like that you can find in FA every year.
Thanks for the numbers, I never seen Sniders AAA numbers and those are “prettyyyyyyyyyy prettyyyyyyyyyy prettty good”. I’ll retract my statement then since I was only looking at his current numbers in MLB which are pretty decent.
Mike Piazza says Hi.
Wow. Really? 239 AB split over 2 seasons is a really small sample size. Not saying that Snider is a great young player, but the same way I can say Montero needs to prove himself at the mlb level I can say that Snider needs to show he can hit higher than .250/.310 and strike out less than 29% of the time.
I agree, but that’s all the time he spent at AAA, he hit like that at all minor league levels. This point of view as i saw it was as a prospect, so that’s what snider did in the minor leagues as a prospect. I have no idea how hes going to fair in the major leagues only time will tell, but in the minors when he was there he killed it consistently and i thikn its fair to say that. Both player are very good. Both have someting to prove.
I think Montero’s bat has more upside than Snider. Also, while Montero may never be more than a slightly below averahe C, if they can get elite offense from the catching position then that’s a rarity. THAT BEING SAID, I KNOW THE TWINS DON’T NEED HIM TO CATCH. Still, an elite bat is an elite bat, I could careless what postion he plays. Look at Miguel Cabrera.
How do you think that the Twins should ask for the Yankees top prospect and Joba for a pitcher with a record of 38-32? The Yankees are in need of pitching but there is no way they would trade Montero and Joba for a pitcher with that record. They have plenty of pitchers in there farm to chose from.
Wins and Losses? Really?
Thats all you come up with? If you really think that a trade of Montero and Joba for Liriano is a good trade for the Yankees then you have no idea what you are talking about.
I think you Yankee fans are way too high on Montero, thats your problem.
I think you are really high on Travis Snider.
Im a Twins fan who doesn’t watch the Blue Jays very often. I know a good prospect when I see one.
I think you’d have to be a pretty good prospect to be ranked in the top 10 amongst all the prospects, wouldn’t you?
I think you are both really high.
Well the only reason you said the Yankees won’t do it is because Liriano has a mediocre win/loss record so it doesn’t really seem like you have a strong argument as to why they shouldn’t trade for him.
The thing that worries me about Liriano is his health. Everything looks relatively great but I think you have to factor that into a package for him.
Also, I just don’t see a precedent for the types of packages ppl are asking for. Of all the trades done for major pitchers of late, I don’t think any of them were considered top 10 prospects at the time they were traded.
BA Ranks:
Justin Smoak topped off @ #13 in 2010
Alcides Escobar topped off @ #12 in 2010
Michael Taylor #29 in 2010
Kyle Drabek #25 in 2010
Chris Archer and Hak Ju-Lee N/R by BA
Jesus Montero is ranked @ #4 by BA and you can argue that Liriano, because of quality or health concerns, is lesser than Lee, Halladay, Greinke or Garza.
That being said, where’s this call for Montero to be included in a deal? Just because the Yanks are desperate for a top of rotation guy they should overpay in prospects?
Hold on, you’re using a guy’s career win loss record, something that’s usually given little weight in evaluating a player’s talent and then you’re attacking someone who’s attacking you for using that as a major justification for your point of view.
Walter Johnson and Cristy Mathewson say “Hi. We don’t like purple”
I hope that Cashman/Hank/Hal feel the same way that you do, because I would hate to see Liriano in the AL East as the #2 or #3 starter for the Yanks. If all it cost was Montero and Joba, I would do it in a heartbeat. First of all, the catcher position is a big-time strength with the Yanks, as they would still have Martin, Cervelli, Romine, and Posada in a pinch if they traded Montero. Joba is a mostly effective pitcher, but would you really not trade him for one of the top lefties in the AL? You must have a lot more confidence in AJ Burnett than the rest of us.
As far as Keith Law’s comments, I don’t agree with them. I think the Orioles made some pretty solid moves. If you look at them individually, none of them really catch your eye. If you look at them collectively, though, they had a very productive offseason. They have overturned half their lineup, with Guerrero, Lee, Reynolds and Hardy. Their young starting pitchers had a 3.57 ERA the last two months after Buck arrived. Their top prospect, Zach Britton, was in the Futures game and is a lefty with a killer sinker. Their bullpen is deeper, with 4 guys who have had closing experience. Baltimore needs to get back on the map this year, and I think these moves will make us competitive in the AL East. Tampa, Toronto and NY all got worse this offseason. Boston is the class of the division, but I think the fight for 2nd place (and possibly the wild card) could be up for grabs.
t-mac, I couldn’t agree more about Keith Law. What a hack. His assessment of the Orioles’ offseason is so spiteful, you’d think his wife was raped by Peter Angelos. Seriously though, I don’t think anyone could take a more pessimistic view of the great moves made be Andy MacPhail this offseason. If you’re going to insult the team, the ownership and the fan base, at least come up with an alternative viewpoint. ESPN should fire Keith Law and hire someone with some analytic skills.
i liked your point on the raping lol. that a side, I don’t get why people hate laws view so much all he is saying as this makes you better but not nearly good enough, so whats the point. Why not use that money to get other players (threw international scouting) or more money for the draft then win 8 more games this year. The players you could get with that money might end up being super starts, the may fall short too but 8 wins is not the playoffs and your no better off. In my mind the offseason in only productive if they make the playoffs otherwise i don’t know how you get better. like if the O’s win say 83 games next year and Vlad has a good year etc, how do you get better then that? you have to up grade on them and they will be year older etc etc. My thinking is why not just get the up grades on those guys right away and if you cant get them then wait. But I understand i could be wrong and the O’s could win 95 games and win the wild card and it will be all good, I just don’t think they will come close and so does law.
It’s obvious that the world values Montero more for his bat than his glove. That being said, the Yanks, despite a great offense, are getting older offensively and we can’t really count on Arod being the same hitter that he’s been over the last 5 years over the next 5 years.
Montero is our best offensive prospect and he won’t cost another $150-$200+ mil like a Fielder or Pujols would. The Yanks can afford to have a sub par defensive C because they’ve had one for the last 3 years. Montero is still very young and most of the criticism has been because of his size (not overweight) just the fact that he’s a big kid. They rave about his arm strength but he has things he needs to improve on. My guess is that if he makes the team then Pena and Girardi will dedicate a lot of time to work with him and maybe Posada as well.
Even if he doesn’t stick @ C they should be able to utilize him at the DH spot at least for another 2 years depending on how Arod continues to play at 3B. Despite not being a GG at 3B, Arod was a -1.8 UZR @ 3b last year and according to reports the doctors have cleared him to resume all normal training activities. I think they can squeeze another 2 to 3 years out of Arod at 3b. Jeter simply doesn’t deserve any DH time. Let him rest on the bench on his days off. Tex is only 31 and other than normal wear and tear he doesn’t need time at DH either.
The Yanks can afford to play Montero at C and DH for his first few years. Worry about where Arod needs to be when that time comes. If Montero’s bat is real and he shows he can hit mlb pitching then Montero’s value should he hire as a proven mlb hitter rather than a prospect.
Now If he’s going to be used to acquire a top rotation arm, then fine. But Liriano isn’t that guy to use him for. His health concerns downgrade his value and he’s 1 year removed from a 5.00 ERA season.
The Yanks have depth but they really don’t. They don’t want Posada catching any more. Cervelli is best used as a backup. Romine has never played above AA. If Martin goes down then the Yanks are left with less desirable candidates, despite Montero being the weakest defensively.
I think some combo of…
Brackman or Betances + Noesi or Warren + Dave Adams + Brandon Laird should be enough.
If they insist on Joba, then..
Joba + Brackman or Betances + David Adams
I’d be more worried about Liriano getting hurt
name 5 lefty starters better than Liriano.
CC Sabathia, Jon Lester, Cliff Lee, David Price, Johan Santana
other possible ones: Jonathan Sanchez, Cole Hamels, Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw
Don’t forget that Roy Halladay can throw lefty too. He is just saving that for a special occasion.
Haha, it was meant to be rhetorical. I was simply pointing out that he is one of the best in the game….The fact that Brett Anderson is on this list pretty much confirms that he is at least a top 10 lefty (I’d rate him as the 7th best behind Kershaw and Santana. He is inexpensive, and under club control for 3 more seasons. I’d say that’s more valuable then some people are giving him credit.
That’s true, I wasn’t denying he’s a really good pitcher, Giants fans still cringe at the thought of him/nathan/boof for Pierzinski or however you spell it.
And with Brett Anderson, his K/BB is really good (almost 3) as are his ERA (3.57) and xFIP (3.66) and his HR/9 (.81). The stats are there, it’s just his inexperience that’s the knock on him. However since I’m an A’s fan I had to put him there because I’m biased like that
Please take over for Cashman so that Red Sox fans would never have to worry about the Yankees again! Your moves would single handedly kill the rivalry!
Give me a break. I said that I did not think giving up Montero and Joba was a good choice. If it were just Joba I would say they should go for it. All I care to see is the Redsox lose eveything this year. And the Redsox can never talk about teams buying players after what the Sox have done the past couple of years. And by the way 27 rings.
Yeah, I hope the Red Sox all get VD this year.
Sensitive huh!
I’m surprised anyone even wanted that Greinke guy with a record of 60-67…
What does he record have anything to do with it? Look at his 2 best seasons as a big league pitcher. The only reason he has so many losses is because he was coming back from Tommy John surgery. It takes 2 years to recover from that.
Ok. If you go down that road. Joba was one of the best relievers in baseball his first year and Montero is one of the best prospects. I’m just saying that to trade those to players for that pitcher is not the best options for the Yankees.
I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and sh*t out a better argument than that.
Then you are as stupid as you sound. If you think that the Yankees should trade Joba and Montero for him. Are you parents brother and sister?
it’s more that you think montero+joba snider (alone).
Please show me in one of my comments where I say anything about Snider. I never brought his name up at all. I said that Joba and Montero for Liriano was not a good trade.
“I said that Joba and Montero for Liriano was not a good trade. “. Yes but your argument for why it is not a good trade, is a bad argument.
If you really watched the Yankees you would know that Joba sucks. Have you seen him pitch before?
sure denegrate liriano, please!
Hold on! Ha, ha, ha, ha,ha! Plenty of pitchers! Rofl lmao!
At least they have a healthy 2b. Red Sox….not so much. Pedoria is comparing his injured self to Yao Ming & Grant Hill. Ouch!!!! That is not what I want to hear if I am Sox fan.
Yao Ming and Grant Hill? At least they can reach the cookie Jar. That smurf Pedroika looks like he gets the booster seat when he goes to Cheesecake Factory.
Yeah, he’s barely tall enough to reach his MVP trophy!
Really! That’s the beat u can do?
No. I just lowered my self to how the Nation reacts to everything that the Yankees do or haven’t done.
Um, your name intrigues me. You must be over 120 years old, because the last time the red sox had a dynasty was…oh carp…100 years ago? OOOH LOOK! I think that was the TITANIC SINKING. Please don’t build a new stadium. I would hate to read in the paper “Red Sox build a new stadium and sink another cruise ship”. Red sox dynasty. yeah, the only dynasty you guys have is one that has more people arrested for public drunkeness than any other sports franchise. You win 2 titles in 90 years and think it’s a Dynasty. The NY Rangers say Hi to that one…
Bitter? Did mommy overcook your oatmeal today?
are you high on something?
Why would the Jays trade Snider for Liriano?
That has to be of the dumber things I’ve heard…
smiley faces!!!!!!
Theo, you are like the little angel on my shoulder!
I never said they would. I said if they were still looking for an ace I would hope that we could work out some sort of Travis Snider for Liriano swap. That would be my dream situation. I know its not gonna happen but I can sure as hell dream.
Thats a terrible dream..
Jays are in no condition to trade future potentials for veterans..
What would that do exactly? .. Jays will just grow an ace, or just have a rotation of solid #2’s. Plenty of arms in the system and not many close mlb ready position players.. So to the Jays, I can’t think of any production harder to replace then what Travis will provide.
That a terrible dream, to want a possible All-Star from somebody else’s team in exchange for a starting pitcher? I bet AA had a dream once, that someday some idiot would take Vernon Wells contract off his hands without sending over any money……….I’m sure people told him that was a horrible dream as well.
Thats a terrible dream? To want a potential All-Star from someone else in exchange for a starting pitcher? I bet AA had a dream once, a dream that he could find some guy to take Vernon wells contract off his hands without paying a dime of it………..I’m sure people told him that was a terrible dream too.
why would we want liriano? we just traded marcum
Why would you have interest in Zach Grienke when you traded Marcum?
You’re wasting your time here Tyler! What you’re you’re trying to do is like teaching Calculus to pre-schoolers! They’ll argue all day and never admit they’re wrong!
Um, like Red Sox Fans are so reasonable, right? and who was it that said that “Snider is better than Montero because he plays a position”? Excuse me for being “argumentative”, but aren’t you the same sort who said Ortiz should have won the MVP and his “lack of a position” shouldn’t have been held against him? I see logic breaks down when you are drunk off your behind while wearing a red sox cap and a fanny pack.
Lie, lie! Lie, lie, lie! Very sad argument!
you are truly an asset to these posts.
Someone else being as stupid as the angels does not mean that your “dream” was actually relevant or intelligent.
If you’re relying on Sniders production to be irreplaceable than the Jays are in worse shape than everyone thought!
good one, again.. your 2 cents is vital to these posts.
I mean the way you project your blind bias and provide no statistical evidence whatsoever..
This site would just crumble in your absence.
Yup. Almost, but not quite, as dumb as the Twins trading Liriano for Snider.
If you get a prospect back better then Snider for Liriano, I’ll drive to Minnesota, take you to a Wild game and buy you a cookie.
No this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard:
“When the going gets tough, don’t forget to varnish your clams.”
LOL
I stand corrected.
Does anyone remember who the Twins sold Santana for? Not one single prospect the Mets sent there were even close to J-Mont. It wouldn’t take Joba+the #9 MiLB prospect+ another arm for what amounts to as an injury prone 3rd starter who is NOT resigning w/ MN when his contract is up. The Twins should consider themselves LUCKY to get a high ranked prospect let alone one in the top ten. I pick up the rest of his contract and send over some good A or AA talent for Liriano and then try to sign him to an extension if he passes a physical. Other than that, i really don’t want damaged goods on my team if I was NY (especially if they over pay…)
Twins don’t need Montero unless you take him out of the catcher position.
Hardly seems like a problem given his bat.
Well, that is my point.
This whole discussion is stupid, both yankees and blue jays miss out on Liriano. I expect a team like the BRAVES or CARDINALS to be smart enough to trade for this Ace. He would be a perrenial cy young winner in a Braves uniform and they have the prospects to easily pull off a deal!
I’d love for the Cardinals to get him, but they don’t have a spot for him. They’re insistant on not paying Kyle Lohse millions to pitch out of the bullpen.
Sounds like you are taking things seriously with that comment when you need to capitalize Braves and Cardinals
Keith Law may have good information once in a while, but if he really thinks the Orioles did such a poor job this off-season then he is delusional. This is by far the best team they have had in a while, and I’m frankly tired of “waiting” for prospects. I’d block Pie and Reimold every year if it made the team better. I understand his view on Vlad, but for him to be so pessimistic about every other signing and trade is rather laughable.
It’s amazing that KLaw still had a job.
I think he’s looking at the grander scheme of things, or the big picture..
Did the Orioles improve this offseason? yes big time
but did they add any pieces to help compliment their young players moving forward in the hopes of putting together a 90 win season? no not really .
If you read the entire article, Law basically says the Orioles should just accept that they cannot win in the AL East, lose 100 games for the next five years while dumping all their money into player development at the lowest levels and hope they win the lottery a few times like the Rays did.
If Law is so friggin smart (“I worked in a major league front office!”), then why is he writing for ESPN instead of, I don’t know, working in a major league front office?
Not to rain on the O’s parade but I think they failed to get what is most important to them, which is pitching. I think they improved slightly but will it be enough to add 5 to 10 more wins? We’ll see.
PS- An obviously I know there wasn’t much pitching to acquire this winter.
don’t know if vlad is “in the toaster” or not just yet, but is blocking guys like reimold and pie really all that big of a deal? doesn’t seem like they’re putting anybody in contention either…
Thats my though process. They are not going to be any better than Vlad at any point of their career.
vlad won’t be one the team in 2012
Yeah, Vlad is toast…wait he hit 29 homeruns and had 115 RBI last year…shut up Keith Law
He also hit .278 with an OPS of .748, and only 9 home runs in the 2nd half.
That would be better than half the Orioles entire lineup from last year.
His second half and postseason were pretty bad
Thank You Buster Onley.
In September he hit .311 with an OPS of .841. Is that pretty bad?
I like how you used 2 stats to back up that he isn’t toast and RBIs was one of them. Not sure if you’re the right guy to tell Law to shut up…
Look at Vlad’s career…I don’t have to go into specifics about his stats. He is the first legitimate cleanup hitter the Orioles have had in God knows how long. Pitchers respect his hitting and it will positively affect the rest of the orioles hitters. Vlad may not put up monster numbers, but it will be exciting to have him in our lineup. Law questioning adding more talent to a star deficient lineup bothers me. Your red sox pitchers will not be nearly as comfortable pitching against the Orioles this year, book it.
You don’t HAVE to go into specifics about stats….but people will take you seriously if you do though
Keith law is a punk
I wouldn’t think Montero would be a prime target for the Twins since they already have a long term deal with arguable the best catcher in the game. Montero is on the fringe of being a big league player. Only way I could see him going to the Twins is if he undergoes a position change.
Some scouts feel Montero could be an OFer (I assume bad) but I see him more as a DH.
He’s kinda slow for the outfield, isn’t he? I could maybe see him playing first base but that’s a hard position to come into as a rookie.
Some think he is athletic enough but I don’t buy it. But still, I’ve also heard some compare him to Carlos Lee (offensively) so I guess if Montero only has to live up to being Lee defensively he won’t have to learn too much.
Why would the Twins be interested in Montero unless they’re going to convert him into a first baseman. Even still, they’re set at first…
Nova, Montero, and PTBNL for Francisco Liriano and I as a Twins fan would take that in a heart beat. The Yankees would sure up their rotation and that is their biggest need. The Twins hold all the cards in any talks that take place and the Yankees would have to let go of Montero.
What’s so special about Nova that I’m missing? I never would have thought I would hear a time when a non-Yankee fan would want to trade for Nova. He’s a back end of the rotation starter.
“What’s so special about Nova that I’m missing? I never would have thought I would hear a time when a non-Yankee fan would want to trade for Nova. He’s a back end of the rotation starter”.
I think Nova’s floor is as a back of rotation guy but if he can master a 3rd pitch then he has a shot to be a mid rotation guy.
Why the hell do the Twins want to move Liriano? Payroll is at an all time high and your key core players are in their prime the time to win is now! Also why get rid of a proven #2 type pitcher when your staff on has Pavano #3 type, Baker #3 type and bag of #4-5 guys? They should be the team looking for a Liriano type not selling him! They should also get rid of Gardy (Mr leave Liriano in well after he was done in Game 1) and his 6 postseason wins in 7 series and be looking for a real Manager who wants this team to win.
I’m pretty sure “Gardy” wants to win, and his style of play doesn’t translate well against the yankees, but it’s not his fault that they always end up playing them in the ALDS. I mean if Yankees win the division he gets the Rays. I’m not saying the Rays were worse than the yankees maybe it’s psychological,, but it just seems that Gardy could go to Bizzaro land and still end up facing the yankees in the DS…
You sure? Two wins in his last 21 playoff games. Liriano in Game 1 is a big reason why Gardy should be gone! Liriano averaged 97.5 pitchers per game last season. His numbers for the first 5 innings of games are great. After the fifth inning not so much, look at his boxscores Liriano always got blown up late in games and Gardy would let him get burnt till the lead was gone in most cases. Twins up 3-0, Liriano over 90 pitches after walking ARod with Tex on Second. Base hit to Cano 3-1 and Liriano is clearly out of gas. What does Gardy do, nothing. Thames K’s and Posada steps up with a base hit for another RBI 3-2 and Liriano is now over 100 pitches. Time to take him out and use one of there many bullpen studs right? No. Granderson two run triple and the rest is history. GARDY IS NOT A GOOD COACH!
So then don’t call Liriano a #1 type if he can’t get past 100 pitches. I mean I like his stuff, but if you’re at 95 pitches you’re getting close, but should still have something left. It’s game 1 do you want to tax your bullpen and make them possibly unavailable or less effective when you’re less effective pitchers are out? I mean it’s game 1 and it’s only 3 runs and liriano is capable of getting out of trouble. I mean I’m a yankees fan and love tht we won that game, but still kinda harsh when you’re not taking other things into account.
Maybe a little harsh but it was clear Liriano was out of gas and the Twins had a deep pen going into the playoffs. Capps, Fuentes and Crain were locking things down at the time and Mijares and Rouch were pitching well where you could count on them. They had 5 guys they could turn to last year in the playoffs. When the game was 3-2 or even 3-1 they should have turned to the pen knowing Liriano has blow up innings late into games and he was not spotting his pitches well at the time too when he was near 100 pitches. In my first post I called Liraino a proven #2 Type, Pavano and Baker are #3 types with the rest as 4-5-spot start guys. The Twins in my mind are another #2 or #1 SP away from being a hard team to beat in the playoffs even with GARDY and his MLB HISTORY WORST winning percentage in the playoffs.
Because he is way way way too expensive!!
This is ridiculous, just like mlb channel saying that Michael Young would go to the Orioles, Padres or Twins, how about a little, just a little research on teams needs and how they operate when thinking about trades or even rumors, the Yankees and Twins do not match up at anything because the Twins are set at every position, so how would Montero make their DH position better than Kubbel/Thome? Think people.
Nevermind I thought it said Yanks fans my bad but still we don’t cry most of us at least lol. Some of us.
I don’t want Montero, I definitely don’t want to see Liriano as a yankee. The following would be great for the Twins IMO.
1) Trade to the Mariners for Dustin Ackley straight up.
2) Trade to the Braves for Julio Teheran + Arodys Viscaino.
3) Trade to Angels for Mike Trout straight up.
4) Trade to Cardinals for Shelby Miller + Zach Cox
5) Trade to Giants for Brandon Belt + Zach Wheeler
Any of those packages would be a nice return for an ACE and all 5 teams could afford an extention and could use a true #1 to add to their rotations. I think Cardinals or Braves would be wise to make a move like this.
are you calling, felix hernandez, tim hudson, adam wainwright, and tim lincecum anything less than “true number #1s”?
I think Hudson is a good pitcher, but I’m having trouble putting his name in with Hernandez, Wainwright, and Lincecum.
his ERA is just as good but just because he’s not a strikeout pitcher doesnt mean hes not an ace
Liriano is as good or better than all of those guys. Young power lefty.
Dude stop.
Seattle isn’t expected to compete this year, why would they let go of a cost controlled middle infielder who has the potential to absolutely mash?
The Braves could reasonably make a spot for Liriano in their rotation, and a trade like this would take Teheran +, but if I’m the Braves I would just wait out Julio and give him a shot.
The Cardinals have a rock solid 1-4 in Wainwright, Carpenter, Garcia and Westbrook and would be stupid to pay Kyle Lohse over 10 million dollars to pitch crappily in relief (he has a full no trade clause I believe…what a silly contract). I don’t think Belt and Wheeler is enough to land Liriano. An Angels rotation of Weaver, Liriano, Haren, Santana and Pineiro is very nasty, and Kazmir could be unloaded. I don’t see it happening.
Part of me is screaming that this “Liriano is on the board” talk is there to coax Montero away from the Yankees. I’m extremely high on Montero as a prospect, but Liriano is a high quality left handed top of the rotation starter. If I’m Bill Smith I jump at Montero + some young arms.
I gave you a like because your insane
and the insane need love too
Roy Halladay is as close to a sure thing as any pitcher in baseball and he didn’t bring back a talent as high as Ackley, Teheran, or Trout..
The twins have ZERO chance getting any of those guys..
Let me correct that.
Halladay > Lee > Liriano > Garza
For the record. If Cabrera can cash a check playing 1B, Adam Dunn can spend all of his entire career thus far in the NL and if Michael Young can sign for 5/$80 mil then Montero can be a catcher. He may not be a good one but neither were Posada and Mike Piazza, one a sure thing for the HOF and another with a decent shot too.
I wonder why ppl see no room for improvement from this guy? It’s just a matter how HOW bad will he be to start?
If he was a elite defender, they should leave him behind the dish. If not, its not worth him putting unnecessary miles on his knees.
FWIW, according to WAR, Dunn would be more valuable as a DH than as a 1B. That’s how bad his defense is.
I think when all talent evaluators (except Oppenheimer and Piliere) say that Montero can’t catch, they mean he’d be sort of like Adam Dunn — as in, he can catch, but he’d be more valuable as a DH