Trade Winds Blowing
From Joe Christensen in the Strib:
When the Twins inquired about third baseman Joe Randa last month, Cincinnati came back asking for one of three young pitchers: Jesse Crain, Francisco Liriano or Scott Baker.
Go ahead and take a moment. We all could use a good laugh.
The Cincinnati Enquirer speculates:
The Twins might be willing to part with a prospect such as right-hander Boof Bonser, who is 8-5 with a 3.62 ERA for Triple-A Rochester.
I guess that's a more reasonable starting point for discussion.
Tom Verducci sees a natural landing spot in Minnesota for another 3rd baseman:
The Blue Jays will get Corey Koskie back soon, they need to keep giving Aaron Hill at-bats and they want to hang on to All-Star Shea Hillenbrand, all of which makes for a crowded infield. Hinske would help upgrade the poor Minnesota offense.
When a reader challenged him on the point, he added today:
His bat has been disappointing. But I regard him the same way I do Bret Boone: worth a shot, and probably better than what they've been running out there (the Glenn Williams cameo excepted).
Sounds like exactly what we need, doesn't it?
Yarf.
Eric Hinske actually did have a good April and May, but has been awful since then, batting .171/.266/.325 since the start of June--lowering his season line to .240/.316/.408. He really hasn't been much good since winning the Rookie of the Year in 2002. He hasn't played any 3rd base this season, either. Better than what the Twins have been running out there? Feh. I'd rather see Cuddyer or the utility platoon playing for us.
Finally, Gleeman dug up this nugget from the Boston Globe:
A major league source also said the Twins would consider Kevin Youkilis, and the deal could be expanded to include a Minnesota starting pitcher.
Youkilis being an alternative to Bill Mueller. This option is the most intriguing to me. First of all, Youkilis is still a young guy at 26, about to enter the typical prime years for a player. As a pre-arbitration serf, he's cheap. As a righty bat, he could compliment Mauer and Morneau for years to come. He's currently batting .286/.384/.429; but perversely, he's struggling in Fenway Park but has been mashing on the road with a line of .342/.468/.500, in an admittedly small sample of 47 plate appearances. Still, that's the kind of "hey, let's see what happens" kind of flyer I could get behind.
Please, TR, let Bill Mueller be a diversion. Think Youkilis.
posted by frightwig @ 9:24 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Verducci's smoking crack. This should be an indication of how little these national guys pay attention to teams outside of NY and Boston.
Thanks for the follow-up on Verducci. Holy crap.
Considering the complete lack of organizational depth at third, if Boston is viewing J.C. Romero as a starting point I've got two words for you: DO IT! Give 'em a low-level prospect and finish this thing.
I agree totally on Youkilis. I said the same thing on my blog (http://layitontheline.blogspot.com/). It would be nice having him team up with the M&M boys. Two guys that can get on base and one that can jetison the ball out of the park to get them home. Almost makes you salivate at the thought.
Romero and a marginal player/mid-level prospect for Youkilis...go for it. More? Think carefully. Definitely a promising move, as long as we don't throw too much into the deal. I'd like to see this happen.
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