Posted by andrew on March 22, 2010 under John | 
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It was Joe day for the Minnesota Twins as Joe Nathan is lost for the entire 2010 season and Joe Mauer is extended to an eight-year $184 million contract. So much to talk about, watch it here!
Posted by John on March 7, 2010 under John | 2 Comments to Read
We had a great MVB LIVE show last night chatting for nearly an hour with 20 people. Thanks to everyone who stopped by.
If you missed the show we talked about the good, the bad, and the Target.
Posted by Dan on December 15, 2009 under Dan | 5 Comments to Read
There had been some speculation ranging from sensible to outlandish about who the Twins would and would not tender contracts to. Jesse Crain’s large potential salary made him a real possibility, but there was never a chance of Delmon Young getting non-tendered, sorry haters.
One thing that is sure now that the Twins have tendered contracts to everyone who lacked one, is that the Twins’ bullpen is, barring injuries in camp, pretty much set. It looks quite like it did at the end of last season with one major change: Ron Mahay has departed, destination unknown, and will be replaced by Pat Neshek.
The number listed after ERA is the player’s WXRL or Wins Expected above Replacement Level. Using the expected runs matrix to determine how many runs an average pitcher would allow in any given situation, it measures how many runs a specific reliever prevented and how he changed the win probability. This particular iteration of the stat not only evaluates a pitcher against replacement level, but also weights the quality of hitters he faced. The best pitcher in the league this year was Mo Rivera with a 6.1 WXRL, and anything below 0 is considered to be worse than any of the freely available talent (average ML free agent or AAA pitcher).
Players are listed loosely in descending order of WXRL, with Crain’s second half improvement and Brian Duensing’s conversion to the rotation duly noted.
Joe Nathan (RHP, 47 Saves, 2.10 ERA, 5.158 WXRL)
The closer extraordinaire returns for another season with the Twins. He was 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a WHIP of .93 while converting 47 of 52 save opportunities. His 47 saves were a career high, though he threw just 68.2 innings. Look for a similar amount of innings, especially if Jesse Crain seems capable in close 8th inning spots (more on this later).
After a slipup against the Yankees in Game Two of the ALCS, Nathan was the subject of trade shouts, the vast majority of which were insane. You can make a case for dropping that salary, but the lack of a suitable replacement makes removing the Twins’ most consistent reliever a really poor idea. Nathan has been as good as any reliever in baseball over the last few seasons, posting a top 10 WXRL every year since 2006, a claim made by no other closer—not even Mo Rivera. He’s never been the best, but he’s still pretty special.
Matt Guerrier (RHP, 5-1, 2.36 ERA, 3.478 WXRL)
Guerrier’s nose dive from August 1, 2008 to the end of the season was one of the things that hurt the Twins most as their quest for the playoffs came up just short. He posted an ERA of 10.06 and a WHIP of 2.28 in 19.2 innings, simply horrid numbers that shook a lot of the confidence fans had in him.
2009 could not have been more different for Matty G, as he became the Twins’ 8th inning man of choice for most of the season. He dropped his ERA nearly three runs from 5.19 to 2.36 and his WHIP, 0.96, was below 1 for the first time in his career. Even though he once again lead the league in appearances with 79, he didn’t completely fall apart the way he had in 2008. He was as reliable a bridge to Joe Nathan as the Twins could have possibly wanted, so much so that for much of the season, games felt seven innings long—if Guerrier and Nathan got a lead, they probably held it.
There is a chance that Guerrier will retain his 8th inning duties, but as noted previously, my sense is that the Twins would like to have Crain in that role, if for no other reason than Guerrier can pitch effectively for more than one inning, whereas Crain tends to struggle if extended much past his first inning of work.
Jose Mijares (LHP, 2-2, 2.34 ERA, 3.425 WXRL)
Thought to be a lock to make the team out of Spring Training, Mijares’ lackluster effort found him back in AAA to open the year, but his time-out in Rochester was short lived—he made his season debut on April 22. Mijares clearly showed the effects of his highest innings total since 2007 as he faded badly in September and October. The best thing he did in autumn was get Delmon Young hit in the back, which more or less caused him to fugue. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that up until fatigue set in, Mijares was among the best left-handed specialists in baseball. He held fellow Flanderses to a .155/.228/.252 line, while right-handers hit him much harder: .283/.358/.433 to be exact. A really good LOOGY is never a bad thing to have on your roster, but if that’s all the more Mijares becomes, it will be a little bit of a disappointment. He’ll be the Twins’ primary weapon against tough lefties, but don’t be surprised if Gardy elects to use him as a mop-up man against righties to see if he can begin to get them out more effectively than he did last year. That goal will, of course, need to be balanced against the desire for Mijares to be more effective in the late season than he was last year, but that’s what a manager is for.
Jon Rauch (RHP, 5-1, 1.72 ERA, 0.574 WXRL)
The first Twin with a neck tattoo was acquired from Arizona in exchange for Kevin Mulvey, making him an honorary member of the Johan Santana trade. In 17 appearances with the Twins, Rauch posted a 1.72 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP—better than he had done with Arizona, but that should hardly surprise anyone considering how hitter-friendly Bank Whatever Park is. Rauch isn’t a great pitcher, but he took over for a downright terrible one, so he looked better by comparison. As a short relief option, Rauch will be an upgrade over the last season’s mistakes, but since the Twins already have a LOOGY, he’ll have to improve his efforts as far as getting sternsiders out in order to be really valuable.
Jesse Crain (RHP, 7-4, 4.70 ERA, -0.598 WXRL)
I don’t think I’ve ever been so sure of anything in my entire life than I was that Jesse Crain would lose the Twins’ June 14th game against the Cubs in Wrigley Field. Two singles, a walk, and a single to right later, I was right. To that point, Crain had appeared in 23 games, posting an 8.15 ERA and a WHIP of 1.9. Opposing hitters had a .306/.400/.500 line against him—put another way, he turned every hitter he faced into someone a little bit better than Chase Utley. Jesse Crain was epically bad.
In that way, the fiasco against the Cubs was one of the best things that happened to the Twins. Sure, a game was lost, but Crain’s meltdown was enough to get him demoted.
When he came back on July 23rd, Crain was back to his old self. In 34 regular season innings, Crain posted a 2.91 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, while holding hitters to a .217/.324/.292 line. That’s indicative of a few too many walks, but when opponents aren’t hitting much more than singles off of you, you can afford to walk a few. From Aug. 25 to September 30, Crain gave up no runs and was generally unhittable.
So, Jesse Crain is back…back as he ever was anyway. His fastball is back up near 94-95 MPH and his slider is getting back to the high 80s. He’s gotten good horizontal break with the slider, but the vertical action is still lacking, and that’s what will determine whether it’s an effective pitch or if it’ll be a hanging pitch—the equivalent of a batting practice fastball.
In the Twins’ bullpen wet dream, Crain’s slider gains a little more bite, he walks a handful fewer batters, and emerges as a lockdown 8th inning reliever as a bridge between Guerrier/Rauch and Joe Nathan. In reality, it’s Crain’s spot to lose in lieu of a better option. Should someone emerge as a viable option in camp, there may be more of a set-up man by committee. However, as it stands now, it’s hard to see anyone besides Crain wearing the 8th inning mantle.
Brian Duensing (LHP, 5-2, 3.64 ERA, -0.183 WXRL)
More of a placeholder than anything, Duensing could easily be replaced with Anthony Swarzak, Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, or Jeff Manship. No matter who takes this spot, their job will be to be the long-man, taking over for whichever starter doesn’t have his good stuff one day. My hunch is that Liriano gets the fifth spot in the rotation for sheer potential (he has the best stuff of anyone on staff, just needs to remember how to use it) but Duensing gets this spot as a hat-tip for his work down the stretch in 2009. If Liriano looks shaky, Duensing has shown himself to be capable of taking the ball for 5+ innings, which should be more than enough to keep the rest of the bullpen from tiring out.
Duensing seems better suited for this long relief role than a starting spot, though he certainly pitched well enough last season to warrant a long look in camp. His performance in 2009 wasn’t lucky, per se, his BABIP was right around league average, and his strandrate was a little higher than normal but hardly out of control. Most of the thought that he’ll regress is based on the fact that he outpitched his xFIP and QERA by a pretty fair margin, both are designed to show what a pitcher’s ERA should have been, or perhaps what he deserved to have.
However, it’s important to note that both of those systems favor strikeout pitchers over those that induce contact, which makes sense—a poorly struck ball can still slip through a hole, but a swing and a miss is what it is. Duensing and Nick Blackburn are both guys who induce a lot of weak contact, which isn’t as reliable as someone who strikes out a lot of hitters, but may still be a repeatable skill. If his groundball rate, currently 45.5% were up over 50%, I’d give him a much higher chance of sustaining his low ERA. As it stands, I’m concerned enough about his ability to be a solid starter for a full season to slot him in as a reliever, know that he’s option A1 as soon as someone in the rotation is ineffective or gets injured.
He did accumulate that negative WXRL over the course of 24 relief appearances, a nontrivial sample, so perhaps the Twins will take their chances and put him back in the rotation. We’ll have to wait and see.
Bobby Keppel (RHP, 1-1, 4.83 ERA, 0.279 WXRL)
Keppel’s a last vestige of so many experiments that didn’t work last year. R.A. Dickey, Sean Henn, were others who nearly sundered the Twins’ season in the early part of the season, yet it was Craig Breslow who ended up on another team at season’s end. You can argue about whether or not that was the right move, but one thing is for sure: the Twins need a better option than Bobby Keppel. As things stand now, Keppel figures to see a fair number of short-relief appearances, especially without Pat Neshek for the first part of the season. The appearance of Jon Rauch certainly helps to limit Keppel’s appearances, but he certainly can’t carry the load alone.
Keppel’s 2009 season was by far his best, but he still posted a 1.56 WHIP and a 4.83 ERA as opponents hit .297/.369/.443 off of him. With both Rauch and Mijares vastly superior against lefties, it is fortunate that Keppel is more effective against righties: .278/.360/.426 vs. .317/.379/.462, which would give him a matchup advantage, if his performance against righties wasn’t objectively poor.
Keppel started off with 11.1 scoreless innings, and gave up just one in his first 14 innings of work, but he gave up multiple runs in an appearance twice as often as he gave up just a single run. If it rained, it poured, and that’s not a good attribute for a reliever whose job is to minimize damage, not further open the floodgates. As noted in my analysis of Brian Duensing, the Twins do have a few other options if they want someone who can throw multiple innings, which they may elect to do if no one emerges during spring training.
Pat Neshek (No 2009 line—Injured)
Without question, the biggest puzzle in the Twins’ pen and someone who will likely start the season continuing his rehab in the minors before joining the club at a date defined by both his preparedness and the Twins’ need. Neshek hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 8, 2008, when he left his appearance with what was thought to be a right elbow strain.
One Tommy John surgery later, Neshek should finally be ready to return in 2010. If his delivery was anything resembling normal, projecting his effectiveness would be much easier. Next season would likely be a little rough but 2011should see him back to his old self. However, Neshek’s delivery doesn’t even register on the normal scale, so making a guess as to how effective he’ll be is difficult. Injury guru Will Carroll correctly notes that his odd delivery didn’t help him avoid the injury in the first place, so his delivery certainly won’t make it easier to come back. If he can avoid a subsequent shoulder injury, he could be ok, but if this is the start of a long series of arm injuries, Neshek may be a non-factor for several seasons to come.
Take Away
The Twins are in a better position than they were last year at this time—assuming Jesse Crain is better than R.A. Dickey and assuming that Pat Neshek is better than Crain’s first few months were as the token “fresh off surgery arm”. They still aren’t anything resembling an elite unit unless someone like Swarzak makes the move from starting to relief, and does so very well. Here, like clockwork, I expect at least a comment or two regarding Anthony Slama and/or Rob Delaney. It’s not that I dislike these two, I think there’s a good chance that one or both becomes a decent major league reliever, but there’s a reason neither appeared on anyone’s top 10 prospect list and haven’t for a couple years. I’ve been told by multiple sources that they are among the most overvalued prospects in the Twins’ system, which doesn’t make them bad, but does mean that tempered expectations would be virtuous. Are they likely to be better than R.A. Dickey? Yes, but so is your baby cousin. Are they likely to be better than Keppel? That’s a little less certain. Keppel actually has pretty decent AAA numbers, in some cases better than both Slama and Delaney, so it’s a question of whose game can translate to the Show best, and that’s something we won’t know until we see it.
Posted by John on July 6, 2009 under John | Be the First to Comment
Monday morning Twins notes…
1. Great series for the Twins to win two of three from the first place Tigers at the Metrodome. Not only did they win the series, but they did so after a 16 inning heartbreak loss on Friday night. If Michael Cuddyer gets a hit with the bases loaded the Twins win Friday and sweep the series. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that the Central division is set for a dogfight in the second half of the season. I don’t see either of these two teams running away with the division and for the third year in a row the division may not be determined until the final day of the season. NOTICE: I said “two teams” because I do not consider the White Sox and contenders in this division.
2. Even worse than the Friday night loss was the placement of Kevin Slowey on the DL. After two consecutive starts going just three innings, it was clear something was wrong with Slowey. Let’s hope Slowey can heal over the next week and over the All-Star break and be ready to regain his form in the second half of the year. Anthony Swarzak was called up to take Slowey’s spot in the rotation.
3. For the fourth year in a row the Twins will send three All-Stars to the Midsummer Classic. Congratulations to Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan. No surprises on these three and all are very deserving. Mauer will be playing in his third ASG and his second start voted in by the fans. Morneau will be playing in his third ASG as well but has mentioned that he may not defend his Home Run Derby title. Justin did the derby in San Francisco and in New York and has said he’d like to just enjoy it and use the time to rest. Finally, Joe Nathan will participating in his fourth ASG and continues to be one of the best and most under appreciated closer in the big leagues. Congrats boys! (picture courtesy of MLB.com)
Posted by twinsmvb on September 4, 2008 under John | Be the First to Comment
This time of year losses like last night hurt even worse. It’s like not only did you get stabbed in the back, but the knife was twisted.
Sorry for that, probably the most graphic thing ever written on this blog. I apologize for this blog becoming my personal diary of frustrations lately. But any Twins fan could use a place to vent these past few weeks. After last night’s loss the Twins fall to 5-8 on this road trip and are miraculously only 1 game back of the Chicago White Sox.
So last night I didn’t get tuned into the game until the 9th inning. I turn on my tv just in time to see Brendan Harris bust his but down to 1st base and slide head first into the base just beating out the throw for the 3rd out which allows the go-ahead run to score. Twins lead 4-3.
Nathan comes in and I’m thinking no way this goes wrong again. Even before things get worse I’m watching Nathan thinking, “Man he looks more rattled than usual. He’s breathing deeper, sweating more.” I say to myself, “Self, we need to get Nathan this win. He’s lost some of his confidence and we need this win because we need Joe down the stretch!” Although Nathan cleary didn’t have his best stuff, I thought he had enough to get out of the jam. Then comes the Blue Jays single and the error by Jason Pridie which allows the tying run to score. Nathan blows his 3rd save of the roadtrip and the Twins lose in extra innings.
Talk about a range of emotions! To make it sting a bit more: 5 of the Twins 8 losses on this road trip have been walk off wins!
I don’t really want to talk anymore about last night’s game. Like I said, we’re lucky to be where we are right now and apparently the Twins clubhouse isn’t worried. Let’s hope for a win tonight and get those guys home ASAP.
Come home to the dome!
Posted by twinsmvb on July 14, 2008 under John | Be the First to Comment
As the all star game approaches I thought I would take the time to break down the mid summer festivities by reflecting on the game and also the 3 Twins who made the game. All in all I really do enjoy the MLB’s All-Star Week, but it definitely has its ups and downs. A very heated debate over years past has been Bud Selig’s decision that the winner of the all star game receives home field advantage in the World Series. I love this aspect of the game for it gives the game meaning and forces the players to play hard and take the game more seriously. I feel that the most over hyped aspect of all star week is the home run derby. The boo birds may come out for this statement but honestly I’m really only interested for the first 15 minutes and the next thing I know I’m watching reruns of Americas Next Top Model. I mean really how many times can we hear Chris Berman’s “back, back, back, back, back, etc.” in one night without going insane. Sure it’s a fun event that the fans seem to adore, but I think it would be a lot better if it was tweaked to make it shorter and a little easier to watch.
Now onto the real important issue about All Star week, the Minnesota Twins that will represent one of the biggest surprises of the season. First I would love to tip my cap to Joe Mauer, for not only was he selected to the All Star game, he was also chosen to be a starter for the AL. This couldn’t be more justified as he leads all catchers in runs and average and is also first in the AL in RBI’s. It’s also worth noting the job he has done in molding the young Twins pitching staff into one of the best staffs again this year. Another interesting thing I saw about Mauer came from the ESPN game last Monday verses the Red Sox (a heart breaker i know). During Mauer’s last at bat Mauer was faced with a 3-1 count. Above the score on ESPN a statistic came up that said Mauer’s average whenever the count as gotten to 3-1 is .480 on the season. That’s right, Mauer gets a hit nearly 50% of the time if he gets ahead 3-1 in an at bat. I found this to be just an astounding figure and a true testament to the spectacular hitter Mauer has become .
The next Twin American League All Star is the punch to the Twins lineup. Cleanup hitter Justin Morneau was selected as a reserve at first base. This was another no brainer selection into the game for Morneau ranks 2nd among AL 1B in runs, and even better 1st in RBI’s and Avg. Surprisingly so Justin Morneau is now battling aforementioned Joe Mauer for the batting champ not only on the Twins but also in the AL. Morneau has been a constant all year for the Twins and without him in the middle of the lineup the Twins probably would be sitting closer to where the Royals are now rather then 1 game and a half out of the division.
To anchor my article I decided to go to the anchor of the Twins rotation. Joe Nathan was probably the least likely of the three to make the All Star game coming into the year. No it wasn’t because his skills had diminished or that he signed a lucrative deal, but rather because the Twins would be horrible and his save chances would be minuscule. But as it turns out the exact opposite has occurred as Nathan seems to have to close the door on a game at least once a series and almost always get the job done without giving my grandma any chance of having a heart attack (Something Latroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado struggled with). When the Twins gave Nathan so much dough at the beginning of the year I questioned it thinking there wasn’t a way closers were worth that kind of money. But Nathan has made me eat my words as he has been lights out in the 9th inning and is very deserving to be traveling to New York to pitch July 15th. – DY21
I certainly can agree with DY21 that Chris Berman’s Home Run Derby commentary can be quite annoying, but with Twin Justin Morneau becoming a late addition to the derby I’ll be watching tonight. Although Morneau has the least amount of homeruns of the 8 competitors, I think he an underdog candidate for tonight’s competition. Morneau struggled last year in this same contest in San Franciso, but I believe he’s learned from last time and will benefit from short right field porch in Yankee Stadium. Chris Singleton of Baseball Tonight predicted Justin Morneau as the winner. MVB’s pick – Josh Hamilton. Enjoy the homers!
Posted by twinsmvb on March 28, 2008 under John | Be the First to Comment
Now that spring break is over and I have internet access, there is a lot to write about with only 3 days until the season opener!
First, I’d like to finish the 2008 Team Preview by taking a look at the bullpen. It was fitting that I hadn’t written this post yet as the Twins made big news during the week regarding their star closer Joe Nathan. Monday, Nathan and the Twins agreed to a 4-year $47 million deal.
Across the blogosphere the deal seemed to come with mixed reviews. It is curious to see the Twins invest so much money in a player after seeing former stars Torii Hunter and Johan Santana leave this offesason, especially at a position like closer which is usually only considered a luxury. For a 33-year old closer to be the highest paid player on a team and be making $47 million is unique, but I’m not necessarily upset at this move. The deal certainly has its risk as Nathan could wear down and be grossly overpaid when he’s 37, but it does provide stability at the end of the bullpen and is another sign from Twins management that they want to remain competitive.
Although $11.25 million per season is a lot for a close on a small market team that could have replaced Nathan with a cheap option like Pat Neshek, Nathan is a relative bargain compared to the mega-deals locked up my the Yankees Mariano Rivera and the Reds Francisco Cordero this offseason. Of all the closer is MLB, Nathan has proved to be on the of the most durable and efficient performers. Plus, I know Joe is incredibly happy in Minnesota and I’m happy to have him in the new ballpark.
This news allows me to segue into the bullpen team preview. We now know Joe Nathan will be closing many more games for the Twins and very likely become the team’s all time saves leader by the time his new contract is over. This means submariner Pat Neshek is firmly planted in the setup role with the rest of the bullpen looking like Matt Guerrier, Juan Rincon, Dennys Reyes, Jesse Crain, and after recent spring training cuts Brian Bass.
Neshek had an amazing first half of 2007 putting him on the ballot for the All-Star Final Spot selection for the midsummer classic, but he seemed to tire down the stretch and ended with an average year. He worked on strengthening and conditioning during the offseason and does not have an earned run this spring. Look for Neshek to be a big contributor for the Twins in ‘08. I also expect Guerrier to have a big year for the Twins. Like Neshek, his first half numbers in 2007 were better than the second half, but he finished with a strong season and should see many innings in ‘08 due to the youth and inexperience in the Twins rotation.
Crain, Rincon, and Reyes all struggled with injuries last year and were unable to match the great seasons the trio had in 2006. Rincon certainly seems to be on a steady career decline but may still have a little gas left for the ‘08 campaign. Crain missed nearly the entire year last year pitching only 16 innings, yet the hard throwing righty has looked pretty good this spring. Look for him to perform well this year but expectations should be low after coming off of a big injury. Reyes will resume is roll as the lefty specialist and will also hope to bounce back from a disappointing ‘07. He should remain effective against lefthanded hitters but will most likely never match his insane ‘06 campaign.
Bass was a surprise to make the 25 man roster, but after Glen Perkins struggled all spring, Bass’s numbers looked pretty good and he will take the bullpen role of long-reliever (aka mop-up man). I’m sure he will get plenty of innings with starters struggles and games get ugly.
All and all, the Twins bullpen is considered a strength of the team and should provide a solid backbone to the young starting rotation. If the starters can pitch solid games into the sixth inning there is a very good chance with a Guerrier/Neshek/Nathan combination that the Twins can pick up the win. The Twins will need the bullpen to be a source of consistency and health should be the only factor that could threaten this team strength. It’ll be great to see Nathan coming in in the 9th for the clutch save, let’s hope the Twins have plenty of leads going into the 9th inning.
Posted by twinsmvb on November 28, 2007 under John | 2 Comments to Read
Twins fans… be prepared.
Torii Hunter was a tough loss to swallow. The trade of Johan Santana can no longer be discussed as if, but when. But as I said, be prepared.
It appears that Hunter’s signing for mega dollars with the Angels coupled with Santana declining the Twins 4-year $80 million dollar extension was the opening of the floodgates for what will most definitely be a crazy offseason for GM Bill Smith and the Twins.
SANTANA UPDATE
The list of suitors as of today appears to be the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Angels, and Dodgers. The Yankees have made the most headlines admitting they have had “preliminary discussions” with the Twins regarding Santana. Mets GM Omar Minaya has also stated they have talked to the Twins and is reported as saying he will “get creative” to try and acquire the All-Star lefty.
Names thrown around in talks with the Yankees include the big three of Yankee pitching prospects Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy as well as Yankee CF Melky Cabrera and 2B Robinson Cano. Any deal would certainly have to include one of the three pitching studs, one of the two Yankee starters, and one or two more minor league prospects. It has been reported that Chamberlain and Cano are nearly untouchable in any deal.
Minaya of the Mets loves to make a splash during the offseason and this season may actually need to after the Mets catastrophic collapse at the end of the season. One intriguing name quietly mentioned in talks about Santana is the Mets’ electric shortstop Jose Reyes. To me, that may be the one player the Twins could acquire that would at least make up for Santana’s presence and appease the fans. Reyes teamed with Mauer and Morneau could form an exciting young trio for years to come.
The Red Sox are reported as “actively pursuing” but seem to be very unwilling to part with young stars Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Bucholtz. A deal for Santana would seemingly have to include one of the two, but Boston must be mentioned because where the Yankees are the Sox are always close behind.
The Dodgers definitely have the young players to make a deal but may be unwilling to sign Santana to a large extension and the Angels just joined the fray with the intriguing possibility of Santana teaming up with new Angel and former Twin Hunter.
TRADE RUMORS 
To keep a long blog short, the rumor mill is swirling and almost every bit of news seems to include the Twins. Names include the obvious Santana, young Twins pitcher Matt Garza, and All-Star stud closer Joe Nathan with names returning to the Twins such as the Red Sox Coco Crisp, the Rays rookie of year runner-up Delmon Young, the Diamondbacks young outfielder Carlos Quentin, and more. It appears that if Santana is (sorry when) he is traded, Nathan will follow him right out the door. Check out the Fox Sports trade rumors to read the MLB hot stove rumors concerning the Twins.
For more news on Santana along with the new Nathan rumors, Star Tribune writer, La Velle E. Neal III writes in his Twins blog.
Also, what’s your opinion? Star Tribune poll asks which team will give the return in a trade for Santana?
