Solving the Bullpen Mystery
Apologies for all of the readers out there, though I may not have many,
I'd like to apologize for the lack of material since what seems like
November. I decided to get back around on the grind and discuss the
bullpen search the Twins are experiencing. There are several good
candidates, though they may be gone very quickly.
Russ Springer:
Though he is 41 years of age, Springer has proved he can have success well past his prime years, and his last few years in St. Louis. Nothing special about Springer, he can bring some decent heat, but is primarily used as a right handed specialist- something the Twins would consider a luxury. This, in my opinion, wouldn't be the ideal guy for the Twins to go out of their way and sign. He's put up a spectacular ERA his past 2 years in St. Louis, but in 148 appearances those past 2 years, he's only put 116.1 IP. For example, the highest amount of innings he threw in a single appearance was 1.1, and I think the Twins want some flexibility along with being able to have the luxury of an extended outing from a reliever at times. Do the Twins really want that in a bullpen signing? I'd figure with the Twins pursuit of 2 other free agent pitchers, they're leaning in a different direction. Though I think having Springer as one guy who can get you out of a small jam, and a small signing by the Twins here wouldn't be bad. Though he is NOT my guy if I had to choose one guy to sign.
Brandon Lyon:
A rumor was on its way this afternoon that Mr. Lyon was on the verge of signing with Detroit. This is likely true, but I think it'd be better to compare him with the other bullpen candidates. Lyon is a converted closer coming out of the Arizona system. As a setup man he was very effective, but this past season, he faltered midseason from the closers role. I believe that because he doesn't have closer type stuff, his whole pitching style and effectiveness was messed with when Arizona designated him for the 9th inning. He pitches to contact and is successful if he can get flyballs, and when you try to pitch like that in the final inning, something is bound to go wrong. I thought Lyon was the best option in terms of adding a solid guy in the later innings, but now if he goes to Detroit, asking him to close games won't be very easy to do, especially now entering one of Major League Baseballs toughest hitting divisions. I don't expect him to be successful closing games, but I suppose he chose the title of closer over setup man and the ability to win immediately.
Eric Gagne:
Yes, the name comes off as alarming, but with Eric's strong 2008 finish, he might've established himself as a possible steal in the free agent market. With a .93 ERA in his final 10 appearances Gagne was a pretty solid bullpen option in the 2nd half. His stuff has declined in terms of effectiveness from his days with Los Angeles and Texas, but I think a rebound could be a good thing for Gagne to have in Minnesota. He had a spectacular season in 2007 before a trade to the Red Sox, in which everything just seemed to fall apart. This past season, he continued to struggle, though he put up a very solid ERA+ and a mediocre WHIP. I think now that Lyon is signed, and Springer isn't the right handed fireballer the Twins quite wanted, Gagne, for cheap, is the best option. Reports are that the Twins and Gagne's agent, the infamous Scott Boras, are exchanging possible earnings and benefits of a possible contract with Minnesota.
All 3 are very good pitchers, but with their skillset and options limited, I'd like to see Eric Gagne as a Twin, if anybody, next season. He's still got a nice fastball, and a devastating slider to use as his out pitch.
On another note ...
The Twins are believed to now be engaging in talks with free agent 3rd baseman Joe Crede. A Twin killer in his own right, Crede nailed the Twins this past season by batting .400 with 7 of his 17 home runs against the Twins, and making several amazing defensive plays. You can see why the Twins would want him, if he stays healthy (more on that in a sec), he's good for about 25-30 homers and 90 RBI. Crede has a poor OBP, but I'm sure the Twins, who obviously are looking for power, wouldn't mind a power bat in the lower part of the order even if it means sacrificing a higher batting average. Allegedly, a minor surgery he had this offseason has cured the spinal tissue in this lower back, something that playing on Metrodome turf wouldn't exactly help. He's in Arizona and is expected to work out in front of Twins scouts several weeks before spring training. I'd love this signing, it could potentially give the Twins some pop at the bottom of the order as well as provide a short term, effective solution at a position the Twins have been looking for since Corey Koskie left the team via free agency.
Russ Springer:
Though he is 41 years of age, Springer has proved he can have success well past his prime years, and his last few years in St. Louis. Nothing special about Springer, he can bring some decent heat, but is primarily used as a right handed specialist- something the Twins would consider a luxury. This, in my opinion, wouldn't be the ideal guy for the Twins to go out of their way and sign. He's put up a spectacular ERA his past 2 years in St. Louis, but in 148 appearances those past 2 years, he's only put 116.1 IP. For example, the highest amount of innings he threw in a single appearance was 1.1, and I think the Twins want some flexibility along with being able to have the luxury of an extended outing from a reliever at times. Do the Twins really want that in a bullpen signing? I'd figure with the Twins pursuit of 2 other free agent pitchers, they're leaning in a different direction. Though I think having Springer as one guy who can get you out of a small jam, and a small signing by the Twins here wouldn't be bad. Though he is NOT my guy if I had to choose one guy to sign.
Brandon Lyon:
A rumor was on its way this afternoon that Mr. Lyon was on the verge of signing with Detroit. This is likely true, but I think it'd be better to compare him with the other bullpen candidates. Lyon is a converted closer coming out of the Arizona system. As a setup man he was very effective, but this past season, he faltered midseason from the closers role. I believe that because he doesn't have closer type stuff, his whole pitching style and effectiveness was messed with when Arizona designated him for the 9th inning. He pitches to contact and is successful if he can get flyballs, and when you try to pitch like that in the final inning, something is bound to go wrong. I thought Lyon was the best option in terms of adding a solid guy in the later innings, but now if he goes to Detroit, asking him to close games won't be very easy to do, especially now entering one of Major League Baseballs toughest hitting divisions. I don't expect him to be successful closing games, but I suppose he chose the title of closer over setup man and the ability to win immediately.
Eric Gagne:
Yes, the name comes off as alarming, but with Eric's strong 2008 finish, he might've established himself as a possible steal in the free agent market. With a .93 ERA in his final 10 appearances Gagne was a pretty solid bullpen option in the 2nd half. His stuff has declined in terms of effectiveness from his days with Los Angeles and Texas, but I think a rebound could be a good thing for Gagne to have in Minnesota. He had a spectacular season in 2007 before a trade to the Red Sox, in which everything just seemed to fall apart. This past season, he continued to struggle, though he put up a very solid ERA+ and a mediocre WHIP. I think now that Lyon is signed, and Springer isn't the right handed fireballer the Twins quite wanted, Gagne, for cheap, is the best option. Reports are that the Twins and Gagne's agent, the infamous Scott Boras, are exchanging possible earnings and benefits of a possible contract with Minnesota.
All 3 are very good pitchers, but with their skillset and options limited, I'd like to see Eric Gagne as a Twin, if anybody, next season. He's still got a nice fastball, and a devastating slider to use as his out pitch.
On another note ...
The Twins are believed to now be engaging in talks with free agent 3rd baseman Joe Crede. A Twin killer in his own right, Crede nailed the Twins this past season by batting .400 with 7 of his 17 home runs against the Twins, and making several amazing defensive plays. You can see why the Twins would want him, if he stays healthy (more on that in a sec), he's good for about 25-30 homers and 90 RBI. Crede has a poor OBP, but I'm sure the Twins, who obviously are looking for power, wouldn't mind a power bat in the lower part of the order even if it means sacrificing a higher batting average. Allegedly, a minor surgery he had this offseason has cured the spinal tissue in this lower back, something that playing on Metrodome turf wouldn't exactly help. He's in Arizona and is expected to work out in front of Twins scouts several weeks before spring training. I'd love this signing, it could potentially give the Twins some pop at the bottom of the order as well as provide a short term, effective solution at a position the Twins have been looking for since Corey Koskie left the team via free agency.
Let's get some comments.
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First off, the name 'Eric Gagne' still scares me from 2007. I thought it was an unnecessary trade because I was at the game where Kason Gabbard (the guy the Sox traded for Gagne) pitched a complete game shut out. I really liked him, and like you said, Gagne proved to be a disaster for us.
If it's a low risk deal, maybe you can try it. Bringing him in with a ten run lead is always a safe bet!
Chalk up one more reader for you! I'll be coming back!
-Elizabeth
http://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
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Eh. I like none of the above for the bullpen. This is all a little moot after the Ayala signing, but good work anyway.
As I said on Seth's blog today, I am not a fan of either Crede or the platoon. We'll see what happens.
On another note, I don't know how I missed this blog completely. Come check me out at http://thetwinsdifference.wordpress.com. Consider yourself on the blogroll.
-Eric
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