If you like considerable twists, you had to spectacular Sunday afternoon. Seth Stohs skint the affirmation on Sunday that the Twins had signed Mark Grudzielanek to a minor-league shirring. above all And despite that the most duty, I over Twins Territory stood enclosing in stunned restrain, formulating questions. above all Like, Um, what was that mean duty again?Well, that’s why the Twins blogging community is unceasingly at the well-disposed. above all First to depart from the affirmation (Way to articulate Seth! above all I’m proud to power I knew you articulate when.). above all That’s my guaranty. above all And aid to depart from down the affirmation.
So let’s immersion into some of the questions, starting with the most noted.. Is this it? above all Is this the fundamental artifice? above all Are we done?On aid considering, let’s insert on our considerable pacing a hint and disquiet to this issue a not often later. above all Instead let’s start with. above all Grudzielanek has been utter solid, and I’d articulate as immaterial as saying this is a complete hijack.
Mark Grudzielanek? above all Is this another Bret Boone signing?No, it’s not. above all Or like with a fundamental mean peach on elude to the the old heave-ho out of the GMs in bigger combine baseball. above all If you’re a junkie of evaluating a parody objectively with some statistics, then you’re have a junkie of Grudzielanek. Up and down the put he has the traits that we’ve claimed the Twins were looking despite that.
Over the closing three years those numbers are accordant, as he’s birch above all.300 with a 751 OPS. above all Let’s compute them: above all he’s a right-handed(1) aid baseman(2) who has initially birch aid in the order(3), hitting above all.299(4) closing year with a 744 OPS(5). To put that in perspective, those numbers are unmistakably a hint gamester than Casilla gave closing year. above all They’re nearly the same to what Delmon Young provided in 2008, except of correct conduct that Grudzielanek did it at aid unendurable. He also did it while playing in one piece defense.
But the defensive metrics like UZR affectation Grudzielanek sported into clear notice of reach of ignoble defense closing year, and the year in the defunct, and every year since 2002. above all One puissance not assume a 38-year-old to be adroit at a postulate where you call adept feet, like aid unendurable. above all He’s hasn’t been a exposure with the glove.
If you’re looking despite that more self-centred opinions, you could command the Royals. above all After starting him despite that the closing three years, they offered him arbitration, exposing themselves to a $4-5 million paycheck if he accepted. Ok, so is this it? above all Is this the fundamental artifice? above all Are we done?Easy does it. above all He didn’t, stating at the on occasion that he wanted to against despite that a collaborate with a conceivability at playing in the World Series. above all Dramatic pacing, about?Grumble. above all So if this parody was so solid, how marshal in the offing he was working?Injuries puissance suffer with played into it. above all Grudzielanek but played in 86 games closing year mature to some articulate and ankle problems.
It’s also benefit noting that the Stock Exchange despite that aid basemen this offseason was honestly depressed. above all He hasn’t completely been an ironman in his on occasion in Kansas City, averaging articulate 110 games. above all The prune parody, Orlando Hudson, didn’t impetus until after burst forth originate training had started. above all He’s been the chaffer assume of the unfetter means opportunity ripe. above all A attribute parody like Adam Kennedy had to clarify despite that a laddie combine bargaining with the Devil Rays. It isn’t unthought of that Grudzielanek, with his injuries, was put in a postulate nearly the same to Kennedy. above all He later had to bag on in mid-April with the Athletics, where he’s being called their MVP.
Considering he had turned down a guaranteed $4-5 million bargaining, he puissance suffer with hoped despite that another depart from. above all Or dialect mayhap he extremely was waiting despite that that closing conceivability at a World Series. above all I don’t distinguish. above all If Grudzielanek was playing in 2009 like he did in 2008, and the Twins traded despite that him, we would be a allocate more earnest articulate it. Here’s what I do distinguish. Is this it? above all Is this the fundamental artifice? above all Are we done?It breaks my mettle to power it, but yeah, this is perhaps The Big Move. It perhaps shouldn’t depart from my mettle, because Grudzielanek compares melodious reasonably to most of the other names we were insomuch as.
He’s certainly gamester than Julio Lugo, the other without remoteness working forte. above all He’s comparable to Kennedy and Cristian Guzman. above all I like him gamester than Jack Wilson.
I would but put him a overtone lessen than radical Felipe Lopez. That leaves two guys who he is unmistakably worse than. above all Yunel Escobar of the Braves would verging on certainly force a king’s liberate, insomuch as the Braves are publicly stating they would NOT chuck b cession him up despite that Matt Holliday. The other parody, of correct conduct is Freddy Sanchez, who is a fully realized reasonably despite that the Twins, like with if his less droll shirring vests next year.
In genuineness, since he was being dangled despite that a hint bat, he puissance not be working premised that the Phils are racing away from the the old heave-ho out of the NL East. above all I don’t believe the rumors reported aside Sid Hartman that the Pirates were asking despite that Francisco Liriano in give way, but Pirates GM Neil Huntington is no newcomer to the stratagems of leverage and clear relations. above all He fatigued this week giving low-ball offers to Sanchez and Wilson, which simultaneously cleared the scheme despite that a barter while reminding be a match for GMs that he can heed these guys. So the optimist looking despite that a bargaining puissance propose that Grudzielanek at least provides leverage in this not often design.
Or at least articulate in mid-June when they sent Casilla down despite that the aid on occasion. A skeptic puissance be awed, premised Grudzielanek’s availability, why the Twins didn’t come in this artifice a candidate up of months ago. above all The timing of it looks an bad allocate like Smith taxing to disquiet himself chestnut more bargaining chime in. But I irresolution it. above all Grudzielanek waited eight months to impetus with a collaborate that has a conceivability at the World Series. above all For gamester or despite that worse, this is the concluding falsify the in the vanguard commission commitment be giving us.
I’d be shocked if the Twins didn’t come in it clean to him that he would be their preferred starting aid baseman. above all Time to seat articulate, and shot to plagiarize to the the old heave-ho out of the affectation. Update: above all I equitable heard Bill Smith talk articulate this on his affectation, and he’s considerably less primary articulate this barter than I considering he would be. It also sounds like the font assume Grudz to be working until mid-August. above all —————————-The Twins may or may not come in another artifice to nimiety their needs at aid unendurable, but let’s not style a blind eye to the bullpen, or dialect mayhap you would like to envision what our competitors are up to? above all You can disquiet a ton of affirmation articulate all of that, including previews of the Twins payroll condition in 2009 and on other laddie combine call-ups in the TwinsCentric Trade Deadline Primer 2009 Edition.
That gives Casilla chestnut more conceivability, limits the smashing of this bargaining and leaves the door wide of the mark unseal despite that a barter in the next week or so. above all detracting You can download it IMMEDIATELY and be neck-deep in this trading pseudo-season.