Rumor says Twins are close with a Scott Boras client

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

And if it's the one I think it is, I'm the only guy on this forum who will be happy. Cam may be on suicide watch!

I know my statistical attempts to sell you guys on Mike Pelfrey flopped last summer, but I have a new stat that demonstrates how effective he was his last 13 starts...the well hit average. Inside Edge has been keeping records for a couple years tracking whether a ball hit off a pitcher was smoked or not, and Pelfrey's stats in his first 16 starts are remarkably different than his last 13. This is encouraging, because his stats the last half of the season are more than a year after his TJ surgery, the expected recovery team after reconstructing an elbow.

So, in his first 16 starts, Pelfrey had a well hit average of .222, second highest of all starters behind only Joe Blanton. I remember throwing things at the TV the first half of last year as Pelfrey gave up shot after shot. But in his last 13 starts his velocity increased almost 2 MPH, and his well hit average improved to a jaw-dropping .134, one of the best in the league. For comparative purposes, here are some other well hit averages:

Nolasco: .137
Iwakuma .140
Liriano .143

This makes sense to me, because as a guy who has played baseball for more years than most of you have walked the earth, I would not like to dig in against Mike Pelfrey...he is intimidating to me, and obviously he was to major league hitters the last half of the year.

Pelfrey will never be a sub-3 ERA pitcher, because he will always struggle with his control. But if his well hit average the last half of the year is indicative of a healed Mike Pelfrey, I will welcome him back to the rotation:

Nolasco
Hughes
Deduno
Pelfrey
Corriea (or Diamond)

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

NOOOOOOOO! Ugh... I thought we might swoop in and grab Arroyo/Garza to round out the rotation arms. I hope your rumors are false as I cannot stand Pelfrey in a Twins uniform.

:( :( :(

[Jester1534]

NOOOOOOOO! Ugh... I thought we might swoop in and grab Arroyo/Garza to round out the rotation arms. I hope your rumors are false as I cannot stand Pelfrey in a Twins uniform.

:( :( :(

Okay cam you get a gun and I'll get a gun and we both shoot each other at the same time lol

[Jester1534]

Btw why does nobody think Kyle Gibson can pitch anymore? I mean if were gonna use the TJ logic with Pelfrey shouldnt we use it on Kyle? 3 years ago we thought this guy could be a number 2 for us.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

NOOOOOOOO! Ugh... I thought we might swoop in and grab Arroyo/Garza to round out the rotation arms. I hope your rumors are false as I cannot stand Pelfrey in a Twins uniform.

:( :( :(

Okay cam you get a gun and I'll get a gun and we both shoot each other at the same time lol

Now I've done it...it's going to be awfully quiet around here with you guys gone!

Maybe it's not Pelfrey. I don't know what other Boras clients Terry if talking to.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Btw why does nobody think Kyle Gibson can pitch anymore? I mean if were gonna use the TJ logic with Pelfrey should we use it on Kyle. 3 years ago we though this guy could be a number 2 for us.

Good point, jester...Gibson should be in the mix somewhere this year.

[Jester1534]

Twins Working Hard To Add One More Starter
By Steve Adams [December 12 at 12:30pm CST]
12:30pm: In addition to Arroyo, Pelfrey and Matt Garza, the Twins are monitoring left-hander Paul Maholm, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

10:33am: The Twins are "working hard" to add one more starting pitcher to the club after signing Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Bronson Arroyo and Mike Pelfrey are definitely among the names the Twins are pursuing. Earlier this morning, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweeted that while some teams and agents are packing up and heading home, Twins GM Terry Ryan isn't leaving Orlando yet. Said Ryan, "I'm open for business."

Minnesota has also been linked to Matt Garza recently, though it's unclear how serious their interest is, as the Angels and Diamondbacks are said to be the favorites in that race. The Twins know his asking price, however, and they know Garza himself better than many of his suitors. Minnesota drafted Garza in the first round of the 2005 draft but traded him in 2007.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

My question and response to Wolfson earlier:

"Me: Think we sign Garza? $15M for four years would likely get it done, right? Assuming Ryan has the go-ahead."

"Wolfson: Ryan has the go-ahead. I'd wager to say the Twins would do 4/$60M. However, Garza may want 5-years. Other teams after him too."

That's who I'm hoping we grab. Would set us up to be pretty competitive next season in my opinion. Terry Ryan sounded like he really wants to make a move.

[Jester1534]

My question and response to Wolfson earlier:
Supposedly it's down to us and the Angels. The diamondbacks don't want to give him a 4th year. So it comes down to money between the Angels and Twins.
"Me: Think we sign Garza? $15M for four years would likely get it done, right? Assuming Ryan has the go-ahead."

"Wolfson: Ryan has the go-ahead. I'd wager to say the Twins would do 4/$60M. However, Garza may want 5-years. Other teams after him too."

That's who I'm hoping we grab. Would set us up to be pretty competitive next season in my opinion. Terry Ryan sounded like he really wants to make a move.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

"The Twins have increased the value of their two-year offer to Mike Pelfrey from $10MM to $12MM, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The Rangers and Giants have also shown interest in Pelfrey, Neal reports.

Also from Neal, the stumbling block between Matt Garza and the Twins seems to be Garza's demands for a four- or five-year contract, as Minnesota isn't willing to make that long a commitment due to injury concerns. That said, Neal isn't counting the Twins out of the Garza race yet as he hears the team is still in the hunt."

Umm, I hope the Rangers or Giants swoop in and take Pelfrey. I can't stress how much I don't want him back. If we do re-sign him, I'll root for the guy obviously, but man... I'm not a fan of him.

So the Twins won't offer four years to Garza? That makes me think that our FO has brought up to Garza's agent a 3-yr/$45M deal that they shrugged off quickly more than likely. They say that no offer has been made, but numbers are always thrown around. No source for that. Just a personal thought.

Gotta think if Minnesota budges and offers four years, Garza's ours at $15M per.