Twins’ set-up man Pat Neshek may miss the remainder of the 2008 season, according to GM Bill Smith. He suffered apartially torn ulnar collateral ligament. He won’t even begin to start throwing a baseball for at least three months. Bill Smith said the primary goal of the Twins is to get Neshek healthy for spring […]
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According to Gordon Wittenmyer at the Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ officials are saying privately that they called Twins general manager Bill Smith when Johan Santana was put on the block last winter. Apparently, the Cubbies were told that Santana would not waive his no-trade clause for them, or any other team that didn’t train in Florida […]
Filed under: Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets | 4 Comments »
The 2008 payrolls were released earlier this month by Major League Baseball, and there were a few surprises. What isn’t much of a surprise is that the New York Yankees were once again #1 on that list, topping $209 million (yet another payroll record).
Of interest though is that both the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets have leap-froged the […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals | No Comments »
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Twins’ starter Francisco Liriano will make his 2008 season debut on Sundayagainst the Kansas City Royals. Kevin Slowey will be placed on the 15-day DL, and Nick Blackburn’s start will be pushed back to Monday.
It’s been a long road for Liriano, so it’s going to be good to see […]
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It sure has been a rough first week as far as injuries go. The Washington Nationals’ have placed closer Chad Cordero on the DL due to a sore shoulder. The move is retroactive to March 27th. Set-up man Jon Rauch figures to fill-in as the stopper until Cordero returns. It is expected that Cordero will […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals | No Comments »
According to ESPN, Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher Kevin Slowey was forced to leave his Thursday start vs. the Los Angeles Angels early due to a strained right biceps. Slowey yielded three runs and three hits in the 3rd inning, but came out to pitch in the 4th. He had not shown any signs of injury […]
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As per Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, left-handed reliever Tim Byrdak decided against the Tigers afterall, and has instead signed a minor-league deal with the Houston Astros. Byrdak was cut by the Tigers last week, and Jim Leyland fully expected him to re-sign with the team on a minor-league contract. Earlier this […]
Filed under: Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins | No Comments »
REMINDER: Don’t forget to vote in our FINAL FOUR OF OFFSEASON FLEECES! We have some very close ballgames below that will be determined by late voters. Polls close tonight.
On March 24th, MLB Fleece Factor kicked off the 2008 Sweet Sixteen of Offseason Fleeces. This tournament - whose winner will be determined by you - is Fleece […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, _Polls | 6 Comments »
Mets’ fans worst nightmare may be coming true.
One day after joyfully watching new ace Johan Santana mow down 8 Marlins while scattering only 3 hits over 7 strong innings comes the news they never wanted to hear… Santana is experiencing discomfort in his left forearm.
Right now, according to Paul Wright at PFYsports.com, Santana is scheduled to go for an MRI sometime […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, New York Mets | 11 Comments »
UPDATE: (3/28) 9:13pm (EST) - As per Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Francisco Liriano will remain in the minors for awhile longer, and Nick Blackburn has claimed the team’s #5 spot in the rotation.
Mar 24, 9:48am (EST) - According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Carlos Gomez (acquired via the NY Mets in […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins | 2 Comments »
On March 24th, MLB Fleece Factor kicked off the 2008 Sweet Sixteen of Offseason Fleeces. This tournament - whose winners will be determined by you - is Fleece Factor’s version of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. The last FLEECE standing in this tournament will be awarded the 2008 Offseason Golden Fleece Award.
After an incredibly impressive turnout for first […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, _Polls | 2 Comments »
UPDATE: (3/24) 9:35pm (EST) - As per rotoworld, the 4-year deal has a total value of $47 million guaranteed. Nathan would have made $6 million this season, but he will now make $11.25 million in each of the next 4 seasons. The contract also includes an option for 2012 worth $12.5 million, or a $2 million […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, _Polls | 1 Comment »
Because March Madness shouldn’t just be for college hoops fans…
MLB Fleece Factor introduces the Sweet Sixteen of Offseason MLB Fleeces!
We’ve set up the brackets, and we’re leaving it up to you to determine the winner of this honor…let’s call it the 2008 Offseason Golden Fleece Award!
Here’s a complete set of brackets for you:
Click Here For Your “2008 Sweet […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, _Polls | 14 Comments »
It looks like Felipe Lopez may be the odd man out in the Nationals middle infield crunch, as Christian Guzman has not played himself out of the shortstop position this spring and Ronnie Belliard has a grasp on the second base job. (Although, that could change with a trade of Belliard). Earlier this week, Lopez […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals | No Comments »
La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that “the Twins spent Thursday locked in negotiations with Dave Pepe, the agent for Twins closer Joe Nathan, about a contract extension.” And according to Neal, there are “strong signals” that a deal is close. The closer himself even expressed optimism himself, telling Neal, “Things are […]
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UPDATE: (3/14) 10:18pm (EST) - Kelly Thesier at MLB.com tells us that the Twins have reached out to Nathan’s agent in recent days. Nathan reiterated that he would like to remain a Twin, but that he would also like a deal comparable to other elite closers (as noted below).
UPDATE: (2/26) 9:40am (EST) - According to […]
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The Fleece Factor crew continues to work hard to complete in depth previews of all thirty major league teams as the 2008 season quickly approaches. These outlooks should be finished soon, at which point we will put ourselves on the line and make our own individual predictions. So stay tuned for those!
In the mean time, we have […]
Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, _Polls, _Team Outlooks (2008) | No Comments »
A new era is beginning in Minnesota. Gone are the former faces of the franchise for so many years - Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. Gone is the master architect of this small-market club - GM Terry Ryan - who was named Executive of the Year in 2002 by The Sporting News, and was the brains behind one […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, _Polls, _Team Outlooks (2008) | 3 Comments »
In his blog today, Buster Olney of ESPN.com gives us several good rumors from around the major leagues. Let’s get right down to them:
He feels that even with a negative MRI for 35-year old 1B Carlos Delgado, the Mets should look to get some insurance for his aging body. He notes several possibilities, which include: […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics | 2 Comments »
As per Ken Rosenthal, the Reds and free agent outfielder Kenny Lofton have seemingly broken off talks for the time being. The reason, of course, was the Reds’ failure to offer Lofton a major league contract. Similar talks broke off with Shannon Stewart, who was also not interested in a minor league deal.
The Minnesota Twins […]
Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins | No Comments »
UPDATE: (2/25) 3:19pm (EST) - According to La Velle E. Neal III at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Francisco Liriano hit 97 miles per hour two times in a recent bullpen session. He was consistently throwing between 92-95. Certainly encouraging news, but location is more of a concern then velocity is with pitcher’s coming back from Tommy […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants | 5 Comments »
According to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein says that people are mistaken to just assume the starting job in centerfield is already given to Jacoby Ellsbury. Edes does note, however, that Epstein may just be posturing in order to lift Crisp’s trade value, in an attempt to fleece some […]
Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics | 3 Comments »
Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press writes today that Joe Mauer could soon surpass Justin Morneau’s franchise record contract of 6 years and $80 million, if the Twins elect to sign him before or after he hits free agency. Mauer, who will make an average of $11 million for the next three years, will be up […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins | 4 Comments »
UPDATE: (2/13) 12:05pm (EST) - As per Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune, Nathan’s agent has told the club what it would take to keep him in Minnesota, and they are waiting to hear back about it. Nathan remains optomistic a deal can be reached.
UPDATE: (2/5) 11:21am (EST) - As per the Pioneer Press, Nathan […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees | 8 Comments »
After shipping Johan Santana to the National League, the Minnesota Twins have signed Livan Hernandez to help bolster a very young rotation, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The deal is believed to be approximately $7 million if incentives are reached, over the course of one season. The fallback for the Mets if Johan went […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, New York Mets | 1 Comment »
According to Dick Kaegel at MLB.com, the Oakland Athletics have agreed to terms on a 1-year minor-league contract with free agent DH/1B Mike Sweeney, with an invitation to Spring Training. Said Sweeney about the signing, “They want me to play first base and DH and be a veteran presence for the younger guys. I’m excited […]
Filed under: Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers | No Comments »
UPDATE: (2/8) 11:15am (EST) - As per Geoff Baker, Bedard’s physical was supposed to carry over to today (Friday), so the trade may not be announced until Saturday at this point. And this story just drags on…
UPDATE: (2/7) 3:37pm (EST) - John Hickey tells us that Bedard was en route to Seattle this morning, and […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners | 5 Comments »
Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports today that the Baltimore Orioles have expressed interest in free agent right-handed pitcher Josh Fogg.
The interest is directly tied to what seems like an inevitable departure of staff ace Erik Bedard to the Mariners. Losing Bedard would leave the Orioles dangeroulsy thin at starting pitching - a trait that makes […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins | No Comments »
UPDATE: (2/3) 1:50pm (EST) - As per the New York Times, the 2014 vesting option could become a player option based on number of innings pitched, or Cy Young voting.
UPDATE: (2/3) 9:33am (EST) - According to Marty Noble at MLB.com, Omar Minaya was pessimistic that a deal would get done right around the 5pm deadline […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, New York Mets | 17 Comments »
Understandably, there has been a lot of talk recently about Johan Santana - arguably the majors top pitcher who was just fleeced from the Twins by the Mets, where he will now fleece the Mets into the largest financial deal ever for a pitcher. But hey, where did this guy come from anyway? Strangely, the answer is that Johan Santana’s major league career was […]
Filed under: Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, _Great Moments in Fleece History | 7 Comments »
UPDATE: (2/1) 5:10pm (EST) - According to WFAN radio in NYC, the Mets have asked for, and been granted a 2-hour extension. A deal must be very close, you would think.
UPDATE: (2/1) 4:59pm (EST) - As per Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, Santana initially asked for a 6-year, $168 million extension. Geez. The number of guaranteed years continues to […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins, New York Mets | 24 Comments »
UPDATE: (2/1) 2:43pm (EST) - SI.com’s Jon Heyman believes that the Mets are closing in on a 6-year deal with Johan Santana. The deal is expected to be for 6 guaranteed years at an annual salary of $22 million per. In addition, the Mets may add around $7 million to the $13.25 million that Santana is […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees | 25 Comments »
According to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post, the Minnesota Twins are interested in fee agent right-hander Josh Fogg. The team contacted his agent yesterday, and talks appear pretty serious. If the Johan Santana trade with the Mets is finalized, we might expect a move to sign Fogg fairly quickly. The Twins are looking for a […]
Filed under: Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins | No Comments »
When Pedro Feliz fleeced the Phillies, he joined Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs at the hot corner in Philly. Well, that’s too many 3rd baseman for one roster and according to Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, the odd man out appears to be Wes Helms. Dobbs is likely to be retained because he can also play […]
Filed under: Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays | 2 Comments »
In light of the Twins being on the verge of trading Johan Santana - a future Hall of Fame pitcher in his prime - due to financial constraints of the organization, I feel that it is necessary to review the financial situation of Twins owner Carl Pohlad.
Carl R. Pohlad, 92, started out his business life when he joined […]
Filed under: Minnesota Twins | 11 Comments »
