I Dislike Your Favorite Team

After my Thanksgiving meal, I met some friends for a few games of bowling in Bloomington. After our first game, a group settled in the lane next to us and it was none other than Bill Smith, GM of the Twins and several of his family members.

I figured this was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I chatted with him for about 5 minutes. I broke the ice by asking him how he could let a bowler in his group where a White Sox hat, in which he responded, “that’s why he can’t get any strikes.” I then asked if he could keep up with [Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire] and his bowling acumen and he talked a bit about Gardy’s league and how he’s bowled multiple 300’s before. Bill was not too bad… 130’s, I’d say. We then chatted about how this was an extremely different Thanksgiving with no Hunter situation and he discussed how busy he was with phone calls and such that he couldn’t really enjoy the holiday too much last year.

After breaking the ice a bit, I decided to ask him a few pointed questions about the team’s makeup for next year. I asked what the plan was for the left-side of the infield and he said that they had their eyes on a 3^rd baseman they really wanted. I said, Casey Blake? And he replied that they thought highly of him, but I gathered that Blake was not their first target. I then asked about what they would do if they got a third baseman and if [Nick] Punto was then the guy. Bill said that they’ve already offered a contract to Punto, but didn’t seem to think that Punto would necessarily be back. He then said that they would most likely platoon Brendan Harris and Matt Tolbert at short instead. Finally I asked if Yunel Escobar would be a possibility in a trade and if he was available. Smith replied, “We’d take Escobar in a second. We’d also take the other [Alcides] Escobar in Milwaukee. We’d take either of those guys in a second.”

We then shook hands and I wished him luck at the Winter meetings and he concluded with, “bowling is just like baseball… keep pounding those strikes.”

He was a real nice guy and I was very surprised at how accessible he was to answering questions and talking at length. My impression was that their #1 priority is a 3^rd baseman and Blake is not their #1 priority, but a fall-back plan if their other target falls through. I also do not believe they will get a new 3^rd baseman and a new shortstop for 2009… it sounded like one or the other. It didn’t sound like Brian Buscher or Punto were factoring much in the future plans.

There are a few little nuggets in this dialogue--clearly, the 3rd baseman situation is extremely fluid going into the Winter Meetings. Smith has basically offered an exceedingly dense answer that doesn't tell us anything at first blush--they could be standing pat, they could be trading for a veteran like Blake (or Adrian Beltre or Garret Atkins, who were never mentioned, but are on the minds of every Star Tribune sportswriter for a reason), or maybe go after a younger, less proven player--Yunel Escobar is a bit interesting as he's played mainly shortstop, t also some 3rd.

Reading TBF's description makes me think the Shortstop position is much more likely to be handled in house. It would take a team really offering a player that the Twins loved on the cheap (like the aforementioned Escobars) for them to do anything in that direction. Harris was a solid player for the Twins, especially for a guy who was basically an afterthought in the Garza-Young trade. Tolbert was showing upside last year before injuries derailed him.

Third base looks to be where the action is, and where it should be. Without seeing the contract, it is hard to imagine Nick Punto getting more money to play somewhere else, though the Phillies are reportedly interested in him again. I'm surprised by the lack of discussion of Buscher, but there always seemed to be a feeling last year that he was a little ungainly in the field, and overachieving at the plate. Time will tell, but it would seem the biggest upshot of this is that the Twins are happy to tell people that they are shopping for a veteran 3rd baseman with above mediocre offensive capabilities. Maybe we'll get our Corey Koskie for the 21st Century yet.