Why is it that Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta are saying basically the same thing, but I feel all warm and fuzzy inside after DePo says it?

Pauls been pretty good about letting my stuff through over there, just as long as I don’t question Kevin Towers coffee making abilities, we are cool apparently. But I’ll repost what I said over there.

The 08 Twins were not better because they lost Johan.

The 2007 Twins finished 79-83, traded Johan Santana and let Torii Hunter leave in free agency, and then went 88-75 in 2008

Paul, I hope you are not suggesting that the 08 Twins were a better ball club because Johan Santana and Torii Hunter were gone? The only player in the Twins lineup that was different as a result of those deals, was Carlos Gomez [ops+77]. For the record Tori Hunter [ops+112]. Delmon Young came in via a different trade. And then of course there is the subtle differences between having Johan Santana or Livan Hernandez take the mound every five days.

No way you are suggesting that.

The Twins were better this season because Baker and Liriano were healthy. If the Twins could have found some way to keep Santana and Hunter, they’d be playing game 5 tonight. Not Boston.

Santana, Hunter, and CC Sabathia were soon to be free agents, that wouldn’t sign favorable contracts with their respective teams. They as players earned that right. Minnesota traded Johan, because they had to. Cleveland traded CC, because they had to.

You DO NOT have to trade Jake.

Jake Peavy on the other hand, is a once in a lifetime type talent, possibly better than those two above, locked up for five of his prime years. You don’t trade away that type of talent, if you don’t have too. It’s nuts.

And what of the utter disrespect the organization has just shown Peavy, him agreeing to favorable terms, and then the front office publicly shopping him sixth months later. He took the “San Diego Discount” for crying out loud.

All Jake is saying is “lets compete”. It’s his team. He came up through
the padre ranks, he did his time, he bit the line on the San Diego
beaches, and signed up for five of his prime years. Johan and CC didn’t. So what if Jake ran his mouth a little after a 99 loss season. Hell, I expect him too.

Besides. This team is not that far away from competing again anyway, they just aren’t. Healthy pitching, and some defense, just like the 08 Twins, and they are right back in it. :)

Ideally .. you just pony up for Orlando Hudson and the Friars could have the best infield defense in baseball, hands down. Adrian, Hudson, Greene, and Kouzmanoff sure would look great backing up healthy pitching. Isn’t that the philosophy, pitching and defense?

It also helps that Hudson can hit a little, and would bring some life to this very, very boring team …

go padres!

paid for by the people trying to get Orlando Hudson’s name plugged into the spreadsheet.

a fight.

Because not once does he address that the move to trade Peavy is at least in part driven by a new cost-cutting initiative and the ownership situation. He’d make a great debater because he skillfully points out the potential benefits of moving Peavy, but this is something that would’ve been laughed at in the previous two seasons. I know he’s not going to come out and say that, but are we really supposed to believe that last October they would’ve seriously considered any offers for Peavy? Garbage.