http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/...e-jj-hardy.html

Twins trade Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy.  What does this mean for the twins trying to bring back O-Cab? do you bring him back to play 2nd base? or do you just let him go? Looks like the starting outfield has solidified, even though Gomez was never concidered a starter, with Young in left, Span in center and Cuddyer in Right.  Im guessing the twins will probably be looking for a back up outfielder this off season now even through they already have Jason Kubel for a late inning replacement or to insure if someone gets hurt.

per Brew Beat

Great trade.  Curious question of whether OC plays second base.  His arm has always been a little suspect so second base might work but making a transition to second base after playing shortstop for so many years is likely going to be very appealing so I doubt OC jumps at that opportunity.  Punto will start there next year and I'm good with that.  I also think this spells the end of Casilla as a Twin.  You can bet he's trade fodder for any team that might take him.  I doubt there are significant takers so I suspect he is released outright in favor of keeping Tolbert as the utility guy.  I do believe Harris will be trade bait along with starting pitchers for a 3rd baseman and a 1 or 2 starting pitcher.

What's the most important win here?  Joe Mauer will certainly see this as a positive move in obtaining talent.  The lineup is looking very solid and will look even better once we get a third baseman.  Ok Mr. Smith, surprise us and get David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman.  Well, you can't blame a guy for asking.  right?

Quality move, although I would have also liked the move better with Perkins instead.  It would also suck if Cabrera couldn't be worked into a 2B.  He played really well for us down the stretch.

On the bright side, we have a former All-star at SS, who has been exceptional on the offensive end until last season.  Also, this would probably mean that Delmon will become a full time player.

Sounds like the twins passed on O-Cab favoring a move for Hardy in which they open up the 2nd spot in their batting order once again.  The question is, do the twins insert Hardy in the 2 spot in the batting order where he has hit with the brewers in the past?  in 2009 he had a .302 OBP and almost a 2/1 strikeout to walk ratio in 424 AB's.  To compare O-Cab had a .315 OBP when he was with the twins last year and almost a 3/1 strikout to walk ratio in the 2 hole with 242 AB's.  So do the twins plug Hardy into the 2 hole right away? or do they put him further down the lineup?  Another option would be if Hardy's bat looks good in spring training and looks like he did in 07 and 08 is the twins could move mauer to the 2 hole and put Hardy in the 3rd spot in the lineup (just speculation).

I suspect Punto will be our #2 hitter.  He improved his on base percentage significantly late last year and had true quality AB's, moving runners, etc.  I realize he's failed in that role before but I think his maturity has improved his abilities and he has learned to play within his abilities.

1) Span CF

2) Punto 2B

3) Mauer C

4)  Morneau 1B

5)  Cuddyer RF

6)  Kubel DH

7) Young LF

8) Hardy SS

9) Harris/ Tolbert/ Valencia 3B

The fact is this lineup with Punto in the two hole is extremely deep with few if any holes (except 3B which will hopefully solved with another deal or the emergence of Valencia.  Since they releeased Buscher, I believe they've got thoughts in getting a 3B.  Atkins is a real option too.

Interesting deal.  I have mixed emotions about it.  

The Glass is Half Full Way of Looking at it

The Twins clearly needed another good-hitting infielder.  Hardy has proven power and is a decent fielder.   This could give the Twins a pretty good bat towards the bottom end of the lineup.   The Twins clearly have enough outfielders so one was expendable.  Gomez was the worst of the bunch last year and probably should have started in AAA anyway.   If they re-sign Cabrera and move him or Hardy to second base, that is one heck of a lineup if Hardy returns to form. 

The Glass is Half Empty Way of looking at it

Hardy was horrible this year and there is no reason to think he will bounce back to form of a few years ago.   This also likely means that Cabrera is gone which will leave a gaping hole in the #2 slot.  Sadly, that probably means that Nick Punto will be moved there and we will be back to square one before Cabrera came to the Twins.  Meanwhile, with more seasoning in the minors, Gomez could have really developed into the 5-tool player they expected.  We will regret this when he is tearing it up with the Brewers and Hardy is putting up Punto-like numbers.

Conclusion

Not unlike the Young/Harris deal this one is filled with risk.  There is a risk that Hardy won't return to form and that Gomez will become a star.  There is a risk that the Twins won't be able to fill the second slot in the lineup with anyone other than Nick Punto which, at best would improve the bottom half of the lineup but the second slot would essentially be a regression in terms of production.    Still, if the Twins could address the number 2 spot (or, if Nick Punto can be productive in that position), Hardy can return to form, and they can add another 3rd baseman, this deal could turn out to be a good one.  Only time will tell, but I guess it's too early to say whether this is a good one or a bad one.

Good Trade for both Team IMO

Gomez long term may have more upside than Delmon Young

and Gomez may turn out to be pretty valuable but this is a good trade for the Twins too.

The Aggresive Bill Smith strikes again

offseason:

Big trade #1 was a flop (Santana)

Trade #2 was equalizer at best (Garza)

trade #3 ? (Gomez)

Welcome to Twins Territory, JJ!

I don't like that we traded Go-Go. I think we gave up on him too early. Though this does open the door in the next few years for guys like Revere, Hicks, Tosoni, etc. Best of luck to him.

I like the deal. I do think Gomez will turn out to be a decent player but he didnt have a position here. He will probably come back to burn the Twins next year but oh well . I really hope this is just the beginning for the Twins, sign a 3rd baseman, starting pitcher and of course JOE...(not Crede, although word is the Twins are interested if its cheap).

Spectacular deal.  Only way we get him is due to his subpar year.  Hardy is one of baseball's top 10 overall SS's & because MIL sent him to AAA, we get him for 2 yrs before FA.

Most people are only gonna look at his offensive numbers as that's the only way they know to evaluate a player BUT Hardy is as good a defensive SS as there is in the game.  If he hits only .250 w/15HR it's still a monster deal only becasue of his D.

Hardy is a #2 hitter also.  He hit lower in order in MIL but a heavy majority of his career ABs were in #2 hole.

Only givin up Gomez is unbelievable.  Im a big Gomez fan, but not having to include a Perkins, Valencia, Swarzak, Manship, Ramos makes the deal even better.

Couldnt be happier.

As a Brewer fan and a big Hardy fan, even though he fell off the planet this year, what can I expect from Gomez.  I know of him, but thats about it.  Can he be a solid center fielder, since this move pretty much means Mike Cameron is gone too.

Also I read some earlier posts that said Hardy is only a  decent feilding shortstop. I've gotta say, even though he had a tough year at the plate, his defense is as solid as it gets.

Fill me on Gomez, can he help the Brewers?

TwinsFaninVT wrote: .  We will regret this when he is tearing it up with the Brewers and Hardy is putting up Punto-like numbers.

 

It is not fair to call an 11 HR season with a .220 average while someone was taking your job away a "Punto like" season.  Punto never came close to even 11 HRs and the fact is in a full season, Hardy easily hits 20 HRs again and he plays a solid defensive shortstop with range and an arm.  His defense alone wins this job against OC, Tolbert or Harris and his offensive power beats Punto.  Gomez doesn't start next year or the year after that so waiting two years for Gomez isn't a good reason to keep him.  Its a good deal for a good baseball player who has upside from a bad year.  He's going to be a solid clubhouse guy who already is a friend of Joe.  Getting Joe another friend in the clubhouse certainly has it's positives too.  The fact that we didn't need to trade any pitchers to get him is a big plus because everyone in this league needs pitchers and we have lots of them and they're young and talented and well coached.  Two of those starters will get us a third baseman and/or maybe even a second baseman.  Also, it was quick deal early in this offseason so Billy has plenty of time to prove to Joe Mauer that we are serious about improving this team and feel free to join this bandwagon that's poised to make a run at a world series championship.

beast10 wrote:

Welcome to Twins Territory, JJ!

 

I don't like that we traded Go-Go. I think we gave up on him too early. Though this does open the door in the next few years for guys like Revere, Hicks, Tosoni, etc. Best of luck to him.

Very good point Beast.  Revere and Hicks are Span / Gomez clones.  Tosoni will be a candidate to be our fifth outfielder but the fact is, Tolbert can fill that role too.  I suspect Tolleson get's a chance to make the team as another backup infielder.  Spring training will spell Casilla's fate.  He's got one last chance and he's gotta to come into camp focused and determined (think of how Span straightened up knowning it was his last chance).  I don't have much confidence Alexi has that kind of heart but if he does, he could be great.

Itys2 wrote:

As a Brewer fan and a big Hardy fan, even though he fell off the planet this year, what can I expect from Gomez.  I know of him, but thats about it.  Can he be a solid center fielder, since this move pretty much means Mike Cameron is gone too.

Also I read some earlier posts that said Hardy is only a  decent feilding shortstop. I've gotta say, even though he had a tough year at the plate, his defense is as solid as it gets.

Fill me on Gomez, can he help the Brewers?

Gomez is a bonified major league centerfielder.  When Span and Gomez are both in the outfield, Gomez gets  the nod to play centerfield.  He is fearless out there.  Tracks down almost everything and get's good jumps on balls.  He loves to throw but still is a bit eratic but his arm is + in strength just average to below average in accuracy which can get better with some coaching.  One of his biggest problems in throwing is he still throws 3/4 so the ball tends to sail a bit.  Get him throwing overhand and he's going to throw out a lot of runners.  He's got some of t he fastest hands and strongest wrists I've seen but his plate discipline has gotten him into a lot of trouble chasing pitches early in his Twins' career.  He's gotten 10 times better late last season thanks to work with our hitting coach but by the time he started to figure things out, D Young was starting to carry the team so there was no where to go.  He needs to hit everyday to improve but one more full season and he can hit .270-.280.  He has the potential to hit .300 and could hit 20 HR or more.  He's thin but young and has a big frame that he can fill out given time.  He's shown some ability to drive in runs so ultimately he's going to be a 5-7 hitter.  He's also a raw base runner but his raw speed probably has virtually no equal.  He developed quite a following quickly as he is full of energy.  He's got disruptive speed that drove opposing pitchers crazy.  You'll love the guy and give him a chance he'll be an offensive and defensive force for you.