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I've had a couple days to digest, and I still don't really know how I feel about this.
Out of context, it's a great trade for the Twins. Hardy is just a better player than Gomez. From the Brewers' perspective, it's kind of hard to see why they would do it. 2009 slump and all, lots of teams would love to pick up a 27 year old, slick-fielding shortstop who's a year removed from two straight 20+-HR seasons. They surely could have gotten more than just Gomez for him, at least if they were willing to wait a few weeks or months for teams to get a little desperate.Maybe Gomez figures it all out and becomes a star, but before the fact, this looks to me like a big loss for the Brewers.
From the Twins' perspective, though? I'm on the fence.
(click here to keep reading)
On one hand, I've wanted them to go out and get Hardy ever since the rumor surfaced last season that he might be on the market, and his down year hasn't done a whole lot to temper my enthusiasm, considering that even the 2009 Hardy is miles better than any middle infielder the Twins used last season.
On the other hand, Gomez is just 24 years old and is one of the three or four best defensive outfielders in baseball. He can't hit, but he doesn't need to hit much to be a useful player. If he develops into an average hitter, he'll be an all-star quality player.
What the trade essentially means for the Twins is that you're trading 600 PA of Casilla or Harris for Hardy, which is great, then (assuming the Twins wised up and put their optimal lineup out there) 600 PA of Gomez for Young, and moving Span from left to center. Those things are not so great. Young is a better hitter than Gomez, of course, but still isn't good, and he's an absolute butcher in the field. And Span is a phenomenal left or right fielder and an average-to-poor center fielder. That's an enormous downgrade at two outfield positions. Considering Cuddyer is a liability in right as well, it leaves the Twins with what might be the worst defensive outfield in baseball. Combine that with a rather flyball-heavy pitching staff, and that's just not good news.
Add it all up, and it's probably still a victory for the Twins -- but it's a slight one, and kind of worrisome. What bugs me is that there's a common idea among Twins fans and media like the one expressed here, to-wit: the Twins managed to fix two problems, one being filling one of the holes on the infield and the other solving the "logjam" in the outfield. How ridiculous is that? Depth in the outfield isn't a "problem," especially when one of those four outfielders isn't currently a Major-League-caliber player. And if Cuddyer or (especially) Span goes down for an extended period with an injury, how would you feel about having that "logjam" back at that point?
I think that in the final analysis, I'm okay with the trade as long as the Twins go out and get a slick-fielding fourth outfielder (this one's a free agent). Six or seven innings of Young-Span-Cuddyer followed by two or three of Span-Chavez-Cuddyer sits a lot better with me than nine innings of the former, and that would really lessen the blow of losing Gomez (provided Gomez doesn't suddenly figure it out and turn into a young Mike Cameron, which he very well might, but that's the kind of risk you have to be willing to take). I'd have preferred them getting a second and third baseman and leaving Punto at short, but Hardy is definitely a huge upgrade in the infield, and of course there's plenty of time left to fill one (or both) of those other two holes. So all in all, I'm pleased, but with reservations. It just seems like they could have gotten it done for something of equivalent value that they'd miss less (Glen Perkins and a prospect?).
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1) They couldn't find a better photo for the Smith article than one of Hardy NOT making a play???
2) What Gardenhire means when he says he doesn't want "outfield clutter" is that he's glad now that he can stop thinking about who to play. Because thinking is hard and Ron Gardenhire would prefer not to think (you know, assess pros and cons, develop an opinion) whenever possible. It's much easier to just react and use the tools he has than to figure out how to use those tools.
3) Given the Brewers kept asking for either Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard from the Red Sox last season, I have a hard time thinking that Perkins + non-elite prospect was going to get it done for them. Though that still leaves the question as to why Gomez was enough to get Hardy, when MLBTradeRumors and the Boston Globe reported (here:http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/...ckett.html) the Red Sox had offered Michael Bowden (which seems like a better option to me).