Hopes & Realities on Trade Deadline Weekend

Happy Trade deadline day Twins fans; Goose asked me to consider a guest shot or two on his blog and it felt like now was as good a time as any.  The trade deadline has come and gone, and up until about an hour ago it looked like the Twins were going to do their usual stand pat routine and then spend the next few days spinning the “we have to think about the future”; or “we aren’t going to do anything that doesn’t make sense for the ballclub” party line.

But that all changed when GM Billy Smith pulled the trigger on the Orlando Cabrera trade that, apparently (if you read LaVelle Neal), many Twins players were lobbying for as recently as last week when the Twins were playing against Cabrera in Oakland.

Before I do a little Bill Simmonsesque breakdown of the trade, here are a few thoughts about this Twins team.  I think we can all agree that the 09 version, while badly flawed, has played well enough at times (despite a handful of ‘how did that just happen’ losses) to be right in the thick of the AL Central race.  Of course the AL Central boasts the weakest looking group of front runners this side of the Republican Party.  Those factors alone should have given the Twins front office the impetus to make a move and close out the Metrodome with a fifth division title in the last eight years.
In light of some of the comments coming from within the clubhouse the last few weeks, making a move at the deadline became imperative.  Justin Morneau said a few weeks ago that he believed Joe Mauer would leave (after his contract expires in 2010) if he didn’t see some effort on the part of the organization to improve.  Then this past week Mauer himself, Morneau again, and Joe Nathan reiterated the team’s desire for an addition to the team to make a push for the 09 season.  If Morneau’s comments about Mauer are even potentially accurate, GM Bill Smith had to do something.   And today, he finally did.

The initial reaction on the blogs has been mixed.  Some like the move, while others including LaVelle Neal of the Star Tribune have panned it.  They argue that Cabrera is no upgrade over current SS Brendan Harris and that Cabrera is not a #2 hitter, which is where he will most likely bat.  I would argue that Cabrera doesn’t need to be an upgrade over Harris, he just needs to be better than the Casilla/Punto combo, since Harris has shown that he can play second base adequately.  Here are just a few numbers to compare:

AVG     OBP   RBI   Runs  SO

Cabrera     .281    .318    41     41      39
Harris        .265    .305    27    34     62
Punto        .208    .318    23     31      36
Casilla       .171     .263    8       10      27

It’s not a dramatic improvement, but if Cabrera can make a difference at short (he’s started more than twice the double plays began by Harris), then the Twins are better off with a combo of the other three at second base with Punto or Harris getting the occasional start at third for Joe “my aching…” Crede.
So it’s not a blockbuster deal like the Phillies getting Cliff Lee or the Red Sox getting Victor Martinez, but it sends the message that they aren’t tossing in the towel for 2009 yet.  To paraphrase a famous rant from former Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino…  “Shannon Stewart is not walking through that door; Don Baylor is not walking through that door…”.  Our 2009 Twins are who we thought they were (sorry Denny) and we love ‘em anyway…don’t we?

Tim Hiatt - GooseRadio