(Tw)inaction
-Wade
I don't get very jazzed up by trade rumors anymore. If you view the amount of trade-related content on sports websites and sports networks, I'm apparently in the minority. Don't get me wrong-- I understand the appeal and in the recent past got pretty caught up in all of the speculation. But I realized four years ago, while repeatedly refreshing my browser to see if the Twins would land Dmitri Young (only to find out we ended up with Rick Reed and Todd Jones), I had better things to do with my time. "Better," in this case, means trying to find a better utility infielder for my fantasy baseball team.
Since I'm a bit of a baseball junkie, though, I couldn't help overhearing the names of potential future Twins over the past two weeks. Soriano this, Mueller that, Dunn, Sweeney, Randa... As it turns out, the team added none of these players over the weekend. In fact, they actually had a net loss, losing Torii Hunter for 6+ weeks because of a torn tendon. Reactions to inaction range from frustration to furor. The Daily Gambit's take?
Meh.
Oh, sure, it would've been great to add some punch to our anemic offense. You know, the offense that pats itself on the back when it gives its starting pitcher three runs to work with. Decadent. The offense that swings at so many pitches that it reminds me of the Texas Rangers teams of the mid-90's, only without all of those pesky homeruns. Do you think opposing pitchers look at the Twins batting order, featuring Jonesy, Boonesy, Tiffeesy, Castrosy, and Morneausy, and start giggling uncontrollably? I think I could pitch a Snapper Mow-em-down inning against these guys, and I throw like a girl.
The fact is, this team wasn't going anywhere. They've been pathetic all month long, and it's starting to look more like a trend than a streak. When we lost Torii, the team became more desperate, and the demands of potential trading partners increased. Not only did they want pitchers from the junk heap at the major league level, they also started asking for prospects in the minors.
Was it worth it for the Twins to give up potential pitching standouts for a power-hitting band-aid to perhaps save this hemorraging season? I don't think so. We weren't going anywhere anyway.
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
