Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 02, 2007
Twins Rotation

Nick and Nick take a look at how the Twins might fill out their rotation for 2007. They don't think Terry Ryan wants to go with another pitcher straight out of the minors:

The more likely outcome remains a veteran acquisition. As was noted above, many possible targets are no longer available, but there are still a few guys out there that Ryan might take a look at. One such pitcher is free agent Sidney Ponson, who posted a 6.25 ERA in 85 innings between the Cardinals and Yankees last season. Ponson has intrigued scouts because he can throw hard and he had a few solid years with the Orioles. Ponson is still only 29, but he has poor control and his numbers over the past three seasons have been exceptionally ugly. At this point, it's unrealistic to expect him to put up better numbers than Silva did last year. Another free agent the Twins have reportedly spoken to is Ramon Ortiz, a 33-year-old right-hander who pitched for the Nationals last season. Like Ponson, Ortiz has not pitched well over the past several seasons, although his numbers have not been quite as bad. Having either of these pitchers in the same rotation as Silva could be a recipe for disaster, and might be a stretch to expect pitching coach Rick Anderson to work his magic and orchestrate a career revival for any of them.

I find it hard to believe that the Twins would consider Ponson over Jeff Weaver. I'm not crazy about the elder Weaver, but he's a better pitcher than Sidney, and may have already undergone a revival with the Cardinals. He seems like a much better risk to me. And given the total lack of interest, he shouldn't cost that much either.

Still, I bet the Twins can do better in their own system than either of those starters.


Posted by David Pinto at 11:17 PM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Why would anybody consider Sidney Ponson for anything? His numbers are terrible and getting worse; at this point, he's not even a replacement-level pitcher. Even at his "peak," he was a frustrating player with loads of potential who rarely delivered. Plus, given the weight issues and offseason misbehavior, he can't possibly be a positive clubhouse presence. I'd rather scoop up a Quad-A lifer, a Kevin Jarvis type. He could give you a nice solid 6.00 ERA without all the attitude.

Posted by: jvwalt at January 3, 2007 07:05 AM

will they please trade for jon lieber?

Posted by: Tim at January 3, 2007 11:22 AM
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