Grienke Gets Traded

It was reported yesterday by Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that a trade between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals had been completed. The centerpiece of that deal was the 27-year old 2009 American League Cy Young Award Winner Zack Grienke who had to waive his no-trade option to complete the deal. The Brewers receive Grienke and SS Yuniesky Betancourt. In exchange the Royals get SS Alcides Escobar, CF Lorenzo Cain and pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi, Jeremy Jeffress and $2 million in cash. So what does this trade mean to the two teams.

While the Brewers rotation doesn't have the success of the San Francisco Giants' group of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Johnathan Sanchez and the golden allure of the Philadelphia Phillies rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, I believe the trade puts the Brewers as the third best rotation in the league. Some Cardinal fans will disagree with me. Granted, do I think that Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are a better and proved combination compared to Grienke and Yovani Gallardo (who are believed to be the one-two punch for the Milwaukee rotation) but the Brewers signed Shawn Marcum who pitched in the AL East against some of the toughest lineups game in and game out and Randy Wolf is a veteran pitcher that has pitched in many different situations. I believe the trade gives the Milwaukee Brewers a chance to make a serious run on the National League Central Division title with their core group of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Casey McGehee and Rickie Weeks. Betancourt is another situation. (GRAPH COURTESY of Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

This is his third team in three years (Seattle Mariners 2008-2009, Kansas City Royals 2009-2010) and he has not lived up to the potential take Will McDonald's comments from his article Could 2011 Be Yuniesky Betancourt's Last Year With the Royals? from RoyalsReview.com dated November 28, 2010:

Yuniesky Betancourt's "breakout" year in 2010 took some heat off of the embattled Royals shortstop. I mean, anytime you get a .288 OBP out of a guy over 588 PAs, with horrible defense, you take it. No questions asked. And with a monstrous .400 slugging percentage fueled by a career spike in HR/FB %, you've got a true cornerstone.

Nevertheless, might 2011 be the final year Yuni-bomb spends with the Royals?

Well, we know that he will never get the chance to play in Kansas City for the 2011 season but the projections don't look good. For McDonald to settle for Bentancourt's numbers as a scenario of the "lesser of two evils" says something about Betancourt's playing abilities. Mind you, he was playing for the Royals and McDonald was comparing Betancourt with the rest of the talent at SS with the Royals. The Brewers also re-signed Craig Counsell who provides a dependable security blanket for the team in case Betancourt doesn't work out.

In terms of the Royals, I refer to the wisdom of Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated. In his blog post from December 19th simply named The Greinke Trade Posanski had the following to say about the trade:

The Royals got prospects from Milwaukee, but that in and of itself means nothing. See: Prospects mean nothing. Every team has them. The question from Kansas City’s perspective is this: Did they get PLAYERS who can help them win? I have spent the day asking baseball friends that very question. The answers are mixed. This trade, from Kansas City’s perspective, is complicated and foggy and, in the end, probably pretty unsatisfying (if you’re a Royals fan). We’ll get to all that in a minute.

The trade from Milwaukee’s perspective, I think, is easy to categorize. It is glorious. Yes, they did deal four interesting young players — 24-year-old shortstop Alcides Escobar , 25-year-old (in April) centerfielder Lorenzo Cain, 23-year-old reliever Jeremy Jeffress and 21-year-old (in March) pitcher Jake Odorizzi — and yes, they now appear stuck with Yuni Betancourt as their everyday shortstop, and yes, their farm system is now utterly depleted (though I’ll bet they still have 30 prospects in the Baseball America book).

We see what side of the trade Posanski feels benefited from the deal and it is the team from the AL Central. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea who these players are that the Royals received in exchange for Grienke and Betancourt and I'll post Posnanski's review of the players to give you some information on them:

- SS Alcides Escobar: He’s by all accounts a gifted athlete with above-average speed and brilliant defensive ability. There are even those who think that he will eventually hit. He was a good enough prospect last year that the Brewers dealt away J.J. Hardy and made him their everyday shortstop. But in his first year, he did not hit a lick (.235/.288/.326). His 67 OPS+ — well, not many hitters in baseball history have rebounded from that to have a good offensive career. Ozzie Smith did. Terry Pendleton did. Not many others. Escobar also did not put up especially good defensive numbers, if you put any stock in those. The upside for Escobar is as a superior defensive shortstop who will get on base enough to steal bases and be an offensive plus. But that’s certainly no guarantee, and his future is further clouded as numerous scouts question his work ethic and motivation.

- CF Lorenzo Cain: Nobody questions Cain’s motivation; he seems to be a terrific athlete with even better makeup. The two names I heard most often in comparison are Denard Span and Torii Hunter, a couple of Twins centerfielders whom the Royals have jealously gawked at the last few years. Cain, though, turns 25 in April, and his minor league march has been slow and uneven and injury-plagued. He has only played 22 games in Triple-A. He has shown absolutely no power and only average plate discipline. He has the speed and instincts to be a fabulous defensive center fielder, which he could really show off in the enormous outfield at Kauffman Stadium.

- RHP Jeremy Jeffress: has a great arm — he has been clocked at 100, and he works at 94-to-98 mph. His problem has been control — both on and off the field. He has twice been suspended for testing positive for marijuana. You can pass your own judgments on that, but at the very least the second positive test suggests a player who has not taken his career very seriously. One more positive test, and he’s banned for life. And in the minors he walked 188 batters in 306 innings, though his command came on enough in 2010 that one baseball executive said it “improved dramatically.” He appears to be a reliever now — especially because he has not found an effective third pitch. You never know exactly how relievers with great stuff and questionable command will do.

- RHP Jake Odorizzi: is probably not worth spending too much time on right now — he’s still years away. He pitched well in Low A ball, and some of the people I spoke with like him, think he projects as a No. 3 starter. Others aren’t excited by his stuff and think he will struggle as he moves up in competition. There’s no telling for sure with a pitcher in Class A.

So there you go. It seems that in the short term the Brewers are the clear winners in the Grienke trade. They help their team tremendously in trying to win now before they might lose some young hitting due to salary increases. Give credit to Milwaukee's ownership for stepping up and showing its fanbase that it will do what is necessary (within means) to put a winning team on the field. For Kansas City, well lets say that the team is not only far removed from the 83-win season of 2003 but it seems like it is light-years away from the glory years of the mid 1970's to the mid 1980's. We'll see if the additions of Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francouer can at least help keep the Royals competitive this upcoming season.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for Zack Grienke's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for Yuniesky Betancourt's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for Alcides Betancourt's career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here for Lorenzo Cain's career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here for Jeremy Jeffress' career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here for Jake Odorizzi's career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here to access Tom Haudricourt's article Brewers pay high price to nab pitcher Greinke from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website dated December 19, 2010
- Click Here to access Tom Rosiak's transcript of the interview given by Zack Grienke on meeting the local press dated December 20, 2010
- Click Here to access Joe Posnanski's blogpost The Greinke Trade from SI.com dated December 19, 2010
- Click Here to access Joe Posnanski's follow-up to his article on the Grienke trade called Uh-Oh from SI.com dated December 20, 2010
- Click Here to access Bob Dutton's article Royals trade Grienke to Brewers from the Kansas City Star website dated December 19, 2010

Many Signings and Trades

Since there have been many signings and one trade since I last posted, I'm going to be brief in listing who signed where (former team in parenthesis):

- RP Bobby Jenks (Chicago White Sox) signed a 2-Yr $12 million deal with the Boston Red Sox
- OF Josh Willingham (Washington Nationals) traded to the Oakland Athletics for RP Henry Rodriguez/OF Corey Brown
- RP Kerry Wood (New York Yankees) signed a 1-yr 1.5 million deal pending physical with Chicago Cubs
- IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka (Chiba Lotte Marines) signed a 3-yr $10 million deal with the Minnesota Twins
- SP Chien-Ming Wang re-signed with the Washington Nationals for 1-yr $1 million with incentives to reach $5 million
- OF Maggio Ordoñez re-signed with the Detroit Tigers for 1-yr $10 million
- 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion re-signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for 1-yr $2.5 million with club option for 2012
- RP Jesse Crain (Minnesota Twins) signed a 3-yr $13 million deal with the Chicago White Sox
- P Rich Harden (Texas Rangers) signed a 1-yr $1.5 million deal with incentives with the Oakland Athletics
- RP Matt Guerrier (Minnesota Twins) signed a 3-yr $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers
- C Gerarld Laird (Detroit Tigers) signed a 1-yr $1-million deal with the St. Louis Caardinals
- P Mark Prior signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees
- RP Matt Albers (Baltimore Orioles) signed a 1-yr deal with the Boston Red Sox
- IF/OF Xavier Nady (Chicago Cubs) signed a 1-yr deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks
- 1B Lyle Overbay (Toronto Blue Jays) signed a 1-yr deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates
- C Russell Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers) signed a 1-yr deal with the New York Yankees

For these and other signings/trades information click on MLB.com's Fantasy Player News and Updates Webpage

FH

2010 Season Recap for Rami-Chan

For those of you who have been following this blog on a regular basis during this past baseball season know that I have been focusing my attention on one particular Latino ballplayer who has played the bulk of his professional career in Japan. I first started with a post Rami-chan, the Dominant Latino Gaijin in Japan (April 8, 2010) and followed it up with Return to Japan to look at Rami-Chan (July 1, 2010) and Latino Milestones in the U.S. and Japan (September 1, 2010). Now with the baseball season in Japan being over for about a month or so, I wanted to close out the 2010 season by focusing on Alex Ramirez (PHOTO CREDIT: http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/).

Ramirez, or as he is affectionately known in Japan as Rami-Chan, has been one of the few Latino ballplayers in Japan to both be successful and have a long career in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB). Having just finished his 10th season in Japan, Ramirez batted .304 with career highs in homers and RBI's (49 and 129). In 566 at-bats, Ramirez had 172 hits (28 2B/0 3B/49 HR) with 98 strikeouts and 21 walks.

As I had highlighted in my post Ichiro and the 200 Hit Club in Japan from my Baseballism blogpage (up to this season) Ramirez was only one of three players to have 200 or more hits in a season (after this season there are five players). Ramirez is a two-time Central League MVP (2008 and 2009) who remains a force in the NPB.

So I decided to ask a few individuals who are in the know when it comes to the Japanese leagues on whether they believe Ramirez is the best Latino to play in Japan. I ran my query by Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times and
Patrick Newman of the NPBTracker.com website for their opinions through Twitter and here is what they had to say.

Jason Coskrey: Hmmm. It's hard not to put him at the top. With his numbers, among foreigners and it's Tuffy (Rhodes) and him. Longevity plays a role...Rami has 10 yrs here. But is he better than Alfonso Soriano or others who weren't here as long? NPB only, I put him at the top

Patrick Newman: Probably. I think (Roberto) Petagine was a little better at his peak but Rami has lasted longer. Roberto Barbon has a case in some ways.

Ok, so here is where the road leads me to Latino ballplayers in Japan. I will be working on a few posts on Roberto Barbon who in the arrived in Japan from Cuba in the 1950's and is regarded by many as being the first Latino ballplayer in Japan. Roberto Petagine was a slugger who played in Japan from 1999 and 2004. In addition to these players, I will try to shed some light on some other Latino ballplayers that I have come across in my research. Look forward to bringing some new information to you during the next few months to come.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here for Alex Ramirez's statistics page from the English NPB Website
- Click Here for the Japan Times sports webpage where you can read Japanese Baseball articles by Jason Coskrey among others
- Click Here to access NPBTracker.com for information on Baseball in Japan and around the world.

Hideki Matsui and the Oakland A's

With the baseball world starting to settle down from last night's crazy flurry of excitement due to the Cliff Lee drama coming to an end there have been moves to report on. As I alluded to in one of my last posts, one of my all-time favorites would be signing with a new team. Joe Stiglich of the Oakland Tribune reports that the Oakland Athletics will hold a press conference today to announce the signing of their new designated hitter Hideki Matsui.

In 2010 Matsui, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, batted .274 with 21 HRs and 84 RBI. In 482 at-bats, Matsui had 132 hits (24 2B/1 3B/21 HR) with 98 strikeouts and 67 walks. His OPS was .820 (.361 OBP%/.459 SLG%).

Stiglich makes the following statement about the Matsui signing:

Improving an anemic offense tops the A's priority list, and with Matsui, they finally found a middle-of-the-lineup caliber hitter willing to call the Coliseum home.

How much impact Matsui can make remains to be seen, as he's certainly on the downside of his career. He's hit .290 with 161 homers over eight major league seasons -- the first seven with the New York Yankees. He was 28 when he left Japan to join the Yankees.

One major league scout, who requested anonymity, said Matsui "at one time was a very good player who could do a lot of things. He's not that guy at all anymore."

But Matsui's numbers last season -- a .274 average with 21 homers and 84 RBIs -- represent a significant upgrade over anyone from Oakland's 2010 lineup.

I remember how the Yankees were supposed to get this big slugger from Japan who hit 50 homers in his last season for the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. In his 10 seasons in Japan, Matsui averaged 32.8 homers a year and was seen as being the next in the line of Bronx Bombers of Yankees lore. But what the Yankees received was something better. Matsui was an all around player who was not just a bopper but a complete hitter. Matsui could drive in runs with timely hits accompanied with the occasional power hit. In 7 seasons with the Yankees, Matsui had four seasons of 100 RBI or more while he only hit a maximum of 31 homers in 2004.

Out of the many moments that stood out for me about Matsui wasn't one at the plate but rather one on the field. This was on May 11, 2006 when Matsui dove for a ball in a game against the Boston Red Sox. In diving for the ball, Matsui broke his left wrist. What impressed me the most was that instead of rolling around in the grass as you'd expect someone to do with an injury of that type was that Matsui finished the play. He caught the ball, threw it back to the infield and then motioned to the bench that he was hurt. A true professional all the way.

I believe that Hideki Matsui will be a positive force for the Oakland A's both on the field and in the clubhouse. He will bring a winning presence to a group of young players who after Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies might just be the favored team in the AL West.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access Hideki Matsui's career NPB and MLB statistics from the BaseballCube.com
- Click Here to access the Hideki Matsui page from JapaneseBallplayers.com
- Click Here to access Joe Stiglich's article Former Yankees and Angels slugger Hideki Matsui to sign with the Oakland A's from the Oakland Tribune's website dated December 14, 2010
- Click Here to access Susan Slusser's article A's, Hideki Matsui agree to 1-year deal from the San Francisco Chronicle website dated December 14, 2010
- Click Here for an interesting About.com page on the wrist injury sustained by Hideki Matsui in May of 2006

Cliff Lee signs with the Philadelphia Phillies

The Baseball side of the Twitter universe blew up with the news from MLB.com writer T.R. Sullivan and Joel Sherman of the New York Post that The Philadelphia Phillies have signed free agent pitcher Cliff Lee to a 5-year $100 Million-ish deal. Sherman on his twitter feed says that Lee was offered by the Yankees:

#Yankees offered Lee $23m for 6 yrs ($138M) plus a $16m option for a total of $154M over 7 yrs

So obviously his signing with the Phillies wasn't about the money. This makes the Phillies rotation look as such: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Simply amazing.

UPDATED 12/14/2010 1:40am

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that:

The Rangers' last offer was for $138 million over six years with an option for a seventh season.

So both the Yankees and the Rangers offered the same base salaries through the actual amounts that Lee could have earned would have depended on the tax rates he would have had to pay. In the end Lee agreed to a five-year deal with a vesting option for a sixth season that could bring the total to $120 million. Lee apparently took less years and less money to re-sign with the Phillies.

As I said before, Simply amazing.

FH

- Click Here for the AP report of Cliff Lee's signing with the Phillies from the Philadelphia Daily News website
- Click Here for T.R. Sullivan's article Phillies swoop in and bring back Lee from MLB.com dated Deember 14, 2010
- Click Here for Alden Gonzalez's article Yanks miss out on Lee as lefty heads to Philly from MLB.com dated December 14, 2010

More Signings to Report

Since the end of the Winter Meetings down in Orlando, a bunch of new signings have been announced. Here goes:

- Scott Downs to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
According to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed relief pitcher Scott Downs to a 3-year $15 million dollar deal. in 2010 Downs, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, compiled a 5-5 record with a 2.64 ERA in 61.1 innings pitched. In 67 appearances for the Blue Jays, Downs struck out 48, while walking 14 and giving up 47 hits for a WHIP of 0.995.

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times describes the signing as being one that:

adds balance and depth to the bullpen and probably ends speculation the Angels are pursuing free-agent closer Rafael Soriano...Downs has been one of baseball's most dependable relievers over the last four seasons, compiling a 2.36 ERA, the fifth-lowest mark among relievers, and 84 holds in 262 appearances.

Consider now that the Angels have a good left right combination in the bullpen with Downs and Takahashi. This gives them an advantage leading up to the 8th without a real closer to finish off the game. Maybe they will make a move for Rafael Soriano for that role.

- Click Here for Scott Downs' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Jay Bruce signs an extension with the Cincinnati Reds
According to Jerry Krasnick of ESPN.com, the Cinicinnati Reds have signed OF Jay Bruce to a 6-year $51 million dollar extension with a club option for a 7th year.

In 2010, Bruce hit .281 with 25 HRs and 70 RBI. In 509 at-bats, Bruce had 143 hits (23 2B/5 3B/25 HR) with 136 strikeouts, 58 walks and 5 stolen bases. His OPS was .846 (.353 OBP%/.493 SLG%). Defensively, Bruce made only 3 errors in the outfield with 7 assists for a fielding percentage of .992.

In three seasons with the Reds, Bruce has improved in each year and at the age of 23, teamed up with NL MVP Joey Votto, the Reds' fortunes seem to be very bright.

- Click Here to access Jay Bruce's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Miguel Olivo Returns to the Seattle Mariners
According to Goeff Baker on his Twitter feed:

Olivo confirms 2-yr, $7 million with M's. Says he's been told he's No. 1 catcher.

In 2010, Miguel Olivo, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, batted .269 with 14 Hrs and 58 RBI. In 394 at-bats Olivo had 106 Hits (17 2B/6 3B/14 HR) with 117 strikeouts and 27 walks. His OPS was .765 (.315 OBP%/.449 SLG%). Defensively, Olivo had 9 errors behind the plate for a .990 fielding percentage and he threw out 42% of runners who tried to steal on him (33 of 45).

Having previously played for Seattle for parts of the 2004 and 2005 seasons, it is believed by Goeff Baker that:

(Seattle Catching prospect Adam)Moore's status remains a mystery. He does have minor-league options left, and the team could -- in theory -- trade Olivo at midseason if Moore suddenly breaks out.

But team officials, while not saying so publicly, are clearly concerned about the ability of Moore to lead the team behind the plate going forward.

Will we see a scenario reminiscent of the Bengie Molina/Buster Posey dynamic in San Francisco? We'll have to wait and see.

- Click Here to access Miguel Olivo's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Melky Cabrera signs with the Kansas City Royals
Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that Melky Cabrera has signed a 1-year $1.25 million dollar deal with the Kansas City Royals. With Cabrera's signing with the Royals, he was immediately made the team's center fielder to play alongside Jeff Francouer, the team's other free-agent signing.

During the 2010 season with the Atlanta Braves, Cabrera hit .255 with 4 HRs and 42 RBI. In 458 at-bats Cabrera had 117 hits (27 2B/3 3B/4 HR) with an impressive 64 strikeouts to 42 walks with 7 stolen bases (out of 8 attempts). His OPS was .671 (.317 OBP%/.354 SLG%). Defensively, Melky made only 4 errors while playing all three outfield positions with 8 assists for a fielding percentage of .982.

I'm not sure why Cabrera was let go by the Braves. Maybe he just didn't live up to the numbers that he put up while playing for the New York Yankees from 2005-2009. Its possible that a return to the American League will help his numbers return to form. Melky is a dynamic player who I believe will only aid the Royals.

- Click Here for access to Melky Cabrera's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Ok folks, that's all for now. I believe that I'll have a post possibly tomorrow concerning one of my favorite players of all-time: Hideki Matsui. Looks like Godzilla will find a new city to destroy.

FH

Baltimore and Minnesota trade players

According to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles have made a multi-player trade. The Twins shipped infielders J.J. Hardy, Brendan Harris and $500,000 in cash to the Orioles for minor league relievers James Hoey and Brett Jacobson.

In 2010 Hardy hit .268 with 6 HRs and 38 RBI. In 340 at-bats Hardy had 91 hits (19 2B/3 3B/6 HR) with 54 strikeouts and 28 walks. Defensively, Hardy had 11 errors for a fielding percentage of .972. Harris hit .157 with 1 HR and 4 RBI while playing 1B/3B/2B/SS/DH for the Twins.

According to Connolly:
Hoey, a 27-year-old right hander, had a combined 6-0 record with a 3.25 ERA in 42 outings between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He made 35 appearances for the Orioles during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, going 3-5 with an 8.13 ERA. He missed all of 2008 with a right shoulder injury. The Orioles drafted him in the 13th round of 2003. He was put back on the 40-man roster earlier this offseason.

Jacobson, 24, went 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 34 relief appearances for Single-A Frederick. He was dealt to the Orioles in August 2009 in the trade that sent Aubrey Huff to the Detroit Tigers.

In terms of what the deal looks like for the Twins along with the anticipated signing of Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minnesota Star-Tribune gives his views on the deal:

1. Nishioka can play: One NL East scout saw Nishioka late in the season and called him another Kaz Matusi, which isn't good. But others think he can play in the majors.

2. Casilla will hold down a spot. It's time for Casilla to prove he can be an every day player. I will say this, Casilla might need a hug sometimes instead of tough love if he makes a mistake in the field.

Injuires to either player puts Matt Tolbert or Trevor Plouffe in the lineup.

The benefits are that the Twins have better speed and a tad more range up the middle. The money they save should help them re-sign Carl Pavano. And they get two hard throwers in Hoey and Jacobson. They also rid themselves of Harris and $1.75 million.

If Hoey and Nishioka perform well,it's a good deal. Hoey needs to throw more strikes

An interesting point-of-view on the Twins side of the trade comes from Jesse of the Twinkietown.com website:

But the money isn't for Hardy. The money is for Brendan Harris; about one third of what he'll be paid in 2011.

Instead, this is a deal about Hardy and the two arms the Twins are receiving in return: Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. Two career minor leaguers, two power arms, two guys who aren't getting paid more than the Major League minimum. Hoey, who will be the one who plays for the Twins if either of them do, offers a mid to upper-90s fastball as well as a changeup and slider. We talked this morning about his strikeout track record in the minor leagues: it's amazing. It looks like it's Anthony Slama-type amazing, but they're good numbers nevertheless. Jacobson, meanwhile, is projectable but 24 and about to pitch in double-A for the first time.

It's obvious that the Twins didn't like something about Hardy. If I can make it ever more plain: the Twins just didn't value Hardy. As an organization, they were clearly looking at the future and decided that Hardy wasn't going to be in their plans beyond 2011.

I'm not sure my friend Topper from Curve for a Strike blogpage would agree with this assessment. As it is he says on his Facebook page: Nothing really leads me to believe that either Alexi Casilla or Tsuyoshi Nishioka will be better than JJ Hardy this year. I don't think I'm on board with this move...

First things first Nishioki needs to be signed by the Twins. Rumors has it that Nishioki is on his way to the Twin Cities for his physical so the signing is imminent. Whether or not this signing benefits the Twins.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here for access to J.J. Hardy's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for access to Brenden Harris' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for James Hoey's career statistics from BaseballCube.com
- Click Here for Brett Jacobson's career statistics from BaseballCube.com