Twins to select 5th Hot Dog after Friday's Game

Looking to bolster a somewhat depleted and disappointing hot dog rotation, the Minnesota Twins will add a fifth hot dog to their hot dog starting rotation.  In order to make the best possible decision, the Twins will wait until after Friday night's game.  While the new hot dog will not debut in front of the home crowd until after the current road trip, many fans are paying close attention to which hot dog will be selected.

Schweigert, the Twins' hot dog vendor, currently provides four hot dog options:  The Dugout Dog, The Dinger Dog, the Twins Big Dog and the Original Twins Dog.  In selecting a fifth hot dog, the Twins will need to decide between the Minnesota Dog and the Kelsobasa hot dog, a play on this hot dog's Washington roots and the popular kielbasa sausage. 

The Minnesota Dog is a hot dog very similar to the Original Twins Dog and a hot dog that many Twins fans are used to because of how similar it is to their traditional hot dogs.  The Kelsobasa hot dog is considered to be the more exciting and talented option, although it is new and young and that scares some members of the front office and coaching staff.  Count Ron Gardenhire among those leery of the Kelsobasa hot dog:

"For me, I want a hot dog that I can rely on.  I don't need bells and whistles.  I need a dog that will play hard in my stomach without leaving a bad aftertaste.  If I'm going to be honest, the Minnesota Dog sounds like an attractive option.  It reminds me of the Twins Dog and I like that familiarity.  I've never had a Kelsobasa and that makes me nervous."

Fans appear to be divided.  Some fans prefer the more familiar Minnesota dog, much like Gardenhire.  Others have heard about the Kelsobasa Dog from various websites and news sources and are intrigued by the hot dog's upside.  Many feel this Kelsobasa hot dog could be a mainstay at Target Field while the Minnesota Dog is not different enough to be a fixture in the hot dog rotation.  Gerald Reid of Andover is one of those fans:

"If the Twins add another freaking pitch-to-contact hot dog like the Minnesota Dog, I'll be beyond upset.  I'm ready for a more exciting hot dog.  We've basically been eating Minnesota Dogs since the 90s and I'm sick of it!" 

When pressed to explain how a hot dog can pitch-to-contact, Reid repeatedly apologized for the mixed metaphor and ran off crying.

It is possible that the Twins will add the Minnesota Dog and then replace another similar, but more established hot dog with the Kelsobasa Dog down the line.  However, the Twins have been slow to adapt to the concession-related evolution in Major League Baseball.  Some fans are worried that the Twins will not act even though the time is right and even though they've said all the right things about trying to add more zip to their hot dog selection.  Andrew Mathis of New Hope has that very concern:

"My biggest worry is that the Kelsobasa Dog will be at Target Field for a few weeks, not perform to a high standard that has been unreasonably set and then disappear for a long time.  The Twins are prone to going back to the safe option.  If that happens, we could be eating Minnesota and Twins dogs for a really long time." 

An anonymous member of the Twins' front office explained that the choice is ultimately not all that important.  The casual fan is likely not very aware of either option and will simply listen to what Dick Bremer thinks of the new hot dog. 

Regardless of their choice, the new hot dog will arrive from Schweigert's little-known Rochester distribution center prior to Saturday's game, even though the Twins are currently in Oakland.  It is logical to assume that the new hot dog will wear the same wrapper as it wore while with Rochester.

5 more moves I'd make to improve the Minnesota Twins

A couple months ago, I proposed a few moves that I thought the Twins should make to improve their team.  Of those five moves, the Twins completed 1.5.  It might be fun to try to top that 30% success rate in August.  I have five more moves that I feel would improve the Twins or at least create a better fit for a franchise that appears to still be rebuilding.  These aren't all moves that need to be made immediately, but should be considered as soon as they become reasonable and/or possible.

You'll notice a trend with my suggestions.  The Twins have work to do to make these moves.  That's kind of the job of the Front Office though.  I'm just a guy with Microsoft Word and access to the internet.

Move #1 - Find someone willing to take Kevin Correia for anything and promote Trevor May

This has kind of gone on long enough.  May isn't perfect and I don't think he projects to be anything more than a 4th starter (a valuable one though, read this).  However, he's done just about everything he can do at AAA.  Has he been inconsistent at times?  Sure.  Is he a young pitcher?  Yes.  There, inconsistency explained. 

Correia's two-year contract worked about as well as it possibly could have.  He's been serviceable for 53 starts and he's performed better than just about anyone expected.  He's also a free agent in about two months and very unlikely to return.  If the Twins can get a player who can fill a role in the Minors, they should take that player, call up May and start thinking about the future. 

Move #2 - Find someone willing to take Josh Willingham for anything and install Chris Parmelee and Oswaldo Arcia into the everyday lineup until the end of the season

Along those same lines, Josh Willingham needs to go.  I like Willingham.  He was excellent in 2012.  He...he seemed like a nice guy from 2013-2014.  Of course, he's also hit .212/.348/.383 while being that nice guy.  His trade market has evaporated and we can always argue later about whether or not he should have been traded after his big 2012 season.  The fact is, Willingham is not part of the future and he's clogging up the lineup/outfield.  He might net the Twins a prospect in return, but he might just be worth a million bucks or something. 

Oswaldo Arcia is definitely part of the future and he's starting to break out of his slump as well.  He needs to be cleared to start every day.  I also think that he's a better left fielder than right fielder, despite his arm being better suited for right.  If I'm right, moving Willingham opens left for Arcia and right field for Parmelee. 

I'm not a huge Parmelee fan, but I think just about everyone would be interested to see what he could do with two months of consistent at-bats.  I'm not sure he's ever gotten that kind of playing time over the course of the last three seasons.  Even if he flops, at least then the Twins know that they cannot rely on him as a stop-gap solution or bench option.  These are the kinds of things a team can figure out during a lost season. 

Move #3 - Find someone willing to take Jared Burton and promote Alex Meyer to the bullpen

Jared Burton, meet Kevin Correia and Josh Willingham.  It's the same situation as described before, so I won't go into it in too much detail.  Jared, you were good for a year, you're nice, we like you, but it's time.  There.  That conversation gets easier each time you have it. 

Adding Meyer to the bullpen might seem controversial, but there are very practical reasons why it makes sense.  First, Meyer has already exceeded his workload total from last year by about 40 innings.  He's also approaching his Minor League-high that he set in 2012. 

Second, he's got great stuff and would likely thrive in the bullpen.  Imagine seeing a 6'9" warrior throwing 100 MPH fastballs at your dome.  He'd be a lot of fun to watch, no doubt.  It's a temporary move, so drop your pitchfork.  Next season, he'd be in the Twins' rotation. 

Speaking of the Twins rotation, and third, the Twins rotation is pretty full.  With May being added (see above), Kyle Gibson, and Phil Hughes, three spots are taken.  Tommy Milone might be joining them at some point too.  Yohan Pino has done little to lose his spot, but Ricky Nolasco is coming back soon.  If Nolasco replaces Pino, there's nowhere to put Meyer.  If Nolasco has a setback, Pino has likely earned the right to keep his job, at least for now. 

Putting Meyer in the bullpen is a temporary move to get him some MLB experience while limiting his innings and unleashing his talent for the fans.  It's pretty win-win-win if you ask me.  Plus, lots of guys get their start in the Majors out of position.  For example...

Move #4 - Find more starts for Danny Santana at short

Of course, there does come a time when you have to start playing that player at their natural, and therefore best position.  Danny Santana has been fantastic this season.  He's more than exceeded his expectations and has done so while filling in at a position that he had played just 25 times in the Minors.  That said, he's a shortstop and shortstop is the most important position on the diamond.  If the Twins view Santana as part of the future, it should be at short. 

Everyone knows that I live and breathe the Eddie 400, but everyone needs a day off from time to time.  Santana is versatile, but Eduardo Escobar is more versatile (so long as he stays in the infield).  Escobar should coast to 400 plate appearances, and could use an occasional day off himself. 

With Escobar able to play short about half of the remaining games and fill in at second and third and rest in the others, Santana would be left with about 20-25 games at short.  He was still developing at that position, so those extra games could be very important.  It would be silly to harm Santana's development at short just because the Twins' roster is completely devoid of a good center field option (yes, including Jordan Schafer).  They'll just have to make it work, but not at Santana's expense.   

Move #5 - Find a way to get Josmil Pinto onto the MLB roster

I'm not offering any advice on this one.  I'm not the one who sent him to AAA because he was slumping while playing irregularly.  I'm not the one who values his defense more than his offense.  I'm not the one who jumped Kennys Vargas past AAA, effectively clogging the DH spot when Joe Mauer returns.  I'm not the one who extended a catcher having a career-year to block Pinto's chances at starting for 2015 and possibly 2016. 

All I know is that Pinto is still showing good plate discipline, power and promise with Rochester and I still firmly believe that he is one of the Twins' four or five best hitters right now.  Pinto will be 26 next season and he owns a 125 OPS+ in 241 MLB plate appearances.  He had a tough May and was injured in July, but he's healthy now and ready to come crush some baseballs.  As I pointed out many times before, this is a lost season.  It's time to see what all the kids can do.

For the record, I like Kennys Vargas and I'm glad he's on the roster, so let's not focus on that one part, please.

What do you think of my roster management?  Is it too much veteran-slashing?  Too much rookie-lusting?  If nothing else, it would be more exciting to watch a team with May, Meyer and Pinto than Correia, Burton and Eric Fryer.  Nothing against those guys, I'm sure they are very nice.

What moves would you make?  Would you hire me as your GM?  Will you hire me as your GM?  Sound off in the comments or send me a slideshow! 

5 moves I'd make to improve the Minnesota Twins (no slideshow)

The Twins are performing at a higher level than even I had expected.  I felt that the Twins would be a 75-win team and they are on a .500 pace.  Things will change, and I still think that 75 wins is their ceiling.  However, there are a few moves that the Twins could make to optimize their active roster and put out an even more competitive team.  The Twins' good start is like money in the bank.  If they can improve their active roster going forward, they might be able to maintain or even better their current pace. 

Here are five moves that I would make as soon as possible.  I believe these moves create the best possible roster with the players available to the team. 

Move #1 - Install Josmil Pinto into the lineup permanently. 

The Twins made one of the moves I was going to propose, calling up Chris Herrmann earlier this week.  I would keep Herrmann around permanently mostly because it will keep Ron Gardenhire from stressing out about losing his catcher in the middle of a game.  This is important because Pinto is one of the Twins' best hitters and the lineup is better when he's included.  Pinto is second on the team in OPS, slugging percentage, and home runs. 

The problem is that he's only playing about half of the time right now.  I'm not sure that will change much this week, as the Twins won't have a DH while in San Diego and San Francisco.  That San sucks, but what can you do?  Starting next week, I'd keep Herrmann on the active roster and use Pinto as an everyday player.  He's young, exciting, and he's earned it. 

Speaking of moves to make after this week...

Move #2 - Call Oswaldo Arcia up from AAA Rochester and DFA Jason Kubel. 

Half of this move is a complete no-brainer.  Arcia hasn't mastered MLB pitching yet, but he has very little to prove at AAA.  Arcia is also one of the more exciting players on the 40-man roster and a player who is a very important part of the Twins' future.  The easy move would be to bring Arcia up after the California trip and move Herrmann back to AAA.  I prefer to keep Herrmann's versatility and ditch Kubel's one dimensional profile.

All Kubel can do at this point is hit.  He was once a decent defender, then a serviceable defender and now he's just a bad defender.  I liked the idea of keeping Kubel on the bench as a lefty masher, but I'm not so sure he can do that any longer.  He started off hot and he's still hitting .289/.349/.371 against right-handers.  However, he also has a .458 BABIP and a 34.9% strikeout rate against right-handers.  One of those figures is luck-based and the other is skill-based.  The skills seem to be eroding and it could be why he's hitting .240/.321/.240 in May (through Sunday's game). 

Getting the band back together always seems like a good idea, but not when guys can't play their instruments any longer.  Speaking of the old band...

Move #3 - Call Michael Tonkin up from AAA and DFA Matt Guerrier. 

• Player A is 35, he's coming off of three straight seasons with a below-average ERA+ and he's absolutely not a part of the Twins' future.
• Player B is 24, throws hard, did hit a little rough patch recently but has the stuff to overcome it, and is hopefully a part of the Twins' future. 

You don't even really have to play this silly game with these two because anyone with any sense would agree that Michael Tonkin should be on the active roster and Matt Guerrier should be elsewhere.  The Twins might be holding out some sort of weird hope that Guerrier is worth holding onto to try to trade him later, but come on.  Last season, the Dodgers traded Guerrier to the Cubs for Carlos Marmol and cash.  Carlos Marmol is a net loss, so I hope that was a lot of cash. 

A rebuilding or retooling team should be giving young players opportunities.  This is especially true when the young player is more talented than the old player.  Tonkin had a few bad outings, but he needs to be given time to work through them when the team can suffer a few losses without those losses compromising a playoff run.  Guerrier was a great guy to have around back in the 2000s, but those days are gone.  It's nothing personal. 

Move #4 - Move Kevin Correia by any means necessary and promote Trevor May from AAA.

This one is a riskier.  May has been impressive with Rochester, but his stock had slipped a bit after his 2013 season with New Britain.  That said, he's a guy who can strike batters out and he has at every level.  He's walking fewer batters this season and it's time to capitalize on May's improved performance.  I think he projects as a 4th starter at his peak, but one who can be durable and flash number 2 stuff from time to time.  Plus, who doesn't love a good MLB debut?    

Getting rid of Correia altogether is hasty.  I'll agree with that.  He could be a trade chip if he can get things together.  Let's be honest, what is Correia's trade value, even at his peak?  He's 33, he can't strike anyone out and he gives up hits in bunches.  It's almost June, when's he going to regain his value?  What team is going to fall for a few good starts anyway?  Francisco Liriano put together a run of great starts after a terrible start back in 2012, and all he brought back in trade was a utility infielder (sorry, Eddie) and a number 7 starter.  Liriano has much more talent than Correia and was five years younger. 

Plus, the starting pitching depth isn't actually all that bad.  Alex Meyer is looming and will need a spot by the end of the season.  Logan Darnell has been great in AAA.  Kris Johnson seems capable.  Scott Diamond is still around.  Mike Pelfrey is coming back soon.  Besides Meyer, those guys aren't super exciting, but each is capable of performing at Correia's level or better.  I see no reason to keep Correia in the rotation and I don't think he'd be effective in the bullpen either. 

Correia was much better than I expected in 2013 and I'll gladly admit that I was wrong about his signing.  However, he's not pitching well, he isn't talented enough to turn it around and he isn't part of the future.  He's still due a decent chunk of money, but that's a sunk cost.  It's time to thank him for the serviceable 2013 and part ways. 

Since I mentioned Pelfrey, he'd be in the bullpen upon his return, if I had any say.  Until he proves that he can pitch better than Sam Deduno, I don't see how Pelfrey ever cracks this rotation.  Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson are set.  I want May to replace Correia.  That just leaves Deduno's spot.  Deduno has a 108 ERA+ over the past two seasons and Pelfrey has a 73 ERA+.  I'm no Deduno supporter, but he gives the team a better chance to win, even if I have no clue how he does it.  Pelfrey might actually be more effective as a reliever.  Who knows?  I'm not sure how he fits on this team right now, to be honest. 

Move #5 - Re-jigger the lineup just a bit

Brian Dozier is the best hitter on the team right now.  His batting average is climbing and his power appears to be real.  He's walking a lot and he can steal bases, so he fits in the leadoff spot, but I think he would be more productive a little lower in the lineup.  I'd swap Dozier and Joe Mauer, putting Mauer in the leadoff spot and moving Dozier to the two-hole. 

Dozier has eleven home runs and nine have come with no one on base.  Mauer reaches base in roughly 40% of his at-bats.  Simple math and logic would assume that Mauer would have been somewhere on the bases for three or four of those home runs.  That's three or four extra runs.  It's not a ton, but every little bit helps.  The Twins don't operate the top of their lineup in a traditional sense anyway.  Mauer doesn't bunt Dozier to second after a leadoff single (nor should he), so why not put the more powerful hitter behind the better OBP guy? 

Lineup optimization hasn't proved to be as worthwhile as many thought, but this is such a simple change and it makes so much sense.  Mauer would be an excellent leadoff hitter and it might take some of the pressure from fans off of him.  He'd score even more runs with Dozier behind him and Dozier would drive in more runs with Mauer ahead of him.  Does that make either guy more valuable?  Not really, but I still think it's still a logical move.

These five moves create a more optimal lineup, a more talented bullpen, a more talented rotation, give young guys time to develop and grow, and doesn't cost the team anyone valuable.  These five moves could also greatly change the character of the clubhouse and that might be exactly why none of them will happen. 

I fully expect Arcia to return after the California trip, but I'd guess Herrmann, Chris Colabello or Danny Santana are sent to AAA.  I think Correia will be the next player to suffer a phantom injury, opening a hole in the rotation for Pelfrey.  I am sure Tonkin will get a lot of chances in Rochester.  Kubel and Guerrier will continue to provide leadership or whatever.  Josmil Pinto will continue to produce in limited duty.  I'll bang my drum on Twitter but the Twins will do what they think is best.

What moves would you make?  Do you think my proposals are crazy?  Let me know, I'd love to hear from you!