Dissecting the Bill Smith era: Other trades of 2010

Steve Tolleson got to play in Target Field in 2010,
but not as a member of the home team.

When: Dec. 12, 2009
What: Traded right-handed pitcher Boof Bonser to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitcher Chris Province.
Value: Bonser pitched two innings for Boston in 2010 before being released. He has worked 25 major league innings since the trade (all in 2010, mostly with Oakland) with an ERA of 6.12. He recently signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants. Province did not pitch well in 2010 in the Twins system and decided to quit playing last spring.
Twins motivation: Avoid going to arbitration with Bonser.

Bonser's once-promising career has been derailed by injuries. As matters stand, nothing to see here.

When: Feb.1, 2010
What: Waived infielder Steve Tolleson, who was claimed by Oakland
Value: Tolleson played in 25 games for Oakland in 2010. He spent 2011 in the minors, was traded in midseason to the San Diego Padres, was released after the season and signed to a minor league deal by Baltimore.
Twins motivation: Open a 40-man roster spot that was filled three days later by the signing of Orlando Hudson.

Tolleson's major league future, if any, figures to be as a utility infielder, and he probably doesn't have the arm to handle the shortstop part of the job.

When: Aug. 25, 2010
What: Claimed Randy Flores on waivers from Colorado
Value: Got 11 outs in 11 appearances for the Twins with an ERA of 4.91.
Twins motivation: Injuries to Jose Mijares and Ron Mahay left the Twins short of lefty relievers.

The Twins took a flyer on Flores, and he quickly fell out of favor with Ron Gardenhire.

When: Aug. 27, 2010
What: Traded right-hander Loek Van Mil to the Angels for left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes
Value: Fuentes gave up no runs in 9.2 innings with the Twins. Van Mil has not pitched in the majors

Matt Fox in his
sole game with
Minnesota.

Twins motivation: Injuries to Jose Mijares and Ron Mahay left the Twins short of lefty relievers.

Fuentes -- who had been closing in Anaheim -- was obviously over-qualified for the LOOGY role and was always viewed strictly as a short-term rental. The Twins made no serious attempt to retain him as a free agent, and he signed with Oakland. Van Mil, a unique prospect (7-foot-1 from the Netherlands), had a decent year in Double A and still could, if he ever manages to stay healthy, emerge as a major league relief option.

When: Sept. 9, 2010
What: Waived right-hander Matt Fox, who was claimed by Boston.
Value: Fox has pitched 1.2 major league innings since leaving the Twins. He signed a minor-league deal this offseason with Seattle.
Twins motivation: Opened a spot on the 40-man roster for Ben Revere.

Fox was put on the 40 to make one memorable spot start. My guess is that that will remain the high point of his career.

Boof Bonser — Boston

Ain't alliteration grand?

Proving how little I actually know about the way baseball minds work, within hours of my saying nobody was going to trade for Bonser, the Red Sox did just that.

It's a player to be named, and it won't be any great shakes, but it's better than nothing. Maybe.

The Red Sox a few years ago traded for Pokey Reese, discovered that he wasn't willing to sign immediately for their price, and non-tendered him within days. (Dec. 19, 2001, trade; Dec. 21, 2001, granted free agency.) I wouldn't be overly surprised if that sequence repeated itself.

Snowstorm brainstorms

Things I think about while shoveling snow (so that I'm not thinking about shoveling snow):

*Right now, the Twins appear to have a surplus of veteran right-handed short relievers: Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jon Rauch, perhaps Pat Neshek.

But that surplus can easily revert to the shortage that plagued the Twins in the second half of 2008 and for much of 2009. If they do indeed nontender Crain (to avoid paying him approximately $3 million) and the rehabbing Neshek isn't good to go, they're suddenly down to Guerrier and Rauch to set up Nathan — and Bobby Keppel figures to get more game-critical outings than is good for the team.

Two RH set-up men are too few; four is too many.

* The Twins are understandably vague about their payroll budget, but they have often operated as if whatever their upper limit is may not be breached at any point, even during the offseason when they aren't paying players.

If this is the case, and if the upper limit for 2010 is $90 million, it's really difficult for the Twins to add an established infielder without dumping salary before or during the transaction. Which is where the pressure to nontender Crain comes in.

Clearing Crain (and Boof Bonser) from the books takes the Twins down to something in the vicinity of $86 million. Is that low enough to fit a Mark DeRosa into a $90 million budget? My guess is not.

* The deadline to tender contracts is 11 p.m. CST Saturday.

* Trading Bonser is a theoretical possibility but unlikely. A team acquiring him in trade would inherit his arbitration eligibility, and I doubt anybody's eager to take a seven-figure hit on a pitcher with a 5.12 career ERA coming off shoulder surgery.

* The Twins' 40-man roster was full as of Tuesday, so it appears they won't be active in the Rule 5 draft on Wednesday. It would be the first time in years they haven't taken somebody in Rule 5.

Bonser, Granderson and Crain

As noted yesterday, Boof Bonser (above) was the loser when Carl Pavano accepted arbitration.

He's arbitration eligible — players get credited for service time when on the disabled list, which was at the heart of Glen Perkins' beef with the Twins in September — and figured to get a $1 million contract. Instead, he'll likely get a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Quite the comedown.

We Twins fans will remember him for his name, of course, but we should also remember his fine pitching down the stretch in 2006, his rookie season — 4-1 in September-October with a 2.63 ERA. That was a promising beginning, but it turned out to be his best season with the Twins.

It said here Tuesday that something had to give in the Twins pitching logjam. Bonser was the first. Perkins may well be next — and LaVelle Neal suggested that the Twins may cut Jesse Crain loose before Saturday's deadline to tender contracts. Crain projects to get $3 million because he's arbitration eligible. If that seems like a lot for a middle reliever who had a 4.70 ERA, you're right. But he had a 2.20 ERA from August on.

Here's the thing: As documented by Joe Christensen, the Twins' projected payroll for 2010 is bumping the $90 million mark. If they're serious about adding a veteran infielder such as Mark DeRosa, they're likely to wind to cut somewhere else.

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Former Mankato Masher Curtis Granderson is by all accounts about to become a New York Yankee once a complex three-team trade is finalized — which is pending medical reviews.

Granderson is an eminently likable fellow and a player of talent and flaws. He can't hit lefties, he strikes out a lot and his numbers have declined the past two seasons. His departure is being mourned in the Tigers blogs I keep an eye on — he's the kind of guy fans easily make emotional investments in — but I think the organization is making a good baseball move here. At lot depends on Austin Jackson, the much-touted outfielder Detroit is getting from the Yankees.

What Arizona is thinking, that's another matter. I think Max Scherzer is a more valuable talent than Edwin Jackson, and Daniel Schlereth is a more valuable talent than Ian Kennedy, so what's the point?

Boof goes poof

The Boof Bonser era is over for the Twins; the (sometimes) portly right-hander was designated for assignment Tuesday to fit Carl Pavano onto the 40-man roster.

I'll probably comment on this for a Wednesday post.

Notes from the division

It's a division race nobody can take control of.

The first-place Detroit Tigers have now lost 10 straight road series. And now they go to Anaheim to face the Angels.

The second-place Chicago White Sox today begin what could be a killer road trip — Yankees, Red Sox, Twins. Ten games that Mark Buehrle says could be "make or break."

The third-place Twins? Three games against the kiddie-corps Baltimore Orioles. You may not recognize a lot of the names on this roster, but they are young, (I think there are seven rookies on the active roster, and just six players 30 or older), talented, and just took two of three from the White Sox.

Yes, the Twins are 4.5 games out, and their weekend sweep was against a decidedly unimpressive Kansas City bunch. But they ain't out of this thing yet.

* The Twins sent Anthony Swarzak and his 6.25 ERA back to Triple A. Newcomer Armando Gabino, who spent most of this season in the Rochester bullpen, is to start Tuesday. Good luck with that.

* Buehrle (after Sunday's loss, photo above) since his perfect game on July 23: 0-4, 5.85.

* When the White Sox traded for Jake Peavy just before the deadline, they held out the notion that he'd be ready to roll for this road trip. Not gonna happen.

* He's no Peavy, but there's chatter that Boof Bonser might pitch in September.