Worst Minnesota Sports trades

[howeda7]

Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round

On #3, the speed of the flame-out was unprecedented, but 1st round picks outside the top 15 busting isn't that shocking. Troy Williamson was a worse pick IMO.

 

[howeda7]

Ortiz barely made the Red Soxs team. He struggled, and struggled all the while he begged management to not cut him. One has to wonder how long due to you stick with a player before cutting a guy loose. Look at what happened with Hicks when he left the Yankees. He is now flourishing. Sometimes lightbulb goes off or a change of scenery is the answer.

But an awful side effect is Minnesota teams, especially the Twins, are terrified of "the next David Ortiz situation" so now we cling to players like Max Kepler and Miguel Sano way longer than we should.

 

[coolhandgopher]

Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round

Another couple to add from early ‘70s Twins:
* Releasing Luis Tiant in 1971 after he had broken his scapula the previous season. The injury was feared to be career threatening, so he was released and subsequently went on to be ace for the Red Sox for nearly the entirety of the’70s.

It’s a particularly painful transaction since the previous year the Twins had included 3B Graig Nettles in the package to acquire Tiant.

* Releasing Jim Kaat in the 1973 season. It seems this was a revenge move on the part of Calvin Griffith who had been engaged with a protracted and acrimonious salary negotiation with Kaat following a stellar 1972 season. Kaat was claimed by the White Sox and went on to have two standout seasons in Chicago, winning over 20 games and having an ERA around 3.00 each season.

You have to wonder if a starting rotation helmed by Tiant, Kaat, and Bert Blyleven supported by Rod Carew might have made those mid ‘70s Twins teams something to remember.

 

[golf]

Ortiz barely made the Red Soxs team. He struggled, and struggled all the while he begged management to not cut him. One has to wonder how long due to you stick with a player before cutting a guy loose. Look at what happened with Hicks when he left the Yankees. He is now flourishing. Sometimes lightbulb goes off or a change of scenery is the answer.

Agree with you, but in the Ortiz case i know the standard line is that twins held Ortiz back by not letting him pull the ball. Still, how does he go from well below average to an all timer in a short amount of time at his advanced age. One does wonder . .

 

[From the Parkinglot]

Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round

Troy Williamson and Erasmus James in 2005 with the 7 and 18 picks was way worse the. underwood. Also Ponder at 12 in 2011 wasn’t exactly a homerun.

 

[Ope3]

Another couple to add from early ‘70s Twins:
* Releasing Luis Tiant in 1971 after he had broken his scapula the previous season. The injury was feared to be career threatening, so he was released and subsequently went on to be ace for the Red Sox for nearly the entirety of the’70s.

It’s a particularly painful transaction since the previous year the Twins had included 3B Graig Nettles in the package to acquire Tiant.

* Releasing Jim Kaat in the 1973 season. It seems this was a revenge move on the part of Calvin Griffith who had been engaged with a protracted and acrimonious salary negotiation with Kaat following a stellar 1972 season. Kaat was claimed by the White Sox and went on to have two standout seasons in Chicago, winning over 20 games and having an ERA around 3.00 each season.

You have to wonder if a starting rotation helmed by Tiant, Kaat, and Bert Blyleven supported by Rod Carew might have made those mid ‘70s Twins teams something to remember.

The Nettles and Tiant transactions were a harsh combo. Dave Goltz was starting his upward trajectory, so it would have been quite a solid 4man rotation. Back then with an occasional 5th/spot starter, that was all that teams needed.

The lineup wasn't just Carew either, Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle Sr. also very solid. Could have been even better if Tony Olivia had avoided knee issues.

 

[LesBolstad]

Troy Williamson and Erasmus James in 2005 with the 7 and 18 picks was way worse the. underwood. Also Ponder at 12 in 2011 wasn’t exactly a homerun.

I'd argue Underwood was way worst. Williamson and James had solid college careers and showed a lot of promise. Underwood was such a psycho, he didn't even start and saw very little action at Mich. St.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I'd argue Underwood was way worst. Williamson and James had solid college careers and showed a lot of promise. Underwood was such a psycho, he didn't even start and saw very little action at Mich. St.

And as already mentioned, there supposedly were lots of signs of the psychological issues prior to the draft. So either the Vikings didn't do their homework or didn't think it was that big of a deal.

 

[#2Gopher]

Agree with you, but in the Ortiz case i know the standard line is that twins held Ortiz back by not letting him pull the ball. Still, how does he go from well below average to an all timer in a short amount of time at his advanced age. One does wonder . .

You refreshed my memory on this. Tom Kelly wanted his players quite often to hit to the opposite field. Wonder how much this was an issue throughout Kelly' tenure with the Twins.

 

[Ope3]

You refreshed my memory on this. Tom Kelly wanted his players quite often to hit to the opposite field. Wonder how much this was an issue throughout Kelly' tenure with the Twins.

I think that narrative is way overblown. Often when TK was a weekly guest with Reusse he would explain that going opposite field depended on the obvious variable's...count, field dimensions, runners on base, pitcher velocity, etc

It would be insane to think he was ever against Ortiz pulling an inside heater off or over the Hefty Bag in RF. 0-2 count, outside pitch then yeah, try to go the other way instead of rolling into a 4-6-3 double play.

Currently Ortiz ranks 12th all time on the doubles list. I'm guessing quite a few were of this variety:

 

[short ornery norwegian]

the "hit to the opposite field" thing is part of the issue with this year's Twins' team.

if the pitcher is working you on the outside corner, it's a tough pitch to pull. but you can wait on that pitch and bang it the other way. we've seen people like Kirilloff, Lewis and Julien do that.

I would really like to know what the hitters are being told - and by whom. is it an overall organizational philosophy - is it coming from Popkins - or are the players just too stubborn and insist on trying to pull everything?

 

[gopherbadgerman]

It's already been mentioned but the Herschel Walker trade was the worst. 5 players and five 1st & 2nd round picks and a couple of lower picks for Walker and two 3rds a 5th and a 10th. Mike Lynn went to his grave screaming that the Cowboys had to take players OR picks not both. The Commissioner favored the Cowboys.

Go figure.

If Lynn was right, then sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Had to look it up to get all the details right. It was almost the Gobert trade in reverse. Garnett for 5 decent to bad players, Ryan Gomes. Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Telfair. Plus 2 conditional draft picks. Which ended-up being Rubio and Flynn.

Biggest problem there was what the wolves did with the picks.

 

[Ewert86PC]

Ortiz barely made the Red Soxs team. He struggled, and struggled all the while he begged management to not cut him. One has to wonder how long due to you stick with a player before cutting a guy loose. Look at what happened with Hicks when he left the Yankees. He is now flourishing. Sometimes lightbulb goes off or a change of scenery is the answer.

Ummmm.... Miguel Sano contract long?

 

[Ewert86PC]

But an awful side effect is Minnesota teams, especially the Twins, are terrified of "the next David Ortiz situation" so now we cling to players like Max Kepler and Miguel Sano way longer than we should.

But Miguel was "bad in the locker room". I have yet to hear that about Max.

 

[Ewert86PC]

And as already mentioned, there supposedly were lots of signs of the psychological issues prior to the draft. So either the Vikings didn't do their homework or didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Who was in charge of that draft, Denny Green?

 

[GophersInIowa]

Who was in charge of that draft, Denny Green?

According to wikipedia Denny, Jeff Green and Rob Brzezinski were in charge of football operations. Not sure who had the final say though.

 

[Ewert86PC]

According to wikipedia Denny, Jeff Green and Rob Brzezinski were in charge of football operations. Not sure who had the final say though.

Rob Brzezinski??? I'm sensing a pattern in the recent talent troubles of the Vikings.

 

[rowdaboat]

Mahle for Steer and Encarnacion-Strand has potential to be high up there. They'd be our 2 best hitters right now

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Brandon Roy for Randy Foye was shit