http://www.wikio.com/search=Joe Christensen Wikio - Joe Christensen http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69339709 The trading panel notes that the computer maker's earnings lead to a selloff. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:39:00 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69339709 twocents@thestreet.com (Peter Garcia) 2008-08-28T22:39:00Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69311923 Manchester City had goalkeeper Joe Hart to thank as they progressed to the UEFA Cup proper with a penalty shoot-out victory over FC Midtjylland. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:05:33 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69311923 2008-08-28T15:05:33Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69180769 The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office served the search warrants at Artistic Land Management in Mesa and Chandler on Wednesday morning. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:05:41 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69180769 2008-08-27T18:05:41Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69045897 Joe Christensen / Around the Majors : Monday pregame: Lamb designated for assignment — SEATTLE — To make room on their roster for Eddie Guardado, the Twins designated Mike Lamb for assignment. — Lamb was in the first year of a two-year, $6.6 million contract, so the Twins are eating $3.8 million with this move. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:20:00 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=69045897 2008-08-26T16:20:00Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68949707 According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, third baseman Mike Lamb was designated for assignment today to make room for Eddie Guardado. Lamb is owed another $690K this year plus $3MM in '09 and a $100K buyout for '10. Several moves and near-moves made by the Twins in recent months have shown a willingness to spend some dough midseason. Lamb's move back to the AL didn't work out; he hit just .233/.276/.322 in 261 plate appearances. Maybe he can help out in a utility role for a team like the Phillies. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:45:07 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68949707 2008-08-25T22:45:07Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68925086 According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Twins have acquired Eddie Guardado from the Rangers. Joe Christensen wrote on Friday that the Twins would make a claim but didn't expect a deal. Guardado has been useful for the Rangers, posting a 3.65 ERA in 49.1 innings. The ERA is a bit deceiving, but it's still a helpful addition for the Twins. Guardado is a familiar face, having spent a decade in the organization. He's still owed roughly $620K this year. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:13:57 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68925086 2008-08-25T19:13:57Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68660069 Courtesy of Joe Christensen at the Strib online . With word that the Twins had expressed interest in their former closer back in July, now that the Texas Rangers have placed the southpaw on waivers it may only be a matter of time before we hear that Minnesota has placed their claim. Christensen's prediction, however, wasn't optimistic as far as consumation would go: Following up on my note about the Twins’ interest in Eddie Guardado , I was told they had talks with the Rangers before the July 31 deadline but Texas wanted to get something good in return. Now, Guardado is believed to be on waivers, and the Twins will likely make a claim, but they don’t think Texas will move him this time, either. While I have little doubt that Guardado would improve bullpen depth, he isn't without some red flags. His strikeout rates, which always helped him out of those jams he put himself into, are barely half of what they were at his peak with the Twins. At the same time, his walk rates haven't budged from last season, and so for the first time since 1998 sees his K:BB ratio slip below 2:1. Additionally, his velocity continues to drop, as his average fastball now clocks in at 85.9 mph...which makes it about seven miles per hour faster than his changeup. In spite of those things, he's put together a solid season in relief for the Rangers. His home run rate is scraping the bottom of the barrel (just 0.59 HR/9), batters are hitting .202/.265/.345 off of him, and he's barely allowing a base runner per inning with a 1.01 WHIP. For an extreme fly-ball pitcher (55%) those are very good signs, because no matter now nervous he makes the fans he's doing what he's been asked to do for years as a relief pitcher: get results. Now we wait. As the Twins put their claim on Guardado, the only stopping block will likely be whether the asking price is acceptable, or (more likely) whether the asking price is more suitable for a team looking to make a quick kill on a squad desperate for bullpen help. If the Rangers think they're better served going for the latter, they'll come up empty handed. And rightfully so. W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2008 - Eddie Guardado 3-2 53 0 0 0 4 0 47.2 34 17 17 3 14 26 3.21 1.01 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:10:37 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68660069 2008-08-22T19:10:37Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68649078 Everyday Eddie Guardado, a Twins mainstay for a decade, has apparently been placed on waivers by the Rangers. Joe Christensen says the Twins are interested and will probably make a claim, but don't expect to make a deal. He says the Twins were eyeing Guardado in July but wouldn't meet the Rangers' price. Guardado is currently closing for the Rangers, getting it done with a 3.21 ERA. A deeper look at his numbers indicates rougher waters ahead, but he's certainly a useful reliever. As far as I can tell, Guardado only has about $680K left on his contract this year.... Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:29:09 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=68649078 2008-08-22T18:29:09Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67985221 Joe Christensen updates the reasons the trade for Jarrod Washburn fell apart. The Mariners did not turn down a trade for Boof Bonser.... Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:48:16 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67985221 pinto@map.com (David Pinto) 2008-08-17T01:48:16Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67889254 I don't know who Joe Christensen is but this is why sometimes people want to shoot the messenger. The minute the Twins made the claim, they could have been stuck with the contract. That’s about $2.55 million for the rest of this year and another $10.35 million for next year. ... But that wasn’t enough for the Mariners. They are convinced Washburn has value on the trade market. The Yankees were willing to take the contract off their hands in late July, but the deal fell through because the Mariners wanted talent in return. I received indications that the Twins offered Boof Bonser. ... Oh no. I have indications the Mariners insisted on getting one of the Twins’ current starting pitchers. Yeah, like Nick Blackburn or Kevin Slowey. That, friends, is sheer lunacy. Boof Bonser is a 26 year old righty with two years of service time and a career 4.70 tRA that's 5% above the league average. His 2008 salary is $0.4325m and he won't be eligible for free agency until the winter of 2012. Evidently the Mariners came to the conclusion that, in exchange for Washburn, he wasn't enough. To summarize, Bonser: -is better than Washburn -is younger than Washburn -is cheaper than Washburn -is under team control for longer than Washburn And somehow we were the ones to turn down the deal. I'm not sure what the Twins were thinking here. I guess they're so desperate to fix their bullpen that they want to bump one of their starters to relief for the stretch drive. That's dumb, but whatever. What's important for the Mariners is that the opportunity was there to get rid of Jarrod Washburn, and the organization didn't seize it, because they believe that a fair price for Jarrod Washburn is somebody better, cheaper, and younger. Well, no, scratch that - Bonser is already better, cheaper, and younger. So they believe that a fair price is somebody even more better, cheaper, and younger. You know those stupid posts you'll see on message boards all the time that consist of ideas like "hey we should trade Richie Sexson for Joba the Yankees need a first baseman"? You know how you just skip over those comments and roll your eyes in disgust? The Mariners are trying to make that sort of thing a reality. And - surprise! - other teams aren't having it. This isn't about having to pencil Washburn into the 2009 rotation. There's still a chance that the front office will be able to get rid of him over the winter. But (1) there are far more #4/5 starters available for low cost during the winter than during the summer (2) in what ought to be a winter of change the last thing a new front office needs is to have to deal with a problem for which we already had an obvious and easy solution (3) apparently this organization doesn't believe Washburn is someone you just give away Yesterday this team made a horrible, unjustifiable decision. And whatever happens with Washburn from this point forward does nothing to change that. I don't care that there still exists some sliver of hope that we'll be able to get rid of him over the winter, because while that's a valid point, we could have gotten rid of him yesterday and never had to worry about him again, and we didn't. Yesterday, this front office was faced with the question "do you believe Jarrod Washburn is a $10m pitcher?" and their answer was yes. Actually, by turning down a deal for Bonser, their answer was "we believe he's worth quite a bit more than that." Jarrod Washburn. Those of you who didn't think this was so bad - do you get it now? Do you get that this is as much about philosophy as it is about execution? Yes, the Mariners may still get rid of Jarrod Washburn during the winter, but every indication is that, despite mistake after mistake after mistake, this organization still doesn't have a clue how to evaluate pitching. Not a clue. They've learned nothing from Washburn. They've learned nothing from Batista. They've learned nothing from Silva. Nothing. They have learned nothing. This is our team. Stupidity compounded by arrogance is among the most destructive forces on the planet. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:26:50 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67889254 2008-08-15T18:26:50Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67896118 Joe Christensen / Around the Majors : Sorting through this waiver madness — After 3 1/2 years of covering the Twins with La Velle, I felt like I had stepped into “The Twilight Zone” on Thursday. — It started at about 9:45 a.m., when Buster Olney was on ESPN's “First Take” talking about the waiver claims that had been submitted … Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:25:01 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67896118 2008-08-15T18:25:01Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67837107 The Twins haven't had this much waiver wire speculation since...um, since... I blame Buster Olney for causing a ruckus, throwing out careless and haphazard phrases like "The Twins make a lot of sense as a possibility" for Raul Ibanez . Soon afterward, Joe Christensen put the kibosh on that idea, saying the Twins weren't the winners of the Ibanez sweepstakes. Initially saying they didn't place a claim at all, Christensen updated his blog later as it turns out Minnesota did make a move, but were merely out-done by a team higher on the waiver wire pecking order (also known as the Detroit Tigers). What's interesting about yesterday was that the Twins placed, and WON, their waiver wire claim on Jarrod Washburn . As we all know, teams often make this kind of a snide move in order to screw things up for another team, in this case speculation indicates it was done to block a Washburn-to-Chicago situation. That's not a bad thing, it's always nice to see the Twins doing something proactive. But THEN came the report that Minnesota was actually considering bringing Washburn and his hot streak to the Dome. Says Joe C.: In Washburn’s case, it sounds like the Twins did indeed win the claim and had extensive talks with the Mariners. The Twins were willing to take on Washburn’s contract, and Seattle could have dumped it on them. But the Mariners also wanted the Twins to throw in one of their current starters. Over the last couple of months, Washburn had been quite effective. But in the short (and long) term(s) I'm not sure how he fits, unless the Twins were thinking about moving Glen Perkins or Kevin Slowey into the bullpen. Which, again, doesn't make all that much sense for either Perk (there's already a bit of doubt that the Twins would put a legitimate reliever, much less a starter, into the 'pen if he's "another" southpaw) or Kevin (he's been pretty effective this year). And of course there's the whole snafu of having the Mariners still asking for one of our four young starters not named Francisco Liriano in return...although I have it through reliable sources that that part of the conversation went something like this: Bill Smith: Yeah, sure, we'll take Washburn off your hands and make him fit somehow. Not Bill Bavasi: Okay, cool. Oh, by the way, it'll take Baker, Perkins, Blackburn or Slowey to get him. Bill Smith: Up yours, smartass. (Click.) At any rate, at least the White Sox won't be ending up with Washburn. Unlike the Ken Griffey Jr. acquisition, he actually might have improved their team. Anyway, to wrap this up (sort of), Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times insists the Mariners and Twins could still work something out by placing Washburn back onto waivers again...although this time that would mean he'd be irrevocable and would go to the first team in the pecking order that claimed him, even if that wasn't the Twins. Either way it's a no-lose situation for the Mariners who would, at worst, save on dishing out the rest of Washburn's salary. Personally, I have a hard time believing this organization will let any of their starters walk for a guy like Washburn, but since Seattle is the worst team in the American League they could work something else out for someone on the Twins 40-Man roster, since they'd have first dibs on waivers. And of course there are also those players who aren't on the 40-man. No matter what Washburn's cost, even if it's peanuts, I'm just not convinced wedging him into the rotation is the best thing to do. Even thinking of October, I'm happy picking a three-man rotation from Liriano, Baker, Blackburn, Slowey and Perkins (and probably in that order, too). Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:32:28 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67837107 2008-08-15T09:32:28Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67762605 Okay, No, the Twins Did NOT Claim Ibanez There was speculation earlier from Buster Olney that the Twins could have been the team to claim Raul Ibanez off of waivers, but over at his Strib blog Joe Christensen has confirmed there was no action taken on behalf of Minnesota. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:39:46 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67762605 2008-08-14T15:39:46Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67509195 Casilla Might Return Next Week From Joe Christensen and La Velle E. Neal III over at the Strib online: "Casilla, who is batting .313, will have his splint removed Wednesday and will resume baseball activities Friday. The Twins would like to see him go on a brief rehab assignment and return by Aug. 20, when the team leaves on its 14-game road trip." This is great news if accurate. Having Casilla back in the 2-hole, if healthy, would be a big boost for the offense. Follow the link for more information. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:22:18 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=67509195 2008-08-12T13:22:18Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66396677 Joe Christensen / Around the Majors : Liriano, Ruiz to join Twins; Hernandez, Monroe headed out — The Twins plan to cut ties with Livan Hernandez and Craig Monroe today, clearing space for Francisco Liriano and Randy Ruiz to join the roster from Class AAA Rochester. — The team has yet to make an official announcement … Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:25:00 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66396677 2008-08-02T03:25:00Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66222000 La Velle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have the latest Twins buzz. The Twins would like to trade Boof Bonser to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Giants and Rangers might be interested. Targets for the Twins: relief help, third base, and second base. Talks for Adrian Beltre are not dead. The Mariners are eyeing Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Denard Span. The Twins aren't biting. Sounds like the Mariners want a premium arm for Beltre from the Twins or Giants, but those teams see it as more of a salary... Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:07:52 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66222000 2008-07-31T16:07:52Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66131639 Indianapolis 2 Toledo 1Jeff Larish went 2 for 4. Yorman Bazardo went 8 innings with 4 K’s, no walks, and 8 hits in 8 innnings. Erie 4 Akron 3 (10 innings)Dusty Ryan homered. Wil Rhymes, Jeff Frazier, Ryan Roberson, and Santo De Leon each had 2 hits. Danny Christensen struck out 6 and [...] Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:11:59 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66131639 2008-07-31T03:11:59Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66106651 Twins Trade Rumors Leading off, Tim Dierkes reports on Dan Graziano's latest column , where he apparently thinks the Mets could pursue Livan Hernandez following John Maine 's rotator cuff strain. In something we've already been discussing here, our own Joe Christensen has reported that the Orioles are not shopping Brian Roberts . Dierkes then shifts us to Texas, where apparently the Rangers have inquired about the availability of one Boof Bonser . Finally, courtesty of Jayson Stark , the MLBTR chief bullet points that the Twins have inquired about Giants' infielder Rich Aurilia . Aurilia is hitting .278/.333/.422 in 277 at-bats, with eight homers, 16 doubles, 22 walks and 41 strikeouts. Also of note: he turns 37 in four days, has mostly played first base this season but has also amassed nearly 200 innings at third base, and mashes southpaws to the tune of a .893 OPS. Interesting. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:48:13 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66106651 2008-07-30T19:48:13Z http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66091215 Rumor roundup... ESPN's Buster Olney implies that another website backdates timestamps in an attempt to fake scoops. I was following the Mark Teixeira rumors like a hawk; I gave the scoop to ESPN's Jayson Stark with an assist to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Joe Christensen says Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is not available. MLB.com's Mark Bowman guesses Will Ohman will land with the Cardinals. He also puts the odds of a Mark Kotsay deal at 50%. With Mark Teixeira out of the picture, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes doesn't expect to make any more trades. Will Carroll says the Dodgers had... Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:52:05 GMT http://www.wikio.com/search/Joe+Christensen?rinfoid=66091215 2008-07-30T18:52:05Z