Twins trade Romero for Minor Leaguer
12/09/2005
MINNEAPOLIS -- It is no secret that the future of J.C. Romero as a Minnesota Twin was severely in question at the close of the 2005 season.
After an in-game incident with manager Ron Gardenhire during the last week of September, Romero appeared to be out of goodwill with his skipper and close to being on his way out the door. But a lengthy one-on-one meeting behind closed doors between the coach and player the very next day appeared to smooth things out and both said they were ready to move on from the incident.
That harmony, though, would be short-lived as the Twins announced on Friday that they had traded Romero to the Angels for Minor League infielder Alexi Casilla.
The trade ends a somewhat tumultuous run for Romero with the Twins, who drafted the left-handed pitcher in the 21st round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft. It was of no surprise to Romero that his ties to Minnesota were severed with the trade. The former Twins reliever said that he actually requested a trade from the organization with which he had spent his entire career.
"I knew that the plans were not for me in the future with this team," Romero said. "I thought that a trade would happen in the 2004 season or even last year. Now it's happened and I'm very happy with the decision."
Twins general manager Terry Ryan wouldn't say whether Romero had actually asked to be traded. But like the pitcher, Ryan felt that the time was right for a move to be made.
"I thought that a change of scenery might be the best thing for both parties," Ryan said. "The way that things have transpired in the last year or so, it was the right thing to do for all involved."
There may have been plenty of ups and downs throughout Romero's time in Minneapolis, but the final straw likely was the incident with Gardenhire on Sept. 28. In a 6-3 win over the Royals, Romero hit two of the four batters he faced. When Gardenhire came to take him out, the pitcher walked off the mound and handed the ball over without looking at his skipper. He was later caught on television in the dugout making comments to bench coach Steve Liddle and throwing his hat.
"I'm the type of man that I speak my mind when I feel I'm disrespected," Romero said. "When you feel disrespected, you can't do anything about it. I felt disrespected and that meant that it was time for a change."
Romero, 29, made his first appearance for the Twins in 1999 and spent parts of the next three seasons with the club before securing his role in the bullpen in 2001. This past season, Romero was 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 68 appearances out of the bullpen. Over his seven years with the Twins, Romero held a career record of 25-20 and two saves with a 4.35 ERA in 327 games.
The breakout season for Romero came in 2002 when he went 9-2 with a 1.97 ERA. It was after the standout year, though, that the southpaw saw his fair share of struggles. He followed the next season with a rough 2003 campaign, going 2-0 with a 5.00 ERA. Romero's' problems continued into 2004 when he was sent to the Minors for a two-week stint to try to get back on the right track. Even after some rocky seasons, Romero appeared to have the support of the Twins as he signed a two-year contract with the club this past January. The left-hander is set to make $2.2 million in 2006.
On Friday, Romero was asked what he believed made the difference between his performance in 2002 and the years that followed. Injuries were what Romero felt hampered him during the 2003 season, but he blamed lack of communication for his most recent struggles. His undefined role within the bullpen was what Romero said caused him to remain inconsistent.
"In 2004 and 2005, I had no clue where I was going to pitch or even if I would pitch," Romero said. "My routine completely changed after 2002 and my innings dropped drastically. I have myself to blame for some of that, but now I know what to expect with the Angels."
The move helps the Angels right away by giving them another strong left-hander in the bullpen and, like many previous trades the Twins have accomplished in recent history, gives the Twins a strong prospect for the future. Casilla, 21, spent almost all of 2005 with Class A Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League. In 78 games, Casilla batted .325 with 62 runs scored and 47 stolen bases. He finished fourth in the Midwest League for stolen bases.
Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Angels in 2003, Casilla began last season with the Angels' Double-A affiliate in Arkansas before being moved up to Triple-A Salt Lake after seven games. He played in only 13 games for Salt Lake when he finally was transferred to Cedar Rapids. Over 189 games in the Minors, Casilla holds a career batting average of .297 and a .375 on-base percentage. Though Casilla is still a ways off from joining the Twins, Ryan feels that he will mature into a Major League infielder.
"He's a middle infielder that can run, he can throw, has quick hands and can swing that bat on the ball," Ryan said. "We believe that he is a player who has a very high ceiling and one that will at some point surface at the Major League level."
Ryan may seem eager to leave the situation behind by looking ahead to a bright future but the split between the Twins and Romero doesn't appear to be a messy one. Despite the often terse relationship between player and organization, Romero still had good things to say about the Twins on Friday afternoon.
"I have nothing bad to say about the Twins," Romero said. "I talked to Terry Ryan earlier today. I thank them for drafting me and giving me a chance to break in to the big leagues. Now, it's time to move on."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
MINNEAPOLIS -- It is no secret that the future of J.C. Romero as a Minnesota Twin was severely in question at the close of the 2005 season.
After an in-game incident with manager Ron Gardenhire during the last week of September, Romero appeared to be out of goodwill with his skipper and close to being on his way out the door. But a lengthy one-on-one meeting behind closed doors between the coach and player the very next day appeared to smooth things out and both said they were ready to move on from the incident.
That harmony, though, would be short-lived as the Twins announced on Friday that they had traded Romero to the Angels for Minor League infielder Alexi Casilla.
The trade ends a somewhat tumultuous run for Romero with the Twins, who drafted the left-handed pitcher in the 21st round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft. It was of no surprise to Romero that his ties to Minnesota were severed with the trade. The former Twins reliever said that he actually requested a trade from the organization with which he had spent his entire career.
"I knew that the plans were not for me in the future with this team," Romero said. "I thought that a trade would happen in the 2004 season or even last year. Now it's happened and I'm very happy with the decision."
Twins general manager Terry Ryan wouldn't say whether Romero had actually asked to be traded. But like the pitcher, Ryan felt that the time was right for a move to be made.
"I thought that a change of scenery might be the best thing for both parties," Ryan said. "The way that things have transpired in the last year or so, it was the right thing to do for all involved."
There may have been plenty of ups and downs throughout Romero's time in Minneapolis, but the final straw likely was the incident with Gardenhire on Sept. 28. In a 6-3 win over the Royals, Romero hit two of the four batters he faced. When Gardenhire came to take him out, the pitcher walked off the mound and handed the ball over without looking at his skipper. He was later caught on television in the dugout making comments to bench coach Steve Liddle and throwing his hat.
"I'm the type of man that I speak my mind when I feel I'm disrespected," Romero said. "When you feel disrespected, you can't do anything about it. I felt disrespected and that meant that it was time for a change."
Romero, 29, made his first appearance for the Twins in 1999 and spent parts of the next three seasons with the club before securing his role in the bullpen in 2001. This past season, Romero was 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 68 appearances out of the bullpen. Over his seven years with the Twins, Romero held a career record of 25-20 and two saves with a 4.35 ERA in 327 games.
The breakout season for Romero came in 2002 when he went 9-2 with a 1.97 ERA. It was after the standout year, though, that the southpaw saw his fair share of struggles. He followed the next season with a rough 2003 campaign, going 2-0 with a 5.00 ERA. Romero's' problems continued into 2004 when he was sent to the Minors for a two-week stint to try to get back on the right track. Even after some rocky seasons, Romero appeared to have the support of the Twins as he signed a two-year contract with the club this past January. The left-hander is set to make $2.2 million in 2006.
On Friday, Romero was asked what he believed made the difference between his performance in 2002 and the years that followed. Injuries were what Romero felt hampered him during the 2003 season, but he blamed lack of communication for his most recent struggles. His undefined role within the bullpen was what Romero said caused him to remain inconsistent.
"In 2004 and 2005, I had no clue where I was going to pitch or even if I would pitch," Romero said. "My routine completely changed after 2002 and my innings dropped drastically. I have myself to blame for some of that, but now I know what to expect with the Angels."
The move helps the Angels right away by giving them another strong left-hander in the bullpen and, like many previous trades the Twins have accomplished in recent history, gives the Twins a strong prospect for the future. Casilla, 21, spent almost all of 2005 with Class A Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League. In 78 games, Casilla batted .325 with 62 runs scored and 47 stolen bases. He finished fourth in the Midwest League for stolen bases.
Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Angels in 2003, Casilla began last season with the Angels' Double-A affiliate in Arkansas before being moved up to Triple-A Salt Lake after seven games. He played in only 13 games for Salt Lake when he finally was transferred to Cedar Rapids. Over 189 games in the Minors, Casilla holds a career batting average of .297 and a .375 on-base percentage. Though Casilla is still a ways off from joining the Twins, Ryan feels that he will mature into a Major League infielder.
"He's a middle infielder that can run, he can throw, has quick hands and can swing that bat on the ball," Ryan said. "We believe that he is a player who has a very high ceiling and one that will at some point surface at the Major League level."
Ryan may seem eager to leave the situation behind by looking ahead to a bright future but the split between the Twins and Romero doesn't appear to be a messy one. Despite the often terse relationship between player and organization, Romero still had good things to say about the Twins on Friday afternoon.
"I have nothing bad to say about the Twins," Romero said. "I talked to Terry Ryan earlier today. I thank them for drafting me and giving me a chance to break in to the big leagues. Now, it's time to move on."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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