Congratulations! You're GM. Now Do Something!

We've had posts like this in the past, but I think now is a good time for one. The Twins seem to be making a lot of questionable moves and now is your chance for some suggestions. Crazy or not, anything goes!
Here is what I'd try.

1. Clean up the 40 man roster

DFA Jeff Gray and Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Add Anthony Slama, Sean Burroughs, and Pedro Florimon
39/40 Spots Filled

2.Promotions for the new open 25 man spot

Move Danny Valencia to the Major League Twins.

3. Further Cuts

Release AAA players Clete Thomas and Brian Dinkelman
Promote Benson and Tosoni back to AAA

4. Oswaldo Arcia

Watch him carefully and consider an advancement to New Britain.

I would focus the entire front office on studying the pitching prospects that other teams have in the minors, with a focus on teams that are likely to be contenders at the trade deadline. As for the MLB club, I would try to bring as many players up as possible to give them a chance to prove themselves, but try to keep players like Thomas and Dinkleman in Rochester so that the Red Wings don't come in last place again.

This is more of an ownership problem than one of management. After cutting payroll so much there isn't a lot management can do until a new crop of players come through, which could take 6 years. Terry Ryan, himself, a few years back said when you miss a few draft classes that you have to wait for a new cycle. The only way we can have a decent team in the next few years is to spend money on free agents until the youngsters arrive. Providing there is talent below. However, I do admit that the coaching and scouting, in particular, have not done a good job lately.

Did I miss something? Where is the open spot on the 25-man roster? If Manship got promoted and Komatsu got DFA'd, then we're at 25.

Add automatic flushers to the urinals.

We still have a good month and a half to see what develops with what we have.

Doumit, Pavano, Liriano, Capps are tradebait. WIllingham is danged. I listen when folks ask about Span and Morneau.

I hope Blackburn does something.

I hang onto Gray and Burton until they implode. Then bring up the next B-listers.

I advance people like Hicks and Sano as far as I can in the minors, keeping an option open to bring them up in September if roster spots exist.

At some point, Slama, Gutierrez, Guerra, Waldrop are in the bullpen. I would allow Slama to close.

I have no idea what my rotation will look like come August 1.

I would be trading my AAAAA ballers for AAAA ballers from other teams. Dinkelman, Tosoni, Valenica....trade them for comparable people from other systems

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Originally Posted by TwinsGuy55422

Did I miss something? Where is the open spot on the 25-man roster? If Manship got promoted and Komatsu got DFA'd, then we're at 25.

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He DFA'd Jeff Gray in this scenario, opening up a 25th spot.

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Originally Posted by NorthwestTwinsFan

He DFA'd Jeff Gray in this scenario, opening up a 25th spot.

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Ahh...thanks, I should have read it more carefully.

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Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

1. Clean up the 40 man roster

DFA Jeff Gray and Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Add Anthony Slama, Sean Burroughs, and Pedro Florimon
39/40 Spots Filled

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Why would you add Slama, Burroughs and Florimon to the 40 man roster without calling them up?

I'd DFA Gray, Demote Alex Burnett, Demote Brian Dozier to AAA.

I'd Call up Anthony Slama, and Sean Burroughs. I'd also find a SS to rotate in with Carroll for starting time. (not Florimon at least i don't think) (Dozier needs AAA Time)

- I'd trade A+ OF Oswaldo Arcia and AAA LHRP Tyler Robertson to the Texas Rangers for AAA SP Neil Ramirez.

I'd insert Ramirez into the rotation.

--- I'd draft Byron Buxton or Carlos Correa with pick #2 next week. with either 32 or 42 i'd take Minny prepster Mitch Brown RHP. and I'd hope to get Pat Light, J.O. Berrios, or Michael Nay or even Walker Weickel or Michael Wacha with the other pick.

Hope the Twins get hot come June/July and trade to try and replenish the system. Remember when we bitched when Ryan wouldn't trade prospects in July? Well Bill Smith showed what happens when that happens. See what you can get for Pavano, Capps, Liriano, Carroll, Doumit and Span.

Try to trade OF prospects for major league talent, preferably relatively decent starters. Play both ends at the deadline.

We need to be more aggressive moving players through the minors. I'm not talking Sano/Rosario, we need to move the college pitchers through more quickly, like my prospect Pat Dean, etc

Bring up Slama, Gutierrez, Waldrop, Bromberg, Guerra, Oliveros, Parmalee, and D. Romero and see what you have.

Throw tons of money at Grienke.

Move Dozier to 2^nd base.
Move Floriman to SS for the MLB team
Promote Santana to NB
Promote Goodrum to Beloit.
Send Michael to EST
Put Boer in the Bullpen of NB and see if he can cut it.
Hope like Hell Broomberg can pitch at AAA and for the big league team next year.
Bring up Burroughs as the every day 3^rd baseman and see if he can cut it.
Move Arcia to NB and invite him to ST next year hope he makes the team.
Promote Pat Dean to NB and hope like hell he can continue pitching well
Promote Wheeler to FM
Never let Swarzak start another game.

Hire a witch doctor to fix the elbows of Baker, Wimmers and Gibson.

Do NOT trade, Span, Willingham, Morneau or Mauer. If this team had competent Starting pitching this team would be close to .500 and potentially a playoff team. Wait until next year then overspend on any and all FA starting pitchers next year.

If the Pohlads refuse to spend money on pitching, quit.

I would start by firing Gardy and all the coaches. Bad decisions in spring training has the team playing without any leadership. Why build TF if you can't play 500 baseball? How can
you sell seats with no product? Why cut payroll? It starts at the top!

Fire Gardenhire, Ryan, Vavra, Anderson, the rest of the coaching staff, the training staff, and start afresh. Do it tonight. It should have been done years ago.

Manager Mike Redmond, ass. Mickey Hatcher, Hitting C. Tom Brunansky, Pictching C. Bobby Cuellar, 1st & 3b C. Darin Erstad & Paul Molitor, head scouting Seth Stohs.

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Originally Posted by Top Gun

Manager Mike Redmond, ass. Mickey Hatcher, Hitting C. Tom Brunansky, Pictching C. Bobby Cuellar, 1st & 3b C. Darin Erstad & Paul Molitor, head scouting Seth Stohs.

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New GM - Andre David. Talent abound. Seriously, he did hit a homerun in his first major league at-bat after all...

Why in the hell would the first guy you cut from the 25 man be Jeff Gray? He has been a pretty solid, dependable arm from the bullpen, and certainly has been a lot more consistent than most of our starters. He's had a few bad innings, but really how many games has he actually cost us? Now compare that to how many games some of our other pitchers have cost us.


Personally, I'd be getting rid of Plouffe and trying to trade Swarzak long before I'd start messing with any of our regular relievers

Fire Terry Ryan, entire coaching staff, medical staff and ESPECIALLY the scouting depatment. DON'T LET THIS FO MAKE ANY DECISIONS IN THE UPCOMING DRAFT.....THIS DRAFT IS TOO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE CLOWNS SCREW IT UP AGAIN!

At a minimum, the hitting coach needs to go. HIs approach is obviously not working with young players who come up to the majors, completely struggle, and then go back to AAA worse than they ever were. In the end, the entire coaching staff probably needs to go because they are a veteran's coaching staff, not a developmental/rebuilding staff. THey have not shown any patience with young players and want to pretend that we are competing for a divisional title, rather than giving young players experience in the majors.

THe next step, the entire way the organization looks at minor league development needs to change to match the current strategy. Before, when we were at least playoff contenders, we could hang onto our prospects and move them deliberately up the minor league ladder. But, it is now 1982 again. We need to bring the prospects up in a hurry and let them develop at the major league level. THe critics of this idea can talk all they want, but Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and many others demonstrate that this is a legitimate way of developing players in a rebuilding mode, as long as you have the staff at the major league level that is willing to lose 100 games and work with the young players. RIght now, we have a staff that is NOT willing to work with the young players, and prefer to play 38 year old players, and lose 100 games or more. That is not getting us anywhere.

The next step in the process is coming up within 2 weeks, the draft. THe Twins need to look to rapidly rebuild their pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation. THey have 4 picks in the top 100, and I believe each and every one of those four picks should be college starters. Depending on what Houston does, I would take whatever is left between Appel and Gausman, and once he is signed he would be in the Twins rotation. I don't care if his initial ERA is 6.00 as long as he is showing stuff and the major league staff is working with him. Frank Viola's ERAs in his first couple of years were not very impressive either, but I guess he turned out ok.

From the other three picks, and considering former college starters Gibson and WImmer in the mix, I would hope we could get 2 guys up into the rotation in the next 2 years. IF we can get one of our previous HS draft selections, like BJ Hermsen or David Bromberg to reach the majors in addition to the college guys, that would be the beginning.

We may be passig up "potential" and maybe some of the college arms do not have true #1 starting stuff, but we need starters #1-#5. So getting an adequate/above adequate #2, #3, and #5 starter from the draft would be a huge improvement over what we have. Then, there is always next year. IT is pretty apparent that we will have the #1 pick next year and then maybe a true #1 arm is available. IF that is the case and he can get to the majors quickly, our rebuilding will be that much further along.

THere are severel players that need to be evaluated that the Twins seem to be reluctant to. I would make Anthony Slama the closer, at least the co-closer. We are getting no where with Matt Capps, why not find out if this guy can do it in the majors. If he can't, he can't.

And, other veteran players need to be traded in a firesale. Doumit, Carrol, and even Justin Mourneau. I would listen to offers for Joe Mauer and the only reason why he would not be the first to be dumped is his ticket sale value in his hometown. I would like to keep Willingham as our veteran player to work around our rookies/youngsters.

It is going to be a long year, probably a longer next year, and then we should see some light. BUT, if we continue the road we are on, pretending that we are not a rebuilding team, it will be even longer.

Tade all the 30+ veterans with the exception of Willingham and Morneau (Still untradeable I think). Carroll is an ideal utility player on a good team, Doumit brings a decent stick, catcher ability and an expiring contract, Burton is a pretty good setup option, Pavano (if healthy) fills out a rotation. Shop Span and Capps, as well. While Oliveros and Guerra have better upsides, try Slama and Waldrop first. Move Duensing into the rotation.