Article: Twins Final Cuts: Much Ado About (Almost) Nothing

[Guest USAFChief]

Those options went poof this spring with the Sano injury, the baffling absence of Rosario and Buxton's wrist.

I doubt any of those, except possibly Sano, were ever realistic options this spring. And We'll never know, but I think Sano was unlikely to go north even if he was healthy and played like an AS all through spring training.

[jokin]

If there were truly intriguing alternatives within the organization, I'd hope that they'd be in that bad 1-9 order somewhere, not on the bench.

 

Those options went poof this spring with the Sano injury, the baffling absence of Rosario and Buxton's wrist.

 

 

And why should the alternatives have been limited to just prospects within the organization and Ex-Twins coming back on sweetheart deals?

[TheLeviathan]

Those options went poof this spring with the Sano injury, the baffling absence of Rosario and Buxton's wrist.

 

Only one of those three was realistically on this roster right now.

 

The problem was targeting Presley in a trade and then giving him away for nothing. That and spending the offseason acquiring guys that are husks of good players.

[Mr. Brooks]

Actually, I'd day keeping the jasons over hermann is a pretty big something.

Not because of anything that any of those 3 would or would not do, but because keeping hermann would allow Pinto to play everyday. With a third catcher, Pinto could dh on the days he is not catching.

And don't tell me he will without a third catcher. Gardy has a pretty defined track record regarding this, and zebras don't change their stripes.

[nicksaviking]

Financial commitment is minimal on both and if it doesn't work out they can be jettisoned relatively painlessly.

 

The financial commitment would have been even less had they started in Rochester.

[Shane Wahl]

Factually, it is much ado about (almost) nothing.

 

Symbolically, it is representative of the uninspired course that this organization has been following for (more) than the past three years.

 

How many teams seek to change "team chemistry" through the 25th man on their roster? Teams change team chemistry by changing the leadership of the organization -- the GM and/or the manager. And then they may make some additions or deletions to the roster that contribute to a change in chemistry.

 

Will Bartlett (or Kubel) for that matter make or break this team? No. But it just demonstrates that the "old boys club" atmosphere is still in place in Minnesota. Same old, same old.

 

Boom. Exactly.

[Jim Crikket]

Actually, I'd day keeping the jasons over hermann is a pretty big something.

Not because of anything that any of those 3 would or would not do, but because keeping hermann would allow Pinto to play everyday. With a third catcher, Pinto could dh on the days he is not catching.

And don't tell me he will without a third catcher. Gardy has a pretty defined track record regarding this, and zebras don't change their stripes.

 

I don't think there's any way Pinto was going to break camp as anything resembling a primary DH. The aspect of his game that needs to develop is defense and he should be attached to Suzuki at the hip for the first several weeks, learning how a MLB catcher prepares to call a game and works with the pitchers.

[Shane Wahl]

Florimon is going to play out of the gates, right? So now there is no excuse to have Bartlett instead of Herrmann on this roster. A couple of things will make this clear:

 

1. If Jason Kubel is DHing EVER against LH pitching (instead of Pinto)

2. If Bartlett starts looking bad in the OF and the Twins have to keep both Willingham and Arcia in the corners late in games.

[cmathewson]

Florimon is going to play out of the gates, right? So now there is no excuse to have Bartlett instead of Herrmann on this roster. A couple of things will make this clear:

 

1. If Jason Kubel is DHing EVER against LH pitching (instead of Pinto)

2. If Bartlett starts looking bad in the OF and the Twins have to keep both Willingham and Arcia in the corners late in games.

 

Well, the reasons they might cite is that Bartlett can pinch run and play center field. I'm not sure how well he can do either relative to Hermann. Somewhat better for sure.

[Mr. Brooks]

I don't think there's any way Pinto was going to break camp as anything resembling a primary DH. The aspect of his game that needs to develop is defense and he should be attached to Suzuki at the hip for the first several weeks, learning how a MLB catcher prepares to call a game and works with the pitchers.

 

I guess I'm not sure how DH'ing on the days he's not catching would affect any of what you just said.