Time to make some moves!

[drock2190]

The front office needs to stop sitting on their hands and make some moves.

 

Its pretty obvious Santana needs to be in the minors.

 

A DH is needed and there are some options like Vargas or even Kepler.

 

Stauffer is pretty terrible and needs to be replaced. Duensing is bad too.

 

Did I miss anything? Good teams are constantly trying to improve themselves not be complacent.

[a-wan]

"Good teams?" I'm not sure the Twins will be considered a, "Good team" by the end of the year. 

[Craig Arko]

"Good teams?" I'm not sure the Twins will be considered a, "Good team" by the end of the year.

 

I suppose if it was the end of the year that would be relevant.

 

Really got to reduce the pen and add a bat-man. I'd even consider Ben Affleck at this point.

[Bark's Lounge]

The good thing is the Twins are still 9 games over .500 on June 6. For this we should all be grateful.

 

Except for Dozier, Hunter, and perhaps Rosario, the hitters are slumping, a week or two ago things were more on the upswing.

 

To keep something working well, you need to make adjustments on the fly, and this really does seem like the time for the Twins to make some adjustments.

 

Certainly the easiest of adjustments would be to recall Vargas, option Santana down. Sure, he's gonna strike out a lot, but we are missing fear from the middle of our line-up. We need the fear.

 

Stauffer and Duensing being released would be a good adjustment, replacing them with Tonkin, Oliveros or maybe even being risqué and calling up Zach Jones.

 

I like our everyday outfield with Rosario, Hicks, and Hunter.

 

I can live with an everyday infield of Plouffe, Escobar, Dozier and Mauer.

 

Herrmann has gave it his best, and although Pinto has being mediocre, this would be an adjustment I would be on board with. Herrmann has been a good soldier, but in the long run we need to see what Pinto can do with limited playing time, although I would cut back Suzuki's playing time to give pinto more reps.

 

These are not drastic moves, make them and let's see if it helps the cause. Doing nothing right now does not seem like a good idea.

 

 

[howeda7]

Santana, Duensing and Stauffer should be gone. Vargas, Pinto, and Oliveros up; But they will likely do none of the above.

[stringer bell]

The last two days have shown the soft underbelly of the team. Outside of Dozier, no one is going well. Plouffe and Santana are really struggling and they don't have many backup options on the team.

 

For quite a while, the Twins have relied on the top of the order to get a big hit. They need more contributions from more players. A lot of guys are limited and a couple could use time in AAA.

[spinowner]

First, a two-game losing streak is no reason do anything with the roster you wouldn't have done otherwise. Small sample size, people.

Second, the team is still in first place.

Third, I'm a futurist, not a presentist, so I say put the development of the players ahead of trying to win as many games as possible. That doesn't mean I think the team should tank games. Players should try to play their best whenever they are in the game, but TR and PM should make sure the top prospects are properly handled.

[Bark's Lounge]

 

First, a two-game losing streak is no reason do anything with the roster you wouldn't have done otherwise. Small sample size, people.

Second, the team is still in first place.

Third, I'm a futurist, not a presentist, so I say put the development of the players ahead of trying to win as many games as possible. That doesn't mean I think the team should tank games. Players should try to play their best whenever they are in the game, but TR and PM should make sure the top prospects are properly handled.

Losing 2 games in a row is not a big deal. It's the trend right now that is concerning. It is time for an intervention of sorts and switch a few things up.

 

I certainly am not promoting trades of our top-mid prospects to strengthen the team. Promote from within, lose some of the dead weight and see how that works. If that move works then we will probably have to cross another bridge in the next month and a half. One step at a time.

[Danchat]

Thankfully our starting pitchers haven't gone off the rails yet. If they ever do, that's when our season will be in jeopardy. 

 

For now, the Twins should send Santana to AAA and bring back a DH - I don't care who, as long as it's somebody like Vargas, Kepler, Pinto, or even Daniel Ortiz. Just not Doug Bernier.

 

The Twins need to part with both Duensing and Stauffer to open up room for another batter and bullpen arm. I'd like to see Achter get a shot to stick on the major league roster.

[Lonestar]

 

First, a two-game losing streak is no reason do anything with the roster you wouldn't have done otherwise. Small sample size, people.

Second, the team is still in first place.

Third, I'm a futurist, not a presentist, so I say put the development of the players ahead of trying to win as many games as possible. That doesn't mean I think the team should tank games. Players should try to play their best whenever they are in the game, but TR and PM should make sure the top prospects are properly handled.

If you are a futurist, not a presentist, would you not jetison Stauffer and Duensing?  Would you not have Vargas in the lineup?

 

If you are a futurist, could you not see Santana getting ready for the future in Rochester where he can work on pitch recognition, plate discipline, and defense while saving his service time for the future?

[twinsnorth49]

"Good teams?" I'm not sure the Twins will be considered a, "Good team" by the end of the year.

They probably won't be if they don't make some moves, which it appears is the OP's point.

[beckmt]

2 games seems to be a bit quick.  I have no problem with parting with either of Stauffer or Duensing or both. Molitor does not seem to trust them, so why have 2 mops.  Santana give another week or two.  Thing can change and working with Bruno could be best. 

[drjim]

I imagine they would like to send down Santana but don't feel good about any of the options to replace him defensively at SS. I probably agree.

 

I still don't get why everyone is excited about Oliveros other than he is a slight upgrade over the two guys that probably don't belong. Tonkin is better and the only RP in Rochester who can move the needle is Meyer. Might be time to roll the dice.

 

Arcia and Pinto aren't hitting and people are way too optimistic about a Vargas return. He needs more time. I personally would still give Pinto a look, though it does little for the LH power problem.

[Willihammer]

 

First, a two-game losing streak is no reason do anything with the roster you wouldn't have done otherwise. Small sample size, people.

Second, the team is still in first place.

Third, I'm a futurist, not a presentist, so I say put the development of the players ahead of trying to win as many games as possible. That doesn't mean I think the team should tank games. Players should try to play their best whenever they are in the game, but TR and PM should make sure the top prospects are properly handled.

All the issues raised pre-date the current losing spat. They have been pretty obvious for a while in fact.

[Rosterman]

All will be well when Jordan Schafer returns.  And, bring back Thielbar!

[Captain Hindsight]

I imagine a variation of these moves will be made throughout the course of the season, but not with the haste that a few of the posters would like. Good teams generally do not turn over 3 to 4 spots on their roster in a short period. Some fans too often want to treat the roster like a carousel with every up and down performance.

 

Pulling the trigger on Duensing and Stauffer at the same time leaves us with few options if players like Oliveros or Achter struggle or get hurt. If either continue to show no signs of life then we will likely see one jettisoned soon, most likely Stauffer, because Duensing is a lefty and has a history with the team. I wasn't much of a fan of either the Pinto and (especially) Vargas moves, but I find it doubtful that if they continue to hit well in AAA we will see neither (along with Arcia) at some point this summer, though Pinto isn't exactly dominating. 

[Old Twins Cap]

The point is:  The Twins are thin. 

 

Somehow they tricked and treated their way to First Place and now we get the heart of the season and it turns out, they are not a First Place team in their lineup.  Too many easy outs, too many guys giving away at-bats, not enough power threats to keep pressure on other teams.

 

And, in reality, the Twins don't have many options.  I like the idea of giving Polanco a shot at shortstop, but he's making errors at AA, and I'm not clear if he has the arm, range and demeanor to be SS at MLB level.

 

Sure, they can and should (over time) bring back Vargas and Arcia.  What they really lack is LH power, even if just extra bases.   Not clear that either one can do that consistently.  As we saw today, young hitters strike out with runners in scoring position and it deflates the team.

 

The Twins are destined to fade at this point:  not enough offense, not enough defense and not enough relief pitching.  A smart GM would make a trade to bring in a little offense or bullpen, help keep them in the race for the experience of the young players.  Don't trade the future, but clear some 40-men out and add a piece or two that make sense for a year from now.

 

And, at some point, decide on SS.  With Santana, Escobar, Polanco and Gordon, there is depth and quality that can serve the future.  But, we don't need them all.

 

 

 

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

2 games seems to be a bit quick.  I have no problem with parting with either of Stauffer or Duensing or both. Molitor does not seem to trust them, so why have 2 mops.  Santana give another week or two.  Thing can change and working with Bruno could be best.

 

its not the two games, many of the things mentioned above have been weeks in the making, even in the winning tear they were on.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Calling up Vargas would immediately improve the lineup and I honestly don't see how it would derail his development. He's been around the block now. It would probably even help, with getting to the 1,000 at-bat benchmark and all that stuff people talk about.

[Mike Sixel]

Duensing and Stauffer have been bad for over a year.....and yet, here they remain. There is really no good reason either is here. None.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I imagine they would like to send down Santana but don't feel good about any of the options to replace him defensively at SS

Couldn't the same have been said about Vargas, offensively, at DH? Actually that drop-off seems steeper to me.

[BoomBoom]

Vargas essentially came up from AA last year.  Why not do the same with Polanco?  He can really rake.

[drjim]

 

Couldn't the same have been said about Vargas, offensively, at DH? Actually that drop-off seems steeper to me.

 

Sure. But this is for the long term good of Vargas. And has the added bonus of avoiding everyone posting later in the year or next year how the Twins screwed up his development.

 

People post that calling up Vargas and Oliveros is going to make some kind of significant difference. It's not. People can certainly correctly diagnose the flaw and holes with this team, but the solutions leave something to be desired. This team is just flawed, luckily like the rest of the league.

[drjim]

 

Vargas essentially came up from AA last year.  Why not do the same with Polanco?  He can really rake.

 

For the same reason that Vargas had to get sent back down now. And Polanco is worse than Santana on D, and it would get exposed that much more in the bigs.

[drjim]

Reusse on twitter last night suggested that Buxton will be up in a couple of weeks. That is the type of move I would get behind. Bring him and Meyer up (for the bullpen) and roll with the talent even if it is a little early.

 

Let Hunter DH most of the time, and when one of Arcia/Vargas/Sano is ready bump Hicks to a 4th OF slot where he probably belongs.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

For the same reason that Vargas had to get sent back down now. And Polanco is worse than Santana on D, and it would get exposed that much more in the bigs.

Per Scoggins, Dougie says Polanco is MLB ready right now:

 

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/18515-scoggins-chattanoogas-grade-a-talent-in-aa-town/

 

If Vargas is even an incremental improvement for the lineup, I say bring him in. Twins have been dealt a great hand in 2015 and should look for whatever edge they can, even more so while they're in the race.

 

I applaud the Twins for improving their outfield situation by calling up Rosario and Hicks. Let's keep going.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Reusse on twitter last night suggested that Buxton will be up in a couple of weeks. That is the type of move I would get behind. Bring him and Meyer up (for the bullpen) and roll with the talent even if it is a little early.

 

Let Hunter DH most of the time, and when one of Arcia/Vargas/Sano is ready bump Hicks to a 4th OF slot where he probably belongs.

I can get behind most of this, except maybe Hicks has a slight temporary edge in the field over Buxton, given Hicks' familiarity with MLB and he's fielding center really well right now. Hicks being prone to lapses, that might change, however.

[spinowner]

 

Reusse on twitter last night suggested that Buxton will be up in a couple of weeks. That is the type of move I would get behind. Bring him and Meyer up (for the bullpen) and roll with the talent even if it is a little early.

 

Let Hunter DH most of the time, and when one of Arcia/Vargas/Sano is ready bump Hicks to a 4th OF slot where he probably belongs.

I think Hicks is probably one of the top 3 outfielders in the organization at this point in time. He's an average offensive player, maybe a little less, but his defense has been top notch. Next year I expect our four outfielders to be Arcia, Buxton, Hicks and Rosario. Buxton will play center. Hicks will play right or, when Buxton has a day off, center. Arcia will play left or, when Vargas has a day off, DH. Rosario will play left or right when Hicks or Arcia has a day off. I'd anticipate that Hicks, Arcia and Rosario will get approximately equal playing time.

[blairpaul715]

 

Per Scoggins, Dougie says Polanco is MLB ready right now:

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/18515-scoggins-chattanoogas-grade-a-talent-in-aa-town/

 

'Most ready' for a promotion doesnt mean 'ready' or ready for MLB, there is also AAA that most , not all prospects go thru before getting to the SHOW..........So nowhere did Dougie say Polanco is MLB ready, that is what you read , not what was said.

[Mike Sixel]

Sure. But this is for the long term good of Vargas. And has the added bonus of avoiding everyone posting later in the year or next year how the Twins screwed up his development.

 

People post that calling up Vargas and Oliveros is going to make some kind of significant difference. It's not. People can certainly correctly diagnose the flaw and holes with this team, but the solutions leave something to be desired. This team is just flawed, luckily like the rest of the league.

The top three farm system hasto nothing offer?