Going forward, what moves do you think will happen?

[beckmt]

This seems to have wandered a bit off line.  Twins are missing 3 regulars at this time and Sano is not yet back up to full speed.  But we have seen enough to assess the way forward.

1.  3 - 13 in one run games carried to a full season speaks of being very unlucky or a bad manager.  This pace would set a new major league record by about .100 in winning percentage.  Therefore I say lets tag this to the manager and fire Molly. His bullpen usage is about the worst I have seen in many years of watching major league baseball. Twins have 3 pitchers in the top ten of appearances, they are already losing effectiveness, guess what will happen in August and September, but hey we will get a much better draft pick out of it. 

2.  Dozier this year seems to already have lost effectiveness, bring Gordon up to play and put him on the bench, so it hurts his value, he soon will have little anyway.  Alternative is to trade him now for what we can get, maybe can still get a suspect for him.  He is not playing well enough for a QO, so get what you can.  

3.  If Mauer can hit when he comes back, see if he will take a 2/$12 or something in that range, we need to player who understands to take walks and work the count.

4.  Lock up as many of the young players as you can this offseason,  consider trading the ones who will not sign, they will probably move on after 2021.  

5.  Find or develop a great bullpen, if the Brewers can do it, why can't we.  So far the relivers we have in the minors are looking like AAAA types, hope a couple of them can contribute in the next 2 years.

6.  Move Lynn and Ordorizzi close to the trading deadline, they are better than most of the starters that will be on the market, get Gonsalves up here and audition the other starters in Rochester.  See what we have for 2019, so we know what and how many we need to buy.

[beckmt]

 

I'm not all in on these but I have a plan/ideas that aren't far off. While we're a little limited in what we can do because we don't have great organizational depth at this point, there are a couple of things that make sense at least to me.

 

1. Gordon for either Petit or Cave - Gordon is tearing up AAA and we have a window to give him playing time before Polanco comes back.  After that, he can give Dozier/Escobar/Polanco a day off or DH day now or then and Adrianza becomes what he should be - a little used UTL who's there mostly for injury insurance. If we find out that Gordon isn't ready he can go back and guys like Petit are generally available. Keep Cave only if h's going to be in a fight to the death for the 4th OF position with LaMarre and get a chance to play - otherwise back to AAA.

 

2.  DL Pressley and call up Busenitz.  Pressley needs a break and he's got to have a sore shoulder or elbow that could use time off. Busenitz did the job last year and has a 0.41 ERA in AAA. Use him now in the bigs before Rochester overuses him and burns him out. Yeah I know his FIP and xFIP, etc. weren't great last year but those are tools to help you find the answer, they aren't the answer by themselves. What we know is that he had a 1.99 ERA last year with the Twins in 28 appearances, and had 28 SOs in 31.2 innings. Sounds like a guy who can pitch at the MLB level and when Pressley comes back we have a hopefully better guy in the BP.

 

3. Scour the trade market/waiver wire for a RH DH type - doesn't matter where he plays (although OF would be nice). Trade Morrison for what you can get. He was never part of the overall strategic plan anyway, he was just a nice pickup at a good price that might help. Problem is he isn't helping much. Make Sano the everyday 1B who DHs or plays 3B when Mauer gets back. 

 

4.  Bring up Rupp to replace Wilson. Bobby is a nice story, decent but not great defender, and by all accounts a nice guy in the clubhouse. He cannot hit water if he falls out of a boat. Rupp is supposedly a decent but not great defender and he can hit a little. It's reasonable to expect Rupp to give us .230-.240/.300/.400.  Wilson works if you have 8 good hitters and can live with a black hole at one spot. We can't. Alternate Rupp and Garver so Garver gets time to develop and we see if Rupp can be part of the team next year.

 

I think those 4 things would help solve, but not actually solve the offensive problems. The final solution (if there is one) won't come until Mauer and Polanco are back to play every day, Buxton is back with a last year's swing, and Sano remembers how to hit.These last things may come in time. If they don't, this way at least we're developing a few guys now and we can trade veteran starting pitching at the deadline to develop our own at the MLB level.

 

If we're sellers, Lynn, Dozier and Morrison (if he's still around) are obvious sells and Rodney may be the most valuable sell of all - a closer pitching well usually brings a decent return.  Not yet on the trades. Decision time is roughly July 15. Until then, winning takes priority over developing guys. After then, it's all about development for next year and the 3-5 after that. 

RIght now Morrison and Dozier together will not buy you very much if anything.  Dozier needs to go to a club that does not need him to be the focal point of the offense.  Bring up Gordon and when Polonco comes back you will have a better idea of what you need.  My concern with Polonco is that last year was the result of the PED's and not his baseline.  Until we know that, we have very little idea of how to proceed and what we have.

[Riverbrian]

Nick Gordon: I'm doing everything possible to not place him on the 40 man roster until he HAS TO go on the 40 man roster next year. I'm going to start him in the minors in 2019 and call him up when a middle infielder goes down with an injury which will happen but I am not rushing him up this year unless all other considerations are exhausted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ashbury]

He had a menisicus repaired, what exactly do you mean by devastating injury?

Repair was the initial plan. It ended up being removal.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-twins-c-jason-castro-out-for-season-following-knee-surgery-2018-5

 

Maybe knees are equally important to other positions on the baseball field. I think they are pretty key to a catcher's viability. And without that cartilage, the wear and tear on the joint goes up by a lot.

 

With no medical expertise to back me up, my expectation is that we'll hear that his recovery is going according to plan, until time to really test the knee next spring, when we'll learn there's been a setback.

 

And so my view is to make other plans now. A stopgap solution is fine for 2018. A real solution must be achieved for 2019.

 

I'll welcome a healthy and productive Castro, if that happens. Always a good "problem" to have.

[USAFChief]

 

Repair was the initial plan. It ended up being removal.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-twins-c-jason-castro-out-for-season-following-knee-surgery-2018-5

 

Maybe knees are equally important to other positions on the baseball field. I think they are pretty key to a catcher's viability. And without that cartilage, the wear and tear on the joint goes up by a lot.

 

With no medical expertise to back me up, my expectation is that we'll hear that his recovery is going according to plan, until time to really test the knee next spring, when we'll learn there's been a setback.

 

And so my view is to make other plans now. A stopgap solution is fine for 2018. A real solution must be achieved for 2019.

 

I'll welcome a healthy and productive Castro, if that happens. Always a good "problem" to have.

At the least, it calls into serious question the probability of 100+ games caught in 2019. Backup duty is a more realistic possibility.

[jorgenswest]

Nick Gordon: I'm doing everything possible to not place him on the 40 man roster until he HAS TO go on the 40 man roster next year. I'm going to start him in the minors in 2019 and call him up when a middle infielder goes down with an injury which will happen but I am not rushing him up this year unless all other considerations are exhausted.

 

I see three alternatives.

 

By waiting until a few weeks into the age 23 season next year the Twins get control through age 29. That has a lot of value. He also can spend more time developing as a SS in AAA which also has a lot of value.

 

Calling him up at the deadline as a result of a trade of Dozier would give him two months of regular play. At that point the Twins would not need to return him and exercise an option. This gives him both a longer stretch in AAA and experience in the majors heading into next season. It might be the best option for his 2019 readiness.

 

Call him up now to play SS and then move Dozier once Polanco is ready. That is a more selfish desire for me to see him play. Rationally I know how difficult it is to play at the major league level and struggles at the plate and in the field ghouls be expected. It is a probably not a wise move for the Twins.

 

The most long term value sets involves waiting a few weeks into next year. If the Twins are sellers at the deadline they would be wise to capture that value.

[jkcarew]

 

1. Gordon for either Petit or Cave - Gordon is tearing up AAA...

Gordon has an OPS of 745 with 15K and 2 BB.

 

I’d like to see Gordon up (or traded in a package for a MLB catcher) sooner rather than later...but he isn’t tearing up AAA. He got off to a good start and is doing fine...K rate is not atrocious...but BB rate too low.

[Riverbrian]

 

I see three alternatives.

By waiting until a few weeks into the age 23 season next year the Twins get control through age 29. That has a lot of value. He also can spend more time developing as a SS in AAA which also has a lot of value.

Calling him up at the deadline as a result of a trade of Dozier would give him two months of regular play. At that point the Twins would not need to return him and exercise an option. This gives him both a longer stretch in AAA and experience in the majors heading into next season. It might be the best option for his 2019 readiness.

Call him up now to play SS and then move Dozier once Polanco is ready. That is a more selfish desire for me to see him play. Rationally I know how difficult it is to play at the major league level and struggles at the plate and in the field ghouls be expected. It is a probably not a wise move for the Twins.

The most long term value sets involves waiting a few weeks into next year. If the Twins are sellers at the deadline they would be wise to capture that value.

 

We have been burned enough times rushing the next big thing. We have burned enough service time with well below average play waiting for our future superstars to be productive. The last thing I want to see is a 2019 25 man roster that COUNTS on Nick Gordon to be starting anywhere and productive with no reasonable plan B safety net in case he struggles hard. We've been down this path with Hicks and Buxton and nearly everyone with no safety net and we have all seen the truck sized hole it creates when it follows the same path that nearly everyone has taken.  

 

Stash him in AAA to start 2019 and make him the 1st man up after the 1st injury. Once he arrives, play him, let him earn the job at the major league level. If he grabs it with both hands... Hooray for us all. If he doesn't grab it with both hands... we ain't left holding the spillage. 

[Mike Sixel]

Nick Gordon: I'm doing everything possible to not place him on the 40 man roster until he HAS TO go on the 40 man roster next year. I'm going to start him in the minors in 2019 and call him up when a middle infielder goes down with an injury which will happen but I am not rushing him up this year unless all other considerations are exhausted.

Why? He'll be 23 next year. They'll control him at least until he's 29. Shouldn't they, I don't know, try to win some year, rather than worry about a future that may never come?

[Riverbrian]

 

Why? He'll be 23 next year. They'll control him at least until he's 29. Shouldn't they, I don't know, try to win some year, rather than worry about a future that may never come?

 

You are assuming that he is going to come up and play like you think he will play. 

 

What if he doesn't? 

[yarnivek1972]

This seems to have wandered a bit off line. Twins are missing 3 regulars at this time and Sano is not yet back up to full speed. But we have seen enough to assess the way forward.

1. 3 - 13 in one run games carried to a full season speaks of being very unlucky or a bad manager. This pace would set a new major league record by about .100 in winning percentage. Therefore I say lets tag this to the manager and fire Molly. His bullpen usage is about the worst I have seen in many years of watching major league baseball. Twins have 3 pitchers in the top ten of appearances, they are already losing effectiveness, guess what will happen in August and September, but hey we will get a much better draft pick out of it.

2. Dozier this year seems to already have lost effectiveness, bring Gordon up to play and put him on the bench, so it hurts his value, he soon will have little anyway. Alternative is to trade him now for what we can get, maybe can still get a suspect for him. He is not playing well enough for a QO, so get what you can.

3. If Mauer can hit when he comes back, see if he will take a 2/$12 or something in that range, we need to player who understands to take walks and work the count.

4. Lock up as many of the young players as you can this offseason, consider trading the ones who will not sign, they will probably move on after 2021.

5. Find or develop a great bullpen, if the Brewers can do it, why can't we. So far the relivers we have in the minors are looking like AAAA types, hope a couple of them can contribute in the next 2 years.

6. Move Lynn and Ordorizzi close to the trading deadline, they are better than most of the starters that will be on the market, get Gonsalves up here and audition the other starters in Rochester. See what we have for 2019, so we know what and how many we need to buy.

Brian Dozier has a career .776 OPS. It’s sitting at .728 now. That’s literally a couple good days at the plate. Even at the low to mid .800 range of the past couple years would take just a hot week or 10 days.

 

I’m not against trading him, but to say he has “lost effectiveness” is simply not accurate.

[Mike Sixel]

You are assuming that he is going to come up and play like you think he will play.

 

What if he doesn't?

Then send him down. If he doesn't, then worrying about control and options is even sillier. He should have been up most of this year, to get him ready, or have him be good, with Polanco out.

 

I'm assuming he'll be a league average player for several or more years. Maybe not right away, but that's even more reason to have him up now, so he's more ready next year, when they probably need him

[yarnivek1972]

You are assuming that he is going to come up and play like you think he will play.

 

What if he doesn't?

 

But what if he does?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Brian Dozier has a career .776 OPS. It’s sitting at .728 now. That’s literally a couple good days at the plate. Even at the low to mid .800 range of the past couple years would take just a hot week or 10 days.

 

I’m not against trading him, but to say he has “lost effectiveness” is simply not accurate.

his OPS in 2016 .886, his OPS in 2017 was .856. 150 points of OPS is nothing to blow off. He could, and has, recover, but he won’t have that type of production by the non waiver trade deadline.

[old nurse]

 

OK.  Let's just put this in the most possible of neutral terms.  How do odds makers see the Twins versus the teams I mentioned. These are the odds of winning the American League pennant.

 

Houston 11/4

NY 3/1

Boston  7/2

Twins 25/1

 

In other words the other teams are roughly 8X more likely to go to the world series. Any reasonable assessment of their odds is that the odds are significantly against them. Any other interpretation is homerism in my opinion. I gave you an opening to make a meaningful argument. In what areas are the Twins equivalent to NY, Boston, and Houston? You can just argue that any team can get hot. While true, that's a very empty premise, especially in terms of how to manage assets.

Odds are what the oddsmakers figure out how to extract your money and put it into their wallet.

[Riverbrian]

 

But what if he does?

 

Then everybody gets all excited thinking that the SS (or 2B) spot is solved forever and during the off-season the front office thinks that it has Polanco and Gordon to man the infield spots and they let Dozier and Escobar sign elsewhere and they don't worry about trading for or signing any middle infield replacements.  

 

Then after Gordon is handed the job with all our hopes and dreams attached to it... He spends April and May of 2019 hitting .156/.183/.383.

 

The Twins then send him back down to Rochester to fix it and they bring back Adrianaza with a current 2019 slash line of .238/.302/.683.

 

BTW... Adrianaza is available to us on waivers because he was just released by the Blue Jays to make room for Vlad Jr. who they got an extra year of service time out of by waiting until May 2019. 

 

Meanwhile... Gordon goes back down to Rochester... works on some things and goes through some peaks and valleys and everybody here is screaming again: "I've had enough Adrianaza" but now the Twins have learned their lesson... They are not going to call Gordon back up until necessary because he struggled really bad.

 

Thank God they signed Brett Lawrie to a minor league contract that he can opt out of if he isn't called up by June 1. Brett is doing OK in AAA so they call him up and release Tyler Jay from the 40 man to give him a spot. 

 

Now you've done nothing to help 2018 because we had to trade Dozier because we were out of contention and Gordon needed a place to play... and you've started 2019 with a big hole that Adrianaza and Lawrie have to fill and they do so unsatisfactorily. 

 

As the years go by... Gordon does work himself into a productive role on the 25 man roster. He has a couple of average years with a variety of injuries and he finally makes the all-star team in 2024 and he signs as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves the following season. 

 

With my plan... Gordon starts 2019 down on the farm... We sign a major league ready SS (or 2B) and have Gordon as a safety net in case Polanco breaks his leg diving into the 2nd row on a foul pop.

 

 

We gain the year of control and when Gordon comes up to play... he isn't expected to save us. 

 

 

[jorgenswest]

Question on Gordon...

 

If they bring him up this year do they control through 28 or 29?

 

He could easily struggle this year and be very valuable his age 29 (or is it 30) season. That is the argument for waiting as well as continuing to develop his defense at SS.

 

I find the argument persuasive but I am not entirely convinced. If after 150 AAA plate appearances he is showing good command of the strike zone and is barreling up balls that he should barrel up, I think I would be on the side of calling him up. I am not sure the data will help us see progress in this area but strike out and walk rates as well as ISO start to become reliable at that point.

 

Calling him up for the last two months after a strong showing in AAA (as shown by strike zone command and barrelsj will give him valuable experience towards a successful start next year. I really need to be convinced to give up a season in his prime though.

[old nurse]

 

his OPS in 2016 .886, his OPS in 2017 was .856. 150 points of OPS is nothing to blow off. He could, and has, recover, but he won’t have that type of production by the non waiver trade deadline.

2016 from June 11 to July 31 Dozier hit 12 hr an an OPS near 1.0  That kind of tear would get his OPS well over 800. If you subscribe to the theory he did it before, he can do it again. Just to prove how streaky he is, over the same period in 2017 his OPS was .779.

[Riverbrian]

 

Then send him down. If he doesn't, then worrying about control and options is even sillier. He should have been up most of this year, to get him ready, or have him be good, with Polanco out.

I'm assuming he'll be a league average player for several or more years. Maybe not right away, but that's even more reason to have him up now, so he's more ready next year, when they probably need him

 

Every prospect down on the farm... We can't help assuming that they will play like we think they will play. 

 

How many times has Lucy taken the football away from you Charlie Brown?  

[old nurse]

 

 

Question on Gordon...

If they bring him up this year do they control through 28 or 29?

He could easily struggle this year and be very valuable his age 29 (or is it 30) season. That is the argument for waiting as well as continuing to develop his defense at SS.

I find the argument persuasive but I am not entirely convinced. If after 150 AAA plate appearances he is showing good command of the strike zone and is barreling up balls that he should barrel up, I think I would be on the side of calling him up. I am not sure the data will help us see progress in this area but strike out and walk rates as well as ISO start to become reliable at that point.

Calling him up for the last two months after a strong showing in AAA (as shown by strike zone command and barrelsj will give him valuable experience towards a successful start next year. I really need to be convinced to give up a season in his prime though.

6 years of service time. 172 days of roster time. Gordon would have to spend this year and next April in the minors to get to  control him through age 30.  Any time spent up this year would prolong  another time being optioned to keep control through 30. I do not know if he is not called up that the brass likes him and wants to keep control or they do not think enough of him to bring him up.   He might be a better trade chip not exposed to MLB pitching

[Mike Sixel]

Never call them up! Never trade them!

 

Vlad isn't even twenty, and will be a superstar. There is zero they have in common. The twins have a window coming now or soon.

 

The twins somehow have a great farm system, but we should keep the prospects down, because they'll fail. Such a defeatist attitude.

 

We will never agree on this, and I've made my points. Any more comments are just us talking past each other.

[Riverbrian]

We will never agree on this, and I've made my points. Any more comments are just us talking past each other.

 

You are probably right... we may never agree on this but we are not talking past each other. Regardless, you and I can stop the discussion if you'd like but I will continue on using your points to express my thoughts to others.  

 

Never call them up! Never trade them!

 

This is an extreme response and also impossible for teams to execute. The CBA states that you will have to place them on the 40 man roster eventually or expose them to the rule 5 draft. Once placed on the 40 man roster, the CBA states that they must be eventually placed on the 25 man roster or exposed to waivers. There is quite a bit of difference between delaying being placed on the 40 man roster and never calling them up. As for never trading them... prospects are traded all the time. If the Twins get into contention. They might be fielding some offers for Gordon from the Rangers, Reds or Pirates. If they are not in contention... they might trade Dozier and THEN call up Gordon. I'd rather they wait to set up for a stronger 2019 but Jorgenswest was right when he laid out the alternatives. 

 

Vlad isn't even twenty, and will be a superstar. There is zero they have in common.

 

At no point did I say that Vlad and Gordon have anything in common... other than suggest... the Blue Jays gained an extra year of control by waiting when the Twins didn't. I was loosely implying that the Jays will be considering Service Time when they decide to call up Vlad... just like the Braves did with Acuna, Bryant with the Cubs, Torres with the Yankees and every single minor league prospect not named Jason Heyward. 

 

The twins have a window coming now or soon.

 

I believe the window should be open right now and I'm hopeful that it lasts a while with the Starting Pitching depth that we currently have. I'm hoping that 2018 taught the front office a lesson that they need to consider depth a little bit more when crafting a roster to support that starting pitching depth. I think we are better off with Gordon as a depth piece than we are with Petit as a depth piece. Hand the job to Gordon and he fails or gets hurt (He might not) and you got to go to AAAA guy like we are doing this year. Hand the job to Asdrubal Cabrera or someone and he fails or gets hurt... Now you got Gordon (added to the 40 man roster in the off season) to replace him and saving service time. If you want Gordon now... Petit is the type of guy who is handcuffed to him in 2019 if he is successful. 

 

The twins somehow have a great farm system, but we should keep the prospects down, because they'll fail. Such a defeatist attitude.

 

I'm not declaring that they WILL fail. I'm saying that if they do and they do often... We are back rummaging through the scrap heap to replace them because we promoted our safety net too soon and lost a year of service time in the process. 2019 is worse and 2025 is worse because you rushed a guy when all you had to do is what every single major league team does. 

 

 

 

 

[ewen21]

 

his OPS in 2016 .886, his OPS in 2017 was .856. 150 points of OPS is nothing to blow off. He could, and has, recover, but he won’t have that type of production by the non waiver trade deadline.

In the case of Dozier we need to be asking what kind of player will he be in 2019, 2020 and 2021.  He is going to look for a three year deal from us at the very least.  Somewhere in the order of 3 years/ 50 million.

 

Let some other team pay him for what he did from 2015 to 2017.  I cannot see him at 33 and 34 years old giving that kind of production or even close to it.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

In the case of Dozier we need to be asking what kind of player will he be in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He is going to look for a three year deal from us at the very least. Somewhere in the order of 3 years/ 50 million.

 

Let some other team pay him for what he did from 2015 to 2017. I cannot see him at 33 and 34 years old giving that kind of production or even close to it.

could not agree more!

[Otto von Ballpark]

I have been warming to him, but Gordon doesn't strike me as the kind of prospect you play service time games with. Of course, that cuts both ways -- he may not be good enough to move quickly to the majors either.

 

With Dozier, Escobar, and Sano starting in the infield, and Polanco due back soon, I don't think you bother with a Gordon promotion yet. Maybe at the trade deadline if one of those guys is dealt.

 

Wade was a guy they could have been more aggressive with -- repeating AA was kind of silly -- but glad to see him in AAA, and another interesting younger guy in Cave starting to get the available MLB reps right now.

[beckmt]

 

Brian Dozier has a career .776 OPS. It’s sitting at .728 now. That’s literally a couple good days at the plate. Even at the low to mid .800 range of the past couple years would take just a hot week or 10 days.

I’m not against trading him, but to say he has “lost effectiveness” is simply not accurate.

So you are saying that a bad week that moves him under .700 is not also a possibility.  I am saying GM's know what they think is correct.  Dozier has tended to have very good second halves (most of which occurred under no pressure).  All is takes in one GM to pay the correct price.  If Dozier goes under .700 OPS, he will have no trade value.

[beckmt]

 

Then everybody gets all excited thinking that the SS (or 2B) spot is solved forever and during the off-season the front office thinks that it has Polanco and Gordon to man the infield spots and they let Dozier and Escobar sign elsewhere and they don't worry about trading for or signing any middle infield replacements.  

 

Then after Gordon is handed the job with all our hopes and dreams attached to it... He spends April and May of 2019 hitting .156/.183/.383.

 

The Twins then send him back down to Rochester to fix it and they bring back Adrianaza with a current 2019 slash line of .238/.302/.683.

 

BTW... Adrianaza is available to us on waivers because he was just released by the Blue Jays to make room for Vlad Jr. who they got an extra year of service time out of by waiting until May 2019. 

 

Meanwhile... Gordon goes back down to Rochester... works on some things and goes through some peaks and valleys and everybody here is screaming again: "I've had enough Adrianaza" but now the Twins have learned their lesson... They are not going to call Gordon back up until necessary because he struggled really bad.

 

Thank God they signed Brett Lawrie to a minor league contract that he can opt out of if he isn't called up by June 1. Brett is doing OK in AAA so they call him up and release Tyler Jay from the 40 man to give him a spot. 

 

Now you've done nothing to help 2018 because we had to trade Dozier because we were out of contention and Gordon needed a place to play... and you've started 2019 with a big hole that Adrianaza and Lawrie have to fill and they do so unsatisfactorily. 

 

As the years go by... Gordon does work himself into a productive role on the 25 man roster. He has a couple of average years with a variety of injuries and he finally makes the all-star team in 2024 and he signs as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves the following season. 

 

With my plan... Gordon starts 2019 down on the farm... We sign a major league ready SS (or 2B) and have Gordon as a safety net in case Polanco breaks his leg diving into the 2nd row on a foul pop.

 

 

We gain the year of control and when Gordon comes up to play... he isn't expected to save us. 

This might be fine if we did not expect to contend in 2019 or just wait until next year and the good hitters will all move on because their is no commitment to winning here.

[David HK]

 

I would start by firing Molly and hiring a Latin manager with some fire. I would then trade Rodney, Reed, Duke, Pressly, hopefully Cleveland will give us something decent for 2 of these. Trade Lynn and Gibson to either Boston or NY, they both need starters. Trade Dozier if you can get a decent offer. Otherwise will probably have to give a QO at end of year.
Try and get the young core to sign longer extensions, consider trading those who do not sign in the off-season. All offers must be reasonable, not giveaways or salary relief.

What's Ozzie up to these days?

 

Heh... what a treat that would be-- light a fire under this team, and stick it to Chicago at the same time...

[beckmt]

 

What's Ozzie up to these days?

 

Heh... what a treat that would be-- light a fire under this team, and stick it to Chicago at the same time...

No answer to this question, but Gardy looks like an all star manager compared to Molly.

[David HK]

 

Wade was a guy they could have been more aggressive with -- repeating AA was kind of silly -- but glad to see him in AAA, and another interesting younger guy in Cave starting to get the available MLB reps right now.

Cave hits for a week or so, it's bye-bye LaMarre.