Does the Front Office owe us an explanation?

[Riverbrian]

 

I wouldn't advise they tear into them like they were posting on here, but I don't think they're going to pull someones' press pass over them asking about Pressly having appeared in 49 games already, or why we're choosing to run with Belisle instead of some of our triple A guys, or why we're using a roster spot on Matt Magill and have only used him 8 times since the start of june

 

What do you hope to accomplish with these questions? 

 

Are you looking for a sensible answer to each question or are you just trying to get the reporter to punch them in the mouth for you? 

 

If you are looking for a sensible response that perfectly explains why? They will give you a standard answer that explains it without tearing down others but the answer probably isn't going to satisfy you if what you really want to accomplish with the question is have the reporter punch them in the mouth for you. 

 

Ballsy Reporter: Why is Matt Belisle on the roster? 

 

Front Office Answer A: Matt is a veteran presence who has always been the utmost professional. We saw what his presence meant to this team last year. We have known Matt for quite some time and have always respected his work ethic.   

 

Front Office Answer B: Ever since we decided to not offer him a contract in the off-season. Paul has been whining about it non-stop so we signed Belisle so he would shut up for awhile. 

 

Front Office Answer C: Our Bullpen hasn't been good... We have blown 20 saves and we had to do something. Reed, Duke and Pressly haven't been near what we were hoping they would be. 

 

 

 

If you are Falvey or Lavine... What additional problems do you cause with Answer B or C and what do you solve with answer B or C being shared with 600 million people? 

 

My opinion... Answer B and C should probably be handled in-house. 

 

 

 

 

[Riverbrian]

 

Also known as the "Fox News School of Journalistic Processes."

 

edit: "Processi?" Dunno, but you get the point.

 

What we need is the Twins Baseball Mike Wallace equivalent. Good honest investigative reporting. 

 

Tonight on 60 minutes (Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick) The Minnesota Twins recently signed 38 year old relief pitcher Matt Belisle to a major league contract... just one day after being released by their division rival the Cleveland Indians. Despite having one of the lowest operating budgets in the world they were able to Guarentee 600 thousand dollars to a relief pitcher that will be used a couple of times a week for approximately 3 months. We spoke with the President of Baseball Operations about the reason why. 

 

(Cut to Video: Derek Falvey looking up to sky with tears streaming down his face) We thought we got rid of him in October. You know... you come into this job with a plan and never in your wildest dreams can imagine the volume of things that you don't see coming. We thought we got rid of him in October! (Bangs Fist on Table).  

 

I'm Mike Wallace

I'm Morley Safer

I'm Anderson Cooper

I'm Ed Bradley

These Stories and More tonight on 60 Minutes (Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick)

[Thrylos]

I think that the Twins Front Office, Field Staff, President, and Owners need a good infusion of East Coast media and attitudes about winning and questioning losers.

 

Fans too.  Apparently.

 

[Riverbrian]

 

I think that the Twins Front Office, Field Staff, President, and Owners need a good infusion of East Coast media and attitudes about winning and questioning losers.

 

Fans too.  Apparently.

 

Have you got any recent examples of Brian Cashman or Dave Dombrowski speaking freely to the East Coast Media? 

 

I looked and I can't find any. 

 

Or are you talking about columnists making Cashman a chew toy? 

[Thrylos]

 

Have you got any recent examples of Brian Cashman or Dave Dombrowski speaking freely to the East Coast Media? 

 

I looked and I can't find any. 

 

Or are you talking about columnists making Cashman a chew toy? 

 

The latter.  And not only Cashman.  And not only columnists.  Girardi was driven out of town by the media.

[Riverbrian]

 

The latter.  And not only Cashman.  And not only columnists.  Girardi was driven out of town by the media.

 

NEW YORK -- General manager Brian Cashman decided the New York Yankees should part ways with Joe Girardi because he felt that the manager's "connectivity" with the clubhouse was not good enough.

 

"That's the primary position," Cashman said.

 

 

the overriding reason that Cashman soured on Girardi was the "connectivity and communication" issue with players, which was a concern to the GM as the Yankees move into their next phase of their youth movement led by Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and the rest of the Baby Bombers.

 

Girardi acknowledged that he probably didn't give the media everything they wanted.

 

"The thing about my personality is that I'm very protective of the players," he said. "And you have to be these days with social media."

[glunn]

 

What do you hope to accomplish with these questions? 

 

Are you looking for a sensible answer to each question or are you just trying to get the reporter to punch them in the mouth for you? 

 

If you are looking for a sensible response that perfectly explains why? They will give you a standard answer that explains it without tearing down others but the answer probably isn't going to satisfy you if what you really want to accomplish with the question is have the reporter punch them in the mouth for you. 

 

Ballsy Reporter: Why is Matt Belisle on the roster? 

 

Front Office Answer A: Matt is a veteran presence who has always been the utmost professional. We saw what his presence meant to this team last year. We have known Matt for quite some time and have always respected his work ethic.   

 

Front Office Answer B: Ever since we decided to not offer him a contract in the off-season. Paul has been whining about it non-stop so we signed Belisle so he would shut up for awhile. 

 

Front Office Answer C: Our Bullpen hasn't been good... We have blown 20 saves and we had to do something. Reed, Duke and Pressly haven't been near what we were hoping they would be. 

 

 

 

If you are Falvey or Lavine... What additional problems do you cause with Answer B or C and what do you solve with answer B or C being shared with 600 million people? 

 

My opinion... Answer B and C should probably be handled in-house. 

Great post.

[Twodogs]

Luuuucyyy!!!!!

 

You got some splainen to do!!

[mngopherguy]

 

I wouldn't advise they tear into them like they were posting on here, but I don't think they're going to pull someones' press pass over them asking about Pressly having appeared in 49 games already, or why we're choosing to run with Belisle instead of some of our triple A guys, or why we're using a roster spot on Matt Magill and have only used him 8 times since the start of june

 

Usage is a manager question.  

[mngopherguy]

 

I think that the Twins Front Office, Field Staff, President, and Owners need a good infusion of East Coast media and attitudes about winning and questioning losers.

 

Fans too.  Apparently.

 

The day Minnesota starts acting like the East Coast, is the day I move.  

[The Wise One]

 

I wouldn't advise they tear into them like they were posting on here, but I don't think they're going to pull someones' press pass over them asking about Pressly having appeared in 49 games already, or why we're choosing to run with Belisle instead of some of our triple A guys, or why we're using a roster spot on Matt Magill and have only used him 8 times since the start of june

What AAA right hander has any sort of command and control that demands they be called up? Baxendale with a slow fastball? 

[The Wise One]

 

Probably not. Hot shot office types don’t think they ever do......

But-

1.) Buxton situation playing through broken toe. (For that matter, not giving him any time in Rochester after long DL stint)
2.) Belisle
3.) Use of relievers (see Magill, Belisle, etc.)
4.) Wilson love
(For starters)

Twin city reporters are gutless. Same with FSN interviews-can’t remember any tough questions for Molitor)
Look, this is a bad team now. It’s going to happen.
But it would be nice to know if they had any discernible plans for this group. It’s embarrassing to watch this train wreck now!

2. it has been well covered why they brought him in. Seek and you will find. It is also nothing is spoon fed,  You have to look.  FIP says that he is a league average pitcher. 

4. Stupid effing front office so blind or clueless that they can not see that Casto was a ticking time bomb waiting to be injured? I would bet that pitch framing counts big in their idea of catcher. That is why Wilson.  Molitor does not appear to criticize players very often. He is not going to criticize Garver for not being as good of catcher as Wilson.  Another reason for why Willson   Consider what it costs to get a developing catcher.  See what San Diego gave up for Mejia?  Very few good catchers become available for trade. See the Realmuto thread for almost endless speculation on what it would take to get a decent catcher. That is why there is a Wilson

[h2oface]

 

Gonsalves not being called up is a GM question, but I think their easy answer is, Have you seen his walk total? 

 

I have. (5.6_9 for the year, 5.9_9 in Rochester).

 

Have you seen Lynn's? (5.70_9).

 

Not a problem for Lynn to get starts. And he is a one and done tourist, and not a possible part the team's future.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine owe Jim Pohlad an explanation, and I’m sure there has been several discussions to that effect.

 

Safety recalls happen all the time in consumer products. People in the US die every day from consuming e. Coli tainted foods, do we ever see the manufacturer explain or apologize? No. If anything comes of it, it’s as a result of the governmental investigation.

 

People died! Where’s the public confession?

 

We’re not anywhere close... it’s a crappy product. Crappy products are marketed to US consumers all day every day. It’s a part of life. I don’t see the confessional precedence being set on a bar this low.

 

If you don’t like it, don’t buy it, EXCEPT... the Minnesota Twins belong to a legal monopolized cartel. They can set prices and wage rates as a group.

 

We all remember contraction, it can happen again.

 

So if you don’t like it, don’t buy it, but you have to accept the consequences.

 

Personally, I think actions speak louder than words. I’m curious and hopeful that actions will indeed renew my faith.

 

I lived through longer and darker stretches with this team. It’s only baseball.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

True, but he's also been awful against RHP, so the team is still dealing with him struggling to be an everyday player. Rosario is in another an entirely different class than Kepler offensively, and Grossman should be DQ'd from the convo based on his lack of defense alone. 

 

I think patience is to be warranted with Kepler. Last year, he was pretty good against righties. This year, he's hitting lefties. Probably another season or two before he really puts it together.

[Riverbrian]

 

The team may not have gotten notably better production, but I'll bet if we asked industry experts in March to rank the 12 men listed in your second paragraph along with LaMarre in order of how they'd expect them to produce this year, LaMarre would have gotten every last place vote.

 

The front office spent a record payroll and they were fairly aggressive, which they should be lauded for, but every single off season acquisition was still based on economy spending and bargain hunting. Yeah, Logan Morrison was a steal considering last year's production, but I don't go out an buy mustard when I actually need ketchup just because the mustard was on sale.

 

I love the analogy!

 

I'll still buy the on sale Mustard because the top of the mustard bottle plugs up often and there are days when you can't get the mustard out. I also know my neighbor may trade me ketchup and relish for Mustard. 

 

What I won't do is continue putting it on my hot dog when it comes out of the bottle with mold spores. 

[bighat]

I agree with those who say this isn't the front office's fault. Sure, maybe they misread the evaluations on some guys - but overall I think getting Odorizzi, Lynn, Morrison, Rodney, Duke, and Addison Reed looked REALLY GOOD in March.

 

Problem is that these were supposed to be "accent pieces". The drapes in your living room. The parsley on your steak & mashed potatoes. None of these signings were going to be huge difference makers, they were all meant to support what was thought to be an established core.

 

Sano and Buxton were that offensive core, and they've completely collapsed. The Twins basically spent every day since 2014 planning to build their current team around those 2 key offensive players. Buxton can't hit, and aside from a couple hot months over the span of 2 different seasons, has never been able to hit. Sano CAN hit, but his philosophy is messed up and needed to be completely broken down and put back together from scratch.

 

It's not the FO's fault that Sano, and particularly Buxton, can't play baseball. Maybe they should have known that, but I don't think anyone foresaw the possibility of Byron Buxton not being a major leaguer.

[Thrylos]

 

The day Minnesota starts acting like the East Coast, is the day I move.  

 

To the East Coast?

[Blackjack]

 

 

 

What I won't do is continue putting it on my hot dog when it comes out of the bottle with mold spores. 

 

Now those are some words to live by!!!!

[ewen21]

 

Any explanation they offered would be torn to shreds. 

 

They would be better off taking advice from public relations and continue to spoon feed us carefully worded statements on a small portion of every possible thing that we'd really like to know. 

 

Until we all act better in the world of social media... it's the only thing they can sensibly do. 

 

I appreciate your point, but I am not of this mindset.  I would prefer it if they were less evasive and more transparent and honest about things than what you suggest here.  I think fans in general would be more appreciative of a more honest and forthright presentation.  As a wise man once said....

 

 

[Blackjack]

 

 

I agree with those who say this isn't the front office's fault. Sure, maybe they misread the evaluations on some guys - but overall I think getting Odorizzi, Lynn, Morrison, Rodney, Duke, and Addison Reed looked REALLY GOOD in March.

 

Problem is that these were supposed to be "accent pieces". The drapes in your living room. The parsley on your steak & mashed potatoes. None of these signings were going to be huge difference makers, they were all meant to support what was thought to be an established core.

 

Sano and Buxton were that offensive core, and they've completely collapsed. The Twins basically spent every day since 2014 planning to build their current team around those 2 key offensive players. Buxton can't hit, and aside from a couple hot months over the span of 2 different seasons, has never been able to hit. Sano CAN hit, but his philosophy is messed up and needed to be completely broken down and put back together from scratch.

 

It's not the FO's fault that Sano, and particularly Buxton, can't play baseball. Maybe they should have known that, but I don't think anyone foresaw the possibility of Byron Buxton not being a major leaguer.

I think you nailed it. The FO made some good moves but when both Sano and Buxton regressed, the season started sucking. Plus losing your best starting pitcher - Santana, AND your starting shortstop AND your starting catcher.  The FO couldn't do anything about that.

 

Going forward is where the FO can prove themselves, knowing that Sano and Buxton can't be counted on and that the best prospects are years away from Target Field.  Its going to be interesting.

[Riverbrian]

 

I appreciate your point, but I am not of this mindset.  I would prefer it if they were less evasive and more transparent and honest about things than what you suggest here.  I think fans in general would be more appreciative of a more honest and forthright presentation.  As a wise man once said....

 

I'm no different than you in this regard. I also want to know why.

 

I would actually Jeff Goldblum myself into a fly just to be on the wall when they are discussing things. 

 

But... I also understand that being a fly on the wall is the only way I'm going to get the type of transparency needed to get the full picture. 

[Vanimal46]

I appreciate your point, but I am not of this mindset. I would prefer it if they were less evasive and more transparent and honest about things than what you suggest here. I think fans in general would be more appreciative of a more honest and forthright presentation. As a wise man once said....

When I think of honest and transparent people, sports general managers are just behind Donald Trump in that line.

 

They are literally paid to lie and deceive for a living.

[Major League Ready]

 

I have. (5.6_9 for the year, 5.9_9 in Rochester).

 

Have you seen Lynn's? (5.70_9).

 

Not a problem for Lynn to get starts. And he is a one and done tourist, and not a possible part the team's future.

 

Have you actually seen Gonsalves pitch in person? If so, how often or are you just presuming to have a better understanding of his readiness to pitch at the ML level as compared to the professionals assigned to monitor and coach him everyday by looking at his stats?

 

There was a similar presumption here with Berrios. Some went so far as to say he would be as good as any starter we had. Obviously, he was not quite ready.

 

Even if he were ready, I would hope the FO would continue to run Lynn out there. A few good starts in a row and Lynn could fetch a decent prospect based on pretty darn good career numbers.

[Major League Ready]

 

When I think of honest and transparent people, sports general managers are just behind Donald Trump in that line.

They are literally paid to lie and deceive for a living.

 

Yes, that's the skill set ML teams are paying millions/year to acquire. It does not have anything to do with a possessing the leadership, organizational development skills, educational background and experience necessary to run a 9 figure business. 

[Vanimal46]

Yes, that's the skill set ML teams are paying millions/year to acquire. It does not have anything to do with a possessing the leadership, organizational development skills, educational background and experience necessary to run a 9 figure business.

You're missing the point of the post I responded to. They want front office people to be honest and transparent with their fans. That will never happen.

 

Hell, the Orioles had a Machado trade secured with LA a week before it was announced, and the front office people still deceived fans by saying 'We have multiple offers to look through! Milwaukee, Philly, and New York are still in the mix!'

[Major League Ready]

 

I think you nailed it. The FO made some good moves but when both Sano and Buxton regressed, the season started sucking. Plus losing your best starting pitcher - Santana, AND your starting shortstop AND your starting catcher.  The FO couldn't do anything about that.

 

Going forward is where the FO can prove themselves, knowing that Sano and Buxton can't be counted on and that the best prospects are years away from Target Field.  Its going to be interesting.

 

The best prospects are two years away. That's not along time in terms of retooling a team. There is no reason to tear down and do a complete rebuild at least not yet. They are taking the necessary steps with Buxton and Sano while bringing in other talent (Odorizzi / Lynn / Morrison / Cave / Rodney) that do not jeopardize our future. We have payroll available to invest next year. Polanco will be back. Kepler has learned to hit LH pitching. There is a good chance he puts it all together. Gonsalves / Gordon, Romero, and probably Mejia at the door step.,There is plenty to be optimistic about. This should be a considerably better team next year.

[Major League Ready]

 

You're missing the point of the post I responded to. They want front office people to be honest and transparent with their fans. That will never happen.

Hell, the Orioles had a Machado trade secured with LA a week before it was announced, and the front office people still deceived fans by saying 'We have multiple offers to look through! Milwaukee, Philly, and New York are still in the mix!'

 

For starters, you are assuming to know exactly what happened without direct access. I have been in that position literally hundreds of times and the people making the assumptions are almost always wrong.

 

Regardless of what happened with Machado, to characterize executives as making a living or that a principal part of the job is incredibly naive. Frankly it's incredibly insulting to those of us who have held the position and worked with hundreds of others holding a similar position. I have met plenty of CxOs who were not exactly pillars but anyone who ascends to that position have a hole lot more to offer than the ability to mislead.

 

I would add that until the deal with LA was actually official, it is fair to assume Baltimore's FO was hoping to persuade the others for an even better deal that LA was offering. There was also a possibility the deal from LA would fall through. There were reports of medical concerns.

[ewen21]

 

When I think of honest and transparent people, sports general managers are just behind Donald Trump in that line.

They are literally paid to lie and deceive for a living.

If the fans allow it they do it.  If the fans can articulate their disapproval in a constructive way they don't last.  This is how it is in other markets and it would be nice to see a little more of it from Twins fans.

 

 

[Vanimal46]

For starters, you are assuming to know exactly what happened without direct access. I have been in that position literally hundreds of times and the people making the assumptions are almost always wrong.

 

Regardless of what happened with Machado, to characterize executives as making a living or that a principal part of the job is incredibly naive. Frankly it's incredibly insulting to those of us who have held the position and worked with hundreds of others holding a similar position. I have met plenty of CxOs who were not exactly pillars but anyone who ascends to that position have a hole lot more to offer than the ability to mislead.

 

I would add that until the deal with LA was actually official, it is fair to assume Baltimore's FO was hoping to persuade the others for an even better deal that LA was offering. There was also a possibility the deal from LA would fall through. There were reports of medical concerns.

Bob Nightengale broke the story that he knew about the trade a week before it happened. Then they played the dog and pony show that negotiations were still going on.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2018/07/22/manny-machado-trade-dodgers/816040002/

 

We see this time and time again from general managers. Rick Spielman from the Vikings does it all the time. 'We have no intentions of trading Percy Harvin.' 2 days later he's traded to Seattle.