Blake Parker DFA'd

[DocBauer]

To me, these moves indicate the FO is working the phones and an addition or two are coming. In the meantime, they are looking for a fresh arm or two to help who cant be any worse. (Probably). Faint praise to be sure, but you dont make these moves without some irons in the fire.

 

The problem is, who us available and who do you get? There aren't even rumors about impending trades. Every website available is writers talking about matches, not even reporting rumors!

 

I'm not saying the FO won't find a nice arm or two to help, but anyone thinking a TOP BP arm or two is going to be added may be living a fantasy.

 

Despite reported percentage chances of actually making the post season, at least half the teams in baseball seem to be 4-5 games out of a WC possibility. How do you sell trading away at this point with the hard deadline imposed?

 

LAVikings offered a very interesting idea of Kennedy, and I forget who else, and then rotate the last couple of arms with Rochester for the remainder of the season. That may be the best and most logical option at this point.

[Shaitan]

 

This bullpen is dying and Romero is nowhere to be found, thanks Falvey!!!

Have you seen him pitch this year? Parker is better. And I'm not joking.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

With all the practice they are getting, this FO should be able to DFA anyone!

They DFAed four people while you typed that post.

[nicksaviking]

Say what you will about Torres

But please everyone, review the site’s posting policies before you say what you will about Torres.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm beginning to suspect Falvine feel a bit stupid for not calling up Smeltzer 3-4 more times earlier this season right about now.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Meh, well the good was bound to end at some point. They've stretched the kid as long as they can.

[Dantes929]

 

I think Duffey is doing fine so far. May really needs to work on his command. I am not so sure about Harper, Littell and Stewart, especially Stewart, I don't think he can survive in the major league.

Whoops!   Add Duffey.  Subtract Stewart.

[Dantes929]

 

I'm not as sold on Stashak as others are. Yes, he showed the ability to put big league hitters away, but he is going to run into the same problem Harper has. His fastball is straight, and doesn't have enough velo to put hitters away. That slider is nice, but he has to have another pitch to threaten hitters. If Wes can work his magic and add two or three MPH and starts sitting 94-96, Stashak is dangerous. 

I'm not necessarily sold on any of the three new guys.   I maybe have the most confidence in Smeltzer.   Thorpe's minor league numbers tell me he might have control issues.    Stashak has struck out a ton of guys so we know he misses bats but his ERA and seeing some of his pitches makes me think he gets too much of the plate too often.   Juan Ricon, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Pat Neshek, Glen Perkins, Taylor Rogers all came from somewhere.    Magill, Morrin and Parker are gone and I think the three new guys might be an upgrade.   Magill and Morrin are both on other major league teams and one is a contender.  Would not surprise me if Parker lands on a contender either.    Every team either needs help or is a week or two away from needing help.    30 teams times 7 or 8 relievers is around 222.   One third of that is 74.  Are there even that many good relievers in the entire league?    I am fine with giving those three guys a chance.   

[Tomj14]

Harper was so bad they couldn't trade him for low end prospect they had to cut him, yet he was the second base relief pitcher that had last week?

Remember when some were saying the Twins bullpen was good and only needed a few minor tweaks.

 

[USAFChief]

 

Harper was so bad they couldn't trade him for low end prospect they had to cut him, yet he was the second base relief pitcher that had last week?

Remember when some were saying the Twins bullpen was good and only needed a few minor tweaks.

8th inning with a lead-guy to DFA'd in 12 hrs.

[MMMordabito]

Torres is a throw-away placeholder .... He might not even pitch  .... He may have just been selected in case Smeltzer melted down and they needed to bridge the gap to Adrianza.

 

Smeltzer took care of that possibility and even helped with the lack of an off day this week.

 

My best guess is that Torres only gets to pitch if tonight's game is a laugher one way or the other. Considering the pitching matchup, I'm guessing that won't be the case.

[Trevor0333]

I could not stand watching Parker pitch, his pre pitch fidgeting antics drove me nuts. Then you got to watch the garbage he actually threw following it.

[FlauerPauer]

 

Torres is a throw-away placeholder .... He might not even pitch  .... He may have just been selected in case Smeltzer melted down and they needed to bridge the gap to Adrianza.

 

Smeltzer took care of that possibility and even helped with the lack of an off day this week.

 

My best guess is that Torres only gets to pitch if tonight's game is a laugher one way or the other. Considering the pitching matchup, I'm guessing that won't be the case.

 

Let's hope you are correct. Still don't see the reason to pay this guy to sit the bench when you could do that with guys already on the 40 man...

[yarnivek1972]

Let's hope you are correct. Still don't see the reason to pay this guy to sit the bench when you could do that with guys already on the 40 man...

Let’s say Smeltzer comes in and can’t get anyone out. Barely gets through one inning. Then what do you do? You bring in Torres and say “go get ‘em”. Because Torres is the throwaway arm you just keep him out there until the game is over.

[FlauerPauer]

 

Let’s say Smeltzer comes in and can’t get anyone out. Barely gets through one inning. Then what do you do? You bring in Torres and say “go get ‘em”. Because Torres is the throwaway arm you just keep him out there until the game is over.

 

Oh I totally get that, but couldn't that have been Eades? Or Poppin? or Romero? 

 

Just seems like a lot of paperwork including insurance and what not to include this guy as a "throwaway" arm.

[yarnivek1972]

Oh I totally get that, but couldn't that have been Eades? Or Poppin? or Romero?

 

Just seems like a lot of paperwork including insurance and what not to include this guy as a "throwaway" arm.

No, because you wouldn’t let any of those guys just continue to get pounded. Torres is a ten year vet. He probably knows exactly why he was acquired.

[Tomj14]

 

8th inning with a lead-guy to DFA'd in 12 hrs.

and you, me and others were considered crazy for wanting to trade prospects to get this pen upgraded the last few weeks to a month

 

 

[Doomtints]

 

Just because management was wrong in their initial assessment of a player, doesn't mean they should compound the mistake by not being willing to cut bait when it's clear they were wrong.

A replacement might not be better, but it would be really hard for whomever they call up to be worse than Parker.

 

I'm not saying otherwise.

 

A couple of these players had one bad outing and then were cut. This is cutthroat management, and it doesn't work.

 

Besides all that, cutting without having a replacement is not solving the problem. Generally you want to make a team better when you make a move.

 

And never mind that they are reducing what they have to trade....

[Mill1634]

 

Let's hope you are correct. Still don't see the reason to pay this guy to sit the bench when you could do that with guys already on the 40 man...

Going to have to pay someone. Torres will be DFA'd a week from now.

[Mr. Brooks]

I'm not saying otherwise.

 

A couple of these players had one bad outing and then were cut. This is cutthroat management, and it doesn't work.

 

Besides all that, cutting without having a replacement is not solving the problem. Generally you want to make a team better when you make a move.

 

And never mind that they are reducing what they have to trade....

Blake Parker has been consistently awful all year. I don't care how many scoreless appearances he had coming into that game, it was luck, not skill.

 

Bringing up anyone is likely to be an improvement over Parker, so I don't agree that they didn't have a replacement that makes them better.

 

It was a bad signing from the start, and then they let him be terrible for 4 months. If anything they were generously gracious in giving him every opportunity to figure it out before finally cutting him.

[SpicyGarvSauce]

So, what was everyone's favorite Blake Parker moment?

[USAFChief]

Parker cleared waivers, according to The Athletic.

[Kelly Vance]

 

Thorpe, Smeltzer, Stashak have passed the test so far.   They all seem to have good presence and stuff.   All relievers give up runs.   All of them.   So don't expect these three to be perfect but I certainly like what I have seen from them.    Add in Rogers, May, Harper and Littell.      I am not so down on Stewart either but like him in long relief.   I would like at least one guy in the pen that can eat up innings for short starts.    

My read in the off season was that they made almost no moves, thinking they would see what they had on their own roster. Lets see if the youngsters can step up. After all, this team has a young core and seeing if we have enough in house talent to compete made sense.

 

So now we know.

 

Its time to make some moves. 

 

 

 

[Kelly Vance]

 

I think Duffey is doing fine so far. May really needs to work on his command. I am not so sure about Harper, Littell and Stewart, especially Stewart, I don't think he can survive in the major league.

You know, I look at May. I see a kid with stuff who just can't get it together. Command can't be taught. You either got it or you don't.  He needs to decide what kind of pitcher he can be and then just do it. Don't think so much. Throw a hard to hit strike already. 

 

 

[PseudoSABR]

 

Parker cleared waivers, according to The Athletic.

Can he elect free agency? At least the rest of the league agreed he's not worth a major league roster spot...

 

Edit: Looks like he's debating whether to accept assignment or not. 

[old nurse]

 

Moves need to be made, but this sudden cutthroat approach does not make a lot of sense. These players were felt to be good enough by management a couple of months ago.

 

I also don't understand the idea of dropping pitchers before having replacements for them. This can only make the problems worse.

It would appear that Thorpe and Stashak have progressed this year to the point that they are better than Parker. I guess that it is a bad thing that players develop to be better than the lower priced free agent.

[AlwaysinModeration]

So, what was everyone's favorite Blake Parker moment?

Is it cheating to say “that time he lost a game to the Yankees for the Twins so that he couldn’t be DFAed and avoid losing subsequent game for them?”

[twins1095]

You know, I look at May. I see a kid with stuff who just can't get it together. Command can't be taught. You either got it or you don't. He needs to decide what kind of pitcher he can be and then just do it. Don't think so much. Throw a hard to hit strike already.

 

I guess except for the fact that he has done it in the past. His BB rate his last 3 seasons (in which he has been a reliever the majority of the the time) is 2.0, 3.6, and 1.8. His current BB rate is 4.7.

 

His stuff seems to have taken a jump this season and he’s having trouble commanding it. To me, it seems like based on history, he may not ever have elite command, but he’s definitely a couple of notches better than he has been this season. May will figure it out. Will it be this season? Maybe not. Will he eventually get that number down enough to let his stuff play as a good 7th/8th inning option? I think more likely than not.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

So, what was everyone's favorite Blake Parker moment?

he’s still a Twin.... a Rochester Redwings specifically, but he wasn’t claimed and accepted his outright assignment to AAA.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Can he elect free agency? At least the rest of the league agreed he's not worth a major league roster spot...

 

Edit: Looks like he's debating whether to accept assignment or not.

Parker is in a tricky spot. He is ~13 days short of 5 years service time, the threshold at which he can refuse an assignment but still collect his salary (basically forcing the team to release or trade him if they want him off the roster).

 

He has over 3 years service time, though, as well as been outrighted before in his career, so he can still refuse an assignment, but in doing so, he would forfeit what remains on his 2019 contract.

 

https://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3530

 

Since the season is about 2/3 over, Parker would stand to lose about $600k if he declines the assignment and elects free agency.