Should the Minnesota Twins Reunite with Veteran Starter Rich Hill?

[nicksaviking]

9 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

 

Depth is important. We have 3 rookies in our rotation right now and our 6 and 7 aren't even AAAA quality. 

There's a month and a half of the season left. It's too late to sacrifice putting your best 26-man-roster together for a safety blanket. Win as many games now and deal with an injury if it happens later. 

I mean, if we're talking about a MiLB contract and Hill goes to St. Paul, heck yeah, sounds like a good idea. But Hill on the 26-man and Festa/Matthews in St. Paul? No way.

[jimbo92107]

Bring up Andrew Morris from AAA. He's young, healthy, and talented. You can rotate him in and out of the bullpen with Varland. You'll certainly get more innings from him than from Hill, and Morris will certainly be cheaper. 

After Joe Ryan went down, we should acknowledge that the Twins are a long shot to win a single playoff series, much less go further. Might as well continue to develop these talented farmhands. Festa and Matthews both look quite promising. Let's see if a third good young arm is waiting across the river. The downside is no worse than it looks right now, while the upside could be legendary.

[NYCTK]

Just now, nicksaviking said:

There's a month and a half of the season left. It's too late to sacrifice putting your best 26-man-roster together for a safety blanket. Win as many games now and deal with an injury if it happens later. 

I mean, if we're talking about a MiLB contract and Hill goes to St. Paul, heck yeah, sounds like a good idea. But Hill on the 26-man and Festa/Matthews in St. Paul? No way.

I think we're on the same page. He wouldn't just slot into the rotation. He'd have to pitch in the minors for a few starts, and god knows what happens in that time. And if nothing does, well thats why you buy insurance. 

Plus banking that a rookie that was in A+ in May will be able to continue to perform well after a strong debut isn't really a smart bet. No offense to Zebby, I really like the guy. More than Festa if we're being honest. But one start doesn't show he's ready.  He could easily have a 7 ERA over his next three starts. 

[Blyleven2011]

Rich hill  has a history of injuries , a long list ...

I'd rather have Jamie moyer  ...

Baseball was very exciting last night with Matthew's pitching , win or lose I think it can be exciting the rest of the way with our future  , we now have Morris  in AAA  as depth 

[NYCTK]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Festa's last four starts are better than any four start stretch Rich Hill has had in four years.

I get what you're putting down, but that's just not even close to true. 

[nicksaviking]

9 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

I think we're on the same page. He wouldn't just slot into the rotation. He'd have to pitch in the minors for a few starts, and god knows what happens in that time. And if nothing does, well thats why you buy insurance. 

Plus banking that a rookie that was in A+ in May will be able to continue to perform well after a strong debut isn't really a smart bet. No offense to Zebby, I really like the guy. More than Festa if we're being honest. But one start doesn't show he's ready.  He could easily have a 7 ERA over his next three starts. 

I agree, that we should only hope, not expect Matthews would pitch well going forward. But he's still a significantly better bet not to have a 7 ERA than a 44-year-old who hasn't pitched in a year, and hasn't pitched well in two years.

[NYCTK]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I agree, that we should only hope, not expect Matthews would pitch well going forward. But he's still a significantly better bet not to have a 7 ERA than a 44-year-old who hasn't pitched in a year, and hasn't pitched well in two years.

I would be more likely to agree with you if it wasn't 3 rookies in the rotation. SWR seems like a seasoned veteran at this point and I don't worry about him outside of just fatigue. He's now matched his high in IP from seasons prior with 10 more starts to go. He should be fine, but he could also turn into a pumpkin now that the clock is approaching midnight. 

[IndianaTwin]

3 hours ago, NYCTK said:

 

Depth is important. We have 3 rookies in our rotation right now and our 6 and 7 aren't even AAAA quality. 

To build on this, the most recent starters in St. Paul were Plutko (shelled), Henriquez (bullpen game), Boushley, Matthews, MacLeod and Morris (first start in AAA, after only 10 in AA), 

For the Twins, we have Lopez and Ober as "established" guys, followed by SWR and some combination of Festa/Varland/Matthews in the last two spots, plus Paddack on the IL. 

I've no problem with letting the young guys roll (and would like to see it), but we have more than 40 games remaining. The odds of any major league team making it through a 40-game stretch using only six starters are pretty slim. Add that it's the end of the season, amidst innings counts and a season's worth of fatigue, and they're even slimmer. Paddack has not returned to throwing yet, so the likelihood of him starting many games (and lasting long) is pretty small.

If (when) it comes to that, I'd rather start Hill than one of the guys in the first paragraph.  

 

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, IndianaTwin said:

To build on this, the most recent starters in St. Paul were Plutko (shelled), Henriquez (bullpen game), Boushley, Matthews, MacLeod and Morris (first start in AAA), 

For the Twins, we have Lopez and Ober as "established" guys, followed by SWR and some combination of Festa/Varland/Matthews in the last two spots, plus Paddack on the IL. 

I've no problem with letting the young guys roll, but we have more than 40 games remaining. The odds of any major league team making it through a 40-game stretch using only six starters is pretty slim. Paddack has not returned to throwing yet, so the likelihood of him starting many games (and lasting long) is pretty small.

If (when) it comes to that, I'd rather start Hill than one of the guys in the first paragraph.  

 

This is my thought too. People here are acting like we've already secured a playoff spot and are just in the last couple trips through the rotation, getting our playoff roster set.

No, we have over 25% of the season to go! 

[LambchoP]

When your team is in a playoff chase, you don't sign a 44 year old who throws maybe 88 mph and will give up more runs than strikeouts. What we needed was a Kikuchi, Flaherty or any other capable starter. Relying on three rookies in our rotation is already super risky, but I just don't see Hill pitching any better than Zebby or Festa. I'd rather see them sign some bullpen help if we can get anyone serviceable off the waiver wire, especially a left handed reliever. We can still pick up waiver claims right?

[Brandon]

Sign him.  We are running out of options if someone else gets hurt.  At most he gets 8-9 starts.  It allows us to go slower with the rookies and we can keep 6 man rotation too.  
in the playoffs could be the lefty reliever we need too. 

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, LambchoP said:

What we needed was...

We gotta imagine what can be, unburdened by what has been, baby.

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, Brandon said:

Sign him.  We are running out of options if someone else gets hurt.  At most he gets 8-9 starts.  It allows us to go slower with the rookies and we can keep 6 man rotation too.  
in the playoffs could be the lefty reliever we need too. 

I thought about a 6 man, primarily for SWRs sake. But with the lack of deep pitching into the games, I don't think that extra taxing on the Bullpen would really work. It could work for a time or two through the rotation I guess. 

[jmlease1]

I say pass. We're talking 6-8 starts max at this point, not 15-20. Yes, our depth is being tested but so far the young guys are responding to the call. Who has more upside, Rich Hill or David Festa? Rich Hill or Zebby Matthews? 

Lopez & Ober are locks, SWR should be as well, having stepped up and delivered in the back of the rotation. I'd rather roll with Festa and one of either Matthews or Varland until Paddack comes back. (Last I checked, Paddack wasn't out for the season, right?)

If it was June and we had 2 starters down and the rookies were looking wobbly, I'd be more interested but we're talking about hoping that Ancient Rich Hill has enough gas and guile left to fool people for 6-8 starts over a Varland or Matthews that can throw 97 mph.

Roll with the young kids.

[mrcharlie]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Please advise: which current pitcher loses a rotation spot to the guy who's heater tops out at 88 MPH?

A six man rotation is possible.  In fact a good one.  Our young arms need to conserve innings at this point in the season.  I'm not big on the idea of Hill being the answer but a veteran SP would be a good addition.

[LA Vikes Fan]

3 hours ago, William K Johnson said:

No.  I would rather we throw some young arms in there and see what happens.

Agreed. Signing Hill means taking starts away from at least one of Festa, Matthews, and Varland. Hill doesn't help your bullpen at all - he adds to the strain because he is a 5 inning tops guy at age 44. You don't expose him a third time through the order. Those starts are much bettter used on the young starters who we will need next year. 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

I'd say yes.

But I also suspect, if this was gonna happen, it already would have. 

I agree with this.  It's not like Hill would be holding out for a better situation.

That being said, signing him only makes sense (other than costing basically nothing) if the organization considers him a better option than whatever is left internally.  The Twins have already cycled through what, 5 pitching prospects this year? (Not including Winder and Dobnak).  The Twins need SP help, he could easily be that guy.

I think if Cole Sands was not as effective as he has been, Hill could fill that role pretty easily.

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

Signing Hill means taking starts away from at least one of Festa, Matthews, and Varland.

Good. 

5 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

Hill doesn't help your bullpen at all

Varland can then move to the rotation, and helps it! 

[twinfan]

Why don't we pick up Ahmed Rosario who was DFA by the Dodgers? 

Are we an old age home? I have nothing against Hill (after all he's a crafty lefty like I was) but if we pick him up, how about another old timer who pitches slow, used to pitch for us and was on a roster earlier this year - last name Malone.

Go with the kids. They are our future and haven't been that bad.

[Mike Sixel]

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. 

[NYCTK]

2 minutes ago, twinfan said:

Why don't we pick up Ahmed Rosario who was DFA by the Dodgers? 

Are we an old age home? I have nothing against Hill (after all he's a crafty lefty like I was) but if we pick him up, how about another old timer who pitches slow, used to pitch for us and was on a roster earlier this year - last name Malone.

Go with the kids. They are our future and haven't been that bad.

Honestly, he'd be an upgrade on Martin, so I wouldn't have minded it...

[Linus]

Upon further reflection I would sign him with the understanding that he is going to St Paul as insurance. Depending on offers this may not be a possibility but if he would do it why not. Some of these young pitchers have already reached their career high in innings. It would come as no surprise that their performance could suffer from fatigue. Last year Ober got a rest for this reason. 

[Mortimerkenny21]

This has invoked a lot of interesting conversation. But probably all for nothing. Pretty certain old man river, I mean Hill is not showing up on the Twins roster...again.

[LA Vikes Fan]

43 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Honestly, he'd be an upgrade on Martin, so I wouldn't have minded it...

Rosario is a different situation. We need a SS until Correa comes back. Castro is trying his best but he can't really field the position and his bat is going into the tank by playing every day. Rosario can not only play SS he's hitting .305/.331/.415 (.746). He's a clear upgrade over Martin. Rosario is worth a claim. 

By the way, the blogs for the Cardinals, Guardians, and Yankees are all making cases to pick up Rosario. We need to make a claim if only to avoid Cleveland picking him up. 

[NYCTK]

8 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

Rosario is a different situation. We need a SS until Correa comes back. Castro is trying his best but he can't really field the position and his bat is going into the tank by playing every day. Rosario can not only play SS he's hitting .305/.331/.415 (.746). He's a clear upgrade over Martin. Rosario is worth a claim. 

By the way, the blogs for the Cardinals, Guardians, and Yankees are all making cases to pick up Rosario. We need to make a claim if only to avoid Cleveland picking him up. 

Honestly, I am very worried about Correa now. It's been over a month and there's no reason to believe he'll be better in another month. I will say though, Rosario might be worse than Castro at SS. 

[Coach Wheels]

4 hours ago, CRF said:

No, no, NO!!!

Ditto by 1000 x's!!!

[JD-TWINS]

3 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Varland, or Festa.

Then proceed as events dictate. 

But again, if this was gonna happen, it already would have. 

Varland & Festa are #5 & #4 respectively. That’s our rotation …… gotta get used to it……Matthews didn’t get sent down this morning so he’s going to factor in again very soon……if Louie slips up Matthews may immediately be positioned at #5? They may go piggyback in another 5 days? Varland to the Pen after today, with a decent start, is a big stretch!!

Louie has 3 separate years in MLB with 20 plus starts…….seems he’ll get the benefit of the doubt, IMO.

[Doctor Gast]

Just throw the young guys in there & see what happens. It sounds like we got the division all wrapped up, so why not? I'm all for giving our young guys experience, that's what I've been advocating all season. But we haven't even clinched a playoff berth yet. Things can go south very quickly. Paddack was supposed to take Gray's place & pitch 150+ innings, DeSclavani was to be our savior. Ryan was supposed to lead us well into the postseason. Lopez was to win the CYA. How long can Lopez, Ober & SWR keep up this pace? W/O running out of gas or getting injured? Can we depend on Festa & Matthews to pitch like seasoned MLB veterans? when they aren't even seasoned MiLB players or even high level of college playoffs. We can't depend on Varland to pitch more than 2X through the order. Festa & Matthews are going to get a lot more experience than anybody could have imagined just a short time ago. So I wouldn't worry about taking innings away from them. I want Festa & Matthew's experience to be a very positive one. Putting too much pressure on them isn't the way. Being mentored by Hill is the way.

Should they sign Hill? The answer is yes. Are they going to? IMO, no. Why? IMO the FO doesn't feel they have to do something, just to do something. So they'll play it safe & do nothing

[nicksaviking]

30 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Honestly, I am very worried about Correa now. It's been over a month and there's no reason to believe he'll be better in another month. I will say though, Rosario might be worse than Castro at SS. 

Seems the Twins let Correa and Lewis both heal, or at least rest for the stretch run last year and then they played gimpy, but well in the post season. Two months this year instead of a half month last year seems like a bigger bridge to cross though.

As for the Rosario vs. Castro angle, I really have no clue about Rosario's defense these days, but it sure seemed like LA and TB tried to avoid putting him at SS.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

1 hour ago, Linus said:

Upon further reflection I would sign him with the understanding that he is going to St Paul as insurance. Depending on offers this may not be a possibility but if he would do it why not. Some of these young pitchers have already reached their career high in innings. It would come as no surprise that their performance could suffer from fatigue. Last year Ober got a rest for this reason. 

Insurance?  Using your parlance, I would think the Twins have already blown past their deductible. 🤕