Twins Acquire Kody Clemens from Phillies

[jorgenswest]

34 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I think they prefer Bride to McCusker in the short term.

Do you think they need both Bride and Clemens?

[MGX]

32 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I think they prefer Bride to McCusker in the short term.

This is the issue with this FO - there is a clear opportunity to see what we have in McCusker & they go sign Clemens. Bride & Clemens could work out well, but the odds are against it & if they happen to do really well they'll be playing somewhere else next year. If McCusker was up & produced he'll be here going forward & if he doesn't at least we have a better idea of what we have.

[Major League Ready]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

So you are saying they have no one left in the minors that can hit better than a .197 hitting Clemens. Or that adding that player from the minors for a few games to be a bench backup until Lewis comes back, which is just a few days away, would hurt the team. Ok, sure. Clemens is not starter caliber depth either.

I am not arguing that Clemens is a good player.  I simply don't agree that it's reasonable to expect that we have a MLB ready player ready to step-in no matter how many players get injured.   

[DJL44]

32 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Do you think they need both Bride and Clemens?

Not when they have Gasper. They could have brought up McCusker for a week. However, if they had done that, they would be one injury away from needing Clemens. 

[stringer bell]

35 minutes ago, MGX said:

This is the issue with this FO - there is a clear opportunity to see what we have in McCusker & they go sign Clemens. Bride & Clemens could work out well, but the odds are against it & if they happen to do really well they'll be playing somewhere else next year. If McCusker was up & produced he'll be here going forward & if he doesn't at least we have a better idea of what we have.

McCusker, Keirsey, Eeles, and further down the road Andrew Stevenson. Finding late bloomers from the unaffiliated minor leagues is mostly futile. Once in a while somebody pops up, usually a pitcher. I'm pretty sure the Twins don't see McCusker as a legit prospect despite his power. If the injuries keep happening, we might find out, but I'm not holding my breath. 

[mnfireman]

On 4/26/2025 at 7:30 AM, mikelink45 said:

Mickey Gasper, Kody Clemens, Jonah Bride - that is our bench.  We are hurting! 

With a little luck the injuries will clear up and the necessary rehab assignments will be done and over in the next 10-14 days....Lewis, Castro and Wallner for Gasper, Clemens and Bride looks like a pretty good trade to me (at least on paper).

I think Julien stays until Keaschall returns simply because he is left-handed, unless Miranda absolutely tears up AAA. But injuries and slumps occur, so we will see...

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, MGX said:

This is the issue with this FO - there is a clear opportunity to see what we have in McCusker & they go sign Clemens. Bride & Clemens could work out well, but the odds are against it & if they happen to do really well they'll be playing somewhere else next year. If McCusker was up & produced he'll be here going forward & if he doesn't at least we have a better idea of what we have.

This isn't the 'the" issue but it's an issue with this FO. This is a symptom of the low number of pre-arb players on the roster. 

When would McCusker ever be called up... if not right now. He's 27... should we let him season some more? He's hitting the ball hard right now. Best hitter in St. Paul at the moment.

If the Twins are not going to call him up now. He's hitting... and we are bleeding. If not now... the answer is never. The Twins front office have already decided that he's a waste of time. They prefer the safety of Kody Clemens. 

It's a shame because right now... all he has to do is out perform Kody Clemens. 

 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

This isn't the 'the" issue but it's an issue with this FO. This is a symptom of the low number of pre-arb players on the roster. 

When would McCusker ever be called up... if not right now. He's 27... should we let him season some more? He's hitting the ball hard right now. Best hitter in St. Paul at the moment.

If the Twins are not going to call him up now. He's hitting... and we are bleeding. If not now... the answer is never. The Twins front office have already decided that he's a waste of time. They prefer the safety of Kody Clemens. 

It's a shame because right now... all he has to do is out perform Kody Clemens. 

 

I'd certainly like to see him get a chance over a guy we know isn't good. They do this every year. 

But I'm not blaming them for Jack of depth. They are very deep, just lots of injuries to the same position or close. Also, Lee has been great. 

[AlGoreRythm]

On 4/26/2025 at 8:50 AM, rv78 said:

MInors. If they aren't any better than the dumpster players other teams are dumping then this organization is in trouble. They brought up Keaschall and it seems he was ready. He wouldn't have been brought up if not for injury. I go to the next best man in AAA or even AA. Not someone else's trash.

They want those guys playing every day. Sitting on the bench and playing 2-3 times a week isn't what they want when trying to develop MLB players.

If you believe all our Minor Leaguers at EVERY position are superior to players who started the year in the MLB for other clubs, idk what to tell you. I think you're expecting an awful lot from any baseball organization other than the Dodgers...

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, AlGoreRythm said:

They want those guys playing every day. Sitting on the bench and playing 2-3 times a week isn't what they want when trying to develop MLB players.

If you believe all our Minor Leaguers at EVERY position are superior to players who started the year in the MLB for other clubs, idk what to tell you. I think you're expecting an awful lot from any baseball organization other than the Dodgers...

Not to mention using options and clogging the 40 man. If you call up a real prospect that isn't on the forty man, what do you do when Lewis is healthy? And Wallner? And Castro? 

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

No players, just cash.

Straight cash homie! I heard Randy Moss made the delivery himself.

[AlGoreRythm]

3 hours ago, rv78 said:

So you are saying they have no one left in the minors that can hit better than a .197 hitting Clemens. Or that adding that player from the minors for a few games to be a bench backup until Lewis comes back, which is just a few days away, would hurt the team. Ok, sure. Clemens is not starter caliber depth either.

And he's not starting... He's being paid to fill in if needed and get DFAd when someone returns from injury. 

Unless he magically starts hitting and even then he's not safe.

[rv78]

9 minutes ago, AlGoreRythm said:

And he's not starting... He's being paid to fill in if needed and get DFAd when someone returns from injury. 

Unless he magically starts hitting and even then he's not safe.

I never said he was starting or needed to. Which only solidifies my position even more.. We don't need other teams trash even on the bench. Go ahead and argue that our young players in AAA need to be playing everyday. A callup from the minors, until Lewis returns, would have been a few days, or a week or 2 at the most. It wouldn't be detrimental to their development at all. McCusker has been mentioned a few times here. Tell me he wouldn't have been a better option at 26 years old and currently hitting well. Would calling up a 30 year old Armando Alvarez or a 30 year old Ryan Fitzgerald to sit on the bench for an emergency situation going to be any worse? Maybe they'd like a chance. What is wrong with our own players in AAA? If they aren't worthy of a callup at 30 years old, why are they there? 

[Riverbrian]

38 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'd certainly like to see him get a chance over a guy we know isn't good. They do this every year. 

But I'm not blaming them for Jack of depth. They are very deep, just lots of injuries to the same position or close. Also, Lee has been great. 

Whenever you have injuries at this scale... there isn't much anyone can do. I get that. 

However... in this specific situation. We need hitting. You promote your best hitter and our best hitter as of late April is McCusker. Open 40 man spot, rash of injuries and a guy with a plus one thousand OPS and more home runs in the entire organization. 27 years old so there is no sense waiting longer. Keaschall sure looked good before he got hurt. McCusker was out hitting him in St. Paul by a large margin. 

Seriously... you pass him by now. When will he ever... not be passed by. 

 

[DJL44]

3 minutes ago, rv78 said:

Would calling up a 30 year old Armando Alvarez or a 30 year old Ryan Fitzgerald to sit on the bench for an emergency situation going to be any worse? Maybe they'd like a chance. What is wrong with our own players in AAA? If they aren't worthy of a callup at 30 years old, why are they there? 

What makes those guys "our own" players instead of Bride and Clemens? They were only signed a few months ago. They're on the roster because the Saints need players at every position in order to play baseball games. No organization has 100 prospects to fill all the levels of the minor leagues.