The Twins Finally Picked a Lane

[mnfireman]

53 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Give me a break, Mike. A good defensive potential & overall 18/19 yr.old catcher you might say you have no idea if he can make it. Tait has no potential at defense. Well-respected pundits have said that he won't stick at catcher, But leave it to the Twins & you to think he can miraculously learn to be a passable defensive catcher on his own. 

MLB.com scouting report;

While Tait’s overall defensive game is a work in progress, there's reason to believe he’s headed in the right direction after showing a lot of improvement behind the dish last year. He sets up well and his receiving has gotten better to the point where they think he could be an average defender in the future, pairing nicely with his plus arm. If that keeps trending in that direction, Tait should have no problem being a big league regular catcher in the future.

FanGraph's preseason scouting report;

Tait is still not a great defender, but he's gotten better each year. His receiving around the edges of the zone has improved substantially as he's climbed the minors, and he's athletic leaving his crouch and firing from all kinds of awkward platforms. He's not an especially good ball-blocker right now but, overall, this is a good spot for a teenage catcher to be. 

Doesn't sound like no potential on defense to me...

[Larry Janisewski]

6 hours ago, Ole St Carleton said:

I wouldn’t mind this sell-off if the coaching staff could actually guide the upcoming youngsters toward playing effective baseball. Baldelli & crew have consistently failed to coach the offense to successfully bunt, move runners, sacrifice, run bases, take a 2 strike approach etc. Look at how Milwaukee dismantled the Twins during their last series. Of course, all of this needs to begin in the low minor league levels.

It’s sad to see Tom Kelly’s brand of winning baseball being fumbled into oblivion.

The bullpen "was" a strength. the Twins problem was not being able to hit, especially with runners in scoring position and the position player movement was minimal.

[Fred]

2 hours ago, BillyBallLives said:

Here are Falvey's 1st and 2nd round picks. I will let the reader decide, but not a lot to get excited about from what I see.  To really know, one would have to dig into the other 29 GM's picks and see who knows what they are doing. 

Even Falvey's picks currently in MLB are not high level impact players. Hopefully that happens with Lewis and Lee. 

2017
Royce Lewis - MLB
Landon Leach - Bust

2018
Trevor Larnach - MLB
Ryan Jeffers - MLB

2019
Keoni Cavaco - Bust
Matt Canterino - not much better

2020
Aaron Sabato -  Not advancing
Alerick Soularie - struggling in minors

2021
Chase Petty - Traded to Reds
Steve Hajjar - Traded to Reds

2022
Brooks Lee - MLB
Connor Prielipp -  arm issues

2023
Walker Jenkins - ?
Charlee Soto - ?

2024
Kaelen Culpepper - Looking good, moving up the ladder. 
Kyle DeBarge

Take another look at Sabato. He languished at Wichita until this year, flipped a switch, and is doing well enough at St Paul this year that I expected that he would replace France next year for the Twins. 

[Fred]

52 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Falvey's letter to season ticket holders, from Fox 9

 

"This week, we made a clear and deliberate decision to strengthen the next chapter of championship-caliber baseball for the Minnesota Twins.

"We didn’t make surface moves. We acted with purpose. That meant adding players who can help now, deepening our talent pipeline for 2026 and beyond, and reinforcing the foundation for long-term success.

"This wasn’t about patchwork or small adjustments. It was about holding ourselves to the standard we expect. The season so far hasn’t met that mark. We knew it was time to respond.

"We’ve bolstered our pitching. We added arms ready to contribute now, along with others on the cusp of breaking through. The rotation has gained depth, and the minor league system behind it has become even more robust, with emerging talent pushing the group forward.

"On the position player side, we brought in impact potential. Players with the tool to grow into everyday contributors and raise the overall ceiling of the roster. The foundation is getting stronger, and we believe the next wave is starting to take shape. 

"We know moves like this spark reactions. That’s natural. It reflects how much you care.

"That’s why we’re positioning the Twins to compete at a higher level, not just in the short term, but in a way that can endure the ups and downs of a long season. That’s the kind of team you deserve. 

"The mission hasn’t changed. We’re here to build a team that can win a World Series. This is the next push. Thank you for your support. It’s your passion that drives us every day."

He won't be around to be held to that.

[chinmusic]

2 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Yeah, France actually has a little bit of value to the Blue Jays. Their roster is really thin offensively and a veteran bat, albeit a weak one, provides SOME value to them.

In fact, the Jays are first in the AL in AVG, first in OBS, third in OPS, and fourth in runs scored. Hardly "really thin offensively".

[Fred]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

.970 OPS in AAA right now. 20 Dingers. 14 Stolen bases. He's pretty good defensive player. .933 last year in AAA. 

I get it... his age isn't great at 28. His 2024 was a disaster at the Major League Level and the Dodgers are not going to have playing time available for a project. His 2023 was fantastic. Power, Speed, Defense is the reward if he can fix whatever ailed him last year.

44 AB's this year doesn't tell me anything. 

I'm not saying he's a slam dunk but I'd like to see him get a shot with us in a lost year. 

Jake Cave tore up AAA, too; I'm not expecting much, but hoping I'm wrong.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

This will be '22 all over again when Jeffers was the primary catcher. Very quickly, he crashed & burned. Tait isn't a catcher; he's only a bat, but that's all Twins care about. It's much too early to know how Jimenez will turn out. How MN is developing catchers, it'll be a long time, if ever at all.

Falvey has never been good at trying to initiate any trade & has always failed miserably. Falvey at the other end of selling is fixed, sit and wait. In the beginning he had some success but now the FOs know they don't have to offer him a fair trade & that he'll crack & settle for less. MN has become a garbage can. Where FOs go to dump their unwanted players & dump salary on worthless players & bring home some player after dumpster diving. 

I don't think the problem has never been Falvey fluctuating of not picking a definite lane. It's more him not adequately maneuvering in the lane he picks.

[NYCTK]

3 minutes ago, chinmusic said:

In fact, the Jays are first in the AL in AVG, first in OBS, third in OPS, and fourth in runs scored. Hardly "really thin offensively".

Look at the bench. They have an IF that's making DaShawn's bat look good, and Straw who has a 640 OPS. France may very well be DFAd once their starters start to come back off the IL, namely when Santander is healthy. Not that he's been any good this season anyways. 

[BD57]

The "pre-sale" roster wasn't playing good baseball & blaming that on injuries isn't persuasive.

Strikes me as as a "pare down the payroll & get some prospects for new ownership to inherit," essentially a "clear the decks & give the new ownership some room to maneuver.  

I'm all for the team being sold.   While new ownership will have no obligation to spend its own money to make the team good, I'm hoping it'll be open to it.

[Fred]

14 minutes ago, Larry Janisewski said:

The bullpen "was" a strength. the Twins problem was not being able to hit, especially with runners in scoring position and the position player movement was minimal.

I got sick of 10, 11, 14 LOB. They seemed to be going for a seasonal record

[Riverbrian]

28 minutes ago, Fred said:

Jake Cave tore up AAA, too; I'm not expecting much, but hoping I'm wrong.

I hope you are wrong as well. 😉

Myself personally... I try to stay as neutral as possible. Past is always past with me. I always assume the coaches are trying to make players better and sometimes they may succeed and I always believe that opportunity and small sample sizes cloud any attempts at assessment. 

I like to let the players make the determination through performance. 

 

[LastOnePicked]

1 hour ago, Woof Bronzer said:

"Thank you for your support. It's your passion that drives us every day."

Hmm. I think there might have been at least a few days following the 2023 season where the organization wasn't driven by fan passion.

This letter is a joke. Just like the organization. And, again, I'm still in favor of rebuilding. It's the "how" that makes all the difference. This garbage ain't it.

[Jacksson]

With regard to each and every trade (some more so than others)

Not enough quality was received.

Not enough quantity was received.

Not enough needs at MLB & MiLB were met.

There should be an outcry for the termination of the staff who made these trades. 

[Elite Benchwarmer]

4 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

The surprise came in regards to the bullpen... They emptied that sucker and only Coulombe was an expiring contract. The most plausible explanation to me... doesn't mean I'm right. I think it was a bullpen feeding frenzy and the market was high... so it's possible that the Twins decided to take advantage of the prices being paid. We got back 3 young starters with a lot of potential in return for bullpen guys... don't get me wrong... great bullpen guys but guys who throw 60 innings for 3 guys with the potential for 180 innings. Bradley, Rojas and Abel are 3 guys with decent potential still at a young age. 

This is my view on the reliever trades.  I believe the Twins took advantage of the high prices being paid for bullpen arms.

However, the current question is what is the plan for next year?  The Twins have a long way to go to put together an average bullpen for 2026.  Maybe trading a SP for some bullpen help in the off-season?

[Mike Sixel]

So. the 28 yo they traded for is going to AAA, not the majors? Is that right?

[Riverbrian]

19 minutes ago, Elite Benchwarmer said:

This is my view on the reliever trades.  I believe the Twins took advantage of the high prices being paid for bullpen arms.

However, the current question is what is the plan for next year?  The Twins have a long way to go to put together an average bullpen for 2026.  Maybe trading a SP for some bullpen help in the off-season?

Although it doesn't seem like it... They actually created multiple options and considerations with the starting staff and on the position player side so off-season trades can be utilized to build the bullpen back up.

Also with the Correa deal they potentially created 30 million dollar in budget flexibility that can be partially utilized to build the bullpen back up. Weather that money will be used remains to be seen but they cleared significant money for additions in the off-season.

Do I think we will have a bullpen as good as the one we just blew up. Nope...no way...  but that doesn't mean we can't cobble something together that ends up mid-pack in comparison with the other 29 teams.  

The rest of this year... The Bullpen is going to be scary to close out this season but the season is lost it's about discovery in the drips and drabs that discovery will allow.

Hopefully one or two arms establish themselves amongst the other 3 or 4 that struggle and need an Uber back to St. Paul. 

Many of us here are still shell shocked... I'm saying... it may be bad this year but overall... this could be a quicker reloading. But... Damn it... this team has to start developing. Stop with the Ty France filler. 

[Riverbrian]

7 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

So. the 28 yo they traded for is going to AAA, not the majors? Is that right?

Have you seen an updated 26 man or 40 man? 

I've been waiting all day for the update. 

I'm dying to know. 

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Riverbrian said:

Have you seen an updated 26 man or 40 man? 

I've been waiting all day for the update. 

I'm dying to know. 

it is coming out now......as we type. 

[TwinsDr2021]

57 minutes ago, Fred said:

Take another look at Sabato. He languished at Wichita until this year, flipped a switch, and is doing well enough at St Paul this year that I expected that he would replace France next year for the Twins. 

Great and he is 26, if you are 26 in AA and not doing what he did he shouldn't be in baseball. His OPS in AAA is .762, wow super impressive for somebody his age. (behind guys like Winkel, Bride, Ford, Schobel, Prato, Martin, Fizgerald, Cardenas, Gasper, Julien, Erod) doesn't give me much hope. But wait he might be another one of those Twins late bloomers. Who are they I forget? 

[TwinsDr2021]

26 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

it is coming out now......as we type. 

Roden, Julien, Adams, Fitzgerald, Martin Urena, Ramirez and Ohl. 

Very impressive list, Urena is 33, Ramirez is 35, Fitzgerald is 31, Martin 26, Julien 26, Roden 25, Adams 25, Ohl 25 if this group doesn't spring hope and eternal optimism I don't know what will.

Just more proof of what a terrible job this FO has done.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, TwinsDr2021 said:

Roden, Julien, Adams, Fitzgerald, Martin Urena, Ramirez and Ohl. 

Very impressive list, Urena is 33, Ramirez is 35, Fitzgerald is 31, Martin 26, Julien 26, Roden 25, Adams 25, Ohl 25 if this group doesn't spring hope and eternal optimism I don't know what will 

There might be 4 MLB players on that list....(note I said Might). Only Ohl is a legit pitcher, imo, in that list. 

[Danchat]

34 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

So. the 28 yo they traded for is going to AAA, not the majors? Is that right?

Yup, I guess the logic is they're going to play Austin Martin in the majors every day, so Outman will get Martin's AAA reps. Not how I'd do it... especially since this is it for Outman in the minors as his options are out in 2026. Unless they're going to risk DFA'ing a guy they traded 2.5 years of Stewart for.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Roden, Julien, Adams, Fitzgerald, Martin Urena, Ramirez and Ohl. 

Very impressive list, Urena is 33, Ramirez is 35, Fitzgerald is 31, Martin 26, Julien 26, Roden 25, Adams 25, Ohl 25 if this group doesn't spring hope and eternal optimism I don't know what will 

So much for clearing the decks for legit prospects to get their feet wet.......(I think they think Roden is a legit prospect, and maybe Ohl).

[sweetmusicviola16]

51 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Falvey has never been good at trying to initiate any trade & has always failed miserably. Falvey at the other end of selling is fixed, sit and wait. In the beginning he had some success but now the FOs know they don't have to offer him a fair trade & that he'll crack & settle for less. MN has become a garbage can. Where FOs go to dump their unwanted players & dump salary on worthless players & bring home some player after dumpster diving. 

I don't think the problem has never been Falvey fluctuating of not picking a definite lane. It's more him not adequately maneuvering in the lane he picks.

Tait is 3 years out. We've all seen where that goes. Nowhere. In 8-9 years we've developed one catcher and if anyone is honest he's a part-time platoon guy. His history and stats back that up. Sure I'd like to be optimistic about Tait. But I have proven history telling me not to be. As for the rest of these acquisitions they are all prospects. And history also backs up how guys develop at the big league level here. Lots of part time poor glove so so bats. In the meantime we have no Pen. No defense and boring offense. ad Falvey added some more of these types to go along with back of the rotation starters. Get Falvey out of here and Rocco too. I'm all for rebuilds, but Falvey isn't even calling this one. That letter shows that. A rebuild can even be fun to witness. But not when the regime in charge is a failure at it. My frustration isn't even with yesterday. Mine is with 9 seasons of the same wash rinse repeat garbage.

[TwinsDr2021]

6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

There might be 4 MLB players on that list....(note I said Might). Only Ohl is a legit pitcher, imo, in that list. 

You are wrong there is 7 at least for the Twins and this front office. j/k

Ohl turns 26 in a month and a half, not sure legit is the correct word for him, but hopefully he turns into Cole Sands or better (Sands minor league numbers were better and he was younger and Ober who debuted at a similar age were way better, even with the lost year - 2020) 

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, TwinsDr2021 said:

You are wrong there is 7 at least for the Twins and this front office. j/k

Ohl turns 26 in a month and a half, not sure legit is the correct word for him, but hopefully he turns into Cole Sands or better (Sands minor league numbers were better and he was younger and Ober who debuted at a similar age were way better, even with the lost year - 2020) 

I was trying to be nice.

[Danchat]

Ohl and Adams should be tested in the bullpen to see if they can work as middle inning relievers, the rest of the group is just placeholders. Also, this has to be the oldest bullpen in the league, right? Tonkin is 35, Topa is 34, and the two new AAA guys are mid 30s. 

[twinfan]

The entire day was puzzling to me. I figured they would make a few deals and thought they could get more for Duran, Jax (though they should not have traded both), Correa and maybe Castro. Trading Varland was a surprise considering it happened after the others but many here have been dumping on him for 2+ years so I'm surprised they are upset- unless it's because of the amount of control we had. Many of the others weren't in our future anyway so it shouldn't have been a big surprise. So now we have a bunch of new players and several suspects who will probably (mostly except maybe 2-3) never make a significant contribution. But we still have a decent starting rotation, a couple of stars and a few more players who can become good. So we have holes to fill. Let's see who does what over the next 2 months and then what happens over the winter. I'm sure nobody thought we'd win the World Series after finishing last the year before. 

[stringer bell]

5 hours ago, Coach Wheels said:

 

Lewis, Lee, Larnach, Wallner, Julien, and Miranda were all rated highly in our system and have either failed or shown us very little to say they're long term assets. I'm optimistic on Lee and, maybe Lewis but the rest are on their last chance with the big club before we make decisions.

This core is soft and I do not believe we have coaches in place to challenge them and push them

Yes, this is, in a nutshell, what is wrong with the current management team from the coaching staff to the general manager. If I’m faulting Rocco, it is for his inability to harvest talent. If I’m faulting Falvey et al, it’s trying to maximize incomplete players (not enough athleticism) because they are projected to hit. It seems they think they are smarter than their competition. 

[IndianaTwin]

5 hours ago, Nshore said:

Outman is a very unfortunate name for a baseball player.  But maybe he's the new face of the franchise.

Think defense.