The Twins Finally Picked a Lane

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, karcherd said:

Now is the time to start working with them and get them exposure or do you not have faith in our staff at the major league level.

Both Abel and Bradley already have exposure. And so maybe it is that they want to work with them in a much less public forum before they bring them up. I see nothing wrong with that. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

If you subscribe to The Athletic, here's an excellent article walking through the past several days, including the dynamics around the Correa trade and the Jax/Baldelli relationship and particularly focusing on the relationship and communication side of things. 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6529725/2025/08/01/minnesota-twins-trade-carlos-correa-astros/?campaign=14439855&source=athletic_breaking_targeted_email&userId=13286817

 

 

Can you give us a few highlights? If not, that's ok. 

[karcherd]

6 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Both Abel and Bradley already have exposure. And so maybe it is that they want to work with them in a much less public forum before they bring them up. I see nothing wrong with that. 

So they are not ready to contribute immediately as Falvey stated.  Bradley is the one that should be ready if you trade one of your best relievers for him.  And he has 65 starts in the major and we have an opening in the rotation.  So keep defending Falvey, but just remember he just tore down the roster that he built and produced one playoff win in nine years.  Most GM's would have been fired for this performance.

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, karcherd said:

So they are not ready to contribute immediately as Falvey stated.  Bradley is the one that should be ready if you trade one of your best relievers for him.  And he has 65 starts in the major and we have an opening in the rotation.  So keep defending Falvey, but just remember he just tore down the roster that he built and produced one playoff win in nine years.  Most GM's would have been fired for this performance.

I don't like Falvey at all. I've wanted him fired for at least a year. 

[RLTW894]

The author is pining way too hard to make a name for himself with the Twins organization. This was a fire sale and salary dump first, but with an effort to build up a farm and load the team with young talent. The Twins should have gotten more. They did not. 

I'm OK with dumping Correa's contract. I'm not OK with paying a year of his salary and not even having him on the team, while pretty much getting little in return. This is the smoking gun that $$$ was the Polhad's #1 Top Priority, not rebuilding for the future. 

The one note this article got right but then glossed over, was the part about a failed effort and then doubling down on the man who failed, Rocco. He needs to be sent back down to the minors and spend five years under Pat Murphy to learn how to lead with the rest of the leadership toolbag and not just hugging the data blindly. That was the fix. Twins unnecessarily imploded and went into rebuild mode.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

This is the big thing people are ignoring though. The vaunted "best bullpen in baseball" '24-'25 Twins WERE middle of the pack, and arguably bottom half of the league. 

FIP/WAR is nice to look at but you have to also look at the results eventually. And a season and a half of results said the Twins were a pretty mediocre to poor bullpen despite how shiny some of those arms looked. 

Fourth fewest blown saves over the last 2 seasons. Those kind of results?

[IndianaTwin]

8 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Can you give us a few highlights? If not, that's ok. 

Here are significant pieces I saw...

• Correa didn't ask for a trade, but he and Falvey have continued to have a healthy relationship. When they spoke on Wednesday, Falvey told Correa, “The direction we are going is not the one you signed up for.” As part of that, Falvey told Correa that the Astros did indeed reach out, but the discussions were not serious. Falvey told Correa he would be in contact if it became feasible. Correa told Falvey the Astros were the only team he would approve. “Carlos was never sitting there saying anything about demanding a trade or wanting to do something else,” Falvey said. “If it was right for the Twins and it was right for him, he was open to the conversation.” “When he told (me) that we were going to go into rebuild mode, I said then I deserve to go somewhere where I have a chance to win and my kids can watch me go out there in the playoffs and perform,” Correa said. “He agreed with me and he said out of respect for me he would get to work.”
• The Jax situation on Wednesday was the result of multiple relievers being unavailable and it only being a seven-run game, so Baldelli couldn't go to a position player. He didn't want to use Jax and pulled him after 12 pitches. Jax had a public outburst. Even amidst his own uncertainty, Correa played a key role in navigating a conversation between the two. Following good conversation, Jax apologized through the media, including acknowledging that the noise about potential trades has had a significant effect on him. Following the trade on Thursday, Baldelli again sought out Jax to bid him farewell. Baldelli took ownership in how he could have handled Wednesday differently, as did Jax.

The primary takeaway for me is that whatever I think about the decision making of Falvey and Baldelli, I think they do well at the human relations/communication part of their roles. 

[IndianaTwin]

26 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Both Abel and Bradley already have exposure. And so maybe it is that they want to work with them in a much less public forum before they bring them up. I see nothing wrong with that. 

I wondered the same. Given the amount of new personnel in the organization, I'll not be surprised if see some spring training-like elements the rest of the season. I think it's more likely than not that both Abel and Bradley will make multiple starts for the Twins this season.

Of note is that Bradley also threw 7 innings Wednesday night in Durham, so he's not available this weekend anyway. Might as well have an extra bullpen guy for a few days. And with Ryan, likely Ober and then SWR this Sunday, Abel isn't going to start this weekend either.

[DannySD]

They stayed in the exact same lane.

2026's projected lineup and starters look exactly the same as they did yesterday, except for Correa, who wasn't the team leader he was being paid to be. They saved a bunch of money, and newbies will replace the 4 bullpen guys. I don't get the Varland trade at all, (they must like Rojas) but everything else makes sense in that lens. 

[NYCTK]

14 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Fourth fewest blown saves over the last 2 seasons. Those kind of results?

25th highest Win Percentage Added, 27th in Left on base percentage, 22nd in ERA, 18th in WHIP. 

Those kinds of results. 

[purplesoldier4u]

In all that movement, did the Twins acquire even one top-50 MLB prospect? 

[old nurse]

4 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

It's going to be interesting to see this play out.  Abel is listed on the 40 man as "minors".  He has only had 6 major league starts.  Bradley is established so he goes to the rotation but what do they do when Pablo comes back.  Who gets the 5th spot between SWR / Festa and Abel?  Maybe they go to a 6-man rotation or they drag out Pablo's return as long as they can.

Like Joe Ryan before them, Bradley and Abel will get a couple of starts in AAA to help them figure out how to tune them up for MLB. It does show that they are not enamored with SWR, Zebby or Festa. They all have options remaining per fangraphs, so they still can remain here rather than sell low in the offseason.  Any of them are probably better relievers than the additions made today 

[Mike Sixel]

13 minutes ago, purplesoldier4u said:

In all that movement, did the Twins acquire even one top-50 MLB prospect? 

On at least one site, they didn't acquire any top 100..... But other sites like the prospects more. 

[purplesoldier4u]

Thinking back, this is about how I felt when it was announced the North Stars were leaving. Obviously, I was much younger then and a bigger NHL fan than I am now, but it was like watching a disaster movie in slow-motion.

Losing Correa didn't bother me. I was super-excited to have him here, but he just didn't seem to click. The trades of Duran, Jax and Varland were disappointing because we always wanted that kind of bullpen and now we don't. It's going to cost more to rebuild it than it was to keep them. The fact that we received no immediate-impact offensive players makes it sting even more.

I guess we should have seen it coming in 2023, and maybe we did, though It seems, as TK once proclaimed, "hope for the best and expect the worst ... " and we all hoped for the best. Though I have a bad feeling that once the season is over, Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and Ryan Jeffers will be gone, leaving Buxton and whomever.

Also, if there is no ownership change, why would we have any hopes for the future. Maybe I should be happy that I was able to watch and join in celebration of the 1987 and 1991 championships ... ones that seem so far away.

I never post anything so in-depth, but it just burns me that we, the fans, were treated with such disrespect. Then again, we're profit centers and not much more, so why should I expect to be treated any better?

Oh well, it's NFL season. On to better days as the Twins play out the remainder of the schedule. Maybe, just maybe, the team will be sold to an ownership group with deep pockets that really wants to win. Maybe the team will get a better TV deal.

As the say, hope springs eternal, especially in spring training. Let's hope for better days!

Always and forever, an aging Minnesota Twins fan.

[Sjoski]

12 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

trading Varland away.

As well as Jax...Falvey believes the  bullpen is the easiest part of a team to fill...starters can be converted to relievers, FA signings,  etc. 

They still sold low on Varland — a local guy, still under team control, who has shown flashes closer potential.  

Also, with both Varland and Jax, they could have easily made theses moves on the off season when market conditions were better.

[IndianaTwin]

53 minutes ago, purplesoldier4u said:

In all that movement, did the Twins acquire even one top-50 MLB prospect? 

In MLB.com's rankings, only one top-50 prospect was moved, period. The A's got Leo DeVries (No. 3), the highest-ranked prospect in their rankings to ever be moved at the deadline. 

MLB.com has Tait at 56 and Abel at 91. Adding Rojas, they also have the Twins getting Nos. 2, 3 and 6 among all prospects who were traded. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-clubs-with-biggest-hauls-at-trade-deadline-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

A different mlb.com article calls the Twins' additions as the second-best haul of prospects. They say an argument could be made to call the Twins No. 1, but they gave the edge to the A's, solely based on DeVries. Six Twins acquisitions made it into the Twins' Top 30 (top 24, actually).

[DocBauer]

"The Minnesota Twins finally picked a lane".

But have they? Right now they remind me of an American tourist in Europe trying to figure out what side of the road they're supposed to be on. And I'm not being snarky of facetious. 

In 2023 they seemed to have a plan, and the re-signing of Correa...and gradually yearly increases in payroll...were part of that seeming plan. Now, they still needed at least 1 quality BAT to deepen the lineup, and beyond 3 quality, playoff caliber SP, they didn't have the 4-5 spots figured out yet, but the nucleus was there to have an even better 2024 version of themselves.

Since then, the payroll has been slashed, and they've fired their entire hitting staff to lower K's and assume a different approach of contact. They had no way to add that 1 big BAT they needed, and have actually seen their offensive production tank.

I'm not blaming the FO for that completely as their employer pulled them aside after 2023 and basically said: "We've decided to change how things are running around here. What? You thought we'd keep trying to advance the team and keep trying to get better"?

While I'm not a fan of everything the FO has done the last couple of years, I will say again that I would like to have seen what they might have done if they hadn't had their legs swept out from under them.

So now we FF to 2025 and the deadline that just passed. Now maybe this tear down and sell off is all due to the Pohlads. Maybe the FO really decided in concert with them, that it was time to re-tool at the very least, and shake things up. (I have a very difficult time believing any potential buyer asked for a clearance sale before completing a purchase). Considering the fact that...other than paying a portion of Correa's next 3yrs salary...they reportedly picked up ZERO $ in any other deal, and even included Dobnak in the Paddack deal to save an extra couple $M. Falvey might one day in a memoir reveal the motivations of his employer, but he's certainly not going to put a noose around his professional neck and say something now, or the near future.

So fine, the Pohlads want a fire sale, and Falvey knows they need a re-tool anyway, so the firesale begins!

But where are the BATS this team needs since the offense was the biggest problem? You want to move a couple RP? OK. I get it. But you wipe out the bullpen almost completely? Maybe Stewart's arm just falls off. Maybe when he says his arm hasn't felt this good in YEARS is personal hyperbole. But he's only making barely above the rookie minimum, isn't going to be costly for the next couple of years, and you trade him for a 28yo OF that needs "fixing" when you haven't been able to "fix" the talented players you already have on the roster? Why cut a productive arm on the cheap side for that? And that being said, Varland's transition to the pen couldn't have gone any better. And his controlled cost is minimal for the next few seasons. So where's the $ savings?

Outman for Stewart makes zero sense to me. Bradley for Jax was an OK return, but not enough, IMO, for a dominate pen arm. Do they really believe a 30yo Jax is really going to fall of a cliff soon? MAYBE the return for Varland will turn out OK, but I'm not seeing anything but a wash at best TODAY for a cost controlled arm you already have that could be a pen fixture for the next few years.

Jax, Varlan, and Stewart, with Sands hopefully looking a little closer to his 2024 version, is at least a base for a 2026 pen. Are we really better though with what was brought in vs having to rebuild the entire pen?

I have a suspicion that Lopez or Ryan will be moved in the offseason. If so, then we're talking about a complete rebuild. And WHY when the Twins have worked so hard to build a good STAFF, rotation and pen, and the offense has still been the biggest problem?

Or should I say, an offensive IDENTITY has maybe been the biggest problem. Recent drafts have included power, but also a better mix of more athletic players who have yet to arrive yet. But generally speaking, the pitching hasn't been an issue with what's on hand, and what's breaking in, and what's coming up. So we just break apart the staff for more prospects? 

What could the lineup be like with Lewis, Buxton, Wallner, a decent, solid Larnach and Jeffers, with Lee improving, Keaschall slowly coming back, Rodriguez and Jenkins hopefully part of the near future, an actualy productive 1B, maybe a good, solid, decently productive LF until someone like Rodriguez is actually ready and just let Larnach be a DH and part time OF?

I don't think the firesale at the deadline didn't bring back talent. It actually did. But too many parts of these deadline deals felt like Crazy Larry selling off to the point where he looks around in the aftermath wondering what he's got left in his inventory. 

I'm losing faith in this FO because I DON'T feel they have picked a lane. I think it's a haphazard driving experience where they are still figuring out what lane they are SUPPOSED to be driving in, while still trying to figure out where the light switch and wipers control is located in their rental car.

Maybe Falvey and his staff are foxes just waiting to pounce and outsmart all of us. I'm beginning to doubt some of their scouting department, even though they've made some very smart moves over the past couple of years. But acquiring guys you think you can "fix" when you can't "fix" what you already have, and trading away WHAT IS WORKING for HOPEFUL replacements just doesn't make sense to me.

KEEPING a couple of the traded players, which I've already mentioned, FIXING what you already have, finding an IDENTITY offensively, NOT being afraid to give opportunities to young players and getting over the fear of depth and initial failure, (the Brewers way of doing things), and NOT tearing down what you already have that works is what this FO SHOULD have done, and SHOULD be doing.

I understand that ownership has really messed with this team, and any projected plans the FO MIGHT HAVE had. And I can barely imagine a new owner being worse at running things. (Eloise Pohlad must be turning in her grave). 

But all that being said, there remains an onus on the FO...for all the good they've done in their tenure...to ask honestly what their plan is? Because right now, I'm still seeing questions about what lane they should actually be driving in.

[insagt1]

4 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I don't LOVE Roden, but he already looks like a better bet for 2026 than Larnach and is 3 years his junior. 

He looks like he maxes out as 2-2.5 WAR player whereas Larnach can't play defense and therefore maxes out as a 1-1.5 WAR player. There's a really good chance Larnach gets non tendered now, though the roster is so light it's probably worth paying the 3.5 or whatever he's going to get in order to fill the roster and you can always try to trade him at the deadline. 

 

Twins lineup against Cleveland resembled a cobbled together AA or AAA lineup. Was it smart to totally destroy the team like that? I detest what has happened to baseball. You hand out outrageous long contracts; you then can't afford them when they have to be resigned or need to be traded; you then dump good teammates for a stable of untested young suspects. It's a crappy business and fans pay the price.I give both Twins and O's a big F for how they have handled this season so maybe I'm wrong but the message is stay home fans...we couldn't care less about you this season. When will the future start being now for this franchise?

 

 

[Danchat]

4 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

The Jax situation on Wednesday was the result of multiple relievers being unavailable and it only being a seven-run game, so Baldelli couldn't go to a position player. He didn't want to use Jax and pulled him after 12 pitches.

I forgot that was a rule... everyone said Rocco was stupid for using Jax there, but what else was he supposed to do? Maybe his pitchers could have pitched better and not put them in that situation.

[USAFChief]

11 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

France's contract was never guaranteed this year. And he is set to make about 300k the rest of the year if he is on the roster. 

If he were making 10 million I could understand this. But this doesn't pass the smell test for me.

And the roster replacement will make over $200k.

They saved less than $100k.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

I forgot that was a rule... everyone said Rocco was stupid for using Jax there, but what else was he supposed to do? Maybe his pitchers could have pitched better and not put them in that situation.

Maybe not be such a continually terrible bullpen manager an 8 man pen isn't enough. 

[old nurse]

12 hours ago, NYCTK said:

25th highest Win Percentage Added, 27th in Left on base percentage, 22nd in ERA, 18th in WHIP. 

Those kinds of results. 

Yup the Twins have had some real stinkers in the low leverage roles.  So what

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, old nurse said:

Yup the Twins have had some real stinkers in the low leverage roles.  So what

I think that is true. The Twins seventh and eighth guys are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the "bad numbers" quoted earlier. Durán, Coulombe, Varland, Stewart and Jax (probably in that order) have been from elite to very good. They are all gone now, meaning that what is left is most likely the worst in MLB.

[insagt1]

The lineup is deplorable. Filled with k's. Last 3 losses late were as predictable as sun rising. They don't have a closer and they don't havsee hitters who can produce runs in the clutch. Half the team disappeared this week with zero replacements. The fans are being robbed. Have no idea what the plan really is save maybe in a few years things will be better. Since the last month of 2024 this team is dead

[old nurse]

23 hours ago, DocBauer said:

"The Minnesota Twins finally picked a lane".

But have they? Right now they remind me of an American tourist in Europe trying to figure out what side of the road they're supposed to be on. And I'm not being snarky of facetious. 

In 2023 they seemed to have a plan, and the re-signing of Correa...and gradually yearly increases in payroll...were part of that seeming plan. Now, they still needed at least 1 quality BAT to deepen the lineup, and beyond 3 quality, playoff caliber SP, they didn't have the 4-5 spots figured out yet, but the nucleus was there to have an even better 2024 version of themselves.

Since then, the payroll has been slashed, and they've fired their entire hitting staff to lower K's and assume a different approach of contact. They had no way to add that 1 big BAT they needed, and have actually seen their offensive production tank.

I'm not blaming the FO for that completely as their employer pulled them aside after 2023 and basically said: "We've decided to change how things are running around here. What? You thought we'd keep trying to advance the team and keep trying to get better"?

While I'm not a fan of everything the FO has done the last couple of years, I will say again that I would like to have seen what they might have done if they hadn't had their legs swept out from under them.

So now we FF to 2025 and the deadline that just passed. Now maybe this tear down and sell off is all due to the Pohlads. Maybe the FO really decided in concert with them, that it was time to re-tool at the very least, and shake things up. (I have a very difficult time believing any potential buyer asked for a clearance sale before completing a purchase). Considering the fact that...other than paying a portion of Correa's next 3yrs salary...they reportedly picked up ZERO $ in any other deal, and even included Dobnak in the Paddack deal to save an extra couple $M. Falvey might one day in a memoir reveal the motivations of his employer, but he's certainly not going to put a noose around his professional neck and say something now, or the near future.

So fine, the Pohlads want a fire sale, and Falvey knows they need a re-tool anyway, so the firesale begins!

But where are the BATS this team needs since the offense was the biggest problem? You want to move a couple RP? OK. I get it. But you wipe out the bullpen almost completely? Maybe Stewart's arm just falls off. Maybe when he says his arm hasn't felt this good in YEARS is personal hyperbole. But he's only making barely above the rookie minimum, isn't going to be costly for the next couple of years, and you trade him for a 28yo OF that needs "fixing" when you haven't been able to "fix" the talented players you already have on the roster? Why cut a productive arm on the cheap side for that? And that being said, Varland's transition to the pen couldn't have gone any better. And his controlled cost is minimal for the next few seasons. So where's the $ savings?

Outman for Stewart makes zero sense to me. Bradley for Jax was an OK return, but not enough, IMO, for a dominate pen arm. Do they really believe a 30yo Jax is really going to fall of a cliff soon? MAYBE the return for Varland will turn out OK, but I'm not seeing anything but a wash at best TODAY for a cost controlled arm you already have that could be a pen fixture for the next few years.

Jax, Varlan, and Stewart, with Sands hopefully looking a little closer to his 2024 version, is at least a base for a 2026 pen. Are we really better though with what was brought in vs having to rebuild the entire pen?

I have a suspicion that Lopez or Ryan will be moved in the offseason. If so, then we're talking about a complete rebuild. And WHY when the Twins have worked so hard to build a good STAFF, rotation and pen, and the offense has still been the biggest problem?

Or should I say, an offensive IDENTITY has maybe been the biggest problem. Recent drafts have included power, but also a better mix of more athletic players who have yet to arrive yet. But generally speaking, the pitching hasn't been an issue with what's on hand, and what's breaking in, and what's coming up. So we just break apart the staff for more prospects? 

What could the lineup be like with Lewis, Buxton, Wallner, a decent, solid Larnach and Jeffers, with Lee improving, Keaschall slowly coming back, Rodriguez and Jenkins hopefully part of the near future, an actualy productive 1B, maybe a good, solid, decently productive LF until someone like Rodriguez is actually ready and just let Larnach be a DH and part time OF?

I don't think the firesale at the deadline didn't bring back talent. It actually did. But too many parts of these deadline deals felt like Crazy Larry selling off to the point where he looks around in the aftermath wondering what he's got left in his inventory. 

I'm losing faith in this FO because I DON'T feel they have picked a lane. I think it's a haphazard driving experience where they are still figuring out what lane they are SUPPOSED to be driving in, while still trying to figure out where the light switch and wipers control is located in their rental car.

Maybe Falvey and his staff are foxes just waiting to pounce and outsmart all of us. I'm beginning to doubt some of their scouting department, even though they've made some very smart moves over the past couple of years. But acquiring guys you think you can "fix" when you can't "fix" what you already have, and trading away WHAT IS WORKING for HOPEFUL replacements just doesn't make sense to me.

KEEPING a couple of the traded players, which I've already mentioned, FIXING what you already have, finding an IDENTITY offensively, NOT being afraid to give opportunities to young players and getting over the fear of depth and initial failure, (the Brewers way of doing things), and NOT tearing down what you already have that works is what this FO SHOULD have done, and SHOULD be doing.

I understand that ownership has really messed with this team, and any projected plans the FO MIGHT HAVE had. And I can barely imagine a new owner being worse at running things. (Eloise Pohlad must be turning in her grave). 

But all that being said, there remains an onus on the FO...for all the good they've done in their tenure...to ask honestly what their plan is? Because right now, I'm still seeing questions about what lane they should actually be driving in.

The game was the long ball The Twins drafted long ball type bats. The ball changed and diminished what the long ball utter could do.  The Twins were slow to adjust.

the Twins counted on two things on the financial side. Attendance to grow and the cable market to remain strong. Well, that didn’t happen, so they have to adjust. The cable companies were going to make their profit, so they were not going to give the RSN more money. The RSN was spun off with a massive debt. They don’t have money.  The Pohlads have assets, but not loose change. The lane got changed.

[dxpavelka]

On 8/1/2025 at 7:11 AM, TwinsDr2021 said:

Ya'll is a huge stretch, I would say less than half of the comments were calling for that. (Probably because the other half was more for blowing up the FO and Manager who have been failures)

One of the problems with this blow up is they left the sh!t (Tonkin, Topa, Vazquez, Gasper, Clemens, Larnach, Keirsey) for the fans to smell. If you are going to do a rebuild tear it all the way down, 

 

Did you think other teams were gonna covet ****?  That's funny stuff right there.

 

[Morland]

As reasonable as some of these trades might be from a baseball perspective, the very first trade announced what this is all about. Once the Twins forced the Tigers to take Dobnak, which meant that the Twins got a much lower prospect in return, you knew that this was going to be all about saving money. It had nothing to do with making the team better in 2026, 2027, etc. because the Pohlads could care less. They can't sell the team fast enough as far as I'm concerned. I'd like to think anyone would be better but that might be too optimistic.

[dxpavelka]

On 8/1/2025 at 7:06 AM, CRF said:

Yeah, they changed the pieces...a lot of them, but they didn't change the people who managed the pieces. You can argue that they didn't get enough return for what they let go...I don't think they did. Nothing will ever change here without a new ownership group, a new front office/GM, and a new manager. 

First it was, "we need to get rid of Gardy"  Then "Terry Ryan needs to go" Now "We need new owners" I'm SURE that will work.  In fact as soon as it happens I'm going to pick my spot for the parade.

[Doctor Gast]

On 8/1/2025 at 12:54 PM, mnfireman said:

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...

Many prospects get a lot of hype attached to them. I admit that I hadn't taken Tait very seriously because he so far away & have taken some of his negative evaluations too far. Also, I don't know any highly touted prep catchers who have ever thrived in MLB, but I know a ton that haven't. Another reason is my lack of confidence with our catching coaches from Conger down to be able to develop Tait. If they can't develop him as a catcher, what good is he? I don't care about his bat as much his mitt. We need a mitt now not 5 yrs. from now even if he makes it. Odds are he won't.

[Fred]

On 8/1/2025 at 3:53 PM, karcherd said:

This is a comment directly from Falvey's letter

"We’ve bolstered our pitching. We added arms ready to contribute now"

Which of those arms are currently on the active roster, none.  This guy has no credibility and really needs to go today.  Find someone interim to guide the organization until the sale.  I have never been so disappointed with this team.

Falvey's job, at this point, is to put the lipstick on the pig.