Did We Just Witness Jeremy Zoll Implement a Change in Roster Construction Philosophy?

[KirbyDome89]

6 hours ago, arby58 said:

"Proven veterans" don't magically escape the sands of time. Neither pitcher was passing the "eye test" (ok, radar gun test) this year.

That said, there are far better examples of veterans who outwore their welcome than Joey Gallo (maybe one with the initials MM?). Gallo carried the team's offense early in 2023, hit 21 HRs, had a .741 OPS, 100 OPS+, 0.5 WAR and played decent defense.  The Twins should be so lucky if Larnach replicates that this year.

Manual Margot, by contrast, was .626 OPS, 76 OPS+, -0.9 WAR in 2024 and far from a good defensive outfielder.

Margot was awful from the jump, but Gallo from May 1st through the end of the 2023:

.163/.288/.374 with a 45% K rate. 

The rose tinted view of Gallo's MN tenure is baffling. He was a terrible offensive performer despite the ever declining OPS to which fans clung, yet the Twins refused to actually use his roster spot. I hope Larnach is playable for more than 3 weeks this season. 

[ashbury]

8 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Margot was awful from the jump, but Gallo from May 1st through the end of the 2023:

.163/.288/.374 with a 45% K rate. 

The rose tinted view of Gallo's MN tenure is baffling. He was a terrible offensive performer despite the ever declining OPS to which fans clung, yet the Twins refused to actually use his roster spot. I hope Larnach is playable for more than 3 weeks this season. 

Also too, the vast majority of Gallo's positive offensive output that season came when his teammates already had secured a lead; his batting average was under .140 when the score was tied or the Twins were behind.  As Casey Stengel was reputed to say, you could look it up.

[Nate Palmer]

7 hours ago, nclahammer said:

Nice write up Nate, hopefully a change of philosophy for the better.   One quick note, the link to the outfielder prospects should include Gabriel Gonazalez https://www.milb.com/player/gabriel-gonzalez-694224, instead of Carlos Gonzalez.  The kid really surprised me last season compared to his first in the Twins organization and I wish him the best of luck this season.  He could be knocking on the door to Target Field too this season.

Thank-you and good catch! Just trying to live in a different era!

[JADBP]

6 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

. . . .   Trading Ober would see Zebby Matthews take the #5 spot in the rotation.   

While I agree with trading Ober, who has never really had even average MLB fastball velo, I would bring up Prielipp before Zebby.  He has been great this Spring.  But, he is short on innings, so he might have to pitch on a longer rotation, maybe every 6-7 days.  Or, AT LEAST put him in the bullpen.  He needs to start pitching against MLB vets.  I think he is ready enough. 

[JADBP]

5 hours ago, Nshore said:

I know 99% disagree with me, but IMO the Twins should put some of those strong right arms that they optioned out to work in the bullpen.  Matthews and Klein are 2 examples that could probably help.  It doesn't have to mean they're relievers for life.  Garrett Crochet, for example, started in the bullpen and is now an elite starter.  But Zoll doesn't return my calls.

Johann Santana started out as a relief pitcher....

As far as trading out current players for RP's, I wouldn't mind if they traded BOTH Larnach and Wallner.  Neither have a long term future with the Twins.  Starting bringing up the stacked outfield options that we have.  Bring up Gabby.  Time to start rotating through Jenkins and Emma.  We have Roden and Clemens to fill in the blanks.  Right now, Larnach and Wallner are just blocking the future.  

But, the Twins have this fascination with highly drafted players (both Wallner and Larnach were drafted in the first round or CB-A).  Maybe Wallner gets a good player in return.  Best we can hope for with Larnach is clearing some salary to pick up something else.  What a mess!

[Senior Softball Guy]

A real change in philosophy would be "risking" someone claiming a DFAed Outman and swallowing the 5 million dollar tendering to Larnach. Sending Roden to AAA would just take AB's away from Gabby, Erod and Jenkins. If someone claims either Larnach or Outman then they are very desparate for outfield help. At this point nobody is giving more than a box of baseballs for Larnach.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 hours ago, Brandon said:

But it would be nice to have the extra depth.  I have a feeling we will need it at some point this season 

Look to St Paul for the extra depth. It's cheaper and we will give the successful ones needed experience and we will send the unsuccessful ones back to St Paul. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

48 minutes ago, JADBP said:

While I agree with trading Ober, who has never really had even average MLB fastball velo, I would bring up Prielipp before Zebby.  He has been great this Spring.  But, he is short on innings, so he might have to pitch on a longer rotation, maybe every 6-7 days.  Or, AT LEAST put him in the bullpen.  He needs to start pitching against MLB vets.  I think he is ready enough. 

It is too late to trade Ober for any player, except some really young players. Since Ober is a mystery, why not put him in the bullpen and give him  a chance to work things out as a reliever. This would solve two problems with one move.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Wedman13 said:

Another great article, but I found the Gallo reference odd, since we have Gallo-light as our starting right fielder.  Sooo many more better examples.

i like the direction Zoll is going

Wallner has been better than that every single year. 

I have zero confidence this team will play the youth. Outman is on the roster over Roden. And Larnach shouldn't have even been tendered. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Margot was awful from the jump, but Gallo from May 1st through the end of the 2023:

.163/.288/.374 with a 45% K rate. 

The rose tinted view of Gallo's MN tenure is baffling. He was a terrible offensive performer despite the ever declining OPS to which fans clung, yet the Twins refused to actually use his roster spot. I hope Larnach is playable for more than 3 weeks this season. 

This. He was awesome for three weeks, then brutal. 

[Major League Ready]

8 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

Did the Twins make a grave mistake by letting go of two proven veterans, or do you have faith that this is a sign that the tide is turning in Minnesota ...

Grave mistake? Not at all. A bit surprising, sure, but obviously neither pitcher looked "lights out" enough to hang on to him for the coming season. Maybe they want to try some of the younger prospects in the pen? But I'm also not sure any sort of tide is turning. Not until we fork out some real money and sign, or trade for, a truly effective relief pitcher with a proven track record that will make us all sleep blissfully at night. But I don't see that happening this year. 

Have you ever seen a team expected to win 72 games sign an elite RP?  You don't need a garage for a rusted out AMC Pacer. 

[Blyleven2011]

I'll believe it when I see it if this organization has learned from past mistakes , the owners will never make a competent decision because they just dont have the Knowledge to make baseball decisions  ...

Opening day is right around the corner  , I am excited for the season of baseball , I am excited that we have no place else to go but up  ...

It's going to take a year or two , but hopefully we can get some game changing players to move the needle , we always would like our team to win more than they lose , but this year is going to be more of the past few seasons of breaking 500  ...

 

[karcherd]

No they haven't changed.  Keeping Outman around when he brings no real value to the organization is just more of the same business as usual.  I am not sold on Roden but make him the fourth outfielder up here and not clog AB's for the kids in AAA.  That is a better use of assets if you aren't going to bring any of them up.  This team operates from a model of fear, ever since they had to go their 8th and 9th outfielders in 2022.  No team could withstand that amount of injuries to one position and you can't operate like that will happen.  Injuries happen and sometimes you can withstand the loss and other time there are just too many to overcome.  

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I don’t see the philosophical change here. I see bad relievers not being retained. That’s ok

[Rosterman]

Is a "proven veteran" looking for a comeback worth more to you than a prospect who might get battered coming up to the majors for the first time?

And the dreaded "need a spot on the 40-man, who does the guy replace." 

Both Liam and Andrew will be starting their journey back to the majors on some minor league roster still this year. The Twins seem to have NOT even offered that opportunity, although there is still a possibility.

There is no shortage of BAD pitchers looking for a chance to shine, and how much "road to shining" can a team afford is the question. 

And if I were the Twins, I would be fielding offers on any/all of their outfielders if any of them show an ounce of decency on tthe field or at the plate. Wallner, Larnach, Outman, Roden, even Martin all will be easily repalced during the season, or by the off-season. Maybe one can stay as the distant 5th outfielder who can also DH.

[Teflon]

When did the Twins sign Rex Kwon Do?

[Robert Gauthier]

Bad pitching is bad pitching, if it is done by a vet or a rookie.  Time for this change.

[arby58]

On 3/22/2026 at 2:15 PM, KirbyDome89 said:

Margot was awful from the jump, but Gallo from May 1st through the end of the 2023:

.163/.288/.374 with a 45% K rate. 

The rose tinted view of Gallo's MN tenure is baffling. He was a terrible offensive performer despite the ever declining OPS to which fans clung, yet the Twins refused to actually use his roster spot. I hope Larnach is playable for more than 3 weeks this season. 

Even with your claim that 20% of the season doesn't count, Gallo's OPS from May 1 on was still higher than Margot's .626 - and he was far better defensively.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

2 hours ago, arby58 said:

Even with your claim that 20% of the season doesn't count, Gallo's OPS from May 1 on was still igher than Margot's .626 - and he was far better defensively.

Better than Manny Margot is a very low bar.

[chpettit19]

The Coulombe and Hoffman releases are the correct ones to check against. They were both non-roster invitees. Just like these 2. I certainly hope this is a sign of changes being made, but it isn't actually a change being made, yet. The Twins have had no problem cutting veterans on minor league deals with invites to camp. That isn't the problem many of us have. It's the ones on the 40-man (like Gallo and Margot) not being cut that we complain about.

The Twins weren't relying on these guys to make the squad. They were just taking a look at them. If they were counting on them they would've given them Major League deals. This isn't a change in anything. Yet. We have to get going and see what happens during the season with guys who need to be DFA'd before we can say they changed anything.

[Major League Ready]

10 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

The Coulombe and Hoffman releases are the correct ones to check against. They were both non-roster invitees. Just like these 2. I certainly hope this is a sign of changes being made, but it isn't actually a change being made, yet. The Twins have had no problem cutting veterans on minor league deals with invites to camp. That isn't the problem many of us have. It's the ones on the 40-man (like Gallo and Margot) not being cut that we complain about.

The Twins weren't relying on these guys to make the squad. They were just taking a look at them. If they were counting on them they would've given them Major League deals. This isn't a change in anything. Yet. We have to get going and see what happens during the season with guys who need to be DFA'd before we can say they changed anything.

Good points although there was something we could call a change.  They decided to spend even on less and then proclaim this team would magically compete.  

[chpettit19]

6 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Good points although there was something we could call a change.  They decided to spend even on less and then proclaim this team would magically compete.  

I, for one, always trust a Pohlad.

[theloniousjoe]

Gleeman has been banging on this drum for a long, long time. If the FO is finally showing the ability to cut bait on veterans and stop it with the sunk cost crap, that’s possibly a really good sign. 

[Linus]

This is a question I am interested in. Unfortunately it appears to be business as usual at least so far. Not surprised as Falvey hired Zoll so they likely share similar ideas about roster construction. 

[bean5302]

4 minutes ago, theloniousjoe said:

Gleeman has been banging on this drum for a long, long time. If the FO is finally showing the ability to cut bait on veterans and stop it with the sunk cost crap, that’s possibly a really good sign. 

Except they're not. Outman making the team is pretty much proof of that. The guys the Twins cut were MiLB contract guys with invites. That stuff happens every year.

[NYCTK]

39 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

That isn't the problem many of us have. It's the ones on the 40-man (like Gallo and Margot) not being cut that we complain about.

For all this complaining about the Twins refusing to move off of veterans, I fail to see any evidence. One of those truisms that lack actual truth.

Plus, you don't actually want to see your young prospects come up and serve the role of these veterans. What good would it do Emmanuel Rodriguez to come up and play twice a week? 

Fans here just constantly complain about Manuel Margot and Joey Gallo, never mind that Margot's replacement would have been Keirsey (lose-lose) and Gallo's presence didn't prevent Wallner from establishing himself as a near every day player by midseason, and then Gallo didn't make the playoff roster. 

For some reason these same fans never mention Donovan Solano, Harrison Bader, etc. 

[chpettit19]

35 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

For all this complaining about the Twins refusing to move off of veterans, I fail to see any evidence. One of those truisms that lack actual truth.

Plus, you don't actually want to see your young prospects come up and serve the role of these veterans. What good would it do Emmanuel Rodriguez to come up and play twice a week? 

Fans here just constantly complain about Manuel Margot and Joey Gallo, never mind that Margot's replacement would have been Keirsey (lose-lose) and Gallo's presence didn't prevent Wallner from establishing himself as a near every day player by midseason, and then Gallo didn't make the playoff roster. 

For some reason these same fans never mention Donovan Solano, Harrison Bader, etc. 

Why would fans mention Solano or Bader when mentioning players they wanted cut? Those players are mentioned in a positive light on this site as examples of the Twins getting it right. How else would you like them mentioned? But Donovan Solano was brought in because the Twins traded Brent Rooker after 208 ABs. Was he a success? In relation to his contract, of course. But would having Brent Rooker around in 2023 instead of trading him before 2022 because you didn't get enough data on him during a lost season have been better than having Solano?

Andrelton Simmons, Kody Clemens, Joey Gallo, Manuel Margot, Logan Morrison. Those are the names that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more.

If they'd replaced Margot with Keirsey they wouldn't have been meaningfully hurt in 2024, but they would have gotten data on Keirsey to save them from having him on the roster for 74 games in 2025. That's what many of us ask for. Andrelton Simmons on the roster all year in a lost 2021 season instead of gathering data on another player so you can make better future decisions. 

Margot played in 129 games and had 343 PAs with the Twins. Yes, I actually very much would have preferred a young player (or combination of young players) get 300 of those PAs when it was blindingly obvious from the jump that Margot was finished. Because it wouldn't have hurt the team in 2024, but it would have provided data to the front office and experience to the young player(s). Same with Bride's 80 PAs last year. And Clemens' 379.

Emma is now on his last option year and the Twins have never seen him on a major league field. Now, his injuries are obviously a major part of that. But last September he played 12 games in September in the minors. The Saints schedule ended on Sept 21. The Twins played 6 more games after that. Giving him a dozen games in the majors instead of running James Outman, Kody Clemens, and Mickey Gasper out there in September would've made me very happy.

Yes, fans complain about some things that aren't true. And maybe they overstate this particular complaint sometimes. But it's also not nothing. The Twins have been notoriously slow at moving on from vets. You don't have to play them 150 games in a season to still be slow in moving on from them. The Twins have been far more focused on floor/depth now over ceiling now or in the future for years. And, yes, I do think that's a problem. They've misused, in my opinion, their September call-ups every year. They never get possible future stars a taste of the bigs at the end of the year despite there being a real possibility that that player could be a key part of their team by some point the next season. I believe that's a meaningful problem. I think it's one of their many problems with developing players and being able to feel comfortable with a guy before their 3rd or 4th year when they're out of options and the team is left in no man's land on the team building front. Fully acknowledge that injuries have also played a role in this.

[NYCTK]

36 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Why would fans mention Solano or Bader when mentioning players they wanted cut? Those players are mentioned in a positive light on this site as examples of the Twins getting it right. How else would you like them mentioned? But Donovan Solano was brought in because the Twins traded Brent Rooker after 208 ABs. Was he a success? In relation to his contract, of course. But would having Brent Rooker around in 2023 instead of trading him before 2022 because you didn't get enough data on him during a lost season have been better than having Solano?

Andrelton Simmons, Kody Clemens, Joey Gallo, Manuel Margot, Logan Morrison. Those are the names that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more.

If they'd replaced Margot with Keirsey they wouldn't have been meaningfully hurt in 2024, but they would have gotten data on Keirsey to save them from having him on the roster for 74 games in 2025. That's what many of us ask for. Andrelton Simmons on the roster all year in a lost 2021 season instead of gathering data on another player so you can make better future decisions. 

Margot played in 129 games and had 343 PAs with the Twins. Yes, I actually very much would have preferred a young player (or combination of young players) get 300 of those PAs when it was blindingly obvious from the jump that Margot was finished. Because it wouldn't have hurt the team in 2024, but it would have provided data to the front office and experience to the young player(s). Same with Bride's 80 PAs last year. And Clemens' 379.

Emma is now on his last option year and the Twins have never seen him on a major league field. Now, his injuries are obviously a major part of that. But last September he played 12 games in September in the minors. The Saints schedule ended on Sept 21. The Twins played 6 more games after that. Giving him a dozen games in the majors instead of running James Outman, Kody Clemens, and Mickey Gasper out there in September would've made me very happy.

Yes, fans complain about some things that aren't true. And maybe they overstate this particular complaint sometimes. But it's also not nothing. The Twins have been notoriously slow at moving on from vets. You don't have to play them 150 games in a season to still be slow in moving on from them. The Twins have been far more focused on floor/depth now over ceiling now or in the future for years. And, yes, I do think that's a problem. They've misused, in my opinion, their September call-ups every year. They never get possible future stars a taste of the bigs at the end of the year despite there being a real possibility that that player could be a key part of their team by some point the next season. I believe that's a meaningful problem. I think it's one of their many problems with developing players and being able to feel comfortable with a guy before their 3rd or 4th year when they're out of options and the team is left in no man's land on the team building front. Fully acknowledge that injuries have also played a role in this.

I'm just saying that many here have an apparent instinctive hatred of external veterans, which is how so many fans here were made to look incredibly foolish when the Twins signed Harrison Bader last season, and even Ty France. 

Constantly complaining about a player 3 season ago now that didn't block any young players, and didn't even make the Twins only playoff roster in 5 seasons. 

[chpettit19]

7 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

I'm just saying that many here have an apparent instinctive hatred of external veterans, which is how so many fans here were made to look incredibly foolish when the Twins signed Harrison Bader last season, and even Ty France. 

Constantly complaining about a player 3 season ago now that didn't block any young players, and didn't even make the Twins only playoff roster in 5 seasons. 

Nobody was predicting Bader having a career year offensively. Not even you, as his biggest fan. And I fully and completely disagree that Ty France made anyone look foolish. He was exactly what I, and many others, complain about. He's a "success" for his contract, not a meaningful piece on a winning team.

That matters. "He only cost $1 million, so being an almost average bat is a win!" doesn't help you actually win games. You need to be able to use young players in a role like that. You need more than an 87 OPS+ from a veteran every day starter, no matter how low their contract is. If you can't fill 87 OPS+ roles at 1B with a prospect, you're in trouble. Thus, the Twins have been in trouble a lot.

There are a lot of complaints and praises from many different people on this site that linger much longer than they should. The Twins were right about letting Rosario go however many years ago and posters still bring him up since the LF spot hasn't been good since, even though he's been worse. I'd be willing to bet a lot that some other posters find some of the things you bring up annoying as well. I know they find some of my pet peeves I harp on annoying. Welcome to the internet, my friend. 

[amjgt]

24 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

I'm just saying that many here have an apparent instinctive hatred of external veterans, which is how so many fans here were made to look incredibly foolish when the Twins signed Harrison Bader last season, and even Ty France. 

Constantly complaining about a player 3 season ago now that didn't block any young players, and didn't even make the Twins only playoff roster in 5 seasons. 

We're on a baseball discussion board. I think we all look incredibly foolish. 😜