Please DFA Clemens already.

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Clemens after 74 PAs.

• best exit velocity on the team (50+ PAs)
• 5th in EV90
• 5th on the team in xwOBA at .340 (league average .323)
• one of three players on the team with a positive DRS and OAA though he isn’t playing his best position of 2B
• 2nd on the team in stolen bases
• last on the team in BABIP at .220
• 9th on the team in OPS and below league average.

He hasn't been even league average, and he wasn't last year other than 1 month. 

Being the "best" at something on a terrible hitting team isn't exactly glowing.....

I play Gray or Keaschell or Fedko (he's not young, so why not) at first. 

And, just because this is about Clemens doesn't mean I don't feel the same about Outman and Wallner (and maybe Lewis in another two months). 

[bean5302]

59 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

He hasn't been even league average, and he wasn't last year other than 1 month. 

Being the "best" at something on a terrible hitting team isn't exactly glowing.....

I play Gray or Keaschell or Fedko (he's not young, so why not) at first. 

And, just because this is about Clemens doesn't mean I don't feel the same about Outman and Wallner (and maybe Lewis in another two months). 

Better to follow a process and determine if results are consistent with what you expect the results to be, especially in small sample sizes. 

Last year, Clemens was just as good for the Twins as Josh Bell is right now.

[Riverbrian]

On 4/24/2026 at 4:24 PM, ashbury said:

There are too many names on the 26-man roster that don't belong on a contending team, and not enough replacements worth an audition.

This sentence either describes

A.  A dead franchise with nothing for today and nothing for tomorrow. 

Or

B. A franchise that won't stop self inflicting wounds upon themselves. 

This team could call up Erod at any time.

To add Erod... I'd DFA Outman before I'd DFA Clemens but Ok let's pretend that Outman being a late inning defense and pinch running sub and his 29 AB's in 31 games is vital to the 13 wins we have produced.

Lets say Clemens is the guy who must go and let's pretend that we have to choose 9 players because it's a log jam otherwise. Bell to 1B, Larnach to DH. Erod to LF. Done. 

Seth Stohs and others feel it's a waste to put Erod in the Outman role. Erod must play every day and so must Wallner and so must Bell and so must Keaschall and so must Lee.

Out of our top 6 leaders in PA's. Three of them have a current OPS in the FIVES. One of them Josh Bell has fallen Babe Ruth into the sixes and we can't figure out how to add and subtract. 

I'm sorry that wound is self inflicted. The waste isn't Erod in the Outman role. The waste is the role itself... the waste starts with Outman in the Outman role.

If the manager can't figure out how to get Martin more playint time than Wallner. Well... we have a manager can't manage his way out of the platoon paper bag that he stuck on his own head.

BTW... Fedko... Surely we can waste Fedko. His brand of speed and power obviously isn't going to play in the majors... this has been pre-determined.

Instead we will watch the pre-determined players who are producing the .500 OPS. 

 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

This sentence either describes

A.  A dead franchise with nothing for today and nothing for tomorrow. 

I said not enough.  You changed it to nothing.

Go ahead. Call up ERod.

It won't change much.  The FO drove the franchise into the ditch and it's going to take a while to pull it back out.  It's going to take some time simply to determine how much blame Falvey himself bore, since ownership and his underlings remain.

[stringer bell]

Here's my take: It is substantially about the Twins and peripherally about Clemens. 

Kody Clemens shouldn't be an automatic start at first base against every right handed pitcher. He is certainly right now hitting, fielding and running better than Matt Wallner and outhitting and outfielding Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis for that matter. Should he be banished via DFA, not on performance for this team.

Do the Twins need to find out whether E-Rod's hitting will play in the majors? Absolutely and they should do it soon. He is on his last option and waiting until 2027 isn't prudent. Should Rodriguez be recalled to fill Outman's current role? Absolutely not. 

The current role for Rodriguez to get playing time is to replace Matt Wallner. Wallner needs a reset, has an option and has responded positively in a similar case two years ago. This is, however, the year for the Twins to make judgements on Wallner, Lee and Lewis. Demoting Wallner for more than a couple weeks just muddies the waters on his future. 

Eliminate the Outman/Keirsey role. A roster spot is too valuable for 30 PAs a month with predictably terrible results. The Twins know enough about Outman to say goodbye. I don't think they know enough about Wallner, Lewis, Rodriguez or Lee. I don't think the other prospects are truly ready, although Culpepper has shown signs. His overall numbers don't scream promotion.

In the end, this year is about knowing who is part of the future and who will be cast aside. The bullpen isn't going to protect enough leads to contend and probably not even be respectable. Find out who can reasonable be counted on for 2027 and beyond and go from there.

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

I said not enough.  You changed it to nothing.

Go ahead. Call up ERod.

It won't change much.  The FO drove the franchise into the ditch and it's going to take a while to pull it back out.  It's going to take some time simply to determine how much blame Falvey himself bore, since ownership and his underlings remain.

Yes I did use the word nothing. To be honest... Nothing is actually to light switchy for me and I'm not a fan of light switchy. I'm more of a dial guy.   

Not enough does work better so it's not enough for today and it's not enough for tomorrow either.  

Calling up ERod? That isn't really my immediate suggestion. It's my example because he seems to have moved to the front of the AAA queue. I'm saying that Erod could be called up tomorrow. This 2026 team does not have enough talent on it to not consider it and if the only thing stopping this move is playing time. That's a self inflicted issue. Because this team has playing time available when 4 of your top 6 guys in plate appearences have an OPS under 7. When two of your top 6 guys are under 6. When Outman is being utilzed like a pinch runner and defensive replacement has been the key to the 13 victories.  

Weather Erod hits the ground running or joins the guys under 6 OPS... Is yet to be seen. It potentially solves nothing today. 

As for the state of the organization. I agree with you. It sure looks like a ditch to me. Whose to blame... I don't know either. I just strongly assume that it's Pohlad going forward. 

We might disagree on the length of time it will take to pull itself out of the ditch but we've never discussed length of time.

I think you can speed it up with more players and not dying with a few pre-selected players.

It is indeed going to take longer if we can't figure out things like promotion and playing time allocation on a team with players who are not earning that level of playing time. 

 

 

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Here's my take: It is substantially about the Twins and peripherally about Clemens. 

Kody Clemens shouldn't be an automatic start at first base against every right handed pitcher. He is certainly right now hitting, fielding and running better than Matt Wallner and outhitting and outfielding Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis for that matter. Should he be banished via DFA, not on performance for this team.

Do the Twins need to find out whether E-Rod's hitting will play in the majors? Absolutely and they should do it soon. He is on his last option and waiting until 2027 isn't prudent. Should Rodriguez be recalled to fill Outman's current role? Absolutely not. 

The current role for Rodriguez to get playing time is to replace Matt Wallner. Wallner needs a reset, has an option and has responded positively in a similar case two years ago. This is, however, the year for the Twins to make judgements on Wallner, Lee and Lewis. Demoting Wallner for more than a couple weeks just muddies the waters on his future. 

Eliminate the Outman/Keirsey role. A roster spot is too valuable for 30 PAs a month with predictably terrible results. The Twins know enough about Outman to say goodbye. I don't think they know enough about Wallner, Lewis, Rodriguez or Lee. I don't think the other prospects are truly ready, although Culpepper has shown signs. His overall numbers don't scream promotion.

In the end, this year is about knowing who is part of the future and who will be cast aside. The bullpen isn't going to protect enough leads to contend and probably not even be respectable. Find out who can reasonable be counted on for 2027 and beyond and go from there.

This post is exactly right. 

Eliminate the Outman/Keirsay role. If the Twins don't think Outman can compete with what Wallner is producing he serves no purpose. How can Outman secure a future in Minnesota? He can't with his utilization. 

He has 3 hits in his last two starts which was one start last Sunday and a start the Sunday before that. Has he figured it out? He could 5 for 5 in one of those Sunday starts and it won't change his utilization. He can't fix it. He has been pre-determined to be a role player on a contending team that doesn't have the talent to contend and therefore no real need for role players.  

There is nothing stopping the team from calling up Erod and letting Wallner know that he better figure it out.  

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Here's my take: It is substantially about the Twins and peripherally about Clemens. 

Kody Clemens shouldn't be an automatic start at first base against every right handed pitcher. He is certainly right now hitting, fielding and running better than Matt Wallner and outhitting and outfielding Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis for that matter. Should he be banished via DFA, not on performance for this team.

Do the Twins need to find out whether E-Rod's hitting will play in the majors? Absolutely and they should do it soon. He is on his last option and waiting until 2027 isn't prudent. Should Rodriguez be recalled to fill Outman's current role? Absolutely not. 

The current role for Rodriguez to get playing time is to replace Matt Wallner. Wallner needs a reset, has an option and has responded positively in a similar case two years ago. This is, however, the year for the Twins to make judgements on Wallner, Lee and Lewis. Demoting Wallner for more than a couple weeks just muddies the waters on his future. 

Eliminate the Outman/Keirsey role. A roster spot is too valuable for 30 PAs a month with predictably terrible results. The Twins know enough about Outman to say goodbye. I don't think they know enough about Wallner, Lewis, Rodriguez or Lee. I don't think the other prospects are truly ready, although Culpepper has shown signs. His overall numbers don't scream promotion.

In the end, this year is about knowing who is part of the future and who will be cast aside. The bullpen isn't going to protect enough leads to contend and probably not even be respectable. Find out who can reasonable be counted on for 2027 and beyond and go from there.

This team has spent years needing to find out who is part of the future because they prefer to go with veteran has/never were players over youth.  It spectacularly blows up in their face and they do it again the next year digging the hole deeper.

Nothing is going to change until there is new ownership.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Clemens is not really among the Twins' biggest problems right now.

 

[RpR]

37 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

This team has spent years needing to find out who is part of the future because they prefer to go with veteran has/never were players over youth.  It spectacularly blows up in their face and they do it again the next year digging the hole deeper.

Nothing is going to change until there is new ownership.

How many of the YOUTH player from six years ago have not blown up in their face?

There is a good deal of loathing on this site for import veterans, for zero reason.

The best teams they have had were full of import veterans.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Parfigliano said:

This team has spent years needing to find out who is part of the future because they prefer to go with veteran has/never were players over youth.  It spectacularly blows up in their face and they do it again the next year digging the hole deeper.

Nothing is going to change until there is new ownership.

A million percent true. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Clemens is not really among the Twins' biggest problems right now.

 

And? That's a low bar. This thread is about Clemens, not every problem on the team. 

[RpR]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

And? That's a low bar. This thread is about Clemens, not every problem on the team. 

One person in a team sport is so good or destructive - LOL, Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY.

Paranoia strikes deep....

[jaimedude]

If they don't shore up the bullpen, it wouldn't matter if the Twins trotted Mauer or Morneau's retired ghost to play first base. Bullpen is a blackhole. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

And? That's a low bar. This thread is about Clemens, not every problem on the team. 

And in my humble opinion, Clemens doesn't deserve to be DFA'ed.

[amjgt]

20 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

This team has spent years needing to find out who is part of the future because they prefer to go with veteran has/never were players over youth.  It spectacularly blows up in their face and they do it again the next year digging the hole deeper.

Nothing is going to change until there is new ownership.

Ownership deserves a ton of criticism for a ton of things, but I just fail to see how ownership are the ones creating a situation where veterans are winning out over youth.

Is there some eventual 2nd tier indirect cause and effect? Sure. But I promise you Tom Pohlad is not ringing the bell for Luis Garcia over Kendry Rojas.