The Most Encouraging Early-Season Stories for the Twins Have, Sadly, Faded Fast

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

I just paid almost $5 for gas, thanks, Pohlads!!!!

Uh, what?

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Tom Pohlad favored a bolder approach last fall. He's on record lamenting the fact he wasn't in charge earlier where he could have presumably fired Falvey sooner and hired a GM with a different philosophy. 

 This is nonsensical.  Tommy first showed up at a press conference in September.  He officially took over in mid December.  Yet he waited til February to fire Falvey.  Why didn't he fire Falvey on day 1?  day 5?  day 30?  

The original poster was saying this plan - to contend with a talent-starved roster while not investing any resources - was dumb, and Tommy Pohlad was dumb to think it would work.  You seem to think it was a good plan and it's Falvey's fault it didn't work.  Ok. 

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Here's what I did for Feb 4th.  

The Twins start off with an absolute blockbuster of a trade with the Washington Nationals moving Emmanuel Rodriguez, Brooks Lee, Taj Bradley and Dasan Hill to the Nationals to get a return of (SS) CJ Abrams and (LF) James Wood.

lolololol yes why didn't the Twins simply do this, it's so simple.  

Finally, the Twins package Hendry Mendez to sweeten the deal for a team to take on Josh Bell's contract in return for a PTBNL.

Ah yes, the classic 1) sign a guy  2) trade him 2 months later before playing a single game 3) give away another prospect in the deal too 4) get nothing in return 5) ?? 6) compete for the playoffs!

[karcherd]

21 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

You think Falvey was dictating the budget to the Pohlads?

Well, we found why you're wrong here.

Yes, Falvey was just a passive bystander thru the whole process.  In no business does ownership dictate day to day needs, they are presented with options or they give parameters to operate in.  I know you hate the Pohlads and I not a huge fan, but Falvey has decimated this organization and until we get a real baseball executive in here, nothing is going to change.  That is where I hold the Pohlads, get somebody in here who knows how to run a baseball team.

[weitz41]

The flaws were bound to show. No fan who paying even a little attention to the team should be shocked.  This has been coming since the 2025 sell off.  Maybe sooner. There's lots of work to be done.

I want to give Zoll some credit. He managed to move Correas's contract and get some prospects, from other trades, we're talking/thinking about this season. That is no small task...

Tom and the rest of the Pohlad's have to TRY and sell hope after taking 500ish Mil from investors. 

Now that reality seems to be rearing its head. Zoll and Tom P. need to get on the same page.

Clear out some 26-man spots and let the kids play. Find out if Buck wants to go for a championship or a statue at Target field. I'd cut Bell. Sorry I don't think waiting till the trade deadline will get the Twins anything. I'd DFA 2 of the 4 utility players (read the utility post as well, earlier today) on the 26-man roster. Keeping Clemens and Arcia. Maybe one makes it to the Saints for depth. Then start the adds from the Saints.  3 open 26-man spots so Ross, Sabato and one of Wallner/Hendez. WAIT no K. Culpepper you say? After the trade deadline and Arcia get traded.

It's Friday and I'm a beer or two, maybe more...into it... so trash my thought's. I'll read them after a pot of coffee tomorrow...

[TheLeviathan]

2 minutes ago, karcherd said:

Yes, Falvey was just a passive bystander thru the whole process.  In no business does ownership dictate day to day needs, they are presented with options or they give parameters to operate in.  I know you hate the Pohlads and I not a huge fan, but Falvey has decimated this organization and until we get a real baseball executive in here, nothing is going to change.  That is where I hold the Pohlads, get somebody in here who knows how to run a baseball team.

I hate to break it to you, but this is not how this works.  Not for Falvey.  Not for Terry Ryan.  Not for any PBO/GM.  

Falvey was the one given the parameters.  He has to abide by them.  So when those parameters are severely changed, those responsible with setting the parameters (read: Pohlads) are to blame.

Again, and you may want to read this, even Tom Pohlad agrees with this take.  You're disagreeing with a fact here.

[karcherd]

17 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I hate to break it to you, but this is not how this works.  Not for Falvey.  Not for Terry Ryan.  Not for any PBO/GM.  

Falvey was the one given the parameters.  He has to abide by them.  So when those parameters are severely changed, those responsible with setting the parameters (read: Pohlads) are to blame.

Again, and you may want to read this, even Tom Pohlad agrees with this take.  You're disagreeing with a fact here.

Yes you are right, Tommy wakes up one day and throws a dart at the dartboard and says yep that is the payroll for next year.

[big dog]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

To really give Sabato a shot, they would need to bench Royce Lewis. Likewise, Fedko would steal playing time from Austin Martin. That seems short sighted.

Lewis can play second- he would help the team more there if he can do it. Fedko can have Larnach's spot.

Why are you making this so hard? What has the team got to lose?

[big dog]

2 hours ago, HeresWaldo said:

They traded away the largest contract in team history.

To be fair, they didn't trade it away- they gave away the player and part of the contract.

[DJL44]

4 hours ago, karcherd said:

Sabato could replace Bell if they are going to insist on a DH spot on the roster.  Clemens moves around and starts 3 or 4 times which should be his role.  There are AB's for Fedko, have Larnach DH a couple of days a week and Sabato the other days.  Then Fedko plays in LF 2 days and can play RF two days for Martin.  Plenty of AB's to go around if the manager wants it to happen.

If Sabato plays DH he will be stealing playing time from Mendez. I suppose you could use both of them as a platoon DH but that seems like a waste of a roster spot.

[karcherd]

1 minute ago, DJL44 said:

If Sabato plays DH he will be stealing playing time from Mendez. I suppose you could use both of them as a platoon DH but that seems like a waste of a roster spot.

I wasn't considering Mendez on the roster with my comment.  You are correct there probably isn't room for both at this point.  I would prefer Sabato first just to see if he has something to offer, this is probably the last chance for him with the Twins.  But I wouldn't be if it was Mendez over him.  Just get Bell off this roster.

[DJL44]

26 minutes ago, big dog said:

Lewis can play second- he would help the team more there if he can do it. Fedko can have Larnach's spot.

Why are you making this so hard? What has the team got to lose?

So Sabato gets playing time and Keaschall gets benched.

Why do you think this is so easy?

[stringer bell]

Who is just having a snag, who is cooked? Which prospect has really earned a promotion and which guy is benefiting from weak depth of pitching in AAA? These are the questions the field staff and front office need to answer and their livelihoods may depend on it. Nothing tells me Aaron Sabato has finslly closed the holes in his swing and I don’t bdlieve Gabby Gonzalez or Fedko will help the club. I’m all for Culpepper taking over shortstop and moving Marek Houston to AA. I am willing to give Josh Bell until the All-Star break and think Caratini will be okay. Move on from Larnach—he might net something at the deadline. I want to give Austin Martin a little more time to get his second wind. I am hoping Bradley is in a lull and if I’m in charge Gomez is the only bullpen guy who has earned much trust. A little for Orze and Banda. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Too true! The team is just mediocre. The lineup lacks any real excitement. Jeffers going down really diminished the lineup. The rotation has been damaged by injury, but also by its own and ineptitude. 

I had hoped for a lot more from Morris and Adams. It looks like Parades is the best of the call-ups.  

The team needs a jolt. DFA for SWR seem like the message but they need to follow that up with more moves. Right now the lethargy is spreading among twin fans.  

This team wishes it were mediocre…

[Wedman13]

Interesting comments.  We're all looking for a villain, but it's not that easy - which makes a solution even harder.

this has been a total system failure.  From trainers, development, players, Falvey and ownership.

our starting pitching was to be a strength.  Pablo out, ober stinks now out, Taj up and down then out, Abel out, SWR implodes, Zebby implodes, is Festa still alive?   That's 7 of 8 either completely out, became terrible or out for a period.  So Blame injury, performance, and an over reliance on unproven arms.

catcher-Jeffers strong, then out.  Not only implodes catcher, but DH (Caratini was DH in game 1)

bell? Not good.  Probably on Falvey

Brooks and LK?  Very average at best.  More questions than answers.

Lewis? He killed us and we counted on him.

larnach/Martin platoon?  Meh.  On Falvey

Wallner? Like Lewis, completely screwed us.  Keep in mind... many on here fought like heck based on analytics that despite hitting .202 last year, he was a top 5 RF''er in baseball

the farm?  Our best prospects are made of glass.

buck and the bullpen, better than expected.

 

so I have no idea where we go, but believe if we are looking for 1 scapegoat we are chasing a ghost.  But if responsibility has to lie somewhere (and I suppose it does),  it has to start with ownership IMO

[RpR]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Who is just having a snag, who is cooked? Which prospect has really earned a promotion and which guy is benefiting from weak depth of pitching in AAA? These are the questions the field staff and front office need to answer and their livelihoods may depend on it. Nothing tells me Aaron Sabato has finslly closed the holes in his swing and I don’t bdlieve Gabby Gonzalez or Fedko will help the club. I’m all for Culpepper taking over shortstop and moving Marek Houston to AA. I am willing to give Josh Bell until the All-Star break and think Caratini will be okay. Move on from Larnach—he might net something at the deadline. I want to give Austin Martin a little more time to get his second wind. I am hoping Bradley is in a lull and if I’m in charge Gomez is the only bullpen guy who has earned much trust. A little for Orze and Banda. 

Sabato has a .990 career fielding average at 1st base; bring him up and send Clemens to Second Base..