Twins Missed a Golden Opportunity with Byron Buxton Roster Move

[chinmusic]

59 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Why do people think Walker Jenkins would provide an immediate boost on offense?

Seriously. Sometimes these things take on a life of their own. Hype, over hype. There is  usually a learning curve. (Jackson Holliday, for example) 

That said, agree that  the Gray move is a head scratcher.

I'm going to give the Twins the benefit of the doubt here (God knows why). This "move" is still a work in progress. To be clear, I'm not knocking Walker Jenkins. Hope his debut comes sooner rather than later.

[HarmonK03]

4 minutes ago, chinmusic said:

Seriously. Sometimes these things take on a life of their own. Hype, over hype. There is  usually a learning curve. (Jackson Holliday, for example) 

That said, agree that  the Gray move is a head scratcher.

I'm going to give the Twins the benefit of the doubt here (God knows why). This "move" is still a work in progress. To be clear, I'm not knocking Walker Jenkins. Hope his debut comes sooner rather than later.

Is this a Zoll burner account 

[arby58]

1 hour ago, HarmonK03 said:

First, Jenkins has a lot more potential to provide a boost and we know Gray won't.  And Fedko would only sit because Shelton would not use him.  As it is, Gray should probably get the Fedko treatment and sit as well for 12 games without an AB.  But then why was he brought up.

And no I don't want him pinch hitting for Kreidler just because he hits from the left side.

Fedko was 0 for 16. That’s a player you sit - at the far end of the bench.

[nicksaviking]

I guess I also might not have called up Jenkins.

Because I'd have called up Culpepper who is about four months overdue for a promotion. 

This team is frustrating. I do think this club can be a top team next year, but only if they find a legit middle of the order hitter amongst the young internal players. And they need to be called up this year just to get their feet wet. Waiting until they are perfect in AAA and expecting instant results at the MLB level means this club hasn't been paying attention to how this typically works, for about the last 150 years.

[rv78]

If we were running this team, the Twins would be in 1st place 20 games over .500. Gray wouldn't even be on the roster, as well as about 10-15 other guys for sure. When it gets right down to it, is there anything that this organization does anymore that makes any sense? Just like the love they showed for a player like Mickey Gasper, who providing nothing, Gray has defensive versatility that they don't need and a worthless bat to go along with it. So, naturally he gets precedent over all the other options everyone else has listed here. 

The #1 problem this organization has had over the past 10-12 years is that Buxton can't be relied upon to be their centerfielder and in those 10-12 years they haven't had anyone worthwhile to take his place.

[nicksaviking]

15 minutes ago, chinmusic said:

Seriously. Sometimes these things take on a life of their own. Hype, over hype. There is  usually a learning curve. (Jackson Holliday, for example) 

 

Right, it's unavoidable, so why are they kicking the can? Get through the curve ASAP.

[DJL44]

2 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Right, it's unavoidable, so why are they kicking the can? Get through the curve ASAP.

He’s still learning in AAA. He hasn’t made it through that part of the learning curve yet.

[chinmusic]

8 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Right, it's unavoidable, so why are they kicking the can? Get through the curve ASAP.

I don't disagree. Who knows, maybe they're going  to bring him up after the deadline, for reasons we don't know about. Smoke might clear within a week.

[Riverbrian]

I don't believe we will miss any games next season because I think both sides know the damage that could cause. 

However... if a lockout is possible and especially if that lockout extends into the season. I can't see any reason to add a potential FUTURE superstar to the 40 and 26 man roster... therefore burning service time and options on the hope that he out performs current players for two months in 2026.

We also don't know what the new CBA will say when an agreement is eventually reached. If the owners want a cap/floor and if they can convince the players association to agree some version of that. MLBPA is going to want something significant in return. Quicker Free Agency? Less Options? Limits on demotion?   

Jenkins and Culpepper don't need to be added to the 40 man until December 2027. For all of us... me included who like to talk about the future. Jenkins and Culpepper called up this year could have negative future implications. 

 

[Drtwins]

I agree the Gray move is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I don't see the Twins adding any of their top prospects to the 40-man roster with a potential labor stoppage looming in 2027.

Adding players like Jenkins or Culpepper could actually do more harm than good. Players on a 40-man roster aren't allowed to participating in team activities during an MLB work stoppage, which would mean no access to Twins staff or ability to play in the minors. That could be a significant loss of development time.

There's also the uncertainty surrounding the next cba. Changes to service time, arbitration eligibility, and free agency are all possible. Calling up Jenkins or Culpepper for a brief stint now could ultimately cost the Twins an additional year of team control under whatever rules are negotiated.

I know team control isn't something most fans care about, but from the Twins' perspective, it's hard to justify accelerating the timeline when they're not realistically positioned to compete with the Dodgers.

[nicksaviking]

21 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He’s still learning in AAA. He hasn’t made it through that part of the learning curve yet.

He's got an absurd 14% K rate and an equally absurd 14% walk rate in AAA. He's got the gist of it. If you insist on waiting for him to add power before getting called up, we might not see him until he's 26. If ever.

[arby58]

1 hour ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Truly puzzling.  They won't (or shouldn't) have 3 catchers for more than a couple days.  This is the kind of thing that drives Twins fans crazy and just adds to the frustration with the ownership and the "brain trust" that is our FO.  

He wasn't mentioned, but the Twins could have also called up Kaelen Culpepper.  He was to the Saints roster last Friday and seems to have recovered from his glute strain and hand injury.  He hasn't played in many games since June,  and I can understand the Twins feeling he needs a few more games at St. Paul.  But he HAS to be a better option than Gray.  

Absent a Jenkins or Culpepper addition, I would have given Fedko another chance.  

Culpepper spent a month on the IL and has just 5 games since coming back. He’s 4 for 20, which suggests he needs a bit more PT at AAA to get back to form.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

Baffling for a team that is wanting to push for the playoffs.  Other teams are bringing up prospects at young ages but we have not figured that out.

History says they never will.

[Riverbrian]

25 minutes ago, Drtwins said:

There's also the uncertainty surrounding the next cba. Changes to service time, arbitration eligibility, and free agency are all possible. Calling up Jenkins or Culpepper for a brief stint now could ultimately cost the Twins an additional year of team control under whatever rules are negotiated.

Who knows but we could be starting his clock early and the new CBA could also shorten the clock. 

That would be synergism. The combination of two forces combined to create a result greater than the sum of the individual results. 

I wouldn't be keen on Jenkins reaching free agency at age 26 or 27.  

 

[nicksaviking]

32 minutes ago, chinmusic said:

I don't disagree. Who knows, maybe they're going  to bring him up after the deadline, for reasons we don't know about. Smoke might clear within a week.

I do suspect the top prospects will be up after the trade deadline as a consolation prize to the fans if they fail to land any big trade targets. And I suspect they'll fail. Which I'll be Ok with.

An unexpectedly enjoyable, yet not terribly fulfilling 2026 should be the preview, fielding a really good team in 2027 should be the real goal.

[thelanges5]

Tigers are calling up Max Clark, taken one pick ahead of Jenkins. Already have McGonigle up. 
 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/tigers-call-up-max-clark-top-prospect.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky

[Jeff K]

2 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

I can sum the situation in one sentence:  Walker Jenkins is NOT Tristan Gray.

And he plays centerfield