The Root Cause of This Year's Collapse Points to the Challenge Ahead for Twins

[Brandon]

3 hours ago, offensive_loons_fan said:

I think this is taking the "first half/second half" too literally. Maybe there wasn't a collapse on a strict 81/81 split but they were inarguably doo doo down the stretch.

I agree, The Twins were 10-17 or around that in August.

[Brandon]

I think the off-season moves will depend on the outcome of the next CBA.  If it's done quickly with the requirement of a higher floor payroll then expect hood moves.  If it drags into the season with minimal changes I expect we will go with the same roster.  This is definitely going to be an interesting off-season.  Our biggest need is 1B where we have 10 internal options but nothing too exciting and we have an army now of floor relievers and could use a few with a higher ceiling.  So the pen is halfway there and again they could stand pat there too.  We do have extra starting pitching to trade (Ober and maybe Mathews). Obviously not trade both....

Internal 1B candidates include: 

Sabato

Wallner

Mendez

Gonzalez

Roden

Tait at some point

Clemens

Keaschall

Lewis

I feel like I'm forgetting someone.....

 

[ewen21]

2 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

There was no collapse.  This team ended up right where they were expected to be.  

 

 

Not sure why people are framing this season as a "collapse" either, but it keeps getting run out there.  What this team did have was a hot run through part of June and July.  The 2001 team had a "collapse" but honestly, I can't even say that was a collapse since they outperformed expectations and young players developed at the same time.  I don't see that kind of thing going on here.

[rdehring]

Many of you talk about Buxton, mostly his health.  His injuries lead to holes in the outfield with too many games played by AAAA players.  I believe the Twins have solved this concern without trading Buxton, who like many of us is one of my favorites.  That outfield was on the field the past few weeks, Rodriguez, Jenkins and Keaschall.

Keaschall is a grinder who works his butt off.  For that reason, I believe he will be better in right field in 2027.  When Buxton is healthy, rotate each thru the DH position a day or two each week.  When Buxton, or Rodriguez, or Jenkins is injured, problem solved.

I don't know what this means for Martin, who I like.  Also don't know what this means for Roden, who I believe belongs in the big leagues.  Maybe one is traded?  I recently saw that Roden played some first base in college, maybe that's an option.

[ewen21]

If there was a collapse I will cite the back to back games July 19th and July 20th.  Zebby was an absolute horror show in Chicago.  He gave up 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 earned runs in three innings of work.  Then Ryan followed him up in Cleveland by serving out SIX gopher balls.   This was where the heart got ripped out if you asked me.  It was a point in the season where they could have proved something and they did.  They proved they did not have what it takes to win in the playoffs and most of us already knew that anyway.

 

To say this was a "collapse" is weird to me

 

 

[djvang]

Any plans that include Buxton as anything more than a part-time player are delusional.

[djvang]

24 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Keaschall is a grinder who works his butt off.  For that reason, I believe he will be better in right field in 2027. 

He can work on improving his fundamentals but unless he can do something about his weak arm I'll continue to say he should be in LF. I know, broken record.

[wesnewy]

to me there want really a "collapse" because the expectations were so low coming into the season. I really wanted to believe in this team in late June into the ASB, but they were really just a product of a horrible American League. Not saying this team wasn't fun, more like they were never in a position to really collapse.

[The Great Hambino]

Any feeling of collapse probably comes from the fact that they were buyers at the deadline and finished behind two of the teams that sold to them.  Even the Mets, a giant dumpster filled with several smaller dumpster fires, finished with only three fewer wins after selling to the Twins