Graterol Deserved Better: How the Former Twins Pitcher Was Hurt Most in Trade Debacle

He'll get to pitch in sunny L.A..  I'd guess he'll be just fine

Guy throws f***ing lightning bolts out of his right arm. I’m sad he’s gone, he’ll be the Dodgers closer before too long and his play on the mound will do all the talking it needs to. Red Sox make me absolutely want to throw up.

I hope he does well until he blows that World Series Game 7 save to his former team mates. (The guys he actually played with)

Free meals, per diem, and at least a $555,000 salary if he makes the team.   Oh yeah, that's all for playing  baseball, in California..      I was hoping to see him play for the Twins but now he's just a guy playing for another team that was mildly inconvenienced.     

All for playing baseball? It's not a game. These guys work very, very, hard. It's a job, like any other.

Cmon Mike.  Seriously?   A job like any other?  Of course they work very hard but you don't hear anyone saying its been my life long dream to work baseball.   Nearly every kid I grew up with dreamed of playing baseball, not of having a baseball job.    And the money never even entered into it. Working hard at a game does not make it less of a game.  A job like any other doesn't have a million people envious for every one job opening.   I work very hard on my golf game but thats a little misleading because I really enjoy practicing.     I work hard at my job because if I don't I won't get paid.   They work hard at baseball because if they don't they don't get to play or get paid.    I am envious of Graterol because of what he gets paid and will get paid but mostly because he gets to play baseball for a living and if I could trade places with him I would and I would work really hard at it but would not consider it work.

Graterol is going to have the last laugh (likely this year). The twins get an aged 32 year old #3-#4 whose contract won’t look so good in 2021. The Yankees added Cole, and a full year of their version of Berrios. Twins add Maeda, Bailey (yuck), a broken down 40 YO, in Hill that we hope has a few bullets left. Even if JD hits an HR in every game, Twins likely get swept in 4 with this SP staff. Chacín is also not worth mentioning. If you are going to trade our #1 ranked SP from only 6 months ago, at least add Larnach and go for a real difference maker.

Graterol is going to have the last laugh (likely this year). The twins get an aged 32 year old #3-#4 whose contract won’t look so good in 2021. The Yankees added Cole, and a full year of their version of Berrios. Twins add Maeda, Bailey (yuck), a broken down 40 YO, in Hill that we hope has a few bullets left. Even if JD hits an HR in every game, Twins likely get swept in 4 with this SP staff. Chacín is also not worth mentioning. If you are going to trade our #1 ranked SP from only 6 months ago, at least add Larnach and go for a real difference maker.

Are you complaining that we are not the very best team in all of baseball? I sure had a lot more fun last year watching 100 wins vs 100 losses. Are you in any way surprised that a team with roughly $400M more in revenue than the Twins signed the most expensive free agent SP in the history of the game. I gotta tell ya ... I am going to focus on watching a very good team for the next several years. There is nothing anyone can do about the fact that there are a handful of team with a huge revenue advantage. 

All for playing baseball? It's not a game. These guys work very, very, hard. It's a job, like any other.

Nice work if you can get it.

One of L.A.'s biggest weaknesses has been someone in the bullpen that is a "lights out" reliever.

L.A. just solved that issue with the addition of Graterol.

Graterol going to LA instead of Boston is a small consolation. At LA, I know Graterol will be evaluated properly & handled right. I feel Graterol will do great there & make us regret trading him. LA & Cleveland  have a great pitching staff. They know how to scout, draft, develop, handle, evaluate, trade for promising young talent & dump those which are inferior. I can only hope one day MN can come close. 

I was hoping that Minnesota would be forced to keep Grateral, I had imagined him as a bullpen piece this year that they could have used as an opener for about 5 times maybe in July when guys like Hill were getting close to coming off the disabled list, maybe he could throw 2 or 3 innings just to get used to going out and starting all while building up those innings with the big club. Then by next year he could have maybe started and went 5 innings about 10 times while the rest of the time he was in the bullpen and by 2022 he'd probably have been our #2 working on his way to becoming our #1. By then probably throwing 97 - 99 instead of 101, but probably much more consistent by then. However, now the Twins have a guy who will probably start 25 games this year and finish up in September and October and a very decent Bullpen option during the playoffs. And more than likely Maeda won't break down as he has shown the ability to pitch all season for awhile now. So Maeda will have immediate benefits, whereas I was hoping Grateral would be a future stud.

My hope is that Graterol becomes a force in the LA bullpen and leads them to the World Series, where he then gives up a championship winning homer to Josh Donaldson.  Also, I hope the winning pitcher in that game is Kenta Maeda.

Oh what the heck....I hope all of the players going to Boston are busts and that the Red Sox finish behind Baltimore!  (i'm not salty at all)

Like any relief pitcher, Graterol just needs to forget yesterday and look forward to the next game.

Could this story have been handled differently? Yes. But we'll all move on and as long as he proves himself on the mound, it will be forgotten soon.

Honestly, this seems typical for a story about BOS or LA sports coverage.

Watched Brusdar pitch for the Miracle... lights out prospect. Sorry to see him become a star elsewhere.