The Minnesota Twins Are Ready to Build on a Foundation of Depth

The lack of depth cost us in 2022... Having depth saved us in 2023. 

With depth obvious for all to see in 2024. Now it's about taking the talent level up a notch at the upper end. 

You pull from the bottom and add at the top but you keep that depth at all costs.  

I don't want to rearrange similar pieces. Changing the names of your depth doesn't improve the club. IMO... This off-season should be about adding difference makers.  

10 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm with @Riverbrian, it's time to start improving the depth. They've built the floor, now it's time to raise the ceiling. Their strategy this year needs to be different than last year's in that they aren't just looking for competent major leaguers they're looking for above average to great major leaguers.

Cycling players out for other guys who aren't any better doesn't help anything. It's time to start improving the names at the top of the lineup, and replacing a name at the front of the rotation, while also improving the back of the rotation. Platooning and getting everyone ABs is a great strategy when you have a whole bunch of B and C level players who are pretty close in overall talent, but have strengths and weaknesses that match up. But having A level players instead is the better option. Plan A has to be to increase top end talent while maintaining the level of talent on the rest of the roster. Let's see if they can get that done. Should be an interesting offseason.

CF, DH, and 1B are about it among the hitters.....you aren't replacing Lewis at 3B or either Polanco/Julien at 2B. CC isn't being replaced. Wallner, if they play him 120 games in LF is a top 5-10 LFer. Kepler, like it or not is staying. Jeffers, if allowed to catch 100 games like the best catchers, is top 5-10. 

CF? Buxton, Castro, Gordon, Martin, other? And if you say other, good luck finding one (you aren't in FA) that is likely to be great. 

DH? Buxton, Julien, Larnach, Miranda, other? 

1B? AK can't be relied on any more than Buxton can, imo. But giving up long term assets for a 1 year rental makes no sense, this team isn't THAT good. Severino, Miranda, Julien, Polanco, Buxton (ha, but still), other?

In pitching, I'd target one of the top 4 FA starters w/o doubt. Gotta get one of them. RP is so random, outside a few guys, that I have no idea what to do there.

The biggest improvement from last year is Wallner over Gallo for the year, Jeffers playing 90-100 games at catcher. Julien up all year. Lewis being healthy (fingers crossed), and someone reliably good at 1B. Those three things alone are worth 4-10 wins....

So, the big issue is, how do you, as you and @Riverbriansay, raise the ceiling more? I think it's going to require luck (on the hitting side someone stepping up, like Miranda or Martin).

1 minute ago, nicksaviking said:

The depth for the starting rotation was great this year, but the 'depth' for the bats hurt the team this year. The Farmer/Solano/Taylor/Castro/Gallo/Vazquez crowd keeps the Julien/Wallner/Kirilloff/Jeffers crowd off of the field.

The obvious difference is that adding depth like Lopez or Gray to the top of the rotation is like adding Carlos Correa to the lineup. While adding depth like Gallo or Taylor is like adding Bundy or Shoemaker to the back of the rotation. If they want offensive depth that will inevitably block the better talent, add it to the top part of the lineup, not the back of the lineup or the bench.

the biggest issue with the FO for me this year was demoting Wallner and Julien, and not trusting them to play earlier (and more in Wallner's case). In fairness, Farmer was signed as a placeholder until Lewis took over SS when they thought CC was gone....and Castro was a good utility player, which you need. Vazquez? That was his worst hitting year in some time. If he had been normal for him, he's a great 2nd C, again, they didn't trust Jeffers enough to play him 90-100 games like a starter. No idea how much of that is the FO vs manager....

The refusal to play Wallner over Gallo after May was mind. boggling. 

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

So, the big issue is, how do you, as you and @Riverbriansay, raise the ceiling more? I think it's going to require luck (on the hitting side someone stepping up, like Miranda or Martin).

You either sign, trade or develop to raise the ceiling. Luck is always necessary no matter the path chosen. It could be said that Correa's REGULAR season was not luck based on his struggles at the plate... although his signing was an attempt to raise that ceiling higher. 

Last Off-Season. The Mariners acquired Teoscar Hernandez coming off 3 plus years of .800 plus OPS for Erik Swanson and some lefty in the minors. That's one example off the top of my head of a recent trade that raised the ceiling or at least tried to.

In hindsight... Teoscar had a down year for the Mariners but it was an attempt by the Mariners to bring in a game changing player to add to the depth they had assembled. 

27 minutes ago, ashbury said:

The article focuses on salary arbitration, but minor league options matter more.  If the talent is stashed at AAA while the journeymen must play in the majors, it's a funny definition of depth.  It's why signing Gallo was a big gamble, and not because of the millions he was paid, but because he was only a bounce-back candidate.

You are absolutely cooking in my kitchen with this comment. The pots and pans are right over there... the spices are up here. Make yourself at home. I look forward to what you are preparing. 

Team depth is pointless... if in order to preserve that depth, you have to keep putting players performing like Gallo into the lineup day after day. Playing Gallo Every day over and over again is exactly what kills your team. We were fortunate to have a great pitching staff to prop us up until our youth started to dig our offense out of the hole a bit.   

Your depth is not just important in the case of injuries... it is also important in the case of Gallo type performances. If you don't utilize it for those Gallo type performances. It becomes a funny definition of depth. 

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't care about top 5-10 LFer, I care about top X-Y outfielder. Limiting it to just guys who played LF this year isn't a good measuring stick. I don't think he's that good anyways, because I don't believe he can maintain an .850+ OPS while cutting down his Ks. I don't mind him in the 7-bench holes in a playoff lineup, but I'm not sitting on my hands saying "LF is set for the next 5 years" because of Wallner. I can take the "or not" on liking Kepler staying. He's a good example of what I'm talking about. He's a solid MLBer, but there's WAY more ceiling to be had at his spot. Kepler (or someone like him) hitting in the 3/4 hole in the playoffs isn't going to get them to the WS. Their next step is to start getting guys better than him so his type of hitter is hitting in the 6-bench holes in the lineup. Yes, Jeffers should catch way more games next year.

I'm fine with defense first, 8/9 hole hitting CFers. And it's difficult to find great players at basically every position. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be looking. Never said the FO has an easy task to raise the ceiling, but that's why they get paid millions to try to do it.

DH is a really obvious spot to go out and try to bring in an .850+, or better yet .900+, OPS bat. Not attempting to find an elite bat because of that set of hitters would be an awful plan. You don't need a DH only, but you have a lineup spot wide open for an elite bat that can fit in anywhere on the defensive ladder. They should be trying to find one. (Go wild and sign Ohtani!)

1B is pretty much the same situation as DH. It's an obvious hole to try to plug an elite bat.

Yeah, they have to find someone who can maintain Sonny's production from this year. I hope Canterino is a BP fixture after he comes back, but, other than Hader, I wouldn't be too aggressive in trying to bring in expensive relievers.

I've been on the "Lewis is a star" bandwagon for years so I have him at the top of the internal list of possible guys worthy of a top 4-5 spot in a playoff lineup. Really hoping his health gets on track. I don't believe Wallner, Jeffers, or Julien are that good. I'd give Julien the best chance of it, but his Ks and struggles against lefties have always been a problem. I don't care about 4-10 more wins, I care about improving chances of winning a WS, and I don't think the internal options are good enough to do it. A healthy Lewis who maintains his current production is the only guy on this team that sniffs the top 5 of that Houston lineup. And he's about the only one that makes the Braves lineup at all. Only one who sniffs the top 5 in the Philly lineup, too. We are way short on top of the lineup, playoff caliber bats.

You raise the ceiling by bringing in more talent. You don't let Kepler stop you from adding an elite RFer. You can get an elite bat at 2B, but not 1B? Julien, go get your 1B glove! Can get one at 3B? Lewis go work on the pivot at 2B, and Julien get your 1B glove! Can find an elite cOFer who's best in LF? Good news, Matt, you get to show off the cannon to 3B now, too, and Kepler, you better have those legs ready to run around CF, or beat out Matt for RF, if you want playing time! You raise the ceiling by getting more talent and figuring it out from there. You can focus on certain positions more than others as obvious places to improve, but you just get more talent and figure it out from there. It's not going to be easy, and I don't expect anything dramatic. Their best bet is getting improvement from the young guys. But this team isn't good enough to just recycle platoon options at half your lineup spots.

I fully expect another platoon happy lineup of B and C level players in 2024, but that shouldn't be their plan as they head into the offseason. I don't know all their options to improve, but they better be working to find some.

If you think you can improve on Jeffers, I don't think you're realistic at all. Go look at the stats. Give me a name. Kepler? I'd replace him, I said they won't..... I'm trying to be realistic here.

You can choose not to believe in Wallner, but then you have to believe in someone else for some reason. 

It's easy to say, go get better players. It's hard to actually find those, be right, have them be healthy, available, and acquire them. The twins were actually quite good offensively once they installed Wallner and Lewis.....

Want to get rid of productive players with lots of control left? Good luck finding guys. 

44 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Officer.  I know it sounds crazy, but there's a guy just standing there in my kitchen.  I was busy cooking up something I hoped would be good, and all of a sudden he's there, welcoming me to my own crib, inviting me to use the spices and so forth.  No, no, I don't want you to tase him - he doesn't seem malicious, just see if you can talk to him.  But don't let him make off with any pots and pans on his way out, either."

Excuse me officer... I'm not sure what he told you but this is my kitchen. Hey... Hey... those cuffs are little tight. Is this really necessary? 

Hold on... where are you taking me? Wait... Stop... Hold on a second... wait... wait... Umm... Look at that big picture on the wall.  

Yes... that photo... look at it... that's me isn't it. Why would a 30 by 40 framed photo of me be hanging on the wall above the dining table in HIS kitchen? 

Yes... It's becoming clear to you... that...  that kind of tribute to me... could only be in my kitchen. 

Hold on...reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet. 

Take out my drivers license... Look at the photo on my license... yes that's right... It's the same exact... the very same photo on my license is also the photo in that large solid gold frame. The DMV photographer does good work... it was a good likeness of me so I had it enlarged and placed right there... I find it aids in digestion.  

If you don't mind... could you uncuff me now. I'm hungry and I was waiting to see what he is preparing. 

FIRST,  I'm going to be the BAD GUY here and state that I'm worried about losing over $50M from TV revenue and how much of it can be replaced by whatever deal(s) come in to play. For the first time in years, I'm worried about a potential loss in payroll, and betting there won't be a raise for the first time in a few years. NOT being a downer, just stating a fact none of us want to see happen. Right now, I'm hoping for at least a status quo.

BUT, there's a TON we don't know yet, and that's an entirely different discussion for a different day. And I want to focus on the OP.

I understand and appreciate the idea of raising the ceiling with additions to make this team better, and have a better shot at post season success. How could anyone debate that?

I also agree that keeping a status quo in regard to "depth" doesn't move the needle. No arguement there. 

Where I'm confused is the idea of "adding" better players/talent to a team that actually did that last year DID THAT before and during the season. I mean, the 2nd half Twins played between a 92 and 96 win pace between some changes and young talent. And many of us were practically begging for the younger talent. And we got it. So are we saying we need to now replace the young talent we wanted to see with different talent? 

Or is everyone kind of saying the same thing: just don't go status quo with the depth and margin talent?

1] Gray needs to be replaced with Gray...doubtful...or someone else. Personally, I think Varland has a chance to be a pretty good SP. He's still growing and learning and has tweaked his breaking ball. And he's already flashed. I'm excited for what little we saw of Paddack when we got him, and his tremendous recovery and late season appearances. But I'm a little worried about IP in 2024. And like this year, I want a good 6 options to start the season. And I'd love a flier to look at as well.

30yo Eduardo Rodriguez might come cheaper than Gray, have some upside with the Twins coaching, give us a LH, and come cheaper than Gray. Or we might instead see another trade for someone with upside, no names to present at this time, way too early. 

Dan Hayes has floated a very interesting idea of a reunion with a rehabbing Odorizzi...supposedly feeling really good and building himself back up...as a milb signing with ZERO risk as such a flier.

I'm still not convinced that a reunion of Maeda as a quality back end arm isn't a good idea with Ryan and Ober taking a step up, along with a healthy Paddack. 

Improvement with what's on hand, adding ONE important part, and adding some sort of optional piece has the ability to keep the rotation very strong still.

The base is there, but I want another quality starter to keep the floor high and keep the ceiling high with depth.

2] The Twins generally don't spend on the pen. And we can debate that as well. But as of NOW, we are looking at Duran, Jax, Stewart, Thielbar, very probably a return of the "new and improved" Pagan, and a couple LH's in Funderburk and Moran. I so wish Funderburk was brought up earlier, but he looked good in his debut. There's something to work with there. And while Moran largely disappointed, there is an ARM there if it can be harnessed. 

With NO additions, there is still a solid base to work with. It's not hard to see a 6 man pen from that group with POSSIBILITIES from Headrick from the left side...1st year at AAA and ML...and Sands, Winder, and Balazovic having some good qualities. Sands has a great breaking ball, Winder has a new sinker, Balazovic was a top 100 prospect with his stuff 2yrs ago when healthy. Henriquez had a couple injuries that slowed him, but flashed a little late in the year with his pen conversion and is only 23yo. Might Canterino, recovered, be a dangerous option by mid season? How about Alcala throwing high 90's again in his rehab? Could he be ready to FINALLY take a step forward? I'd sure like to see that.

I LOVE that the FO brings in arms with potential.  Witness Thielbar, and Stewart, and to a lesser extent the now injured De Leon. (Wissler a couple years ago). But I am also frustrated when they seem to HAVE such an arm such as Coulombe and Hoffman this past ST, and let them go for nothing. 

I DON'T expect a major BP signing like Hader, or other. And FA pen arms are always a bit of a wild card. And while it's not hard to squint and see the potential of this pen for 2024, I sure wish they would add just ONE quality arm for $5-7M maybe, that they really like and believe in to STABALIZE the back end.

Depth is there, I just want one more trusted piece.

3] The position players, the lineup, is where it gets more interesting to a degree. It's not hard to say PRIORITY ONE is adding a SP. And not hard to "ask/beg" for ONE more proven arm to increase depth. But how do you improve the position player/lineup and depth? Again, I agree it's probably a mistake to stay status quo.

I think we all realize how well Solano played and contributed overall. Despite some bad slumps, he had some key moments. And he filled in here and there best he could defensively. But he's not part of tomorrow. And Taylor might not be as well. No question he's an OUTSTANDING CF. He provided some speed...that might have presented itself better had he not had some nagging injuries...as well as some power. He also was part of some small ball plays that turned out well. He wouldn't be a bad re-sign as Buxton insurance. 

And that's where the rubber meets the road. 

There is NO WAY to build the positional part of 2024 without discussing Byron. It's not ALL on him. There are many factors, including the development of the prospects, but the truth is no Gallo or flailing Buxton made the 2nd half offense better.

Wallner has developed and produced at every level. So has Julien. So has Lewis. I think it's an incomplete arguement at best to say anyone doesn't expect their production to continue and grow. So we should change direction after pleading for them to get a shot, get it, and now dismiss their talent and potential for a different addition?

I believe any logical compilation of the 2024 roster should exclude Buxton. You just HAVE to assume anything from ZERO to 120 games split between CF and DH. Is Taylor being brought back as an option on the cheap side? Or do you assume he can't be similar to the player/producer he was in 2023, or just can't spend the $5-7M it will take to keep him and turn to Castro and the maybe not quite ready, but maybe Martin?

Kirilloff IS the 1B with a world of  potential still in front of him if his shoulder is OK. With his wrist situation FINALLY fixed, he was the best hitter for the Twins for a couple of months before he dove for a ball and messed his shoulder up

DEPTH is Castro, maybe Farmer. Lee and Severino on the way, maybe even Prato.

I love the idea of advancing the offense. I agree with Riverbrian and Chpettit19 that the offense is a concern. But I struggle with the idea of who to add that makes sense.

I feel we are a bit stuck in talent and potential when it comes to offense.

I honestly believe that at 30yo, Kepler FINALLY realized good, hard contact was better than being perfect. I think Wallner is a better version of Gallo. He will always K a lot, but he will take walks. And he just seems to have an ability to adjust that i never saw Gallo do. Julien is a bat that has a great eye. He will K some due to extreme patience,  but SLAM whe he sees something. Lewis almost defies description as to how good he can be.

When he's ready, Lee will play 3B with Lewis moving to 2B. Possibly the opposite,  we'll see. Julien will play some 2B and 1B along with DH.

Eventually,  IF he keeps on his new trajectory,  Martin will be in CF. And CF, in the system is a bit weak.

There is projection for the 2024 lineup, and depth, to be considered and concerned. For instance, IF Farmer is not kept or traded, who's next in line? With Solano probably gone, does Miranda return to previous form? 

Martin, Severino, Prato, Castro, maybe Farmer kept, I can still see some depth. But where do the Twins 2024 Twins actuality ADD  someone with a powerful bat? Do they dismiss the return and potential of Kirilloff at 1B? 

Do they ignore the sudden improvement of Kepler or the potential of Wallner to add an OF?

How can we ask for the kids to play, see them do well, and then ask for additions?

Not a fan of a full time DH, unless they are special. And i just can't dismiss the 2nd half offense and what they did. But I can see the idea of a 1B or corner OF bat added. I get it. I'm just not who or what spot. 

I can't believe they are going to ignore Wallner at this point, or dismiss the new Kepler. So 1B and ignore AK? 

Guess, in the long run, a healthy roster says, to me, we've got a TON of potential offensively, with a healthy AK and CC IF AK turns out OK. If not, I'm 100% making a move.

7 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

(I’m responding to this one, but there are several posts that reference Gallo’s playing time, particularly later in the year. It’s also a common theme elsewhere that Gallo played a lot throughout the year. I realize that “a lot” is a relative term, but I don’t think it’s accurate.) 

 

Wallner came up for good July 17. He DHed his first two games and then gave Kepler a day off in right. From July 21 on, Gallo started two games in left. After Wallner came up, it was Luplow and Castro (and to a lesser extent, Larnach) who started in left when it wasn’t Wallner. Post all-star break, it was not Gallo that kept Wallner from getting at bats.

Gallo got 171 plate appearances after the first of June. He started 38 of their 106 games after the first of June, which is just over one game out of three. Nine of those starts were at 1b in a two-week stretch when Kirilloff first went on the IL. A primary reason Gallo got the number of starts he did was because of his defensive flexibility. He was the only player on the team to start at least six games at four different defensive positions. (Castro started at five different positions, but only twice at short and once in right. Unless I missed someone, no one else started at more than three.)

He came in for defensive purposes quite a lot, but the perception that Gallo was anywhere close to a regular starter the last two-thirds of the season is not accurate.

You referenced Farmer as a placeholder. I think that’s what Gallo was — it’s just that because of his defensive versatility, he was holding the place for different people at different times. They rode him while he was hot, but they played him a lot less than people suggest over the final two-thirds.

I agree with you. I think the Twins did a good job of playing the players who were performing the best post all-star break. 

Gallo's opportunities dropped significantly as you accurately point out and they should have based on what he was producing.

His numbers were clearly reduced but still yet not enough and the roster spot should have been cleared.  

His numbers were not placeholder worthy. His numbers were not depth worthy.

His numbers were off the roster so anybody else can be on it worthy. 

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

This is impossible to argue with ... It's a universal truth that could be said for nearly every team or perhaps even every team in MLB.  The question of course is how.  Do they (should they) add another superstar free agent.  At $30M they would have $100M invested on 4 players for a lot of years.   Do we see this model successful elsewhere.

What have other teams done.  Houston drafted/developed extremely well and then extended dome of their players.  They have continued to be successful.  Their international drafting has been exceptional.    Their most impactful trade was for Yodan Alverez who was 18 years old at the time.  Yanier Diaz was also acquired as a prospect.  Chas McCormick was a 21st round pick. Their big free agent acquisition among position players (Jose Abreau) produced below replacement value.  They built a team by developing young talent.

The Rangers signed a couple super stars but they were not good until a couple young guys came along and provided them exactly what you describe.  Heim, Garcia and Dunning were unheralded players when they were acquired.  They were older prospects which is generally looked down upon here.  

I believe Mike is on the right track in that our primary position players are established for the most part and we had one of the better offensive teams after the AS break.  A best shot is that the young guys continue to get better and players like Lee / Martin and eventually Jenkins take us up a notch.   This is not to say that a creative trade can't be made to bring in an impact bat.  

I think the most impactful thing they can do this off-season is find the money to replace Gray and put Varland in the BP.  A BP of Duran / Jax / Stewart / Varland / Thielbar / Funderburk and resign Pagan looks pretty darn good.  Lopez and a free agent on the top with Paddack / Ryan and Ober is also good.

 

I agree with you... I am impossible to argue with. 😄

How do they add impact players? That's a real good question and also impossible for me to answer... especially when you consider that they haven't offered me a job so I have access to the information, budget and other considerations. I have no idea why they haven't called me but perhaps they believe they already got people in place. 

The only thing I can say is that it's been done before and this is what the front office is paid to do. So good luck to them... I'm pulling for em'. 

Teams are built in different ways as you point out. It's exactly what I meant in response to Sixel. You sign, trade for, shift position or develop impact players to find your impact players. All paths available to a front office require luck. 

I'm not a big believer in mid-range free agents because while some of them work out as expected and sometimes exceed expectation... others... too many actually just cling to the hull of your roster like Zebra mussels or Milfoil. In the end... I'd rather have the young player with options who can be sent down to the minors when they perform like they should be sent down to the minors. If you go this route... you got to show that you are willing to cut bait when it doesn't work like the Cubs did with Hosmer and Mancini.  

The top end free agent's are expensive. Can the Twins afford another one? In theory they can if... they are able to roster enough cheap minimum wage talent like Julien and Lewis. This requires letting the young players do it. It requires throwing the Gallo's and Haniger's and Hosmer's away so the younger player can do it. It requires not settling for average performance and saying Eureka... we found that every day guy we can stop looking now. When one of those real expensive free agents fail and they do fail from time to time... it is catastrophic to a team like the Twins with budget limitations. Anthony Rendon isn't a Zebra Mussel... he's a Gilligan's Island type hole in the side of your boat.     

I remember last off-season... I was on this website as an advocate of signing Mitch Haniger. Boy was I wrong. He wasn't healthy and his numbers when healthy were horrible. The Giants agreed with me at the time and they signed their version of Gallo for 3 years and 43 million. No matter how talented Farhan Zaida is... Front offices make these types of mistakes all the time. The key is to not double down on the mistake. It is bad enough to blow the money because money is not limitless... However... it's way worse to blow the money AND let the player take your Wins and Losses into the L category.     

Trading for one... that's hard to do because nobody wants to give up an impact player unless you pay for it. Those prices could compromise your future and we are talking about a future with minimum wage talent getting the job done allowing you to add more expensive pieces. Development is always going to be the most important thing any organization can do and that includes the BIG budget teams that will be trying to land Ohtani this off-season. Twinsdaily would get real noisy if the Twins traded Brooks Lee or Walter Jenkins for a today impact player.    

It's easy for me to say... Trade Farmer to the Rays for Arozarena. The Rays may not like that deal. 

It's easy for me to say... Sign Blake Snell. Blake Snell has a say in the matter and the other 29 teams have a say.  

It's also easy for me to say and I've said it... We got our depth for 2024 and that is where you start... it's critical to have the kind of depth we have... Things are good. Now to get better... Shop Higher end... no more Bundy's or Gallo's that just get in the way.

This is where we are at as an organization and it feels good to be here.  

In the end... I've just typed a lot of words in order to not answer your question. 😎

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

I didn’t have strong feelings either way on Gallo. As you note, he was clearly not performing well. I’ll also note that many on the “dump Gallo” train were also on the “dump Kepler” train and the FO was right on that one.

(Many of these folks were also on the “dump Pagan” train, but that’s a different discussion. That discussion really only applies to this one in that the FO got two out of three right when it comes to the players who were consistently the biggest lightning rods for criticism. I tend to assume the FO is smarter than folks on TD (or at least me, anyway).) 

My primary point was to refute the false narrative of Gallo playing a ton, even after he was underperforming. Last year’s false narrative was the Rocco pulls pitchers too early, and we had to deal with that all off-season.

I support your posts. More power to ya. The front office draws too much heat for typical front office decisions while having the the past constantly dragged by some into moments of sunshine.  

I was also on the dump Kepler train. Today... even with the benefit of hindsight... I have no issue stating that I would have sent him packing in June even after watching his wonderful August and September.  

On Kepler... It can be perceived that the front office was eventually right and I recognize that eventual rightness while also stating that they were still wrong regardless. We did get two wonderful months of Kepler but it came at a cost of 2 and half years of not wonderful. 

Pagan... I wouldn't have brought him back in the off-season. Once he was brought back... I let him pitch and he gave me no reason to complain in 2024 so I didn't. 

I recognize the occasional wrongs in right and the occasional right in wrongs. The front office lives in that same world as the rest of us and deserve the same blue on black considerations that we give ourselves.