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    The Twins Only Necessary Gift in 2021

    Ted Schwerzler

    By Ted Schwerzler

    Over the past couple of offseasons we’ve seen Derek Falvey and Thad Levine make moves to take the Minnesota Twins to new heights. Having captured two straight AL Central Division titles, there’s only one gift worthy of pursuit in 2021.

    Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

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    Last winter Josh Donaldson became the most lucrative Twins player since Joe Mauer. He was joined by a few other free agents and a big trade that landed Kenta Maeda. So far this winter the market as a whole has moved at a pace slow enough to make a glacier blush. There are names out there that can help the Twins, and there’s some we have yet to consider. The only goal this offseason though should be a Postseason trip that results in a string of victories.

    Each year there’s only so many organizations with a realistic opportunity at winning a World Series. Less than half of the teams are going to make the Postseason (unless Rob Manfred again has his way), and of those there’s clearly some cut from a different cloth. While it’s not enough to simply say get in and see what happens, the reality is that a good team becoming great at the right time is recipe enough to hoist a trophy as the last team standing. Before Minnesota can run though, they need to walk, and the ability to stop tripping over their own feet is now a must.

    For each of the past two seasons it’s been very fair to suggest that this collection of players could care less about the losing streak. Now reaching 18 games and a good number of these guys having contributed to 33% of it, distancing themselves from that reality becomes more dire than ever. Although Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano can never be held accountable for what Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau failed to do, they now have their own history as well.

    The front office is dealing with a likely reduction in payroll. That may be feasible while still accumulating the necessary talent to take a step forward. What can’t happen is a reduction for the sake of saving dollars when the franchise is on the precipice of its most lucrative years in recent history. Having developed a core near or at their peak, supplemented with a superstar, and having a farm system aiding in some expendable assets, this is the time to strike. Falvey and Levine have done a good job putting their best feet forward, and there should be no reason for that course to be interrupted now.

    It’s not logical to suggest that Minnesota signs Trevor Bauer, Michael Brantley, and every other breathing top option on the market. What is beyond fair is to say that stopping short of necessary talent acquisition due to muted revenues, and anything short of a respectable playoff run is a failure. With steps forward should come heightened expectations and we are now at that point. Caution shouldn’t be thrown to the wind, but good enough isn’t going to cut it in 2021, and that foundation is being laid now.

    Maybe the front office can start stuffing the stockings of Twins fans everywhere and convince us that Santa was just a bit slow this offseason. Maybe that process takes a few more weeks. No matter what, when the snow melts and the season starts, a retooled and rejuvenated roster needs to be ready to go and go further than they have before. This isn’t a time to wait out the trade deadline or add when necessary. Get off on the right foot and never let the pedal down.

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    A blogger for over a decade, passion for baseball and the Minnesota Twins runs deep. Whether at the ballpark or on the couch, I'm probably tweeting.
    Follow Ted Schwerzler on Twitter: tlschwerz

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    Doctor Gast

    Doctor Gast 10,594

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Merry Christmas everyone! I'm very optimistic this year because there is a lot of options out there. FO has to wait for the owners & players to decide if they'll have the universal DH, how many games will be played, etc. That's what holding up the process plus the Twins love to wait for a good deal to shake loose at the end. There could be some good deals coming from the Reds, the FO may need to be actively pursuing    right now but in the FA market it is best to be patient                                       

    I believe FO now knows our priorities & has now finally  seen the need for an upgrade at SS. We can't rely on Donaldson to constantly take up the slack from SS & 2B. Even if Donaldson is healthy the management sees the need to periodically break him. Therefore strengthen the argument of an SS. 

    We can go w/ a fulltime SS via FA or trade or we go the way of a super utility who can excel at SS & can admirably fill in at CF when necessary. An upgrade at back-up CF is just as important priority as SS. We'll need a super utility either way because we have a glut of corner OFs, to seek another pure OF that can sub adequately Buxton would be redundant.

    We have holes to be filled at       SP & BP but we have a lot of options &                 I'm confident that FO will weigh & wait out for the best deal. Good things comes to those who wait

     

    mike8791

    mike8791 751

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    The only goal this offseason though should be a Postseason trip that results in a string of victories.

     

    Ted, you have hit the nail on the head!!  Am I the only one sick and tired of this organization unwilling to take the big step forward to be considered a serious WS threat?

     

    It has been 30 years since we had a GM make bold, decisive moves to put us in the hunt.  MacPhail rolled the dice for additions like Juan Berenguer, Jeff Reardon, and Dan Gladden in 1987 and for 1991 obtained Chili Davis, Jack Morris and Mike Pagliarulo.  Augmented by a productive farm system that produced Scott Erickson and Chuck Knoblach, with previous pickups like Shane Mack, Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani, these FA signings moved the needle enough to bring this franchise their only two WS Championships.

     

    It is not a stretch to say that no Twins GM has done anything in the intervening years to equal such bold moves, at least until Falvine brought in Donaldson and Maeda last offseason.  For whatever reason this was not enough to break the disastrous postseason futility last year.  Lots of reasons for this, including injuries to JD and BB, falloff by Rogers, pandemic concerns, but most of all, just a falling to earth by an offense that way overperformed their career norms  in 2019.

     

    So where does this leave us going into 2021?  At this stage, losses include Rosario, May, Wisler, and Romo.  Should we be concerned about sliding backwards?  No, not yet, but the signs are ominous!  Talk of cutting the budget to $125MM or $15MM from last year is certainly a move in the wrong direction.  With a talented, but somewhat flawed team that, one would think, be anxious to break their dismal history in the playoffs, this offseason represents an immense opportunity to take a big step forward.  Talented free agents abound, starting with two or three from last year's squad(Odorrizi, Cruz and Clippard), and buttressed by a strong bullpen core of FAs and potential FA's like Brantley, Ozuna, and LaMehieu.  Add on possible trade candidates like Snell, Castillo, Gray to buttress the rotation and this could be a solid WS contender.

     

    No, I am not advoacating wild spending, but if Pohlad truly wants another championship flag flying over Target Field, cutting the budget is not the way to go.  Some bold moves both in FA signings and trades is an absolute necessity, as Ted indicated.  Will this occur?   That is the unknown question at this juncture midway thru the offseason.  I'm afraid that club ownership has shown little commitment over the years to take some risks and go all in for the gold ring.  And while Falvey has exhibited more boldness than his predecessor (a very low bar) , the basic conservative nature of this organization, starting from the top and filtering down thru the FO, mitigates against boldness  I truly hope I'm off base here, but it's this sort of inside-the-box mindset that prevents true success.  If Pohlad and co. are not committed to this goal(and I don't recall JP ever publicly committing to bringing a title to this town, then isn't it time for him to sell the team to a new owner who is.



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