6 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

It is going to be an interesting day here when it is announced that Kepler and Pagan will be back in Twins uniforms in 2024...

Aw s**t, I was having a good morning until you had to come along with that thought.

1 hour ago, CRF said:

Not offering any apologies for them to be doing what they SHOULD have been doing all along. At least in Kepler's case, anyway. Pagan...I'm not so sure about. I think he'll revert to his usual self pretty soon. 

Zulgad has an interesting theory regarding Kepler. He believes that Kepler isn't thrilled to be a ballplayer, but he likes the money. So, he has no motivation to go all out until the money is threatened. He points out the Kepler really turned it on when the Twins brought up Wallner. 

15 minutes ago, Fred said:

Aw s**t, I was having a good morning until you had to come along with that thought.

I fully believe Kepler will be back next year, very little doubt.

Pagan pitching up to expectations could easily warrant him being back as well.  With him having played for the Twins, investing in a "known" product is easier than taking yet another flier on a B-C grade reliever.

39 minutes ago, Fred said:

Zulgad has an interesting theory regarding Kepler. He believes that Kepler isn't thrilled to be a ballplayer, but he likes the money. So, he has no motivation to go all out until the money is threatened. He points out the Kepler really turned it on when the Twins brought up Wallner. 

Zulgad is full of ejecta.

Max Kepler, the German Baseball Player Who Spurned Soccer for MLB Dreams

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2568511-max-kepler-the-german-baseball-player-who-spurned-soccer-for-mlb-dreams

If he lived in any number of other countries, the idea of abandoning soccer wouldn't inspire shock. Most would understand that a number of sports would suit someone as athletically gifted as Kepler.

But not in Europe. Especially not in Germany, where other athletic endeavors are barely given a passing glance. The move was as much a head-scratcher to his envious classmates as it was to his Polish-born father....

6 minutes ago, RpR said:

Zulgad is full of ejecta.

 

Max Kepler, the German Baseball Player Who Spurned Soccer for MLB Dreams

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2568511-max-kepler-the-german-baseball-player-who-spurned-soccer-for-mlb-dreams

The most middling players in Europe's top soccer leagues are guaranteed transformational wealth, supermodel girlfriends and unrivaled celebrity.

A sea of people stacked five deep around the entrance to a nightclub will part ways for one of its soccer stars to enter. Restaurant reservations will be honored—so long as a player doesn't show up unannounced. It's a utopia for most European men that few get to enjoy and nearly all envy.

And most find out if they've won this genetic lottery before their teenage years.

While the offer of a scholarship to a prepubescent seventh-grader makes the college football faithful gasp in this country, European professional clubs already have snagged soccer phenoms by that age to play in their youth academies. So coveted is the opportunity to be selected into the youth academy of a known professional club that children around Europe move great distances for the chance.

 

Max Kepler was fortunate to be one of the few. And one of the fewer who didn't even have to move. In his hometown of Berlin, he was a goalie for the youth academy of Hertha BSC, one of the storied clubs in Germany's famed Bundesliga.

Hertha BSC is known for graduating youth talent to top leagues across Europe. Kepler was thought to be so athletic he even played some attacking positions as a reserve. In his early teens, Kepler was a prodigy. Then, suddenly, he veered off the path.

 

If he lived in any number of other countries, the idea of abandoning soccer wouldn't inspire shock. Most would understand that a number of sports would suit someone as athletically gifted as Kepler.

But not in Europe. Especially not in Germany, where other athletic endeavors are barely given a passing glance. The move was as much a head-scratcher to his envious classmates as it was to his Polish-born father....

So, compare the effort needed to play soccer against the effort needed to play RF (he has said he doesn't like playing CF), and look at his choice. Then ask yourself if it's possible that he isn't interested in putting out effort for his money.

7 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

Kepler has amassed 1 WAR this year. He making 8.5m. He's been horrible. And he's blocking young players. 

TD is really on a roll. Cripes,  Hawk Harrelson would be embarrassed to be this much of a Homer.  

1 WAR is worth 8-10 million so he justified his pay and nothing more at this point.  He seems to have a little excess value if he finishes the season between 1.5-2.0 WAR.  But nothing to exciting.  

anyone think remotely that Kepler would be leading the Twins in HR's in mid August? Not me for sure. Probably more likely to believe Correa would be leading or close to leading MLB in GIDP's.

Meanwhile Gallo is striking out now at 50% of official AB's. Thats just not acceptable no matter how it can be spun by the metrics. While the age old argument of 'a k is better than a DP' will rage on like the fires in Canada, Its irrefutable that a k will not accomplish much of anything good. It won't advance runners (unless batter swings at a wild pitch) and it won't give the 'd' a chance to make an error.  Since there are a ton more k's than DP's, I'll take my chances with the guy who hits the ball somewhere.

2 hours ago, Fred said:

So, compare the effort needed to play soccer against the effort needed to play RF (he has said he doesn't like playing CF), and look at his choice. Then ask yourself if it's possible that he isn't interested in putting out effort for his money.

NO, such a silly rumor is illogical  unless the speaker of the rumor does not like the person he spreads the rumor about .

When did he say anything about center field, either way?

The hitting coach owes the fans an apology for all the strikeouts by the batters this year, it's ridiculous! 

16 hours ago, Fred said:

I'm pretty sure Buxton has a no-trade clause, so saying "if Buxton was healthy at the break we could have traded him." is just spitting upwind. He only leaves if he wants to. Now, how do they convince him to want to?

The better question is how do they convince another team to trade for him the way he is going now.  

14 hours ago, Brandon said:

1 WAR is worth 8-10 million so he justified his pay and nothing more at this point.  He seems to have a little excess value if he finishes the season between 1.5-2.0 WAR.  But nothing to exciting.  

The average paid in free agency is roughly $9M per 1 WAR.  That does not reflect worth.  It reflects cost.  It's the average production per dollar spent which reflects the crapshoot that is free agency.  (See Carlos Correa)  We expected more.  Paying $10M/WAR is a recipe for failure especially for any team with similar revenue to the Twins.   Teams don't pay a 6 WAR player $60M/year.  They pay them $30M/year.  A high percentage of them fail making the average cost much higher than the signing team expected.  

And you really think Emilio is done Paganing us?  If this isn't remembered as the season Kepler was allowed to restore his trade value, I'm not sure what to think.

I'm not exactly sure when the Twins are allowed to trade again relative to when Kepler's option has to be picked up, but they better be working the back channel phones leading up to any deadlines.