bean5302

I feel pretty strongly you did not read the Judge's findings when she threw out the temporary restraining order against Bauer. In no uncertain terms the judge's findings vindicated Bauer while harshly criticizing the petitioner over and over. Those findings are not technically binding on a criminal investigation because the judge's findings in regard to a motion for protection are to establish whether or not the respondent represents an imminent threat to the petitioner, not necessarily to the validity of the all alleged criminal conduct outlined petitioner's complaint. Hearings for a motion for protection can enable a judge to grant nearly immediate protection to a potential victim while evidence is gathered during a criminal investigation. That said, again, the judge went out of her way to chastise the petitioner in the findings. A criminal investigation can continue while a search for more evidence continues and the police and DA undoubtedly turned over every rock like following up on the other case in Ohio, et cetera. Witness interviews and things like DNA testing can take several months after motions for protection might be heard. Likely the only chance for successful charging would have been to establish a credible witness who could establish a clear pattern of conduct to lend credibility to the accuser in San Diego because the woman in San Diego had no credibility left. It seems the DA was unable to establish such a witness. When DA's decline to charge, they do not say "so and so was clearly innocent" for legal reasons. Desperately clinging to the DA not going to extraordinary lengths to proclaim Bauer's innocence as a sign Bauer is actually guilty and should be punished anyway and despite a civil court's findings his accuser was not credible and the relationship was purely consensual is disgustingly vengeful and unreasonable.

This is absolutely true. Just because something isn't illegal or there isn't any civil misconduct doesn't mean it's not prohibited or a problem for MLB. A player calling an umpire names on social media or in a post game presser is a good example. Bauer's unwillingness to mitigate business risk (for lack of a better term) and accept responsibility for his own brand and the MLB brand wound up being detrimental to MLB. I think the issue at play is whether or not the punishment is applied fairly and consistent with other players with similar situations. The following is a list of suspensions for domestic violence where the allegations were fully substantiated and players were convicted or admitted guilt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_suspended_for_domestic_violence Sam Dyson is possibly the most applicable here from MLB's perspective with his 162 game suspension before there were any finished civil or criminal findings against him; however, investigations into Dyson did lead to multiple extremely serious and varying charges last year. The evidence against Dyson is obviously far stronger than Bauer. The next longest suspension was Jose Torres who received a 100 game suspension. He plead guilty to assault in order to have 4 other charges dropped including assault with a deadly weapon. Obviously, a night and day difference from Bauer's case because there's a confirmed conviction here. Bauer's strongest argument could be Miguel Sano's lack of any suspension despite allegations of sexual assault, though that investigation was kept much quieter and out of the news than Bauer's situation where being in Los Angeles and his inability to keep his mouth shut clearly made everything a much worse from an MLB optics standpoint. Considering thorough civil and criminal investigations and legal processes have found no misconduct on Bauer's part, it's hard to see how MLB came up with 2 years... other than the fact it gets the Dodgers out of paying for the contract... which reeks of collusion. Comments which boil down to "Bauer's not very nice so why should anybody care if he's treated fairly or if powerful entities gather together to ruin his life for their convenience" don't sit well with me. They're the same type of arguments police often make when allegations of police brutality are brought against officers. "So and so wasn't a good guy, they have a conviction for such and such a crime" alluding to it being okay to beat them with a tire iron for an allegedly burned out license plate light. The biggest reason to care is the precedent it sets for when a powerful entity decides they don't like you or somebody you care about.

Just a nitpick. Bauer was cleared of wrongdoing in a CIVIL COURT where the evidentiary requirement is preponderance of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt. Motions for protection (restraining orders) are civil in nature, not criminal, but the judge in that case stepped well outside of the required ruling and made remarkable statements in her findings that the acts were consensual in nature, that the woman's claims of injury did not match the findings of medical doctors and that the woman pursued Bauer, not vice versa. https://thesource.com/2021/08/26/source-sports-trevor-bauers-sexual-assault-accuser-denied-restraining-order-judge-finds-encounters-consensual/ The outcome of the LA district attorney's office not filing charges was virtually guaranteed unless they were unable to uncover credible evidence, and after months of investigating there was apparently no new evidence warranting charges. If you believe the DA's office didn't turn over every rock and shine a light into any closet they could find, especially other accusations, you're naive. Nothing would be more powerful in court than accounts from multiple women, regardless of truth and the DA's office undoubtedly scrutinized the Ohio temporary restraining order in addition to requesting to interview the petitioner in that case as well. I believe the only reason the DA's office wouldn't pursue a high profile case like this one where there were at least two multi-billion dollar corporations (Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB) pushing for charges, regardless of whether or not it could prove guilt, is there was so little evidence they couldn't survive a motion to dismiss before trial. MLB has a lot of protections against being sued. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office isn't so lucky. The accusations against Bauer have proven utterly baseless in both civil (preponderance of evidence) and criminal court. That should mean something. The kind of acts alluded to suggest Bauer and the women he "dates" may have a couple screws loose, making the false accusations all the more likely in my opinion. Then again, I know utterly nothing about that world even if I understand it exists. Haven't read them, but I have heard of the "red room of pain" (which does make me laugh at the stupidity of the concept) and 50 Shades of Grey series sold 35 million copies. Mind boggling to me. To each their own.

I'd be surprised if the Twins weren't shopping Larnach, Rooker and Sano. As far as pitching is concerned, I'd be more inclined to believe the Twins expect to be able to make a waiver claim yet this spring.

Yes. It's exactly the same general concept as fans cheering for fights in hockey, which I dislike... yet it's extremely popular. Though there is an enormous difference between a physical fist fight which can end careers and cause serious injury or death and a manager kicking dirt over a plate or offering to buy an umpire a lifetime subscription to Lens Crafters. A manager arguing balls and strikes amps up the crowd and the team. It's a fact and it's often considered an endearing trait for a manager. Fan and crowd engagement is important. Regardless of what a few people on this board like, the manager getting tossed or the crowd commiserating together over a bad call is fan engagement and baseball desperately needs more fan engagement.

Robo umps are bad for the game. They remove controversy and fan engagement. Umpires get things wrong occasionally, but hating the ump is part of the game which gets the fans excited. How many times have the fans been engaged watching an angry manager trot out of the dugout arguing balls and strikes? How many times have cheers rained down on the field watching a manager get ejected for arguing those calls?

Taylor Rogers and the Twins agreed on a $7.3MM salary to avoid arbitration in Rogers' final year or arbitration eligibility. The great news here is the Twins must expect Rogers has fully recovered from his pulley tendon sheath injury, meaning it's likely Rogers made the right call by not having surgery it seemed like the Twins were pushing. This is a major boon for the Twins' bullpen; let's just hope Rogers' pulley tendon holds together this season and he can officially put the rare issue behind him permanently. https://www.startribune.com/twins-and-taylor-rogers-settle-at-7-3-million-avoid-arbitration/600158459/

Still have Miranda. Honestly, I don't think there's a chance Gordon is put into the infield except in the most dire of short term situations. The Twins clearly have a very low view on him. I believe the front office views him as a utility outfielder because his speed allows him to cover center. That's something even Kepler may be hard pressed to do after losing a step last year.

Urshela, guaranteed. I don't think there is any question on this at all. It all depends on the severity of the theoretical injury to Correa. The Twins are not adding Martin to the 40 man for a 10 day IL stint for Correa/Urshela and they're not going to start the clock and burn Lewis' rookie status for 2 months. 10 day IL Urshela Lewis Gordon Beckham Robertson 60 day IL out for 60 days Urshela Palacios Beckham Robertson Gordon Lewis 60 day IL out for season Urshela Palacios Martin Lewis Unknowns

Softballs have a larger diameter and cannot be gripped exactly the same way as baseballs. Forearm tendonitis, elbow joint separation issues, etc. Max effort throwing with a heavier object will place more stress on the body. There are better, safer ways to deaden the ball. Just change the composition of the yarn winding a little. Done. Of course, it will likely have other effects, but not as drastically as the effects of adding weight to the ball which will deaden ball movement and reduce spin rate. The issue with injuries, in my opinion, is max effort throwing itself.

I'll take Rooker all day every day over Larnach. There's a lot of talk about how Larnach has power. Sure, line drive exit velocity, but he's slow as molasses in January and he hasn't converted the power into home run balls except in one season at Oregon State as a junior. Larnach didn't show power in his freshman or sophomore campaigns and it's never reappeared since. That leaves a single season of showing home run power in college several years ago and never in professional play. Not to mention Larnach was dumbfounded by MLB breaking and offspeed pitches and he wasn't able to deliver in AAA after his demotion, either. I believe Rooker's outfield play can take major steps forward as he's a decent runner by statcast metrics and he takes good routes to balls. It seems like Rooker's not aggressive enough as balls launch off the bat and his acceleration could use some work which leads to a terrible jump. Rooker seemed to be unlucky at the plate more than overmatched in my analysis as well. Sanchez is going to share time with Jeffers at catcher, at least to start the season. Jeffers was a near black hole at the plate last year in 293 plate appearances (not really a small sample) with a poor walk rate and a terrible strikeout rate. If Jeffers doesn't massively improve at the plate, Sanchez will be the every day catcher in short order.

The Petty trade could definitely end Falvey's tenure with the Twins. The reports on him made me feel he was just soooooo far ahead of what people were expecting.

His actual data from a published medical journal doesn't agree with unfounded personal opinion so it's junk. Got it. 10% more weight would likely be huge for perceived effort, btw. You are right, though. Plenty of pitchers are getting hurt throwing the current ball. They're already at the physiological limits before ligaments tear. So lets add 10% to the weight and see what happens? The study from the Mayo Clinic found 25% decrease in effort only reduced stress on the elbow by 7%. Increasing the weight by 10% would increase the force required by 10% and in linear theory, the effort by 35% to throw the ball at the same velocity. I don't know as I buy it would actually work out that way, but more force = more stress = more injuries. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/baseball-pitchers-make-take-less-heat-off-the-ball-during-recovery-than-they-think/

2020 = $6.7MM 2021 = $21.0MM Total = $27.7MM

Buxton might as well get his 1/2 a year on the IL taken care of now. At least he'll be more likely available if the Twins surprise the league and make the playoffs then.

Except the vast majority of the criticism of Sano's weight came when he was at 3B and obviously declining in defense because of his decreasing range as a result of his expanding gut. I don't think there's a significant expectation Sano losing weight will stop him from striking out, but it sure won't hurt him. It's more likely to help him not be thrown out at first base on a weak contact grounder or get a few extra doubles. Sano's career is in significant jeopardy right now. It would be in critical condition had he not turned things around last year in the 2nd half. Turning it around was an opportunity he was honestly only granted because of Alex Kirilloff's unfortunate wrist. Had Kirilloff been healthy, Sano likely wouldn't have seen nearly as much action and he'd be solidly relegated to a DH/PH right now.

Petty would have made the list, though Graterol is no longer a prospect as he lost his rookie status. MLB grades Chase Petty's fastball as a 70. They put his slider at 55 and his changeup at 50 while Baseball America was even more bullish with a 70, 70, 55 ratings on those pitches, respectively. The MLB world will know far more about him once he starts pitching against professional competition this year.

Velocity isn't the only thing with fastballs. Jim Hoey is the perfect example. A 100mph straightball is easy for an MLB hitter to knock out of the park. Deception on delivery and movement are key to fastball value. Velocity matters, but the type of fastball matters too. Sinking fastballs generate weak ground ball contact with late break downwards (Jordan Hicks) and four seamers generate strikeouts (Chris Sale) while cutters can generate both on unpredictable movement (Mariano Rivera). Other pitches wind up playing into the fastball as well. A pitcher with a great changeup automatically makes the fastball better because it adds to the deception if the hitter can't figure out which pitch is coming their way. Great control adds to it again since results do kind of find their way into the grades of the pitches themselves as well.

I don't see why cutting a guy who is cheap, unreliable and not valuable is hot-takey. I wouldn't have had a problem if the Twins optioned him to AAA before the season started because I don't have faith in his ability to produce. Healthy, he would have been a decent emergency starter. Dobnak seems like a great guy, but I don't have faith in his ability to pitch and having him on a 10 day IL or day-to-day all season was a negative as far as I'm concerned and moving him to the 60 day IL is not allowed just willy-nilly. Since the Twins moved him, officially, to the 60 day IL the roster spot is open and there's no reason to DFA and release him, which would inherently expose him to free agency. Side note, if you can't disagree with somebody without it being an argument, that's your problem.

Spring Training has no bearing on regular season results, especially when it comes to early Spring Training and especially, especially pitching. The players the pitchers and batters are playing against are often inexperienced guys who won't even be on the 26 man roster and pitchers often don't even throw all their pitches. They're working on mechanics, location, feel and experimentation. The Twins have tons of question marks and that makes them difficult to project, but I learned a long time ago "if, if, if" almost never goes a team's way. It's more like you get 1/3 or 2/3 of those things which work out and in order to be competitive, the Twins need some luck in that regard. Some other teams in the division also have a lot of question marks (Tigers, Royals), but the Tigers in particular, were a much better team than the Twins last year and they've gotten better. The Twins... have not really gotten better on paper. They're just not far worse than they were after signing Correa.

When it comes to projections, I view them with a grain of salt. Sometimes the performances of guys just doesn't feel right or line up with predictive stats (Ricky Nolasco). I already looked at Fangraphs's depth charts and projections and historical performances of players for my guesses on this year's potential value. It's hard to tell when or if a mediocre rookie performance is actually going to trend to dominant and I don't know the Royals or Tigers young pitchers well enough to really get a "feel" for how good they really are, but the predictive metrics are utterly useless in that regard.

5lbs a month doesn't impress me, but at 247 lbs (if that's the number), it may help his mobility a little. Accelerating mass takes energy and the extra mass in Sano's body definitely slowed his swing and ability to adjust so losing excess baggage may help him a bit at the plate. Sano's All Star value once laid in his ability to play above average 3B, now potentially relegated to DH because of terrible play at 1B more than his lack of range, I'm not sure where Sano really ranks on the depth chart. At the very worst, the weight loss is great for his personal health and no matter which way it the baseball spins, that's a good thing.

If you're going to project Ryan out, you need to multiply Kopech by 2.5x. He only started 4 games and pitched 69 innings. Not to mention Cease and Kopech both possess ace level talent. Cease may have managed only 2.9 bWAR, but he had 4.4 fWAR. Kopech also put together 1.7 fWAR. Adding the innings for both of them could easily see 4.0 WAR - Lynn 4.0 WAR - Giolito 5.0 WAR - Cease 4.0 WAR - Kopech 0.0 WAR - Keutchel 17.0 WAR Tigers 4.0 WAR - Rodriguez 2.0 WAR - Mize 2.0 WAR - Pineda 0.0 WAR - Skubal 1.5 WAR - Manning 9.5 WAR Twins 2.5 WAR - Gray 2.0 WAR - Bundy 2.0 WAR - Ober 2.5 WAR - Ryan 1.0 WAR - Somebody? 10.5 WAR Royals 2.0 WAR - Greinke 1.5 WAR - Keller 2.0 WAR - Singer 0.0 WAR - Bubic 2.0 WAR - Hernandez 7.5 WAR Guardians 5.0 WAR - Bieber 2.5 WAR - Quantrill 1.5 WAR - Plesac 1.0 WAR - Civale 1.5 WAR - McKenzie 11.5 WAR If there aren't any moves or anything, I think that's fairly reasonable for guesses.

Now that's he's officially headed to the 60 day IL, you're right.