rv78

Without the powers that be, being shown the door as well, I just feel like this is another attempt, by those powers that be, to appease the fans and hold someone else accountable for their own mistakes. Could it be that the players on this team, that are directly attributed to being here by this current FO, really aren't that good and no matter who the coaches are, they aren't going to become the goose that lays the golden eggs. One of my best friends sayings was, "you can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear". Eventually you have to take the hype they are feeding you and flush it down the toilet, especially when you see year after year that the hype never materializes.

Why would it be a kill-shot? Would it keep the team from making the playoffs? It appears they don't make a difference evidenced by NOT making the playoffs. Would it keep the fans from coming to the games? A lot of Twins fans, roughly 300,000 (I heard, less than last year) didn't come to games this year. And from the sound of things there will be even less next year. When 57% of your team salary is eaten up by 3 players that account for 17% playing time, you have a serious problem that will only go away BY trading them. Is this team really serious about building a championship caliber team or are they just trying to appease the fans into coming to games and spending money? Let's assume the Twins won's increase payroll, which also means they won't be bringing in any additional talent, at least none that will make a difference to this team or the way they play. We all know after watching Rocco manage the last 5 years he isn't going to change the way he manages so in effect it will be up to the players to change the way they try to hit, field, and play fundamental baseball. Are Correa, Buxton and Lopez going to change at this point in their careers? I highly doubt it and I'd bet you or anyone else feels the same way. That leaves it up to the young players to get better. What is the best way for them to do that? CONSISTANT PLAYING TIME! Think they will get that with the way Rocco manages? NOPE! You don't get better by sitting on the bench everytime a matchup is against you. You get better by facing it and playing regularly at the same position, Becoming comfortable at what you do. It can make a BIG difference verses playing tight, which almost always leads to mistakes. The 2 BIGGEST detriments to this roster are Correa and Buxton. Neither can be relied upon to be there. Neither have a history of being full-time players in their careers. (Correa has played 140 or more games 2 times in 10 years, and Buxton has done it once, 1 flippin time!) Losing both of these guys would NOT hurt the team. It could possibly open up consistant playing time for 2 up and coming youngsters, if a new manager would also be brought in that doesn't play the analytical paper game to death every chance he gets. One that shows some confidence in those players to become better in areas that they aren't so good at. Yah! Whoopie! Rah Rah! the Twins won a playoff series last year. In the mean time they are wasting time on their young players by NOT letting them play everyday and becoming better, which only hurts the team long term. Did bringing Gallo help any young player? NO. How about Santana this year? Did he help win a few playoffs games? NO. Or Margot? Who did he take valuable playing time from? Sorry, I don't buy into the "tired excuse" at the end of the season. Most of the players were part-time players all year. Maybe they were mentally exhausted from not knowing if they were going to be in the lineup or not, or where they were even going to play in the field, or the on again, off again being pinch hit for and not being able to get consistant at bats. Your subs on the bench should be just that, subs. One like Willie Castro should not be leading the team in at bats. If no one else can take a spot on the field and play it 140-150 games a year then maybe they aren't worth having..... and Correa and Buxton are 2 of them.

Nice picture of 2 young Twins fans. I feel sorry for them. Without any significant changes in the forseeable future they will never know what it's like to watch a Twins team that knows how to play good baseball. Without the HR ball the Twins would have scored ZERO runs today. Nothing new..... it's the only way they know how to score, and that includes their Manager. A fitting end to a one dimensional offense.

When Pohlad says, "we will have a better product on the field next year" it tells me that they are admitting they failed..... Or, he's flinging BS. I'm going with the BS.

LOL! This proves winning is NOT a priority. Accountability means nothing here. They really don't give a crap about the fans.

It's obvious the writers here are enamored with Buxton. A guy that only plays part-time and has never led the team, or even helped them, to anything significant. Every article written about Buxton is meant to win over the fans and convince them how great Buxton is. 1.So his power has evolved into something special? Really? If he played a full 162 games his total this year would be 28 HR's. That's a half a season's worth for a real power hitter. Has it helped take the Twins to the next level? NO! 2.Yes, he's injured too much. Nothing's changed and at this point of his career, a full season from him will likely never happen. You can't count on him and when the team needs him the most he's never there. 3.$15M may seem like a bargain but you forgot to factor in the cost of having to roster a replacement for him because he can't be relied on to be there. Plus the cost of that replacement player taking up a roster spot that could be used for a purpose more important than another CFer. The days of a player 140-150 games haven't passed and that is what should be expected of your highest paid players, which he is one of. Anything short of that is detrimental to the team. I'm still waiting for the Buxtons and Correas to lead this team to the next level. Unfortunately they don't have what it takes, and the last 4 years of their contracts will be more of the same.

The powers that be (the FO and Rocco) won big in 2019 with the HR ball setting a MLB record. They've gone whole hog in that direction and now they are paying the price. You don't teach fundamentals, like baserunning, holding runners, sacrificing, bunting, situational hitting, opposite field hitting, etc, etc, if your only goal is to hit the ball as hard as you can, swinging for the fences. Without even checking, I'd be willing to bet the majority of the games they won were games they hit at least 1 HR or more, and the games they couldn't score enough to win, they didn't hit any.

Max had 1 good year in his career with the Twins and that was during the famous juiced ball season. He played good defense in RF and if that was the only criteria for making the Twins HOF he'd be in, but it should take a complete player or something he did that was special, like Gladden in the post season. He's an average player overall when you account for his low BA (.237) and low OBP (.318) over his career. If that deserves HOF status anywhere, then baseball has fallen off the cliff.

If he's going to be an effective starter going forward, he better develop a third or even 4th pitch he can rely on, or he'll eventually just become another bullpen piece, which it seems, is where most of the Twins starters end up.

The top spending teams that need a SS might bite if he'd agree to go there. He's not going to win anything if he stays with the Twins. We've seen that for 3 years now and if ownership is going to keep cutting payroll there's nothing that is going to happen in the last 4 years of his contract that will take this team to the next level. His contract is a waste of resources that could be spent better elsewhere.

Another feel good article for Buck. You gotta appreciate a guy that can tie on the cletes for $15M and play part-time. Of course he isn't there when they need him the most. That's too much to expect. Maybe someday this organization will go back to signing full-time players instead of role players, washed up veterans and injury prone part-timers.

I'd much rather see them ask Correa if he'd waive his no trade clause and move him verses Lopez. Even if you only consider Lopez a #2 verses an Ace he would be much more difficult to replace and his contract is $10-15M less than Correa's. They have more options at SS than they do at #2 pitcher and if they look at Free Agency or a trade, acquiring a SS will be cheaper than a pitcher of Lopez's caliber.

Everyone should be available to pitch tonight except for Varland. Sure, Jax and Duran only if needed and also limited on pitches if they are used at all. That will take some nifty managing by the "not so nifty Manager" since there is a 3 batter minimum unless the inning ends before that. Thielbar probably should have been used in the 8th yesterday and not Duran with a 5 run lead. Kudos to the Manager for not saving a fully rested Duran for tonights game. ......... Oh, no problem, Tom Kelly is going to let Jack Morris go 9 innings for the win.

Maybe not, but the chapters when he has been a Twin haven't been worth reading when it comes to his superstar salary. He's played in 150 or more games in a season ONCE in his 10 year career. And of those 10 seasons, 5 of them have been shortened by injury. I think the "damaged goods" claim is reasonably accurate. Then take into consideration athletes with a history of injuries usually don't age well. The book looks like a floppy paperback that will never be on the best sellers list. Now the FO must deal with the mega salary that hampers their ability to bring in talent that will actually help the team.

This Also, ownership doesn't decide who the money gets spent on. They may decide how much, but allocation of it is done by the FO. Payroll doesn't have to be expanded if it is spent wisely and on the right players. The FO blew that one, not ownership.

And it all comes crumbling down. Been saying it for a long time here at Twins Daily. This team, from the FO all the way down to the Manny Margots, is not that good. Even if they make the playoffs, which is highly unlikely now, they won't go far. The FO has assembled a team that has 2 superstars that can't stay on the field. A rotation that consists of 3 pitchers, (Lopez, Ober, & Ryan now injured) with the Ace really a #2. The bullpen was touted as being the "best" in baseball at the beginning of the season, can't hold a lead, with a closer that has looked average at best and some games doesn't even get used as the closer. Went all in on the Homerun or bust approach and now they are seeing the results of that. Busted! When they don't hit the long ball, they can't score. A Manager that doesn't know how to set an everyday lineup that would give his players consistant playing time and consistant at bats. He's more concerned about matchups than playing his best players everyday. Gives rest to keep players healthy when rest has never been proven to prevent injuries. This team and the way it is run is a total disaster! I can hardly wait till next year, as I doubt ownership has the insight or the guts to make the changes they need.

Good luck getting that to happen. Both have no trade clauses. If they don't produce for the Twins enough to make a difference, why would any other team want them? keep in mind Correa gets a $4M raise next year. This FO is going to have to live with those 2 over-paid super-duds for the next 4 years. At least Pablo Lopez's contract raise to $22 million will be off-set by the departure of Kepler and Santana.

So the Twins are now tied with Detroit for the last wild card spot. There's a ton of blame to be thrown around in just about every direction. Ownership for cutting payroll. Rocco for the way he manages. The FO for signing injured pitchers and signing replacement level players that really don't make the team better, and not making a significant move at the trade deadline. One thing I see that is not mentioned is the lack of production from the two highest paid players in the lineup. It's hard to win when supposedly your 2 best hitters aren't playing. For the 2nd year in a row they both either missed significant time when the team needed them most or were unproductive because of injuries. Anyone in their right mind would see that they cannot be counted on. Unfortunately the FO has hogtied this team for the next 4 years due to the no trade contracts they gave to the 2 super-duds. Imagine if they would have played down the stretch and made significant contributions to the lineup. Maybe they would have won half a dozen of the games they lost and the team wouldn't be in it's current situation of possible playoff elimination. Spending $50M, it'll be more next year, for 2 players that can't be counted on when you need them most is just a total waste of resources and pretty much impossible to overcome. Both players choked in the 10th inning of the game. Both players also produced zero runs the rest of the game. But where they really hurt this team, is by not playing the games that they need to be playing, and quite frankly, that's what they are being paid the big bucks for.

In the playoffs Lopez and Ober are #2 and #3 starters. bean5302 explained it perfectly. The Twins owners aren't committed to playoff baseball. The FO relying on Paddack, Desclafani and a host of AAA pitchers to help this team get into the playoffs will probably be their downfall...... That and the inability to hit when needed by the on again, off again lineup. It's pretty bad when the hitters that are carring your team are super-sub Willie Castro and 1 year journeyman Carlos Santana.

I predict Buxton will be hurt every season left on his current contract with the Twins. It won't matter how many days off Rocco gives him. (It should be zero) Rest does not prevent injury unless you expected him to get hurt the day you rest him. As for who will stay healthy? You got me there, but I would predict players that aren't injured when you sign them or have a history of being injured would be better bets than the "distressed assets" that the Twins have been rostering.

Sorry but I have to resprectfully disagree with some of what you say here. You say Buxton is injury prone yet you also say "I don't feel the team has greatly invested in "distressed assets" to build the club." If Buxton isn't a distressed asset I don't know what the heck he is, and they knew that when they resigned him. DeSclafani and Paddack ARE exactly "distressed assets". How about Mahle? Was Pineda healthy when they acquired him? The list is too long. For a small market team, too many dollars are being wasted on injured players. Then add in the dollars being spent on replacement level players like Taylor and Margot they feel they have to roster to cover for a player like Buxton. Correa is NOT a player that can be counted on. This is his 10th season and he has played in more than 140 games 2 times. Sure he isn't a injury waiting to happen like Buck but he's far from being reliable enough to be counted on to play everyday. He's already proven that. He's the Twins superstar and he's being paid like it. Tell me how good the Yankees, Dodgers, and any of the other good teams would be if their superstars couldn't and didn't play a full season. Look at Bobby Witt Jr. He's played every game this year. Think he'd do that under a Falvine/Rocco approach? Not a chance. Rocco has scheduled off days and the players still get hurt. The "system" they use doesn't work. From signing injured players to trying to protect them. It's a failure. Is Lewis really tired like we saw in another article her at Twins Daily or are the opposing pitchers finally figuring him out? Maybe he needs to adjust to their adjustment? No, we are to believe he's tired due to playing in 60+ games this year. As for predicting injuries. That is exactly why the FO builds the roster the way they do. They bring in replacement level players to fill holes for players they expect to get injured. Otherwise there is NO reason to sign a Margot or a Taylor, or keep a Farmer. The FO learned this lesson in 2021 when injuries devastated the roster. Here we are in 2024 with the same thing happening. The only reason why it isn't hurting the team as bad as it did in 2021 is because of those replacement level players and a farm system that is much improved since then. You can say their plan is working but the problem is... it doesn't improve the team enough to take them to the next level. I suspect next year and very likely for the next 4 years we'll be dicussing how the Twins will have to overcome the failure of their superstars Buxton and Correa, not being available to play when it matters. Unless they waive their No Trade clauses and we are blessed with their departures thus freeing up $50M to use on players that actually can play.

Rocco gives out too many "breathers" already. The lack of consistant hitting can be attributed to not getting consistant at bats just as much as being tired. Most every day and night Rocco goes with the platoon righty/lefty matchups. This gives almost everyone in the lineup days off or at the least part of the game if they are used as a pinch hitter or pinch hit for, later in the game. I'm tired of seeing articles that say the players are tired. The way Rocco manages, there shouldn't be anyone that is tired. They are suppose to be professional athletes in excellent shape. If they aren't then crap needs to hit the fan and something needs to change.

It appears the Twins superstars don't know anything about conditioning. It's not like Lewis has played every game to this point of the season. It's not like Buxton and Correa don't get days off for rest. Which they really shouldn't need if they were in good shape. There are scheduled off days for that purpose. A 162 game season these days isn't any longer than the 162 games they played back in the '70's, '80's or '90's and most players back then, especially the superstars that each team relied on, had little trouble playing 150+ games every year. I would gripe that Rocco doesn't play his superstars enough and here we have what is suppose to be the Twins 3 best hitters and they can't sustain anything close to a full season of play..... Lewis has played in 64 games out of a possible 143. If that is a grind then him playing a full season or at the very least being productive for a full season will never happen. Maybe the Twins superstars and Rocco should have looked across the diamond during the Royals series and noticed how a real superstar plays. Bobby Witt Jr = 144 games played in 144 possible.

Yes, count me in the minority.... I don't care. Neither player is worth their contract. If Correa was worth it the Astros would have never let him go. Buxton hasn't been worth his contract in any year he's played.... Or I should say..... part year he's played. When you have to roster an extra player every year to cover for someone who is going to be hurt you really need to add that extra players contract onto the cost of rostering the injury prone player as well. The Twins basically KEPT Farmer to cover for Correa and added Margot to cover for Buxton. Now you don't have just $50M tied up in 2 positions but Farmer and Margot's cost as well. Did the Twins need to roster another player for Puckett or Hunter, or Gagne, Meares, or Guzman? How about tying up the extra roster spot needed for doing that as well? That's another cost that is overlooked. Sorry, but neither player is worth it.

Who would have thought Buxton being injured would be an issue? Correa seems to have caught the injury bug from him as well, although he too hasn't had an injury free career. When there are 5 other guys on the roster that get more at bats than your 2 "stars" that you have $50M invested in ...... then you have a problem. The Twins FO has brought this on themselves. Buxton should have never been resigned. Correa is not and never will be worth his Salary. Add in Kepler and you have 3 veterans that can't, never have, and never will, carry the team. Now you have $60M of mediocrity. To be successful in the last month of the season and in October the team has to QUIT relying on players that can't stay healthy. Unfortunately that probably won't happen with any level of certainty until Buxton and Correa are gone.