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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. Otaknam
    Success for Buxton would be to play offensively in 140 games and defensively 120 games. We know he will be injured again. So the only question is how long will he be on the injured list and how many flailing at bats will it take before he gets his timing back when he returns. Given his injury history I’m not optimistic.
  2. Otaknam
    Nope! Not a fan of trading two top pitching prospects and Polanco for a one year rental. That only makes sense if the team is poised for a serious playoff run, need one more top of the rotation starter like Jack Morris, and I don’t think the team is there yet. The Sonny Gray trade worked out because they got two years and strong, albeit short five inning starts, from him. But you can’t keep trading your top pitching prospects for short term rentals because mid markets still have to develop pitchers, not just develop and trade them.
  3. Otaknam
    Julien and Lee, young ML ready infielders with potential impact bats and high ceilings, for a once a week starter? No thanks! Trade 2 is more palatable, though ERod looks like he could be a five tool player potentially ready for a call up by the end of the year, or next year at the latest.
  4. Otaknam
    Taking a swing for Manoah by trading Polanco is intriguing. It would free up Polanco’s $10 million and create an opening in the infield. Manoah is a large man with some upside, and he is still several years away from free agency. A change of scenery and different coaching might help. Worst case scenario is they dump the salary while losing Polanco’s solid production IF HE STAYS HEALTHY. But that production can potentially be offset by younger players getting at bats. I don’t like the Kepler for a middle reliever like Swanson, even with some minor leaguers added. Right now the team doesn’t have a proven defensive replacement for Kepler, so that is an issue. And middle relievers can be found in free agency.
  5. Otaknam
    I wouldn’t do that trade. Festa’s fastball is a few MPH better than Kremer’s, so I am hoping that he has more of an upside than a #4-5 starter.
  6. Otaknam
    This would be a salary dump, freeing up salary to acquire a more established starter IMO. And it would have to include another high end Pirates prospect. Trading KEPLER AND POLANCO for Priester strikes me as acquiring a Cole Sands type pitcher for two established veterans. Priester might improve or he might have reached his zenith as a pitcher. Certainly a 93-95 mph fastball isn’t impressive, so his secondary pitches would have to be above average for him to be successful. I think the Twins can do better than this.
  7. Otaknam
    Lock him up…..to a contract extension! Lewis has shown that he will be the guy for the Twins, so if this can be worked out do it!
  8. Otaknam
    It makes sense if Polanco is traded for starting pitching, since infield is a position of depth. But he would likely have to be packaged with a good prospect, hopefully not Raya, Lee or Festa. I can see the team playing the waiting game on adding a right handed bat like Hoskins, hoping that Miranda recovers the form he had in 2022 so he can platoon at first and occasionally at third, and also DH. Vasquez has an untradable contract unless the team picks up a portion of it. They still need a center fielder as insurance against the next Buxton jury, which always happens. As others have pointed out, they likely keep Kepler because of the lack of outfield depth unless they get a trade offer they cannot refuse. Finally given the uncertain TV contract issue, I think they will save money on the bullpen by utilizing their current pitching roster of Winder, Sands, and others , with maybe one outside addition on a one year deal.
  9. Otaknam
    Not much. The bigger point is how much is Rocco willing to utilize his manager’s judgment and intuition vs. what his history is, dogmatically following analytics when it comes to starting pitching. This year there was a slight deviation and he even let a starter complete nine innings once! That could be a fireable offense to this FO! I hope he shows a little more confidence in productive starters in 2024.
  10. Otaknam
    Lots of HOF pitchers wouldn’t have made it under the current love affair with analytics. Players want a manager who shows confidence in them and lets an effective start go another inning or two, rather than just managing by front office dictated computer algorithm. Whatever happened to a manager’s intuition? I remember a Joe Ryan start a couple of years ago where he was cruising along with a low pitch count through six innings and was removed because of Rocco’s dogmatic adherence to analytics. The team ended up losing the game. Analytics has a place but should not dictate every decision.
  11. Otaknam
    This doesn’t make sense. Grisham’s batting average is below .200 and he hits left handed, and outfield is already crowded with lefty hitters. Mercedes is a top prospect with lots of tools, and SWR still has potential. Seems like the Twins could find a less expensive fill in right handed batting outfield free agent who can play defense and hit better than .200 with more power.
  12. Otaknam
    The question with Kepler is whether he will sustain his production from the last half of 2023, or revert to his struggles of the previous couple of seasons. With questions about Buxton’s health always an issue, despite his recent surgery and apparent recovery, it does make sense to keep Kepler and his strong defense in right field. But if a Kepler trade package nets a frontline starter I think they will do it, and find a right fielder from the current roster or a fill in for one year.
  13. Otaknam
    Not to mention that the FO would have to admit to a huge mistake if they released Gallo and his $11 million during the year, which they should have done.
  14. Otaknam
    The Farmer for Taylor makes some sense, as does Polanco for Mitchell. A strong NO in trading Julien for Frelick. Julien has demonstrated his power and patience at the plate, and has shown defensive improvement. Frelick hasn’t done anything statistically, showing little power, but can steal a base here and there. Apparently he is an elite defender but he hasn’t shown the legitimate offense Julien has. Julien looks like a 25-30 home run, high OPS guy. Are we so desperate for a Buxton backup that we’d trade a young, proven Julien for someone who hasn’t proven anything offensively? Makes no sense to suggest this.
  15. Otaknam
    I’m hoping Martin has a biggggg spring and makes the team, and that his speed and glove show him to be an excellent outfielder to back up Buxton. Having a speedy line drive contact hitter who can draw walks and steal bases is an asset that is too often undervalued by analytics guys who love power, launch angle and home runs. Martin and Castro on the bench give the team lots of options defensively and as pinch runners who can swipe a base. Those skills are in short supply these days and should be appreciated.
  16. Otaknam
    I don’t think they will totally blow up the bench, possibly keeping both Castro and Farmer. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Farmer gets traded to cut payroll in favor of a cheaper solution. Castro deserves another shot at super utility, since Castro’s speed is a difference maker. Also hoping the team signs a big bat like Hoskins to DH and play first. Under this scenario the bench would be Castro, Farmer, Martin if he can play CT, and backup catcher. Or sign Taylor as insurance for the inevitable Buxton injury.
  17. Otaknam
    Wow! $300 million for a Japanese pitcher with no MLB experience. Strong pass! Only the mega wealthy teams with unlimited resources can afford to take on a contract of that magnitude that could end up being a mistake.
  18. Otaknam
    Adding pitching is the priority. Miranda is a candidate for a bounce back year. After all, he had a very good rookie year that injuries derailed in 2023. I think the team will hope that happens and he can move between first, DH, and occasionally third base to give Lewis a break.
  19. Otaknam
    I can be onboard with a Kepler or Polanco and a prospect for Mariners’ Gilbert. Polanco is the most obvious because of the Twins’ young infield depth. That frees up $10 million.
  20. Otaknam
    The Twins core should win the ALC and can make a playoff run again, with a mix of veterans and emerging young talent. And there are others, like Lee, who are ready to contribute. Of course this assumes Buxton will be healthy, which requires a large amount of skepticism, and continued improvement from the young players. But they do need more starting pitching. My guess is they will trade Brooks Lee and another higher prospect for a very good starter who is under team control for 2-3 years. Lee is blocked by other young guys, so it does make some sense. I hope they don’t trade him and find a starter some other way. Not sure this team can make a real World Series run, though, unless the pitching is excellent. Just comparing the Twins lineup with Atlanta’s lineup seems like a mismatch right now. Hence pitching has to be the equalizer IMO.
  21. Otaknam
    Johann Santana and Shane Mack were the first to come to mind, followed by Presley. I didn’t remember that the other three were rule five pickups. Hopefully Jorge Alcala is healthy this year and finally brings some value to the Presley trade.
  22. Otaknam
    Provus is an excellent choice for TV, but I will miss his ability to accurately describe the action on the radio. I’m lukewarm on Atteberry as the full time radio play by play person, but I’ll give him a chance. When he has subbed in the past he gets too hung up on odd stories that he has researched, which don’t add to the broadcast. Sadly I can only tolerate Gladden for three innings. He’s not exactly a wordsmith. He struggles to describe the action in front of him, doesn’t give enough score updates, but his baseball knowledge as a former player does provide some insight.
  23. Otaknam
    Farmer for Carlson makes sense. Farmer is a big league shortstop with experience who is a solid hitter. And the Twins need to dump his contract, so he’s on the way out somewhere. Carlson would fill the outfield gap with Buxton not dependable.
  24. Otaknam
    I like the Hoskins idea, a big powerful right handed bat that the lineup needs. Why would the Pirates trade Keller, a decent starting pitcher?
  25. Otaknam
    Talk about overpaying! Pagan had a good year in 2023. But I would fear a regression to the disastrous 2022, where anytime he came into a high leverage situation I would shut off the TV. The high number of blown saves from Pagan was too much to swallow for me.
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