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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. Otaknam
    Yes, back to the old rebuilding process AGAIN! The only saving grace is that the starters are all still on the team. Ryan, Lopez and Ober are still there, and I like what I see from Zebby, who looks like he has some bulldog in him. I’m not as high on SWR, who looks like a four or five inning pitcher. And Festa is too erratic so far and has been shut down for now. My main interest will be piqued if both Abel and Bradley are pitching in the big leagues this season, not AAA. Maybe a six man rotation going forward to get a look at Abel and Bradley.
  2. Otaknam
    At first glance I thought this was a stupid idea. But in some ways it does make sense that the Twins would want the 34 year old Walker and his $40 million contract while they are dismantling the team. It’s only $10 million more than they swallowed for trading Correa in a contract dump, so they would get some functioning piece back at a position of need. Walker must be relieved!
  3. Otaknam
    Martin is competing with Kody Clemons for a utility spot for next year. Clemons has exceeded expectations, can handle multiple positions, and has some power in a limited role. That doesn’t bode well for Martin’s future here.
  4. Otaknam
    It’s good to have rotation depth, as we learned this year. But right now none of these guys looks like more than a mid rotation pitcher, which isn’t bad. Any team could use a legit number one starter, like a Verlander or Clemons, though Ryan and Lopez have solidified themselves as good number twos options.
  5. Otaknam
    The bigger picture, aside from this failed front office, is the lack of a salary cap in MLB. It’s the “Hunger Games” MLB style, where the rich just get richer by buying the best players at prices most mid market teams cannot pay. Ohtani, Soto, Wheeler, and others are making at least $40 million this year, with Ohtani having a lot of it deferred. This doesn’t excuse the carpet bombing of the roster, however, especially the bullpen. But the big markets have a huge advantage in roster building, and that does create an uneven playing field.
  6. Otaknam
    We already have two Larnach’s. Wallner and Larnach are almost the same player, with Wallner having the better arm. Neither has much range in the outfield, both sell out for power, have low BA, and don’t hit much in the clutch.
  7. Otaknam
    “Perhaps the Twins roll out Matthews, Festa, Woods Richardson, Morris, and Raya as their starting five next year.” I hope not! That would mean that Ryan, Lopez, and Ober have been traded or are injured, neither of which is a good sign for 2026. I’m hoping that Abel and Bradley have more upside and success than SWR, who clearly is a back of the rotation guy. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lopez gets traded at some point because of his contract. He would bring in a haul, but it would indicate the white flag is being waved on 2026.
  8. Otaknam
    Gallagher’s stats this month pitching for the Cubs minors: 365 ERA, 4 G, 24.2 IP, 19 H, 10 ER, 5 BB 21 K, 0.97 WHIP, .209 BA. How shocking to learn that some teams actually allow their starters to pitch six innings in the minors. And more than once! I’m hoping the next Twins regime isn’t so completely welded to analytics, and realizes that sometimes other factors are more important. For example, showing confidence in your players to face a lineup a third time instead of letting an algorithm make all the decisions.
  9. Otaknam
    Of the three Martin has the best chance to save his career with the Twins. But he has been passed by Cody Clemons, who has played well and actually had an impact with his bat. Martin’s only advantage is speed.
  10. Otaknam
    The front office won’t have to worry anymore about starting the arbitration clock, because they will be gone too as soon as a sale is completed. Good riddance!
  11. Otaknam
    Falvey continues to give up on the season with scrap heap signings to avoid service time for those in the minors who could use some ML experience. Time to move on from this front office. I feel a little sorry for those who were not traded, like Lewis, Larnach, Wallner, Jeffers, and Lee. But if they had performed better the trades wouldn’t have been necessary.
  12. Otaknam
    I am always concerned with pitchers with a history of command problems. Hope Abel can be a consistent starter.
  13. Otaknam
    Bradley and Abel need to get their starts too, to see what they have. Abel seems to have an untapped upside, and hopefully he stakes a big step forward for this trade to be acceptable.
  14. Otaknam
    The only redeeming factor in these trades is that Ryan, Lopez and OBER still remain, but for how long? Lack of offense was the biggest issue this year, and unless the underperforming players like Larnach, Wallner, and Lewis become solid major leaguers, I don’t see an improving offense. Lack of offense means that having a solid nucleus of veteran starters won’t translate to wins. It would not surprise if Lopez gets traded in the offseason because of his contract, and perhaps Ryan and Ober get traded next season at the deadline. And I wonder if Buxton will now want out, instead of being a part of a rebuild. Of course, his long injury history has contributed to the lack of team success in past years.
  15. Otaknam
    That’s a fair point. I’m not a fan of getting pitchers with control issues, and, as you point out, they don’t have a great track record of doing so. Hopefully they get it done with Abel. Still, they should have held out for Painter from the Phillies for Duran., IMO.
  16. Otaknam
    If Abel only becomes a back of the rotation starter, liKe SWR, that would be a disappointment with this trade. Tait might be the centerpiece, but he’s 2-3 years away at best. It is interesting that the team is left with a potentially solid starting rotation with some depth. But the offense sputtered all year and unless Larnach and Wallner become more productive I don’t think they will score enough runs.
  17. Otaknam
    They needed to make a lot of moves. The way last year ended and this year has gone verified that this roster was not getting it done. Time will tell how this all works out, but I don’t think they got enough for Duran. The young catcher Tait is probably three years away, and the starter Abel is a former top draft choice who has struggled at the ML level. The Phillies have another starter, Painter, and that’s the guy they need to acquire for Duran. I was surprised they traded Varland, who is under team control and has been effective in relief, though I know he wants to start.
  18. Otaknam
    I don’t think the Twins got enough for an elite closer. If they had acquired the Phillies #1 prospect in starter Andrew Painter instead of Nick Able, this would be acceptable. Tait is likely three years away, and Abel his mixed results and has some control issues. I think they dropped the ball on this trade. Hopefully they do better today in any other trades. Thumbs down on this one!
  19. Otaknam
    Any Ryan trade would need to include a top starting pitcher prospect who could potentially make the rotation this year or next year. The position players listed here are years away from the ML, so any package that includes them would have to include top shelf pitching. That said, I don’t think the FO will move Ryan because the top four in the rotation next years is shaping up to be Ryan, Ober, Lopez and Matthews, with Festa and SWR as a number five. That’s potentially a very strong rotation. If the offense can get more production from Correa, Lewis , Larnach and Wallner, the team can be competitive. But Wallner and Larnach have struggled this year, so I’ll be interested to see how they handle them.
  20. Otaknam
    Baldelli is an Earl Weaver clone, just waiting for a three run homer. The team doesn’t have great speed, but what they have is not utilized very well IMO. The offense is not very good, but they seldom try to force some action by stealing bases or hit and run, putting pressure on the defense.
  21. Otaknam
    Trade the guys on expiring contracts who have trade value, like Castro, Bader and Coulombe. I think they will trade either Jax or Duran if they can get a very solid return. But keep Ryan so the rotation stays together, Lopez, Ryan, Ober and Matthews can be very good if they stay healthy, leaving Festa and SWR as a number five starter. Ryan has been excellent, but he’s not a typical ace like Skubal, Skenes, Verlander or Roger Clements. He and Lopez are both number two starters on a good team, capable of winning 15-17 games. The only pitchers they should think about trading are Coulombe on an expiring contract and either Duran or Jax IF they get an excellent return, including a highly rated young starting pitcher.
  22. Otaknam
    I doubt the Twins will trade both Duran and Jax. But if they did getting only two top 100 prospects in return does that seem enough. Trading both severely weakens the BP going forward, and there is no guarantee any pitchers they get in return can fill that role. Both Jax and Duran are under contract for two more years, so there is no large salary that needs to be dumped. That said, I like the Dodgers trade with lefty Ferris and Rushing. The Twins need a lefty who is poised to make the ML roster. And Rushing is a highly rated prospect who fills a need as a lefty hitting catcher. Any trade needs to include at least one arm who can start. But I think Duran will be moved but not Jax.
  23. Otaknam
    I really like Bader and his aggressiveness. He has some power and is an exclamation defender. So I hope they extend him. It wouldn’t surprise me if either Larnach or Wallner is traded, as they are pretty much duplicate players, though Wallner has the better arm. This team is not positioned for any playoff run, so I think Duran and Coulume will be traded this season and hopefully bring a haul. Then move Jax to closer.
  24. Otaknam
    Wait until sometime in August and assess the chances of making the wildcard. If that looks bleak, trade Coulombe for a solid prospect. Also trade either Duran or Jax if the haul is very good, and move Varland into the setup role. They could also look at trading either Wallner or Larnach as part of a bigger deal with a reliever since both sluggers have similar offensive and defensive profiles. This team isn’t going anywhere this year, so start looking at the future. I like the idea of acquiring Andrew Painter from the Phillies.
  25. Otaknam
    I hope Raya keeps pitching well and gets a shot this year. The extreme caution with him on pitch counts has always been surprising.
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