bunsen82

Well if we kept Correa - that would mean you would have to give up $20 million of salary, so no Caratini, Bell, Larnach not tendered and Rogers not offered a contract. I think not.

ABS is improving the ball that was an inch off the plate, but due to pitch framing and bad angles by the ump was called a strike.

I called Josh bell 1st LOL. Caratini, Ryan, Bradley, Jeffers (especially with challenges). For bullpen - Funderburk, Orze and maybe Topa. Larnach is starting off pretty well I just don't want to jinx him lol.

Larnach with a great hit, Lee seems to have suddenly woke up. In 14 games Bell now has 12 runs and 12 RBI's. He started out at 5 each and I didn't think he could keep up the pace and he just keeps racking up the counting stats.

Dang Laweryson - he was in my top 4 relievers I don't completely cringe with when coming out to pitch LOL.

Taking stats from early spring during relatively cold temps isn't quite an apples to apples comparison though.

I don't know whether to love your statement or put a sad face by it LOL.

@KirbyDome89 1. My quote is most people "trashed the trade" not "trashing Bradley." That differentiation seems to be big in your book so I wanted to make sure you had that right. 2. My argument is we shouldn't be making broad based emotional statements based off of small sample sizes- good and bad. You are simultaneously defending claims of bust, magic beans and a pile of poop based on few games while wanting to claim small sample size for Bradley's start. You have to see the logical fallacy. One can easily state Bradley is a potential all-star, cy young candidate based off his start and there is nothing factually wrong with that statement based off of three games. In either case I agree with pumping the breaks, even still he is definitely trending in the right direction. I think your misrepresentation statement is wrong. I have had a very good representation of Bradley last year in my Sept 29th post - having improved performance, the stuff was getting better and by his own statements he was starting to do scouting reports prior to games. His real test was going to be the offseason. 3. I am glass half full guy, so the fact I post more about positives than negatives will always occur. My posts so far this year based on mentions is probably 1. Bell 2. Bradley 3. Gray 4. Orze 5. Caratini. All players who have played well this year. Its not to say I am unwilling to openly talk about weaknesses of players. Abel - had good results yesterday. There were 2 notable improvements. 1 FB back up to neat 96mph vs the 93 mph he had in his last start. 2. Is he threw 69% strikes vs something like 50% in his first start. There is still work to do. There is no level of panic here. Its just a realistic assessment of the situation. To be fair Bradley needed to have this start more than Abel did. Bradley is pushing into his 4 year in the big leagues. This is Abel's 2nd. Abel had a much longer roadway to show he can be an effective pitcher at this level even though they are similar age. Ultimately all these players are lottery tickets. The question is going to be which ones are going to hit. That is why increasing your odds for a team that acts like a small market like the Twins is such a big deal.

ra·di·o si·lence an absence of or abstention from radio transmission. "at midnight, the enemy went on total radio silence" absence of communication from a person or group from whom communication might have been expected. LOL you have much different meaning of radio silence than I do - pretty much par for the course with the 2 of you. You also missed my statement where someone had said we had won 2 in a row and I said yeah but we have Ober and Abel coming up to pitch next. I still stand by most people were negative on Bradley or the Jax trade in general. That just more than 50%, are you really going to continue to die on this hill? There was a lot negativity, granted a lot of it was with frustration with the trade deadline and giving up what we viewed as good players - even still there was a ton of shade thrown at the trade and Bradley in general. @Major League Ready was the one that brought the topic up questioning weren't most people negative on the trade and he has 8 likes. So this isn't just a figment of my imagination or a few on this board. From my point of view I should be asking you to prove that the majority of people viewed the Jax for Bradley trade as a good trade and then nitpick every post. You go be you, I am done with this banter.

Do I win since I thought we would be around .500 LOL

It really did feel like the Jax trade was thrown together. Its come out that Toronto had been trying to get Varland for 2 months prior to the deadline - which we saw more value that trade. The Jax appears to be he got upset and we said fine we will find another home for you. It is surprising how well for a rushed trade that appears to be working out. The Ryan deal clearly just ran out of time.

Twins have Gained 5.5 Runs so far on the challenge system and are 3.1 runs gained above expectations. The Twins have challenged the most of any team, 42 times, and have won 25 of those. As a percentage they are 9th, but no other team in the top 10 have challenged more than 28 times. https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/mlb-abs-challenge-early-success-mn-twins-ryan-jeffers/ Jeffers and Caratini alone have saved 3.2 runs with their challenges.

This is a great topic and a really interesting discussion. It is fairly clear that catchers at the best and knowing what is and isn't a strike, which they should. There are also catchers that are better at this than not - and Caratini and Jeffers right now are doing a great job. Below is the tracker. The Jeffers calls had massive effect on the game. The other interesting thing is so far the hitters have the most overturns as well. The first couple games I really feel like the Twins struggled utilizing the challenges effectively, and was a difference in the game. The last week I have felt the Twins have used their challenges much more wisely. Add in that the winning percentage has flipped as well. This is having more impact on the game because you have to utilize the challenges wisely. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/abs 1. Each inning that goes by increases the value of challenge. So late in the game vs not. 2. The closer the game the more impact a challenge has. 3. The higher the pitch count 3-2, 2-2 have higher values that pitches early in the counts. 4. Number of runners on base increases the value. Bases loaded on a full count will obviously have a massive impact - be actually scoring a run or saving a run on a reversed call. Matt Wallner should be challenging less until he becomes better at it. Effectively challenge in his head then check later, and then see if its improving or not. Even still this is an interesting video.

Is Gabriel Gonzalez not a top 20 prospect?

Emerson and Lebron are still my top 2 options.

Velocity isn't everything, but its something. Most of these pitchers are working off of 2-3 pitch mixes, and the velocity is not going to really get blown by anyone. Thats why the late inning games will always be an adventure. There will be few strike outs and lots of balls put in play, but that doesn't mean you still can't win with this style. I always said this group will be greater than the sum of their parts. The biggest issue is will they get overused and worn out. We still need to find 1-2 legit arms to add to this group. Funderburk, Orze, Rogers and Laweryson look the best to me so far this season. Topa has been ok. Banda and Sands have have been adventures.

Well Banda got crushed yesterday, maybe we don't want to remember he pitched, but probably need to put those pitches in the bullpen counter LOL. Gutty performance by Abel. Its been a tough start to the year, just for the mental part of it he really needed this start. Boy did the Bullpen need this day. 8 innings covered by Acton and Abel and we still got the win. Good job. Bell is absolutely mashing the ball this year. Every hit seems to be a line drive. For a player that had hit a lot of grounders the difference is really showing up.

Did you expect he was going to be your hero.

Bell since last July has been hitting the crap out of the ball. That $7 million contract is looking like a steal.

You really don't get it or understand what is going on. Yes its a small sample size. I have well acknowledge it. That why I have said over and over again, its the process that matters and from that I really like it. I really didn't want to do another response to you but for giggles lets discuss Abel. Abel has legit stuff- similar to a Jax type. Right now the stuff is better than the performance results. He had 2 big issues, control and tipping pitches. He came into spring training and his stuff looked great, and he did really well. We get to the season and 2 issues have popped back up again. He is really struggling to hit the outside corner - just off an inch or two - but also not getting swings on these pitches. Maybe its the cold temps and a lack of feel. The hitters in his first couple games have teed off on him. Its telling me they are just sitting on the fastball - or he is tipping his pitches again. Why was I optimistic on Abel maybe even more so than Bradley 2 reasons. His stuff at the end of last season was arguably better. Bradley was still increasing velocity and was still trying to regain the feel for his splitter but had 2 years of sub optimal results. Secondly. last year was Abel's first taste of the majors. Each level he had struggled then dominated the next year. So based on the 2 if I was betting on horses - I would have put more on Abel. Abel can still turn the corner - his variance is from a #2 to #5 starter to just not capable of hanging in the big leagues. In either case baseball is all about odds. Increasing your chances of hitting a legit stud is what has occurred. Im not sure why you are so focused on me or my opinions - but thats where I am at.

What is the hardest and most expensive thing to find in baseball? An Ace. Bradley has not shown the consistency. What he has shown is improvements on his stuff+, so far no implosions, less home runs given up (could be cold temps) and more fortitude when things get tough. Multiple times this year getting out of jams with no damage. This is fundamentally different, not so much a 1 off, he has had good games in the past, however other than his first 4-6 starts, this is the most consistency he has had a starter. This is also the best his stuff has looked since he was a rookie. So lets say Bradley does show he is an ace or a top arm in all of baseball. It immediately gives the Twins a chance in the playoffs. The team this year could maybe smell the playoffs, but logistically there is not enough talent on the field or in the bullpen currently. 2027-2029 is a different story as some of the young kids start coming up. At that point we can begin to trade or spend to supplement the team to make it a more complete team. There are some aspects of the trade deadline I disliked. I still stand by they should have picked a lane - did the firesale then completed it in the offseason trading Joe Ryan - or not do the firesale. The inconsistency and lack of a clear direction has made the team and the Pohlads a bit of a laughingstock. In either case, for this trade and this deadline - If Bradley lives up to the potential talent he has, this trade deadline will obviously be fruitful and valuable for the organization no matter what occurs with the rest of the prospects and the improved draft slots (higher bonuses).

Sept 29th statement on Bradley - "This is why I was surprised at claiming so many players were bust after a few games. Both Mick Abel and Taj Bradley ended on a strong note. Was the ERA great no, did they get wins no, However it appears for Abel it does appear he was able to stop tipping his pitches judging by his Phillies game. That alone is a massive improvement. For Bradley - its a multi level re-tool. Adjusting his arm slot for better stuff, re-implementing the splitter and working on and adding a slider. The other thing is teaching him the process to be a professional pitcher. Doing the homework, putting in the extra work and improving his work ethic. It is tough to get by just on talent at the MLB level and that is what he had been trying to do. Ultimately the Rays gave up on Bradley because he was unwilling to make adjustments or improve the work ethic. For the Twins based on initial results it is very promising and he appears willing to adjust. It does raise a few questions of long term viability, but the arm talent on both Abel and Bradley is undeniable. Abel bookended his season with 2 great performances that show his potential. The middle was rough. Abel when he has control (and not tipping pitches) has the stuff to rack up a lot of strikeouts. Same with Bradley. For both the goal is lowering the Whip a bit more which minimizes the damage when they inevitably give up some home runs. They are both work in progresses, with the offseason to continue to refine the progress they have made. In either case, as I have stated I was not worried about a handful of starts at the end of the season. I wanted to see improvement, and see if their quality of stuff was improving. Both made improvements in the last month and showed the upside they both have. 1 or both could both fail, or both could end up being #2 or #3 pitchers for the Twins. All in all if 1 of those 2 could reach their potential it would make the trade deadline worth it - ignoring the return of the rest of the players."

I will gladly take it 🤣🤩

@Woof Bronzer, @KirbyDome89 This is my initial post in this thread. 1 I stated most of the griping was after the trade deadline the grade thread and articles in the fall. That clearly matches up with in a majority of the statements I quoted were made. 2 - Even in this thread Kirby I acknowledge Abel's rough start. To be clear, can emotions play a part in a persons evaluation of what occurred. 100%. Does that still make some of the statements inaccurate. Yes. If you want to call me a contrarian - so be it. I have been extremely consistent on the trades, the trade deadline and the effects on the team. Its not something I will shy away from. Regarding Bradley specifically even in this thread I have been very clear in what is weaknesses were. 1. Is mechanics were off and he needed to bring back the splitter. 2. He needed to act prepare like a professional- effectively he needed to grow up and put the effort in. There is an article last fall, where I got pretty aggressive continuing to state this. 3. He has to avoid the crooked #'s- effectively due to high home run rates and just losing confidence ability in starts. He needed to improve his processes and so far he has. As to the trade deadline what did it do. It gave you more options to throw against the wall for starters in Abel and Bradley. It increased your odds of 1. finding an elite pitcher 2. finding more quality pitchers to add to the rotation. 3. It increased our catching depth. 4. Hendry Mendez who I think personally has the 3rd best bat to ball skills in the organization and lastly a higher draft pick in the draft. I have well acknowledge the emotional cost is pretty high - I still think the Varland trade cost the team more personally than the return- even if on paper its a strong return. For a small organization though you have to make these difficult decisions because its an unfair playing field. I think the Twins could have continue to have mediocre to slightly above average teams through 2028 fairly easily. However a +500. record is why Falvey and Joe are gone. Look I am not here to get in a pissing match. You each can have your opinions fair enough. I can as well. What started off my issues with Woof were glaring inconsistences. 1. Stating no articles had been written in the offseason. 2. There were no negative comments on Bradley. When I post them then the goalposts suddenly moved to those were after a bad start. Even though there were 3 negative posts from the December article but alas it really doesn't matter. It still doesn't negate my initial statement that most of the negative opinions of him were directly after the trade and into the fall. In either case we have Bradley who yes is currently on a good stretch. I will be the first to tell you he could easily blow up his next start. 1. Baseball is hard. 2. This has been an issue of Bradley's and I don't think it magically goes away. Even still his approach to being prepared each game, having better stuff and an extra pitch bringing back the splitter - will likely lead him to the best stats he has had as a major leaguer. Now elite is subjective, but for me its a #1 or #2 pitcher. I said if 1 of our pitchers could become elite it would make the trade deadline worth it. As of right now Bradley's start looks promising.