bunsen82

I disagree. You have to look at was achievable. In my mind Bumgarner is likely the best pitcher left that the twins can get to sign a contract with in my mind. My original hope was Wheeler, but in my mind he was overpaid for his performance. I have a feeling Bumgarner will actually sign a reasonable contract. I don't think his value is near what wheeler received, more teams will think they can fix wheeler with less mileage to be a #1 than Bumgarner. I think Madison still has some left in the tank and I also think Wes could potentially add a couple miles per an hour to his fastball making him more lethal than he was last year even with the park benefits. My current guess is 4 for 80 million or 5 for 94 million. Madison true value will show up in the postseason assuming we can get back there. He has more experience and composure than any other pitcher out there right now and could be a true stabilizing force in the pitching department for the twins. He will either be pegged as our #1 or #2 essentially dropping everyone in the order. I hope we can get this deal done, and add in a relief pitcher or two and either a 1st baseman or 3rd baseman. Those are the only holes we currently have.

Pineda was a very good pitcher from July until his suspension. Value wise, if he can pitch near that level, you cannot find anyone better than that on the market, especially at 10 million year. He could easily slot anywhere as #2 to #4 pitcher. Good value overall.

Sadly back to where we were 2 years ago. With that being said, wait until the facts come out. These are not facts, these are accusations. Animal abuse and bullying and physical abuse are disgusting and horrible but we do not have the information yet to support that. Besides baseball she should have filed a report with 911 for animal cruelty, let them come to a conclusion, then go from there. In the Sano thread and here again the first course of action should be to file a report. Don't post it to social media, for a variety of reasons. Survivor had an exact case in point two weeks ago. One individual felt another contestant was being inappropriate with touching ect, and it deeply effected her. Another individual I believe had similar interactions and concerns but not to the level of the 1st. She then gets a third contestant to say she was also physically touched and she felt very uncomfortable. The two were doing this merely for gameplay. Yet a fourth contestant who stood up for the girls and was willing to vote out the accused individual but then became a scapegoat for causing the issues and potentially hurting this mans reputation - (I think there is more to come on this in future episodes). You have to know the intent of the individual giving the information whether it is factual, because as in the survivor episode some individuals do have alterior motives. Ultimately this hurts those being abuse, those being falsely accused and the movement in general. I am not quite as vocal as I was two years ago, aging a bit I guess and realizing there is more abuse going on out there than even I can even imagine, but still not willing to jump at the first shout because other individuals better than me can dig into this and find if there is any validity to it and appropriately punish through the courts and or MLB.

I said back on November 15th I though the twins would be a surprise suitor for Moustakas and I still think that is on the table. More than anything it shows they are willing to move Sano to 1st and have a replacement at 3rd. Either Donaldson or Moustakas would be a big improvement in my mind. For the cheaper contract and just slightly less top performance but more dependability I would pick Moose over Donaldson, but that is just me.

I am going to take the over. I think it will be due more to opportunity that arrives that will allow Falvey and Levine to show the value is there for a decent shot at the championship. As much as you have the year to year operations a championship adds something like $250 Million in value to the organization. Incremental improvements add to the chance and winning it all. Also with more marketable players attendence, novelty sales ect should be up to help pay for any additional salary. I think Wheeler is the primary target, and Pineda as the #4. I think money will be spent on relievers, and I see Sano moving over to 1st and the Twins being a surprise suitor for Moustakas. His style of play will fit in very well into this lineup and his production has come fairly cheap. Plus he is willing to play for midwestern teams. He's not just an east coast west coast guy that uses the twins as a negotiation advantage.

At minimum with his past history he should get at least 2 yr 15 million, and thats with a poor season. If he implodes everything is off the table, but if his current market is 3 year 30 million, he is risking 12 million dollars for what ever he can get on his next contract. The odds are heavily in his favor to accept this. The 18 million is an overpay, but there is no long term risk in his contract. Odorizzi should come out financially ahead with taking the QO. The downside is he blows out his arm and is essentially done but he would still have the 18 million from this year, previous earnings and possible some insurance money.

In the current economic scenario, Odorizzo should take the qualifying offer and run. As long as he has a decent year next year, he should be able at the minimum to get a 2 year 20 million contract or 3 year 30 million contract next year when he has full leverage. Players who have not taken the qualifying offers have been the ones hurt, and often getting less for a single year of service than what they would have received for the qualifying offer, hoping for a bigger day and often putting up pedestrian numbers when they come back mid season because they didnt go to spring training. He should bet on himself and see what happens, either way he is $17.5 million richer than he was yesterday.

Honestly this is what I am looking at. Cole 30 mil (7 years 210 million) Odorizzo 15 mil (3 year 45 million ) Pineda 10 mil (2 year 22 million- 10 mil 2020 12 mil 2021) Romo 3 mil (1 year with 1 year option total potentional 6 million) For Reliever get one more solid arm at 6-8 million. That is 66 million. That brings total payroll to around $120. That allows 15 to 20 million to figure out 1st base and any other extensions.

Speaking of OBP- Arreaz has .398 OBP against Lefties, Schoop has OBP of .354. You increase the chance of a home run with Schoop, but you are more likely to have a baserunner on for a home run with Arreaz or to extend an inning.

I think what the Arreaz decision is telling you is they think he is fully healthy. The other is as much as Schoop has split number advantages, if we absolutely need a hit, I would much rather have Arreaz up there than Schoop no matter what the numbers say. I also am more comfortable knowing he is more likely to have good at bats and take more pitches. Its a give and take but I am absolutely fine having Arreaz out there. Hopefully we knock Paxton out by the 4th inning either way.

The only thing I will say about Perez is I think his cutter is more suited and lethal in cooler temperatures. My Theory is that is why he did so well in April and May. Essentially in warmer temps the ball is moving too much. I am very curious to see how he does in his next outing which should be in the 70's.

Danchat, the 40 man crunch isn't this year, its after this season when we have potentially 11 players that are going to be rule 5 eligible or need to be added.

If you could get a decent reliever for Cave it is another spot open on the 40 man. I would be all on board if we could find someone to take that deal on.

I think the twins will look at any trade open to them. Here is what I do know, they will not overpay, they will do deals that are beneficial to the overall organization, if there is a truce ace available at a reasonable cost they will do it. However, this year, it just isn't. I loved the deal for Sergio, gives us another reliable reliever, flips a bat that we would have struggled to keep or lost him or someone else to rule 5 eligibility, and was able to get a pitcher that is now one of our top 10 pitching prospects, plus a lotto ticket. Yes we gave up Diaz but we have other bats above him, it was a good deal for both teams. Ultimately based on the june article of the 40 man crunch for next year, I think we will see another trade or two, just to flip assets that we will no longer have control of at the end of this year. Ultimately most should be happy. This is the start of a window for us, there is no reason to throw away assets unless you are fairly certain you can win it all. This year, I am not sure even with an ace and another elite closer you can beat the astros if they also trade for players. You also still have the Yankees and and Dodgers. Even if we got those 2 players I would put the odds of the twins winning the title at 15%, in the current form I think the twins are maybe 5-7% chance of winning it all and with some additional relievers, pushing 10%. There is no reason to blow our wad this year for minimally moving the needle. In the next year or two, will be the years to strike is my guess, plus our prospects will be closer to mlb ready and ultimately more valuable if they can keep up their performances.

I will admit this is still a tough topic from me, but I was one of the few from the start that said little to nothing would occur from this. This occurred for two reasons, one it was very clear there was exaggeration in the initial claim, and rightly or wrongly waiting 2+ years to file a claim is going to significantly decrease, corroborating evidence and a more accurate memory or portrayal of the incident. The method of releasing the info also did not help matters. It appeared away to shame multiple individuals. Not a way to become part of the movement. I still question the motive slightly why it was done in the matter it was done but that is neither here nor there. I hope they both can move on from this incident and Sano can realize how careful he needs to be in the future with interactions. You cannot leave anything up for interpretation, and sadly I think that is what happened here.

My personal preference is Cobb this year. I think you will get similar production, he is a tad younger and will cost about half as much. I would definitely be okay with getting Darvish. I think he will have very good numbers in Target field. He also has a higher ceiling and has the possibility of being a low end #1 for 2-3 years. Ultimately if you feel the window for the twins opens in 2019 through 2021, and you can get a #1 pitcher for a reasonable amount you do it. Don't base anything off the world series. It is very clear he either wasn't able to grip the ball as well or had an injury. Add on top you have Houston saying he may have been tipping pitches. The tipping can be easily corrected. As to the world series the only concern would be whether he gets the yips in pressure situations, but with the work he did in the NLCS that eases the concerns for me. Either way I hope we get one of Cobb or Darvish, man has that offseason been glacially slow.

In no way are these similar cases. There is a big difference between being fairly certain something illegal happened but having individuals unwilling to cooperate which resulted in no criminal but still significant suspensions and this present case. This is an allegation of an incident from 2 years ago, with likely little to no physical evidence that backs up the claim. All that is there is the complainants version of events. The physical harm expressed in the version of events is no where near as in some of the other cases either.

If you are going to use WAR and say Moustakas is a bad defensive 3rd baseman- he had 1 slightly below average season. Nothing to sneeze at (-.7), been positive everyother year. His offensive War has been much better than Sano, now if you expect Sano to become the next Miggy then no, if you expect injuries, some other baggage to potential arise, and his poor poor defense to continue so all you are left with is a DH then you have a completely different situation. As to Archer and Darvishes War. Darvish has 3 War greater than Archer over the last two seasons. However he would have a much better defense behind him. Darvish I think would also benefit from a slightly better defense but not as much, add in he has played in the East with much more difficult batters than Darvish has faced on a consistent basis, I think you could see Archer blow up playing for a team like the Twins. Yes there are positives and negatives, but I don't think its as far as what you are suggesting. And if we can't get Darvish then what, you would still rather have Sano and whatever other FA still left?

Its amazing how much god given talent Buxton has. Minimal effort and great outcomes defensively, improving outcomes with the bat. Will the effort change or remain the same, and is the new Twins front office willing to put up with that. Very interesting.

There are only 2 ways I see us pulling off an Archer trade, and that is either with Gordon as the center piece with several other pieces (maybe Kepler) - Or essentially even up for Sano. Sano makes the most sense for a couple reasons. They have a big hole at 3rd now with Longoria traded. Assuming they think he can stick there for another couple of seasons. Assuming his health looks good and the investigation begins to wrap up (which could delay things) I see this as the most likely option. I have a feeling Falvey and Levine are not as high on Sano as other organizations may be. Sano would be worth the risk for Tampa. If so we have a bit of hole at 3rd but I am not so sure we still wouldn't have had a hole at 3rd. The thing is if we went this way, it gives us money to spend at 3rd. Would the twins want a stopgap, or would they be willing to throw decent coin at a moustakas or maybe a 2-3 year deal for frazier. The 3rd base market is relatively dried up. I am uncertain what moustakas would command, but 15-16 mil per a year for 4-5 years could do it. It could possibly be even less than that. It would likely take us out of the running for darvish. But what would you rather have: Darvish or other pitcher and Sano Archer and Moustakas I think there is a lot less risk and money at stake with Archer and Moustakas. I have a feeling money will ultimately come out of the woodwork for Darvish and the other pitchers. I don't think that will happen for Moustakas. Take advantage of the depressed market just like we did with Addison Reed and call it an offseason.

Not what I am saying at all. I know as much as what happened in that hallway as you do, which is nothing. What I do know is how the media and twitter world work. Look at Cosby, Lauer, Weinstein, it wasn't the first or second claim, it was the third fourth and fifth claim, that all together began to create an accurate portrayal. Although with Lauer some text messages and photos also brought him down. They create validity and ultimately support each others claim. I can gaurantee reporters have been looking all around to find another individual that has had a similar experience, we have an article backing up asking all the other players if they were aware of any other abuse situations. They stated they were unaware but, an anonymous person claimed he was a time bomb. To me it sounds like you already think he is guilty of sexual assault. First off I don't think the facts of this case support sexual assault if the one version is even completely true. Assault yes, if it is all true. I am on the record though stating it is very possible some embellishments may have occurred, we already don't know how long this occurred even though the initial claim was 10 minutes, she has backtracked on that claim when questioned. That single fact can make this a completely different story, while at the same time I support that she was felt intimidated, hurt and scared. All I am saying for the Twins sake, also for Sano, the longer this goes without further issues, the more support would go to his claim, that this did not happen in the way described. I am sure he will have some training, but I am sure he will take this as a lesson learned, I would also hope he has matured some in the last few years. Every single one of us as likely done something wrong to a friend, a loved one, or against the law. We all make mistakes. You just hope they aren't mistakes that you can't bounce back from. Up to this point, this version of events isn't one that I would throw Sano out with the bathwater. He needs to learn how to treat women with respect, for his sake and the women he is around I hope he does. He also needs to learn how to not put himself in compromising situations where someone could interpret a situation in a way he did not intend.

We are getting close to the two week mark with no further allegations. Not to say someone may be remaining quiet or that the investigation has not found others with complaints, that are not public - but I felt the biggest negative factor for Sano for extremely severe punishment and for the Twins best option to just get rid of him for pennies on the dollar is if a pattern emerges of similar behavior. So far crickets.

I think the twins best offer will be 5 years 145-150. In my projections for the year I said I didn't think the twins would make a big signing, but the longer this plays out, in my mind the higher percentage that the Twins may be able to pull it off. The twins have made it very clear they don't want to go to 6 years, so we are left with a 5 year offer, I just don't see any of the other teams willing to really spend this year, seem to be saving their money for next years FA class. The Yankees if they become interested would be the only possibility that could try overpay to get him, but I think Cashman will be very selective in who he is willing to spend big money on. That leaves the Twins, hoping they can pull off a reasonable deal to get a middle to low end #1 starter. This is one of the few years in the last 5 or so that I think the rates will be much more reasonable and give more middle market teams a chance to make a big move, that won't completely hamper future moves. My questions are I think he will have the stuff that can last into later years, but can he go back to a normal windup and also the stretch, rather than his current set up which is a blend of the two, and also make sure he is not tipping pitches. In the WS it was obvious he didn't have his best stuff, but when hitters know what it coming they are more likely to knock him around.

1. No major free agent additions, one more additional replacement starting pitcher. 2. Sano receives a 5-10 game suspension. 3. Dozier hits 35+ homeruns, .260 BA. Also gets 2nd Gold Glove award. 4. Mauer has a similar season to last year. 5. Santana regresses slightly, but offset by pure dominance by Berrios 6. Eddie Rosario scores 100 runs, bats in a 100 runs, hits 30 home runs. 7. Record 90-72 (Does a lot of damage within the division). Wins the division the last day of the season. 8. Comes in as the 3 seed, loses in the divisional round. 9. Mejia, begins to take better care of his body, has a 4 or slight less ERA, and is solid #3 pitcher for the twins.

LoL yes you are right