Road trip

If you tender Larnach, I'm not certain you can trade him. Been there, done that with Kyle Farmer a couple of years ago. 4.7 million for a platoon DH is a big bite for any franchise that isn't awash in cash, and the wealthier franchises probably will want a better DH. I like Larnach. I had high hopes for Larnach a couple of years ago. But for a cash-strapped organization like the Twins I just don't know how you can make that kind of investment when one of Gonzalez/Jenkins/Fedko/etc can fill his lineup spot for league minimum. Limited funds need to be spent filling other holes.

I'd move on from both Clemens and Julien. If I have to pick an internal option, I've kinda come around on trying Ryan Fitzgerald as the last man off the bench next year. Better defender than Clemens (and able to play SS), and may just end up being a better bat. He will probably get dropped off the 40-man, but perhaps he'd come back on a NRI in spring training. At a minimum it would be nice to stash Fitzgerald in AAA so he can be the inevitable injury replacement.

I think it was a faddish "Schwarber effect". Phillies started hitting Schwarber leadoff a few years ago. Schwarber of course is a power hitting, slow, high OBP/low batting average guy. Back in 2023 Schwarber didn't even manage to hit .200 while batting leadoff almost exclusively. He did draw a lot of walks though (and also led MLB in strikeouts), and a few other teams copied this, putting power hitters in the leadoff spot. The Phils have since relented after doing this a couple of years, and Schwarber mostly hits in the "2" spot now, although he moves around a bit. Of course, Schwarber is a superior hitter to Wallner, but as hitters their profile is a little similar. Anyway... it didn't work, and I doubt we see Wallner in the leadoff spot again...

Certainly a disappointing year for Wallner. His inability to catch up to high fastballs this year was exploited pretty relentlessly by the league. Something changed... in '23 and '24 he was a fastball hitter that struggled badly with breaking balls. This year he hit breaking balls very well (.250 BA, .573 SLG), but high fastballs just ate him up. Whether it was health, a change in his swing, a change in the pitches he was looking for, or something else...overall it didn't work. The walks and power remain valuable, but a BA nearer .250 would sure be nice. He remains inexpensive for one more year. Thus, he will get one more chance, hopefully as primary DH and occasional RF. Maybe he will put it all together in '26, but he needs to return to the hitting form he showed in '23 and '24.

Eh...I'm not convinced there is a "build around" option. I suspect the options are: 1. Trade Ryan in the offseason 2. Trade Ryan right before that August 1, 2026 trade deadline. Oh...and you can replace the name "Ryan" with any other non-Buxton Twin that is scheduled to earn an arbitration-eligible salary in 2026. It just seems unlikely that any of the current core pieces will still be around when the Twins next try to build a contender. There is no realistic path to contention next year.

TK and Mele are 1 and 1b. Mele's task was tougher: only one division in an AL that was not yet watered down by expansion... and yet his winning percentage shines. Then perhaps Gardenhire as a very distant 3rd. Martin gets an honorable mention for boxing and drinking skills... usually displayed simultaneously.

I think the Twins tolerated decent at best defense from both Carew and Dozier because they could hit. Neither graded out well statistically... his last couple of years at 2B Carew was an absolute error machine (33 in one year!!), which was part of the reason he moved to 1B. Knoblauch was both an excellent fielder and hitter when young, but then his defense at 2B fell apart with the Yankees when he suddenly lost the ability to throw accurately. Prior to Knoblauch, Lombardozzi was a very solid defender... but he couldn't hit at all.

1. You can find a 2B that can hit. 2. You can find a 2B that is a good fielder. 3. You can find a 2B that is inexpensive. At best, long term, you will get two of the three listed above, because any 2B that can hit AND field well will become expensive in a few short years. The one thing we can be pretty confident about is that the Twins FO will choose option #3 for 2B, as well as several other positions on the diamond. Thus, the only way out of this dilemma is player development, be it Luke Keaschall or someone else.

Hm... Yes, I'll take Torii over the course of his career because of his durability. He had a long stretch of years in the 2000s where he was utterly reliable and consistent, even if he was never in MVP discussions. It also helped that he had plenty of good teammates to help carry the load, and the Twins almost always contended or won the Central in that era, even if they could never advance further. But peak Buxton is special, on the few years where we got peak Buxton. He's been a better defender and a vastly better base runner, even though Hunter was no slouch in either category. I think Buxton's also a better hitter at his peak, relative to the league. Torii never really had a year quite like Buxton's 2025. Buxton's teammates... well, other than a couple of years they have been a mixed bag at best. "Worth more" is somewhat subjective I guess, and has to be taken in the context of team results vs just individual stats. Yes, I kinda agree with you that I think Torii was worth more (so far), but I don't think its a slam dunk, and it isn't really Buxton's fault that this year's Twins team is very bad. Both of them are sitting behind Kirby for CF on the All Time Twins team anyway..

This is a good list, and yes, many of the names on it are not a surprise. The Twins have a long history of tolerating mediocre or worse gloves in players that could hit. The top 10 list does seem to penalize longevity though, as DEF is cumulative. Perhaps a "DEF/Games played" would be a better measure? I suspect by doing this the order would look quite a bit different, with really bad defenders with relatively short Twins careers such as Delmon Young and Josh Willingham leaping over long time players like Cuddyer and Jones.

It is hard to see a scenario where the Twins bring Arraez back unless his salary REALLY drops...but I'd kind of like to see it happen, even for just a year. The Twins are so...lifeless. Arraez played with joy but also a certain focused intensity in the batters box. He won't fill some of the obvious team needs (speed, defense) but at least he might bring some enthusiasm to a squad that sometimes seems to be emotionally dead.

2025 Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB ROE BAbip tOPS+ sOPS+ RISP 52 67 52 17 9 2 0 2 11 0 1 13 15 .173 .328 .327 .655 17 1 0 0 2 0 0 .189 66 78 Kind of looks like it might be a little of both? He isn't getting a ton of opportunities with RISP... 67 PA's seems low for this far into the season. He's striking out at less than his normal rate (22%), and actually walking quite a bit more (19%). Perhaps he has been a more passive hitter in these situations? His contact in these situations has either been very bad, or very unlucky, as that BIBP of .189 is extraordinarily low for someone who typically hits the ball hard when he makes contact. Of course, 67 PA's is by definition a very small sample size. So that was 2025, his career numbers look much, much better (see below), with a much higher BABIP. Maybe we can hope 2025 is a fluke? I Split G GS PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB ROE BAbip tOPS+ RISP 149 210 171 60 45 10 1 11 71 2 1 26 58 .263 .386 .526 .912 90 4 10 0 3 2 2 .324 115

Never. Not once. Not a game in the minors, not a game in college. Probably not in high school either. Yet it is stated daily here on TD that Wallner should move to first base because "Tall" and "Slow". It's not that easy a move after a lifetime in the OF. If you think Julien looks rough at 1B (and he does) after many years of playing infield, imagine what Wallner is going to look like when he suddenly is moved 90 feet from the batter.. His reaction times off a batted ball aren't great as it is...it could be brutal at 1B. If Wallner can't learn to take better routes and get a better jump in RF (and these are somewhat learnable skills) he's likely gonna have to make it as a DH. That isn't the end of the world... it's not like the Twins have that spot locked down by anyone else long term.

24th in runs scored this year. 20th in ERA. And of course both of those numbers are worse than they appear after trading away a large hunk of the roster last month. We also know the fielding is bad. And the base running.. I guess we can hang hope on prospects for next year, but that would require a lot of Kool-Aid... ..mixed with vodka.

I usually hear 1000 at bats, but if 1500 is the new standard Wallner isn't even half way to 1500 yet. He should mostly DH by '26 or '27, but that's fine as nobody is blocking him there. It might be with the Twins, or he may be traded because it is pretty clear that no current player except Buxton is guaranteed to be here by this time next year. Fedko... well, he's another older prospect that has sometimes performed well in the minors. I look at his development path and kinda see similarities to Mark Contreras. Much like Contreras he's been a slow riser. Finally mastering AA at age 25 doesn't inspire great confidence. Like Contreras he has some speed and power, and could perhaps be an emergency CF and 4th outfielder? Contreras of course didn't last long with the Twins, and perhaps wasn't quite as good a hitter.... so Fedko is likely worth a look in MLB at some point next year, or maybe even in September if spots open up, but I think there are better OF prospects in the system who should be ready by '27 if not sooner.

I'm just thankful there is a valid debate, with multiple viable candidates. One or more of the players on this list probably won't pan out due to injuries, stalled progression, etc, but on a year where many hopes have been dashed at least we can look forward to... 2028?

Maybe... if the Twins are content to have Tait be a DH/1B initially and not worry about developing his catching skills. That would be his fastest path to MLB. Based on scouting reports his bat is way ahead of his catching. Now if Tait's bat is truly elite the Twins could decide to move him off catcher, where injuries are common, frequent days off are needed, and players wear down at a relatively young age. Bryce Harper was a catcher when he was drafted but the Nats moved him off that immediately. I'd say that worked out ok...

Same with Tait. He'll only be 20 in 2027... really young for a MLB catcher. Even Mauer didn't arrive until age 21.

Great article. I actually think the Pohlad's word vomit statement and their operation of the team is worse. Calvin's parsimonious ways were not unusual in his era, and he was arguably a spendthrift compared to Charley O Finley. There were many long time owners who didn't immediately come to terms with the new free agency era 1970s. Griffith was a baseball man to his core, unlike the current generation of Pohlads. Plus, the Griffiths had no other wealth beyond the MLB franchise, so he kind of had to keep the Twins profitable. He was severely undercapitalized compared MLB's new generation of baseball owners like Steinbrenner, The Pohlads, at best moderately knowledgeable baseball people, will die wealthy no matter how badly they run the Twins... and yet are still only interested in gaining more money because the payroll absolutely has to be "right-sized". Greed is a horrible disease...

I suppose so. I'm not certain it matters much. A different GM, a different manager, maybe they would create a roster that would be more interesting to watch. But in the end, the Pohlads won't invest in the team, don't care about winning, and are just playing their customers (us) for suckers. After the Trade Deadline Massacre I thought "Maybe this will work out and the Twins will be good in 2028". That's no longer a realistic hope. This was a much darker day.

Maybe Red Green? The team will be held together with duct tape going forward. This certainly was Black Wednesday..

Used to be a Target. More like a Dollar General these days, at least on Bullpen Games. And yet I hope we win today too. D*** Yankees.

I'd expect at least 3 BP pitchers next year who aren't currently in the organization. Signing very low level free agents and NRI's is a rite of winter. The past few years there have been some successful signings (Stewart, Coulombe), as well as more unsuccessful ones than I care to remember... but as recently as April 2024 the Twins opening day bullpen included luminaries such as Steve Okert, Jay Jackson, and Daniel Duarte.... and that was just the start of the bullpen churn.

Yeah, Goltz seems kind of an obvious next pick. Minnesota native... possibly still living in MN? Had a great run with the late 70's Twins. Might want to get it done before he gets any older.

Well, after a couple of decades of voting most of the obvious candidates are in. Now it'll be a bit contentious, choosing players like Koskie and Gladden (even more questionable vs Smalley in my mind) vs guys such as Smalley, Wynegar, Goltz, and Perkins. You can make a case for or against any of them being Twins HOF worthy, just like in the big hall in Cooperstown. Having said that, it does seem like the 70s to mid 80s era is a bit under-represented.