Twins GFP

I believe the Twins had a plan in place at the beginning of the season that looked something like this: The Twins thought, at the beginning of the year, they had enough talent to make the post season. In hindsight, they probably did (though another $10-12m invested in the BP would have been helpful). The number of quality SP innings lost to injury and the complete meltdown of SWR were unexpected and cost them that chance. More than that, I think they were 100% looking to tread water this year. Selling the team is still on the table, but will become much easier with a new labor agreement and known financial future. So for 2026: no major decisions either way, then a lockout/new labor agreement, then the team goes back on the market. Part of the treading water was that NONE of the high-end prospects were going to be called up to mess with their service time. Having them in the fold longer will make a team sale much easier. This showed to be true as they kept all of the big names down as long as possible, constantly calling up guys that have no future in Minnesota. You can argue or complain about that plan. I didn't (and still don't) like it, but I could see it coming. Pohlad's are still being dishonest to the public about their intentions, but that is nothing new. Back to Larnach... his bat is showing to be big league capable. Where and how really depends on the team and it's needs. For this year, and the current status of this team, he provided what the team needed: a pretty reliable, relatively inexpensive bat on a 1-year deal. He wasn't blocking a prospect, he was keeping the seat warm for them until management changed course.

Now I feel bad that you crafted this response to a post that was mostly sarcastic... I did think they should have kept France, but nobody expected this type of season from him. The Twins do seem to have a knack for finding guys that are serviceable or better at 1B for very little money. I don't think they have a solid long-term answer at 1B in the entire system, so it would not surprise me to see them take another flyer next year. I do not think the answer is Bell next year and would be ok with him leaving

I say kick him to the curb. We booted Ty France, his 4.8 WAR this season would not help us We booted Carlos Santana, never mind his 1.4 WAR the following season We booted Donovan Solano, his 1.0 WAR the following season was passable I am sure we will find another reclamation project that will sign, boot, and let them be successful for at least another season on another team.

Aaron, Thank you for the fantastic year in St. Paul. Your six years of service has not gone unnoticed. As a thank you for everything you have done, we are promoting you to the Twins for the remaining 6 games of the season. Please note that this does not mean that you are in our future plans (if you were, you would have been promoted at any number of times during the season). This is why we waited to call you up until after we were eliminated from playoff contention. Please enjoy your time with the Twins this season. We look forward to seeing you back in St. Paul next spring. Sincerely, The Minnesota Twins

So putting a player into the position to be successful is a bad thing?

There is nothing more that I hate then overpaying "closers". The save might be the most worthless stat in the entire sport. Put your best relievers in at the highest leverage moments, not starting the 9th inning with nobody on base and you are up 3 runs. Knowing the roller coaster that is the relief pitcher, Gomez has earned the right to start with the team in the pen and pitch in high leverage situations. Time will tell if he can hold that spot.

Yeah... I am sorry Cody, but this might be the worst article premise I have read here all year. Treating a middling middle reliever with a relatively small history with Minnesota that hasn't even announced his retirement like it is the homecoming of Torii Hunter would be embarrassing to the fans and the Twins. You make it sound like the only reason they signed him was to get fans in the stands and allow them to retire his number at the end of the season. Should we have a Mike Trombley day? Mark Guthrie jersey night? How about a Dennys Reyes Jose Mijares* Bobblehead night with Delmon Young chasing after him for getting hit by a pitch? *sorry, wrong pitcher

The 26' Yankees have the best ERA in all of baseball by a wide margin and the eventual Cy Young winner. They have also scored the 9th most runs in MLB. If they aren't a great team this year, I have no clue what your expectations are. A solid team with 1-2 elite players (especially pitchers) can carry you a long way. The Angels had Trout/Ohtani and AAA teams.

Actually that is kind of what a reload vs a rebuild looks like. Keeping guys Bell, Clemens, Ryan, Ober, Jeffers around while you are waiting for the younger guys to see what they can do. A complete rebuild moves all of those guys and more. I am not defending ownership, but this year is/was different than previous years. Knowing the strike is coming, tough decisions about players had to be made. I can see the argument for moving that group, but the Twins felt they could compete with this year. They were correct. Without injuries, this team is in the playoff mix. If the injuries weren't so devastating, the narrative around this season would be probably be different (except for those of you who have been screaming for a complete teardown/rebuild, nothing I say will appease you).

Hard to put a lot of faith in a list that has the 69-82 Mets 10th... Not sure about negativity and panic at this juncture. Everyone knew this was a reload season (not a complete rebuild). Injuries and poor bullpen building eroded this teams chances at the playoffs, not a lack of on-field talent. A few of the prospects are showing positive signs. Getting MLB caliber players from the prospects is good, but what they really need is someone to explode: Jenkins becoming a MVP caliber player, Bradley becoming Cy Young caliber. Someone that can put the team on their back.

You do realize you are commenting positively on a Falvey draft right? [sitting back and grabbing my popcorn]

Yeah, I don't know why this has to be an either/or discussion. Assuming Jenkins figures things out at the plate, having 4 playable outfielders is a good problem to have. I think the bigger discussion might be moving Buxton to a corner if they believe it will put less stress on his body.

Buxton has overplayed his contract in terms of dollars. Can't argue that. Regardless of what anyone says, you can't say with certainty you knew his career would play out the way it has with the injuries. The Twins knew the risks when they signed him and determined that he was worth the value when he was on the field. They were correct. They also tried to mitigate the risks by having capable backups most years. On a side note, is there any other team that has seen injuries strongly redirect/derail the careers (not just seasons) of so many potential top line players over the last 30ish years? Koskie Kubel Morneau Mauer Buxton You could go further back and add Puckett, Castino, Oliva. I am sure the Twins aren't the only team with a list like this, but these are all all-star level guys. Without going on a deep dive, it feels like a lot... Gleeman touched on this a few years ago: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3340279/2022/05/31/twins-top-prospects-injuries/

I saw this post and wanted to respond. I had written and rewritten a handful of responses before realizing that this is a trolling comment. "the honorable thing" had me going...

I think we are watching different players: ERA+ 80 WHIP 1.36 ERA 5.25 If this was unknown pitcher X instead of Prelipp, he would not be in the rotation. Like I said, prospect bank. They are letting him work through his difficulties hoping that he figures it out. The potential is there, we are not yet seeing results.