Riverbrian

You are right on the money in my opinion. That ole' choking up bit is so 1980's unfortunately many of us are still in the 80's and try to apply to today even though it is clearly gone. 😉 Major league pitchers are very very very good. The good ones make a living getting batters to make contact or swinging at pitches that they want you to make contact with. Major league hitters are also very good and the best ones don't swing at the pitches that pitchers want you to swing at and that can bring them to the two strike brink often. Major league hitters have amazing strike zone awareness. They will get rung up on that two strike pitch dotting the black because they are still looking for that pitch to drive with two strikes. The best hitters don't miss the mistakes at whatever count they are thrown. The worst hitters they miss those mistakes more often than they should and the numbers will reflect that. With all that said... Man... The Twins have got to cut back on those K's. Oh and one more thing. Catch the ball with two hands is something that is still being tossed out from the 80's.

Accessibility is absolutely critical. This is a major opportunity for Baseball to create a model with no barriers to access and by doing so... the sport can grow in the demographics that they desperately need to grow in to sustain their product well into the future. If short term financial gain is the goal of whatever they come up with... they will blow this opportunity. Baseball needs to be everywhere every one is. There should be no barriers to accessing your baseball team on all devices and all locations. Making up numbers to illustrate in a very elementary way. If given the choice between 1 million consumers at $100 per or 5 million consumers at $20 per... Take the 5 million. I shouldn't have to struggle to watch the Twins vs Red Sox in July on my cell phone from Knoxville Tennessee if I happen to be in Knoxville Tennessee.

I agree that Jeffers usage should increase in 2024 but Vazquez is going to take away significant playing time... not only Vazquez but whoever is catching if Vazquez gets hurt for stretch because catchers typically have playing time limitations and I don't see that changing. In 2019... Jason Castro's final year. He caught 78 games while Garver caught 82. Garver DH'd 4 games for a total of 311 AB's during the season. That was a total of 74 more AB's than Castro had. The playing time difference between Garver and Castro wasn't significant and you have to consider that Garver hit 31 home runs in those 311 AB's with an OPS+ of 157, Garver was the best hitting catcher in baseball that year and it wasn't even close. Despite those incredible offensive numbers... Castro took significant playing time from Garver. In 2018... Garver caught 86 games... Castro was out for the season after he tore his knee up in May. The combination of Castro, Bobby Wilson, The Turtle, Gimenez and Graterol caught more games than Garver did. In 2017... Castro was the guy catching in 108 games. In 2023... JT Realmuto led the league by putting the pads on in 133 games but Realmuto didn't have a 10 million dollar guy behind him. Garrett Stubbs with his career .631 OPS making the minimum appeared in 40 games. Cal Raleigh caught in 128... DH'd in 15 games. Ruiz caught in 117 games DH'd for 16 with the Nationals. Those three were the squatting leaders in 2023. Adley Rutschman led all Catchers with 588 AB's... Catching 110 games total. The Orioles did have a 10 million dollar guy behind him in James McCann who got behind the plate for 59 games. Rutschman got to 588 AB's by also appearing as DH in 46 games. William Contreras caught 108 games and served as DH in 33 games. Salvador Perez was at 1B for 23 games and DH for 29. 95 Players in 2023 had over 500 AB's... Only 5 of those were catchers (those 5 are illustrated above) everyone of those catchers spent frequent time at the DH position to climb to that AB level. For the Twins... Vazquez had 311 - Jeffers had 286. No matter how good Jeffers is and I think he is very good. The presence of Vazquez plus the rest that catchers require plus the consideration of the multiple options provided by our depth to utilize the DH position plus the possibility that someone like Buxton hogs all the DH AB"s... it should all scream out to everyone that Jeffers will have limited playing time. The 350 AB's that Jeffers might get in 2024 can (in theory) be upgraded to 500 AB's from players that play other positions at his present "Sell High" value.

Exactly... The front office can't even predict what will happen in the off-season... let alone us mere mortals. It's a nice to have someone like Varland who can fill into the cracks.

Emilio Pagan threw 69 Innings to lead all of our relievers. Bailey Ober threw 144 innings. Lopez threw 194 innings. It is really kind of simple. Get your best pitchers... more innings.

I hope that everyone reads your excellent post... understands what you are saying and remembers what you are saying next July before they are about to type things like "Weak Central" or "This team can't win in the playoffs" as they minimize a team sitting in first place or in contention for the playoffs or justify not making trade deadline improvements. Never take contention for granted. You build a team to survive the regular season and make the playoffs. If you are in contention... try to make yourself stronger. The best records in baseball are teams that win 6 out of 10 games on average. The Worst records in baseball are team that win 4 out of 10 games. Those very same margins get even tighter once you make the playoffs. Anybody want to bet everything you own based on those margins. Go ahead and pick your favorite team and give me the field. I'll take that bet every single time. Unfortunately... by opening day 2024... very few will remember that the 6th seeded D-Backs are taking on the 5th seeded Rangers in the World Series and those who remember will have found a way to adopt the Rangers or D-backs success into their own personal narrative on how a team is built to win the world series. For those who had Brandon Pfaadt and his 5.72 ERA during the regular season on their bingo card... Rise up and explain it to us.

Your point is even stronger if you use post all star break. The Twins were 5th in runs scored during that stretch. That way you don't allow the 24th in runs scored pre all star break to drag your numbers down to 10th.

I'm not itching to trade Jeffers but this topic is about players the Twins should "Sell High". If you want a decent CF... You got to deal someone. We are not going to be able to package Larnach or Castro to get it done. So... who do you deal? There are perhaps 8 players in the Twins organization that are "Sell High" candidates that could also return a significant talent if dealt. Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Duran, Lewis, Julien, Lee and Jeffers. I'd rather keep the other 7. We paid Christian Vazquez 10 Million last year and he is due 10 million next year and the year after that. He's not going anywhere for two more years. By the time his contract expires after the 2025 season concludes. Jeffers will have one year of control left. 2026 will be his third arb year so he will be paid more than he ever has in his career with his control exhausted. His value plummets at that point. In the meantime... Vazquez will be doing 50% of the crouching... maybe 40% if the Twins make Jeffers Numero Uno. Vazquez is going nowhere and he is paid 10 million each year. BTW... Jair Camargo... I have no idea who he is... He's 23 years old and his OPS was .826 in AAA. Jeffers was a 22 year old in Pensacola with an .857 OPS. In other words... Camargo just might not be awful. He could spend a couple of years facing major league hitters where he could 50% with Vazquez until his contract runs out... leaving Camargo in charge with 4 years left. I'm laying it out the best I can. What I'm saying isn't crazy.

I've always thought decline would come toward the end of the contract. Next year... I'm thinking his offense has nowhere to go but up and I'm hoping to see that. If he has a worse offensive year next year than he had this year. That contract would become an anchor dropped off a paper boat. 200 million for 6 years of a no hit great defensive SS is not what what they paid for.

If Buxton can play CF... Big If... buf if... Then we would have two CF'ers in our OF. An extra CF can play LF or RF if Buxton is good to go next year. Two CF'ers in the same OF... Three is off the charts good. Considering the health history of Byron Buxton. The front office better be looking for a CF and if they are looking they better be looking top shelf. If they are not looking for top shelf. Just hand the job to Castro and Gordon. Who has an extra number 1/2 starting pitcher? The Marlins did last year. For this off-season... who has one? I don't know but whoever does... they will be expensive to acquire so... the conversation probably starts at Jeffers plus others.

You are correct that it just takes one team. However, that one team would have to have the opposite spidey sense that you have. You sense decline... the professional baseball office would have to sense the opposite to consider the contract. Offensively, his year this year would be termed a decline from his previous levels. You are asking a lot of that one team. Besides... I like the idea of Correa, Lewis, Julien and Lee on the same roster.

It would require the eating of significant dollars to acquire anyone of value. The very nature of free agency is paying more for a player than the other 29 teams would pay. So... once a free agent is signed. They typically immediately become higher priced than the other 29 teams would pay so... now negative value.

Ten Catchers out of 60 jobs. 1 out of 6... Hence Catchers being over valued due to scarcity. I won't argue the value of offensive hitting catchers... I want my catchers to hit just like everyone. However, if trading Jeffers brings back a Gray type replacement on the mound or a Cedric Mullins type CF (Just pulling a name out of thin air... no need to debate the specific name) who gets you 600 AB's. The Jeffers 300 AB's is half the output... 300 AB's can't produce the value 600 AB's will. You just bat the catcher position 9th like the Astros do with Maldonado. Yeah... the 9th spot struggles a little but you have added Mullins to Julien, Polanco, Lewis and Correa ETC. Who knows maybe Camargo turns into a nice major league hitting catcher. We need a difference making full time bat... Jeffers could be one way to get one. I have no argument with your suggestion of waiting to see what Camargo can do. That's sensible... My only counter is that I'd like to see a difference maker added to the team before opening day and that requires risk. Disclaimer: I'm not saying that Jeffers needs to be traded... I'm just saying that I'm open to the idea because the potential return is greater than most other options.

We pitched well enough to advance. We did not hit well enough to advance. Same during the regular season... the smaller sample playoffs matched the larger sample regular season. It doesn't always match up like that because players can and do step up and some step down. However... in our case... the playoffs matched up with our regular season performance. Great pitching, suspect offense.

The Twins needs to take advantage of the adjustments made to the game like other teams have. Find a little more balance. Subtract K's Add Speed

I have been hoping for the development of catching in our organization for long time and I'll continue to hope for it forever. When the Twins signed Vazquez last year... I was worried that his addition to the club was going to be a problem with the development of Jeffers. Thankfully Jeffers had a great year and his value has gone up accordingly. I would love to see Jeffers in a Twins uniform next year. However... We can't keep everyone and acquire everyone. Got to give to get and Jeffers perhaps brings back the highest return. Certainly the highest return of the players listed in the original post starting this discussion. I know Baseball Trade Values isn't the be all end all in trade values but the website isn't miles off. Jeffers is currently listed as our 6th most valuable trade piece. Lopez, Lee, Lewis, Ryan and Julien are the 5 in front of him and I don't want to trade any of those 5. We could use a real good starting pitcher and we could use an impact bat. I never expect free agency to be the answer to either of those areas especially with media revenue in high doubt. Free agency doesn't excite me if Mid-Range is what we do in it because that isn't going to move our needle. Jeffers could help solve either of those two areas and help bring back impact. Last year Vazquez had 327 AB's and Jeffers had 286. The proportion may change in 2024 but those two will divide up AB's again in 2024. If Vazquez gets hurt... whoever replaces him is going take AB's from Jeffers. Jeffers may top out at 350 AB's even with another great year. You have to consider that we could replace those 350 AB's with a 500 AB guy for Jeffers or Jeffers plus and with Jeffers in the package... that plus doesn't have to be a Lee or Rodriquez sized prospect. Yes... We take a hit at the catching position but an (insert name here) defense first catcher paired with Vazquez won't be the end of the world because a lot of teams think defense first at that position. A 500 AB impact outfielder or suitable Gray replacement will give us more bang than the catching buck can provide. Catchers are always over pays so I'm OK if someone overpays for it. I'd love to see Jeffers back but I'd also love to see if Jeffers brings back impact and maybe it'll open some space for the next catcher in the pipeline to develop into a trade high candidate and bring even more in return. I'm hoping it's a fun off-season. Jeffers is gonna remain at the top of my trade high list.

Trading Falvey and Joe for Henry, Werner, Kennedy and executive vice presidents of this and that coming out of every nook and cranny doesn't sound appealing to me. I'd keep my seat whatever size it is in Minnesota. 😁

I support your posts. More power to ya. The front office draws too much heat for typical front office decisions while having the the past constantly dragged by some into moments of sunshine. I was also on the dump Kepler train. Today... even with the benefit of hindsight... I have no issue stating that I would have sent him packing in June even after watching his wonderful August and September. On Kepler... It can be perceived that the front office was eventually right and I recognize that eventual rightness while also stating that they were still wrong regardless. We did get two wonderful months of Kepler but it came at a cost of 2 and half years of not wonderful. Pagan... I wouldn't have brought him back in the off-season. Once he was brought back... I let him pitch and he gave me no reason to complain in 2024 so I didn't. I recognize the occasional wrongs in right and the occasional right in wrongs. The front office lives in that same world as the rest of us and deserve the same blue on black considerations that we give ourselves.

I'm not going to follow the bouncing balls of yearly small sample size defensive stats that are groaning from the weight of routine plays overwhelming the few non-routine plays that actually produce the numbers that we use to form the basis of our defensive opinion. Correa is an exceptional defensive SS. I've watched him nearly every day for two years now. He is exceptional.

I agree with you... I am impossible to argue with. 😄 How do they add impact players? That's a real good question and also impossible for me to answer... especially when you consider that they haven't offered me a job so I have access to the information, budget and other considerations. I have no idea why they haven't called me but perhaps they believe they already got people in place. The only thing I can say is that it's been done before and this is what the front office is paid to do. So good luck to them... I'm pulling for em'. Teams are built in different ways as you point out. It's exactly what I meant in response to Sixel. You sign, trade for, shift position or develop impact players to find your impact players. All paths available to a front office require luck. I'm not a big believer in mid-range free agents because while some of them work out as expected and sometimes exceed expectation... others... too many actually just cling to the hull of your roster like Zebra mussels or Milfoil. In the end... I'd rather have the young player with options who can be sent down to the minors when they perform like they should be sent down to the minors. If you go this route... you got to show that you are willing to cut bait when it doesn't work like the Cubs did with Hosmer and Mancini. The top end free agent's are expensive. Can the Twins afford another one? In theory they can if... they are able to roster enough cheap minimum wage talent like Julien and Lewis. This requires letting the young players do it. It requires throwing the Gallo's and Haniger's and Hosmer's away so the younger player can do it. It requires not settling for average performance and saying Eureka... we found that every day guy we can stop looking now. When one of those real expensive free agents fail and they do fail from time to time... it is catastrophic to a team like the Twins with budget limitations. Anthony Rendon isn't a Zebra Mussel... he's a Gilligan's Island type hole in the side of your boat. I remember last off-season... I was on this website as an advocate of signing Mitch Haniger. Boy was I wrong. He wasn't healthy and his numbers when healthy were horrible. The Giants agreed with me at the time and they signed their version of Gallo for 3 years and 43 million. No matter how talented Farhan Zaida is... Front offices make these types of mistakes all the time. The key is to not double down on the mistake. It is bad enough to blow the money because money is not limitless... However... it's way worse to blow the money AND let the player take your Wins and Losses into the L category. Trading for one... that's hard to do because nobody wants to give up an impact player unless you pay for it. Those prices could compromise your future and we are talking about a future with minimum wage talent getting the job done allowing you to add more expensive pieces. Development is always going to be the most important thing any organization can do and that includes the BIG budget teams that will be trying to land Ohtani this off-season. Twinsdaily would get real noisy if the Twins traded Brooks Lee or Walter Jenkins for a today impact player. It's easy for me to say... Trade Farmer to the Rays for Arozarena. The Rays may not like that deal. It's easy for me to say... Sign Blake Snell. Blake Snell has a say in the matter and the other 29 teams have a say. It's also easy for me to say and I've said it... We got our depth for 2024 and that is where you start... it's critical to have the kind of depth we have... Things are good. Now to get better... Shop Higher end... no more Bundy's or Gallo's that just get in the way. This is where we are at as an organization and it feels good to be here. In the end... I've just typed a lot of words in order to not answer your question. 😎

I agree with you. I think the Twins did a good job of playing the players who were performing the best post all-star break. Gallo's opportunities dropped significantly as you accurately point out and they should have based on what he was producing. His numbers were clearly reduced but still yet not enough and the roster spot should have been cleared. His numbers were not placeholder worthy. His numbers were not depth worthy. His numbers were off the roster so anybody else can be on it worthy.

Uncle. I just got into this discussion to point out that there isn't that BIG of a difference between Kyle Farmer and others who can man the SS position. You and I will agree to disagree. I will refer you back to the Jorgenswest post earlier in this thread. His posts are always rooted in solid logic. The SS landscape is fluid... More young SS's will be showing up next year. I don't want to spend any more time sounding like I'm disparaging Farmer which I would have to do in order to continue this conversation. He doesn't deserve that. I am happy he was a Twin. Besides this discussion is about Balozovic.

The Dodgers have SS's like Farmer coming out of their ears. Kiki Hernandez had a .731 OPS... traded for at the deadline. Chris Taylor had a .746... Mookie Betts also played SS and he had 1 Million OPS and that list doesn't include Gavin Lux who was going to be the starting SS before he got hurt and will be back next year. Are you sure about Farmer to LA? Cleveland did trade their SS at the deadline. To the Dodgers. Amed Rosario was the 2nd player acquired at the deadline who could play SS. He produced .709 OPS for the Dodgers before being left off the playoff roster because they had a lot of SS's. Including Rojas who has always been a no hit superb fielding SS that the Dodgers purposely acquired from the Marlins that you mention so they had a backup for Lux. It cost them a real good SS prospect named Jacob Amaya who is currently 25 years old and the 6th rated prospect in the Marlins system. Xavier Edwards is also in the Marlins system and ranked #7... not to mention Garrett Hampson with his .729 OPS for 222 AB's and not to mention Jon Berti who is the same age as Farmer had a 749 OPS and can take a base on ya. Back to Cleveland... Maybe... I could see them having some interest in Farmer but I believe it's quite possible that in will be all about that Rocchio kid in Cleveland. I certainly don't think they will offer tons to acquire Farmer for that mentor role. The Rays... Maybe... But I see them having a lot more creativity when they approach the SS position. Right now they have about 6 players on the current roster who can man the SS position on any given night. I won't argue that Farmer is better than Wendle or that Farmer hits better than Rojas. But, in the end... you have a 33 year old with a 96 OPS+ about to paid 6.5 million in his last year of arbitration. Teams will not be sending big packages over to the Twins to acquire him.

Excuse me officer... I'm not sure what he told you but this is my kitchen. Hey... Hey... those cuffs are little tight. Is this really necessary? Hold on... where are you taking me? Wait... Stop... Hold on a second... wait... wait... Umm... Look at that big picture on the wall. Yes... that photo... look at it... that's me isn't it. Why would a 30 by 40 framed photo of me be hanging on the wall above the dining table in HIS kitchen? Yes... It's becoming clear to you... that... that kind of tribute to me... could only be in my kitchen. Hold on...reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet. Take out my drivers license... Look at the photo on my license... yes that's right... It's the same exact... the very same photo on my license is also the photo in that large solid gold frame. The DMV photographer does good work... it was a good likeness of me so I had it enlarged and placed right there... I find it aids in digestion. If you don't mind... could you uncuff me now. I'm hungry and I was waiting to see what he is preparing.

You are absolutely cooking in my kitchen with this comment. The pots and pans are right over there... the spices are up here. Make yourself at home. I look forward to what you are preparing. Team depth is pointless... if in order to preserve that depth, you have to keep putting players performing like Gallo into the lineup day after day. Playing Gallo Every day over and over again is exactly what kills your team. We were fortunate to have a great pitching staff to prop us up until our youth started to dig our offense out of the hole a bit. Your depth is not just important in the case of injuries... it is also important in the case of Gallo type performances. If you don't utilize it for those Gallo type performances. It becomes a funny definition of depth.