Riverbrian

I won't argue... we gotta bring the K's down. I'm throwing out names because I'm ready for the raffle drum.

I agree. I was reacting to Rocco's words because he is the guy who represents the organization every night when he gives his thoughts for public consumption and it was Rocco who spoke those inspirational words. I've always said... if I get to the point where I'm frustrated with what is happening on the field... I'm not going to call for Rocco's head... I'll be calling for the head of Falvey instead. It's pointless to go after the people... you go after the people who hire the people. Max Kepler hasn't been good but more importantly... it isn't Max who keeps himself on the 26 man roster. It isn't Max who puts his name on the lineup card. I'm not going blame Max if he isn't good enough... he isn't good enough. I'm going to blame the people who keep putting him out there when he isn't good enough. I can play little Piano... Let me be clear... I can play a little piano. I know my chords. If the Chicago Symphony Orchestra asked me to play Piano and I couldn't keep up. It wouldn't be my fault. It would be the fault of whoever asked me to put on a tux and sit on that bench. It would be the fault of whoever kept me in that position instead of someone who can do what is required. You are right... the front office has to act.

Perfectly said. If you have Ronald Acuna... Yeah... play him every day. We don't have one of those. In the meantime... as we wait for an every day player to show up and actually play like an everyday player... Here's a question: How do we know who are the best 9 players are so we can put the other 4 to sleep? Is there anybody willing to trust the organization to pick the best 9 out of spring training to ride every day at this point. I don't and I generally support them.

Yeah... that's my expectation as well. When he says "we have to make some really, really legitimate adjustments to what we’re doing right now". Those words are going to come from what is in head and heard by what is in my head? To me adjustments are over due roster adjustments... To him it may mean adjustment to approach. One sentence... two interpretations. Personally, I assume they have been trying to adjust approach and it clearly hasn't been working so I'm not really not going to hear that... if... that is what he meant. No matter what he meant... I think he should toss someone overboard for punctuation on whatever that sentence meant.

HIs defense at SS has been wonderful... I'll give him that. That has value. But on a team that is dying for lack of offense and based on the grand canyon difference between what he should be doing at the plate and what he is doing... Yeah... I'll agree... if you had to point at the biggest problem... Correa would be at the top of the list. I think Kepler and Gallo have been worse but neither of them are a total surprise to perform like they have. They've been doing this for years now. If Correa is doing what he is supposed to be doing, Gallo doesn't hurt as much... So Yeah... Correa is the biggest problem.

OK... You've said it out loud. “I mean if I’m rolling that up and trying to portray it any other way I’m lying, so we have to make some really, really legitimate adjustments to what we’re doing right now if we’re going to go out there and compete and win games against that team or really any other team,” Let me just say... welcome to the party... we have all been waiting for you to join us. Now that you've said it... you are going to have show you are serious and that means actually making some really, really legitimate adjustments to immediately back up what you've said out loud. Hopefully taken as constructive criticism... here is what I suggest to fix things as quickly as possible in steps. 1. Look in the mirror. Before you start identifying the players not getting it done and making the decisions that frankly should have been done many weeks ago... you have to look in the mirror first. You have to look in the mirror and so does Falvey, Lavine, their assistants, your scouts, your coaches, your analysts. All must look in the mirror and take responsibility... come to the conclusion that it was THIS operation... THIS group of people who chose the players who are not getting it done... it was THIS group of people who stuck with the players who are not getting it done. Take responsibility for this... come to the conclusion that is obvious... you were WRONG about a lot of players and you are going to be wrong again in the future... next time you are wrong... don't be so freaking stubborn and ignore the wrong right off the cliff... like time was going to cure your wrongness. 2. You've said it out loud... you have to do something significant right now. The 26 man roster that arrives in Baltimore HAS TO be different than the one you arrived in Atlanta with. I'm not talking about a young player with options that is part of the St. Paul shuffle. It needs to be significant... so when you are huddling with your coaches and talking with the front office -- Kepler at the very least can't show up in Baltimore. 3. Cull from the bottom and keep going until there is no bottom. It's really more than Kepler. A scapegoat isn't enough. You are going to need 40 man space and 26 man space to shake things up. Any player that are BOTH NOT helping this year and won't be back next year need to be cleared to open up space for someone else. You eat the money that Kepler and Gallo are owed. IMO Solano and Taylor can hang for a bit but give them some different players to compete with for playing time. If they lose... clear them. Quit giving Vets the free pass to be sub par without consequence. 4. Get serious about Byron Buxton. If he can't play CF... HE'S HURT!!! If he isn't physically able to play CF, then he probably isn't physically able to swing the bat like he could and it's showing. HE's HURT!!! Place him on the DL and rehab him until he can play CF. I don't want to hear any stories about how hard he is working and how he is playing through pain... I'm glad to hear that because I'm a Buxton fan... but it's not justifiable to let an injury produce poor results. If he can't play CF... HE"S HURT!!! In the meantime, while Buck is on the DL... you can use the DH spot to look at some players who might actually hit the ball. 5. Go back to what you learned in Step 1. If you were wrong about Kepler and Gallo... maybe you were wrong about Wallner, Stevenson or Chris Williams. Stevenson and Williams can get the 26 and 40 man spots of Kepler and Gallo. Wallner can take Bucks 26 man spot. It may fail... Stevenson, Wallner and WIlliams may be no better but maybe one of them keeps hitting and then you have gotten one player better. You were wrong about Kepler and Gallo... maybe you were wrong about them... Let's find out. It certainly can't be worse so what do you have to lose. 6. Let hot players stay hot. If you have a Wallner going 8 for 8... let him try for 12 for 12. If a player is hitting get out of the way... if a player isn't hitting... get in the way. Let the players tell you what to do. 6. Let the players honestly compete. Correa and Buxton have not been good and have not been threatened. Correa and Buxton have remained at the top of the order. I know you don't have a bunch of obvious replacements for top of the order duty but you are just letting all of your players know that Correa and Buxton can play bad and stay entrenched while a player that is hitting will stay entrenched at the bottom of the order. If I was a player... I'd start to question if performance matters in the decision making process. I'm sure it does but I'll be honest... I can't see if from my chair. 7. Get off the script. You are not going to finesse your way through this with the information that your analysts are bringing you. A .200 Right Handed hitter against a left handed pitcher isn't going to help you. You need to find hitters... period. OK... You've said it out loud... Now do something... finally... Please do something.

Offensive output can change quickly if Buxton and Correa just do what they should be doing and if Gallo and Kepler are removed from the equation. You quickly gain a couple of top hitters and shed a couple of bottom hitters. Those two things would be an incredible improvement. Now... bring in a hitter and add to it. This pitching staff is good. Let's help them out.

100% invested

OK... in order to put Pagan in position to succeed. Does he remain in this low leverage role when Ortega is called up to replace the injured Stewart? Does Ortega then get the tougher assignments in order to keep Pagan in low leverage roles to keep him in position to succeed?

Exactamundo. This is a pretty important point. I'll let everyone else discuss low leverage. Meanwhile, Pagan just moved up the ladder and with another injury he will move up the ladder again. There is no hiding... If a manager has to hide someone there will come a time.

In my opinion... We haven't had much mop up duty this year. If the team is down by a run. That isn't mop up duty. Down by two isn't mop up duty either. Those should be ball games yet to be decided.

The knives come out early.

I think you've nailed the 5 best trades. I'd change the order a little bit. I'd rank #5 much higher. Getting out from the Donaldson deal was huge. I don't believe Correa winds up in Minnesota without that trade. We would probably still IKF at SS. I'd go 1. Ryan Trade 2. Donaldson Trade 3. Escobar Trade 3. Gray Trade 5. Odorizzi

That is also my criteria.

You do have to invest in the bullpen but it is not necessarily money that you must invest. You must invest a talent commitment to every single spot in the bullpen. Twins are 26th in bullpen spending. Pagan is drawing over half of the bullpen payroll at 3.5 million. Duran, Jax and Stewart are making the minimum. If you take a look at the best bullpens in baseball this year. It's not money they are investing to make them league best bullpens. They are investing talent from top to bottom.

Humor is a slippery slope.

Very well reasoned post. The Yankees gave up a significant trade package to acquire him from the Rangers. Duran and Smith are important players for the 1st place Rangers today. Players like Gallo clearly have value. The Twins paid 10 million so someone else had to be in that ball park. However... When it comes to the Yankees and Gallo... The Yankees got out. Pushed him right out of a moving vehicle. A contending team subtracted him at the trade deadline in order to rebuild the OF. Picking up Benitendi and Bader at the deadline. Giving up a decent starting pitcher just to improve the Gallo OF. I don't see a different Gallo from the one the Yankees cleared off the roster for replacements and clearing him off the roster for replacements is what the Twins should do. Gallo being Gallo works better when he isn't surrounded by guys who are also low batting average and high strikeouts. As it stands... he just the leader of the low batting average high strikeout crowd.

I don't know... He's only 1 for 3 tonight.

You do better when you provide two options.

Bunch of Hot Air they are.

Featuring Jeffers and Strider in the morning.

According to my personal velometer that I purchased at Target the other night. 694 MPH.

100%

GALLO!!!

It just looks to me like he laid up... Kinda coasted toward the ball and he didn't appear to be taking a direct angle toward it either. The funny thing is -- If he would have made the catch... It would have been in a low probability zone and one catch in a 20% probability zone can raise his defensive metrics to the point where Brock doesn't post his current defensive numbers that started this discussion.