Riverbrian

Could be health but I believe he just has to stop trying to pull outside sliders into the upper deck and the transformation will be quick. He just needs to put more balls in play. If health helps him put more balls in play. I pray for his health. However "Play Games" "Serfdom". Those quotes leave the assumption that you were not a fan of the Buxton decision. If you compare the value of one full year of a healthy more experienced Buxton during a year that we may be in contention (2022) compared to 100 healthy AB's at the end of a year where the team has already failed and not in contention as a result. You are talking about one end of the value spectrum to the other. Trading a productive full year of the Buxton (we both think he could be) for 100 healthy AB's during a lost season would be like trading Mookie Betts for Matt Belisle.

I don't blame the Twins for missing on Tyler Jay. When you consider how many teams have missed over the years, I would be very uncomfortable blaming the Twins for this single draft pick. However... When I add Tyler Jay to every 1st round pick we've had since 2005 and the hind sight results that we can all see. I then start feeling comfortable blaming the Twins.

He's got to be able to contribute immediately... If you got that rare rule 5 guy who can contribute immediately... OK... by all means grab him. The Phillies didn't hide Odubel Herrera. The Rangers didn't hide Darren O' Day. As it stands today, you can't afford to hide a guy anymore unless you are in a rebuild with absolutely no expectation. Contending teams can't give up the roster spot. And... even if you are in a rebuild, the concept of hiding a guy, burning a roster spot with limited and or toxic production is going to actually slow down your rebuild because that roster spot could be used to audition a guy who is closer to proving himself as future value and those guys become actual value at a much higher frequency than the rule 5 guy does. We learned nothing from 3.1 Innings of Tyler Kinley. We grabbed him... Molitor didn't play him and we cut players who landed on other major league rosters for the privilage. There is plenty of risk.

In my opinion... You crushed it with this post. Well done!

100 Grand is nothing. The roster spot that he occupies on the other hand is extremely important.

I pay full attention to the ping pong ball nature of player performance year over year. I was the guy who was kicking himself for not grabbing Mookie Betts in 2016 for my fantasy baseball when I had the chance. Was then determined to land him in 2017 when he had his down season at age 24 and then decided not to spend the high draft pick on him in 2018 when he went nuts again. The paths are typically not straight and true and that is why I am in the trust but verify stage with Sano and Buxton. Don't you dare trade them but don't you dare rely on them either. GIve them a roster spot and make them earn their playing time. Actually, the paths for seasoned vets are not straight and true either and frankly after watching Morrison and Dozier... I'm in the trust and verify stage with the vets to. Bottom Line... I absolutely believe in both Sano and Buxton. However... the Mookie Betts down year at age 24 in 2017 wasn't even close to the down year that Sano and Buxton showed us last year. Also, I am not a WAR guy (I can speak it but I'm not a WAR guy) because the defensive metrics are small sample size half cooked measures in my opinion and when you quote me that Buxton had the twice the WAR that Betts had in 2017 even with better offensive numbers from Betts, it only validates my opinion of WAR and drives further away from using the stats in my player assessment. Buxton is an amazing defensive player and that has serious value but Betts is also a very good defensive player who hits much better (at the moment). No calculation will ever convince me that Buxton was double anything of Mookie Betts. Anyway.. last year was a disaster for our dynamic duo of future hope. It punched me in the gut but I survived it.

Yeah... That's the real sad part to me. It isn't the money the big boys are spending... it's the players they are developing and acquiring with that development. This is where they are kicking our butts. Yeah, they can comfortably eat a Matt Kemp contract if they want and still operate full speed ahead... but do they have to have the Bellingers, Seagers and Buehlers too? Why can't we have some of those guys? Do they have to find Max Muncy, Kike Hernandez, Chris Taylor and Justin Turner off the scrap heap and get Bellinger, Seager, Buehler plus have the money to eat a Matt Kemp contract. When I say where are our superstars... This is what I mean and it has nothing to do with money.

I don't have a problem with the word "building" from Thad. It's what I want... I want the team to be building every year. If they were the Red Sox... I'd want them building. All in all, the proof will come in their actions... not their words. If they coast through the off-season with a couple of low level deals and don't make any significant trades for upgrades... I'll be disappointed for sure but I'll survive it. However... If we have another season where a player or players get to play every day with below .200 production at the plate and alternatives are not attempted. I won't survive that. I don't care if we sign Machado and he tanks like that, I don't care if it's Buxton tanking again and I don't care if it's Michael Reed. Every day jobs need to be given to the players who produce at a level deserving of every day play.If they think Michael Reed can do it... I'm all for it... but they better give him a chance to do it and if he fails, they better try something else. As for Baldeilli's comments on Astudillo. Perfect,,, that's the exact comment I want to hear.... "He's going to have to earn it again". If I got a manager talking about earning the job... I'm beyond happy... now I need the front office to provide that manager with a 40 man roster full of players that are capable of earning the job. Like Judy from Big Lake... I can't do it again. I can't go through another season of mediocre to terrible play being rewarded. I have never blamed the team for signing Morrison, in hindsight it was a mistake but they went for it by offering him a contract and I'd like them to keep trying that kind of stuff. However... I do blame the team for doubling down on the mistake by allowing him to contribute to the sinking of this team. Pohlad, actually everyone is just going to be white noise until I see what they actually do. It better be a 40 man roster that is fully utilized to find the players who are "PRODUCING". Yeah... and the building of a long term model of consistent competitiveness and world peace while they are at it. I'm not messing around anymore... I've seen other teams give playing time to players who are producing while lessening the playing time of those producing less... it's not hard to believe... but something that simple actually works. Imagine that, productivity increases by turning to more productive things. And I have been watching teams for decades go down with the ship with struggling players. No more of that... I'm done with it. I don't care how much money they spend... just get some players who will compete for their careers. Let them feel uncomfortable because player Y is breathing down player X's neck. Produce! They can say anything they want... I'll be watching what they do. They still have my benefit of the doubt.

I'm capable of singing a lot of songs... So, you are right... my tune will change. I've stated that I'd like the Twins to support this core... this off-season, in the possibility of my tune changing because I still think this core could make it happen and make it happen with the speed of a light switch. But... This process isn't as normal as you describe. We have been consistently failing for a long time. We should have our own Judge, Bellinger, Betts, Altuve, Lindor, Goldschmidt or Jose Ramirez type player on our roster by now.

At the very least... this website should be interesting, as some of our posters trying to come to grips with the new stuff.

Yep and it's not like the Red Sox have been drafting in the top ten either. I've been asking out loud... "Where are our Superstars"? I think there is no question that the Twins have done a poor job in this very important area and it needs immediate attention for the repair work needed. I'm hoping that a new school approach is the surgical procedure to start us toward healing and long term health.

Cell Phones and I haven't quite found our stride yet.

I’m not counting on MayvorcRogers either. So yeah... bring in those arms.

This is where I have to trust the front office and I do. They could hire the Maytag repairman and I'll trust that they did their homework and got the guy they wanted. Now if they try to hire me as executive chef. I have enough information to complain about that.

Just for clarification. I've known you long enough to make the assumption that you grasp nuance, blind squirrels and the such so I hope I'm not making any such inferences. The debate I'm participating in is: 1. Does the Roster have to resemble Boston's or Houston's on paper before the go-button is pressed? 2. Does it matter if you make the playoffs with a roster that doesn't look like Boston's or Houston's on paper. My answer to both of those questions is: 1. The Roster doesn't have to resemble Boston's or Houston's before the go-button is pressed? Hitting the go button is how you get there. 2. Putting a team together that makes the playoffs should be the exclusive immediate goal every off-season unless the team is tearing it down. If you succeed and find the team in contention, regardless if the roster resembles Boston's or Houston's, you should supplement the team at the trade deadline and support whatever is happening on the field. (Nuance Alert: This doesn't mean trading Royce Lewis for a support piece).

No GM should look at the Red Sox and say we can't compete. GM's have to compete against all 30 teams.

It's Ok... Harp away. I appreciate the honest discussion. As long as you don't respond with "I suppose you think Edina High School could go 12-8" I'm with ya. The Royals may have done it once but it only has to happen once... at the right time. The odds won't matter because we are talking about a small sample size. Are the teams trying harder in October then they are in June... Absolutely, without question they are and that goes for both sides. Do I place my money on the team with the best paper roster... I do. But... the bottom line is that baseball is a game with small game of inches type margins and there is absolutely no breathing room for anyone come sudden death playoff time... no matter how strong they make their roster. This is because sudden death means that you can't make up for a bad May with a fantastic June. You improve your roster at the trade deadlines to improve your chances but you can never improve them enough to guarantee yourself a walk through the park even if the Twins and A's managed to sneak in some how. That's the why the goal every off-season should be to build a roster strong enough to get you through the long grind of the 162 game schedule and into the playoffs and the goal of every trade deadline should be to improve any contending team in preparation for the small sample size dogfight that they earned the right to participate in. In that small sample size dogfight... teams are going to take on a new shape... such as using Chris Sale or Clayton Kershaw in the ninth... with again... no guarantee that Sale or Kershaw won't give up a 3 run home run to lose 6 to 5. A little inside out bloop to RF can rip the guts out of the powerful team, A bad call by the home plate umpire (See Didi Gregorius 1st Inning - Twins Vs Yankees WC 2017). It's a game of inches on the field and that is why the stat people haven't nailed it down yet. And I am 100% behind analytics. It's a bad year to make these points because the Red Sox pretty much went wire to wire as the top team but this is a very rare thing. Every year... people look at the Dodgers and go... they got Kershaw who is going to pitch Games 1,4 and 7 and just shut the other team down and often times you check the aftermath stats and find out that Kershaw was average to below average at the wrong time. If you look at what happened this year... It was Arcia who stepped up for the Brewers while Milwaukee wondered what happened to Yelich. The Brewers completely shut down the Rockies talented offense with Chacin and Miley and a bullpen and they did it when every single expert on the planet was saying that the Brewers didn't have enough pitching to compete in the playoffs. There is no way a GM or Fan or a spreadsheet with an automated algorithm can identify that happening during the small sample size that is the playoffs and this gives the Royals hope that they can perfectly time a 12-8 record at the absolute right time but the Royals will not be given the opportunity unless they get through the 162 game grind to qualify for the playoffs. If the Indians dismantle at all this season. The Central is wide open and avoiding the sudden death wild card gives a chip and a chair and a chance and just maybe Max Kepler decides to go 15 for 20 at the right as we stun the Yankees.

The area where we agree is the answer. You don't have to sign Machado (I wouldn't object to signing Machado) but you can sign three Moustakas types for the same price and plug the holes. On the probability of several stepping up or everybody working out... I'll raise your "very low" to my "extremely" low. It isn't going to happen... so fill your 25 man roster up and don't let it kill you. Strength in numbers, safety nets, don't hand anyone a job come hell or high water. 40 Man depth is starting to land on the page so we don't have the "We have to play Morrison because we have Motter excuse" anymore. We have the cash and the prospects to complete the 25 man roster with players who can contribute. I know we look miles away after last year but the A's looked miles away after 2017 and the Twins looked miles away after 2016. I'm not predicting an unpredictable A's or Twins like "how'd this happen" return to Glory. I'm saying if Sano and Buxton hit, things will look real different real quick. We've all heard the phrase "So Close but yet so Far". The Twins are the opposite in my opinion. "So Far but yet so Close". On the strength of Boston, New York and Houston on paper. Doesn't matter to me. Every year there is going to be a Boston, New York and Houston on paper. Can the Twins collect a roster of players similar to them?. Yes we can but it guarantees us nothing once we do. Making the playoffs is the hard part... once that happens, it's a whole new small sample size season where your performance during the season doesn't matter anymore. Any team in baseball can go 12-8 over 20 games and win a World Series. Any team can do it. The hard part is the 162 games, keeping players focused and productive over the long run. It can't be done with 9 guys and crap on the bench and Manny Machado can't carry a team over 162 games by himself. Find 25 competent players... add that to the 40 man depth coming from behind and let the players decide who leads us forward. Make Sano and Buxton earn playing time and give them the playing time if they earn it. And then add some help at the trade deadline. I'm not asking for much.

Honestly, I believe the Twins can simultaneously make a run at this year and build for the future. We agree on a lot of things but one place where we may have different viewpoints is: Just how close the Twins are. We have money and prospects during a time when FA's are under-valued and prospects are over-valued. That combo's nicely with a young core who could turn it on collectively at anytime. Impressive starting pitching depth, a new manager from an organization who threw out the old rules successfully and offensive 40 man depth that is hitting the 40 man roster behind the scenes which will keep the Motter's and Petit's off the 40 man. Plus the option of adding more talent at the deadline. And I've stated this many times... we don't have to compare to the Red Sox on paper. And of course... it can all go horribly wrong even with honest effort but I think we can build for today and tomorrow at the same time.

Both

I'm not sure if this quote from you is getting proper consideration but it should. The Indians are about to lose, Allen, Miller, Chisenhall, Perez, Davis and Tomlin to Free Agency. They are floating rumors about considering the possible trading Kluber, Encarnacion, Carrasco, Gomes and Kipnis. Once they trade Kluber and they will get interesting offers to entice them, that will be the start of the rebuild. Also... If they trade Kluber... They have now taken the starting rotation strength that they have and marginalized to the point where an injury to Carrasco or Bauer makes it rather questionable and beatable. We know the Indians are not going to spend money in FA and we know that the farm system has been drained enough that they need to consider trading Kluber to replenish. Consider the Royals and Tigers are complete mess and the White Sox are still extremely young even if they convince Bryce Harper to sign a 10 year deal. The window is open right now. Don't wait on Buxton and Sano... Go make something happen. See if Buxton and Sano can get motivated enough to join whatever you make happen and make it even better.

http://media.tumblr.com/10430abfede9cebe9776f7de26e302e4/tumblr_inline_mjzgvrh7Uv1qz4rgp.gif

I have no idea what kind of health issues we are dealing with behind the plate. Castro (Knees) Garver (Head) If there is any doubt at all... I applaud any conversation with any catcher under 4 million a year.

If a pitcher doesn't know what to throw next. I'd suggest AAA to do some more learnin.

Iglasias is pretty awesome with the glove. I've seen him make some plays that make me wonder just what humans are capable of but... 9 Million? Multiple Years? Adrianaza would be more cost effective IMO.