Riverbrian

Garlick mashes Righties!!!

I got a song that ain't got no melody. I'm going to sing it to my friends. I got a story ain't got no moral. Gonna let the bad guy win every once in awhile. I got a dance that ain't go no steps. Gonna let the music move me around. Take that Bob Dylan. Just try writing lyrics like that.

For Clarity... I'm not ON the Celestino Bus either. I am IN the bus... Much Safer to get in the Bus as opposed to on it. There is also a door in the back for emergency exits if necessary so I don't have to remain in the bus if I don't want to. Y'all don't know what you are missing. Coolers of Beer with plenty of ice.

Yet you still couldn't get to third base.

There are some things you should know: A. If what comes next isn't good. You will be forced to spend your enthusiasm during horrible times. Trust me on this... you do not want to do that - I once let a woo-hoo out at a funeral and I'm not kidding... nearly everyone in the chapel turned around to look at me. In the end... I found that to be awkward, unsatisfying and very very hard to explain afterwards. B. The body is always producing enthusiasm. It is produced by the appendix. If you don't use it at regular intervals the organ will eventually burst from the pressure. If those people would have just adequately expressed enthusiasm at decent intervals, they would still have their appendix. Surely, you've noticed how all people who have had their appendix removed are stolid and languid afterward. 86.7% of all people who have had their appendix removed become butlers, librarians, air traffic controllers and Twinsdaily posters. Just let it out man... You can't take it with you.

The very nature of free agency is a price point that is beyond what the other 29 teams are willing to pay. So... that's a potential hard filter of trading partners.

Yeah but I have nice hair.

Yeah but that information isn't helping the point I'm trying to make. ?

They will probably draw a circle in the dirt to show where he should stand. ?

Sometimes I find it helpful to watch the other teams. I realize the context is different than our situation with Royce Lewis but I would like to point out that the Cardinals called up Nolan Gorman yesterday to play 2B. To accommodate this move they are shifting 2B Tommy Edman on the fly to SS. Other details worth mentioning. OF Tyler O'Neill is the injured player that created roster space for Gorman Gorman was a 3B throughout his minor league career. Switched to 2B after Arenado was acquired. Edman has played a total of 12 games at SS. I realize the context is different and not completely comparable but this is another organization moving pieces around to get the best player called up despite the injury created opportunity occurring in the OF. Other organizations do this sort of thing... all the time. I'll put my helmet on now and wait for the blows. ?

MLR is probably only mentioning the Correa trade possibility if we are out of contention and he isn't ruling that out. If we are in contention... We will not trade Correa. I'm sure MLR would agree with that.

This is a good point. They've shown that this type of thing is a factor based on the Lewis demotion. It's not a slam dunk that Lewis is first guy back.

I hope so... I'd like him back for tonight's game. ?

Berrios: Out of the Race... Deal to good to pass up. The farm crops were going to start filling the grain bin so you take a different apporach in the off-season. Donaldson: To Get out of that Contract Rogers: 1 Year left and decent starting pitching is tough to acquire and you need a lot of it. All good questions... I don't have those answers but I'll try. 1. It never does but we have depth to replace those that go down. I only ask that we are able to walk away from anyone who struggles for a reasonable amount of time. I am looking at Bundy and Archer as I say that. I'm not advocating walking away at this point. 2. Winder looks good and is that depth that makes me more comfortable. 3. Probably not and that's part of the reason why I tend to focus on the development of players 4 through 13 on the roster and would rather not see Lewis in St. Paul. 4. I don't worry about Correa at all. At Worst he is productive... At best... He's a superstar. 5. If he stays healthy... Yes. His stuff is too good. I still want him in a multi-inning role and I would like him to maintain starter possible in the futre. 6. I'm very encouraged by Kepler's improvement and his new found ability to go the other way. I still wouldn't call his play great and I still think he should be challenged for playing time by others on the 26 man roster and Celestino should be considered a worthy challenger right now. If Celestino isn't rewarded with that playing time to truly challenge. If he stays primarily a short side platoon. What Celestino does won't matter to me or the club. 7. If we are buyers... Yes. There will be a ton of 1B options to consider and probably not that expensive to acquire. Until then we can get by with the parts we have to work with. 8. I don't know but that would be fantastic. 9. When Sanchez was acquired... I thought he was a reasonable replacement for what Garver provided us. 10. If we are not contending. They will be the primary reason that we are not (other than Correa) and therefore... not much value at all.

I believe that in order to consider trading Correa at the deadline, we would have to be out of contention. In order to be out of contention it will take a real crappy June. If we have a real crappy June... I believe we will see Royce Lewis back up because the front office will be looking for something to stop the crappy June. ?

In my world... If you play well.... you get the chance to show that you can keep doing it. He threw a real solid 5 innings last time out. Eager to see what he does tonight.

8/1? You got us as potential sellers?

Innings management is probably a consideration. Winder only threw 74 innings last year and zero in 2020. Although... Same could be said about Joe Ryan.

Well Of Course... you can't throw him into an unfamiliar position in his first game back to AAA. ?

I understand why they moved Arraez to 1B. I understand why Gordon is playing OF. I don't disagree with those moves because I'm not afraid of this type of thing. You do what you have to do based on context. But a precedent has been set out of that desperation you mention and the results have not been a disaster. That is also context that matters. The setting of the precedent and not having it blow up in their faces is also context. Also... this desperation context that applies to Arraez and Gordon also applies to Lewis. The uptick of playing Lewis in LF over Gordon probably surpasses the uptick of Gordon playing LF over Contreres or Cave. If Gordon is going to hit like he has... I'm pretty desperate to replace that with someone who is ripping the cover off the ball. If positional experience is that important. We shouldn't have tried Gordon out of desperation period. We didn't have to. Contreres, Cave, Fisher... take your pick, they are praying for a phone call. Sorry Nick... your experience is at 2B. So if you require bottoming out before such considerations.... if that is the context... umm... that will never fly with me.

Yep Or Lewis can remain static somewhere and others move around to accommodate but you are 1000% correct. Nobody needs to get splinters in their rear to accommodate the arrival of someone playing fantastic. This is not EITHER OR extremes.

I tend to take them at their word. They are sending Lewis down to get some work at other positions instead of doing this at the major league level. You are right, this is a brand new concern for them since Arraez and Nick Gordon are living breathing examples of not being stymied by this concern before but I will take them at their word that this concern is now a thing all of a sudden. Miranda... In my eyes... he is merely a symbol for what's wrong with the decision making process here. Miranda needs to return to St. Paul and should have been the first guy in the Uber heading that direction so I mention him to exclamate my point. (I think I just made up a word with Exclamate). I assume Miranda is the guy sent down when Larnach returns but while we wait for Larnach to return... someone else could get hurt and then Miranda's time in the majors extends. Or once Miranda's time extends due to someone's injury... we just send Miranda down anyway because he is still absolutely struggling and now the discussion bounces back to we should have just sent him down when Correa came back. Miranda should have been first in line and this is hardly a debate in my eyes. On the capitulating to veterans thought. I get the need to hang on to those without options instead of losing them and hurting your depth but we don't have to capitulate ever. It never has to be an either or where a player either plays every single day or he sits every single day scenario. There is middle ground. Kepler, Urshela, Larnach, Arraez, all of them playing 6 games out of 7 or 5 games out of 7 to accommodate Lewis in the lineup is not only possible but is already being done. Rocco is already resting and utilizing his roster in this fashion. The only players on a roster who should play 7 out of 7 games are players who play like they should play 7 out of 7 games. To deserve that designation... you have to clearly out distance your peers. We have Buxton, Correa and Polanco who fit that description. Buxton can't physically and Polanco is borderline but that's it... the others are not clearly out distancing their peers to lock down a position. And I'll say it... when you look at the rest of the players outside of that group of 3... they are all decent but only one of them was performing at the level to be considered for eventual 7 out of 7 games designation and eventually join the group of Buxton, Correa and Polanco. His Name... (Drum Roll Please). Royce Lewis

Honestly Brandon... I really like your support for Miranda. It's a refreshing viewpoint. I think he should already back in St. Paul but I'm hoping he will come back to Target Field and shine at a later time in the near future. I'll also concede that it's hard to prep someone for another position with 2020 and 2021 being non-existent for Royce. As for the planning... those players... they are dynamite... they blow those plans to smithereens, time and time again. ?

I often agree with the majority of things you post. Gotta disagree here. 1. I don't know if Lewis is comparable to Buxton on the flexibility value scale. Buxton when healthy is the best defensive CF in the business so you are correct that you shouldn't move him around. However, his knee could change that on a dime. I don't know if Lewis is at that level (or close to) or even projected to be at that level (or close to) defensively. That's not saying he's a bad defender. 2. I agree that front offices have to be forward thinking and I agree that becoming our SS for the next 6 years has extreme value. However, if you are truly forward thinking, locking a guy into a spot for 6 years isn't forward thinking at all. There are many things from a permanent nagging injury to a better defensive SS coming though the system that could happen in the next 2 years (let alone 6 years) that will cause (or should cause) a change of course. 3. Sending Lewis down to the minors isn't a permanent move. But neither is playing 3B or LF for a period of time while Correa mans SS and then returning to SS when the coast is clear. If something happens to Wander Franco... the Rays will put Taylor Walls back at SS.. it's not like he was ruined playing other positions. Trea Turner started in CF with Washington... Moved to SS. Was traded to the Dodgers and he played 2B and now he's back at SS. 4. No front office in baseball has the shelf life to ignore now completely. Yes, please... think about the future, but if you ignore now... you won't be in place when the future gets here. 5. If a player is performing... let him. ?

You are right... He is just a phone call away. With me... It's whatever led to this decision. Any decision that leads to Lewis going down and Miranda staying up... scares me. shakes my faith. The move itself... is survivable. Whatever processes led to this decision... if they remain... may not be survivable. Any way you slice it. They sent down one of our best players.