Riverbrian

Yeah... that's right... I keep forgetting that. I'm out of control tonight.

Does anybody still believe the Twins are not watching Romero service time? Regardless... I'll be watching Sunday... To Kohl Stewart... Congratulations... I'm pulling for you. I know you are excited... However... do your best and try to get some sleep.

Molitor will never let this happen. He doesn't trust Stewart yet. I'm just being goofy like I usually am, of course... But... in all seriousness... doesn't this kind of illustrate how absolutely misguidedly stubborn Molitor is. Hear me out... Think about this. Molitor will keep new players freshly arrived from Rochester on the bench because... whatever... they ain't vets or something. But the rotation... at a position that is by far more important than one individual offensive position among 8 others. Into the game they go. He'll throw the rookie starting pitcher but it'll take a gun with a threatening note to put anybody else at the DH position.

I agree with being surprised. The only assumption that I can make was they were not planning on trading Rodney or didn't get an offer they liked before the deadline. The other assumption is that they ran him through waivers like they do with most everyone. The A's put in a claim and they liked this kid they got back. They had to like the kid because they could have simply pulled Rodney back if they didn't. However... mainly my surprise is rooted in the fact that after he didn't go before the trade deadline... I assumed he would be in uniform for us on opening day 2019. Quantity over Quality... I'd be happy with either. We may have enough holes to fill that quantity may be the only possibility though. Between you and I and everybody else who reads this... I'm looking at baby steps... I'll just be happy if we are not forced to play players who are hitting less than .230 every single damn day. So bring me quantity, flexibility and honest to god competition for playing time and a manager who knows what to do with it.

We got 360 AB's out of Hardy because he was hurt and I'm not really using that to judge the trade although he had a little injury history in Milwaukee before we acquired him.Trading Hardy to Baltimore for what we got back was absolutely impossible to justify and I'm not really using that to judge the Gomez trade either. Hardy was a decent enough acquisition and the Twins clearly compounded the mistake by how they handled thing afterwards... but. Gomez had a couple of huge years with Milwaukee that Hardy didn't have. The Twins utilized Gomez for two years of sub-par play and cut the cord which allowed Milwaukee to get the best years of Gomez and that is the fuzzy end of the lollipop... this can't be denied unless you just focus on... "Yeah it made sense at the time". The Brewers eventually took those two huge years from Gomez and upgraded again by trading him to Houston for Josh Hader, Domingo Santana and Brett Phillips. Brett Phillips was just recently traded for Mike Moustakas. The problems we are currently having do not lie at the feet of the current regime... It's this type of crap that damages our ability to acquire front line talent. The Twins have been firmly rooted in mediocre for way too long and giving up on the extreme talent too soon is a part of the reason why. You can justify the Carlos Gomez Trade for JJ Hardy at the time when it happened... But right now in 2018... Step back and look at the aftermath. It's 2018... We still haven't figured out CF and we got nothing to show for trading a 5 tool player. The Brewers have Josh Hader, Domingo Santana and Mike Moustakas. Hicks... I hated the deal but there were many who could justify it because of the need at Catcehr... But right now It's 2018 and look at the aftermath... Hicks is killing it in New York... And we got Gabriel Moya to show for the deal... I really hope Moya works out because otherwise we just gave away another 5 tool player in CF and we still haven't figured out CF. Once again... the Twins absorbed the worst years of Hicks and dealt him so another team could enjoy the best years of Hicks and we got almost nothing in return. I'm sitting here wondering why we can't seem to develop a player capabale of bringing back Josh Hader and Domingo Santana in a trade and this type of stuff is a very plausible explanation. On Buxton... I don't believe I have ever advocated trading the guy because I'm absolutely 100% against trading him because of what happened with Gomez and Hicks. I am right now very consistent... Keep him... Fix Him and but don't turn to him with a guaranteed job in CF without a safety net. Make him earn the Job and if he doesn't... the club needs to open up, swallow and come to grips that they blew another Early 1st round draft pick.

I'm not sure what this looks like yet? But I am interested enough to keep watching.

I'm a little surprised. I thought they would pick up the option and Rodney would be back. We are going to need a big quantity of players next year.

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Bottom Line: Gomez and Hicks struggled mightily playing for us and then were traded and became productive elsewhere. This can only be seen as the fuzzy end of the lollipop. You can justify the addition of JJ Hardy but we didn't even get a year out of him and the same goes for John Ryan Murphy. We lost 5 tool players and we got basically nothing to hold in our hands in return and we still don't have a CF solution but we have had Mastroianni. Buxton... we are all concerned... but they need to develop him or eat him because we've seen this trade your disappointment movie before.

When I heard that they were experimenting with openers in Rochester, it gave me a good feeling about the front office because it shows an effort to get out in front of the curve. That type of operation would be such a welcome change from the old front office being consistently behind the curve. We were one of the last teams to fully embrace metrics under the previous regime and now maybe... just maybe we won't be that type of club anymore. I agree about the bullpen, it's a new world right now and I'd like the Twins to get out of the old world. I am waiting for the changes to take place at the major league level with the Twins. I want my team to get bullpen serious.

I don't know everything and I certainly don't know enough about Buxton to be sure but I believe he can turn the light on fast if he would just level out that swing. Until then... It could only be termed as irresponsible... if the Twins pencil him into the starting CF spot next year without a sufficient back up plan. But... Whatever they do... Don't give up on him. The past regime moved Aaron Hicks and Carlos Gomez way too early.

Yep... 2018 will end up being a blown opportunity. I want to know who to blame and I don't know the dynamic of the decision making room to be sure. I do know that It isn't as simple as blaming the players.

I'm really trying to stay composed. I am already at peace with the knowledge that we won't win the World Series this year and don't care about W's and L's at this moment in time as a result. But my frustration is starting to get the better of me because when I consider 2019. I don't understand what purpose Forsythe and Morrison are serving the franchise and therefore don't understand why they are playing every day. I can justify Drake if I squint my eyes but I can't justify Forsythe, Morrison and of course Belisle. So yeah... I'm getting ready to join your chorus.

You will get no argument from me. My thoughts on Buxton are simple. I think he has the potential to be one of the best players in baseball but he is currently closer to one of the worst players in baseball. I will not count on him until he proves he can be counted on. He earns his job from here forward. I'm just plain tired of absorbing poor CF play in the name of "he's gonna be".

If you are saying that “if Buxton doesn’t hit next year”. Rosters will be set and it will be much harder to find one that does. I think the Twins should be looking right now and into the off season for someone who can man the position in case “Buxton doesn’t hit next year”. Interesting indeed.

Of course. Or the off-season. Whatever works best.

Only once was Escobar named a starter going into a season, including this year. If Polanco wasn't suspended he wouldn't have been the opening day starter. Now... I don't believe in the significance of a "starting 9" so I'm OK with this but I know the Twins do believe in "a starting 9" based upon how they deploy. If Escobar is a star... the Twins didn't realize it. While Brian Dozier was struggling to become who he eventually became... he managed to hold off the advancing charge of Jamey Carroll and Doug Bernier. It does take a little patience to find these types of guys and I am all for as much patience as you can afford. But in the Twins case... I don't call it patience. I call it the embrace of the mediocre and the refusal to identify someone better.

By then it will be too late.

I have over 19,000 posts on TwinsDaily and I do not have 19,000 unique thoughts so I will end up repeating myself. You need 25 guys who can play on your 25 man roster. If the manager doesn't trust any of the guys on the 25 man roster. They either shouldn't be on the roster or you need a new manager with the ability to trust.

Molitor won't do that. It takes him a long time before he moves players out of assigned roles.

Fixed it for you

It's gonna be a new Baseball grouping to add to the sophomore slumpers and the contract year sudden superstars. The "late to spring training club".

I'll raise my hand and say I'm opposed to picking up the option on Morrison. I'll also recognize the possibility that he might turn it around and OPS .900 next year after we don't.

In my opinion, the Dodgers didn't need Dozier... they probably always liked Dozier and they are just collecting bats and depth for the stretch run and they got him cheap so they took the deal very smartly. Forsythe had already lost the job as primary 2B even before Dozier came to town. Turner was due to come back soon and he is a 3B Only. That moves Machado to primarily SS with an occasional 3B when Turner takes a turn on the bench which the Dodgers can do. That Moves Taylor from SS to 2B or OF and the Dodgers still have Kike Hernandez, Max Muncy, Chase Utley (2B Only) and catcher Austin Barnes who can play 2B. The Dodgers were hoping that Dozier would become 2nd half Dozier and were probably prepared to limit his playing time in case he didn't just like they had already did to Forsythe. Dozier will have to earn his playing time. The fact that the Dodgers got Dozier tells me that the Twins ended up with a best we could get deal and the better offers from other clubs just didn't materialize and the (2B only) market is a still a little depressed.

I will be because that means that I got something I hoped for. We are Twins Fans... that doesn't happen.