Riverbrian

This isn't going to work with me. I'm not a starting 9 guy. I don't care if we have Trout, Harper and Yelich in the OF... I'll still bring in Judge if given the opportunity. There are way too many injuries, slumps and suspensions in Baseball to put things in neat little boxes of having a guy for each position.

It only matters to me if Gordon is productive and the jury hasn't even taken it's seat to hear those deliberations yet. Dozier may be gone next year. Polanco might come down with a year long case of the Chicken Pox. I'm hoping that Gordon will rise to the majors and shine because we will need him next year and beyond to stay competitive. I will never pretend to know which prospects are going to pan out and which ones are not and I know that a bunch don't. I do know this. Long term success for the Twins will depend on those prospects panning out and that strategy will depend on strength in numbers to work and that's because a bunch don't pan out. My fear is that acquiring a Catcher like Realmuto will be cost prohibitive in terms of prospects. I think he is going to painfully expensive because of his talent and position scarcity. If I'm giving up a Lewis. I wan't better than typical Good Catcher stats in return. I want a banger if I'm giving up a #1 draft pick.

Let's say it cost us Royce Lewis to acquire Realmuto. If you were going to trade Royce Lewis? Wouldn't he be the type of talent that could bring back even bigger offensive production. The type of production that dents the scoreboard... or legitimate pitchers with big K/9's.

I can agree with this thinking. However, Trading for Realmuto or Swihart isn't acquiring a wealth of experience either. At least with Garver... he has probably already worked with these young pitchers.

I see them getting better with the guys that they would have to trade just to get Realmuto.

We struggle to compete with Three Mile Island Tourism.

Yeah... I'd think about that some more.

I've always considered Grand Forks and Fargo to be part of Minnesota. We can call this North Dakota all we want but it's a very Minnesota lifestyle. We know what Lutefisk is and we call it Hot Dish. We all go to the Lake. You gotta be West of Valley City and Devils Lake. That's where North Dakota really is.

The Brewers travel all the way from the National League to the Twin Cities for a 3-game series starting tonight at Target Field. The Twins marketing team has presented this as a “Border Battle” and is giving away “Border Battle” T-Shirts to the first 10,000 fans. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand this low-hanging, marketing fruit. Minnesota and Wisconsin share a common border. Minnesota and Wisconsin are both eyeing each other’s territory for expansion and stockpiling weapons for the inevitable invasion. We don’t have the necessary checkpoints along I-94 on the other side of the St. Croix River from Hudson, but they will have to go up sometime in preparation. There is very little difference between this Minnesota/Wisconsin border battle and the India/Pakistan border skirmishes. Other than… I’m not aware of any commemorative ‘Border Battle’ t-Shirts being sold in Lahore or Jaipur. Here are some things to think about: 1. Top (Non-Trump) News Story of the Day: 24/7 Wall St. released a top-20 list of the “Drunkest Cities in America”. To come up with the rankings they analyzed excessive drinking data of 381 Metro areas across the ENTIRE United States. Now, it is possible that this list was compiled by a bunch of cocaine addled Wall Street execs, but you should all be aware that 17 of the top 20 are concentrated in the Midwest. 1 in Nebraska (Lincoln 17) 2 in North Dakota (Grand Forks 8, Fargo 5) 3 in Iowa (Ames 19, Dubuque 14, Iowa City 13) Only 1 in Minnesota (Mankato 11) and 10 in Wisconsin including the top 4 (Milwaukee 20, Sheboygan 15, Fond Du Lac 12, La Crosse 10, Wausau 9, Oshkosh 6, Madison 4, Appleton 3, Eau Claire 2 and Green Bay 1). Minnesota is gonna roll right through a passed out Wisconsin when the real “Border Battle” takes place. 2. Our Twins: Jason Castro just might be the top story with the Twins at the moment. It has been announced that he is out for the season after undergoing surgery to do a full repair to the meniscus in his right knee. Personally, I know what Jason Castro is going through. I tore my MCL in my right knee about 15 years ago. I didn’t get surgery done because I could still do my job on crutches initially and then limping around without them until I was fine. My injury happened during the office Christmas party limbo contest. I know you are expecting a punchline here, but… it ain’t coming. That is actually how I tore my meniscus. It was a tough pill to swallow. It started with about 10 participants and some on-lookers who were not at the bar. There were just two of us left, and the 25 year old girl I was up against failed to get under the bar; I was under it with just my head left to clear it for victory when my knee gave out. The hardest part of the whole deal wasn’t the pain or discomfort afterwards; it wasn’t the deductible; it wasn’t my crutches sliding off the wall where they were propped up and chipping the new kitchen floor; it wasn’t even the occasional arthritis I feel today in the same spot where the injury occurred. The hardest part was knowing that I was that close to winning. 3. The Brewers: Nobody is required to have a 2nd favorite team but if I had to name mine… it would be the Brewers. I like the uniforms, I have family living in the Milwaukee area, and the team is fun to watch. They are built with an awesome combination of power and speed and I believe teams built that way can McGyver their way to victories that others can’t. However… it should be pointed out that Richard Dean Anderson is Minnesota born. Just another advantage in our “Border Battle”. 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Morgan: Thank God! Here he comes. Montana: Where have you been, Mauer? We’ve been worried about you. Mauer: What do ya mean? Maddon: You haven’t responded to my emails. Montana: You didn’t return any of my texts. McCarthy: You have no updates on the Face Thing. Morgan: Facebook McCarthy: Facebook… nothing but crickets. Maddon: We were pretty worried… we were just going to call for a welfare check. Mauer: Did you check Twitter? Morgan: Twitter? Hold on. (Pause) There you are. I’m gonna tweet “Thank God you are OK”. 5. Genes: I was talking with my youngest son about how traits are passed on from the parents to the child. He quickly put together a list and said he wanted these traits from me and these traits from my wife. My wife explained to him that it doesn’t work that way. Although, making that list, he clearly just exhibited a trait that came from me and I made him add that to the list. ____________________ Lineups: BREWERS Lorenzo Cain(R ) CF Christian Yelich(L) LF Jesus Aguilar(R ) 1B Travis Shaw(L) 3B Domingo Santana(R ) RF Ji-Man Choi(L) DH Jonathan Villar(S) 2B Manny Pina(R ) C Orlando Arcia(R ) SS Brent Suter(L) P TWINS Joe Mauer(L) 1B Brian Dozier(R ) 2B Eddie Rosario(L) LF Eduardo Escobar(S) 3B Max Kepler(L) RF Robbie Grossman(S) DH Byron Buxton(R ) CF Ehire Adrianza(S) SS Bobby Wilson(R ) C Kyle Gibson® P Gametime forecast: 80 deg F, partly cloudy, no rain, winds at 13mph from the SSE. Click here to view the article

At least 39 other options.

How many more horrible starts would you keep him? 6... However... I want to be clear that I just made a number. Most of those teams, though not all, are NOT playoff contendors, or if they are, are so good elsewhere they can take chances. My point was that with the exception of the Dark Knight, Nobody is just tossing them away. I suspect that the Mets may have been fed up with something about Matt Harvey beyond his performance and I only suspect that because... nobody is just tossing these guys away. As bad as Harvey has been... the Mets were still able to get a Catcher with a little track record in return. There are contenders on the list and there are non-contenders. Teams do not willingly reduce depth especially multi-million dollar depth. Waiting for the Twins to do something nobody else is doing will probably be a little bit of a wait. Tossing Lynn instead of working with him to get back to past form is an over-reaction in my opinion and a waste of a lot of money especially if he signs with the Pirates and starts pitching like he used to. Also, do those teams have Slegers and Gonsalves in AAA right now? To my knowledge... the Minnesota Twins are the only team that has Slegers and Gonsalves in AAA Right now. The other teams have other guys with different names.

I get the desire to just to toss him aside. Lynn hasn't been good. However... it happens and like Dantes said a few posts ago. It could be something mechanical. All in All, this type of stuff happens. Toronto is probably a little concerned about Marcus Stroman right now. Kansas City is bummed about Danny Duffy right now. The Dodgers are wondering about Rich Hill right now. The Giants are not in love with what Jeff Samardzija is doing right now. The Yankees were expecting a lot more out of Sonny Gray. Matt Moore in Texas, Lucas Giolito in Chicago, Mike Leake and King Felix in Seattle, Matt Harvey and Luis Castillo in Cincinnati, David Price in Boston and Jordan Zimmerman ever since he landed in Detroit. Plus a couple of guys that I would have loved to see the Twins acquire this off-season... Chris Archer and Yu Darvish. All of these above names had much higher expectations. It happens and it's happening to Lance Lynn Right now. The only one on the above list that was released was Matt Harvey and the Reds were quick to step up and trade for him. The Majority of above guys... if they were released based on current performance. We'd have some Twins Daily members saying "Pick Them Up" but because Lance Lynn is melting in front of our eyes and melting while competing for our team, we tend to get pissed and then we have some who want to release him pronto. It happens... Patience, keep working with him. There is a difference between fixable and broken beyond repair. If he is broken beyond repair... the Twins will say goodbye.

I'm pretty sure they have formed an opinion about those 8 starts.

I'm not worried about losing Magill. I just have a thing against removing players who are actually performing at the MLB level from the 40 man. However... when you get to the point where that is necessary. You can file it under "Good Problem to Have.".

Don't trade for a Catcher... The Price will be too high and the return will be underwhelming because you will be paying for position scarcity. The typical catcher typically produces low batting stats so don't over pay for it with a guy who could potentially produce real numbers that could help a team. Like Aaron Hicks for Murphy, let's not make that mistake again. Keep working with Garver defensively behind the plate and enjoy the bonus of what I assume will be better offensive numbers. It's Garver's turn.

The question was: “What should happen to Fernando Romero when Ervin Santana returns? Well... The latest estimates are Mid-June for Ervin. This makes it an extremely easy can to kick down that road. But if you want an answer? Based on what is going on right now on May 16: It's pretty easy... 4 guys are locked and ain't going anywhere. Romero, Berrios, Odorizzi and Gibson are pitching well. So the choice comes down to Lynn and Santana and the way Lynn is pitching... it isn't much of a choice. May hasn't pitched in awhile and he has an option so you can extend your look at him in the minors to gauge how helpful he might be later when we need him. Santana is the guy that gets the last spot because Lynn is struggling hard. So... you drop Lynn into the pen and you cut loose Magill even though he would not deserve it. You would certainly be obligated to cut Magill with a sincere apology note and a strong letter of recommendation. Everyone is focused on the rotation but I think the 40 Man Roster space is going to be the bigger issue. You can move an arm into the bullpen to relieve the rotation pressure but who do you cut to make room May and Santana. Castro can go on the 60 day and this will allow May to be rostered. For Santana to be moved off the 60 and reinstated, someone has to go and there isn't an easy cut right now. Magill is the only guy you would consider setting free and that is real tough break for him because he is pitching like he wants to stay. Now... If you want the question answered with predictions of what the landscape will look like a month from now: What do you do between Santana and Romero based on the predicted landscape? I predict that someone will be placed on the D.L and both Santana and Romero will be in the rotation.

The Berrios big breaking pitch is back.

That song is a hit.

Sorry I'm late everyone but I had to stop a moment and write the Kolten Wong Song. Here it is... Sung to the Tune of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". When are you gonna perform? When will your stats expand? There’s prospects down on the farm to replace me for just six hundred grand. I know I can’t stay here forever. Hitting one ninety two. Can’t keep my stride from flying open. And swinging right out of… my Shu-oo-oes. Ahh Ah-Ah Ah Ah. Ahh Ah Ahh Ah-Ah Ahhh. So Goodbye to Kolten Wong The Kolten Wong Gone Song. I’ve spent my years in the dog house. Metheny has made me move on. Tossed in the scrap heat of players no good. Who stayed in the game way too long. Oh they tell me it’s over my future died. The end of the Kolten Wong Saw-onn-ong. Ahh Ah-Ah Ah Ah. I haven't copyrighted this yet so I'll have to trust everyone here that they won't steal it and make a million.

Yeah... it's in his own best interest to not have a 7.34 ERA this year. If the contract is getting to him this year and making an impact on his performance. His contract next year is really going to bug him.

I think most pitchers will go through a stretch of average to below averageness. I think it is possible that Lance is just going through that part early and will balance it all out with some above averageness down the road. Berrios is going through a stretch like that right now. I think he will find it again.

That's how often she takes me out.

Last week the Twins were in St. Louis for a two-game series, and this week the Cardinals are in Minneapolis for another two-game series. These two teams have not played a 3 game series since June of 2009, or since Target Field was built. The reason? It is because of specific negotiated prerequisites in order to secure 392 million dollars of public financing to build Target Field. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, Minnesota State Legislature, Hennepin County and Governor Tim Pawlenty, were insistent that the Cardinals only be allowed in for a couple of games at a time in order to protect the brand new, shiny facility. It is a well-known fact that after three days of exposure, people from St. Louis lower the value of EVERYTHING they come in contact with. Therefore, the Cardinals are only allowed in for a maximum 2 games in a row. Further protection against St. Louis people was the insistence of no roof at Target Field. This was done so the place could be easily aired out and fumigated afterwards. Yes… the Cardinals are Uncle Bob. The guy who ruins your chairs by sitting in them and forces you to open the windows after he leaves. Here are some things to think about: 1. Top (Non Trump) News Story of the Day: Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a 1992 federal law banning commercial sports betting in most states was unconstitutional. The 6-3 decision may very well pave the way for legalization of sports betting across the United States. Justice Diana Ross wrote the one sentence majority opinion saying, “I’m sick of going to Vegas. It’s too hot.” Justice Mary Wells wrote the dissenting opinion saying that she was concerned because she had a $1,000 bet that the ruling would be upheld. 2. Our Twins: As many of you noticed… Byron Buxton is back. After nearly a month out of action due to migraine headaches and a hairline fracture in his left big toe, Buxton returned on Thursday without a rehab stint to ramp him back up to game speed. Placed on the Disabled List on April 12th. Buxton spent the down time in California staying at Glunn’s house in Beverly Hills. No trip to Ft. Myers for rehab was scheduled when it was determined by the travelling secretary that it would be more cost efficient to have him just wait for the team to come nearby and pick him up. BTW… if you were wondering where Miguel Sano is? He’s in Seattle. We should see him back to action on the 25th when the team swings by. 3. The Cardinals: I got nothing to add since it was only a week ago that we played the Cards. I’m going to re-cycle and ask the question once again. Why hasn’t anyone written the “Kolten Wong Song”? 4. Today’s Joe M Conversation: Maddon: Hey, Montana… can you help me with the dishes? Montana: No… I’m sorry I can’t. Mauer: What ya got going on? Montana: Nothing planned. McCarty: Are you going to lie in that hammock all day? Montana: Yep Morgan: Isn’t that what you did yesterday? Montana: Yep… I wasn’t finished yet. 5. Mother’s Day: The Kids and I took my wife out to dinner for Mother’s Day. Every time we go out to eat, she declines dessert and eventually grabs a spoon and takes bites out of mine. Now she is upset with me because I had her sign a binding agreement stating that if she declined her own dessert she gives up any claims to mine. ____________________ Lineups: CARDINALS Tommy Pham(R ) CF Matt Carpenter(L) 1B Jose Martinez(R ) DH Marcell Ozuna(R ) LF Jedd Gyorko(R ) 3B Paul DeJong(R ) SS Harrison Bader(R ) RF Kolten Wong(L) 2B Carson Kelly(R ) C Jack Flaherty (R ) P TWINS Joe Mauer(L) 1B Brian Dozier(R ) 2B Eddie Rosario(L) LF Eduardo Escobar(S) 3B Max Kepler(L) RF Logan Morrison(L) DH Byron Buxton(R ) CF Ehire Adrianza(S) SS Bobby Wilson(R ) C Jose Berrios (R ) P Click here to view the article