Riverbrian

OK... How Bout this one. Try to imagine you are at Marshall County Fair. The Marshall County Dairy Princess is in the dunking booth. You dunk her from the tilt-o-wheel.

Try imagine you are golfing, it's a 200 yard par 3. Standing in the tee box, picking up the golf ball, throwing the ball into the hole.

Has a final decision been made?

That’s how it should work. I’m tired of any claims that mediocre players are not replaceable. Perez can be out performed. Let’s see if Smeltzer can do it.

Put Cave on the roster and utilize him like everybody else. Both Marwin and Arraez can play OF and IF. Baldelli can easily give Cave AB’s and give Cave a chance to be what he was last year without taking away significant playing time from anyone. Just keep handling the roster like Baldelli has been handling the roster all year. No need to change now. It will all be up to Jake.

Doesn’t have to be permanent.

Why mess with the IL? Doesn't Perez in the pen... potentially improve the pen?

There is only one way to find out what we have in Smeltzer. Keep giving him the ball. Going forward... The Twins shouldn't take him out of the rotation until he demonstrates that he should be taken out of the rotation.

Actually, Not really. It's just an attempt to create more depth. You can create depth by playing your depth to see if they are indeed depth. Find out now while there are still games to be played... don't wait until you are forced to find out blind due to injury that is probable to happen. Smeltzer has thrown 21 pretty good innings. A baseball team should be eager to find out if he can throw a pretty good 22, 30, 40 or 50 innings. If he can continue... you've improved your rotation internally and it allows an already vetted Perez to become starting pitching depth that is stashed in the bullpen, and simultaneously (hopefully) improve the bullpen because Perez can knock the bottom rung of the bullpen off the 25 man and join Rogers from the left side. When the injury happens, Perez can be reinstated into the rotation. Perez is the depth... not Smeltzer. Basically Smeltzer plays the role Stroman would have. If Stroman comes aboard... Perez hits the bullpen and becomes starting pitching depth stashed in the bullpen. We didn't sign Stroman... our in house options were good enough to not pay the price, I assume. I'm willing to go along with this... So do it. If the front office doesn't believe that Smeltzer can out perform Perez and doesn't allow Smeltzer the opportunity to do it and didn't trade for a starter. The front office failed. Because we needed the depth. Sometime you got to create your own... and you can't create it, if you don't play it. Smeltzer is the next man up... let's see if he can throw a good 22nd inning... right now.

One of my favorite scenes from Apollo 13. The NASA engineers had to figure things out, using only material available in the capsule. The trade deadline is over. The capsule is in space... the roster is set. You can't go to Walmart to pick up a bullpen arm, duct tape or a heat shield. The team engineers can now only work with the material on the 25-40 man rosters from now until the World Series. The question Doc is asking with this thread is more important than any anger expressed over Greinke being traded to Houston. It's over... This is the team. What do they do now? I'll try this again over here. I was getting beat up on a different thread over my "weak points". Starting Pitching - dbminn does an excellent job in his post above. He hits the nail on the head. Our starters have made 103 of 108 starts. The rotation has been both lucky and unfortunate to be this healthy into August. Lucky because this kind of health is VERY rare. Unfortunate because this kind of health has hidden who and (how good) is the next man up. Other teams have gotten longer looks at the next man up. It would be pretty strange for this health to continue all the way through the playoffs and the trade deadline is over so when it happens...??? I felt that acquiring a starter was the #1 need at the deadline. Acquiring Stroman pushes Perez into the pen so it strengthens the rotation and bullpen with one move. However, we didn't acquire Stroman, Syndergaard or Ray. The front office looked at the prices and said... "THIS IS OUR TEAM", which is a decision that comes with the office position. However, this means that Smeltzer or Thorpe must replace the value that Stroman, Minor or Boyd would have provided us because remaining this HEALTHY is VERY rare. Smeltzer and Thorpe are both small sample sizes and in need of a bigger sample. The team needs to acquire that data now and not wait until an injury that may come on September 29th. Move Perez into the pen immediately, just like you would have, if you acquired Stroman, Greinke or Bundy and give the rotation spot to Smeltzer or Thorpe. If there are TD readers who are worried that Perez's numbers (as a starter) can't be replaced by Smeltzer or Thorpe. I worry that the fear of not replacing Perez's numbers will cost you the chance to find out if the numbers can be bettered. Put Perez in the pen right away.

What am I always looking for? Depth I’ve made a few posts on the subject along the way. If the staff remains healthy where does Perez end up in the playoffs? I don’t believe they will use a 5 man rotation. So get ready for it. If a pitcher gets hurt who is the next man up? We didn’t trade for a starter so who’s the guy who takes the spot of the starter we didn’t trade for. The more work you give him the better prepared he is for that injury and that could happen in the playoffs. It’s just getting the players you have to work with ready for all eventualities. Last point... production from Perez can be duplicated. It’s not like I’m suggesting (ridiculous example) Verlander to step aside for (Insert a ridiculous example).

It a legitimate point you are making. I make the suggestion because we don’t know the coming landscape and that’s a talented experienced bat limited by his defensive capabilities and there is always trade offs between defense and offense. I don’t know the trade off without knowing his defense.

Seriously? Yeah let’s bench Polanco for three weeks. When you counter points with extreme ridiculous examples not being made, You really disrespect the person you are responding to. Go find an example of me suggesting Jake Cave should be benched for 3 weeks. If you find that maybe then you can try stretch that into Polanco. P.S. You won’t find it.

Every playoff team should have the same fear. If the Yankees Astros and Dodgers don’t have that fear they have forgotten the ghosts of the past.

How do you know they didn’t. They probably called. The Indians are not selling. They took from pitching for two major league ready OF. Puig and Reyes. What is the Twins equivalent. Rosario and Kepler? Cave isn’t Puig or Reyes. They’d Like Kiriloff I’m sure... who wouldn’t but they want the bats now. I’m sure the Twins inquired but based on the return. The Twins won’t be a match.

1. Who is it Smeltzer or Thorpe? Maybe one of them is better than Pineda. All kinds of questions that maybe necessary to know at a drop of a hat and not with a back against the wall. 2. I think they have as well. We are in Miami right now with no DH.

1. Does it make us weaker? Smeltzer and Thorpe have looked pretty good in their limited appearances and Perez left handed out of the bullpen could fire some bullets and put out some fires. The move has the potential to make us stronger. That's why you do it. But Yeah... if it doesn't work... it could make us weaker. 2. With Cruz... He hasn't played defense since the Truman administration and there has to be a reason for that. However, in theory, without knowing what he can or can't do, it is a good idea to prepare in advance of playing the world series in a National League park. It isn't just the no DH rule, there are also double switches and if Cruz can man a glove somewhere it opens up more possibilities for what can be done and we won't know what we need in October in August. I go back to the Red Sox last year. They had Mookie Betts taking grounders and turning double plays after the AL Championship series because they had J.D. Martinez to fit in somehow. They didn't play him at 2B but why force yourself to do it last second, instead of prepping for it in August to see if it is even possible? Game action is going to be a little bit different than practice. Mr. Brooks says he doesn't want a guy who has never played 1B before playing there in a pennant race and that is a legitimate concern. I'd just rather he do it for the 1st time in August with more games to play, than do it for the first time in October. It just takes a little foresight.

Not my fault. I heard Provus or Bremer (Someone with a microphone) say he's been taking grounders at first. Yeah, I know there is a long way between chopsticks and Billy Joel. But maybe, he can at least play a song. I make no assumptions. Well... other than he could of stayed in the game after pinch hitting yesterday. That isn't a good sign for my 2nd request. I'd like to keep his bat in the lineup for Game 7. He can hit.

OK it's over... we got our roster. I got a couple of ideas going forward. 1. I'd strongly consider moving Perez into the bullpen (at least for a little while). If SP health remains (doubtful but maybe) Perez probably works out of the pen in the playoffs with a 4 man rotation. While Perez works out of the bullpen to see how he does. It will give the Twins a chance to see if Smeltzer or Thorpe can perform as starters. Yes this move carries some risk but I think it's important to identify our 6th starter because we just might need him. While taking a look at Perez out of the pen. 2. Cruz has been doing some work at 1B. OK... give him a start tomorrow and let's see if he's passable. If this team makes the World Series... you lose that bat in the National League park unless you got a defensive position for him. We will want his bat in the lineup.

I typically don't spend much time thinking about the teams listed on a NTC. It's primarily a leverage tool these days.

Brodie Van Wagenen and Farhan Zaidi are going to be fly's in the traditional front office ointment. Unless they are going to submit a QO to Wheeler. I'm not sure why he is still on the roster. Frazier? Surely someone offered something and something is better than nothing. The Giants simultaneously moved a chunk of the bullpen while acquiring a pretty good rental with Scooter, keeping the expiring contracts of Bumgarner and Smith during a time they are in contention, old and light on the farm.

I'm going to stay consistent. I've been saying all year... the front office can acquire and roster anybody they like with no complaint from me. I'm out of the "Sign the players I personally like" business. The front office has the data, the scouts and the full time jobs to pay attention to what they are specifically looking for. I will only be watching how the players perform and how they are deployed based upon on how they perform. On that front... I've been happy with how they have managed the roster. Only one slight concern... they stayed with Morin too long. That roster spot could have been used on someone with more growth potential. Bring on August... let's see what happens. I'll decide how I feel about the trade deadline later.

I think there has been an obvious shift. The prospects have clearly more value than years past. And rightly so... because 22 year old 600K players are out performing the 10 million dollar players in their 30's fairly frequently. Younger players are getting more opportunity these days as a result and they are proving themselves.

67 Pounds

Not two years ago tho... This way you avoid a clear recognizable pattern.