Riverbrian

They can't trade Cron... They can release him. The Rays surely would have traded him if they had takers.

Whoever is maintaining it. Isn't.

The Angels traded Cron when they signed Ohtani. Ohtani needed to DH and this forced Pujols to 1B and Cron can’t play anywhere else. The Angels were only able to trade him for a PTBNL because there are a lot of these guys who can’t play anywhere in the field so nobody is willing to give up anything for them. The Angels were overloaded with them and Cron was forced out the door. Then the Rays find Choi and out the door goes Cron because the Rays can’t get anything of value for him in trade and neither Choi or Cron can play anywhere else. Welcome to Minnesota where Tyler Austin is waiting for you. I go back to asking the question. Why couldn’t Austin play some OF in September while Rosario was hurt? It would have taken just a hair of foresight to see the need before us today. I saw it... I mentioned it here when I saw it. Cron is bouncing from team to team for pennies not because he can’t hit. It’s because he plays at the Pizza joint of positions. There is pizza everywhere from the store bought frozen stuff to the fancy stuff. Nobody finishes the whole box so getting a free slice is easy and it’s hard to survive in the Pizza business because there is pizza everywhere. We’ve gone from 23M pizza to 5M pizza. What we need is Pizza and Wings to survive. Give Austin an OF glove please.

I was using the 5M estimate he was due in Arbitration. Last year Dickerson was traded after he was DFA'd. There is still that possibility for Cron. I'm all for adding assets wherever we can and Cron has some light tower power. but... I'm also willing (actually hopeful) to see what Austin can do. Austin is out of options and if we are going to see what Austin can do, his presence on the roster makes the acquisition of someone like Cron difficult. The Rays couldn't manage both Cron and Choi on the same roster due to the lack of flexibility they both possess and I don't believe the Twins can roster both Cron and Austin for the same reason.

Last year we had Kennys Vargas for the minimum price. They made the decision that Logan Morrison was better and spent 6M. I was OK with that. This year we have Austin for the Minimum price and CJ Cron will cost them 5M. I'm ok with it if they think Cron is better but if he isn't... they better be able to get away from Cron and not have to play him everyday. This is also a big reason why I remain absolutely disappointed that Austin did not get a chance to audition in the OF in September.

You'll get no criticism from me. The front office was active on all fronts... I'll judge the results when the fruit ripens but they were clearly active on all fronts and being active is the only way you can utilize all fronts. (Granted you can fail spectacularly when active, but you can only succeed by being active). I (many of us) asked for a forward thinking front office... I (we) got it. Now, I'm going to let them crunch those numbers and fill out the roster. (As long as they fill out the ENTIRE roster).

The Rays did the same thing last year with Corey Dickerson. Bloom and the Rays have a unique way of doing things compared with the other 29 teams. I can only guess but if I had to guess, it would be that the Rays are working something value related. Cron has 4 years plus of MLB Service time and will cost around 5M through arbitration and he can only play 1B and is really primarily a DH. They got that same guy with Choi on the roster for the minimum. They will probably have to carry 13 pitchers because of how they utilize their pitching staff. This leaves 12 roster spots and they can't absorb both identical type players in Cron and Choi. So... the more expensive player is out. They also have Jake Bauers to play at 1B who can also play OF along with Matt Duffy and Daniel Robertson who can play 1B. They recently acquired Zunino who kind of replaces the style hitter that Cron was to begin with. They probably hit the phone lines trying to make a deal for Cron and found that less teams are willing to take a one dimensional player these days and decided to just DFA him which may speed up that process if it was ever going to happen. Which it probably won't. The Twins hired a manager from the Rays organization. The Twins will also probably need 13 roster spots for pitching if they are going read from the Rays playbook. The Twins already have a Ji-Man Choi in Tyler Austin. If Tyler Austin can't play OF... He will probably be gone as soon as he becomes more expensive than Rooker or Larnach or the next Choi type player in 2020. Basically, the Rays have figured out that Morrison and Cron type production isn't that special anymore and these type of players are piling up behind the starters and they are bravely moving forward with it. That's my guess... If true... We won't be the team who signs Cron.

LOL... I mis-typed again. No idea why I typed 4. I meant 3... We need 3... 2 if the team believes in Adrianaza. We need a Corner Infield Bat and possible two middle infielders. 1 if the team believes in Adrianaza. Personally... I'd try to upgrade over Adrianaza.

Agreed. For this off-season and every off-season to come. I am less concerned with the individual names and just simply concerned with getting names (plural) who can be counted on. I have a personal preference for Daniel Murphy because of his bat but if they trade for Starlin Castro instead. I'm going to be alright with that decision. Ultimately, my happiness with the off-season will be dictated by one simple thing: Will we have to suffer through sub-par play in 2019 for long stretches by any player because we only have sub-par replacements that the manager will not play. In other words... If Baldelli won't give Adrianaza (for example) or any player on the 25 man roster decent opportunity because he chooses to give the overwhelming majority of the playing time to a designated "Starter" even if that starter is producing an OPS in the .600 range for a long stretch of time.. We should not roster Adrianaza or any player that the manager won't trust to out produce a player hitting under .200 in June with a painful hip injury. If Baldelli has a player (or players) on the roster that he will only turn to if the world comes to an end and we waste any roster spot with a player like that. I will consider the off-season a complete failure and I will come to the realization that this organization will only pull itself to the upper echelon by pure luck of the chosen few actually working out without injury for a stretch of time. I think we need 3 (edit) players for the infield (unless they love Adrianaza) and I want the front office to only consider players that the manager will actually play. And then I want honest competition for the playing time and playing time rewarded based on actual performance on the field and not by any projections or opinions on who SHOULD be performing better on the field. That is how you build depth, and improve performance across the board. you give players the opportunity(Cave, Astudillo) to win a job, to be responsible for their own fate, to surprise us all with competent play by rewarding and demanding competent play from everyone. It shouldn't have taken an act of congress to get Astudillo (for example) into the lineup in consideration of the horrible play we saw from multiple positions last year. This off-season will be a success if the front office staffs the 25 and 40 man roster from top to bottom with players that Baldelli will play. Weather it is Murphy or Josh Harrison matters but still matters much much less to me.

We need 6 players to man the infield. Finding 4 won’t be enough. We currently have 3 with Sano, Austin and Polanco and 4 if you count Adrianaza. Gordon and Arreaz are depth in Rochester. I’d like to see them acquire a new 3B and 2 new middle infielders which will allow them to move on from Adrianaza.

I will make no assumptions on Kirilloff, Lewis or anybody currently on the farm until they become actual value instead of projected value. Meaning until Kirilloff swings a bat at the major league level or is traded for someone who swings a bat at the major league value. He is projected value just like Byron Buxton was once "this guy is going to rule the world". Your question "bad decision" or "bad result" is a great one and I don't know the answer other than the result hasn't been good. Did the Twins draft the right people and then blow it with the management of the right people or did the Twins draft the wrong people leaving it impossible to produce an asset worth managing. It's a good question I don't know but our bad results are piling up. I don't know what was wrong other than there WAS... (Hopefully WAS... Hopefully corrected by the new regime already or soon)... WAS a serious problem with our production of top of the line talent for personal use by our Twins. We've had enough chances to produce our own Mookie Betts and we haven't. Draft and development is the easiest way to acquire a Mookie Betts because after the draft Mookie Betts becomes expensive quickly. Every year... right about this time. Twinsdaily has this same discussion on repeat. Do the Twins have anybody that interests other teams to the point that they are willing to trade us Michael Kopech and Juan Moncada? Nope The Mets are throwing Syndergaard out there. Do the Twins have a comparable? Nope. Kluber? Nope. I'm not suggesting a tear down and selling of assets but I'm suggesting that if we wanted to sell off our assets... what current assets could get the job done? Where are our Superstars? We should have one or two by now.

Well, you've ruined my Thanksgiving by giving me a project to complete. I think you know... or at least I hope you know that I don't attach such things to the current regime. However, such things are attached to the current regime when they took their positions because they are dealing with the aftermath. That aftermath means we haven't reached the statute of limitations in my opinion. The reason we may be looking for a SS is because we didn't do a good job with Levi Michael for example. It matters a bunch.

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.

The current parameters (set last off-season) seems to suggest that the value of older free agents is way way down from years past and the value of prospects with years of control is way way up from years past. I assume that every team calling Arizona to inquire about Greinke is starting the conversation this way: Hello, If we work out a deal for Greinke, how much of that contract are you willing to eat?

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.

If I was the Giants... I wouldn't be as concerned about moving money off the books as I would be about tearing it down and rebuilding a pretty crappy farm system. In other words... I wouldn't want anything to lessen the decent prospects I would get back in a Madison Bumgarner deal. Madbum is a bargain at 12M. He has 1 year left and will probably cost some prospects that we'd hate to give up. Brandon Belt has 3 years left on his deal at 17.2 million a year and the Giants would love to move his contract to anyone who would take it. Panik... He's alright... He has two years of control and just might fetch a prospect in return. Basically... If I'm Farhan Zaidi... I'm keeping Belt as far away from a Bumgarner trade as possible. I would absolutely start tearing it down and I'd be moving any player that brought back a decent prospect because I think they are in a bad place at the moment. The problem is that they don't have a lot of players who will bring back decent prospects. They are old, expensive, injured or under-performing primarily. I'm trading Bumgarner in a deal all by himself for maximum return of prospects. The Giants have always had high payroll so I'm eating the Belt deal and taking whatever production he gives me for the duration because no GM is going to call asking for him. Any team, that calls for Bumgarner, will hear Zaidi on the other end asking for whoever their top prospect and he probably won't move from that position.

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.