Riverbrian

You keep him. You give him the playing time he earns. Most importantly... You have someone or someones competing with him for that playing time. But you keep him... Because if you get him to turn it around. He could be special. I agree with other posters though. I have no idea what is going on with his feet.

I will not endorse any candidate for Manager unless I get a chance to interview them. 😉 I'm pretty sure that whoever gets the job... I will end up being equal parts supportive and critical because the odds of any manager doing exactly what I want them to do is pretty close to nil. Therefore I will wait for the people in charge of making this decision to make a decision and I'll start with support until I feel the need to criticize constructively with continued support. I'll just start with these requests... find a manager that: 1. Is Pro Development to his core... Someone that understands that growth and discovery are more important than predetermination. Someone who understands that limiting tomorrows development by strip mining of parts off of young players will come with a large bill that will come due in the future. A bill that will probably include someone else managing the team as part of the payment due. 2. Allows for competition amongst all roster spots. Reward good play from whoever is providing it over predetermination. Utilize all roster spots in search of good play because 26 players compared to 17 chosen ones increases your odds of finding 17 players. 3. Understands that Predetermination is frequently wrong and actively avoids driving predetermination off the cliff waiting for performance to match predetermined expectation. 4. Let's the players make the manager utilization decisions through performance instead of the manager making decisions and hoping for performance.

It's exactly what I hope for. Just roster your best players and give more work to the best of your best. Anything that stops you from doing that is a self imposed handicap. Defined roles with self imposed limitations are handicaps that can stop you from rostering your best players. It's a mistake to just shop the reliever aisle because you are looking for specific roles. It's a mistake to just shop the starter aisle when looking for a rotation specific role. You just look for the best arms period. It's a mistake to look for a crappy 1B to play a specific role. Roster your best players please. Looking for specific roles is how you choose Celestino over what had to be better players at the time. There had to be better players but Celestino could fill that one role and he ends up playing more than he should when you consider his overall talent and performance. It's how you choose Margot looking for that right handed OF role. The Twins need to stop trying to piece this thing together and make a full on blitz to find and develop TALENT period. To your point... The bullpen can be a great way to manage innings on young arms if necessary. You've done a great job of listing players who have transitioned... there are more. Can you hang a zero and how many can you hang. The next step is for others to stop thinking that the players you list are oddities or special. They are not.

MLR makes great points about Milwaukee, Cleveland, Tampa and how they handle service time to restock their farm systems before they lose players for nothing. I strongly believe Minnesota needs that sort of thing in their repertoire. Trading Polanco for a future GG can be viewed as similar. Those 3 teams do a great job at that and I think it's an important to pay attention to what they are doing. However... those three teams will also buy when the opportunity is right. Cleveland has acquired some great prospects and they have also traded great prospects. I think they would love to have kept Yandy and Yanier Diaz. It's hard to say what they were thinking when they traded Junior Caminero for Tobias Myers. The Brewers went and got Yelich because they felt the timing was right. The Twins timing at the time of the Polanco deal? That is worthy of debate. I think it was time to strike and they didn't.

Just an add on. To hopefully show that I'm not a hypocrite. It's important to note. Whatever way I felt at the time of the trade. If Polanco would have performed in Minnesota in 2024 like he did in Seattle 2024. I'm pretty sure that I would have been complaining about his performance and his expiring contract around June and would have been asking for anyone else to compete with him for playing time. Regardless... On October 14th, 2025. With the 2024 and 2025 seasons in the rear view mirror. I stand here believing that the Twins shouldn't have made the deal based on a reasonable expectation of what Polanco should have produced in 2024 (but did not) for a team coming off a playoff series win. I believe that the loss of Polonco was a payroll pivot point but yet a smaller issue compared to a larger issue of the reallocation of his money which was spread amongst Desclafini, Margot and Santana. 3 players who like Polanco most likely wouldn't have been back the following year and only 1 of those players had a decent year. So... I'm still back to the original question at the time of the trade. Is it better to have one good player or divide that player into multiple lesser players at the same price. I'll take the one good player with pre-arb players filling the roster space instead. And I'll repeat. If GG becomes a good major league player. We will win this trade.

If the Twins can develop GG into a major league ball player. The Twins will win the trade. Until GG is a major league ball player or if they fail to develop him. The trade will just go into history as an organizational pivot point. At the time of the trade... I was asking the question. Is it better to have one real good player or 3 lesser players? At the time of the trade... I didn't know the answer to that question that I was asking... I was just wondering out loud. I'm not wondering anymore. I stopped pondering that question even after a rather horrific 2024 season in Seattle for Polanco. There is no doubt in my mind... One real good player shouldn't be broken up to fill multiple holes with multiple lesser pieces. I don't care what Polanco hit in 2024. There was no question he was a hitter at the time of the trade and the best player involved in that deal. Lesson for the upcoming offseason? Here's the big lesson. Players Ping Pong from year to year. You think a player is dead in 2024. It means nothing in regards to 2025. Jorge Polanco didn't lose opportunity despite the down year. As we declare who is dead based on 2025... we prepare for 2026 and who gets opportunity.

In fairness... it was supposed to be Kirilloff. But, they strip mined him for parts requiring Solano and Alex couldn't stay healthy in 2023. Santana moved him off of first in 2024. This put him in the OF and DH primarily and he couldn't stay healthy in 2024 either.

2023 - Solano 2024 - Santana 2025 - France No more one year deals. Stop this train. The kind of creativity that I'm looking for is the type of creativity that avoids this yearly search for a cheap one year deal.

Falvey doesn't either. 😉

It's impossible for me to know what any front office would be willing to trade. I saw the proposal made. It's certainly brings back talented players but... in my subjective opinion. I'd rather get Mayer and Casas if possible. If I'm allowed to just pick players like I'm picking up soup off the shelf in a soupermarket. 😄 I just don't know if it's possible. Trades always take two to tango... And you probably want to give the other 29 teams a call and talk soup.

Personally, I don't believe payroll should be the determining factor on either Ryan or Lopez. Payroll has already been reduced significantly that the Twins have enough money to retain both of them. But... I'm also not looking at the books. Money will be the factor for the other 29 clubs you are trading with and the return you get back. Lopez is under control for 2 more years at around 43 million dollars. Ryan is under control for 2 more years at... that depends on the Arb 2 and Arb 3 number. If he has another great 2026... what 24 million? But teams are only on the hook for 8 million or whatever his arb number is this off season if his arm falls off in 2026. That 19 million or 33 million matters to the other 29 clubs you are trading with. Ryan brings back more because teams are only on the hook for 8 million or whatever the arb number is next season. Weather we get fair value in these trades? There are no guarantees in this world but I'll say this: If the Twins want fair value in these trades or excess value in these trades. They are going to have to not only identify the right player or players to trade for but they will have to develop that player or players to get fair value. Fair Value is up to the Twins front office. If they fail at this... we will have a new front office shortly afterwards. The Twins front office has to be in a position where they need things to go right for awhile.

Very sensible article. The big question of this off-season is do you trade Ryan or keep him? I can see arguments for both approaches and I'd imagine the return will determine the direction. Ryan is probably at peak value right now. He brings back the most in a trade and he probably brings back less next year so I think a Ryan trade makes sense this off-season. You also have to factor in that he is healthy right now but pitchers become unhealthy fast so the timing may actually be perfect for a Ryan trade. I don't want to trade Ryan but after a lot of thought... I think I'm leaning toward trading Joe Ryan. I'd prefer a young talented 1B in return and would love a young SS as well. Starting pitching is the team strength... perhaps the only department that is above major league average and the depth of major league arm options is also a major part of that strength to go along with Ryan and Lopez at the top of the rotation. If you trade Ryan and Lopez? Lopez becomes a true pivot point because you will have not only removed your top two arms but you have also significantly shallowed the depth on the mound. Once you trade Ryan and Lopez and shallowed the depth. The starting pitching will no longer be above average and that means that every single department will be below average since you took away the one thing that was not.

I agree on McCusker and Keirsay. The primary reason I agree on those two is "Faith Placed in them" and therefore waste of 40 man or 26 man space. A new manager could change that assessment. Age is not a consideration for me. Nathan Lukes is one reason why. There are others. Getting 6 years out of a player is wonderful but you don't have to get 6 years out of player to be worth a roster spot in any given year. The Blue Jays will worry about Nathan Lukes at age 33 when Nathan Lukes is 33. Outman... It doesn't matter what I think about him personally. I don't care what trade value Brock had. Trading Brock Stewart for a two month rental in a lost season would be a horrible trade. I understand Brock's injury history but at the very least... Brock could still be a Twin and the Twins could be one less bullpen arm that they have to find for 2026. At least until Brock gets hurt again. Brock didn't have to be traded. I can't see Outman not being a part of 2026. And if he is part of it... Age is not a consideration for me. Can he return to his rookie season is the consideration? Much like can Royce Lewis return to his rookie season? I'll worry about Outman at age 33 when he becomes 33. If Outman can't get it going, he's going to be run over by multiple options. If he continues to struggle and is not run over by multiple options coming from the minor leagues... we are in trouble. I'm not defending Outman specifically. But there is no way I will support trading Brock Stewart for a two month rental in a lost season. If you believe in the guy enough to justify that trade. Then believe in the guy.

For anyone who states that anything less then a World Series title is a failure. The Yankees and Twins and Phillies had the same result this year.

They don't think that already? You don't think the players hear footsteps. If it's a bad idea. Entitlement may have just become one of the biggest problems in baseball. I'm literally asking that opportunity be provided to all and that playing time is earned. That's a bad idea?

I'm switching between the Dodgers/Phillies and the Wild. I'm trying to watch the Wild but this Dodgers game won't end. I'll add this... LaPlanta is an excellent Hockey PBP talent.

Varland's bad inning wasn't helped by Aaron Judge who SOMEHOW got around on what was an excellent inside pitch from Varland against a guy with 2 mile long arms... Who SOMEHOW got around on it and KEPT IT FAIR and of course off the fair pole for another Home Run for a guy who hits a lot of them. It was one of the most impressive things I've seen. That Judge is special.

Not bad. No idea what teams would offer and decline but I like the aggressive hastening of the rebuild. I'd say. Mayer and Casas... If the Red Sox offer that. I'm listening. If I trade Wallner... Catching is not what I'm going to acquire. Catchers require rest and their value is deeply rooted just being catchers for 100 games if they are a workhorse. I know we have a big hole at catcher but I'd rather the Twins punt the position and trade Wallner for almost every other position. If I trade Wallner... but let's be clear... I'd like to keep him. Now the Bullpen... I like your idea. Bullpen is the one place that I would spend money on this off-season. Otherwise... I'm out of the free agent market until they find some youth to build around. I'd bet on Williams or Helsley as good come back bets. I wouldn't offer a pillow deal. I'd go two years. Help us build the pen back up in 2025 and give us one more after that. My needs are less complicated. Give me a young 1B and a young SS and I'll roll with the offense as is. Casas, Keaschall, Lewis, Mayer, Lee and Clemens along with Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Martin and Outman... It's going to be Outman... The Twins are not letting him go. Jeffers and Pereda. I could live with that. The starting pitching is still going to pretty good. Ryan's a blow but we got some decent options. Bullpen? Uff Da? Well... It starts by going out and getting a dude. It's fun to think about what you or I would do. I do it alot but I just don't know what the other GM's would do.

No doubt. If a team has a different evaluation and makes an incredible offer. You got to do what is best. I just doubt that Lewis is at a high point in value at the moment. Many teams would be willing to roll the dice on him... actually love to have him but would they pay for it? I have no way of knowing other than... my long distance educated guess. Lewis needs to go back and do what we think Royce can do. Then... those trade values would rise. Trading him now and watching him go back to being Royce on a different team so his new team can cash in on the increased value would probably be the end of the Falvey regime.

LOL... There should be more Bird names for MLB teams. My favorites are Cardinals and Jays. They are perhaps the most handsome bird in these parts. I've actually never seen an Oriole. I might be to far north for them. Got a pair of nesting Cardinals. The Male I've named Bob. The Female is Billie Lou Brock. Don't spend a lot of time thinking about the Billie part. Riding a train can be enjoyable. Sitting at railroad tracks waiting. That's too painful and I'm not strong enough to pull the train out of the way.

I saw 1987 and 1991. I'll certainly take another. The Twins are my favorite team in all of sports... But if I had to choose between the two. I'd take a Vikings Superbowl Win First.

I'm Ok with some Birdwatching Articles. Great Idea. If content gets tight... tear down the walls that limit the content options. I've become a Bird Watcher. My son bought me a bird feeder with a camera attached and I really enjoy it. That's was the exact moment that I realized that I had become old. Trainspotting? No Way... I hate trains. Especially when you are stuck in your car watching them for 15 minutes to an hour. Although... I do have one question and nobody has been able to answer it. Who the hell is doing all this train art. They all have the same block letter format and they rarely say anything so it seems like one person is doing all of them... but that can't be. So I assume there is college out their teaching the train art format and they are running amok out there spray painting trains.

I appreciate your entire post. It's a good well thought out post. I want to focus on this one section. Don't get me wrong... your entire post is worthy of thought and discussion but before we talk about the rest of it... this section is where we diverge. It's actually where I diverge with most posters. Martin doesn't need to play "Every Day". Don't get me wrong... Martin had a great 156 AB's in the 2nd half. He was a difference maker on the base paths even after you consider the rather large mistakes that he made on them from time to time. I loved watching him play. I want Martin in the lineup next year but he doesn't have to play every day. Larnach doesn't have to play every day, Wallner doesn't have to play every day. Outman doesn't have to play every day. There are two players who should play every day. Buxton and Keaschall based on performance and Buxton probably won't play every day either due to rest requirements. The rest can compete and nobody should have to get splinters. Take the two catchers out of the mix because they have their own specialized rotation. Take Buxton and Keashcall out as true every day players. It leave you with 9 players for 6 lineup spots with CF Buxton, Keaschall 2B and C out of the mix. Divide that equally... I'm not saying it should be divided equally but if you divide that equally... all of those 9 players will play 2 out of 3 games. True competition for playing time. May the best man win. Would you like to play 3 out of 4 games or 4 out of 5... Earn it! Out perform your teammates. We will provide the opportunity for you to do that... but we will provide the opportunity for your teammate as well. Earn it! Let the players make the decision instead of pre-determining the decision and trying to shoehorn the pre-determination in until it eventually proves you right or wrong. Do you want to avoid losing playing time to your teammates. Don't get out played. This selecting a LF, CF, RF and calling the rest bench is how you limit your possibilities. It's how you let Logan Morrison take you down or Royce Lewis for that matter. True Competition... pouring 13 players through the filter is the quickest way back. Limiting your selections to 9 and calling the rest bench is the longest way back because I will place a bet with anyone who will take it. Here's the bet... Not everyone of the chosen 9 is going to make it. We will be lucky if 6 of the chosen 9 make it. Your odds of finding 6 players to move forward with are simply better with 13 players through the filter at all times compared to a chosen 9 players. You can play Buxton, Martin, Wallner, Larnach and even Outman frequently enough. Nobody has to get in the way of anybody. Unless they just out perform them and earn the right to be in the way. Jenkins, GG, Erod. People are going to get injured... they should get their time in the sun and they should be allowed to compete when their time comes. I'm guessing that an outfielder will get traded. Weather they do or don't... I'm with you. I'd like to see a candidate converted to 1B. Don't know who the best candidate is for that but yeah... Convert someone because we have a big giant lake sized hole at 1B that needs water to fish in.

It's one of the things I appreciate about Twinsdaily. I can typically find this type of stuff if I want to read about Mendez and Winokur and I do. For me... Twinsdaily is important because I can't have in depth conversations at another level about the Twins or baseball with people in my regular life (Family, Friends). I can't talk about Mendez because my neighbor has no idea who Mendez is. But my neighbor knows the Pirates suck and he thinks the Twins suck and Pohlads are cheap and that is the extent of his baseball knowledge. My Neighbor will click on this headline. Yeah... The Pirates suck... The Twins Suck...The Pohlads are cheap... The narrative is reinforced and the mob grows larger. Unfortunately... My neighbor won't click on Mendez and Winokur.

I don't like it either. In another thread... I call it feeding the beast. But the truth is... Yes it is TRULY necessary and there is really no exit off this interstate. Without content there is no reason to visit this site. Without reason to visit the site, the numbers go down. Content has to be produced daily to keep numbers up and the truth is... There isn't daily content. So, different approaches to the same content is all you have to work with. And the sad part is... These types of articles work. The more shocking the headline, the more people that click on it. In the end... It's our fault... We click on it... When we click on it. We get more of it. So... As much as I don't like it. I'm to blame for it.