Riverbrian

Back when I was a teenager growing up in Salem Massachusetts. I felt guilty after I burned my first witch. I came to the conclusion that one seizure in front of others is not enough to measure properly for determination nor is one instance of someone flying around on a broom.

I think the "Kody Clemens bar" is a good way to put it. The rest of the article... I'm not sure that I agree with it. When Kody was acquired... I was against it and I wasn't thrilled with the Bride signing either. Nothing personal against Kody or Jonah but it really really bothered me that the Twins turned to a couple of April DFA's from the Marlins and Phillies instead of reaching into their farm system. The management team placing more faith in MLB cast off's over their own development system was what bugged the hell out of me. If I could go back in time to April using hindsight... I think I would still be bugged by his signing because of what it says about our development. However... Clemens has shown me some things that makes me happy he is here and I don't mind him at all. If he gets a roster spot at a couple of million in his first year of arb. We could do worse. 1. 19 Home Runs in 310 AB's is nothing to sneeze at. If you take out Ryan Fitzgerald's small sample of 2 Home Runs in 27 AB's. Only Buxton, Wallner and Clemens have AB/HR ratio's below 20. 14.29, 15.04 and 16.00 respectively. Everybody else on the roster needs at least 11 more AB's on average to generate a home run. Lewis and Larnach are #4 and #5 at 27.75 and 29.69. I realize that power isn't everything and the team does need to transition to a more diversified roster but power still has a role to play and we currently have 3 guys who are at least playing a power hitter role. If this team can find 13 players better... we will be in decent shape... I think Clemens serves as a good bar to try and clear. 2. This is his first year getting significant playing time. I know we live in a world of instant gratification and many will be impatient. Some players get the opportunity in a big dose and some get spoon fed. Cody was spoon fed 127, 148 and 120 plate appearances over his first three years for a total of 395 scattered plate appearances. That ain't much... it's a lot of waiting for a game here and there. This year he got his first big dose with nearly as many plate appearances this year as the three years prior. And he didn't completely trip and fall on his face... no matter how ping pong ball streaky he was. There were a handful of games that he won by himself. If this team can find 13 players better... we will be in decent shape... I think Clemens serves as a good bar to try and clear. 3. He plays the game hard and he can play multiple positions decently. I like watching him play, he takes the extra base, he busts his ass out there. He's not a defensive mess at any of the positions he's played including OF. He looks like someone who is trying to win a job, wherever he can win it. If we can find 13 better players... we will be in pretty good shape. Clemens serves as a good bar to try and clear. 4. I can think of 8 players on the current 28 man roster that he has clearly out played this season. If this team can find 13 players better... we will be in decent shape... I think Clemens serves as a good bar to try and clear. Again... I was against the acquisition at the time and I guess I still am but... now that he is here... he has my full throated support. I think Clemens serves as a good bar to try and clear.

They are not afraid of youth and they trust in their system of development. It isn't just the Brewers, Cleveland, Detroit are also examples of development as the primary feeding the animal. The Red Sox... just traded Devers and got better afterwards and they have a 2025 team full of youth. The Giants grabbed Devers and ended up selling at the deadline. After selling they got themselves back into contention with players like Drew Gilbert leading the way. I ask everyone to look at all 30 teams and count how many times you ask yourself this question. Who is this guy and where did he come from? Once you start looking into those answers... the only conclusion that you can draw is this. Pre-Arb players produce the same range of Bad to Terrible players as a lot of the vets. We just don't know who they are.

I can't speak for the Great Hambino but... speaking for myself. I see Jeffers on the roster due to current lack of options... However... if you really want to play the value game. It is better to take advantage of the catcher market than be a victim of it. So if the choice is limited to selling Jeffers or buying Rutschman or one of the top catching prospects and those are the only two considerations. I'd sell Jeffers eight days a week and I wouldn't even entertain the thought of paying the price for Rutschman. The reason is the catching market and the consistent over pay involved in those transactions. Those are not the only two choices and right now... I'd just sleep in the bed they made at the position. Jeffers and whatever they can scrape up cheaply. Concentrate on the other 24 roster spots.

The CBA negotiation and the possibility of a work stoppage is a wild card that should absolutely be a very important consideration but I don't know how you consider it because right now... it's just going to be tough talk and posturing leading up to getting into a room together. Right now...If you plan for it and a work stoppage doesn't happen... that's a problem. If you don't plan for it and it happens... that is also a problem. It's a wild card that keeps me torn on the direction to go. I tend to think business as usual because a work stoppage should be something neither party is interested in and I hope that both sides realize that and can therefore avoid it. There is no doubt that I'm pre-arb focused in order to have a budget to work with and eventually extend players that should be extended or play in the bigger money areas of free agency. We have a lot of pre-arb players on the roster now and we have (in theory) budget to work with and that's a good starting point. If they keep the starting staff... there is a chance that this rebuild can happen quicker than most think it can. Yes the bullpen is going to require a lot of attention, a lot of trial and error but bullpens can be built using a variety of sources from converting starters to finding Brock Stewart types. On the position player side. At Catcher... I think they should sleep in the bed they made and not over pay chasing catchers. If they end up punting the position... they punt the position. Just make sure they can play defense. If they have the players to pay the price for a young catcher MLB ready with potential. They should take those same players and pay for someone who will play more games at 1st base or SS. More bang for the buck. If it's Jeffers and Pereda next year with Gasper in AAA or vice versa... That's what it is. Just ride it out until they can develop a catcher or two or three that gets people excited. I'm ok with the following next season in the outfield. Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, Martin, Outman. Outman I assume is on the roster because they traded for him despite running out of options. They will need another year at least to see if they can get him to display the potential they traded for. But... I want to be clear.... Only Buxton has earned every day playing time and even he will need a rest day. I want the other 4 competing so use the DH position and give them the opportunity to become what they believe they can become. On the infield... it's a little more concerning. Only Keaschall is earning every day playing time at the moment but he is still a small sample size. Lewis should play every day but a year long slump should temper that temptation a bit so he can give up some playing time and same with Lee... but we got to find out what Lee can do and we got to keep trying to get Lewis unlocked. I think Clemens has earned an arbitration offer and his flexibility will be useful so I'm Ok with those 4 breaking camp with the club but... once again... same as the outfield. Only Keaschall is earning every day playing time at the moment. The rest... I want to get the opportunity to compete for playing time. Lewis, Lee and Clemens haven't earned every day playing but they have earned the right to get playing time and compete. Jenkins, GG, Erod, Culpepper, Fedko... there will be injuries and that is when you call up the most ready of the group and when they get the call. You play them... you give them an honest to god chance to compete but I wouldn't prematurely move a player that you have invested in like Wallner to clear a path for an immediate move from those waiting on debuts. They will get their chance. Injuries will make sure that they do. That's 11 out of 13 spots... That leaves 1B and SS and those are the positions where I scratch my head. SS... Not saying Lee should be taken off SS but I am saying that we need to hedge our bet at the same time. I'd like to see a decent young SS brought in to compete with Lee so Lee can also compete with Lewis, Clemens and even Keaschall. Nobody on the farm looks ready to take the jump for opening day 2026 so they may have to try to find someone outside of the system. 1B... Do you give Sabato a chance out of spring training? He will have to be placed on the 40. Or do you keep trying to get Julien to display the potential he showed two years ago. Or do you just go get the best young 1B you can find outside the system? And that brings me back to trying to find the best young 1B and young SS from outside the system. To get those type of players... You'll probably have to trade Ryan to get the quality. If you trade Ryan... Well now you have weakened the one thing that looks pretty good next year and I'm torn between both paths. It all starts with the 40 man roster decisions this off-season but... I'm pretty adamant on one thing. You have 13 roster spots to work with in this incubator. Use all 13... Don't use only 9 because some of those 9 eggs are just not going to work out and the front office or any of us can say with certainly which eggs will or won't develop. The only thing that is gaurenteed is that a player won't develop if you waste one of the 13 spots and don't provide the chance to compete. 13 egg slots compared to 9 increases your odds and hastens the getting competitive part so please don't let predetermination stand in the way. As for as the money available to spend. I'd rather they wait until we start seeing something out of the younger players. If this comes together quicker... then the trade deadline can come into play... money can be spent to shore up areas. Also... one last thing. Never feel like a player is not worth it unless they can give you 6 years with the organization. If you get a year or two out of a young player... that's a year or two and it has value. I'm also don't advise letting age get in the way. Nathan Lukes is 31 and Ernie Clement is 29 and they are both playing key roles with the Blue Jays right now. Don't wory about what Lukes will be at age 37 when he reaches free agency. The bullpen... Uff Da. It can be done... but yeah right now... Uff Da.

I won't argue with you on the direction forward because I honestly haven't made up my mind yet... but I'll give you credit for being a lot more confident in the direction you feel is the correct one and I can see solid reasoning for it. I still toy with the idea of keeping Ryan, Lopez and building around that. If I'm reading you correctly... you are trading Ryan and Lopez and if you are going to deepen this thing. Ryan and Lopez will probably return the most talent. Starting pitching is where we have actual depth. On the other hand... it's the one place where all that depth will also all be necessary because you need 9 or 10 starters to get through a typical season... so I have a natural reluctance to move any of it. If they trade Ryan and Lopez or one or the other... that could change my current thoughts on Larnach. Probably not Wallner though since he has another year of pre-arb. If they keep Ryan and Lopez and try to build around that starting staff. I'll be pretty tough to convert on either player. I'll probably fall back on my often repeated mantra. Utilize all 13 roster spots... don't focus on 9 spots wasting the other 4 spots. Open competition... provide opportunity. Don't use the word backup, limit pre-determination to who gets a 26 man spot but don't use pre-determination to anyone that you give a 26 man spot to. 13 spots as opposed to 9... in my mind... is also a quicker way back.

How deep this rebuild is going to go this off-season. I don't know. They could keep the starting rotation arms and build around it. They could trade starting pitchers and bring in names we are not talking about right now. And of course everything in between including the opportunistic didn't expect player X to be available adjustment to the direction. It's hard to advocate one way or another but I will say this. I generally struggle with the eagerness to throw away good in search of perfection. I also generally struggle with any logic that seems wrapped in the concept of "He Sucks so we should trade him... if they suck... who you gonna trade them to. On the opposite of that logic... there is the logic that if other teams are willing to give up real talent for a young player... wouldn't that young player also have value to us. Right now... I'm just going to say... these are two players who are above average hitters and we have a lot of players who are below average hitters. I'd keep them.

By total losses in the field and on the bases... I assume you meant to say not as good as some others or below average. I watch a lot of baseball. Most plays are routine and they make the play. Also the majority of baseballs are hit to other positions. K's will take away maybe one third of fielding opportunities for the entire team. Maybe 1 non-routine play every 2 to 3 games. Someone could check my numbers... I could be wrong. I'll grant you that when the play requires a higher degree of difficulty. I'd rather have someone else out there but they are not total losses in the field. They are above average hitters on a squad with 7 below average hitters. They are not where you start when the cleanup begins. Wallner is pre-arb next year costs the minimum. Larnach is in his 2nd year of arb and will probably make 4 million next year and 4 million isn't pushing the budget anymore, Don't get me wrong... Defense is important but often over weighted.

We have a total of 7 players that play regularly that have an above average OPS. And the OP wants us to choose between them. And the responses are to get rid of both of them. I keep them both gladly. I'd bring in competition for them but the 40 man cleanup should start at the bottom. These two are nowhere near the bottom. This website makes me shake my head.

Where you are pointing... is the exactly where we should all be looking. It's the next big thing in the path toward straightening things out. Before they sign Kyle Tucker to that free agent deal. This is first on the honey-do list.

I don't understand how it's so hard to work with the conditions that exist. Simply look at the roster you have to work with and position them. Did we have a better CF on the roster? Was Bader a better CF? I'll let others debate that. But if Bader is was a better CF. Why couldn't they play Bader in CF and Buxton move to a corner when Bader was placed into the lineup and let Buxton play CF when Bader wasn't in the lineup. This static position and static place in a batter order thing drives me crazy. There is nothing static about baseball players... they rise and fall and rise again like ocean tides, like hot and cold air. You staff a 26 man roster with the best players you have. The assessment of the best 26 players you have is not just a defensive assessment. It's offense, defense, it's everything that makes up the job of being a ball player. The search for better players needs to be constant, competitive and it needs to take in account offense, defense and everything that makes up the job of being a ball player. If Buxton plays some LF and some CF... it'll be alright. If he plays CF every day... it'll be alright. You look at your roster and you place them in the positions that make sense. Not only year by year or even month by month but the lineup you are putting out there every day. The Twins have achieved 100 wins only once since hitting the shores of Bloomington 64 years ago. That year was 2019. Jorge Polanco played 142 games at SS that year. Sano played 91 games at 3B that year. Arraez played 49 games at 2B and 21 games in LF that year. Mitch Garver played 82 games at Catcher that year. Astudillo turtled at catcher for 21 games, 15 games at 1B, 13 games at 3B and 8 games in the OF. It worked out OK. Enough fluff around the edges in regards to building a roster. Stop looking for specific positions... FIND PLAYERS period. Stop looking for specifics like right handed or left handed. Stop strip mining for parts... that's fluff around the edges. If you end up with 3 CF's on your roster that can play this game. That's good because you got 3 players who can play this game. If Jenkins, Erod and Buxton end up on the same roster and are all killing it. We are going to be OK. Thank your lucky stars that you have 3 talented CF'ers and then make out a lineup with them in it. The Twins are currently not in a position to hyper-focus on finding a CF to purposely and deliberately move Buxton to a corner. The Twins need to be hyper-focused on increasing overall talent on the roster period! Buxton is a good CF... I'm sure he'd be great in a corner as well. Let the context around him make that determination or better yet... let performance on the field make the determinations.

Many people wanted the Twins to sell. More accurately... Many Many Many people. They didn't just type sell on Twinsdaily. They typed Sell Sell Sell. I assume that typing sell 3 times is for emphasis and would speak to the desired degree of the sale. Guess What They Sold

Outman: 63 AB's - .642 OPS. Brooks Lee: 437 AB's - .659 OPS Vazquez: 178 AB's - .498 OPS We will find out if Outman was a good investment down the road. For those already convinced it was a bad trade . Hey they could have traded Stewart to the Rangers for Michael Helman. He's the new everyday CF in Texas. Currently leads the entire Rangers team in OPS. Helman: 55 AB's - .928 OPS.

I have no idea if the return on the trades were good or bad. The trades will be good if the Twins can turn the return into major league quality talent. They agreed to the deals... the scouting staff... evaluators see something they like, agreed to the deals and are therefore going to give it a go. If they can't develop them into major league quality... the trades will not be good. These determinations are going to take time. Judging them immediately after the trades is extremely premature. Judging them after 30 some AB's or 20 some innings is also premature. It's up to the Minnesota Twins to get the appropriate value out of each player. Let's see how they do. Past is the past... Tomorrow is Tomorrow.

If you don't mind... please take a moment and step into your time machine and go back to September 2018. You'll notice that Twinsdaily was filled with posts from posters who were sure that Byron Buxton was upset and gone over service time when he wasn't called up in September. Apparently we have no problem jumping to similar conclusions 7 years later.

He won't be back. If the light switch flips he's gone and we are back at square one. If the light switch doesn't flip. He's gone because we don't want him back and we are still at square one never even reaching square two. Meanwhile one year gone. Find the next IKF for 2027... Two years gone. On to 2028... three years gone. Carlos Santana had a decent year for us. Got himself a 12 million dollar deal that we couldn't afford. We couldn't afford it because we didn't have enough pre-arb players developed to create the spare change necessary and this led to Ty France playing every day. Cleveland had the 12 million because they had a different philosophy and successfully developed pre-arb players that allowed them to afford him. That 12 million deal with Santana brought them up to 100 million which is still 42 million less than what we spent this year. Of course... we don't know what players are gonna do. Carlos Santana didn't work out for Cleveland. They cut him two weeks ago... which is something the Twins just don't do and they have turned the 1B job over to Manzardo, Cayfus and Noel. Who knows if Cleveland makes the playoffs but... they are currently 2.5 games back out of the wild card. Their current 28 man roster has 23 pre-arb players on it. If Cleveland wanted to... they won't... but if they wanted to... because of their development. They could outbid all 29 clubs for Kyle Tucker next year and still be spending less than we spent this year. Where is our Manzardo, Cayfus or Noel? You hit the nail on the head. The issue isn't Ty France... The issue is that Ty France was the best option by far. I'll add that not only was Ty France the best option... he played every day like he was Pete Alonso because the Twins backed themselves into this corner. We came out of spring training with 8 pre-arb players... 142 million payroll for the year. 7 expiring contracts and arbitration raises that would eat nearly every dollar available from the 7 expiring contracts, the farm is nowhere near spitting out the replacements to fill those roster spots and Falvey probably can't go to Pohlad and ask for another 15 million just to fill the 7 expiring contracts just to keep the status quo. The money was gone. The bill came due. So... we were going to need to move a player or maybe two players in the off-season to free up 10 to 20 million dollars just so we can go re-staff the team with 6 more IKF type players and onward we go. Just life support until the wall hits you in the face and the airbags go off. Airbags went off... The team steeply sold. Money is now available. Don't spend it on IKF types. Fix this development issue whatever it is.

I have been complaining about development for several years now. I've also stated multiple times that I will judge this front office on development and development alone. However... I'm just simply hard to drag into the crowd of people that wants to simply fire people that I've never met and have never heard a reasoning or strategy that isn't public relation screened. Every fan base of every organization from Pro to College to High School to Bantam Hockey wants the coach fired. My years of complaining is asking them to change approach rather repeatedly. IFK would be the breaking point (I'm extremely close to that breaking point already) because: We just hit the wall that I said they would hit. They just stripped the roster down to 20 pre-arb players. They got a blank slate to work with. If they return to the same practice... that I believe got them there in the first place. Well... they would without a doubt be incapable of change and at that point I will join the crowd and be a broken record on how they must go. Until then and I'm extremely close... my comments are constructive. Talking theory and not names. I have no choice. A, I don't know what specific player will be or could be. Age 23 players and what they will be at age 26 with opportunity. I don't know... none of us know. I don't read Keith Law and convert it to gospel. They could be good... could be bad... there is only one way to find out. I've stopped trying to predict it. I'm more comfortable with my opinions with players with a major league sample size but at the same time... I also know that a light switch can be located at any time in their development. I simply expect my organization with all of their scouts and coaches who do this for a living to be better at it because we are team with a budget that will always be dependent on minimum making talent. Don't care who rises from the seeds planted. But we better have seeds that produce and we are way behind everybody else. B, If I say we need to develop better players (Theory) the conversation always gets bogged down with... Martin Sucks... Julien Sucks... Keirsay Sucks... (Specific). Now my point is lost because Martin sucks and I got sucked into a Martin debate with someone who is sure they know what Martin will be in the future. Now in order to make my point... I gotta become a Martin supporter when I have no idea what Martin will become. I simply don't care if Keirsay sucks... the point is that the organization should have produced players who don't suck by now and they need to produce players who can help win so we have budget to work with. If they fail to develop... they fail period in my opinion. Why am I stopping short of calling for their heads even after this disaster of a season and continued practices that I believe are toxic? I don't know what caused this? Did they ignore youth development in favor of cheap one year contracts because they thought they were close and France was a better bet? Did ownership change course on them... a course change that was hard to change out of? Was it Falvey? Was it Rocco? Was it the Pohlads? I don't know. Anyway... damage is done now. Slate was cleared. If they go back to the methods that didn't work before this off-season. I'll be full throated in my cries for immediate change.

As always... You are a pleasure. We don't always agree but I always know that you are researched.

Believe me... please believe me... I Fully understand the CBA limitations. I understand each timeline every step along the way. I understand how long an organization has with a high school draft pick and how long an organization has with a college draft pick before they must roster them on the 40 man roster. I understand that a 16 year old IFA worth his salt must be placed on the 40 man roster at a much much earlier age which probably causes a lot of crash and burn and also causes the talented IFA's to typically be the ones who reach free agency at a young age and end up with the monster 10 year contracts. I understand options and I understand Arb 1, Arb 2, Arb 3 and free agency. Culpepper came out of college so we can theoretically keep him off a 40 man roster until he's 25 years old. Then they will have 3 option years. Then they will have 6 years of service time. In theory,,, if the Twins choose to do so... they can keep Culpepper from reaching free agency until he is 34 years old. And of course if the Twins attempt to maximize the on the farm seasoning of Culpepper. He will be 28 years old when he runs out of options and we have plenty on Twinsdaily that will be saying he is too old at this point and not worth the time. Let me be clear... They won't do that... I'm just illustrating this to show that I understand the process as outlined in the CBA. However, the most important point is this. I'm not offering a strong opinion on Culpepper. I'm only talking about Culpepper because you brought him up. You like Culpepper eventually... you don't like Lee. Got it. OK... hope your right. I don't have an opinion... other than I'll take anyone who will be back the following year over the parade of one year guys who are filling the holes they couldn't fill internally. Tait? Same thing. I'm not asking for TAIT TO BE UP TOMORROW! I'm not going to get passionate about specific players no matter how hard you try to make me. I'm asking where is our catcher produced from our system. 3 Years of Vazquez and nobody can do what he did? I'm upset that nobody from our farm could be developed to the point that they can match his defense and also not hit for 9 million dollars less per year.

I haven't learned how to separate quotes easily so I'll just do it this way. First Statement: That's subjective player opinion and I won't go there because it leads to missing the point. There is no guarantee on Culpepper either. So tossing Brooks aside just to bide additional time with IFK waiting for Culpepper to hopefully be the man in the 2nd half only solves things on paper. In order for me to support this plan. I'd have to believe that you got this down pat and if you have it down pat... I'll will nominate you to be our GM next year. Currently... I don't believe the front offices of all 30 teams have the ability to nail these types of future calls because they miss frequently. Do I support Culpepper over IKF... Yes I do. Sight unseen... I support Culpepper over IKF because Culpepper will be back the following year and the year after that and the year after that. Call him up... let him break camp with the club if you feel this strongly about him. Let him grow through his pains. One state over in Milwaukee, the Brewers identified Brice Turang, they endured 1,000 AB's from him in 2023 at 23 and 2024 at age 24 of 61 and 86 OPS+ and are enjoying a 122 OPS+ in 2025 at age 25. BTW... they won 92 games in 2023 and 93 games in 2024 with a 61 and 86 OPS+ dragging them down. Not to mention Sal Frelick who is the same age in 2023. And many others. Chourio at age 20... leading to 17 Pre-Arb players in Milwaukee. For me... this isn't about 1 specific player in regards to Lee or Culpepper. 1 player doesn't fix our development issues. It's about multiple players rising up from the farm. Culpepper will be 23 next year. Call him up instead of signing IKF. 2nd statement. We can cheaply Myles Straw our way into a defensive 2026 roster to support our pitching. We could probably bring Vazquez back for a pretty low dollar figure on a one year deal. We could fill the roster with defensive talent and do it cheaply. I don't disagree that the defense and offense needs improvement which goes back to the crux of my opinion and attitude. What's the problem? Why are the Twins in the position? That's what needs to be solved. That's why I'm struggling to support this front office. Paving over this problem with one year contracts just keeps the problem going. It has to stop. IKF keeps the problem rolling. Enough with the temporary fixes. Why are the Twins lacking in position player development... Why are they behind nearly everyone? I don't know but it has to be fixed.

Someone will play SS. Someone will play 1B. Someone will play C. If you are looking for the greatest defensive team in the world. You could scrape that together on the waiver wire but you got to hit the ball in this game as well. Please understand that I'm not going to get into any debates over Brooks Lee and I'm not going to let opinions on Brooks Lee get in the way of the most important point. I understand that there are some who feel that Brooks Lee is not worthy of further investment at age 24. That conversation doesn't interest me. My opinion on Brooks Lee isn't worth anything and yours isn't either. None of us have the ability to predict what Brooks Lee will be at age 26. It's really simple... We have a budget. Any thought that they are going to keep raising payroll is not going to happen. Development is everything. We can't sustain our team with a series of one year contracts. Not producing a significant number of pre-arb talent leads to the wall we just hit. We need to be cranking out enough major league talent that makes the minimum like Milwaukee, like Cleveland, like Tampa so we have the money to spend on extensions or better free agents. We could be like them with 40 million extra dollars to spend and we won't get there with IKF followed by IFK doppelganger followed by IKF doppelganger. The next argument is... Well... who do the Twins have in the system right now. I don't know... Don't care... If they don't have someone who can field the SS position and produce a 77 OPS+. The front office needs to go. I'm not asking for Bobby Witt Jr. I'm asking for someone who will be back next year and could get better incrementally so the farm production is incremental as well which will eliminate the need to do it all at once like we just did at the trade deadline.

With all of the complaining that I've done. I have never asked for the firing of Falvey or Baldelli. I've reached the point of expressing a lack of confidence lately but I've never typed the words Falvey or Baldelli must go. If they sign IFK... that'll get me to type those words.

In my opinion. The Front office and Rocco is how we got here. If they continue doing what they have been doing... they will fail. If they would rather sign Ty France and play him every day because the farm can't do produce equal to or better. They will fail. They will not be capable of getting us back. If they would rather bring in recently DFA'd players like Bride and Clemens instead of turning to players produced out of their own farm system. They will fail... they will not be capable of getting us back. If they continue to rely upon players developed by other organizations instead of the fruits of their highly ranked farm system. They will fail... They will not be capable of getting us back. If they continue to staff the 26 man roster like the Yankees staff their 26 man roster without Yankees type money. Meaning instead of 100 million dollar free agent going with a one year 4 million guy. They will fail... They will not be capable of getting us back. On the other hand... If they do a 180 degree shift and work on development to the point where they trust the product coming out of their system over the players coming out of other systems. Then Yeah... They can do it. If they stop strip mining young players for parts in the name of development instead of trying to cobble together a patch work handcuff. Right now... the answer to your question... in my opinion of course... Is... No they can't. Yet... They can but they got to commit to it.

I don't know if they could or couldn't. I honestly can't say what approach I would take this off-season because the Twins are in an interesting situation right now with paths to choose from. My personal feeling at the moment. A. If they are going to deepen this sell off in the off season which can certainly be justified. Then DEEPEN the hell out of it. You trade your highest value players such as Joe Ryan and acquire a bigger better more awesome young 1B. B. If you are going to take your starting staff as something to build around... that could also be justified. Don't fill gaps by creating more gaps by moving players that are exhibiting better talent than the ones you are keeping. This means you keep Larnach and Wallner and attack the bottom end until there is less of a bottom end. Which direction would I take. I really don't know... both could be justified and I won't argue either approach. The one thing that I won't do. I won't say we are overstocked anywhere at the moment. I won't declare any positions of strength with excess. That includes left handed hitting outfielders. When you consider the group of Larnach, Wallner, Outman, Roden, Erod, Jenkins and Mendez. Granted that's a lot of names and a lot of potential but only Larnach and Wallner have performed above average at the major league level out of that group. We need to add to the above average pile. I'd keep them until others join them.

Do we win a prize for that?