tony&rodney

No problem with that. Some of us older retired guys who are increasingly less mobile and no longer busy 16 hours a day spend time watching milb.com, where we can watch any number of prospects in A, A+, AA, and AAA ball. I doubt if I would be as familiar with prospects other than reading Baseball America if I'm still working.

Totally exceptional circumstances regarding the Dodgers. Ohtani and many others returning from serious injuries which result in both pitch counts and innings limits. The reason I put Sandy Alcantara #4 in my rotation is to protect him and Sandy had surgery longer ago than the Dodgers guys.

Using a six person rotation would not reduce the risk of injury. Starting pitchers have a fairly common routine which involves rest to recover, throwing between starts, and preparation for their next start. A pitching arm requires recovery time dependent on the individual and the number of pitches thrown. Some starters never are able to transition to a bullpen because their arms need more than two days to return to normal. We often see poor results from starters brought back on short rest in the playoffs (yes, there are a couple of exceptional exceptions). Some relievers cannot be effective beyond a certain number of pitches. A select few have rubber arms and seemingly can pitch an inning or two most days. The use of a four person rotation would be more likely, especially considering that pitchers seldom are allowed past the fifth inning. Miami claims that Alcantara will be their Opening Day starting pitcher. They still need some decent players to fill out the roster and their farm system needs help. I think they would see more value in receiving both quantity and quality for Alcantara than receiving little for Luzardo. Luzardo is not that appealing for other teams because he would struggle to go beyond 125 innings next season, even if he was really good. Those innings fit better for the Marlins. Miami also has another high potential, oft-injured pitcher who is out of options, Edward Cabrera. Edward would not bring back too much for Miami but he might be a good option for another team's bullpen. The problem is that he is out of options.

Ryan has such a good feel for pitching and also seems like he is tuned into his mechanics and stuff in most of his outings. He likely tailors his pitches to the opponent and how his pitches are working on any given day. While that may be what all pitchers are attempting to do, Ryan has a better handle on his game than many pitchers. He is still improving at his craft. While I like and appreciate the idea of the post, it may be that Ryan's pitch usage just reflects how he stays a step ahead of the hitters. Thus the percentage of fastballs and his other pitches changes from month to month and year to year based on how Ryan perceives the challenge of getting through the at bats. Ryan just needs to stay healthy to be good.

Just forget Luzardo due to injuries. I suggested a trade for Alcantara in my roster guess, Take 2. I sent Miranda, Gonzalez, Billy Amick, and Charlee Soto along with Paddack (reduces cost of trade and gives Miami a starter for a year) for Sandy.

Ok. Fair. Just think both of you add decent comments to TD and prefer things to stay positive, even in disagreement.

Seems like any trades would send more Twins away than come back in return. This means there is plenty of space on the 40 person roster. None of these guys are so expensive that a DFA will hurt the Twins. Tender all of them.

It is possible to strongly state your position without denigrating another opinion. The chance that people agree is less than disagreement. Disagreement is ok or should be. FWIW, I was a fan of Rortvedt as a back up catcher. The Twins didn't agree. I also like Vazquez but believe that money is a reality too, which makes Christian a tough choice for an AL Central type roster budget.

Great question. This is something that we are unlikely to see in comments from Twins employees. I believe the gentle approach may have been due to his slight build. Jose Berrios was/is a physical beast, totally into the weights. It worked for him. I have no knowledge of whether Raya has any similar interests. We can be certain he has worked hard on building strength in various ways but he still looks small for someone as tall as he is.

There are two issues with Emmanuel Rodriguez. He has been injured too often to fully judge what he does in a full season of games. He strikes out a ton. We don't know if the injuries will return or not, but it is likely that EmRod strikes out more than I would like to see. Yes, putting him in the lineup would be aggressive. That is what one does with young players who are potential stars. As far as earning a shot, he already has earned an opportunity. Emmanuel has totally destroyed every league. He is a good baserunner, is very good with a glove, has great power, and has a high on base percentage. I'm aware that very few believe EmRod is ready yet. Some are actually down on ER's potential to handle MLB. I think he is ready right now. I also would not be surprised if Falvey chooses to trade Rodriguez. Sticking Emmanuel in LF, or CF with BB going to LF, would immediately strengthen the defense. Larnach and Wallner can switch between DH and RF. Maybe one of them has an ability to pick up first base, although that seems like a stretch.

By June we will all know if the Twins continue with him as a starting pitcher or look to see what he can do as a reliever. If he only is allowed 3 innings and 50-75 pitches in 2025, it will tell us that Raya is destined for the pen. If Marco pitches into the 5th and 6th inning during May, he is still being groomed as a starter.

This is an excellent article, well done. The two are both capable players who can provide a ton of value at the plate. I wouldn't say they are redundant, necessarily. I think one fits in the field and the other is a DH. "A team like the Twins, who value defensive chops," - How did you drop this line in your article? Currently the Twins are mostly a team of DH's, with a couple of exceptions. Falvey has drafted bat first guys, signed bat first guys, and looks bat first. When I go to a Twins game or watch them on TV there is a noticeable difference between their opponents glove play and what the Twins offer defensively. One wonders whether either Larnach or Wallner is capable of playing first base? I would keep both of these guys, but rarely use both in the same outfield arrangement.

Pitchers who gain command and control are able to keep the ball away from the sweet spot on the barrel, subsequently earning employment at the MLB level. Adams has a chance. He will need to earn the opportunity.

My roster called Take 2 included a trade for Sandy. I send different players, maybe more in value, but believe this deal can be done. I also want both of Teel and Quero. I would acquire Quero first because we match up with the Brewers.

I too am very frustrated by the Twins. The public relations are not good. Falvey needs to shake things up a little. While the ownership frustrated very many of us it is worth noting that the Twins still have the largest payroll in their division and also eclipse their neighbors in Wisconsin.

While I totally agree that the betting line is rolling back the same team, it would be a near first to have all 26 players be returning players. Seems to defeat the purpose of the TD GM idea as well as a bit of a down vote on all of the articles run on the site. However, it does look like a Falvey plan.

Good job of creating some change. Dalton Rushing can hit, but he is still pretty rough behind the plate. There is promise there though. I'm more focused on acquiring one or both of Jeferson Quero and Kyle Teel. I would overpay for both. Luzardo has great stuff but the injuries have put him in a no box for me. I would enrich Miami's farm system for Alcantara though and maybe the Marlins like the salary relief if offered enough quality and quantity. Love O'Neill but wonder about price and his health. I'm ready for EmRod now. He is ready too. The Twins will play him or trade him. I'm playing him. Westburg was a guy I wanted early on but was a little concerned about his strikeouts, lack of walks, and speed. Still, he is worth acquiring. I would like to believe that Simeon Woods Richardson should be sufficient to return Westburg, but don't know where Baltimore gets a better offer. I enjoy reading other folks' ideas.

I'm sorry to report that Roki will not be coming to play for the Twins. Maybe Romo is possible, but Colorado would want players they can use for their team. You are very happy with the current Twins roster since 23 of your 25 person squad is already in the organization. This is the consensus, more or less, on Twins Daily. Thank you for putting your team up on TD.

I'm out on Luzardo at any price because of injury concerns. Falvey needs to find bats that can also use a glove when in the field.

Miami doesn't need a guy like Larnach right now. I'm not sure why the Marlins would trade Mack when they are desperate for catching. Lewis for Luzardo might work, but maybe Larnach and Lewis for Bryce Miller works too. I cannot envision Falvey trading Royce Lewis. Could a Julien, Charlee Soto, and Billy Amick for Luzardo be fair?

Yah, my point is a little raw but at some point the Twins will need to put players on the field who can turn routine grounders and fly balls into outs. The defense last summer was not major league and the results were inevitable from my seat and yet a fair number of people pointed to the pitchers who too often just threw double play ground balls and pop ups marked as singles and doubles on the official scorecard.

Morris is an uncomfortable plate appearance for hitters. He doesn't wow anyone with his velocity or make pitches where batters look totally foolish. Morris was a guy I tuned into early in 2024 to watch him pitch. What I saw was someone who totally controlled most of the opponents. Yes, there is a distinct slider and cutter variance. The delivery is what sets Morris apart from his peers though. The batter doesn't seem to pick up the pitches and as a result the contact is usually poor. Quite a few guys shake their heads after meekly making an out or wondering how they swung through a pitch. I'm thinking Morris just needs to continue working on his command and control which is already pretty good. At some point in 2025, we should all get to see how MLB batters fare versus Morris. I see all of Festa, Matthews, and Morris as solid MLB starting pitchers once they gain a little experience.

Jenkins still needs to navigate AA and AAA. He will almost certainly play right field, maybe left. EmRod will either bust or flourish. He doesn't need any more time to develop. He can hit MLB pitching now and will need to make adjustments as a Twin. Because of the wide variance of outcomes for Emmanuel, he is a very controversial player. I wonder if the Twins will become skittish about EmRod and wind up trading him this winter. I also wonder whether this might be the case with Luke Keaschall too. I would keep both. On the other hand, I think Jenkins just needs repetitions / experience and will possibly debut sometime in 2026.

Jose Rodriguez is not a very accomplished outfielder but still working on his skills. If you are referencing Emmanuel Rodriguez you have evidenced zero knowledge of his talent with the glove. I have seen him play dozens of times but will simply refer you to Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs. Helman is a useful player. I could easily see him making the Twins squad in a utility role.

I put up my Take 2 roster yesterday under Twins Talk. I kept Wallner in RF, despite my concerns with his defense. I like Larnach and will plug him in at DH. LF goes to Emmanuel Rodriguez. I would not be afraid to put EmRod in CF and move Buxton to LF.