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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Pretty fair look at the roster as is, which should make people think that some changes must be made. There will need to be a few gambles taken. A reboot with the roster above would not be very handsome.
  2. tony&rodney
    Maybe the Cubs trade Kevin Alcantara for Ryan Jeffers. The Twins would need to swing a trade for a young catcher in that event though. Dalton Rushing and Harry Ford are both blocked and may be available. What do the Dodgers and/or Mariners want in return? The Twins need to explore an assortment of avenues to improve their roster talent. Perhaps Buck agrees to waive his NT clause to go to the Dodgers for Rushing and Sheehan. I actually expect few deals this offseason but am just hoping for something.
  3. tony&rodney
    Funny. Taylor Swift is probably the most popular person in the country, so it would be popular. I would put the odds at less than winning Powerball but would also embrace that sale. She is a force in business. Bezos is a crazy weird dude but also good at business .... as long as we are being silly.
  4. tony&rodney
    When the Twins were sold to Carl Pohlad, MLB made the call on who would be approved to buy the team. The other groups went home disappointed. Mark Cuban tried to buy into MLB at one point but was rejected. Time has passed and the valuations have risen substantially. Now, MLB is likely to approve an individual, group, or consortium that has the financial means to buy and run a franchise. There just aren't that many people willing to drop $1.5B to own a baseball team. Time will tell us who emerges to bring the Twins their third ownership group. Hopefully this all turns out ok. I have never spoken with any of the Pohlads, although I was introduced to Carl and Eloise in 1987. I have no ill will toward these people. MLB is big business and we see how that works pretty much every day. The biggest change for the Twins will be to field a roster that can pitch, hit, run the bases, and defend. A return of the 2024 roster and that style of play cannot happen. I would suggest that the roster payroll is way less important than the personnel. Sure, money always helps but as we can see from watching Detroit, Kansas City, and Cleveland it isn't the final say in winning baseball games. I do think a new group or individual owner is a good idea at this time. Make it quick.
  5. tony&rodney
    Doubt that the Twins or many Twins Daily fans see Rortvedt as an option at catcher. Yet, if Tampa Bay would include Uceta and/or Rasmussen along with BR then perhaps that works. Ideas are worth a thought at the very least.
  6. tony&rodney
    Thought the same thing. My take is that the search for bats has left the Twins with less athletic players. The pitchers mostly looked capable of going another inning here and there. Why are they breaking down? Hard to say and especially difficult to see Royce Lewis, among others, gassed by mid August. Meanwhile Jackson Merrill is wishing for more games as is Bobby Witt Jr., although I would not compare anyone to Jr. With Santana moving on (if not resigned), the Twins are looking at putting below average defense on the field nearly everywhere. It is tough to get four outs every other inning for pitchers and difficult for the bats to out hit the leaked runs. Some changes need to happen, I'm afraid.
  7. tony&rodney
    Like many Twins fans, I have wondered how the team roster can be tweaked over the offseason to improve the talent for 2025. This seems like something we always did once the World Series was completed but the disappointing conclusion to 2024 has us searching now. Byron Buxton has a no trade clause so the impetus would need to come from him on any trade. He has likely reached some point of frustration and may be open to a move. The Dodgers do make sense because they actually have some pieces in place for replacement value, such as James Outman. I put this exact trade idea (Buxton for Rushing) down as one of my early choices for change. The loss of Buxton would hurt deeply inasmuch as Byron provides name recognition, excitement, and great value .... when he is actually in the lineup. Luzardo or Alcantara would both look like decent gambles as well. Miami may be open to a trade. I do wonder what Seattle would want for their blocked minor league catcher, Harry Ford. In any event, as I work through my guesses (like others) the main focus for me is talent that includes athleticism. Athleticism to me means speed, fielding ability, arm strength, and ability to hit. Tough task for Falvey ahead.
  8. tony&rodney
    While I was a charter subscriber to Baseball America, created my own analytics in the 1990s as a manager, and have been tuned to the sources you mention since their beginnings, not all people follow numerous baseball sites or resources. You add a number of useful comments to Twins Daily but should not let the poor close to the 2024 Twins season be reflected in turning negative on other posters. Sorry to be the corrective person but you have added too many reasonable posts to digress into personal attacks.
  9. tony&rodney
    What would it take to pry away Harry Ford and/or Dalton Rushing to use along with Vazquez? The options are not very good as one looks across professional baseball for catchers and the Twins have had some semblance of reasonable luck with the Vazquez/Jeffers tandem. Any move at catcher would be a gamble of sorts but hopefully there are conversations taking place with every team seeking out ways to improve the roster talent.
  10. tony&rodney
    Detroit and Cleveland put on an exhibition of great baseball today. The Twins need to put the season behind them and rededicate themselves to playing sound baseball.
  11. tony&rodney
    Have to say that I felt sorry for the Twins pitchers because of the poor defense. So many plays not made, bobbles, and weak throws. I don't know what happened, but the gloves need to be fixed. Two thoughts kept coming back to me as the season played out. 1. Can the Twins move forward with many of these same players, which means counting on some major improvements? 2. The quote by Gary Gaetti, "It's hard to field the ball when you have both hands around your throat." I don't believe the Twins choked though and I'm hopeful of improvement with some roster moves as well. The close to the year was difficult to watch and raised a ton of questions about talent, real and perceived.
  12. tony&rodney
    You are likely correct that Falvey wants Paddack to be a starting pitcher. However, it should be at least noteworthy that all of Festa, Matthews, and Morris have already pitched beyond 120 innings and could easily go past 150 innings in 2025. Paddack hasn't gone past 120 IP since 2019 and it seems very unlikely he makes 100 innings again as he did in 2021. He might be a decent reliever eventually. In any event, this will be Falvey's decision.
  13. tony&rodney
    Falvey struggling to identify talent and complete deals seemed important to me. In early February my best guess was 85 wins tops, but at the close of Spring Training the Twins looked more like an 83 win team. This offseason brings a new opportunity for the Twins PBO.
  14. tony&rodney
    Thank you. I appreciate the response and agree with using Paddack in the bullpen, but prefer a trade. It would be hard to see a repeat of using veterans with less talent again. Festa has talent. To me, this is important. We saw ball after ball slide through the infield or land in the outfield repeatedly because of below average defense. Even Buxton and Correa, due to injuries, were less than their former selves. The offense is a problem for sure, but rolling again with the same poor defense just puts the team in a hole unless those bats are top three in runs scored in MLB. Falvey has his work cut out for him.
  15. tony&rodney
    Can someone explain why the preference for Paddack but not Dobnak? While I don't actually prefer either, it seems that MLB batters prefer to face Paddack. I know Falvey has high hopes for Paddack but am curious to read a reasoned response(not just a thumb down) about why Paddack is a fair option for the Twins in 2025.
  16. tony&rodney
    Paddack basically ran into the same deal as Dobnak. They get similar results from different styles. For five years now, Paddack gives up more hits than innings and does not reach a strikeout per inning. He has been injured and mediocre when well enough to pitch. I took a beating last winter on Twins Daily because I was wishful for 100-120 innings as a ceiling from Paddack, whereas the overwhelming consensus was 120-150 innings. These looks forward, including my guesses last winter, are all just are own thoughts. My basis is my observation and you have your thoughts as well. There is nothing to say that Paddack cannot be a decent starting pitcher. I hope he does well. I just don't see it and gifting him a spot unless he clearly earns it in Spring Training portends a losing look. I get that veterans often get preference but hasn't done anything worth noting in five years. Perhaps Kyle Farmer best exemplifies your stance that a veteran gets the position and playing time. I guess we disagree about the skill level and worth of Chris Paddack for the 2025 Twins. My expectation is that he is traded for anything or as a part of a larger deal, but I hope you are correct and Paddack is successful for the Twins.
  17. tony&rodney
    .... except Paddack has done nothing to earn the contract. What somehow gets lost is that Paddack has been totally mediocre since 2019, very hittable. Now, Falvey may decide that Paddack must be one of the starting pitchers next season since he traded for him but it is a real stretch to expect much from him. Sure, options exist for all of Woods Richardson, Festa, Matthews, Morris, and Raya. Wallner and Lewis have options too. The Twins need to make an attempt to win in 2025 and put their best players on the field whenever possible. I liked what I saw when watching Paddack in 2019 but he has never been the same. There may be possibilities for him as a relief pitcher, but it is doubtful the Twins choose that path. I do think some team will see his $7.5 million contract as acceptable for a #5 pitcher, making a trade the best option for the Twins.
  18. tony&rodney
    What about Dobnak? He makes more money than Festa, Woods Richardson, and Matthews as well. If Paddack is clearly better than all of Festa, Woods Richardson, Matthews, and Morris he gets a rotation spot. If he isn't, he doesn't. Unless we are suggesting that the strategy for next year is to build deadline trade value and not win games. Are we? Otherwise, it only makes sense to use the best starters if the goal is to win games. Paddack hasn't done anything at all to show he is superior to the others. He needs to earn it and that is the only reasonably way to determine who makes up the starting rotation. Right now, I would say that all of Lopez, Ober, Ryan, and Woods Richardson have earned their starting slots next season if they are healthy and on the team. The last spot should be an open competition. The Twins have enough problems without handing out unearned roster positions.
  19. tony&rodney
    Looking purely at their projected skills levels, Paddack doesn't cut it in the starting rotation ahead of Lopez, Ober, Ryan, Festa, or Woods Richardson. Personally, I would put Matthews and Morris ahead of Paddack as well. Paddack could be a decent option in long relief, but one has to wonder whether the Twins are willing to make that decision or if Paddack would be content in the bullpen. Our opinions are worthless though as compared to MLB front office folks. . How do other teams evaluate the talent of the Twins players? Falvey should be pushing that envelope in hopes of improving the fortunes of the team for 2025. If Paddack is capable of being a #4 or #5 starting pitcher in the major leagues, there will be a trade market for him at $7.5 million.
  20. tony&rodney
    The Twins cannot just roll with the talent and combination of players they used this past season. First off, the defense costs the team on numerous occasions. While Julien was the poster child on Twins Daily, few were any better. Correa and Buxton on the Il was not ever covered. Secondly, the hitting was largely missing versus decent teams. What is available? Falvey has his work cut out for him. Thirdly, the base-running was substandard. This should be simple enough to fix. It seems fair enough to expect that the Pale Hose should be a more competitive team next season. While any team can falter from year to year, all of Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City should be improved teams as well. The Twins need to make some changes. Change happens.
  21. tony&rodney
    We certainly do not know what Falvey would have done with an additional $10-40M in funding for player salaries. It is a wild assumption to believe he would have made decisions that improved the roster; he may or may not have. We do know that the Twins had a higher payroll than the three teams that finished above them in the AL Central in 2024. While I do wish the Pohlad family were intensely involved and interested in all things Twins, it is fair to say that the team we saw this year is a direct reflection of Falvey's ideas, which primarily involves hitting above defense. It is completely understandable that people are disappointed that the Twins (Pohlad's) cut payroll back in 2024, but this point has been discussed ad naseum. It is time to move on to other topics.
  22. tony&rodney
    The Mariners were ripe last November but they have prospects as good or better than Lee and Larnach now. They will look for a bigger bat via free agency, despite a long resistance to signing hitters, and hold their pitching. Always hard to predict Seattle's guy - he likes to trade. The Twins no longer match up with them.
  23. tony&rodney
    Falvey had his chance last November. Lewis stock has dropped too far. He could still be a decent DH or !B for a couple of years. Lewis likely stays. Paddack will need to be offloaded somehow. Castro should bring back a potentially useful prospect. Twins need a bat but I'm not seeing one available for free. The Twins are looking up at three teams in the AL Central, but they do have the makings of a good pitching staff. The defense and athleticism needs to be addressed though. Too many outs become base hits because of the weak defense and too many outs are made on the bases because of timidity or lack of skill.
  24. tony&rodney
    Love these articles Seth. I watch too much baseball, especially minor league games via milb.com. Really enjoyed how Eeles and McCusker emerged this year and am intrigued with the unique athleticism of Winokur. There are so many variables that go into the development of a baseball player that it can be pointless to predict stardom for 99+% of all players. We saw how difficult the mlb game was for Jackson Holliday, but also saw how quickly Jackson Chourio and Jackson Merrill adapted to find success at the highest level. While I'm high on EmRod, Keaschall, and Jenkins, we should know that patience is in order and that health is always unpredictable. I can see a scenario where these players get plate appearances for the Twins as soon as next year. Opportunities happen and some guys take the chance to make it a career. Eeles make me smile thinking he could just be the second baseman the Twins are looking for to solve the instability at that position.
  25. tony&rodney
    Wholeheartedly agree with this take, yet find it worthwhile to add that front office general incompetence was also an important factor in the Twins demise. Falvey had options from last November and he whiffed. There was a real quadrangle of failure between owners, front office, field management, and players all succumbing to earn the final result. I'm interested to see how this group moves forward to keep ahead of the White Sox.
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