tony&rodney

Things are what they are and hopefully solutions will emerge that allow normal people to enjoy baseball. We can be certain these things are out our hands, or at least mine. Don't use Pohlad's purchase of the Twins or NWA as examples though. There were four other organizations willing to buy the Twins. MLB only approved Carl. $5M down with four more equal payments of $5M in the next years and a balloon of $7M ($32M total). It was a deal others would have liked to get in on in 1984. I have no rancor, whatsoever, towards the Pohlads but they were never saviors in my world. NWA is what happens when government fails ... you get corporate raiders and carpetbaggers like Al Cecchi. He tore down a really successful company. He wasn't alone either. I just enjoy baseball. It has been a real treat to see two fun teams (Detroit and Kansas City) win their recent series. The best I can offer on the revenue and media morass in MLB is whatever. What did people expect from an old boys club headed by the Manfred man?

I'm wanting to wait until November to weigh in on future plans, but will just repeat a comment I have made many times in the last few years with some support added. .... Falvey has the team he wanted. Yes, the budget will not reach levels of larger market teams. i think we all knew that and one must acknowledge the Twins having the highest budget within their division. When one watches the Twins and their minor league teams there is an obvious Falvey hand in play. The emphasis is on the bats and on developing starting pitching from mid to lower round draft picks. Athleticism and defense are a bonus but not an emphasis. The results show up at Target Field. Falvey has one of the thirty top front office jobs available in MLB. I seriously doubt he would step aside except as a face saving move that avoided being fired. Whether the Pohlad corporation will make a decision to release Favley and begin anew with someone else is impossible to know. I don't believe the company is that interested in deep involvement in baseball and will stay the course if the financial side can remain minimally profitable. Falvey has had and continues to have a decent range of options for putting together the type of roster that he desires for Twins baseball. The 2024 Twins are Falvey's guys. I'm wondering if Falvey can change how he views the game of baseball. If he cannot and he is retained there is little reason to expect a different type of baseball than seen this season. However, extraordinary luck with health and production could easily return the Twins to the top of the AL Central. A deep playoff run has always seemed tough to imagine with the current philosophy embraced by the front office.

And Lewis and Lee too? I guess I see things differently.

Julien has really struggled this year, no question. However, I never see this response towards Lewis who is even worse defensively. Maybe patience or ay least empathy.

Keaschall will work at 1B until his arm is ready for LF. EmRod is the automatic replacement for Buxton next year because he is the best defensive CF in the system. Lee likely needs some time in AAA. Trades will happen.

Recently, on a different post, I made a similar comment. How much latitude does Baldelli even have to manage the games? If Rocco is gone, so is Falvey.

Sorry. Runs scored. It was a bad post on my part.

Hitting is all about feel and confidence, both of which are MIA. 22-38 this month in 9 games. The Twins went 14-14 in August and they often looked rough. From the 18th of August onward though, the Twins have stumbled. September will be huge for many players, the manager, and the front office. I would be very surprised if a collapse does not bring about major changes. 18 games to go and there is plenty on the line.

Is it possible that the talent is just average?

I haven't seen a football game since the Vikings lost to New Orleans when Favre was playing for MN. My son was into football a little so I quietly watched with him. Football always bored me. People like different stuff. I get that most people on TD and in MN are football fans.

Congratulations to Walker. He is putting up.

Great picture - where we see Santana trying to explain to the youngins that September is a good month to play baseball while the other three are just tired, not used to the grind of the MLB season.

With the coaches, yes, by all means. This should be an every day discussion but no to any inclusion of Falvey and crew. The front office does not have the baseball expertise of the coaching staff just as the coaching staff does not have expertise with the financial side of the game. Falvey & Sons puts the team together. That includes their choices for manager and coaches and those guys (Rocco, etc.) need to do their jobs with the players provided by Falvey and the FO. I just disagree with the notion of Falvey, Levine, or others from the front office in on playing time, substitutions, and pitching changes. If Baldelli and his coaches cannot handle these chores, get someone else. Let Falvey sit with Joe Pohlad in the owner's box.

Me too.

Maybe you should use wins and losses.

We watch the games, we want the Twins to win, we suffer their losses, and we have thoughts on why. Me too .... but I am sure I don't really know what is going on. Just a couple of thoughts: 1) Do faces from the front office (Falvey & Sons) meet with Baldelli on a regular basis? How often? How much of the plan is discussed, agreed on, and then fairly well scripted? These questions are important because this is precisely why Molitor was removed and many teams in MLB today have expected scenarios all played out before the games. Of course, the manager should be expected to have ideas of what gets done when and with which players. However, we seem to see a blind allegiance to maths as if it is absolute, which it is not. The vast preponderance of slavish and sometimes useful data and the many who follow the numbers more than the games is an example too. Thus Ober gets lifted despite the game situation which tells us that Kansas City doesn't have but a sliver of a chance to get a baserunner much less score a run. Is this the brains making a decision. The comment boards scream at Baldelli and it should be his call. Is It though? I'm not sure about an answer to my questions. Next - 2) The Twins have a pile of very inexperienced, quite raw players but a paucity of hard edged veterans. Santana is out, Farmer is cooked and physically struggles to an absurd degree despite his vast array of knowledge, expertise, and experience, Correa is out and absent, Buxton - same, Kepler is out, and Margot is out. Meanwhile all of Jeffers, Miranda, Julien, Lee, Lewis, Castro, Larnach, Wallner, Martin, Helman, and Keirsey Jr. are either rookies or have not established themselves as reliable full season MLB players. The MLB season is a beast and September has a way of crushing those whose concentration has been stretched for one and have zero on field leadership to rally them forward in the rough spots. The pitchers have been leading this team because guys like Pablo Lopez lead. The offense has nobody. I believe both Buxton and Correa are injured but I do want to know if they can play. Correa at half speed (he is always slow) makes plays at shortstop that the subs cannot; it is depressing. Same with Buck. Those are just my thoughts. Did anyone ever imagine that the Twins would get the innings they are getting from Ober, Woods Richardson, Festa, and even Matthews. It is pretty amazing.

The Twins had Molitor but Falvey wanted Baldelli. Nothing wrong with wishing for success. I just wish and hope that the Twins woke up this morning with the realization that they are in a great spot with their record and find the energy and spirit to drive themsleves and each other forward through the remainder of the season.

Oh, I am not a fan of Rocco Baldelli but I believe he actually knows more about his players, options, and baseball than I do. That, and I may be a minority here, but I also believe that the players are responsible for the wins and losses.

Why am I continually astounded by judgments made against Rocco Baldelli from people who have no idea ..... Seemed fair to stop there.

Sounds good to me but these guys will be invites because .... no money for free agents. I believe $135 million next season is a realistic ceiling with $115M the floor.

You could be correct. If Paddack is in the rotation in April you will know the Twins are not serious about early season games. Paddack can be a fair option as a relief pitcher but his first promising experiences with the Padres were long ago. All of Festa, Matthews, and Morris have passed The Sheriff as options for the starting rotation. Injuries happen; it is what it is. The Twins gambled on Paddack and he is now the debt they own. It wasn't a bad gamble either if he can be a fair middle relief pitcher.

This seems like thinking that needs to done in the offseason. The Twins have quite a few decent players coming back next year and will also have an opportunity for making trades. Expect a similar budget, which will once again lead the division. As far as the AL Central goes, it will be better next year. Detroit has @$39M, Cleveland has @$45M, and Kansas City has @$75M committed to next year. If you have watched a dozen or so of their games you know that each of these three teams has some good players who are getting better. The AL Central has benefitted (not CLE) some from having CWS bungling along this year but these clubs have been competitive all year with young players. We can make our proposals and silly guesses in November.

It was a lose/lose decision. The Twins are not hitting which means Ragans just retires the next batter and Witt Jr. is super quick with a total power arm that is uber accurate. Can't win there unless something very unusual happens. So it goes. Seems like it was worth a try.

Seems like a strict pitch count might be a little severe. I was clicking back and forth from the Twins to Saints. watching Morris pitch. He was dominant. If it was necessary to take him out around 65 pitches, which I have done many times as a manager, there surely could have been a little wiggle room (up to 7 pitches). On the other hand, perhaps there is zero interest in seeing Morris finish the inning making that pitch limit absolute. I just felt bad that his line included a run scored when the Iowa Cubs had no chance in hell of actually scoring against Morris.

You answered the question from all sides. It just comes down to searching for offense. The current iteration of Royce Lewis, injured but playable, is a DH only. However, the Twins have collectively succumbed to ineffective plate appearances which results in looking for that misplaced combination which will unlock the offense. Try everything and that is what we are seeing. I mean, Farmer batting cleanup is an attempt. Hopefully the bats will come out today.