tony&rodney

This statement is why I have such a difficult time with the virulent articles/comments regarding the Pohlads. The idea that the Pohlads and Falvey operate separately has eluded me. I get that many folks believe something different and respect the right to an opinion. However, I agree with the quoted thought and find is hard to see the other viewpoint. Falvey has had numerous opportunities to craft rosters and I have maintained that the team reflects his ideas.

In a vacuum the roster looks fine. Meanwhile the pitchers are spending their time praying for gloves that scoop up ground balls and catch fly balls at an acceptable MLB level.

Moving Correa and/or Buxton off of the roster does not solve the current problem for the Twins, a lack of speed and defensive acumen. Scrolling through the free agents that make sense is mostly pointless. Christian Walker might work but I'm thinking that Royce Lewis at first base holds more promise. Falvey needs to make some trades for talent before he looks at dumping any of Vazquez, Paddack, Castro, Correa, Buxton, or others.

The single biggest improvement that can be made to the pitching staff is to put players in the field that make defensive plays. Right now the roster is slow and below average defensively.

One would think that a failure to complete some significant upgrades to the roster that improve the Twins ability to compete in 2025 results in the end of the Falvey era. If a team cannot improve when it has a decent organization in a window of winning, then that portends a fall relative to other teams. The biggest surprise of the offseason would be if the Twins did not make a few major deals. Falvey is on the clock and next season is his last in MLB if the team repeats 2024 or declines further.

We all are aware that any player can be discussed and potentially traded. The Twins are right back where they were last offseason, except for this time they need to make up some ground on other teams. Specifically, the AL Central is markedly improved from a year ago. Still, the situation is pretty much the same. What can Falvey do to improve the roster for 2025? Money does make a difference in decisions but it is past the time for using the financial budget as a crutch or excuse. Budgets are a reality. The Twins can win with a budget of $110-125 million. We all knew that every player would or should be discussed in terms of their role in making the roster better next season. The central question remains .... how does any move make the team better?

I try to be efficient in considering the potential outcomes for the Twins in the coming year; not much stress or too much time. In considering a trade I make an attempt to determine whether the other team may consider any of my ideas. Yes, I am consistent in suggesting two to three transactions to improve the quality of the Twins roster. All of my ideas can blow up. Thinking about moving Correa seems difficult. One prior trade idea that I proposed would acquire a player I would want to play third base and spell Correa but that player could also fill in for Carlos. A trade of Duran, Topa, and Castro to Arizona for Jordan Lawler is my thought. He is a slick defender at shortstop and would play third base for me with Correa at short. The Diamondbacks may want more and a huge blockbuster deal that helps AZ and MN is possible. I want the pitchers to take the mound knowing that routine plays will be made behind them. This is impossible without some shifting of personnel. One odd side kick, should Correa be moved, is that the Twins could then be interested in Christian Walker (3/$60M). First the Twins need to add a guy like Lawler and another couple of guys as well.

Who plays shortstop? Really?

How has Falvey arrived at a comparison of Royce Lewis to Rhyne Sandberg. This really highlights what may be a damaging flaw of Falvey's. He struggles to identify talent. Now he does have a entire phalanx of professionals to advise him but he sets the tone. Please tell me what, if any, attributes or skills are shared between Sandberg and Lewis. People are down on Julien. Brooks Lee still has luster and promise, even before he undergoes the sophomore jinx. So Royce Lewis, who I agree can be a terrific middle of the order bat, plays second base. Why do folks hate all pitchers? We continually read of suggestions to use below average gloves all over the field and then suggest that it doesn't matter too much. Lewis needs to hit. Put him in the middle of the batting order. The guy is jacked up big and has tremendous power and the potential to hit. However, it seems disingenuous to ignore both his massive size and injuries, all of which have robbed him of speed, quickness, and flexibility.

If .... if Correa was traded, forget about any player of any interest coming back to the Twins. Then .... the real dilemma begins. Who plays shortstop? There isn't really anyone in the organization who can play shortstop at close to Carlos Correa level. Now if the argument is that Correa is always injured and we compare the next guy to Willi Castro ..... sure, that makes some sense. No, Brooks Lee is not an MLB (Correa) quality shortstop. Full stop. So the argument is must be that the Twins are looking to replace Willi Castro and not Carlos Correa, assuming he is injured most of the time. In lieu of the article and conversation yesterday on how the Twins pitchers have "suffered" with the guys playing defense behind them, it is ironic to consider reducing the quality of turning outs into outs instead of watching the ball bleed through the dirt. Look, we all have out thoughts and mine is that poor defense and the lack of team speed reduces the Twins to being a slightly above average team at best (79-87 wins) if everything else goes perfectly. Trading Correa and/or failing to upgrade the defense is a recipe for mediocrity. Then again, I have zero belief in Derek Falvey and his ability to craft a roster, which makes my thoughts easy to dismiss for those who see Falvey as a decent administrator.

This is a common perception. Then again, maybe it is a misperception. If the Twins do nothing, they are rolling into 2025 with the same guys. Many people want exactly that option. Who knows, it may work. There are options though, many options. Yes, the best options will be pricey and cause some angst (Arraez-Lopez style). Falvey gets to make the choices, it is his team to put together.

The idea of rolling with the status quo plus a couple of minor league invite relief pitchers and then trying to find a catcher next year doesn't seem like much of a plan to me. The offseason seems like a time when the people on Twins Daily throw out ideas for putting together a competitive team that has a better than even chance to increase their standing in the AL Central in 2025. Now, if folks believe that the current roster is just fine, it is perfectly fair to say so. Falvey has more or less stated this as his position. I sure don't have a clear answer and realize my belief in the need for some change is up against a wall. A few ideas that may be trashed by readers or opponent GMs .... trade Brooks Lee for Jeferson Quero. I have thought that adding Ryan Jeffers plus a guy like C. J. Culpepper to Lee might return Devin Williams plus Quero, but I'll stick with the original one for one. Sticking with the tone of adding a catcher .... trade Pablo Lopez and Jose Miranda for Kyle Teel and Tristan Casas. These are just ideas (I have a couple more) and teams are reluctant to give up their top prospects unless the return is strong, just as teams are stubborn about losing a top of the rotation pitcher no matter the return. Anyone else remember Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson? For those unfamiliar, the overwhelming consensus favored the Reds and felt the Orioles were getting a guy who had maybe a year or two left in him.

Perhaps a few strategic transactions can infuse the team with needed talent in certain positions, even if the payroll is dropped to $120 million.

If the defense is acknowledged as below average, I don't care how it happened but want to know what can be done to make the team better in 2025 than an AL Central fourth place finisher.

When I think of the type of baseball player that Baldelli was for the Tampa Bay Rays, it makes me wonder how much input he actually has as opposed to Falvey and I even attach that to in game decisions because they often seem extremely scripted. Ultimately, it is the players who have the greatest effect on the outcome to any game, by far.

The information provided in this article suggests that the Twins are going to be below average at catcher (in sum), first base, second base, third base, left field, and right field. If Correa and Buxton are fully healthy, the Twins should have fair defense at shortstop and centerfield. Willi Castro plays all over at varying rates of effectiveness but may be an adequate utility player. That is what I take away from this post. Last season, when I went to Twins games (and even when I watched on TV) the one thing that struck me, whether the team won or lost, was how slow the Twins players looked in comparison to their opponents. Batted balls that were near routine for an opponent escaped the reach of our Twins players. This forced our pitchers to throw many additional pitches. On the bases, our guys went station to station, did not steal or hit and run, and couldn't even score from second base with two outs a couple of times. The eye told quite a tale of differences between our Twins and their opponents. Derek Falvey believes the Twins have the players needed to be successful in 2025. His interview at the MLB GM meetings was mostly corporate speak but he did profess his belief that the roster is fine. Most of Twins Daily concurs and is wary of anything other than fringe changes; i.e., don't touch the core. The budget should remain around $130 million, the highest in the AL Central and Falvey hinted at getting "creative" to get the roster in line. Why am I not feeling optimistic about the 2025 season given the above information? I generally pick the Twins to win the AL Central nearly every year, which I did in 2024 (although with 83-85 wins). What information am I missing?

Haven't really thought about who should or should not accept a qualifying offer because I don't think the Twins will be in on free agents. I would like to see them in on Christian Walker though. A quick guess, not going over the list, makes me think Walker gets 3/$49M and Martinez gets 3/$42M. i will have to look what MLBT suggests now.

Welcome to Twins Daily. Walker would be an excellent addition, but the Twins would first have to massage away $25-30 million to create the payroll room. While nothing definitive has been stated concerning the 2025 budget, Falvey suggested the team needs to get "creative" to fit everyone in from the past squad. This can be taken as a small reduction or a similar roster budget is in play for 2025.

"The only obstacles to the Twins signing him will be cost, as he’ll command an AAV around $20 million, and demand, as he’s the second-best first baseman available." - discussing Christian Walker You answered the question right there. Look for a team payroll from $120-130 million, leaving the Twins to cut from their current collection of players. The Twins will need to reduce the numbers by about $25M before they can consider adding someone like Walker. However, Walker is the one good option out on the market.

The reports out of San Francisco were that DeSclafani was fried and needed surgery. There was something like a 5-10% or less chance that he would make it to April. This was not a secret as nondisclosure of a known injury can result in penalties. San Fran passed this knowledge to Seattle who passed it to Minnesota. The info was accurate and absolutely nobody was surprised when DeSclafani crashed in Spring Training. FWIW, he is looking to come back this season.

While I agree that 250 games of excellent production from Correa and Buxton, Lewis playing a full year at his best two week stretch, other guys making comebacks, and Emmanuel Rodriguez emerging as a savior would all help the Twins stay above .500, the comparison to Cleveland doesn't work. I have written in the past about the athleticism and potential of Cleveland's young players. They play defense better at six or more positions and it isn't very close. They are getting better too. Cleveland also suffered numerous injuries within their pitching staff. Yes, I do think the Twins can be a .500 team if all goes well with their current roster. Believe me when I say that I want the Twins to have a good 2025. Hope everything goes swimmingly. But .... just hoping doesn't seem like much of a plan to me.

Just curious here ... did you count on Desclafaini and/or Paddack? Ryan was a definite loss in my opinion. In terms of just 2024, I cannot imagine a world where a GM actually planned on any innings from DeSclafani and 90-110 innings of 4.50 ERA was the best scenario for Paddack. He reached his ceiling for 2024. On the other hand, Woods Richardson was a bit of an unexpected boost with 133.2 innings with a 4.17 ERA. Do you expect Paddack to be a significant factor in 2025, with like 110 innings at a 4.50 ERA? I'm just trying to figure out how the current roster works for next season. How do the Twins win 82 games next season?

It would shocking, frankly, to see the Twins sign a free agent reliever for more than $2M. When I saw that the Twins were almost completely absent from the list of potential teams listed behind the various free agents I took it to mean that the writers may have some information that the Twins will be keeping costs down.

I think you need to cut your roster budget down to between $120-130 million. Mine would be just under $120M.

Falvey spoke to reporters yesterday and stated that he likes the roster the way it is. He also hinted that there may need to be a move to get around financial realities. I think the term used was "creative', as in the Twins would reduce the roster costs through an action of some sort (DFA, non tender, trade). There is an article on The Athletic by Dan Hayes. While Falvey did his usual non-informational corporate thing, for me the gist of the interview suggested that Falvey already has his team except for a few minor financial adjustments. Most of the comments and articles on Twins Daily are fully in support of Falvey's stance, which means that the Twins are likely to roll it back minus a contract to bring the roster budget at or below $130 million. So the roster will almost certainly be: SP - Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Woods Richardson, Paddack; RP - Duran, Jax, Alcala, Topa, etc.; Position players - Vazquez, Jeffers, Miranda, Julien, Lewis, Lee, Correa, Castro, Larnach, Buxton, Wallner, plus two. I would guess that Castro is let go, but the Twins may trade Lopez instead to save even more money. My guesses are just that, but also take into account Falvey's previous years. My confusion with the "roll it back" stance is based on several factors. The Twins cannot expect to dominate the weakest teams to the extent that they did last season. The collapse in the last seven weeks was more of a reckoning or coming back to reality in my mind. The Twins had a poor record (among the worst in MLB) versus teams above .500. The Twins are a slow, poor base running team that is well below average defensively. The team looks unbalanced to me. How does a team overcome these realities to finish at or around .500 again using the same players and strategies? I will admit that I cannot understand Falvey's world. I'm just curious how 2025 will work in light of reader's comments and a similar stance from Derek Falvey. Ideas?