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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Royce Lewis has 280 PA in the last two years in MLB. There were undeniable surges of excellent talent displayed by the young former top draft choice last year and the grand slams and playoff home runs electrified fans. It might be prudent to hold off on declarations of MVP and All Star status for Lewis and hope for a very healthy and productive campaign. But, hey, I'll take an MVP season too. I'm quite interested to see what Royce, Julien, and Wallner can accomplish in their first full seasons and hopeful each can be very successful. Lewis has been a good interview and all reports point to him having a very positive outlook on life. Sometimes people are a little quick to judge athletes from general observation as opposed to specific knowledge. I love that Lewis has been building an amazing reputation for the public but am also wary that others have received less than stellar judgments based on similarly limited and often erroneous reports of their personalities.
  2. tony&rodney
    Great article with interesting asides, especially the "you got to pick your battles man." Keller is good, which is why he fits just fine into the Pirates rotation. Pittsburgh's odds are not as good as the Minnesota squad but they are not the Nationals or Rockies. The articles and discussions on acquiring Keller were fast and furious a couple of months ago. Since then we have seen the Twins add the starting pitcher, reliever, and bat they wanted with a couple of invite guys sprinkled in for fun. I'm afraid the budget only has a couple of bucks left, not enough for Keller. It would be really odd for Falvey to trade off Lee, Erod, Festa, Raya, or another highly thought of prospect after passing on other better opportunities in the last several months. The article was a good read, but you got to pick your battles.
  3. tony&rodney
    Couple of thoughts. Why do we see ideas to trade players with "No Trade Contracts"? I don't believe Max Kepler would accept a qualifying offer or sign another contract with the Twins.
  4. tony&rodney
    Good comparison, Witt Jr. - Mauer, even if Mauer was substantially more established and close to free agency. The entire conversation about the potential new stadium for the Kansas City royals is hard to pin down in terms of numbers. I have read five separate articles with different numbers of cost and ownership contribution. The owner would like a swath of area to develop similar to what occurred in Atlanta. Why wouldn't he? The owner has allegedly been said to promise $200-350 million toward the stadium with taxes paying the remainder. When one takes into consideration a 40 year payment plan, the owner's payments of $5-9 million a year seem laughable in consideration of the annual value accrued by him. Whatever, let the voter's decide. At least if the citizens vote for the tax it is a fair deal unlike the charade unfolding in Las Vegas.
  5. tony&rodney
    Agree with Dman, an extension for Royce Lewis is premature. I also don't believe we can compare Lewis to Witt Jr. I get the excitement and strenuous wishing for Royce to have an All Star season because I sure hope he does .... this year. We might be projecting a little much for our third baseman.
  6. tony&rodney
    Health is always a key for any pitcher. That and having three pitches working at one time make for quite a bit of success. Lopez was good last year and I hope he is good this year too. I hope that Skubal has a good year as well. He has amazing pitches. It is fun to watch pitches work.
  7. tony&rodney
    The Pohlads are going to do what they are going to do. In mid November my blueprint for 2024 was based on a budget of $120-125 million. I did expect some trades to improve the team. I know nothing about the finances of the team, but I know a little bit about money. I based my budget on the loss of BAM money plus the uncertain media situation. Until i hear something different, I would expect the budget next year to remain static. All of the actions of the Pohlads are well out of my control. I cannot defend them and find it a waste of my time to think any opinion of fans makes a difference. So it goes.
  8. tony&rodney
    I'll add that i like the floor too. A big concern is injuries or ineffectiveness to the starting top five (Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Varland, Paddack). The Twins are vulnerable.
  9. tony&rodney
    I was being a bit sarcastic. Sorry. I don't see the commitment I want but find it pointless, just for me, to spend energy on the Pohlads. I'm a baseball fan and realize that the MLB game is a toy for Manfred, the owners, and corporate heads. The players are well-paid pawns, thanks to Curt Flood, Miller, and the MLBPA. Fans come last.
  10. tony&rodney
    There is, but it is a corporation and the shareholders must get their pile. It really is something out of our control and thus not worth worrying about. The biggest positive is that Joe Pohlad actually follows baseball. His grandpa did not. Falvey receives way more support than any prior front office member, which is good/encouraging. Also, Calvin Griffith was a far different cat than anyone who has owned a sports franchise in the last 60 plus years, including Charlie Finley, Al Davis, and some other salty characters. Calvin's father died of alcoholism and he grew up with Clark Griffith, eventually inheriting the team in 1955. Baseball was Calvin's life. He poured every penny into the team. He was never really a very rich man and was more or less forced to sell the team. He had a handshake agreement that his brothers would continue to be employed by the Twins. What do you think that handshake was worth? Griffith was gullible. No owner knew more baseball. Yes, Calvin was crude in ways but read what Rod Carew and other Black and Hispanic players had to say about Griffith. He really was a simple guy and time passed him by. I once ran into him and said hello just to be friendly. He started asking me questions and we visited for 45 minutes. Straight talk on anyone, anything, and a little raw with no limits whatsoever. Calvin really was the last of the dinosaurs. He shouldn't be compared to any other owners because the differences are so incredibly stark. Read the book or at least a bit of his story.
  11. tony&rodney
    Both Cot's and Fangraphs have updated KC payrolls including the new Witt Jr. contract. The Royals are below the Twins in 26 person salary. The amount for Competitive Balance Tax/Estimated Luxury Tax Payroll is meaningless unless the team is over the limits and has to pay into the MLB fund. Disregard those numbers. MN: around $118 M KC: around $110 M Minnesota wins here but the real games begin in Kansas City in late March.
  12. tony&rodney
    I totally agree with you, but Royals fan might very well say the same about the players added to the Twins roster.
  13. tony&rodney
    Last year I picked the Twins to win the AL Central with 87 wins and begged for a +/- of 5 wins either way. Entering this offseason, I felt the Twins had quite a bit of room and some good options for improving the team. It is now February 5. I will say the Twins win the AL Central with 85 wins with a +/- of 5 wins either way.
  14. tony&rodney
    Is Santana better than you think? Santana arrived on the scene in 2010. Twins fans have seen just about everything possible about and from Santana through the years. We know who he is and what he can provide. He is a real pro. However, I might suggest that in the days since the offseason began there were a host of ideas and suggestions running well past 100 different players from just about every direction. Santana, despite still being a good functional baseball player was not among those written about or discussed. Why? I might guess that many people were thinking that the Twins would add to their roster with talent that slotted above the existing roster. Apparently, everyone was wrong or at least off on a different tangent. Santana doesn't slot above the current talent, but his experience is certainly noteworthy. He will be a positive addition and help the team. Now, the team is set, it is "oh well", and we hope the rookies, young players, one year wonders, and experienced players can all stay well, perform, and have a good year. No, Santana is not better than I thought. He has always been a good player and despite his age and expected decline in physical talent and performance, Santana remains a real pro. I have always liked him and will root for him.
  15. tony&rodney
    Perhaps the Twins can develop some plans to solve their media issues before the 2025 season. The roster is more or less set and the $120-125 million budget for players is fine. Good for the Kansas City fans that their team is building toward a stronger and more competitive team. It is a fine city and area that has always supported the Royals.
  16. tony&rodney
    I'm not sure why you think that deal will be an albatross for the Royals. If the contract runs its course, Witt Jr. will only be 34 years old. He is an exceptional athlete. Kansas City has plans to move into a new stadium downtown in the future. The Royals are trying to turn things around and Witt Jr. is about as much fun to watch as any young position player in the game. Yes, it is a good deal for Witt Jr. but I believe the deal is more important to the franchise than it is to the player in this case.
  17. tony&rodney
    The Twins don't have anyone right now that remotely compares to Bobby Witt Jr. Witt Jr. is still 23, has two full seasons in the books, and has shown improvement in all phases of his game. He ranks with Julio Rodriguez among young AL stars. The Twins do have some fine young players just working on getting their first 500 PA in MLB and a couple of exciting prospects. The time for attempting long term deals may come in a few years but it doesn't seem likely now with all of the financial uncertainties. The roster looks pretty set and we shall see who goes to Kansas City in late March.
  18. tony&rodney
    You got me thinking ....... how many players have played in MLB?
  19. tony&rodney
    To be fair, the sons and grandchildren like baseball to varying degrees. Carl didn't care for baseball. He bought the team for his wife and it was a profitable gift too. The quality of the teams was all on the front office.
  20. tony&rodney
    You are correct. It does put any numbers out of whack. I have not looked at salaries for corner outfielders versus third basemen. Soto just popped into my head. i think that all of the comments from Falvey, Baldelli, and Boras (notably not Lewis) about Royce staying where he is (3B) are related to wanting Lewis to be prepared at one spot and comfortable coming into what everyone hopes will be a full season for the former #1-1 pick.
  21. tony&rodney
    Juan Soto?
  22. tony&rodney
    Ok. Good. So now you have your answer.
  23. tony&rodney
    The comparison to Beltre loosely fits in some ways. Max is an elite athlete. The second half of last season could be repeated for multiple full seasons going forward. Kepler is very difficult to predict though. I'm not always sure that baseball and the life is completely an ideal for him. Max Kepler came to the United States as a 16 year old, but he was very aware of and had exposure to U. S. culture and habits while attending John F. Kennedy School in Berlin. Kep is a third culture kid. As a Twins fan I hope Max Kepler has the best season of his career so far in the coming season. However, I do not believe that Kepler would sign another contract with the Twins in any event.
  24. tony&rodney
    .... and Brooks Lee.
  25. tony&rodney
    Jackson is signed to a MLB contract according to mlbtraderumors. I'm not sure any of the additions strengthens the Twins bullpen but it definitely improves the depth, much of it playing across the river in St. Paul. Depth is always good. I do wonder what if any impact this will have on morale. It doesn't need to but baseball players are human and being pushed down to AAA by someone that has an MLB contract but is not necessarily better can create thoughts. Signing multiple players to camp on minor league contracts is more the norm because teams can then see what transpires in February and March before assigning slots to the 26 person roster. Competition isn't really a thing when a guy with options goes head to head with someone on an MLB deal.
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