tony&rodney

The deal is final and the contracts quiet, thus no real certainty on amount for the year. This seems like it was expected all along and the teams were uncomfortable with a situation that might go bad and felt it necessary to proceed with caution. The public relations hit is not good, so MLB and the teams are trying to keep a focus towards impending Spring Training and not on the media morass and those details. Streaming will not be an option from what I gathered from a release. What baffles me is that the Twins are led by Joe Pohlad, 41 years old. I know a ton of people in the 30-50 age range (my own children, coaching, etc.). I would guess that 90% plus are what we call "cord cutters". Did the Twins not see this? The court sanctioned deal gives the Twins a year to sort through their options. Yet they are coming off of a year to weigh their options. Sounds like someone dropped the ball within the organization, who might soon be reworking a resume. The market numbers suggest viewership of Twins games was up last year, but as discussed on this thread and elsewhere the number of people left unable to access the games is growing. Maybe I am way off base, but it seems like if people in the 5-50 age range do not have access to Twins games, future revenues may be dwindling. Out of sight, out of mind. While I have no idea ever what Falvey is up to, I can't see the Twins signing Snell, Montgomery, or Bellinger. The rest of the pile is more or less redundant to others already on the 40 person roster. Perhaps Soler is different but as a DH he also seems like an unlikely addition.

Like the optimism. Looked over the game logs for Sonny Gray this morning real quickly. He really gave the team a chance. The offense should pick it up and I have more confidence in Varland than most.

Who, besides Bauer, are the Twins signing that bumps ahead of the guys they currently have on roster? Trades? The Twins had their chance and decided that DeSclafani, Topa, plus two prospects was what they wanted. What prospects are the Twins trading? I think the roster looks set, been wrong before.

Dipoto specifically stated that he was going to turn every leaf all winter to get the players he wanted with resources other than his starting pitchers and would only reconsider once the offseason was closing. The facts are clear - we don't know what was discussed or at least I don't know. When Dipoto hinted that he would only trade one of his starters if he felt he had to, this seemed like the time to hold out. Seattle had a real need, Minnesota did not. Our team was fine as is. All offseason I expected a trade that included Polanco and suggested several. My hope was the team was strengthened. I would have held until March at least. Other teams were also in for Polanco as well. If the teams made ultimatums, hem and haw. Let them sign Whitfield. It's done and doesn't matter now.

The truest words yet on this topic.

Too much of this is all so true. Every single time i hear someone belch about "socialism, socialism" I'm dumbfounded anew at the paradox of the bazillions going to corporate raiders, the massive amount of tax free/tax exempt organizations and tax exempt property all smiling while a comparative pittance goes to a couple of bowls of soup. Maybe i need to read a little more, but hasn't Oakland made some near 50/50 or so offers that were rejected? I have read too many articles and stories about that putrid franchise, it is beginning to jumble in my brain because some part of me just wants to forget it.

Hope the Twins use him all over the field and DH too. Willi was a pretty good spark on the bases and in the field and he also held his own at the plate. Quite a surprise to see Castro play so well and hope this continues all season long.

Same position, exactly. i will tune in to watch Wichita.

A number of comments reminded me of what I posted numerous times in the past concerning Erod. It seems like he has moments where his concentration or attention is lost. I watched a few times where he took three pitches right down the middle and walked back to the dugout. Each of those times Cedar Rapids was ahead by multiple runs. It sure seemed like he didn't care and gave away at bats. Emmanuel may need a little maturation. Playing in AA (Wichita) and his presence on the 40 person roster as well as him perhaps being more aware of falling former top prospects may awake his drive to draw notice from the front office. I would hope to see increased concentration on a consistent basis. The upper minor leagues demand more of a player than the lower levels.

There wasn't any reason for this statement. The rest of your article is correct and largely known information by those who have followed this debacle for years and interested. If an owner won't invest money in a team why should a city? Yet, cities routinely just hand over billions to billionaires for their businesses, thus Fisher is not exactly motivated to go it alone, is he? Oakland wants something solid in return for development of the Howard Terminal area, which seems reasonable. Fisher wants a deal like what Atlanta received. MLB has exasperated the problem by funneling money to an owner in a market that could support baseball. The As have a decent media contract in place, which cannot be replaced in Vegas. Agree on the neighborhood but counter with the neighborhood around Yankee Stadium, which is better by a bit. Still there are cities like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee, and others that deal with crime, garbage, and a host of problems. Oakland is not a paradise, but the Oakland situation is a classic case of a lack of communication and cooperation combined with negligence on the part of MLB. The bottom line is that a resolution in Oakland, no matter how difficult, is better for baseball. I see MLB sending money forever to a team located in Las Vegas. Others will disagree and that is fine. All speculation on my end, but based on hours and hours of research, which does not make it a fact.

I have never been to Las Vegas. I read an article that stated that the site in Vegas was a half acre larger than Target Field which is currently the smallest site for a baseball stadium. Was there room to put a fully retractable roof on Target Field? I don't know this information. Target Field seems pretty tight. It seems the writer of the article i read was off on the Vegas site information.

Seems like just about everyone put Erod in one trade or another all winter long. Emmanuel has some work to do to prove that he can be a force at some future point in an MLB lineup. He needs to cut his k-rate and also show solid contact on some of those pitches he takes. Still, having watched a ton of his at bats last year Erod looks like the type of player who can make a huge difference to a team, at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. 2024 should reveal where he is headed because AA baseball can separate the players who can and cannot handle better pitching. I'm big on Erod and am willing to bet that his zone awareness and bat speed play in the Texas League. I'm hopeful for a month or so at St. Paul for Rodriguez.

I would not be surprised if it all fell apart. I read that the plan is to build a retractable dome stadium on a footprint only slightly (less than an acre) larger than Target Field. There are lawsuits already because rules were ignored passing some deals. It will all come to a conclusion eventually. I see a team in Vegas as a drain on MLB revenue. The Bay Area has been quite a financial bonus to teams knowing how to do business. The Giants make a ton of money and they paid for their stadium themsleves. Fisher is bad news. Lastly, why should MLB support the As in the 3-5 years they play somewhere with small crowds and a much reduced media deal? The current deal for the As is $70 million per year, but does not transfer if they move. This would literally take money from future Twins payrolls.

Bauer doesn't project above of Ryan or Ober. If we are looking back several years, yes, Bauer was good and DeSclafani was as well. I don't believe the Twins care though about whether Bauer would make the team better. As far as forgiven, yes, why not? MLB is a very conservative corporation. Players get set aside pretty quickly when they piss off the head boys. In 2007, Barry Bonds had a .480 OBP, a OPS of 1.045, an OPS+ of 169, and 3.4 WAR among other stats. Bonds offered to play for minimum wage and despite being among the top ten players in the game .... his career was over. That is how MLB works. I have nothing against Trevor Bauer but the corporate heads do and we don't have any say in their decisions. Such is life.

MLB should not be giving Fisher a penny for any reason. Other sports have forced out better owners than Fisher. Fisher, Manfred and MLB have created a travesty with the As. On a related but slightly different note - how well will Vegas actually support baseball? Smaller market, very hot, the main business is gambling which is a nighttime activity for tourists, and a growing water crisis among other problems. Many believe Vegas will be a good move for baseball. Football works because they play a very limited schedule once per week. Hockey plays in a smaller venue inside. I don't see Vegas working out for MLB.

Bigger market.

Seems like he could fit in if he can control his curveball, cutter, and splitter. There isn't much difference between Sands and a few others at the back end of the bullpen. Players need an opportunity and must perform when given a shot. Tough business.

Curious. Who among the many on/connected in any fashion with Twins Daily have seen Gonzalez play in a game or via television (milb.com)? I just wonder if it might be early to evaluate him. To be fair, I have not personally seen Walker Jenkins, Charlee Soto, Brandon Winokur, or Connor Prielipp play. Just wondered about the evaluations, not questioning really.

The season will play out and give us a partial answer. What is done is done. The statement is fair. FWIW, I'm a big fan of Julien and of Polanco too.

Agree. The number of posts and comments suggesting one or another trade or signing has been nonstop. Seems like everyone (myself included) chimed in. Thing is, the Twins more or less stated a cut in payroll and spent months trying for this or that trade. Sometimes, it pays to wait but it looked like there was a deadline, thus the trade. There have been veiled comments about the roster being set for reporting. I don't think anyone should expect any more transactions of note. It is what it is.

Tommy Herr is an interesting example. He was loved and lauded as one of the most loved players and looked up to on that 1987 Cardinals team. The optimum character guy for those who value that highly. The Twins loved Brunansky too. It just seemed like a classic need for need trade. One thing though - Herr was devastated as was his wife. He could not fathom being traded. He took a full season plus to get his head back together. Baseball is a tough business. The teams talk all smooth but business is their gig.

Long post, nothing in it that anyone who follows the Twins didn't already know, and zero evidence. Perhaps someone will have direct evidence of a reason that Balazovic got popped. Until then, he didn't do anything except exist. Thousands of people are attacked and killed every week just for existing, including infants. S**t happens and bad people do bad things just for fun. Balazovic was DFA'ed because the Twins felt that he would not offer as much production as another guy. Trevor Larnach is a great guy. Don't expect him to bat fourth and get 600 PA. Going further, if Trevor Bauer was as good as Gerritt Cole he would be signed already. There are a dozen players from where he played last year who are as good. Baseball is a cut-throat business.

How does one come to this conclusion? A DFA is a choice of the potential production of one player over another; there are 40 positions.

The 120 innings will likely include any playoffs. Returning from TJ is a tough haul and Paddack is returning from his second TJ surgery. Paddack also is signed for 2025 for $7.5 million and the Twins will not want him compromised for next season.

Maybe stronger than the beginning of last season, but not better than the end of the campaign.