Jump to content
Twins and Mariners, join the conversation! ×
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

tony&rodney

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    9,423

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    85

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    The Twins are always listening on any and all trade offers. I'm skeptical that the Twins are hoping to trade Polanco and Kepler to save money. They are hoping to turn these guys who will soon be gone into players who will be around and feel like they can be covered by others if the return is decent; a win-win situation. Vazquez will be difficult to trade for a reasonable return and the money saved will be used to bring in an inferior player unless the Twins manage a major trade that includes a catcher coming back. Farmer makes sense as a utility player for the Twins still but we should expect him to be traded for a minor league kid with some hope for the future or as the tail end of a package of players in a bigger trade. There has been a constant chorus of comments that suggest trading Polanco and Kepler to free up money in order to sign a free agent pitcher. I would be flabbergasted if that happened. It does make sense to probe the market in order to obtain value for any of the Twins players. It makes even more sense if those players are not likely to be a part of the team 2-3 years. Polanco has two more years and Max has one under contract. Neither can return a player who will help in 2024 by themselves. Either can be part of a larger trade to bring in a player that is impactful for 2024. A much bigger decision, one that can be deferred easily, is how the Twins see using three young players for two positions. Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee are really third basemen, unless you believe that Carlos Correa will move to first base soon. Julien is rough but pretty much the most likely guy to work out at second base until someone else comes along. Nobody wants to see any of these three leave and I agree, yet it is these three whose names emit from the lips of GMs who seek transactions with the Twins. Expect more silence.
  2. tony&rodney
    Almost nothing has changed since the season ended except the roster budget. Perhaps the Twins are at their limit right now. There is still a decent chance that the team get itself involved in a trade or two. Pretty much every angle has been covered already. It does seem like the end result may be a surprise. The Twins are likely interested in a couple of Marlins pitchers. The Marlins should hold all of Braxton, Luzardo, and Perez but may be willing to trade Cabrera or Meyer for Jeffers or Lee. Not sure this works though. The Twins are also lurking like every other team around Seattle and may be trying to work out a big trade for Gilbert with Lee or Julien plus Kepler, with the Twins including some money. Again, I'm nor sure this works for both teams. A challenge trade still seems likely. While both Seattle and Minnesota fans would protest loudly and each front office may not be willing to step forward, it makes sense for the teams to complete a Lewis for Kirby trade if Seattle believes in Miller, Woo, and Hancock and Minnesota believes in Lee.
  3. tony&rodney
    You know what? I think you are correct. I am familiar with his contract and now I'm not sure why that clause for the last two years is even in the contract (5 team list). I guess others may weigh in but you should be right on with this deal.
  4. tony&rodney
    You could never be unpopular with Rod Carew as part of your line. Read my comment about teams that were better than the 2023 team, keeping in ming that I loved the 2023 team; way down the list. Also 7 teams from 1962-1970 were clearly better, no question.
  5. tony&rodney
    I don't believe Royce Lewis would be too hot at 2B, but I hope he has a long career. Catching is brutal on the body, so projecting Ryan Jeffers is not a fair bet. It is hard to guess who could be behind the plate right now. I'm going to optimistically guess Jeferson Quero.
  6. tony&rodney
    These lists are pretty much just having fun and there is nothing wrong with that. I often don't even look at these guesses. The 2024 list will be lucky to have 2-3 guys actually starting in their estimated positions. Buxton has a full no trade clause in his contract through the 2026 season but he can be traded to all but 5 clubs thereafter.
  7. tony&rodney
    Rhys Hoskins is a helluva bat. It isn't that he would not help. It is that his contract will be well beyond what the Twins are paying. Math can be simple and the Twins are looking for trades to acquire good talent that is not costly. They have already passed on a few players that may have been good fits if not for the greenbacks needed to sign them. It would be quite surprising to see a sudden shift now.
  8. tony&rodney
    Umm ... not in top ten. You already picked one with the 2010 team. i would guess the 1987 and 1991 teams are in there too. The Twins were really good from 1962-1970 with only two teams not better than the 2023 Twins. There are also good teams in 1988 and 1992. I think that is 11 and doesn't count 1977, which was a better team than the 2023 Twins, not to mention the good teams from 2003-5 and teams from 2006, 2008-2010, or 2019. I'm hoping some of the good play from the second half of last year results in a full year of excellence in 2024 and maybe Falvey finds time to get some work done before the season as well. I did enjoy the improvement in the team in the second half last year.
  9. tony&rodney
    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/diamondbacks-to-sign-lourdes-gurriel-jr.html A number of people believed that Gurriel Jr. would be a decent player for the Twins, especially if Max Kepler was traded. I don't see any other bats worth signing for less than $15 million per year. Are the Twins content with the lineup as is?
  10. tony&rodney
    Wrong term, yes. I wasn't a fan of his pitching style, but wish him luck. I was thinking that it was good that he signed with another team and not sure how that wound up - stupid two words. Sorry.
  11. tony&rodney
    It looks like a couple more ideas have gone, with Glasnow to LAD and Flaherty to Detroit via MLBTradeRumors.com
  12. tony&rodney
    Wait, I wanted to know how many times you have seen Winokur or Emm-Rod actually play. Have you?
  13. tony&rodney
    Yah, Mahle trade is right up there with the worst trades ever. The Twins were desperate and took a real leap; hurts. Glad he is gone elsewhere. Good riddance and good luck to him.
  14. tony&rodney
    I have not seen Winokur play in games, just a few highlight videos of a single pitch here and there. Have you seen him play? I'm curious what people say who have seen him play. I'm excited to see him play and love what I have read about Winokur. Are you referencing Emmanuel or Jose Rodriguez? I have not seen Jose Rod play but read solid reports on him. I have seen Emm-Rod and while he is still young (immature), the talent jumps out when you watch him. He controls the game when he wants to do so. He can run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power - that is a five tool player. His knowledge/eye for the strike zone matches or even surpasses that of Edouard Julien. No one else in the Twins system and hardly anyone else in all of baseball has a feel for the strike zone as clearly as Emm-Rod. The wart is a red flag; he can wander in his concentration and often just swings wildly and misses at pitches, even those right down the middle or just stands at the plate and takes pitches right down the middle. Thus it is hard to know where he is headed. This year should reveal how much determination Emm-Rod has towards the grind of professional baseball. I would not question the talent at all. If you saw his at bat where he just decided to hit a grand slam in the playoffs ..... it was electric. The ball was gone, poof. When people go to watch a prospect, a wide outcome is possible. Sometimes a writer/scout will see a guy strike out in four at bats without swinging and nobody hits a ball to the player in the field either. Then there are times a player will show off everything they have. I think that Keith Law had a pretty good write up on Emm-Rod last Spring. He could be top ten in all of baseball or not ranked at all. If I'm picking teams, I'm gambling on the talent.
  15. tony&rodney
    Yes, much worse. Awkward swings, demotion, more bad swings, IL, and finally surgery. The details are somewhat murky but the swing was affected immediately.
  16. tony&rodney
    If the Twins can return a pitcher like Gilbert or Kirby by trading Julien in combination with others, do it, providing the others do not cripple the team. i would expect both teams to benefit from such a trade. The important part is how another team views the Twins players. I would think that Julien would flourish hitting behind Julio Rodriguez and in front of Cal Raleigh. Either Rodriguez steals 80 bases or Julien gets a ton of fastballs in the zone; either way pitchers are going to suffer. Julien has not peaked. He has just scratched the surface of his potential. He is going to improve dramatically as a fielder, but never be close to a Robero Alomar. Julien will be slightly above average like all true Minnesotans. He will only gain strength which is bound to increase his extra base hits. Additionally, if the ABS challenge system ever is adopted his triple slash lines will go up and his k-rate will go down. The Twins can find at bats for everyone without a trade this year. A trade just seems inevitable due to the surplus of infielders. If the Twins feel that the team is in stronger position to win with Lewis and Lee than with Lewis and Julien or Lee and Julien, it makes sense to make Julien available for the right price. A reason I feel bullish on Julien is because runners on base are opportunities to score runs. Julien is the best we have at that skill and he can hit the snot out of the ball as well. Lee, Julien, Lewis, these are questions.
  17. tony&rodney
    The Twins simply do not have any two (or three) player(s) to compare to guys like Judge/Soto or Betts/Freeman/Ohtani. However, I do believe that it is possible that with good fortune, health, and continued growth the Twins will have a strong lineup. The offense of the last half of 2023 could be replicated and even improved in 2024. It is a reason I believe the Twins will be a better team next year than they were in the past year. As far as duos go, I would suggest that Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis batting 1 & 2 could be quite a start in any game. It will be the 1-9 lineup that makes a difference though. The Twins do not have the superstars to make any top ten list of duos in MLB. The Twins ranked #10 in runs last season and it would be sweet to see them reach the top five in the coming year.
  18. tony&rodney
    This is a valid point. I have been aware of that (Keller contract) and should have addressed it in my comment above. I would think the Pirates should try to extend Keller's contract. The Pittsburgh franchise has indicated they intend to compete. I guess it comes down to when the Pirates end the never ending rebuild. Like I said, Keller is a good pitcher. i like him and if the Twins can pick him up it might work out well all around. I try to think of trades from both sides, which is a little futile. As such, i don't see a decent reason for Pittsburgh to trade Keller unless they receive an offer they cannot refuse. They don't need position players, so maybe Raya, Festa, Varland, and Wallner+ or Culpepper+ instead of Wallner. In that case, it might work. On the other hand, I am on record as suggesting that the Twins do not trade any pitching unless it returns either Kirby or Gilbert. I'm just not seeing this match. I thought about how in late October. Others, including Tom Froemming I believe, have suggested trading for Keller and perhaps it all could be done.
  19. tony&rodney
    The United States was at war with itself from roughly 1970-1995, with rates peaking in the early 1900s. Murder, violent crime, and property crime fell off rather dramatically until a spike that began in 2015. Crime, today, remains substantially lower than the 70s, 80s, 90s, or 00s. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/us-crime-rates-and-trends-analysis-fbi-crime-statistics The social ills referenced by many in the comments are largely a result of growing inequality from 1980 onward that has reversed the trends from roughly 1900-1980. These are choices made by populations (voters). Social problems are distinct from crime. Posey moved back to San Francisco from Atlanta the area because he loves the SF area and it is where he wants his kids to grow up. He is frustrated that the Giants have been unable to sign some free agents and wonders if the perceptions have become reality. In fact, players choose where they play for reasons that do not necessarily have anything to do with negatives, but rather reflect their own preferences. Ohtani likes where he lives in Los Angeles and wants to drive to work, so it was never going to be anywhere but the Dodgers. Aaron Judge was always going to sign with the Yankees. He loves the city and the legacy of being a Yankee great has its own allure. Joe Mauer was always going to retire a Minnesota Twin. He couldn't change his clothes or accent. There isn't any reason to read too much into why athletes make their choices of where to work. People are different.
  20. tony&rodney
    I agree with your comments and also look over these statistics on a routine basis. One note is that the Rays home is in St. Petersburg, not Tampa. The bridge and travel to get from the Tampa area to The Trop in St. Pete has often been stated as a reason for the poor attendance at Rays games. Tampa did have a brief period of glory in the early 1980s where it led the country in violent crime per population.
  21. tony&rodney
    Mitch Keller is a good pitcher, the only decent starting pitcher for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has specifically stated he is not available and that their top goals for this offseason are in this order: SP, SP, and SP. While I would like it if Keller appeared as a Twin next season, I don't understand why Pittsburgh would trade him. Can anyone reasonably explain why the Pirates would trade Keller? The only previous explanation was that the Pirates front office and owners were incompetent to a level that any team could take advantage of them. Hmmmm?
  22. tony&rodney
    I believe this is one of the arguments for keeping Kepler. His salary is low. Trade him and we can sign a mediocre relief pitcher with the savings.
  23. tony&rodney
    This is correct.
  24. tony&rodney
    Max Kepler is a beast and has just started his run of amazing years. It just took him a few years to balance everything out in his life. Now he figured it all out.
  25. tony&rodney
    This made me laugh. I remember getting trashed for speaking up for Kepler, but I also remember that my belief in him was wobbling badly. There isn't much logic in why I love to see Max Kepler on the Twins. He seems like that rare player who has a run of a 5-7 years of his best baseball that began last July. But then again ...... pumpkin.
×
×
  • Create New...