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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Well, I like the Twins starters more than most but when one looks over the vast number of comments calling for Falvey to add a top starting pitcher, it is an idea. Lewis is electric, but Skubel can win a game if the offense gives him one run. I don't think Detroit accepts Jenkins, Soto, and another guy. Detroit wants to win too. I also don't believe Jenkins is available but then again neither is Lewis in my opinion.
  2. tony&rodney
    Well, if people are really focused on adding a good starting pitcher we could always ask Detroit if Lewis for Skubel works. Is that a pitcher folks are interested in adding?
  3. tony&rodney
    Solid point. The media fiasco is probably hurting the Twins more than they realize. Attendance is down in 2024 with a team that is more fun to watch .... if you can.
  4. tony&rodney
    Is Julien back with the Twins in August? The improvement has been slow but steady.
  5. tony&rodney
    Nowlin has a ways to go with his command and control but he is grinding this season and slowly improving. Emmanuel Rodriguez has been down quite a while for what was initially a simple hand injury. I never saw anything specific but it seemed like a jammed digit was aggravated from the slide in the game where he came out. Keaschall consistently has good at bats. Carson McCullers is a big athletic guy, one hits the ball really hard.
  6. tony&rodney
    You doubled down on this statement. Apparently you have an insight that surpasses those of the people who are employed to evaluate and sign athletes to MLB contracts or you have fallen victim to data. I'm often confused by your takes. Are you addicted to data in a manner that restricts any option to just watch a game or just simply unfamiliar with the game? I'm believing the former. Data is useful but seems to ruin the game for many people. Using data, you can say that Vazquez is nearly useless and that Pablo Lopez is a poor pitcher. I would suggest that those who make their living at the game would strongly disagree with that view. I get the fascination with data. In the 1990s I used charts, graphs, and self-made systems to manage teams for decades in a manner that seemed representative of what I saw from my teams. There are many such schemes and far more complicated and accurate systems used in the game today. Every team employs people using data, which is transferred as suggestions down to the players. So I agree with the use of data. However, I would suggest that one would get more out of the game from taking a couple of years away from all data and just watching the games. Watching the games can also allow one to avoid falling prey to constant criticism of the athletes thus making for a more positive entertainment experience. Baseball, for those not making their paychecks from the game, is simply entertainment.
  7. tony&rodney
    If you are a good pitcher you don't give a damn about whether or not your catcher can hit. There is nothing wrong with Vazquez and the guys who throw to him would be much more scornful of negative comments about him than any of us ever could be.
  8. tony&rodney
    Totally agree. I have been saying for years that catchers are under-appreciated and that the difficulty of the position is many factors harder than any other spot on the diamond. When the discussions about Mauer for Hall of Fame were ongoing, I found it hard to be civil, but just chose to promote his career on its merits. I pitched into my 50s but found the roughly 100 times spent behind the plate to be the most difficult thing in my sporting experiences. I guess the really good athletes, with a sporadic exception here and there, are pushed to avoid the position. Their knees and legs thank them for decades.
  9. tony&rodney
    Robertson would be a nice addition but I don't believe the Rangers are selling. They have a solid nucleus of position players with a decent chance that their starting pitching will improve. Their September schedule looks favorable. A team will need to overpay to pry away one of the players discussed.
  10. tony&rodney
    I watched Matthews pitch. He threw too many pitches in the 3rd inning and had to come out. The defense was less than stellar. Also, while we always read comments about how a catcher needs to hit at least a little bit, watching Cossetti behind the plate is a reminder of the actual job description of a catcher. Perhaps Cossetti just had a bad day but it was a full on example of how valuable a good catcher is to a pitcher in reverse. Along those lines, I wonder if an organization might have more success developing their pitchers if they only used decent catchers. This also begs the question of why more athletic baseball players don't give catching a try.
  11. tony&rodney
    True, but in addition to arbitration raises there will also be an extra $18.5 million due to Lopez and Paddack. A very rough guess on the arb raises adds somewhere near $15 million. Maybe the budget goes up, but it could go down too. The only way the Twins add a decent starting pitcher is to trade someone that hurts. Who would people ask for if the Twins called suggesting a deal?
  12. tony&rodney
    One thing that seems reasonable is to understand the financial budgetary limits of a organization. We do not need to agree or be pleased but when a team suggests that they are going to stay within an area, it doesn't hurt to take them at their word. Maybe the Twins surprise us and are willing to spend, but for now it makes sense to know the budget is fairly tight. That means not adding anything past .... say $3-6 million for the remainder of the season. Oh I'm all for $150-200 million payroll for the Twins but I'm not writing any checks for the players, so I do pay attention to ownership's wishes. That is not in any way an agreement but just a reality.
  13. tony&rodney
    Sometimes it may be worth thinking about who Falvey (Twins) is willing to trade. If all players in the organization without 'no trade' clauses are in a discussion, the possibilities for adding a strong player increase by quite a bit. It seems unlikely that the team would add a large contract in any event, which does reduce the choices. Thus, Kikuchi is the only potential add from this post. Is he better than what we already roster? Who goes the other way? I guess we get into that after the All Star Game break.
  14. tony&rodney
    Kepler is a good baseball player. I am just enjoying that he is still playing for the Twins.
  15. tony&rodney
    Three cheers for Christian Vazquez .... hip, hip, hooray ..... MVP. Today.
  16. tony&rodney
    A Pressly article seems timely. He will finish his career with Houston unless he decides to pitch for much less cash. Great job of explaining his continued relevance and success; Pressly continues to be a good reliever. Why does this post include a shot at former manager, Paul Molitor? I usually find myself complementing the writers and posts on Twins Daily, yet am not very tolerant about comments about former managers and regimes that are nearly always pointless and also not accurate.
  17. tony&rodney
    Well, I don't completely disagree, but that does mean that no starting pitcher better than what is currently rostered can be considered. If people want to discuss acquiring a top SP, it will cost. We read so many posts that suggest adding a top SP, but also seem to think those type of players will be available for extra Twins players. The Lopez-Arraez trade is an example. Now folks want someone even better, which means _ _ _ _ _ goes the other way.
  18. tony&rodney
    Starting pitchers worth putting in a Twins uniform at the high cost will be very dear in price. Gilbert, Kirby, Miller, Crochet, and even Luzardo will not come without screams and gnashing of teeth. Some combination (I have no idea how many or what combo) of guys like Jenkins, Rodriguez, Lee, Festa, Lewis, or others would be the ask. Who among Twins fans will part with Lewis, Wallner, and Varland for someone like Kirby? Who do the Twins count as an untouchable among the players in the organization?
  19. tony&rodney
    Criticism is not a bad thing and I would submit that analysis and criticism is occasionally warranted. It seems like these players (I'll skip pitchers for brevity) have been flooded with calls for DFA: Farmer and Margot. Santana was an early recipient but his play has calmed the storm on him for now. Guys not seen as worthy of an MLB job on many posts: Kirilloff, Julien, & Martin. Vazquez = yikes. Buxton and Correa have quieted their critics a bit in the last five weeks. Larnach and Jeffers have generally received the benefit of doubt. Lee and Lewis are saviors. Kepler get pilloried on a routine basis. Miranda has been a machine and I saw a call to trade him. Castro seems under-appreciated given his play. The Twins are on a 91 win pace and in a good position at this time. I'm always interested in sound criticism but when your team is exceeding expectations Is it unreasonable to expect that most of the comments are positive in nature?
  20. tony&rodney
    Just me maybe, but I am not understanding the emphasis on Baldelli's role. Yes, he is the manager. I would pull Miranda after my pitchers had hit several batters in a blowout game. As far as the choice to use Winder, it might be useful to look at the options provided by upper management. The Twins are doing pretty good this year and have some ability to improve in a couple of areas.
  21. tony&rodney
    Those who attended the game must have enjoyed all of the offense. I thought that 83-85 wins would be enough to win the ALC back in March. The Twins were seen (widely) as a 83-87 win team before the season. At this time the Twins are well ahead of expectations, but it now looks like there may be a need to win around 90 games. It is a long season and I hope those who get frustrated with the team make it to September because the season should close with an exciting final couple of weeks. Falvey may need to find a relief pitcher or two.
  22. tony&rodney
    The coming offseason looks to be quite similar to last winter. The Twins have some players that other teams may be interested in acquiring for their team. The Twins will be limited (only if one wants to spend more than $135 million) in spending. The Twins have eyes for a few young controllable starting pitchers. Falvey had opportunities last winter and will again. The names being asked about will remain similar to last offseason as well, although the interest and value levels on said players will have gone up or down for various reasons. Who (among players with MLB time) would be on those "interest" lists? Just guessing, but pretty much every player who still has controllable years. Think about the perceived value of Wallner, Julien, and Varland (plus possibly Kirilloff) last winter. You can then add Jeffers, Miranda, Lee, Lewis, Larnach, Martin, Woods Richardson, and Festa as well as a few relievers to the top prospects to get possible choices for Falvey. Obviously, the Twins do not need to trade anyone, which is the track Falvey chose last offseason. Perhaps one or two players could be on the move though. This feels like an exercise sure to frustrate, however, because Falvey swings small and leaves fans wishing the Pohlads would bale him out by signing big name free agents. So let us hope Joe P. decides to add Max Fried and Juan Soto. Hmmm.
  23. tony&rodney
    I sure say yes to that, but I think they will counter with Lee, Festa, and Keaschall.
  24. tony&rodney
    Decent idea but who goes to Miami?
  25. tony&rodney
    I don't believe anyone is pleased with how Vazquez has struggled at the plate this year, especially the man himself. However, there isn't any other options at this time and a guy who can catch the ball is vital to every pitcher on the Twins staff. I'm not ready to bail on Vazquez right now. Camargo is not an answer yet.
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