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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    The rallying cry all offseason has been for the Twins to add a starting pitcher. When people cringe on the deal that Ohtani or Yamamoto received, consider the prices for Manaea and some of the others. Good grief, at least the Twins have stayed away. Varland looks better and better with every signing. It's Kirby, Gilbert, Luzardo, Cabrera, or bust.
  2. tony&rodney
    I guess I would like to see a real genuine example of someone who gets another chance and does it right. The baseball success isn't that interesting to me with someone like Trevor Bauer but there are so many young people who eff up their lives and sometimes a shot is all they need to turn everything around. I don't know enough about the guy but I'm sure a contract could be written to include rails.
  3. tony&rodney
    The sexcapades issues may be largely blown over. A bigger problem is that several teams specifically dumped him because of his personality. I'm a big believer in giving people a second chance. Apparently Bauer started his burn it all down approach in high school. He went ignominiously from UCLA to Arizona to Cleveland to Cincinnati to Los Angeles. Never heard or read a word about his time with the Reds or in Japan. Falvey should at least do some research on Trevor Bauer. The unanimous call for release by his teammates with the Dodgers (if true) sure painted him in a corner, especially after he was shuttled out of Cleveland due to Francona's utter disgust with Bauer. Never say never. I also have liked his podcasts in the past. It is entirely possible that therapy, reflection, and time have caused Bauer to make significant changes to how he sees other people and interacts with them as well. People can change.
  4. tony&rodney
    More dough, not longer. Unfortunately for Snell, many teams will be wary of his implosions and expected arm troubles. I'm not privy to anything but guess 4/$120M. The 7/$200M seems really high. we shall see. Snell has has 3 mediocre campaigns, 3 ok seasons, and 2 Cy Young years. In his 2 brilliant times Snell threw 180 innings but never reached 130 innings in any other year. I suspect he is getting a couple of 2/$70M and 3/$105M offers but is waiting for the $150-200M range. Teams would be crazy to go that high because Snell is very high risk. I mean Nola can be written in pen for season after season of solid production. Cole is showing his worth. Snell? All these guys are beyond the Twins right now seemingly, including Castillo. Even if Polanco and Kepler come off of the books, you have raises for Correa, Lopez, and a host of arbitration players looming. We honestly just don't know where the Twins are heading with payroll but those heady predictions of last October of a payroll near $170 million are long gone. Right?
  5. tony&rodney
    If the Twins can afford Luis Castillo, then they should just sign Snell. Polanco and Kepler could be off of the payroll after this season. Adding Castillo seems quite a stretch for 2025 unless the Twins return to the $155M range. I also do not see why Seattle would trade their #1 starting pitcher. Steep hill from my viewpoint. I think Falvey might have better luck with Miami.
  6. tony&rodney
    Wallner improved to varying extents in each year since becoming a professional player. Perhaps his ability to adapt this season will be tested as never before but the Twins have quite a bit of hope riding on big Matt adjusting in positive ways.
  7. tony&rodney
    Ok. Fair. We just totally disagree. No problem.
  8. tony&rodney
    I appreciate that you and others are attempting to find ways to strengthen the team via trades and looking for ways to cut salary in the process. Thank you for your ideas. Walter Ford is a decent lottery ticket. Perhaps in a year the Twins have enough confidence in Lewis, Julien, Kirilloff, Lee, and others to look at trading Polanco for prospects. For now, Polanco is a key part of the Twins team as is Kepler. Winning the AL Central depends on their contributions. Only if a substantial player (Luzardo, Gilbert, Kirby) were returned in a major multi-player trade (take much more than JP/MK) should the Twins move either guy. DeSclafani is $12M, Urias is $4.7M. Neither players should be put on the 26 person roster because there are other players within the system already who are better. The Twins are in a bit of a spot. The players who might bring a desired pitcher are not the guys the Twins really want to trade and judging from the omission of their names from suggested deals neither do Twins fans. Seattle would be interested in Royce Lewis and maybe Brooks Lee. Miami and Milwaukee, same. Miami would also ask about Ryan Jeffers. So it gets difficult and unless a risky move is made, I can't see a big trade. What we do know is that one can never be certain and always expect the unknown. I don't have any suggestions except for lame attempts to pry away Edward Cabrera and he is not a sure thing with his lack of control. Quiet time.
  9. tony&rodney
    Falvey would be nuts to trade Polanco for DeSclafani. He would slot just above Dobnak and earn $12M. Urias and Rojas had less than ten extra base hits last year. They are not good. Polanco on one leg is far better than either player. How on Earth are people finding ways to reduce the value of Jorge Polanco to such depths. DeSclafani, Urias, and Rojas would not help the Twins in any way. The Twins and Mariners do not match up unless Dipoto decides to pay dearly. He won't.
  10. tony&rodney
    I don't believe Miami is trading Luzardo. I don't think the Twins will trade Brooks Lee. Of the young shortstop prospects (Holliday, Merill, Lawler, Mayer, Montgomery, Lee, and Williams) in MLB's top 20, Miami may see Lee as a player who projects to be a steady reliable guy who may also be available if Minnesota includes a few other pieces. Miami could use a shortstop but can also just fill from within, which is likely.
  11. tony&rodney
    You do an excellent job of selling your favorite team, but i'm not buying the Mariner's improvements. Please don't bet too much on Seattle. I would bet the under. I don't believe the Mariners and Twins really match up in a trade unless Dipoto agrees to part with either of Gilbert or Kirby and that will not happen in my opinion. Just like last year, plenty of teams will ask about Kepler and Polanco but the Twins would be smart to hold them for the coming season. I hope the answer to the post is that Polanco does not get traded. Hey, we are only three months away from baseball.
  12. tony&rodney
    The Twins really did receive outstanding work from the two catchers last season. While I would not put Jeffers so high on any list, I do believe that catching is severely underrated. The Vazquez-Jeffers combo worked really well and I would expect Baldelli to continue to alternate them this season. Don't fix what isn't broken. It would be nice if the Twins could get some solid work from Jair Camargo this year as well. We cannot expect another year where only two catchers are used in an entire year.
  13. tony&rodney
    I'm not sure how "big value" made Julien a superstar. I did not intend to suggest that status. i was merely pointing out that his emergence at the front of the lineup was important for scoring runs. In my opinion, Julien is an important cog in the Twins lineup.
  14. tony&rodney
    Tough to determine worth because it depends on the needs and views of another team. Totally abstract. The Twins should not be trading Emmanuel Rodriguez in any event and will not trade Walker Jenkins for anyone. Despite concerns among many Twins fans, Louie Varland is a very solid choice for the rotation and should not be overlooked or pushed to AAA for a guy like Clevinger. The Twins do have reasonable depth right now and need to be careful not to deplete their player resources. Any trade now has to be very clear in purpose.
  15. tony&rodney
    The budget is unknown but we should not be surprised by anything from $115-135M. I just don't expect the Twins to sign a FA starting pitcher. I would like the Twins to sign Hoskins for a year, but he will likely get a larger contract than the Twins are comfortable paying and get multiple years. I think the Twins would be a good team for him to put up great numbers this year, which might solidify his next contract. I have expected the increase for Lopez and small bump next year for Correa (fangraphs) plus the impending arb increases to affect decisions this year. From the start of the offseason, I have believed the Twins to focus on inexpensive additions with the potential movement of any of Polanco, Kepler, Farmer to only occur if the return made sense now. Depending on how we see Lewis, Julien, Lee, Kirilloff, and others progress, the Twins may look to trade Polanco later in the season.
  16. tony&rodney
    Ray was not being counted on for this season. The pitcher who came over from SF, DeSclafani, is a starter. That makes six starters. I don't really think the Mariners and Twins match up unless it is a major deal, which I do not expect. We should not be underestimating the worth of Kepler and Polanco.
  17. tony&rodney
    I don't believe the Twins were willing to trade Kepler for less than a strong return, so Dipoto turned elsewhere. Smart move by Falvey. Also, despite the beliefs by some that Seattle was sound with their 2B/3B, clearly Dipoto did not and is looking for a link before the Mariners try Ryan Bliss. Fangraphs likes the Mariners, take the under until they get a bat.
  18. tony&rodney
    Wonder how the Twins are looking at fitting both Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis into the same lineup? I don't see either as fitting at second base but many others do. Lewis would be a good first baseman in my opinion. Seems like a thought to push off into the future right now. Twins Daily and folks around the organization seem to think Lewis is a superstar and is off limits. Just wonder about how other teams feel and whether they have probed about Lewis? Scoring runs is huge and thus Julien has big value.
  19. tony&rodney
    Moving Kepler and/or Polanco without a significant return would weaken the team quite a bit. I would love for the Twins to sign Montgomery (or Snell), but these type of large money, long term deals for free agent pitchers is a near zero chance for the Twins by practice and design. Removing money from the roster doesn't change the thought process in my opinion, but I do agree that adding either Monty or Snell would be nice. We just don't know if the Twins are looking to use a roster budget of $100-125 this year and going forward. A guy like John Brebbia might help. If there is $12-15M available, Rhys Hoskins would be a sweet addition, but again .... money.
  20. tony&rodney
    We all like that idea. Money happens though.
  21. tony&rodney
    All about the money. Stroman would be a good deal for $5M, so he is not much of an option. Soler would be a good DH, but the Twins will keep that position flexible. Duvall - no. Hoskins would be delicious but .... the money. John Brebbia might be our winning ticket.
  22. tony&rodney
    Fun lists to see and interesting view of the Twins system. I cannot disagree with how players are ranked on this list as the criteria is mostly a future value judgment and speculative exercise. Prospect and system value lists always draw my attention. Jeffers has a surprising position. It is interesting to me, however, that many fans are more future focused when discussing options for the coming season. The results of looking ahead often diminish the actual accomplishments and skills of current players. Memories of Fernando Rodney, Michael Restovich, and dozens of others always come to mind. I must admit that I have been impressed by the seemingly universal fabulous acclaim for the skills and potential of Walker Jenkins. He is seen as being a superior prospect to where current Twins such as Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Royce Lewis stood once upon a time and is seen as clearly above Brooks Lee as a prospect in terms of talent. Will he be a more athletic Bryce Harper? Heady stuff.
  23. tony&rodney
    I'm in full agreement with this statement. The goal is to score runs. The batters are doing everything they can to hit the ball. Velocity does make a difference. Hitters can punish 85-90 mph fastballs and fight off a few breaking pitches, but on those occasions where the pitcher is throwing near triple digits on the edges of the zone (up and in or down and away), life as a hitter becomes very difficult. Sliders are ridiculous. I think one of the greatest pitching duels of recent times was Ohtani versus Trout in the WBC last March. The best hitters in the world has a very tough task when facing the best pitchers in the world. Julien is about the best offense the Twins have at this time and I'm thinking he improves quite a bit from last year to this season ...... or at least I hope so. His development will depend on his disciplined decisions within the zone.
  24. tony&rodney
    I'm trying to think of a contact hitter in the last twenty years who hit a bunch of doubles and triples. Barry Bonds? Would you say he was a contact hitter? There must be someone else. Never thought of anyone who hit balls in the gap over over the heads of the outfielders as contact hitters. Oh well.
  25. tony&rodney
    Fouling off pitches regularly on purpose isn't really a thing. We can forget about it .... one less item to worry about.
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