tony&rodney

Like the idea of getting a good starting pitcher via trade. You also make a fair argument about selling high. Others have already mentioned looking to trade guys like Wallner or Julien because they believe their value is too high right now. Not me. There is going to be disagreements (naturally) with the players you featured, which is a good part of any discussion. There will also be some contention with a couple of other things. The post is a great thought though and may spur some thoughts. First, I get that BTV is fun in a way. I have looked at it too. We went over a number of examples last year where it was shown how preposterous some trades can be using the values set by that site. So I will continue to look at BTV once in a while for fun but I'm not taking much value from it. Secondly, it is important to attempt to understand more or less what another team wants in players that would improve their team. This is complicated to an extent. Miami wants a catcher and may part with a pretty good package for Jeffers. Do the Twins do that? Cincinnati needs pitching and maybe an outfielder, so they are unlikely to trade a pitcher. Seattle is a real potential trade partner for the Twins but they want a starting player with years of control. I'm not sure Castro (a utility player) works for them. Larnach may be a player that fits as the extra guy in a trade but maybe there is a team who values Trevor. I love the process proposed in the post and feel that there will be plenty of options for difficult decisions in the offseason. Sometimes trades work beautifully, where both teams get what they want and make the playoffs as a result. Other times a player gets sent away in a move to strengthen the pitching staff where injuries occur and the player who was buried on the Twins winds up with more than 60 extra base hits on his new team. I am still in favor of pursuing Edward Cabrera and/or Max Meyer from Miami. Good post, I hope the Twins find a good trade again.

Expect improvement from both this year's rookie group and from the vets like Correa, Kepler, Polanco, and Buxton. Jeffers surely needs to improve his K:BB rate too. As mentioned, replacing Gallo and Taylor will also help reduce the strike outs. I believe the offense will be improved next season.

The Twins have specifically stated (recently) that Lewis is playing third base, taking ground balls at shortstop at times for practice. Everyone can forget about Royce Lewis as an outfielder, even if you think it is a good idea. Jose Miranda lost this year to injury. We cannot know to what extent he was ineffective due to injury. The 2022 Jose Miranda had a solid MLB bat with the ability to drive the ball for extra base hits and carry a decent K rate. A return to full force at the plate brings a fair option back to the Twins roster. Nothing will be known until late March.

This is a fabulous well placed understatement. Levine is virtually anonymous in Minnesota. I doubt 10% of the people who listen to Twins games even know who he is. His job has been completely stressless from outside public pressure. At most people who closely follow the Twins have referred to "Falvine" or made comments about Falvey and that other guy. Adler, Zoll, and Anthony receive nearly the same amount of notice as Levine. I don't say that to ridicule in any fashion but to agree that Boston would be an introduction to public pressure in his job. Thad has operated in the shadows and I'm sure he is respected or he would not have been considered for an interview. We should all wish him well and hope he is offered the job if he wants it, which he must since he interviewed. On a related note, I'm a little surprised that a team hasn't already offered Ng a PBO job considering her extensive experience and success in Miami. Maybe she just wants to retire.

Analytics have provided a ton of jobs for people and also drawn interest from multiple directions. The economy is good.

Really. I mean I like all of those players but if the team can be improved a trade can happen with some of those guys (Lee, Julien, or Wallner). I'm not expecting one of these players to be traded but it would not be a surprise.

I'm a big fan of OBP, whether that is via hit, walk, HBP, or error - just get on base. Extra base hits are very cool too. The three players who led the Twins in OBP were: Julien, Lewis, and Wallner. Solano and Jeffers were tied for fourth best on the team. Only five Twins had an OPS above .800: Lewis, Wallner, Jeffers, Julien, and Kepler. Kirilloff and Polanco weren't too far below the mark with Solano the next best at .760. Only two Twins had more than forty extra base hits: Correa (49) and Kepler (48). Do we start thoughts of the team going with Julien (DH), Lewis (3B), Wallner (LF), Solano-signed to new contract (1B), Jeffers (C), Kepler (RF), Polanco (2B), Correa (SS), and ??? (CF)? Personally, I'm patiently waiting for the Twins player who wins a Platinum Glove over several consecutive years while hitting over 80 extra base hits and over 350 total bases. How long until Walker Jenkins arrives? Actually, the Twins offense could be really good next year. However, there will be quite a bit on the shoulders of the three rookies from this year.

There is a consensus that hopes Buxton will return to playing baseball. There are differences to what extent. I do not know what is going on with all of his various ailments and I have empathy that Buck can only sit and watch. There is always the idea that Buxton has reached a point where highly competitive athletic activity endangers his future mobility and normal every day life. Perhaps Buxton has played his last game. I hope not but the lengthy periods of time where he is disabled does not square with my own multiple knee surgeries or the experiences of many others whom I have known. I'm referring to injuries and rehabs related only to competitive sports for some context. The bottom line for me is that I have no idea what injury Byron Buxton has and the many explanations do not connect with those many I have known that were labeled similarly to Buxton's injuries. Just good luck Byron.

Pitching.

Yes, I have looked him up too. This summer I watched a bunch of his at bats via milb.com. He looks pretty good and catchers are extremely valuable. I'm not sure what it would take to secure him from declaring himself a free agent. When I see what happens when a team loses their catchers, it makes me think the Twins need to get that done before the World Series ends.

LeClerc was savvy, walking both Abreu and Brantley to get to a less experienced hitter. Altuve looks different in this series thus far. We are not seeing his guided bat swings with two strikes that result in base hits and he has been fooled a number of times by breaking balls, sort of understandable though.

The Twins were really lucky to only use two catchers. Vazquez is still decent and signing Camargo for a Garlick-like contract should happen soon. The situation with Farmer depends on if the Twins trade away a significant infielder in a package for a starting pitcher. Maybe Miami is interested in Farmer. The contracts for Polanco and Kepler are too good to just give away for some random relief pitcher. If either or both are part of a big trade it might make sense, but it also makes sense to see who in the Twins system interests other teams. The strike outs are primarily a problem when situational hitting calls for bat on ball. A double play with no outs and the bases loaded scores a run at least. The K-BB ratio should be improved. Only Julien managed a 2-1 or better rate. Many Twins have 3-1 or worse K-BB rates. It should be an interesting offseason for the Twins.

Texas ambushed Framber and Eovaldi had the Astros off balance early. Houston had a big chance with the bases loaded and nobody out, but failed to score. Does that sound familiar? It happens to all teams but sure makes winning difficult. Texas is better at every position than the Twins. I believe the Twins have better pitching. Houston and the Twins have similar pitching strengths, but are better than the Twins at all positions save shortstop and catcher. This has been fun to watch for a baseball fan.

Experience is important in just about any area of life. Baldelli was raw and inexperienced almost by definition when he took the job as the Twins manager. He knows baseball through and through though and has been more comfortable every year in his job. He is a good manager. The job of manager is important but it has been a long time since we have seen the manager hit, pitch, or play in the field. Sometimes I'm taken aback at the comments attacking the managers. Of course, there is always going to be second guessing on many decisions no matter what the job entails. Still, we read condescending comments about high school coaches, Baldelli, and otherwise. I'm wondering if those who hold managers in low esteem also put engineers and surgeons on the same level. The title to the post is sort of odd/funny. Do people on Twins Daily really believe that they might know as much about baseball as a guy like Rocco? Or even many high school coaches? We have opinions, for sure. When the Toronto manager pulls Berrios, there is a general move to second guess the decision, yet we cannot positively know that this call was not part of some conversation prior to the game. This is almost, but not, similar to lifting Ryan after two innings. Baseball has a far different communication and decision model today than it did 25 years ago. There are 30 manages in baseball and I believed that Francona was the best of the bunch. I also believe that all of them are good at their jobs. They exist along the spectrum in comparison to each other. Baldelli is a good manager, is what I would say. I like Rocco. Then again, I'm also someone who thinks that Paul Molitor and his experience would have been an even better choice all along.

I agree that the Twins need Polanco due to his presence and ability to score runners. The offseason debates will often look to toss Polanco, Kepler, and Farmer with the goal of distributing the money elsewhere. I'm believe that experience and depth are important. Julien was a near average defensive player in September. By his own words he was hesitant and too cautious on every ball when he arrived to MLB. He still has a long way to go, defensively, in my opinion but one must acknowledge the improvement of his glove. Despite his horrendous start, even the metrics used improved dramatically month over month. There is a possibility that Polanco may be a part of a large trade for a starting pitcher. The Arraez-Lopez trade sure ignited a torrent of anger on Twins Daily. Anything can happen with pitchers and trading young established or very promising players is always going to cause some disagreement, especially when an acquired pitcher goes down with TJ or a shoulder injury. Still, I'm thinking there are a couple of possibilities where a fairly dramatic trade can happen. The players who cannot be discussed are: Royce Lewis and Walker Jenkins. Jenkins has a chance to be a star. Lewis is a draw and he has created interest to a degree that I don't see the Twins considering him in any transaction. There are a pile of other names I do not want to see sent away in a trade, but if the right pitcher is available Falvey needs to listen. One thing that seems clear is that the Twins have both infield depth and needs. Sonny Gray deserves a large contract, if only for the time he suffered in New York. I cannot see any chance he returns as a Twin, and so the Twins have their work cut out for them in finding ways to replace his production.

The only way i see the Twins covering Sonny Gray's loss is through a trade. The uncertainty of a good media deal is likely to restrict any looks at free agent pitchers, including Gray. Like a previous comment mentioned, perhaps the sum of Ryan, Ober, Paddack, Varland, Woods Richardson, and Festa does an adequate job of filling in for Sonny Gray. Falvey has his work cut out for him.

The media money is huge for some teams and any cut in revenue for the Twins will have a ripple effect. I'm thinking a player payroll around $135 million is a fair guess for 2024. The crunch in payroll will come in a few years if the media money is a problem.

Twins fans need to live with whatever roster management puts on the field. It isn't always ideal. The Twins strike out a bunch and they also are an average to below average team defensively. The makeup of the roster leans to offense, so there should be more consistency and better production going forward. The current roster is chock full of guys who strike out quite a bit. The three rookies (Julien, Lewis, & Wallner) all K a ton. There may be some thought put forth on making contact with two strikes. We see other players rip until they get to two strikes and then manage the bat for contact. Altuve comes to mind. Easier said than done though. The positive part of the rookies is that they seem to be decent at working the count, especially Julien. Perhaps it just is that the players could be a little bit more aggressive on pitches in the zone with hitting swings as opposed to over-swinging. These are skills that players practice. The Ks may be a feature of the team again next year because of the players on the roster. Only Julien managed a reasonable K:BB ratio this past season. All of Correa, Kepler, and Polanco have done better in their careers. So there is plenty of room for improvement in the area of batters striking out. Let's hope the walks and hits go up and the Ks go down next season.

I admit that I usually fall into the optimism camp and see hope for Byron next season. I do believe there is more work to do than just his health. Although certainly his weak foundation may have been the primary cause of an obvious change in his swing, Buxton has a ton of practice needed before he returns to being an effective offensive player. Again, maybe he can just readjust his mechanics with full health but he needs to get back a baseball swing. The Twins almost need to build their roster without Buxton, although he is obviously going to be one of the 13 position players. I say this because it will be near April before anyone can be sure whether Buck is back for real. Hope springs eternal.

We won't know how Buxton has healed until Spring Training. He has a no trade contract. My guess is that all conversations about his position for next year are on hold knowing only that he gets a spot on the 40 person roster. When totally healthy, Byron has supreme talent. Unfortunately, Buck has been addled with injuries and his career a sad example of how injury affects a player. The talent teased and there were hopes that Buxton would become one of the top 2-3 centerfielders in Twins history. The hope has to be that somehow Buxton can return as a good baseball player but the odds seem against him.

The decisions on Farmer (especially) and Gordon are somewhat dependent on if the Twins plan to be aggressive in the trade market. Of course, there would need to be some conversations with teams in the next few weeks. The Twins have until November 17. Perhaps there are a few moves before that deadline.

Yes, i agree. Same result. The swings we saw as he was struggling don't make it in MLB. Hopefully, Byron will be fully healed and rediscover a flatter bat path. The math on his swings while hurt are not good.

Maki is observant and seems to have a good feel for when a pitcher needs a little break. His suggestions and work with this Twins pitching staff is to be lauded. Congratulations to Pete Maki on a fine year. After watching David Festa a dozen or more times this summer, I wondered if Maki might have some suggestions and modifications for the young hurler. Festa has overpowering stuff at times but lacks experience, perhaps confidence (no idea), and could use a few useful pounds of muscle on his frame. I'm excited to see how Varland and Festa develop next season.

This belief that just about anyone can be adequate as a first baseman has always confounded. I know others question this as well. The skills to play the other infield positions require more arm strength and lateral foot speed as well as the ability to understand the speed of the game, who is running and so forth. Each position is different and requires different skills. While a first baseman might not need to be as athletic as a middle infielder. they (like third baseman) should have quick hands and feet. One of the simple mistakes that less accomplished first basemen make is how they receive a throw and the positioning of their feet. By sliding their feet one way or another the fielder gains up to 18 inches to receive a throw. Not everyone rockets the ball shoulder high directly to the bag like Correa. Take a look on ordinary plays and you will see some pretty awkward foot work. Gallo is a big target and does a good job on turning to throw to second base. He is pretty pedestrian otherwise. Solano was less than ideal, to be polite, but no major complaints. Kirilloff seems to do some things well, such as using the width of the bag but had struggles in other areas. Alex may have been reticent to dive and hesitation is never an athlete's friend. He did not look smooth this year. A really good first baseman whose footwork, agility, quickness, and ability to dig out every low throw is a real bonus for any team. But, yes teams are more willing to get power and offense from 1B than other positions. Thus, fans often see substandard fielding from that position.

The history of baseball since divisional playoffs has shown there is room at the table for teams that win anywhere around 90 games in the regular season. I would add that 90 victories is an excellent year. The 1987 Twins were much bigger underdogs in the playoffs than the 2023 Twins. Atlanta, Los Angeles D, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Milwaukee all are done for the year. Toronto won more games than Minnesota. There are a host of challenges to going deep in the playoffs. I'm hoping the Twins make some changes via trades or add a player or two via free agency, but another trip to the playoffs would be wonderful. Who had Arizona beating the Dodgers? Until someone defeats the Astros in a series they remain the best team in baseball.