tony&rodney

Hilarious. Manfredball needs to go away forever. Ghost runners, high school length games, safety bags, designated spots where a fielder stands, etc. The picture says it all.

Arguments against the work of the union in baseball are just silly. Dave Boswell made as much money painting houses as he did playing baseball. The goals of the PA could be more streamlined and focused. The past two CBA have totally shifted towards the owners. The PA just wants to maintain some balance. Either way, the owners win. Baseball does NOT have typical ownership. Half of the owners inherited their team. MLB is a closed club. No person can just have enough money and buy a team (see Mark Cuban). Baseball still has anti-trust exemption status, which is a real travesty of justice, unless you really believe that MLB is THE American treasure.

Take a look at comparative league averages. 1968 was the height of pitching dominance. Mays also missed time for service duty. Griffey was the face of baseball for his time and energized millions of young people to love baseball, but as great as he was, no comparison to Mays. What number did Griffey wear?

Any player on a MLB 40 person roster can apply to the PA for financial assistance. February and March aid was set at $5,000 per month and it goes to $15,000 per month on April 1. Financially, the players are fine. They will not "cave". This is more than the salaries of AAA players. Hopefully, each side will take a few days and recognize that games are in their mutual interest. Setting a more difficult course would create real problems. While I'm in favor of an 8 team playoff structure myself, there was agreement for a 12 team playoffs. The players could take that back and then there would be a round of retrenchments. Not good. Again, hopefully the two sides look again at their battles and find a compromise.

Let the defensive players line up however they want to for each hitter. In 1968 our kid team shifted against a specific powerful hitter. SS, 2B, and 1B were all on the edge of the outfield grass and a one hop line drive to 1B was a 3-1 putout. Strategy has always been a part of the game. It is more obvious today because it is more frequent due to the employment of people whose job entails crunching numbers. The only thing I can offer as a change is that a batter must keep in the box once the at bat begins, with a quick look to the 3B coach, and that pitcher's need to get the ball back and go to the pitching rubber. By the way, every single player in today's game grew up playing quickly.

I encourage you to go to college, high school, town ball, and organized youth league games plus minor league games when they all start up. MLB is not a place for lesser players. You wouldn't come to me for surgery. I'm very frustrated with the lockout myself though.

This is an interesting take, one that I have been curious about quite a bit in the past month. I loved the report on Julien. I wonder if someone down in Florida can tell us how Palacios looks. He is not on the 40 man roster.

I get what you are saying about lineup construction and agree. For example, perhaps Martin will be a really good corner outfielder despite less than optimal power. The Twins should be focused on using all nine spots in their order to maximize production and maybe using Arraez as a DH instead of Sano will be the best decision. I do think that teams have always tried to do that though. The shifting of players to keep a solid defense in the field while maintaining the most destructive batting order is a constant discussion. Harmon Killebrew, for one, was shifted around to a number of positions because his bat played anywhere but his defense was not gold glove worthy. This has been done for many decades. Yogi Berra is another example. Pete Rose too. I'm just totally confused why you used Mays and CF though as an example. Everyone loved Griffey and Puckett, but there was literally nothing, absolutely nothing that either of them could ever do nearly as well as Willie Mays: hit, run, field, throw, power, talk, or smile. I'm not nostalgic in any fashion but just confused at the example.

Arraez is fine at 3B and can fill in if needed at 2B or DH. The experiment in LF is over; Arraez cannot play in the outfield. I'm hoping Luis wins a few batting championships but there are playing time issues for him with Minnesota as the roster sits today. JD, JP, and Sano are in front of him with Miranda ready. That is 5 players for 3 (possibly 4) positions. Perhaps an injury or trade opens a regular position for Arraez.

Julien sounds like a very promising player. I have not seen him but he looks quite athletic in the clips. Defense is a skill that can be learned. It takes a ton of repetitions, a fair amount of athleticism, and the will to make oneself accomplished with the glove. Koskie is one example. Julien could be a real star if he progresses, particularly if he can reduce the strikeouts.

The post makes some reasonable arguments but omits to examine how exactly the loss of these players harms the Twins. Arraez is a terrific batsman without a position. He cannot play in the outfield and is a most unlikely DH. Do we sit JD, Polanco, or restrict opportunity for Miranda? Cavaco could still step forward but he is behind a host of others. Pitching prospects? Ober, Ryan, Winder, Balazovic, Duran, Sands, and Strotman are mostly ready for MLB action. Then there are others coming soon: Woods Richardson, Canterino, Varland. The Twins could afford to trade one or two easily and the return of an experienced pitcher would be a real benefit for the young pitchers, serving as a stabilizing force in the rotation. Lewis and Martin should be ready pretty soon. Maybe an easier add would be Bassitt or Manaea for Arraez plus a lesser prospect/player. Finally, there is Rodon too and he only costs money. The question of budget is real in that case because that idea goes away with a $110 million budget. Will the Twins win the World Series or the AL Central with two additions to their pitching staff? Unlikely. It is more likely that they lose 100 games for several years if they throw their prospects to the wolves without anybody to hold the line. The Twins need two starting pitchers to go before Winder, Ober, and Ryan.

Just like many, I read these projections and watched Ober and Ryan carefully last year. I have hope. I'm also coming around to the idea of just making a play for either Bassitt or Manaea and signing Rodon as a gamble. Rodon only cost money and the former should be available for Larnach or Arraez. Maybe add Vallimont and Rooker. Do the Twins spend near $120 million for the coming season? That could be a wrench. But, yes, I'm ready to roll with the two added pitchers to complement Winder, Ober, and Ryan. Ryan will be fun to watch. Now, about the CBA.

The Twins and 28 other MLB clubs would never open their books and I don't expect them to do so. The Braves are required to do so. Anyone can argue, persuasively, that Atlanta is not a typical MLB team in terms of their finances and they will always be correct because we cannot accurately compare figures between teams. All businesses are savvy (or should be with a halfway decent accountant) with their financial shenanigans. Learn the ropes and play within the rules to gain every advantage allowed. Liberty and their numbers have displayed the full folly of the owner's positions. The owners fight over trivial figures when they know that they will win any negotiation. To offer a $10K increase for minimum salaries just pushes the younger players more toward whatever positions the Players' Association advocates. The PA needs to be more in tune as well but the news today leveled any idea that the owners have any motive other than power in mind with the current CBA. On a separate note - I wondered if anyone else would like to see a reduction in the number of teams that qualify for the postseason? Four per league seems like more than enough to me.

Boras is an agent and a good one for his clients. The clients make their own decisions and it is simplistic to believe that all Boras clients are incapable of making their own decisions. I'm befuddled why so many see Scott Boras as a draft strategy. The Twins should always go after the best player available. The baseball draft is difficult enough for producing positive results and paying attention to an agent only complicates the process.

Absolutely, .... if he is the best player available. We should assume Rocker will allow a shared physical unless he wants to bet on the long game of making his biggest paycheck down the road a half dozen years. Perhaps Rocker wants to stick to his guns and is willing to be a lower pick and is confident enough to make his money later.

THAT is a legitimate question. I sure don't have an answer.

Pitchers develop at somewhat unpredictable rates. The Twins have a bundle of prospects getting near their auditions. I referenced Law's opinions in a post about the Twins potential rotation. The Twins have bodies but only Balazovic receives wide acclaim and he is seen as a mid rotation pitcher. Law is generally pretty positive towards the Twins prospects and we could hope to fill the bottom three starting position slots with a prospect (Winder), Ober, and Ryan if all goes perfectly. That leaves two openings, at least. Keith Law is a decent analyst. He actually goes to watch a ton of prospects play and has many discussions with a host of baseball fokls regarding players. He does his research and is hard working to put forth his positions. It is noteworthy to read that virtually every time he writes an article there are a few people who feel that Law has little respect or even knowledge about their team. This has been true for a few years. I'm not concerned about the opinions of Keith Law, but they are informative.

Ryan had a very good initial run last season and I'm very hopeful that we can get solid production from him in 2022. If Ryan can start 25-30 games this year, he would be a really good guy to have in the #5 slot behind Ober. Scouts and MLB batsmen collect detailed information on pitchers which Ryan will need to counteract. Baseball is a constant stream of adjustments and Ryan may have the intellectual fortitude to meet those challenges. The Twins are counting on him.

Miguel Sano's contract was a damn good deal when it was signed. He is a polarizing athlete with his propensity to strike out and flail wildly at times. Still, who were all of the better players to take his position and provide 30 bombs? I maintain that pitchers would rather face anyone else in the Twins lineup than Sano. The money is almost irrelevant in today's game. Didn't Happ make nearly as much as Sano last year? Let it play out and we shall see what Miguel comes north this season. The price is still right and I'm not choosing a Rooker over Sano, not that there is anything wrong with Brent but I still am holding out for a full maturation of Sano in 2022.

Good article - every time I look at the wrangling between MLB and the MLBPA all I see is damage to the less fortunate players and employees: the young guys looking to get their repetitions and impress, the lesser vets trying to show they deserve another contract, the Spring Training employees, and so forth. The PA wants to get back a small part of what was lost in the last few rounds while the owners seek total control like the NFL; it's a mess. MLB is a cold business. I'm not sure what difference it would make but the anti-trust exemption is long overdue to be lifted. Winder, Miranda, Duran, and the other young guys need to be in camp now but you are correct to identify Lewis as the player who has lost the most time and needs to play in Wichita or St. Paul without any delays. Hopefully this entire sorry debacle ends this coming week.

Keith Law has some expertise as a talent evaluator and is pretty widely respected. Of course he isn't perfect either. He has stated that the Twins pitching prospects as a whole are not above the median across baseball and it is accepted as an evaluation (mol) that there isn't any TOR prospects at this time in the Twins system. Of course, things can change, but the rotation is in disarray at this time. Baltimore and others have not had much luck throwing out the kids. Cleveland brings a couple of prospects up each year and their staff works them in as possible. Unless folks want 100 loss seasons or are just hoping a few of our guys become Goodens suddenly, the front office will need to address the starting pitching. Montas may be too dear in cost (I don't have any idea), but Bassitt, Manaea and others can be added. Rodon is still available, although extremely unlikely. Adding Cabrera and/or Meyer somehow, from Miami, would raise the potential talent level as well. Are they interested in Arraez or Kepler plus a Jeffers? Something will have to give because a Bundy, Dobnak, Thorpe/Smeltzer, Ober, and Ryan rotation plus mixing in some guys along the way is too radical to consider in conjunction with a lineup that seems ready to win as opposed to just experimentation. The Twins are sitting on established players such as: Garver, Sano, Polanco, Arraez, Donaldson, Buxton, and Kepler. These guys don't fit a team that wants to see what the prospects can learn in 2022. A minimum of two established starting pitchers are required.

Story is a solid addition. The post sets out a few fair options. The main issues remain - the budget and The Plan, whatever it is. We all are interested in what the Twins young hurlers can do. Most folks have allocated 2-3 rotation spots for the prospects, which includes Ober and Ryan. That still requires 2-3 players to front the rotation. Remember that rookies usually wind up with ERAs closer to 5 or higher. I'm liking Ober and Winder, but remain realistic about their initial full journeys through MLB lineups. Balazovic may surprise as well, but it is worth remembering that no Twins pitching prospect has been forecasted to front a rotation. There is work to do.

Some pitchers have problems with recovery after pitching. thus the term loose arm and problems for many in throwing back to back games (Rogers?). Can Duran pitch an inning or two every other day? He should likely make his introduction in MLB as a relief pitcher in stints less of two innings or less until the Twins can ascertain the full story of how his arm reacts to pitching.

Trades.

Jim Eisenreich for a brief set of games.