tony&rodney

Excellent move by the Twins. Maggi is a great example of the love of playing baseball. Congratulations to Drew Maggi and kudos to Seth for this post.

Wells was a bad decision on management's part because of his size, potential, and experience. Baddoo was a tougher call because of his inexperience and injury but his athleticism was important to evaluate.

Isn't it fun to watch Big Mike and all of his quirks? I'm thinking he can be an option on an inexpensive contract for next year as he is good for 20 starts of competitive ball. Great game for the bullpen too.

Every single player in the Twins system should be available. If a trade improves the team, make it. Josh Donaldson and Jorge Polanco are the only two Twins who can hit and field. Byron Buxton is a true talent but if he cannot be signed, the Twins need to see what other organizations may offer in return for our dynamic CF. Miguel Sano hits the ball as hard as anyone, but his deficiencies are pretty big as 1B and his slumps, K's, and average make him expendable if he returns a decent pitcher. Max Kepler is an enigma offensively but his defense is solid. The team needs good defense and Larnach, Rooker, and Kirilloff do not begin to measure up to Max. Again, if Kepler returns the pitching the Twins need he can be traded. Starting pitching help is needed unless the Twins plan on a full stripping of their current core and totally rebuild. Ryan, Ober, Dobnak, Thorpe, Smeltzer, etc. will result in 100+ losses. I do think Ober and Ryan could work as the back end of the rotation. My comments are not aimed at wholesale trades and sweeping change across the diamond but to those of us who watch the Twins play it is obvious that there are changes needed to the roster if the team wants to be competitive in 2022. I do not denigrate those who are looking for the Twins to roll with the current squad and let the young arms get experience, but am hoping for a return with relevance next season through 4-7 offseason moves.

I'm not sure how you arrived at #4, personality. I watch and/or listen to too many Twins games and I do not see any problems whatsoever. Because I have never met JD and do not know him it seems odd to me to include personality in your post. Health is the only item that slows down Josh Donaldson at this time. He and Jorge Polanco are the only two steady figures right now for the Twins lineup. I do wonder if JD can play an effective 1B to add to his play at 3B and use as a DH. There needs to be a place to try Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff next season if they are with the team.

Simmons is not a reasonable alternative for 2022. It seems like Polanco is the only in house option and count me among the crowd that wants him to remain as our 2B. Javy Baez or Story on one year make good deals? One thing is clear - there is plenty of work to do this offseason for the young Falvine duo.

Aaron Whitefield is a great story. We already saw that he can run and play great defense. It would be a wonderful thing if he can put it all together and be an on base machine. The Twins need players who can run and field in addition to hitting. Rooker, Larnach, and even Kirilloff (somewhat) are worrisome in the field. Good writeup.

Sad hitting day. The Twins need to run the table to finish above .500.

The lower spots in the rotation do allow for some of the prospects to see what they can do. This is what Ober and Ryan are doing right now. To use a third spot would be pretty risky. It is one thing to finish the year with all prospects showing their skills in a lost season but another to begin the year experimenting with prospects. A staff of "seeing what we have" at the start of the year would almost certainly guarantee 100+ losses. Pineda on a lower paying contract with incentives may fill a #3 spot, although that is not a preferred path. I'm hopeful that a few trades and several free agents can right the ship. There is always room for any player to push their way into a lineup or rotation. Lastly, there should not be any repeats of signing "we hope that..." veterans.

Big Mike for $2 million is acceptable. He can spot start or be a long reliever perhaps.

Not a good showing tonight, but hey, if the Twins wins their last 22 games they finish above .500.

At no point was I in favor of adding Andrelton Simmons last offseason, but he has not been the worst free agent signing by a long shot. His defense is decent and his bat poor, but it is pitching that failed the Twins this season.

The Twins are not a small market team. There is money if management chooses to go that route. The payroll will not be above $160 million, so we are not competing with the New York teams or Los Angeles. It is extremely unlikely to sign Max Scherzer, agreed. There are options that will be available, however. Miami and Milwaukee both have some needs that match what the Twins can offer. Perhaps there can be some trades. Otherwise, or additionally, free agents are available who will sign if the Twins offer the correct number. If anything, the past month has shown that the Twins can win and good pitching is a must. It is much easier to win when three runs is enough. This year the Twins have given up more than five runs per game, the second worst in baseball. The analysis works and I hope the Twins can agree.

Excellent work and a fine piece of writing to support an offseason where the Twins absolutely need to make the best bids for a couple of starting pitchers. On other posts there are questions about how anyone can project for pitchers like Alcantara, Ray, Rodon, and others but the more important point is made in this post - the best players are worth their money. I was a fan of trading Dozier two years before he left because the Twins really needed help and there were few options other than trades. Right now, the Twins have multiple players at the same positions and money to spend on free agents; there are really good options this offseason and the sooner the Twins act the better.

Good to see a Twins win. 15 of 25 remaining games are against AL Central teams and despite the Twins limping along with their "new" starting rotation, these games may tell us where the team stands in relationship to their division foes. Ober looks decent and it may be the correct plan to monitor his pitch count so carefully. He could have easily gone at least another inning seemingly. These games do show who can focus and take solid at bats and this is a way to gage who stays and who goes.

The games of the last few weeks are such a good argument that there is talent on the Twins roster that only needs to be supplemented with one or two field players and a couple of three starting pitchers and a maybe only two relievers. It can happen, yes it can.

One thing to admire right now is that the Twins are beginning to fight through at bats and innings better than earlier this summer. There are players fighting to be noticed and I appreciate the effort.

Excellent post of the current state of the Twins young pitchers. It sure is fun to watch Ober, but right now he has elevated himself to a solid backend starter. Hopefully he can continue to pitch well and stay healthy. Winder does look like the best hope to step forward next season.

The list of good MLB players losing their jobs to superior talent is long. Willy Adames, a really good shortstop, was traded for a couple of decent relief pitchers because Wander Franco was kicking down the door. If Jose Miranda and/or Josh Winder is good enough they will have a uniform and play. .500 baseball is not close to contending but it is competitive and a start. Detroit is pushing to make it there and Cleveland is a .500 team and they suffered many more losses of personnel than the Twins. Seattle is a good example of a team that battles every day and is beating the odds to win. Start at .500 as a base and push forward. I'm optimistic that this offseason can provide an opportunity for the Twins to get well for 2022.

The post sets forth ideas and presents them in a reasoned manner, however, I must respectfully disagree. The Twins have some talent on their roster and a few positions are doubled up, which allows for trades to strengthen weaknesses. Byron Buxton may be the player with the most potential for stardom and I hope he can be with the team for a number of years. Still, every player, even Buxton, on the squad can be traded if a need can be filled. There are many pathways for the Twins to reconstruct a competitive team. Throwing the young prospects forth will not work, if we want to watch something approaching .500 baseball. The past few games have shown us what happens with young and/or inexperienced pitchers. You need to sift through more than twenty milb pitching prospects to get to a Twin, Jordan Balazovic, currently at AA, as the top pitching prospect for the Twins. The Twins are behind in an arms race in the AL Central at both the MLB level and at the milb level. It is clear the team needs some help. The Twins have a pile of decent prospects and I am excited to see how they develop. Asking three prospects to fill rotation spots is a surrender to 100+ losses. The Twins do not have three arms ready to pitch in the major leagues as starters. If a full rebuild must occur then people should wonder why and how the current core fell so far, so fast. A full rebuild would ruin season ticket holder sales among other financial issues. The Saints have begun to see a decline in interest as their team fades. Will those of you who want to see prospects pay to go watch a 120 loss team or even watch/listen to every game? My opinion is that a few trades and a few free agent signings can work with the young prospects to make the Twins competitive in 2022.

Yah, a little problem. Right? So maybe the Twins are in it too far to totally rebuild right now. This might be the best argument yet for a $160 million budget. Tear it down? Donaldson and Sano may have a market, but it is not certain. Kepler and Polanco can return prospects and Buxton could bring a haul, maybe. There is plenty of angst and there are holes to fill. What is the cost of a five year rebuilding process? I'm having a hard time seeing where the Twins can afford to rebuild with their current prospects plus a few added in a tear down. That leaves rebuilding on the fly, through trades and free agency. Get to .500 and sprinkle in the prospects who show talent. Management will follow their own ideas but a shortage of money is not one of the constraints the Twins will face this offseason. They will, however, face stiff competition for players from any number of teams, all of whom look to be better in 2022.

The sad 2021 Twins record has Twins Daily in full offseason mode, a practice most all of us have indulged in too frequently in an attempt to maintain an interest in our Twins. August was a pretty good month and we still have a month to go in this season. The offense was a dud versus the Cubs and I hope Baldelli and braintrust get some solid advice from Brad Radke for this weekend's tests in St. Petersburg. But, yah, so much thinking about possibilities for 2022 and mine are solely focused on an immediate return to relevance. My guesses and wild tosses are just that, but they represent a hope that the Twins win at least 85 games in 2022 and that may be very difficult as other teams in our division are vastly improved since 2020. The pitching needs attention and my plan is to make a couple of trades and at least a couple of free agent additions to the mound. I am not privy to what any free agent will cost but am budgeting $50 million for two arms. My targets are Thor Syndergaard on a one or two year deal and Carlos Rodon for four or five years. These are both gambles and substitutions of Stroman, Gausman, or Ray would also work. A trade I suggested last winter aimed to bring in Sandy Alcantara and now I want Max Meyer too. I am offering Miami a choice of one of our catchers, Trevor Larnach, Brent Rooker, and a minor league pitcher like Matt Canterino. No idea if the Marlins are interested ... or the Twins. Next, I target a reliever, either free agent or trade. Here, I am stumped to a degree. Does Milwaukee have an interest in Miguel Sano. Maybe a Sano, Arraez, Duffey, and lower level ml pitcher for Josh Hader and Eric Lauer. Don't hold me to fast to this idea - I'm just trying to build a pitching staff without waiting three years. Finally, I turn to offense and throw money at Starling Marte - $18 million per for 4 years and try to coax Ehire Adrianza back for $2 million. My team still needs a shortstop too and the budget is near $155 million. This plan may not be feasible. I absolutely believe that a $150-160 million payroll for the roster is practical. A bigger challenge is making the contacts and having conversations with agents, players, and other teams about their needs, wants, and the possibilities to close on a few important trades and free agent signings. A player like Marte may be risky but his defense, speed, and contact skills change the dynamic of our lineup. Concerns about injuries in the future are not conducive to building a winning team. Competition will improve in the AL Central next season and a quick ambush early in the offseason may be the path back to relevance. I can not see spending more money on players like Simmons, Happ, and the sort. I like Big Mike but it is time to move on from him unless he signs really cheap. Perhaps if the Twins management cannot identify teams to trade with or free agents to sign, it may be time to clear the deck. A rebuild at this time would really cost the team financially. A good team at $160 million will bring in a profit but a bad team at $90 million will lose money. Last word - so many thoughts and ideas and hopes out there and I want the Twins to return to competitive baseball (85 at least) in 2022.

Twins.

Of course the Twins will have a rotation for 2022. I expect two pitchers currently within the system to fill the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation. Trades and.or free agent signings will complete the rotation. Good to go for 2022.

Stuff Happens.