tony&rodney

Cody, you are a busy poster. I appreciate your ideas but you have taken the Twins down to a $30-50 million payroll and I'm not convinced that anyone will give up top ten talent for these four. Perhaps a dose of positive thinking keeps Buxton, Donaldson, and Rogers. I'm wondering if the Marlins might find Kepler an interesting add, if we also suggest Arraez, Garver, and maybe Dobnak for Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer. What I do agree with is the idea that the Twins need to be active this coming offseason.

Rodon would be a good pitcher to sign as a free agent. I propose, with no knowledge of Miami's wishes, a trade of Garver, Arraez, Kepler, and maybe some fill like Barnes and/or Smeltzer for Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer. I am not sure if Gausman or the others would be a good sign for the expected $100+ million fee. Rodon seems like he could pitch forever now that he is past surgery and rehab and flourishing this year with the Sox. The Twins need to sign a minimum of one decent pitcher, this we know.

The Blue Jays got exactly what they wanted in Jose Berrios and thus the Twins were able to receive two highly rated prospects in return. Austin Martin may develop, quickly, into a real fine MLB player and we hope he does as soon as next season. However, Martin was not going to play ahead of Bichette or Springer and thus his value was higher for others than to Toronto. I don't think Toronto was down on Martin as a prospect. The Twins could use Austin Martin in LF if Buxton returns to full health. Byron has had a real tough time with injuries but most of them are unrelated and he could, absolutely, bounce back to be a 140+ games per year star. Power in CF allows for a line drive hitter in LF, and Martin could be that player. The Twins still need two pitchers though.

Bailey Ober has been pretty much dissected on this blog. He has had injuries, he does not project as a top three piece, he has shown well so far, and the Twins are managing his appearances. If Ober can continue to pitch as he has and lengthen out to 7 innings next year with the current results, the Twins have a gem of a #5 pitcher; that's good. Perhaps the auditions will uncover a #4 rotational piece. Then if Maeda can hold down the #3 spot, the Twins only need to add the two top pieces for a solid rotation. I like Ober.

Things sure turned bad from April to July. I agree that it is time to look at those players who might be members of the next competitive team, which means to cast off those who have proven their ineffectiveness.

The offseason will be a key to answer whether the Twins are in a full/partial rebuild or plan to play in October. Every player should be available and some risky trades might get solid results. I have no idea what could be viable at this time but as I look at the team we have an excess number of 2B rostered. Garver, Arraez, Kepler, and a lower rated pitcher for Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer helps with pitching. Royce Lewis needs to play pretty soon despite missing two years and I'm wondering if Austin Martin can hit MLB pitching. There needs to be some moves. August and September should help management identify what prospects are likely to be useful going forward next year.

The Twins didn't make substantial moves after 2019 and they are still dealing with the fallout of that winter. Last winter Simmons was brought aboard to help with defense. The miss on pitching was big though and this season has just tumbled from one problem to another. The Cleveland team stands at .500 baseball while suffering far greater injuries and losses from last year. So, this July was a time to make attempts at improving the team for next year. We get prospects for Jose Berrios but now need to sign two free agent pitchers. Austin Martin can hit but his defense is faulty at this stage in his development and he doubles up on players like Polanco and Arraez. I'm ok with the recent moves because it seemed so inevitable. Berrios will be hard to replace. I was hoping for a blockbuster deal with San Diego to bring in a potential star (Abrams) and two pitchers who might be useful soon (from among Weathers, Gore, Paddock, Cleavinger) and thought taking Myers or Hosmer back might bring this about. However, it is easily understandable from both sides why this trade did not evolve, although San Diego may regret missing the boat at the deadline. If the Twins are open to a payroll of $150 million there may be opportunities to bring in arms like Rodon and Syndergaard, but signing free agents can be tough and hoping for prospects to fill the top two spots in the rotation rarely works successfully. Thus, the trades are just even until the offseason strategies unfold. Will the Twins continue to overlook the huge deficiencies of Garver behind the plate because he can crush pitches; does Sano ever return to a more balanced approach at the plate; where does Arraez play; do the Twins believe that either Larnach or Rooker can learn to play passable defense or crush at a rate to make defense irrelevant? This team has a bevy of issues and the pitching is most concerning of all right now. Kirilloff, Polanco, Donaldson, Kepler, and Buxton are not my biggest concerns and I am open to all trades if they actually improve the team. Buxton would require more than Berrios in my book, but I am hopeful. The trades did bring in some talent and that may be quite positive as soon as next year; at least we all are waiting for the prospects and new guys to succeed.

The Byron Buxton negotiations are difficult on every level. The injuries have been very frustrating for fans and especially to Byron and the variety of nuisance setbacks do not exactly indicate long term physical problems. I disagree that Buxton will soon lose his speed and everyone seems pretty united with their descriptions of Buxton's athleticism. The improvements we saw from Byron in April were indicative of a player who has gained experience and feel/ knowledge of how to progress against pitchers. So the missed games are tough. Where and how can the Twins replace Byron Buxton? Does the future include a healthy player (150 games)? Discussions and opinions vary but I'm with those who want the Twins to seriously entice Buxton to sign. We have no real idea of the details of the offered contract but 5/$100 million sounds pretty good for both Buxton and the Twins; very large but manageable and secure as opposed to the 7/$80 million we have heard from various sources. There is still plenty of time to complete the negotiations.

The Padres have been careful to keep each of their top prospects, but if they do not cede them, do not trade with them. The Twins do NOT need any more AAA players.

Right now, with what information has been put forth, we don't really know what the Twins offer to Byron Buxton was or what their counter offer entailed. It is likely we will never know either. It just seems such a shame that a foundational franchise cornerstone, even though flawed and unpredictable, as BB currently is cannot come to terms with the Twins. Money cannot be the issue here. The Twins seem to have doubts as to the expected production from Buxton due to his past history of residing on the IL. In theory this makes sense, but the variety of injuries do not point to long term disabilities and speculations about Buxton's decline in speed or skill are baseless. Fears of a lost investment in Byron Buxton hold some weight, perhaps considerable, but the potential for huge production on a consistent basis is still there and the gamble to win rests on management. They make huge pocket money to make these calls. The wrong call may cost them their positions. In any event, Byron Buxton is a combustible player, for sure.

Sad there cannot be some agreement.

Ok. My point was simply to laud Jose Berrios and hope that he continues on as a Twin and if he is traded that the Twins collect a haul. The San Diego example was merely obvious speculation. I'm am a supporter of the Twins and their management. The Santana trade was just an example and one would have to acknowledge that that was a difficult situation. Another time, different management but Falvine are relatively new and I'm hoping they do not feel pushed into a tough position. One notable is that the Santana trade was under different ownership (Carl then, sons now). Either way, let's hope Jose Berrios is a lifelong Twin.

This assumes that the current players are not giving their best efforts. Kent Hrbek had a great quote many years ago about how many players are waiting to take your job and how hard every player worked to hold their position. Talent and results vary but most of the time the players are giving a strong effort. My all-time favorite was how fans complained that Rod Carew never hustled as hard as Pete Rose. Carew would glide and get to a bag much quicker than Rose but he never looked sweaty or strained. Nobody ever outworked Rod Carew, nobody. I appreciate baseball played skillfully at every level but we should remember that those at the MLB level have worked really hard to get and stay there, wins and losses aside.

Berrios has been really good as a Twin, There was only one Santana and we all know how that trade worked. I'm understanding if the Twins feel that a push package of C.J. Abrams, Ryan Weathers or M. Gore, and Robert Hassell from San Diego make the Twins better able to compete in the future. The Twins do not need to accumulate a team of utility players and backend pitchers. I am ready to enjoy Berrios for the duration of his time with the team and take a pick if he leaves. Hopefully Jose signs here.

The next week could be interesting. I know that Terry Ryan was not a popular man with most of the people on Twins Daily, but I am still waiting to be impressed by anything from the current management team. I'm hoping Nelson Cruz was asked his thoughts on joining a pennant chase and that the trade today was a result of such conversations. Unless I hear differently, I will assume the best of intentions from Falvine and watch a few more Tampa games.

I cannot be convinced that trading Cruz was worthwhile, but I am a hopeless Twins fan and am willing to be wrong. The only move that the Twins completed last winter which I supported was re-signing Nelson Cruz and now he is gone.

Cruz? I loved watching him play baseball, whether the odd stolen base or a sacrifice fly when that was what was needed. Of course, Nelson was a real good hitter for the Twins too and I hope the Twins consider signing him as a free agent this winter. Hopefully, the two players coming to the Twins can be effective pitchers. Losing Cruz hurts the entertainment angle and the competitiveness of the Twins; its been a real downer of a year to be a fan.

This is the difficulty of being a Twins fan. You are 100% correct that both Mauer and Donaldson were solid decisions and paid off financially. The Twins inability to go to the next step in their roster additions has been both confusing and frustrating. There is always next year.

I found myself hoping Larnach would ground into a DP in the top of the 5th inning to score Celestino, but he struck out and Celestino never scored. The pitching is bad as is hitting with RISP. Ober looks to be a fair enough # 5 SP. He throws strikes. I'm wondering how top teams view the talent on the Twins roster. This season hasn't made much sense. He

Frustrating year thus far for both of these players.

MLB is a tough business. If the Twins score 8 runs, Happ is a tenacious winner, but the Bomba Squad is missing and Happ just keeps finding the barrel. Right now, the Twins are messy. Now, it is on to Chicago. At least Rodon will not be a factor as he pitched today.

In some ways I admire the support on Twins Daily for our Falvine/Baldelli leadership, but I do not understand it. Ryan, Smith, Gardenhire, and Molitor were all much more experienced and the Twins won against some tough Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago teams. The Twins had lower payrolls and competed for a decade before a confluence of difficult injuries and failed prospects cost them. When a change was made it was natural and I was happy to see the Twins win the AL Central in 2019 and 2020 but it was against very poor teams in their division. The Twins had some clear opportunities to make favorable deals after 2019 and made a decision to stand pat with players who struggle with their gloves and now are fighting contact with the bats too. Nevertheless, I do agree that the current management needs another year to make their case as capable in their jobs. 2021 has been a tough year with so many problems. It does feel to some extent like the 1964 team, which was a considerable letdown from the previous season. I'm hopeful for a bounce back in 2022. Moving Buxton, Berrios, and Rogers would create significant holes, yet any superior offer does need to be mulled over by the braintrust. I would argue that the Twins have enough minor league depth and we can accept risks for Simmons and others, but not for our top players.

What this says. I'm willing to take on players like C. J. Abrams ( reference pull the trigger), but give me names that a team will give up. I was willing for the Twins to sit on Santana and I'm willing to sit on Berrios and Jose is not even in the same class of pitcher. The Twins should not be interested in getting hosed by other teams just to get something..

It is pointless to trade these players for anything less than primetime prospects like C. J. Abrams and the sort. The Twins do not need any more AAA players. Players like Simmons, Happ, Shoemaker .... sure send them on. I'm going to keep this short - keep Berrios, Buxton, Rogers, Cruz, Polanco, JD, Arraez, and the rookies.

While I'm not ready for a rebuild, these are the types of heavy returns which the Twins would need to have if they choose to start over. I'm also of the mind to push San Diego for C. J. Abrams.