Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

tony&rodney

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    9,758

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    86

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Donaldson and Sano have flaws and injury concerns, but their upsides are huge. There is room for both Sano and Donaldson in the lineup between 3B, 1B, and DH even if one has a desire to see Kirilloff at 1B and Miranda getting at bats. The rookies have the ability to fill in at a corner outfield spot and Miranda can also play 2B. The Twins expect anther good year from Josh Donaldson and a team would have to offer a legitimate player and pick up his contract for a trade to happen. That doesn't seem too likely. Finally, a part of signing a decent free agent is how a team treats those players after they sign. I believe part of the Twins everyday usage of Simmons after the trade deadline was out of respect for their shortstop. Donaldson stays.
  2. tony&rodney
    Sano has declared that he will shed pounds and get back to hitting the ball more frequently. Scary thought for pitchers because his power is unrelated to his weight; he is a strong man. Improved mechanics and flexibility and Sano may reach his promise. If I think about the three scariest hitters to face in MLB, Sano is right even with Judge and Stanton.
  3. tony&rodney
    The money may get wild this offseason. A recent article suggested the Dodgers will bring back Scherzer for two years at $40 per year ($80 total). This was on BleacherReport.com and I don't read that site so am not familiar with their reputation.
  4. tony&rodney
    Rooker is 27. That is usually old if a player is just emerging as a superstar. Rooker has plenty of time to have a fine MLB career. He adapts, has a strong work ethic,, and continually improves as a baseball player. I expect Rooker to be someone who hits 30 home runs and doubles; he has power. The skills Rooker has are duplicated by others on the roster and that makes him available as a piece to trade. The NL adding a DH will open up some interest in Rooker as well. The Twins need to get more athletic and trim the number of players whose skills are too similar. DH, 1B/3B, LF/RF: Kepler, Sano, Kirilloff, Larnach, Donaldson, Miranda, Arraez, Garlick, Martin, Gordon, Refsnyder .... who did i miss/this is beyond depth - it's too many. I do think Rooker can turn the corner and be a productive MLB player given a full opportunity. Somebody has to go from the excess and Falvine must ascertain which clubs have an interest in what combinations of those players currently on the roster that will bring a return which improves the team for 2022.
  5. tony&rodney
    The priority for the Twins this offseason is pitching, probably three starters and two relievers. Almost everyone wants Buxton on a long term contract and he is important to sign asap; I'm a Buxton fan. In the unhappy event Buxton is traded there are players to sign for CF (Starling Marte). SIGN BUXTON. However, as some have pointed out, the Twins do not have anyone to play shortstop for next year in their system. I was ok two years ago with Polanco but it is clear that while he was never a star defender, the ankle injuries required a move to 2B and Jorge needs to stay there and the Twins need his bat in the lineup. This means that shortstop is the second priority after pitching. With sincere apologies to all Simmons fans - no to any more Andrelton. There are options and while it is unlikely the Twins go above $25 million per year, something must be done to fill the shortstop position. Correa and Seager are going to be too much money, but Semien may be the most affordable and he wants to play shortstop. Shortstop will be a difficult problem to solve this Winter.
  6. tony&rodney
    Baez might flourish in a make it one year deal with the Twins. Mondesi would be good but cost more in trade than is being discussed currently. DeJong is an option but is still owed @$17 million for next two years. While i always liked Inglesias, he looks more like a utility option at this point and I believe Arrianza is better signing if we are looking for veteran fill ins. Galvis may be a solid option. It is annoying to type repeatedly, but it sure seems like the Twins almost need to solve the Buxton situation before signing free agents. I am hoping for a few quick trades, even if the Twins overpay and if the Royals would trade Mondesi to our team - that would be really sweet.
  7. tony&rodney
    Well, this really depends on the direction the Twins are taking this offseason. If the team is handing the pitching over to their prospects until they learn "on the job", then we expect 100 losses for a couple of years and Donaldson doesn't make sense for 2022. That makes sense. However, if the Twins intend to run with the White Sox or even reach .500 baseball in 2022, the scenario changes and Donaldson is a key feature of the team. In an attempt to be competitive, the Twins would not consider any trade of JD unless it is sure to make the team better in 2022. Josh Donaldson is still good at the plate and in the field and there should be plenty of DH opportunities as well to get him off his feet while keeping his bat in the lineup. Falvey will look at the two choices above. I expect Donaldson back next year, although I have no idea what plans the Twins have in mind.
  8. tony&rodney
    There certainly will be opportunities and Falvey should attempt to strike early. Will he though or will he wait? The Buxton contract and a few trades will be necessary to convince any free agents of note to consider Minnesota as a destination unless the money the Twins offer blows a player away and that has never happened. We should know the Twins direction by the end of November.
  9. tony&rodney
    Yes, but how interested? Ian Anderson interested? C. J. Abrams interested?
  10. tony&rodney
    The three pitchers you suggest would all make for decent #3 starters and they would go well with the two pitchers the Twins trade for this offseason. I'm good to see the Twins sign one of the three for the right price.
  11. tony&rodney
    Celestino had to be crushed at his brutal initiation to MLB. As noted, he was pushed to that tough experience after very little prior exposure to high level pitching. What is really impressive is how resilient Celestino was when he played for the Saints. He had an excellent finish to the year and baseball is all about confidence, adjustments, and dealing with failure to proceed to success. The Twins are likely quite pleased with his progress.
  12. tony&rodney
    Thank you for the interesting interview. Varland, like all young pitchers, will need to improve command and control of all of his pitches to continue moving forward with success. The huge season he just had gives him a leg up because his stuff played and he built confidence that his work will pay off in the games. Confidence can be a huge boost to an athlete and getting accolades acknowledges that a player has been on top of their game. I hope he can be just as good in AA and AAA next season. The ice fishing comment cracked me up.
  13. tony&rodney
    Yes, I agree the A's are not interested in a catcher. They want infielders and sluggers. I'm not sure what to add to Arraez and Rooker, but would give Duffey, maybe Dobnak and a minor leaguer like Steer or Cavaco. The idea we agree on - add pitching. I looked at the trade value site months ago but while it has some value the GM's almost certainly have totally different views on players. Garver is the perfect example. While I really think Jeffers will improve, Garver is clearly a better player for now and the next two to three years. The Twins could strike early with a few trades like what we hope to see and even overpay if necessary to complete the deals. Buxton's contract, however, is a key and may put a hold on things. I'm afraid if the Twins need to trade Byron that they might find it difficult to return the value they need from losing his talent. The Twins would need to allow teams an opportunity to talk contract with BB to increase his value. Hopefully the Twins are on this right now because getting resolution is not too important for the player but is crucial for the team.
  14. tony&rodney
    The decision to pay big bucks for a free agent is arguably more difficult for a team on a budget below $160 million. The Twins do have significant dollars into Donaldson and must settle their Buxton conundrum. However, I will suggest that making a few aggressive trades for pitchers like Sandy Alcantara, who we will need to overpay for, creates some room to delve into the shortstop market. While Donaldson, Buxton, Correa, Kepler, Sano, Polanco, and Rogers tip out at near $105 million, the Twins could field a team at less than $150 million with some savvy trades. Signing a shortstop can be done and there is not a true shortstop in sight at this point. If the Twins cannot sign Byron Buxton, perhaps a trade could return a shortstop. We shall see, but I'm good with a good shortstop.
  15. tony&rodney
    We are picking teams ... you can pick Simmons, I'll take Correa. We can just agree that our preferences are different.
  16. tony&rodney
    This all depends on the Buxton situation, so we can all relax until then. Hopefully, the Twins can still make some trades though.
  17. tony&rodney
    The $27 million per year on Seager sounds close but the years might escalate to six, seven, eight. Correa and Seager are elite players. The Twins must solve the Buxton contract situation before November because it determines where the budget and team go this offseason. I'm down for Correa at 7/$210 in the right roster build.
  18. tony&rodney
    Garver is the best of the three and I would hazard a guess that other teams put a higher value on Garver than Jeffers. The hope is that the Twins are better next year, at least above .500 and hopefully in a dead heat for the AL Central lead. In order to improve the team needs starting pitching. Miami and Oakland seem to be two possible trade partners and I'm looking at Alcantar and Meyers from Miami and Montas or Bassitt from Oakland. The question is what do the other teams need and want. Garver, Larnach, Sands, + for Alcantara and Meyers? If the Twins can settle the Buxton contract, then Celestino or others to sweeten the deal? Miami fans are suggesting Lopez for Abrams and Campusino from San Diego. It all gets a little crazy as we play with who would benefit our Twins and what players would be attractive to another team from the Twins roster. Garver is a good player and worth keeping, but at some point the Twins need to attempt to gain a pitcher. If Miami prefers Jeffers, who I believe will improve next year and beyond, then substitute Jeffers in the trade. Lastly, Rortvedt is the best defensive catcher of the three and he can make some adjustments at the plate. He is a mighty strong dude and seems to want to crush everything. A little experience, manage the swing, and he can become a decent hitter, in my opinion.
  19. tony&rodney
    Story would be a good "get", but Correa is the best shortstop. I loved Simmons as a shortstop ... three years ago. There is no comparison between Simmons of 2021 and Correa of 2021, defensively. Simmons had a terrific career -it is over for him. The Twins need to make a decision whether to go after a shortstop or not.
  20. tony&rodney
    chpettit19 has solid arguments regarding how the Twins could move towards their next roster. It seems, to most people, that a resolution to a contract for Byron Buxton takes precedence over the offseason and this seems both necessary and unfortunate at the same time. Unless the Twins meet Buxton's price there won't be a quick decision and this may slow down the other moves needed to rectify an unbalanced roster. Another factor is the budget. A $100 million roster will look quite a bit different than a $135-145 million team. At some point the Twins need to push Duran, Winder, Balazovic, SWR, and Canterino forward, although I do agree their developments have been handled well thus far. We can hope that these pitchers fill in next year where Thorpe and others were to help this past season. The Twins can make two or three trades for decent starting pitchers and sign a free agent, maybe even Pineda, as well as find a solid reliever. The trick will be in finding a trading partner. The Twins need a shortstop and while I do not expect they will be in on the top players (Correa, Seager, Semien, Baez, Story), they can if they choose. This is where I agree, sign a shorstop with Polanco and Buxtonthe Twins are strong in the middle. To support a big signing the Twins need good pitchers and this is where the trades come into play. I'm dangling Garver (because he is desirable), Arraez, Larnach, Sano, Kepler, Rooker, Duffey, and even perhaps a promising prospect such as Lewis, Martin, Miranda, and Celestino. In no way I am suggesting trading nearly all of these players but want to discover what teams have an interest in our players to return some starting pitching. The free agent pitchers will not be as good of a value as a Correa. There are many variables and pieces to move around to fit within a fair budget - say @$140 million.
  21. tony&rodney
    Chargois is a good example of the struggles of a pitcher with velocity. Injuries and command issues can lead to doubt and it is tough to pitch without confidence. Managers need to pick their spots in how they show faith in a player, which is complicated.
  22. tony&rodney
    I'm a Twins fan and have supported the team since they came to Minnesota. I do not have many criticisms of the current management team. They all have baseball backgrounds and knowledge. It is not understandable to me that anyone who believes themselves a baseball fan could take such a misplaced view of baseball acumen in criticism of Molitor. He is generally regarded by baseball players and insiders as among the most knowledgable persons in the sport in the last half century. Terry Ryan is still regarded as a top baseball man. I'm not suggesting that Ryan and Molitor should still be in their former positions but they had way more experience and knowledge than our current management folk. Change happens and it is fine, but the denigration of the former guys isn't just unnecessary, it is not accurate. It comes off as angry ill-informed opinion. Baldelli does a decent job and the Falvine duo get another opportunity this offseason to build a better baseball team. I think they will try hard to accomplish this feat and will listen and watch as next season plays out. I too am rooting for our current decision-makers to succeed.
  23. tony&rodney
    This is the exact truth. I was happy to see the Twins get Odorizzi, but it doesn't seem to be the best strategy to hope for good luck. The Twins need to be aggressive and perhaps even overpay if they want strong pitchers in a trade or free agency. Buxton would be the only huge loss and he has missed so many games it can be argued that the team already plays without him. The Twins should sign Buxton and Polanco is the team's MVP and Donaldson has a big contract, but any move that makes the team better needs to be completed. Trades will determine whether the Twins can turn the corner because they do not have enough right now.
  24. tony&rodney
    So it seems there is agreement that keeping the team's roster static is not an option, but there are many variations of how to add and subtract for next year. In my opinion, management has to decide on Byron Buxton as soon as possible. The Twins need pitching pretty badly. I'm thinking two trades and at least one free agent for the starting staff and a couple of relief pitchers as well. In order to accomplish a goal of rebuilding for next year as Falvey has stated every Twin in their system is available to be traded. A few Twins could be wearing new threads next year. I don't believe there is an untouchable player in the system.
  25. tony&rodney
    I don't think competing in 2022 is an achievable goal Does Falvey and Pohlad believe that competing in 2022 is doable - those are the guys who need to believe. All we can do is think about the possibilities and wait until the decisions are made. The Twins have a chance to compete but action will need to occur on both the trading front and within the free agent market.
×
×
  • Create New...