tony&rodney

My thoughts are that we don't know if the ownership or front office is aware of the fanbase. I think they do, but there also isn't any evidence. All Falvey's comments have been the same. One could copy/paste the words into virtually any year or situation. Awareness has not been evident, at least to me. Perhaps everyone but me has knowledge of that as pertains to ownership or front office. This made me wonder - Does anyone think or believe there are people within ownership or the front office who read blogs? I can't see it. The idea of a payroll above $115M is entirely possible. $130-135M or more is also possible too. Am I the only one who would be surprised? Where is the shock level? I guess below $60M or above $135M. To the post - a manager has to have good relationships with the players, but the win/loss record is almost entirely due to the work of the players.

Don't know the Pohlads or Falvey. They might be fun, interesting people that get along with many people. Falvey is a good salesman. In my mind, this offseason is his final opportunity to show he has baseball knowledge. The POBO and others managing the manager is not a plan that will work. Can there be collaboration? Absolutely, and there should be conversations, but the job of the front office is to build a roster and the manager must run the games. We can't know unless or until someone tells us otherwise whether Baldelli shifted the way the Twins played from mid August onward. An early clue will be the moves in the offseason and the games in April.

All ideas are welcome. O'Hearn might be ok. Arraez is strictly a DH with no power and no speed. If the Twins were flush with power, speed, and good defenders then Arraez would be at least a consideration. As is the Twins are flush with DH players. Mendez can hit. He is also a DH. I'm ready to see any or all of Jenkins, Rodriguez, Fedko, and Culpepper. I really like Gonzalez but he is a DH also until he gets more repetitions. Change should happen. It is difficult to know when the youngins will be ready.

Absolutely. The Twins need to make a few gamble deals. Rolling the 40 person roster back as was done the last two years will set the franchise back years. There are coaches and players who would love an opportunity to succeed.

The final word on the Twins short term (1-4 years) future is entirely tied to whatever moves Falvey completes before the 2026 season. Twins fans are stretched to the limit on what has been very bad baseball that is also lacking any entertainment value save for the mid August to season close style which was ok despite the losses. We have seen this before and attendance can actually fall below 1 million. That would elicit thought for the Pohlad family. They seem so completely separated and lost when it comes to their baseball organization. If the price falls precipitously perhaps an eyebrow gets raised. One can hope.

My thing is we don't know, nobody can know unless one actually went out to the ball, took a look, and picked up the ball. We can see a dent, much like when a player or the ball hits a padded wall. We can see there is no gap beneath the wall. Our brain tells us the ball should have caromed. Is it stuck? Only the umpires could know and for some strange reason they did not go out to the wall to check. The replay was a joke. They made the decision in less than 60 seconds. At no time during the past season was there a decision from New York rendered that quickly. Actually, they couldn't possibly rule on it and they knew it, thus the quick call. It was too funny to watch, via replay, that Dean just casually picks up the ball with zero effort. I believe it would be a learning moment for baseball if Dean states he thought the ball was wedged in the wall and raised his hands but realized when he picked it up that the ball was playable. Doubtful that plays out. The whole thing was ridiculous. I have seen umpires in high school, college, town ball, amateur, and minor league games run out to determine whether an outfielder could not play the ball. In the World Series the umpires could not WALK out to check? Last thing ... I actually stood up when the play was still in action before Dean picked up the ball and said "Go out and check the ball!" It's over but what a missed chance for MLB. Tie game, bottom of the 9th inning with extra innings coming. I'll avoid the idea that MLB wanted a 7th game.

Everything hinges on whether the front office can make several solid trades. There are teams that would benefit from a few of the Twins players and the Twins need balance to their roster which makes those players available in mutually beneficial deals. If the payroll can reach the $105-115M range, there is room for at least a free agent of substance on an overpay of sorts. I would think that the trades precede the FA signing(s). There are many talented coaches in baseball. I'm sure Derek Shelton knows more than a few and he should be given wide lattitude to promote individuals for the staff. Falvey does not have the experience or knowledge to singularly make those decisions. Coaches can make $200-500K each which is not a deal-breaker for even the Twins. There are a number of good people who would be excited for an opportunity. The Twins should expect their coaches to receive 3-5 years contracts as well, which is common on many teams. In the final accounting, coaches don't break the bank. For reference, look to the cost of paying Carlos Correa; $10M per year plus $1.33M per year for his ongoing bonus. That is a bill for 3 more years. Currently, the Twins have a manager, a bench coach, and 12 other coaches. If the Twins actually have any trouble whatsoever recruiting available coaches, there is a problem so large the franchise is in more trouble than we thought.

The more I think about it and after watching several replays, my only conclusion is that it was the single worst call of consequence that I have seen in baseball. Big claim. The ball was hit to the deepest part of the park. Dean pulls up to wait for a carom off the wall. No carom. At that point with Barger running it is an easy triple. He, smartly, throws his hands up. We see the ball at the base of the wall. The umpires emphatically rule it a dead ball, double. The protocol is for an umpire to then check to see that the ball is, in fact, wedged to a minimal degree which would require more than a minimal effort for the fielder to pick it up. Could the fielder pick the ball up with the same effort as if it was sitting on the grass. We then, via replays see the outfielder pick up the ball with zero effort. Also, we can see there is zero distance beneath the wall for the ball to go under. We cannot know unless we were actually there but it looks like a the ball hit at an angle that it just sat there. You know who could determine the exact situation without any shadow of doubt? Any one or all of the umpires going out and taking a look and having the crew chief pick up the ball. The final verdict is that Dean ruled the ball unplayable. He must have somehow instantly decided that it was worth the gamble because he wasn't close enough to the ball to know if it was actually wedged. He put his hand around the ball when he picked it up, which says all we need to know. The umpires made the biggest f'up in World Series history. FWIW, I actually don't care who wins the World Series unless it is the Twins. The Twins are my team and all the other 29 are equally loved when not playing the Twins because I'm a baseball fan. That's right, don't hate me because I don't hate the Yankees either, lol.

Just a query - Was anyone else surprised that the umpires did not go out to see if the ball was in fact not playable? I mean the centerfielder raised his hands over his head but that isn't his call. I didn't see video of who picked up the ball. I probably just missed it. Fox did not show a slow motion or stop action shot or again I just missed it. Wondering, wtf. Went back and looked at the replay. CF puts hands up, umpires never got anywhere near ball, rule ground rule double, centerfielder just picks up the ball and throws it in. This was a little strange. It was a running scoring triple if the fielder picks it up and throws it in. No comment from Smoltz and crew. The ball didn't go under the padding. It hit flush and sat there. Maybe tomorrow there will be a different view. I think that was a decoy by Dean (CF) and he pulled it off.

Feels like this has been hammered to death, but it also seems inevitable. The Red Sox have players, prospects, and money. They are a potentially reasonable team to deal with if they make the best offer. When does the lottery for the draft take place? If the Twins pick #1 or #2, maybe that makes Arias superfluous in the Twins system. There will be very highly rated shortstops in the draft. Still Arias is not a bad start. Garcia, not so much due to less speed, lack of defense, and bad BB/K ratio. I could see Boston offering Jarren Duran. The draft is in early December. Perhaps the Twins need to act before then. The Twins need to talk with many teams. I don't believe the Tigers will trade Skubal and may/should be very interested in Ryan. West Sacramento is another team to call. Maybe St. Louis too. The Twins need to take the conversations to the teams and find the best offer. It should be interesting.

Yes, Zero people predicted a single one of their plans thus far so it is a certainty that the fans aren't privy to any such plan. A much more amazing thing to think about is another thought. Is there or was there ever a plan?

I actually agree with you. I'm trying to be hopeful but included "slim/unlikely" for realism.

His poor infield defense was at third base. He was more than good at shorstop in AAA. There is no way any team moves a shortstop like Perdomo to let a prospect take over, not Lawler, Griffin, Made, De Vries, or any others. The old idea that a shortstop can play anywhere isn't always true. I think people might be shocked how good Lawler could be at shortstop. To back up Longenhagen, I watched Lawler a couple of games and he looked horrible at third base.

Sam Hentges would be a sweet gamble pick. Yes, any ONE of Thielbar, Coulombe, or Rogers works as a free agent signing if they are amenable for around $3-4M. I'm expecting some minor league guys to fill positions in the pen. There is quite a pile: Raya, Prielipp, Morris, Klein, and so forth. Someone like Festa or Matthews could potentially become relief pitchers. A couple of relievers might come aboard via trades. Finally, there is an outside chance, perhaps slim/unlikely to add someone like Devin Williams at $10-12M. My goal for payroll is near $110M. Holdovers available are: Adams, Cabrera, Funderburk, Hatch, Laweryson, Ohl, Sands, Tonkin, and Topa. Perhaps the 2026 bullpen to start the year is 2 free agents, 1 from minor leagues, 1 converted starter, 1 from trade, and 3 holdovers. The Twins should begin next season in far better shape than they closed out 2025 as far as it concerns the bullpen. The position players are a far greater concern at this time. The Twins need guys who can defend AND hit.

Part of the reason I mention Lawler is because he is a fantastic shortstop but did not feel comfortable at third base. Arizona has All-Stars at 2B and SS, so there is no way he gets an opportunity there. The switch to centerfield runs into challenges too because Arizona has a decent, albeit potentially replaceable, guy out there. The D-backs need starting pitchers though and thus my thoughts. I want the Twins to take a gamble like this. It may completely fail but the team cannot get any worse.

The Twins need to be more aggressive in the Latin American market.

Me too. At the risk of being obnoxiously repetitive I'll repeat that the status quo isn't good enough. Rolling it back again isn't an option in my mind. I do understand many are in favor of keeping the current roster and believe they will blossom. My inclusion of Matthews was an attempt to view possibilities from an Arizona lens. Naturally, I have zero idea if there are opportunities with Arizona but there must be some possible transactions with some teams. These are lower moves. I'm actually interested in signing Josh Naylor, a reserve veteran catcher, and trading Joe Ryan as my major moves. The lesser moves would complement the larger ones.

When people have money or are in certain "important" executive jobs people tend to think those individuals are inherently successful and deserving of their positions. We see this everywhere. Now many do earn their way and are intrinsically motivated to excel on a daily basis. There is a "glass floor" in our world however that keeps those who are not managing to maintain a reasonable level of expertise in a position and yet they continue to hold those top decision-making slots. We see this in sports as well. The player who never rests to improve in every aspect of their craft. The coaches and those on up the line are all an integral part of the whole with the owners and front office at the top. It is tough to succeed down the line if the expertise and vision at the top is flawed and/or incompetent. Joe Madden had many enduring qualities that brought him to the top of his profession when he was a manager. He also had his flaws that irritated enough people to end his career. In the end Madden sealed his fate when he stated that he would never manage a team where he had to take orders from a corporate head whose knowledge didn't meet the lowest standard to be in a dugout. That is the challenge faced by managers in the 21st century. Derek Shelton is faced with many difficult tasks but none will be as daunting as his acceptance of the hand above feeding him starvation thoughts, ideas, and actions. Without change above, which can occur from the same individuals currently in those positions because everyone can change, nobody has a chance for success and that includes Derek Shelton. I can only wish Shelton the best of luck.

Curious about decline of pitchers taller than 6'-6", because taller pitchers often develop more slowly and hold their peak longer. Not sure on this; merely a thought.

Maybe Milwaukee is an option. Cooper Pratt and Jeferson Quero would be the starting point with a pitcher added, perhaps Josh Knoth. The Twins could add two lower level arms from R/A ball. Then again, maybe the Brewers aren't interested. There are many teams that could use Joe Ryan including the Twins. Two I'm wondering about lately. The chorus of "crazy" might descend but it might be worth asking Sacramento and Detroit about a few really good players. A proposal is Ryan, Alan Roden, and Charlee Soto for Max Clark. Detroit needs a #2 to make a good run. Another idea is Ryan, Roden, and Jose Olivares for Tyler Soderstrom. The Athletics need a pitcher to lead their team. No clue how those teams or the Twins would view those trades. Here is another, which is quite unlikely due to needs/wants - Ryan for J J Wetherholt. Perhaps these are all crazy. I'm not sure what these teams are targeting but the Tigers could benefit the most in the above ideas. Flags fly as they say. It's all just screwing around and thinking of positives changes.

Thing is we don't know how another team values Twins. Pittsburgh is even more desperate than MN for bats. Does a Matt Wallner for Jared Jones make sense? Would it if Ka'lai Rosaroi or Kyle DeBarge were added? Arizona needs pitching and is loaded with young infielders but only has one position open (3B). Jordan Lawler has crashed in his first attempts for Arizona. Does a Matthews or Ober for Lawler make sense? I guess it is impossible to know. Many people just state trades are selling low or that another team would be foolish to sell low. I would suggest conversations take place and a few teams take some gambles on low for low trades. It is senseless to always be concerned about letting a guy go and then that player becomes a star. Going along with the same guys is not an option for me. I do understand that it is for many others. In the end I'm just a baseball fan and Twins fan.

The Twins have been playing it safe until the recent July trade deadline. They need to make a few gambles. So much is unknown. It was surprising to hear the Twins chose Tait over Aiden Miller. The team needs defensive players and hitters. It's going to be tough, so negotiations must be extensive. The Twins front office made some errors in evaluation and should move forward aggressively. They cannot be concerned with the past.

Rainel is the highest rated. I haven't seen him play. E. Tait is a bat first A+ guy the Twins picked up for Duran and his future behind the plate is still unknown. I do like both Bernal and Crooks. Crooks is closer and would be a decent backup catcher in MLB next season. Crooks does K quite a bit. Saw him several times (via milb.com) and he looks good. Bernal might be better but a year away. Pages may not be available for a fair price because he has a year at the highest level. He is a very good catcher but struggles to hit. I guess I just want the Twins to find out an asking price, which we may never hear. A reasonable ask would seem like a AAA starting pitcher and maybe a position player the Cardinals feel has helium, one not among our top prospects. Rojas for Crooks? The Twins were very high, obviously, on Tait. How do their evaluators feel about guys closer to playing major league baseball? I'm most curious about the cost of either Harry Ford or Jeferson Quero. I would consider trading Emmanuel Rodriguez for either one of those two but might want a relief pitcher thrown in because EmRod still has crazy upside.

The Twins should not trade just to trade. Their payroll using your list and adding Ryan is below $100M. My idea is that the front office should be looking everywhere and finding matches. So I expect 3-5 trades. Who? No idea, but it could be anyone really except Buxton. There is buzz from New York City for the Twins to give up Ryan for a package of decent players. Decent doesn't cut it for Ryan and the team doesn't need any more mid to back end rotation prospects or utility players. There should be demand from a number of teams. I'm fine with keeping Jeffers, but he is gone after next season so a good return now does make sense. My only wish is for players who are interesting, either established to an extent or top prospects.

More than Ryan will come off this list, while others will be added. Either way my guess is $90-115M. FWIW, Matt Wallner is still $780,000 for next year I believe. Also, numerous sites state a bonus payment to Carlos Correa of $1.33M to be paid in addition to the $10M salary help for Houston. We should have a poll on readers' guesses.