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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Or ... maybe the Twins will sign Happ and Swarzak and Marwin. Are we happy?
  2. tony&rodney
    Proposing trades is always tricky. The question one needs to ask is whether each team would be open to the trade. A Twins fan might not care about the other team. The trade site is full of holes and everyone is better off going with their own ideas than researching the values contained on the site. There are Twins Daily writers and commenters who want a shortstop. Javy Baez? Well the trade site allows us to walk away with Baez for Nick Gordon, Astudillo, and Smeltzer going to the Cubs. We could throw in Lamonte Wade to make the Cubs feel like they swindled the Twins. I don't think this will work. Does anyone else? Many posters have suggested interesting trades and an early one by Nash Walker was an example that might benefit both teams. Others have concocted trade ideas to mull over as well, including people who later brought up the simulator. So yah, go with the ideas and junk the simulator.
  3. tony&rodney
    There are many very good players still available. Among free agents below Bauer, we can look at Rosenthal, Hand, Soria (a fav), Yates, Clippard, Walker, Odorizzi, Hill, Paxton, Semien, Simmons, et al. So there are players to sign. There are trades too. Kluber just seemed possible and he is so much fun to watch. The Twins have a core and holes and while there is time to wait, there is also a time to act. That time is up in a month. March is not usually a time to add free agents. I think we all want a team that can compete through/past the first and second rounds of the playoffs. 2019 was a fun season for the Twins and their fans but we have rarely seen a trio of teams as weak as Kansas City, Detroit, and Chicago were that year. In order for the Twins to compete at the top level this coming season there will need to be 3-5 significant additions. Kluber was a personal favorite of mine but now I will wait to see what happens next. There is still time.
  4. tony&rodney
    Stashak is fun to watch because he throws strikes and keeps hitters off balance just enough. Right now I would say he is our third most reliable/best relief pitcher.
  5. tony&rodney
    Addison Reed was a good gamble on a mid innings reliever, not to be confused with either Hendriks or Hand. Maybe the Twins like what they have right now, for the prices.
  6. tony&rodney
    Pineda for $10 or Kluber for $11/12? Those decisions are made elsewhere. I guess the Twins may be looking at opening the year with a budget closer to $110. .... or, as I keep adding, ... Bauer?
  7. tony&rodney
    I am supportive of the Twins, but have never understood the hype for the current front office, nor do I get the vitriol that has been spewed on an excellent baseball man, Terry Ryan. The decisions are largely financial and we mostly accept that concept. The Twins have not competed in either the World Series or the series to get into the World Series for a long time. There are multiple factors that can account for the drought. Perhaps signing an established relief pitcher would help. Claiming Hand seemed to be one opportunity. The risk was not outlandish. He is now likely to get multiple years at the claiming price. Looking at the options remaining, Rosenthal seems like a solid choice to sign.
  8. tony&rodney
    Exactly. Thorpe and Smeltzer do their work when all others are off and Dobnak has been a very pleasant surprise until suddenly he gets hit around; a good #5. That leaves Balazovic and Duran. I would like to see them, just as there was curiosity about Berrios a few years ago. Are we waiting for Bauer?
  9. tony&rodney
    The miss on Kluber makes me think that the Twins budget is closer to $110 million.
  10. tony&rodney
    A trade for Sonny Gray and / or Luis Castillo, extremely unlikely, or a stab at Joe Musgrove might be all that is left that works. I thought Kluber at $12 million was a no-brainer gamble. I was wrong. Paxton at $6, Walker at $3, or Odorizzi at $8 million are all possible gambles as well. The timing to push the rookies forward may have come. Dobnak, Balazovic, Duran, and Thorpe are all good enough to fill in the last two slots in the rotation. I'm ok with that. A Bauer signing? Are the Falvines quarantined?
  11. tony&rodney
    Agree with ashbury, even if the article is nicely done. We are Twins fans and Smeltzer, Thorpe, and whoever may be the team's solution. Relief pitching is funky and results come in all shapes - sign Kinzler.
  12. tony&rodney
    Kluber may or may not be returning to form but he was as good a gamble as there was out there this year. Plug in Dobnak, Thorpe, Balazovic, and Duran and keep Smeltzer loose too. If the Twins can't sign Kluber for $12 million then it is time to give the kids a shot and i guess I'm fine with that decision. Just no Homer Bailey, please.
  13. tony&rodney
    Well, I guess the Twins were daydreaming ... a miss.
  14. tony&rodney
    Every year Minnesotans wait for Spring ... and the Twins. Patience is our lot. April isn't far off - stay safe and warm.
  15. tony&rodney
    Hendriks is really good and I hope he has a fantastic year. I love that he was tunneled from a very young age to throw to spots and learn his craft. It has all come together for him and every baseball fan should be delighted at his success. The White Sox did get great outings from their closer last year, however, and Hendriks alone doesn't win the World Series for the White Sox. The Twins are very good right now and it should be a fun summer of baseball. We may pay more attention than in past years because of the competition. I bet on the Twins.
  16. tony&rodney
    Both are fine players but ... hard pass in favor of other needs: bat, pitching, and pitching.
  17. tony&rodney
    Ted, I always love your posts. I'm not hearing the hints from the Twins, so we all keep hinting for them. I'm hinting Cory Kluber, Trevor Rosenthal, Nelson Cruz, and Ehire Adrianza. I would love to see Simmons come aboard or a trade to bring in Sonny Gray too. Any move that substantially improves the Twins is fine with me. However, the silence from the Twins makes me think they are pretty staunch in their belief of the current roster with 2-3 additions from the vast array of players still out there. My main concern, above all else, is MLB's total incompetence in setting the rules for this coming season. It's total negligence and GM's are waiting to see if they only need to build a team that wins 80 games in a full season because every team qualifies for the playoffs. This is the main hangup in my view.
  18. tony&rodney
    This - Cory Kluber can neutralize the White Sox 5-6 times this summer. He has a good beard, is cool, and is super fun to watch pitch as he carves up hitter after hitter. Doesn't that sound good?
  19. tony&rodney
    The dollars direct the team. The Twins can add Kluber and Adrianza to sit around $110 million. They can add Cruz if they are somewhere near $120+ million for the roster. Where life gets interesting is if the Twins are open to a payroll between $130-155 million. I cannot fathom a scenario where the Twins sign Ozuna because they are loaded with corner bats and players to rotate through the DH position. Nelson Cruz is a short term cost and his past production warrants another look, not because the team owes him but because he has been consistently good. While there is some evidence of decline, it is scant and Cruz still compares more than favorably with all other options. A roster of 26 also affords a team to carry a player like Cruz who only carries a bat. At this time, with this team - no to Ozuna.
  20. tony&rodney
    Cory Kluber is fun and really cool.
  21. tony&rodney
    We just cannot guess the trade market right now, although it would be sweet to add Sonny Gray and/or Luis Castillo in a blockbuster move. Agree that the free agents are not real inspiring but Kluber may be worth a gamble, especially if he is interested in a host of incentives within a contract that can include a second year. Kluber is intoxicating because he was so much fun to watch.
  22. tony&rodney
    One consideration that may present the Twins fortunes to come in a more positive light is the depth of their players who are at or approaching significant contribution status. This list could include Duran, Balazovic, or others. The Twins seem to have more depth than the White Sox. However, the post makes solid points that the next month may be crucial as the Twins solidify their major league roster with a few key additions. Management seems to have a plan and when April rolls around it does appear that the Twins and White Sox could be well matched to compete this coming season. The competition is healthy.
  23. tony&rodney
    Buxton, Sano, Berrios, Maeda, and more are all available under the right circumstances. Twins Daily articles and discussions have mentioned Garver, Sano, and more in trade conversations. The post has a lock like Cave, but leaves off two players who are just as certain as any others to be locks on the roster. Donaldson because of his contract is an exception, but the Twins would trade him too if they could. I'm not opposed to any combinations of moves that result in the Twins being a stronger competitive team in 2021 than in 2020. The post was locks for the roster and I believe Arraez and Polanco qualify as locks. Others disagree and want a new set of players in the middle of the infield. I think the Twins are looking for two reserve players, one or two starting pitchers, and one or two relief pitchers. If they stumble into JT Realmuto or other free agents or find a trade that is too good to pass up, then they will gladly make a move. The roster is pretty set on one hand but with a big wallet in hand, the Twins would clearly react to a favorable set of circumstances. It is possible to see the Twins signing Bauer, Adrianza, and Clippard and call it a day. An example of a player the Twins really needed but was clearly not available at a cost suitable to the Twins planning sheet: Liam Hendriks. So they wait, call, talk, and listen.
  24. tony&rodney
    Cruz is a victim of his own magnificence. A normal 40 year old former MLB star plays amateur ball where reduced skills are the norm. Cruz has been terrific and if he was even 35 the discussions would be totally different. But he isn't and age happens. All of the arguments are well put and it does seem like the internal options are great, but wouldn't it make some sense to see Nelson Cruz again this coming summer. I can even accept if he is injured or suddenly cannot Boom. I'm of the mind to offer $15-17 million for this year with some option that is at the team's discretion and might include a path into coaching. Nelson Cruz is not even the shadow of Harmon Killebrew but letting the Killer go to Kansas City was the single worst mistake in franchise history. The Twins can afford to take a swig of Cruz in '21. Who knows, he may once again forget how old he is and do his little tip-toe jog around the bases enough to keeping us all smiling at the absurdity of it all.
  25. tony&rodney
    There are two scenarios where Polanco and/or Arraez are not total locks for the coming season. 1) One or both of them are disabled and unable to play which necessitates a sudden decision to sign or trade for a regular shortstop or second baseman. 2) The Twins complete a total blockbuster trade like some have suggested. For example, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, and Mike Moustakos arriving in return for Luis Arraez, Mitch Garver, Trevor Larnach, Randy Dobnak, and Lewis Thorpe. The Twins signed Polanco to a very team friendly long term contract and while not permanent there were discussions about his position and place on the field at that time. Arraez has a unique set of skills that portend possible special player status. Nothing short of debilitating injuries or a major trade will change their status in my opinion. If this was a gambling site, I would play 10 to 1 odds on Polanco and Arraez as locks. However, I have lost before. Such is life. Go Twins.
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