tony&rodney

You might need to check the years where the Twins won or competed for the World Series or American League championships. The current FO are adored on TD, which is fine, but the Twins still haven't won a postseason game or presented themselves as a serious threat. For now, they are well back. Maybe in 2021?

Last October my first version of the 2021 roster included Simmons, so I am delighted to see his addition to the Twins field. Shortly thereafter, however, my thinking switched away from Simmons. At the time my changed rationale was related to leg injuries. Sano, Arraez, Donaldson, and Polanco have all missed significant time due to leg injuries and their performance suffered when they played through or returned from their bouts. Clearly, the physical health of the infield was a concern for management as they approached decisions this winter. The loss of Rosario and Cruz, with questions about Garver's return, also clouded the direction for player choices. It seemed prudent to look for options if the Twins were concerned about the middle infield going forward, and while I felt a healthy Polanco was fine at shortstop in consideration of his past performance, the idea of adding a shortstop if not convinced of a full-on season by Polanco was understandable. My main worry about Simmons is that the Angels, who have vast quantities of resources, deemed him unworthy to return to their team. Simmons did himself no favors, perhaps, by withdrawing at the end of the year, but he has suffered a series of bad ankle injuries as well. It is quite a gamble to sign a player who has been sidelined repeatedly by ankle injuries when your own team has a multitude of leg problems to consider. As a Twins fan I hope this results in a World Series appearance but it does raise questions about issues we all know nothing about: player health, viewpoint and strategy towards winning, and team budget. I did consider that Twins Daily readers do not believe Simmons presents any high degree of risks based on the comments, but wondered how easily many TD readers dismissed Kluber, a player who also clearly carries some semblance of risk and reward status. Let's hope the shenanigans that apparently are a part of Simmons personality, which I had never heard of until today, are all resolved and flushed away so that baseball is what we see from him. Simmons, potentially, could be quite a signing. Finally, a number of TD folks have rightly identified the offense as the culprit in many past playoff losses (that is, unless one maintains that all playoff games should be managed toward a 1-0 or 2-1 finish ala Black Jack). So how does Minnesota resolve the loss of Rosario and Cruz? Since October, this has been my biggest concern for 2021. While I love the idea of looking forward to the opportunity to see Kirilloff, Rooker, and Larnach smash baseball in major league stadiums, I wonder if their heroics will match Eddie and Nelson this coming summer. So there is likely another signing yet to occur, soon.

Sure. Rosenthal, Soria, and Clippard would cost @$14 million. Oh, and the Twins just signed Happ, hopefully for $2 million. Still time to add players.

Or ... maybe the Twins will sign Happ and Swarzak and Marwin. Are we happy?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

The miss on Kluber makes me think that the Twins budget is closer to $110 million.

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?

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.

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.

Well, I guess the Twins were daydreaming ... a miss.

Every year Minnesotans wait for Spring ... and the Twins. Patience is our lot. April isn't far off - stay safe and warm.

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.

Both are fine players but ... hard pass in favor of other needs: bat, pitching, and pitching.

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.

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?

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.

Cory Kluber is fun and really cool.

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.

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.