tony&rodney

A strong bullpen is important and wouldn't it be nice to have some combo of two of Hendriks/Hand/Rosenthal/May? The post references potential starters, however, and Kluber on an incentive contract makes sense as does the same for Hill. Pass on Paxton (price) or Archer (questions). Either way, it looks like three pitchers are needed. Who will it be?

Count me as an Eddie fan. Good job with the comparisons here and keeping it simple too. I would guess that a detailed look from every possible angle would return similar rankings. The one item that jumps out is games played. Rosario is almost always available. I have nothing to back this up but he seems to play through injuries better than others, and i am not advocating for playing while injured at all. Sometimes Eddie played when the other options didn't exist. I am wondering, like everyone else, how the team will handle roster decisions this winter. It does seem like one spot should be available for the youth, but any number of shifts can take place from trades to inability to resign Cruz. Eddie Rosario is an exciting ballplayer and I would love to see him rake again next summer.

Speaking solely for myself-I'm just a baseball fan. There may well be significant obstacles that present themselves next Spring, but for now I'm a hopeless optimist making that leap of faith. The only reasoning behind any of my simple suggestions is towards improving the Twins roster. Additionally, I do believe that management can see some potential in reaching high. One year ago, nearly everyone protested any consideration of Josh Donaldson. The Twins signed JD. Then Covid happened to mess up the entire year. As this year draws to a close there is a distinct possibility of next summer being a good one for baseball fans and owners. The Twins have bank, as much as any team, and their careful negotiations over the years have placed them in a positive position to act aggressively this winter. The money is there and we get to speculate whether the purse will be tightened or loosened. Baseball keeps their books totally private and all attempts by bloggers to assign values are mere guesses. The formula for making money remains producing a product that many will want to consume. There are bound to be a few owners who see the pent-up demand for baseball next summer as an opportunity. I'm hoping one of those owners is a Pohlad.

We all seem to agree that the uncertainty of the schedule will affect the bottom line. For sure there will need to be some sort of negotiated agreement between MLB and MLBPA. If not, all of our thoughts are out the door. The key will be how the owner approach the players. Other leagues manage to meet percentage-based agreements. Why not baseball? In the spirit of positive negotiations and an expected pent-up demand next summer for baseball, my hoped for budget for the Twins is in the $130-140 million range. This number will be lowered through shared loss agreements involving both players and owners if the Covid barriers remain high. If restrictions are lifted by June, then summer baseball will be a cash bonanza. My best guess is that contracts will contain some language related to opportunity to earn based on attendance possibilities and games scheduled. I totally agree with the need to carefully construct a solid bullpen. The pen was pretty strong last year and a strong pen is necessary again in 2021.

Both of the Mets players are interesting to think about and a sicko like myself, following too many minor leaguers, is quite familiar with them. The catch is how to match up on a trade. The Mets have been burned a few times recently and it isn't clear if a utility player and a possible 5th SP are worth much versus the Twins assets. If Garver has value from 2019 the trade options should be better, but as is he has value to the home squad. Still. I enjoyed the write-up and speculative thought; a good read.

I like May and Clippard, but we would almost certainly see statistical improvement from having Hendriks and Hand on our roster. Still, a return of Clippard and May sounds acceptable, sure.

These are all good arguments for many years in Twins history. However, this coming season will be pivotal for the Twins because of the core foundation in their system. If the Twins are not ready to compete with Berrios, Maeda, Rogers, Duffey, Garver, Sano, Polanco, Buxton, Kepler and so forth ... then let them be free agents and field a team at $20 million this year. This winter will be anxiously exciting with the Yankees stewing because they didn't win, the Mets looking to blow wads of cash stupidly, and among the viable teams for the 2021 World Series are the Twins. Decisions about who to fill their roster should be solely based on what makes the team better. The manipulation done with young players will go away with the next CBA because of the shenanigans of the last decade. Kirilloff, Larnach, Rooker, Duran, and others should or should not make the team based solely on if they make the Twins a better team. Same with trades or free agent signings. The window is open now.

Then again, wouldn't Hendriks and Hand nicely complement Rogers and Duffey? The money is there.

Blankenhorn is an athletic guy with a fair stick and will be average defensively. I would like to see him stick. The decision for a player to use as a reserve shortstop comes down to Polanco's recovery from ankle surgery. If the Twins are worried I wonder if Simmons is an option. The return of Adrianza is also a fair plan. Neither of those decisions should get in the way of rostering Blankenhorn. I hope he sticks. The one really important consideration is the timetable or team view on Royce Lewis. The next CBA should dismantle the abuse of holding rookies down and maybe we see Lewis from Day 1 next year, playing 5-6 days per week all across the field. That may hurt the utility role waiting for Travis.

I'm in on a couple of relievers. The Twins need to look hard at Liam Hendriks, Brad Hand, Trevor Rosenthal, and others. Why not? These players will make the team better and that is all i want Twins management to consider. The window for this core is here now and I wonder, how can the brain trust make that happen in 2021?

Liam Hendriks-3/$33. Do it.

This winter there will be plenty of options available but the understood obstacle is still a budget in consideration of the ongoing problem of our friend, Covid. The Twins have the core to win and their decisions must be directed toward that end. How would contracts to Hill for $6 million and Kluber for $7 million look for SP? I'm curious whether management would think about Liam Hendriks at 3/$33 million. If the budget falls below $130 million, which many of you are reasonably predicting, the Twins will need to get real young. My hope is that the long view comes into play and payroll settles around $135-145 million. This seems optimistic, but the money is there. Whether we want to discuss it or not, The Twins have the money.

Duran needs to pitch in the majors to see how this trade worked out. Escobar was a proven player with multiple skills and has done well in Arizona. He was well-liked by other players, the fans, and produced on the field. Duran is a prospect. While my personal preference is for the Twins to put Jhoan in the 5th SP slot in 2021, he still remains an unknown talent for MLB purposes, whereas we all know that Escobar was a talented player. For now, the trade favors the Diamondbacks but this can turn with the emergence of Duran this coming summer.

Great story and his different offerings should play again in 2021, At least I hope so.

Eno Sarris was one, from TheAthletic.com and there were two others from last week - too uninterested to look these up for you, but I do get your skepticism and perhaps I should have copy/pasted those links in to a doc right when I read them over the last few weeks and years. Thing is, like many of us, but not all, I read way too much baseball junk. It was lazy of me to write without proper sourcing and I apologize.

A deeper problem is that we hear that in game decisions are made by upper management via messengers. Whether by electronic or foot traffic this practice is a can of worms. Cheating, gambling, and financially based switches are open season. Keep the game and the decisions on the field. There is enough information in the manager's binders and brains. If Falvine or other executives or employees want to make in game decisions, they should be managers. There are already too many coaches in the dugout. Analytics is just statistics used appropriately and have been a part of baseball forever. If I know a player cannot ever hit a curve, that is enough. We will throw curveballs then. If a pitcher is really slow to the plate, take the bag. Kevin Cash has general respect around baseball but he and his coaches did not do anything special to advance the team this postseason. Dusty Baker, on the other hand, managed brilliantly throughout the postseason and came up just short with the reviled Astros. It was quite a credit to Cash that his players had his back after the game, but pulling Snell was a bonehead move. Mookie Betts, a pretty good player and also always respectful, noted that the Dodgers had not had any good at bats all day and were at the mercy of whatever Snell was throwing in Game 6. Cash himself would admit this but the word is that the decision was made upstairs. This is an issue.

Kluber, if healthy, is my choice for a 4th starter. There may be someone looking at the Twins players who may offer a pitcher but one doesn't jump to the front page right now. Maybe San Diego?

The money is the issue. $5 million is a lot of money but Soria just had a couple of really good years earning more moola. Why would he sign for much less? I guess we find out what the floor is this winter. I wish there would be a negotiated agreement on a percentage for players' salaries. A strike doesn't benefit any of us fans who missed a hundred games this year. Baseball likely needs a salary structure of sorts. Soria might fit but there are so many options this year: May, Treinen, and Hendriks for just a few options.

I'm wondering if anyone on Twins Daily is familiar with Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Triston McKenzie, Zach Plesac, and Adam Plutko? These were pitchers in the #5 spot. We cannot expect a Bieber, but why can't the Twins field a #5 pitcher from their system? Berrios is good and older than all but Plutko. It is very reasonable to put a young arm down for the #5 SP slot, especially with off days early in the season. I'm a big fan of the vets like Cruz and Donaldson and also a fan of seeing a few young players move on in at an appropriate time. 2021 is a good time. Let's see what we got.

The idea that MLB is possibly even thinking of banning the shift is ludicrous. Next will come some other crazy idea. Remove enhancements like Ipads, electronics during the game, "scouting/trash cans", cards that indicate sequences/positions/analytics, and needless mound visits along with a dedication to the spirit of get in the box and on the rubber and pitch and hit. The players will adjust. The unintended consequence of expanded rosters, either 26 or 28, have proven to be a complete mistake. This did not prevent injury or increase the quality of play. Covid 2020 baseball was tough for the players and hopefully a return to health within our country and some sanity will allow for a more focused approach than wholesale changes to the game. A bigger issue might be how the owners and mlbpa navigate the next few months in the best interest of the game, both for owners and players. Different issue, separate blog.

Yuck. How about letting a few young pitchers bomb/succeed in the 5th SP role. Days off, the Twins can skip the 5th man unless they are dealing. Eventually a pitcher will need to rise through the system. Four steady arms and a bevy of beef for #5.

Is Kluber going to be healthy? If so, then he is our best bet. Duran/Balazovic/Dobnak/Thorpe can hold down the 5th SP slot. Odorizzi on a good salary for the Twins also works. Personally, I have zero interest in those listed above except Bauer-he's too rich for us.

The twenty-eight player roster was a bad idea from day one, just an excuse to add more pitching which naturally tilted the game towards length and more use of relief pitchers. Perhaps some changes are needed. A shift in how the injured list is used, keeping it at 15 days from when the player is placed on the list and not back dated is one suggestion. Another suggestion is to reduce the number of options a player has in terms of being sent back to the minors. If you need to keep a player for 21 days and cannot call them back up for 30 days there would be less shifting of players and maybe more concern for the welfare of the players as well. The actual use of a time clock on pitchers/batters staying in the box would help. Twenty seconds is enough, even with runners on base. Every player in baseball today played with those rules their entire lives until MLB. The use of cards in helmets/hats isn't necessary either. If another team steals the signs so be it. If there is usage of technology for stealing signs and proof, a 162 game ban should work. All of the preparation can take place before the game- let some of the human element return. Like I stated on another post, diehard fans will always tune in but a decline in the younger audience keying in to the game may be problematic. A complaint i hear from younger viewers is the slowness of mound visits and umpire reviews. I'm not sure about the data on this from a national survey point and have no strong opinions on the matter, but as annoyed as I get with umpires I prefer their mistakes to the long reviews that take place and the trips to the mound. One trip per game is enough. Any necessary adjustments can take place verbally or between innings. I'm interested to see a national poll or survey that encapsulates some ideas from a wide sector of the baseball viewing public. I cannot consider myself as representative of any norm because I enjoy baseball in spite of its warts.

Hrbek was really a Minnesota kid in all the most positive respects. In the first year of the Vikings playing at the Metrodome I was walking by the road that led to the parking lot when a car fully loaded with young guys pulled up and tried to talk their way into the lot reserved for players and VIPs. It was Kent Hrbek and his pals all smashed into a rusty old little sedan. The attendant turned them away and I had to laugh at the entire simple nature of that scenario. A few of the other beer venders also saw this and we all liked Hrbek and agreed the guy should have let him into the lot. That first year the Metrodome was totally spartan and junk. Loud though. Hrbek should have been ROY and won a few Gold gloves but the two WS wins were sure sweet and I'm sure he doesn't have any regrets.

A roster of 25 players may provide a return to more balanced decisions. There are managers who allow and pitchers that are able to successfully throw 100+ pitchers. Francona and Cleveland come to mind and we hear that Bauer wants to throw every fourth day. The game continually evolves and changes. Teams and players adapt and change to match the scenarios facing them each year. Houston swings hard until two strikes and then puts the ball in play. The Dodgers do the same. Nevertheless, there is a time to lift a pitcher and manager judgment and knowing the players makes a difference. In high school there is no reason to risk a pitcher's arm. I lifted a pitcher with a perfect game after 5 innings because it was early in the season and we had a rough pitch count. A kid can play baseball until his 50s. The kid thanked me and said he was gassed. Now he dominates Town Ball in his 30s. The pros are different because money plays a major roll in game decisions. Nobody wants to ruin a player's arm with overuse. So the dynamic is fluid in today's game and when MLB expands the roster the usage of pitchers is effectively changed through additional options. My own thought is that Maeda and Berrios would have been more effective than a reliever but the manager, in concert with the coaches, would be more attuned to that decision than any of us. Hopefully, the decisions are based on observations such as control and movement rather than on the third trip through the order. Certainly we all must be noting how hitters are managing to square up a fair amount of pitches from relief pitchers at near 100 mph. I'm not a fan of the three batter rule for pitchers or the expanded rosters. I would rather see a limit of twelve pitchers on the roster and a return of the fifteen day injured list. In any event, the hitters must adjust to reduce the empty at bats and futile three pitch strikeouts. A diehard baseball fan of 60+ years will never tune out but I have many conversations with younger fans turned off by the walks, strikeouts, and homeruns that result in 3-4 hour games with little action from their point of view. It is an opinion that baseball needs to consider in the 21st century.