tony&rodney

Does anybody else wonder how many lower level baseball employees have been asked by players for a little favor? The whole scenario is just sad all around. I'm not sure how the trial solves anything, although I have no sympathy for the convicted individual. The abuse and misuse of opioids are a scourge in this century, littered across the country.

Some pitchers have problems with recovery after pitching. thus the term loose arm and problems for many in throwing back to back games (Rogers?). Can Duran pitch an inning or two every other day? He should likely make his introduction in MLB as a relief pitcher in stints less of two innings or less until the Twins can ascertain the full story of how his arm reacts to pitching.

Trades.

Larnach needs repetitions, true. Don't you think Miranda has totally shown that he is ready? Use his reports for years, his adjustments last year and the subsequent results from his increased discipline. Like Kubel and a few others, when a player is so dominant a team needs to plug the player into the order.

Sano has been a disappointment compared to our expectations. He has had strong runs with some length. While it is true we have not seen an entire season of sustained strength, there is nothing to say that Miguel cannot put together a full season. I would not bet against Sano. Athletes have decent egos and Sano wants to be considered more relevant than he was last year. Time will tell, but the big man may be getting himself ready to bust out as a consistent force. Why do people still underestimate Josh Donaldson? I was never a big fan of him when he played elsewhere, but it was obvious what a good player he is on a consistent basis. There are the legs to worry about, true. JD is a real tough out and just because he is less than his peak doesn't mean he will not still have an excellent 2022. Both Sano and Donaldson can be traded, just like any other player in the organization. The return needs to be significant in both cases. There is a scenario where these guys are traded for less and that includes some ouchy numbers. If the Twins are aiming to roster at $90-115 million for their player budget, well .... cuts and trades occur. For today, I'm still thinking optimistically about 2022: Budget near $120-135M, a few trades completed, a couple of decent signings, and Sano and Donaldson feeding off of each other in a strong lineup.

Jim Eisenreich for a brief set of games.

Any discussion of Story and potential resource allotment is pointless unless you are firm on the idea that the Twins are destined to budgets below $120 million. There is money for Story on any budget above $115 million. I understand that a great number of folks on TD want to see the prospects or to spend money on pitching and many also want a budget beneath $120 million. That's fine. However, in the event that the Twins would set a budget of $115 million or higher Trevor Story is a solid addition and there is still money for pitching. This is all left to Pohlad and Falvey. It is pure folly to suggest the Twins spend too much on position players unless you specifically state that you want the Twins to go forward year after year with budgets closer to $100 million than to what we saw the last few years. Just state your position on a budget. Of course, you may feel that Story, or Correa for that matter, are not as good as Royce Lewis. I just want folks to be real clear on what they want to support with their dollars as Twins fans. Clarity makes it easier to understand each person's ideas.

Big differences but no matter. Like I said, just a hunch and I can easily be wrong. MLB won't suspend him, Dodgers will cut him and pay his salary. Bauer will be done

Perhaps, but Bonds did not get a job and he was still much better than Bauer ever was and lost his lawsuit. An employer cannot be forced to hire someone against their will unless there is clear discrimination. My guess is that Bauer is done. Maybe, maybe not - just a hunch.

If baseball could walk away from Barry Bonds, it can certainly do so with Bauer. He may have pitched his last pitch in an MLB uniform.

Normally, this is true. However, it was pretty universal amongst baseball folks that Cavaco was a real stretch and everyone loved Carroll but he is not a big athlete in terms of size. Even if Cavaco makes it, this pick was a loose chance.

Josh Winder is officially my choice to slot in the middle of the rotation, right after Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodon and before Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan. Now if the owners and players could get along ....

A huge part of being successful in baseball is intellectual. Players must learn to accept failure. learn, and move forward. This is really difficult. Young pitchers get crushed routinely. No matter how you stack any pile of prospects, they are still prospects and prone to having doubts about themselves. This is true despite the enormously high level of ego and confidence that exist in professional athletes. A pitching staff needs a couple of experienced minds to set an example and these guys need to have more ability than a Shoemaker. Using a dozen prospects to get through the year to see what they have seems like a plan to fail. I would bet that Falvey has other plans in mind. We saw what the plan was last year with Berrios, Maeda, Happ, Shoemaker, and Dobnak. Stuff happens and last year the pitching staff tilted sideways. Now a few prospects are ready to fill two spots, hopefully and unknown quantities added to front the top two or three spots in the rotation. I guess we all get to find out eventually.

When I read the comments about Story being too expensive and over the hill, I wonder about the expectations for 2022-2026 of those who oppose signing Trevor Story. The current roster will compete with Baltimore for the lowest position in the AL. I'm not in on a rebuild. However, I do recognize that fans have zero say on the players that will constitute the roster. Falvey may have a number of fair options on his mind to fill shortstop. The decisions seem straight forward, but there are many obstacles to assembling a roster. Free agents have to want to play for the team they ultimately sign with and it takes two teams to put together trades. These challenges seem much more daunting than whether the Twins should sign a free agent or two and complete a few trades. Additionally, Pohlad sets a budget. The final roster budget may float by $10-20 million, but we have no idea if that means $95-115 or $120-140 million. The budget will determine any potential push to convince Trevor Story to continue his career in Minnesota, not his talent No person can state with 100% certainty that a player will perform at a predictive level. Injuries, accidents, illness, and even death happen. It is inconceivable that the Twins could receive a better performance from someone currently on their roster at shortstop than would be delivered by Story. He is in the prime of his career. We cannot know whether Royce Lewis will be better than Tatis in 2023. Analytics are all the rage across baseball and on TD and the numbers say that Trevor Story would be a real plus for the Twins, if they managed to sign him. The real challenge would be to convince Story. There is room financially under any budget near $115 million.

So maybe Martin or Lewis are the top prospect in 2024.

This still seems really simple. Just ask yourself a few questions. Do the Twins need a shortstop? Do the Twins have a budget around $120 million or more for their 2022 roster? Do you want the Twins to be good enough to win more games with an addition than what is currently on roster? Trevor Story absolutely makes the Twins better and I cannot believe he expects a 6-8 year contract. Whatever. If the Twins are looking to keep the budget around $100 million, which most people haven't discussed, then this entire conversation is moot. No mon, no fun.

Do people remember that Rortvedt is a catcher and that position, professionally, is very demanding? Rortvedt has figured out the defensive side behind the plate and has the physical skills to now attack his weaknesses in the batter's box. This year will be a clear indication of his future.

I believe that the experience gained in 2021 by Ben Rortvedt will help him immensely in 2022.

This to some extent is my malaise regarding the 2022 Twins. I'm ok that the Twins are secretive with their process and also don't begrudge the Pohlad family making money from their inheritance. I simply don't have any confidence that the Twins plan to win as a goal. The Zips AL standings projections are up at Fangraphs and they indicate what is common knowledge - the Twins will be one of the worst teams in the AL with their current roster. This is almost completely due to the fact that they do not have a pitching staff and also have a hole at shortstop. The roster, right now, is not acceptable by any means. Adding a shortstop as suggested by Ted or trading for some hopeful shortstop are easily accomplished. The Twins can compete in 2022 if they add a couple of pitchers and the reticence to do so may or may not change after the lockout ends. Then again, maybe baseball is cancelled this year. The hot stove has been drenched by MLB and the PA thus far.

Some solid reasons to sign Story in the comments and I agree. My concern is with where Pohlad sets the budget. If it is $115-120 million, there is room for Story. If the roster needs to come in below $115 million, it is too tight.

The Rays would likely want players that do not need to be on the 40 person roster. A phone call asking about any of their players but especially Glasnow, Walls, and Kiermeier sure can't hurt. Conversations should be taking place, absolutely. Glasnow, as previously mentioned, is worth much less than shown on BTV due to salary and injury. Finally, the Rays do not like to sit on players making good money while they only have a year left before free agency. Call and listen.

We send out false reports and he falls into our lap.

Brooks Lee

This is plausible, but what is the record for this team? Just wonder what happens with this experiment. Do the Twins lose 90, 100, or more games or do they get some decent results such as 72-90 or better? What is the expectations going with "whomever"? There are signs that point to the directions you list.

There is reality to this observation.