tony&rodney

Confidence and persistence are very important as baseball is a difficult sport. Most players need at least four years to hone their craft and then need to make constant adjustments when they finally get to the highest level.

Yah, a little problem. Right? So maybe the Twins are in it too far to totally rebuild right now. This might be the best argument yet for a $160 million budget. Tear it down? Donaldson and Sano may have a market, but it is not certain. Kepler and Polanco can return prospects and Buxton could bring a haul, maybe. There is plenty of angst and there are holes to fill. What is the cost of a five year rebuilding process? I'm having a hard time seeing where the Twins can afford to rebuild with their current prospects plus a few added in a tear down. That leaves rebuilding on the fly, through trades and free agency. Get to .500 and sprinkle in the prospects who show talent. Management will follow their own ideas but a shortage of money is not one of the constraints the Twins will face this offseason. They will, however, face stiff competition for players from any number of teams, all of whom look to be better in 2022.

The sad 2021 Twins record has Twins Daily in full offseason mode, a practice most all of us have indulged in too frequently in an attempt to maintain an interest in our Twins. August was a pretty good month and we still have a month to go in this season. The offense was a dud versus the Cubs and I hope Baldelli and braintrust get some solid advice from Brad Radke for this weekend's tests in St. Petersburg. But, yah, so much thinking about possibilities for 2022 and mine are solely focused on an immediate return to relevance. My guesses and wild tosses are just that, but they represent a hope that the Twins win at least 85 games in 2022 and that may be very difficult as other teams in our division are vastly improved since 2020. The pitching needs attention and my plan is to make a couple of trades and at least a couple of free agent additions to the mound. I am not privy to what any free agent will cost but am budgeting $50 million for two arms. My targets are Thor Syndergaard on a one or two year deal and Carlos Rodon for four or five years. These are both gambles and substitutions of Stroman, Gausman, or Ray would also work. A trade I suggested last winter aimed to bring in Sandy Alcantara and now I want Max Meyer too. I am offering Miami a choice of one of our catchers, Trevor Larnach, Brent Rooker, and a minor league pitcher like Matt Canterino. No idea if the Marlins are interested ... or the Twins. Next, I target a reliever, either free agent or trade. Here, I am stumped to a degree. Does Milwaukee have an interest in Miguel Sano. Maybe a Sano, Arraez, Duffey, and lower level ml pitcher for Josh Hader and Eric Lauer. Don't hold me to fast to this idea - I'm just trying to build a pitching staff without waiting three years. Finally, I turn to offense and throw money at Starling Marte - $18 million per for 4 years and try to coax Ehire Adrianza back for $2 million. My team still needs a shortstop too and the budget is near $155 million. This plan may not be feasible. I absolutely believe that a $150-160 million payroll for the roster is practical. A bigger challenge is making the contacts and having conversations with agents, players, and other teams about their needs, wants, and the possibilities to close on a few important trades and free agent signings. A player like Marte may be risky but his defense, speed, and contact skills change the dynamic of our lineup. Concerns about injuries in the future are not conducive to building a winning team. Competition will improve in the AL Central next season and a quick ambush early in the offseason may be the path back to relevance. I can not see spending more money on players like Simmons, Happ, and the sort. I like Big Mike but it is time to move on from him unless he signs really cheap. Perhaps if the Twins management cannot identify teams to trade with or free agents to sign, it may be time to clear the deck. A rebuild at this time would really cost the team financially. A good team at $160 million will bring in a profit but a bad team at $90 million will lose money. Last word - so many thoughts and ideas and hopes out there and I want the Twins to return to competitive baseball (85 at least) in 2022.

Twins.

Of course the Twins will have a rotation for 2022. I expect two pitchers currently within the system to fill the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation. Trades and.or free agent signings will complete the rotation. Good to go for 2022.

I'm not sure how Tampa Bay accomplishes all that they do right now, but they might have the best team in baseball and are also sitting on some good prospects as well. Reusse knows baseball, as previously mentioned, but he can over-react when irritated.

Stuff Happens.

Woof, a chance for four pinch hitters in the 7th inning. Nope. Not happening.

Never impeded the Twins - it was how Pohlad chose to run team. Mauer has a no trade clause in his contract. Joe Mauer is still Joe Mauer. Read J. Jaffe on fangraphs if you have any doubts. Easily a top ten catcher in baseball history. Jaffe rates him at #7. Those who constructed a false narrative about Mauer will hold their views but it is unlikely that any Twins fan alive sees his equal in their lifetime. That's all I have to say about that.

I don't think you have to worry about Ober as the #1 for the Twins unless they unload Rogers, Buxton, Sano, Kepler, and Donaldson. Keep the faith. A trade and two FA signings will help the club.

Mauer was worth every penny of his contract and his salary NEVER impeded the Twins budget. Buxton is a MUST sign for all the reasons others have stated. Maeda is a decent #3 if he can pitch, which looks doubtful. The Twins can fill two spots in their rotation from their internal options. This leaves the team needing to add three pitchers this offseason via trade or free agency to be competitive. The current roster does not have the options to be a .500 team. There is money available and the Twins will choose to tear it down or rebuild quickly. Keeping the roster as is would be a disagreeable option in my opinion.

We are fans and management/owners are the directors. All I can add is that whatever the plan was last offseason has proven to be unfortunate and there is an opportunity to correct those decisions this offseason. Tear it down? Stay conservative? Rebuild with vigor? Stay tuned.

Why, if he can be effective? I lobbied excessively last winter for Liam Hendriks because I wanted a power closer, I still want a power closer. I really want an effective bullpen. Colome's troubles, Alcala's home run issues, and Duffey's poor location have been very frustrating and if all can be replaced with superior options I'm all in for that. i do think those three are better options than the Edgar Garcia type. It becomes a question of what/who is available. I guess you may have lost all trust in Colome.

To the post more specifically - I am hoping to see Ryan as a SP, Hamilton and Moran as RP, and a few weeks of Miranda.

Colome has had his bad stretches, for sure. I don't think he is done as an effective relief pitcher though, just maybe no longer a closer. Because he is not a strikeout pitcher the 10th inning this year with a runner on 2B is a terrible place for him. Does everyone else think Colome is toast?

The Twins are trying to see who can adjust, with both players who were not on the roster earlier this year and those who have been here all season. The looks and subsequent demotions of players like Edgar Garcia, Shoemaker, and others is an example. Likewise, the continued looks at Barnes, Albers, Alcala, Duffey, and Colome are justified. Barnes and/or Albers may provide future value in middle relief. Can they be sharp on a routine basis? The three relievers I mentioned have the pitches to succeed and it remains a question whether they can repeat their deliveries. Alcala is inexpensive, controlled, and can show his talent from time to time. Duffey when sharp is useful, and Colome still can miss the barrel on most occasions. The tough decisions are who can be counted on to be more consistent going forward. The big needs are pitchers who can hold the fort at the back end of the bullpen and two (now three) starters to push the game into innings seven and eight. The Twins are really happy right now with four or five effective innings which puts a pretty significant strain over the course of time on the bullpen. Twins fans will be seeing a bunch of pitchers climb the pitcher's mound in the last stretch of the season and we will need to trust that some solid conclusions are drawn and decisions made to push the Twins toward competitiveness next year.

Learning is what has been happening with the current management team. Baldelli knows baseball but is pretty inexperienced in the dugout. He has likely improved his understanding of the complexities of being a dugout manager. Falvey and Levine are corporate brains and use a model. When you have older experienced coaches and managers like the Cleveland team there may be a complementary process. The duo are also learning but without people like Terry Ryan, the process may take more time and be more difficult. One thing different is that Jim Pohlad has increased expenditures which allows for a few more mistakes. What would happen if the budget went back to $60-100 million? I'm still hopeful of positive outcomes but the biggest decision this offseason will be made by Jim Pohlad.

Agree. So many MLB pitchers began their careers as relievers. Johan Santana was one example. If Duran is hurt he has to be put on the shelf but eventually he needs some experience and learning the ropes from the bullpen can be a very effective way to start a career and may also serve the needs of the club as well.

Colome is an example of a common fate for pitchers. The other night he threw three fantastic pitches to Alex Verdugo, who is an excellent hitter. Nearly every other pitch Colome threw was erratic and/or ineffective. Sadly, declining pitchers struggle to recover their touch and command and some of these guys wind up playing in the amateur adult leagues because they still enjoy baseball and/or their wives want them to get out of the house after they have gone through months of sitting around wondering what to do now that their MLB days are over. Steve Carlton tried to hang on and even spent some time with the Twins. The velocity was still there but the ability to repeat pitches and the loss of command and control will drive a pitcher out of the league. Martin Perez is an example of a pitcher who manages to be effective just enough to hang around. Mike Marshall (recently deceased) won a Cy Young award and was still really good but no longer among the best and was the crankiest guy in baseball when he was let loose. The loss of elite command and control is often the simplest explanation for the demise of a pitcher's career. Alex Colome is a perfect example. For years Colome has enticed batters to put the ball in play with soft contact because of great movement and location and now his sequences of pitching effectively have become elusive. Alex is trying his best to find the magic again and we don't need to castigate his efforts. The Falvines of baseball will decide when a pitcher has reached the end. Baldelli merely decides when to use or pull the pitcher and decide if there is enough there to get through an inning.

Being optimistic, the Twins can fill the last two spots in their rotation for next year from among those already within the organization. So then, three spots will need to be accounted for via trade or free agent signings. Maeda is hurt and does not fill a position in this thinking until he heals and returns to strength. The front office will decide if the Twins can have nice things.

My two favorite Twins, ever, are Tony Oliva and Rod Carew. The greatest Twin, however, was Harmon Killebrew. He played 1B, 3B, LF, and DH in his career. Hrbek, Koskie, Allison, and Morneau would all agree to step aside for Harmon. Your first four should be unanimous picks and if the Veterans Committee chooses Tony, all Hall of Famers. I would choose a couple different players: Lyman Bostock, LF; Greg Gagne, SS; Gary Gaetti, 3B; and Johan Santana as my ace. Leave Herbie at 1B with Harmon as the DH or switch them as Harmon was from (mostly) a pre-DH era. The Twins have had some great players and teams.

Wow! That was a massive home run. Watch that video and the arc of the ball - 500 feet easy; crazy power.

Right now, Bailey Ober is the #1 pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Tonight he faces the Boston Red Sox. We might as well hope for the best because he is our best shot. I do agree that Ober can be a rotation piece on a good team, but the current status of the rotation options is worrisome.

Gordon and his non-usage at shortstop, under all conditions, is a head scratcher. Clearly, the Twins do not feel Nick belongs at SS. Cave? Meh, but I want to know if Refsnyder is viable too. Miranda is helping St. Paul finish strong and allowing Arreaz to play some 3B, I guess.

Partially, it seems worthwhile to let Miranda lead St. Paul through the remainder of the year, but then there is the notion that young players benefit from a couple dozen starts in MLB before their rookie seasons. Hopefully our management has the sense to differentiate between what is best for the prospect and team going forward to make 2022 a competitive team. Right now I like how Jose Miranda seems ensconced into his role as the star of his team in St. Paul.