tony&rodney

Both.

Eric Davis. Paul Molitor early in his career too. Molitor recovered to have quite a run of excellence. I would keep Buxton unless totally blown away by another team. Furthermore, I would try to extend our often injured centerfielder. The Twins do not need any more utility players or prospects who might be real good back of the rotation pitchers. If San Diego, for just one example, wants to win a World Series then they will have to give us C. J. Abrams for Byron. The easy retort is that will never happen. My reply is - their choice.

"How much can the Twins spend this offseason?" Can, will, should, or will are all different determinations. Every fan has a different idea. My best guess is that the Twins can spend $150 million for 2022. I would not be surprised if they spend $100 million. As a Twins fan since 1961, my expectations are simple. I would like to see an emphasis on pitching and defense, but what the Twins will spend may not come close to what they can spend.

My guess is the starting number is $100 million. Think Wheeler. 6/$110 million sounds right. Jose may want to pitch in New York City and then the reality of a tough decision next year looms.

Kirilloff is best at 1B, Sano is 1B/DH, Garver is a DH who can catch in a pinch, and Nelson Cruz is still hitting better than all of these players. There is a crunch at DH/1B and somebody will need to be moved. Cleveland uses catchers behind the plate and this is important to pitchers. For example, Santana was moved out from behind the plate years ago. The Twins need to recognize the importance of a catcher. I'm hoping that the glut can be solved with positive results, but if Cruz is moved there are still only two chairs for three players.

Not the worst but troubling that management did not feel any serious inclination to address the team shortages last winter and are still slow to react. The excuses are pointless, but despite a problematic offense it is the frequent non competitive pitching performances that have hindered and hamstrung the Twins this year thus far.

Shoemaker was not a worthwhile gamble, but the others were ok as far as throwing dice. I'm a little surprised that Colome's lucky charm was lost and both Happ and Dobnak seemed like reasonable number five pitchers. This stretch has tested these pitchers' confidence in themselves and baseball is really tough when doubt finds your talent. My take is that they are doing their very best but time caught them. I would like to see a few of the younger pitchers who we are told are not ready. Sometimes opportunity comes before the model design, yet reality exists.

From this post and comments it seems clear that relief help is unlikely to appear from the farm any time soon. The prospects need an opportunity in St. Paul. Bullpens are very tricky and the answers are never clear. It is interesting to see TB trade for Matt Wisler. Yet I would agree he had used up his time with the Twins.

Bring Cano to Target Field. Why not? He might help and if he has a rubber arm and proves useful, even better. Seth, do you think one or both should get a call?

My agreement with the post is pretty complete; Rocco and this Twins leadership are under the microscope. While I continue to listen to most of the Twins games, I am surprised at how little attention the inexperience of their management team receives and was taken aback last winter at how much fans seemed to fawn over the Twins decision-makers. Like Celestino and the host of other inexperienced Twins, management struggles when tough calls or plays need to be made. The current regime can and will improve with more experience and I would say that their knowledge far exceeds that of the public, but this year does expose how much more experience and knowledge our former leaders possessed. Looking forward, I hope Baldelli and Falvine (yes, two people) learn from their mistakes and apply that knowledge in a humble fashion. The bullpen usage last night was just a microcosm of the season as is the current handling of Buxton.

Didn't pay attention to post game .... "ripped fingernail"? .... send him to St. Paul to buy a clippers or put him on the IL. That's IF there was an actual comment and I am not doubting a previous post but just did not see that.

Perhaps some fans will gain an appreciation for Kelly, Gardenhire, and Molitor as they watch the current team.

The Twins do not need any more AA or AAA career minor league players. While I was steadfastly opposed to adding Simmons last winter because a healthy Polanco is a key for the Twins, the best course of action now is to stay with Simmons unless a useful player is offered in a trade. If a prospect with real talent can be pried loose, go for it, but otherwise the Twins need to stop adding useless players.

The wishful thinking is ok by me, but there isn't any comparisons between the two teams. Santana and Mauer alone would be enough but adding Liriano, Morneau, Hunter, and the bullpen creates a chasm. Any charge in 2021 will need to be from the Twins awakening to bludgeon pitchers six days a week. I'm waiting and it could happen. Right?

Correct, there is no easy way out. Trading players in their walk year for nothing is a waste. If the Twins thought their team was built to win, they need to roll to July 30th to see what the schedule has dealt them this year. Watching this team, listening to the radio for this team is a struggle. Everything is off. To some degree I would parrot what Doc Bauer has written. I too thought the Twins could win 90-92 games. I disagreed with the choices for the bullpen and pitching and wanted some more aggressive off-season moves. However, the team looked competitive and I found myself listening to the game again today and wondering if there might be a run or two in this team in the next 48 games. Nobody is going to gamble a real prospect in early June for any Twins player, but crazy things can happen at the trade deadline. In the meantime sixty years of following the Twins has taught me to keep things in perspective and relax. I'm still hoping they can play some good baseball this summer and am hoping for improved fundamentals in the field, on the bases, contact at the plate when called for, and more competitive pitching. Today seemed like a start, even with the problems that need to be eliminated. I'm hoping for better in a season where comparisons to Ron Davis emerged and that was a really low point in Twins history. Playing better baseball is the only way out.

Rocco? I have no idea what type of person he is or how he relates to or gets along with the players in the dugout. What I can say is that he is inexperienced and makes some decisions that Francona or past Twins skippers like Kelly, Gardenhire, or Molitor might shake their head at, but would never publicly second guess. The bulk of TD likes Rocco and he doesn't pitch, hit, or field any more. I'm not seeing the intangibles from Rocco. Does anyone remember when Paul brought a batting T out on the field and set it on the plate to punctuate a disagreement with the home plate umpire? That was classic. Rocco has a long way to go and while i am interested in seeing him develop his skills as a. manager and do not question his passion nor knowledge of the game, Baldelli remains a work in progress and is not among the better managers in baseball currently.. He may be in time, but the time has not arrived yet.

The players should not have to say anything. When you nearly live with a group of people for as long as MLB players do there needs to be a comfort level amongst teammates. The idea that the players call out or name every pitcher that is cheating harks back to the steroid era when MLB excecutives loved the McGuire/ Sosa show and played for every last nickel. Then Bonds joins the fun and others, and oh boy were the announcers and brass upset. MLB needs to get it together and fast. FWIW, the NYY-TOR game was a fine display of umpiring. I didn't see every pitch but did not recall the home plate umpire missing a single pitch. He may have but he certainly was good today. It's not the rules, the players, or the umpires that is hurting baseball, it is Manfred and his crew.

There has to be a specific reason to trade Jose Berrios or the Twins have him until he is a free agent. Who are those players worth trading for and would any team give up a young player? I would like to hear some names suggested and these might not even be actionable. San Diego wants to win. They have the players they want mostly. I'll trade Berrios, Thorpe, and Sands for C. J. Abrams and Ryan Weathers. SD might not consider (and Twins either) but what are people thinking? I'm not interested in releasing Jose for anything less than top talent.

In reply to spycake - I don't know. I do know that Manfredball calls for a team to load up on effective arms and velocity in the bullpen and that costs money. The Twins needed to allocate a minimum of $25 million or more to the pen. I wrote about this last winter. That, or gain access in some miraculous fashion to inexpensive flamethrowers. Falvine chose a different course. The bullpen was exposed from Day 1 and the example of Tampa Bay in trading their starting shortstop best illustrates the current importance of a deep pen. However, I don't know what the plan was for Falvine. You are absolutely correct in the necessity of identifying talent.

Most people do like a homerun, but when Arraez swings for the fences and hits a fly ball out 400 feet, we have reached a stage where individuals do not play to their strengths. I'm not a big fan of bunting but when your team is down two runs and the shift gives the batter a base hit on a bunt, then a bunt is the correct play. The safety squeeze by Cleveland was the correct play and Terry Francona knew this and called it. Adjustments can be made. The game doesn't need changes. It does need enforcement of the rules currently on the books. If you ever faced a wicked spitball you would understand why it is not legal. The same thing applies to defaced baseballs; anyone remember Joe Niekro. MLB can and should put an immediate stop to all of the "tonics" used for gripping a baseball to gain spin, movement, and velocity. Eliminate the abuse of substances and we will see a huge drop in the effectiveness of many borderline talents on the mound. I never have nor never will understand the vitriol spilled on Barry Bonds. He saw that Mark McGuire had become a god. He knew his own talents were vastly superior and he joined the crowd. Bonds is, arguably, the greatest baseball player in MLB history and his ego duped him into experimentation with steroids. It was a bad decision and even unnecessary but also understandable if you consider the work ethic and supersized ego of Barry Bonds. So baseball, writers, and fans didn't like Bonds total dominance of the sport and suddenly steroids and peds were looked down on and players were punished, including a refusal to induct several players in the MLB Hall of Fame. This was all foreseeable and discussed openly at the time and there were players who refused to indulge in peds and were unhappy and some even bitter at those who did use peds. The use of substances by pitchers today is exactly the same. The real question is whether or not MLB is loving the no-hitters and just wants to watch a while before it takes any action. Fans will have to wait for Manfredball to end before baseball normalizes. It is as simple as that and all of the talk about the mound, big bases, electronics, etc., etc. is a waste until MLB is free of the current regime.

The Twins did not prioritize the bullpen and are paying the price for their poor judgments. Tampa Bay just won their 11th straight game and acquired additional bullpen arms at the price of their starting shortstop in the middle of this streak. Yes, the Rays have a deep farm system and some good middle infielders but the actions of the two management systems are obviously different. The current game demands a strong bullpen and developing or trading for arms is essential to win.

Seth, good work with your focus on the positive. I hope the Twins can get some solid careers out of a few of the young bucks you write about in the article. My take is that management is doing their best. One thing that I find unnecessary is any comparisons to past management, which many have done on Twins Daily. The current group is still green by comparison and we should remember they are are on a learning curve. Meanwhile, the players need to be responsible for their part and the Twins roster has enough experience to perform at a better level. Those rookies given an opportunity need to play within themselves to succeed. Kirilloff has looked pretty good. Larnach looks a little pull happy. Now, it might be a good time to bring up a rookie to get some experience. The last spot in the bullpen should be available. Just one little drip in the pipeline might help.

The umpires aren't corrupt or incompetent - they are human and make mistakes. Replay and going to electronics has had a negative effect on the game in my opinion. Do we think an electronic strike zone would be flawless and save time? Let us watch appeals to the calls on electronic balls and strikes. That should be fun. I love seeing the umpires huddle with their cute little headsets. There are ways to adjust but Sano isn't adjusting. The Cleveland broadcast called him out for not making any attempt to score Kepler from 3B as he went for another HR and subsequently struck out.

The Twins have 7 relief pitchers who can only pitch one inning and not every day plus they do not have anyone to pitch 2-3 innings and their starters average 5 innings per start. Falvine messed up big time last winter and we will be watching those mistakes all summer unless the Twins actually crush the ball in nearly every game.

The Rays are more in tune with the game than any team in baseball and because they lack money they adjust on the fly. This means building a stronger bullpen because they feel their middle infielders strength can handle dealing Adames. FWIW, BTV is nonsense numbers.