tony&rodney

Mendez is young and has shown he can hit. There is not much speed from what I saw and he is being moved to first base for flexible playing time options. The outfield is a challenge for him. Maybe something works out. MLB.com lists him as the #25 prospect for the Twins, while Fangraphs left him off lists in the last couple of years. Watching a couple of dozen plate appearances that Mendez had with Wichita, nothing really stood out except he gets the bat to the ball and that is worth something. Hope is all the Twins have for 2026, so I hope Mendez does well.

Hired in 2016. FWIW.

I'm guessing Falvey is best suited to running the business side of a corporation, but he was given the chance to be the head of the baseball operations and quickly became enamored with that job. How has he done? There is enough information for an argument that he has been ok. There is also an argument that he has struggled. The last two years the Pohlad family decided to reduce expenditures. as the ongoing Gleeman side of the story goes. The Twins still outspent, by plenty, their neighbors in Milwaukee and their ALC friends. Money seems important as an argument for many which seems fair. Budgets will always be a thing though. The identification and acquisition of talent is another thing though. The Twins are going to continue on with the current arrangement for at least a year. Will shall see if the team can win the ALC next year. One important change I would like to see is how communication works between the manager and the front office. Ideally the manager suggests needs for his team and the front office listens and responds according to the ability to fill those needs. The front office should not be involved in choosing the 26 person roster, playing time, pitcher usage, or strategy; decisions related to playing baseball. The guy in charge of baseball operations should set in motion practices to be followed by the players in all layers of the organization. The managers at each level can be evaluated at the end of each year. My opinion is that is is important to have baseball people in charge of the baseball departments and business people handling the business side of the business. This has seemed like a discord within the franchise. So it goes.

This is a fan view that could make sense. However, one must accept that people will evaluate players based on many different criteria. You asked a question and my answer is solely based on what I would choose given my experience. Instead of going position by position and not favoring a long post, I will just say that I favor Naylor and Hedges at catcher, Manzardo at 1B, Rochio at 2B, Ramirez at 3B, Arias at SS, Kwan in LF, and Valera in RF. I would choose Buxton for CF. Naturally, others will have their own thoughts. I'm picking the players between these two teams that give my pitchers the best shot at winning games.

When you trade 40% of your roster, the offseason is the time to complete the rebuild. 2026 will be difficult in terms of win-loss record, no matter if the team go forward with the current group or completes 4-7 trades to improve the talent in the organization. The former will be a losing team that is uncomfortable to watch resulting in calls for change, while the latter will be a losing team that will provide glimpses of hope for 2027 and later. The former is a no win situation. Why do we keep expecting different results with the same players? When Buxton leaves there will be no players left from the old regime to save the team. A new group will need to step forward.

I'm uncomfortable saying such negative comments but I agree with this completely. This is what I have been saying for several years. The Twins have no future success coming their way unless one of two things occurs: Falvey is replaced or the front office ideologies change dramatically. Change can happen. I hope it does. The pillorying of individuals (like Falvey) is tiring though and I need to bow out of the practice. I'll just wish the organization good luck. They need a winning lottery ticket.

Those of us on the outside do not really have the answers to what ails the Twins franchise. We have a host of thoughts. In 9 years under Falvey there has seemed to be a directive from his office on how the Twins will play baseball. He has used the word 'collaboration' quite often. In my 50 years of working that word generally meant people will meet often, discuss many things, and then do as they were directed. Does anyone on Twins Daily believe that Rocco Baldelli made all of the decisions from filling out the lineup card to the end of the game without directives? Were the coaches directed in a particular mode of thought? Hey, maybe things will work better next time, but the front office controlling the coaches and manager doesn't seem to be a model for success. The comments by Falvey, on repeated occasions, that the Twins had all of the talent needed to win in each of the last two years were most telling to me. Did anyone pick the Twins to win the World Series? Why does it seem obvious where the current problem with the Twins progressing forward resides? Any individual offered a job as a coach for the Twins would be wise to demand a 4-5 contract at a decent salary. I know of a couple MLB coaches who did precisely that and their standing has only risen in time. The constant shifting of coaches cannot be a good thing for the players or the team.

Christian Vazquez had some interesting quotes about coaches. He mentioned that there are 26 different personalities and completely separate styles of pitching and hitting on a roster at any one time, which is even more complicated by the shuffling of players on and off the active roster. Vazquez says that it takes time and trust to build relationships with the coaches. Changing coaches has a negative effect on the team as a whole. I think this was from a newspaper article and I have paraphrased from my admittedly declining memory. The article made a lot of sense to me. When I was new to a position, progress was slow. Once my reputation was on solid ground, my words, views, suggestions found open ears. Looking around baseball it seems like those coaches who are around for several years have more perceived success. Carl Willis comes to mind. The messages are surely quite similar. The perception of the individual listening is important and that takes some time. It seems like a manager needs to be a listener who accumulates all of the thoughts, needs, and feelings of the coaches and players and makes decisions based on what he hears as well as thinks. The noise from voices outside the dugout are problematic in my opinion. Front office personnel have a job to do: the financial decisions, sales, management of the minor league side, and player movement in consultation with the manager on the needs of the roster. When the front office determines a baseball style or philosophy, weaknesses are bound to occur.

Since the expected aging and decline of players (people no longer in a Twins uniform) from the previous front office, the Twins have had difficulty winning games or playing sound baseball on a consistent basis despite spending more money than their ALC compatriots. Maybe things will change next year.

Love the optimism but it is very fair to say that the Twins only have one regular, Byron Buxton. I'm pretty excited about the potential talent among the starting pitching staff even if Ryan is traded. The inexperience among the potential prospects (Jenkins, Gonzalez, Culpepper, Rodriguez, and Fedko) is difficult to project. Expecting players you listed, other than Keaschall, to be key cogs in a .500 team is wishful thinking. Their defense and bats are not up to par. All of that aside and pretending you can against all odds get position player performance, it is improbable to rebuild the bullpen. Remember that Duran and Jax had 4 years in the pen and Varland had significant MLB experience when he was shifted to the bullpen this year. Stewart and Coulombe were also good and still the Twins didn't have the best bullpen by any means. It is possible to find arms to be good for a stretch but these guys had 60-70+ appearances. The Twins are unlikely to spend $30 plus million on relief pitchers. There will be a learning curve. To be clear I want the Twins to play exciting baseball and do well. The rebuild begun in July needs to be completed though.

Pitching pipeline sounds good but it is nonsensical really. One could go through every single team (not me) and create charts of who is or isn't part of the concept. The 5 starting pitchers for the 2025 Twins were Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Paddack, and Woods Richardson, where 4 of 5 were from other organizations. The end of the 2025 season was 6 guys (Ryan, Ober, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Abel, and Matthews), with 2 of the 6 coming from the Twins organization. The Twins do have some nice potential in their pitching. Like many other teams, collect a pile of arms and hope some work out. I'm bullish on the pitching staff but pitching pipeline is just a hook for those who need a reason to read an article.

Pretty much the timeline. The trainers and coaches got a raw deal. Baldelli lasted 7 years, so getting fired was predictable. Falvey rolled snake eyes but has The Family propping him up for another year. The Pohlads are just so confused as to why they lose so much money on everything they touch and yet they are still rich.

We must acknowledge that this entire process is completely in Byron Buxton's hands. It seems unlikely that the Twins will reach .500 next season in their wildest dreams, but it is always possible. As such, Buxton should want to play for a team that has tradition and an opportunity to reach the playoffs. Buxton's window is getting small and he no longer can decide his fate after next season. This is the winter he needs to call his shot. It is in Byron's hands at this time. The return for Buxton could be substantial but I'm afraid people might be severely disappointed if a trade were to come to fruition. I have no idea what teams would be interested and willing to trade. St. Louis has a historic franchise, can find financial resources to add to the team, and is a low key place to play. Again, no idea of practical basis. The Cardinals have a prospect worth targeting. Of course, so do other teams. Atlanta is constantly mentioned by people when any trade of Buxton is mentioned. It is a long way from Atlanta to Buxton's home town, Baxley. I can't see that as being necessarily favorable for or to Buxton. Lastly, there was mention of Buxton loving his family life in Minnesota. I'm under the impression that the Buxton family is back in Baxley, except for the summer. All of the love for Minnesota also must come with the reality that Byron Buxton has his roots, home, and future life firmly in Baxley, Georgia. Maybe there is some information that can correct me.

It doesn't seem right to attack people on a personal basis for their lack of talent or knowledge. I'm uncomfortable blasting the Pohlads, Falvey, and especially Baldelli in a personal manner. That is probably true for most people. However, despite not having all of the data points and information needed to make a complete analysis, the surface evidence is pretty clear. The Pohlads inherited billions of dollars and numerous businesses with nearly unlimited resources. They picked their parents well. Why they want to fail at business is their choice, but an odd life to pursue. I hope they are happy. Falvey is far out over his skis and pretty pleased to have employment where he can tinker with his ideas, make huge money, and seemingly have zero accountability for the outcomes of his work. He found his match in the Pohlads. Eventually this will all end. Until then, I cannot get too upset at the inevitable. I'm a baseball fan and enjoy the game at all levels. While it is true I follow the Twins much too closely, I still retain my ability to sift through the debacle to focus on the positive parts that are left when the incompetence has been sifted.

Reading through the comments, there seems to be an expectation for more than 90 losses in 2026.

A shortcoming of mlb.com is that it is unavailable in the postseason. I find it hard to believe that mlb.com subscribers cut into ESPN / ABC/ TBS/ Fox / etc. MLB reduces their viewing public when they cut off their most faithful fans. That doesn't seem to be a good business model but I'm willing to hear the other side of this tale.

Apparently you are relatively recent fan of the Twins or simply forgot about a few teams in the past, say 21st century squads from 2001-2010. I think you forgot. The Pohlads were more supportive of the current front office than they ever were in any year during the first decade of this century. I, for one, long for a decade of dinosaur teams that are winning near 90 games a year, just like the good old days. BTW, it is generally acknowledged that dinosaurs were the apex creatures of all time. A dinosaur is a superlative thing.

The Pohlads own the team, for worse and worser. They cannot be fired, sadly. Falvey? Why is he still employed?

"The roster Baldelli was given was far from ideal. The fault for that lies (in large part) with the Pohlad family," The Pohlads have no business running a baseball team. That has been effectively shown in the past 40+ years. That said, the Pohlads have zero input on baseball decisions. They wouldn't know the difference between an infield fly rule call and a ground rule double. The manner in which the organization is run is due to the philosophies and desires of the POBO. Falvey can change. He can change today. The proof of his skills and talent and even competence will rest with the record of the team in the next two years. Falvey has had more money to build a team than half of the baseball world, including Milwaukee and all teams in the AL Central Division. He can change though and I am hopeful for 4-7 significant moves this offseason. Rocco Baldelli was always an unknown to me. His playing and managing career were in total opposite directions. It doesn't seem possible but I always felt he was merely following orders. That is sad. I wish Rocco Baldelli well in his future. He has many options as a young man with no financial concerns, a family, and good health.

Why does it seem like a conversation about Clemens, Julien, Miranda, etc. highlights the deficiencies/ lack of talent of the front office?

The argument is what player to keep to repeat a 90+ loss season? Clemens, Julien, or Fitzgerald? The Twins have managed to bungle the last two seasons in championship form. The manner in which they acquire, keep, and play players is questionable at best. A number of people like familiar faces on their favorite teams it seems. So we read that Clemens, Keaschall, Lee, and Lewis are the infield with Jeffers behind the plate and some combination of Martin, Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, and Roden for the outfield. Those are all familiar players. White Sox fans are also hoping the Twins roll it back.

We fans are certainly in a tough place. The Minnesota Twins Baseball Club is worth more than a billion dollars. There are a ton of options for the organization. I keep going back to whether the people who make the decisions have sufficient talent and skill to put into place the series of moves needed to improve the outlook for the team in the future. Do they? We will find out just as we witnessed how well-run the franchise was this year.

Would you support a maximum net worth for all individuals/households or even a maximum that anyone is allowed to earn or spend via any avenues? Random number (pick your own), say no one person or household could have total assets above $100M or earn more than $10M in any given year?

Uncertainty surrounds the organization from top to bottom. One can spend forever thinking of various permutations of a future roster and miss on more than half of the names on an Opening Day list next season. Speaking purely for myself, I have no idea what direction the Pohlads face. Will they have a firm budget? A beginning figure of $75M doesn't feel too low and high number of $125M might be possible. My best guess today is something near $100M. Falvey has ideas of his preferred roster and style of play in baseball. We have seen his work since 2016. Will he cling to those ideals or is he capable of change? The last few years the Twins stood pat believing their basic roster would be good enough to compete for a playoff spot. The purge in July seemed to portend a shift, but a few recent comments by Falvey suggested the Twins now have the pieces in place. Does anyone have any idea which direction this will go? Rocco Baldelli came up in baseball as a player whose speed, defensive skills, and power along with a strong adherence to fundamental play made him a young athlete to watch. Injuries decimated his career. His managerial style was in juxtaposition with his own game. The use of analytics appeared to rule many of his decisions. This always seemed odd to me and it felt like RB was merely a good foot soldier. How could that even be true? Finally, we get to the players and it is hard to watch the younger, more inexperienced players seemingly looking over their shoulder. Baseball is tough and if one feels a lack of confidence from above it breeds within as well to some extent. The way that Austin Martin finished the season was almost a poster of a player who decided that every play was his decision and his alone. Mistakes were made but the positive clearly outweighed the blunders. The fit of individuals within the roster feels awkward. Then again, there is the reality of physical talent and ability to play a fielding position adequately. Would anyone be surprised if half of yesterday's active roster did not return? There will be plenty of room for players on the 40 person roster. Hopefully somebody within the organization has a plan that is not the same as previous ones.

Change Happens