tony&rodney

Ryan pitched wonderfully. He was impressive.

What I take away from your comment is that the Falvey regime is incompetent. Maybe that isn't what you mean, but together with Riverbrain's follow up comment and my own conclusions formed while I waited and hoped for players to evolve, I come to - Falvey's methods and philosophies of baseball are fundamentally flawed. I have no grievance with the Pohlads save one, they don't really care for baseball and thus have seemingly formed a bond with Falvey. The Twins are doomed unless something major changes. I will add that Falvey can change. That is all I have, the hope that he does change.

Hopefully a team will see big potential and the BTV value is a match of someone between 15-30 in that system. I'm not holding out any hopes for one of the Chicago catchers because I think the White Sox will keep both of them. You definitely have the right idea about the Twins having conversations though. I don't follow BTV but I will be interested to hear of varying values for a number of Twins players. Whether it is Wallner or others, the Twins need to make some changes and become more athletic and skilled.

On almost every high school team the best athlete plays shortstop and pitches. A loaded team might have two stars, one playing third base or centerfield. That was Royce Lewis in high school, a third baseman. Dave Winfield pitched and played shortstop for Central High School. He played outfield when his older brother was the shortstop. Matt Wallner was a very good high school athlete. I'm not aware of him playing in the infield.

Excuse me if I am confused by this response. Royce Lewis is easily the second most favored player among Twins position guys. Folks/fans have been loving Lewis since the day he was drafted. He has only just recently received some questioning. I'm not sure how Aaron Hicks was a scapegoat but I'm open to any explanation. Hicks was moved to make way for Byron Buxton with Rosario and Kepler ready to step into the outfield as well. The trade return was, in a word, brutal. I have been super encouraged by the manner in which Lewis seems to be getting healthy, running and moving much better. There may still be a good baseball player in that body. I don't give a rip what he says. I have been given a thumb's down by several people because I suggested that the Twins need to explore all avenues for improving the club and that includes a potential trade for Lewis if the return justifies the move. That is fine because disagreement and different voices are important. I also was squashed with thumb's down a couple of years ago when I suggested moving Julien. I'm not the one making decisions and I'm just a fan of the team after all of the moves and non moves, which will continue into next year too. Lewis isn't a non-tradable player. I do still believe in Lewis but want the organization to improve in whatever manner works. It won't be by spending piles of money. This we can agree on. Hicks has 2 good years in the majors with the Yankees, which coincided with the emergence of a really good trio of outfielders for the Twins. MLB is a rough business and if a team can improve by trading a Ryan, Lopez, Lewis, etc., it needs to happen.

I'm open to all ideas. Also, we really don't have any clue how Royce Lewis was or is now viewed by other teams. It makes sense that there would have been more interest after the 2023 season in Royce, but I'm not sure how other teams have changed their thinking. My only thought is that the Twins should explore all options towards improving the team and make an honest effort at completing several trades as well as making other transactions. I was done with Falvey years ago but I'm still a Twins fan and am forced to live with his decisions. Edit to add, I'm not sure what you disagree with in my previous comment. I didn't trash Lewis or give up on him. I only looked at the current reality. I'm still hopeful for him.

The Twins are investing in a rebuild. Easy to imagine that the Twins have a low team salary number after they complete 4-7 trades before the new year. If the roster looks like it can play baseball, there is a chance that a couple of relief pitchers are added to stabilize the team. The rationale for adding to the bullpen from free agency would be as support for an inexperienced starting staff. All of Bradley, Matthews, Festa, Woods Richardson, Abel, Morris, and others (including any experienced guys left) could be helped by knowing there are a few bodies in the bullpen to hold leads. The current group is not sustainable. The payroll can be below $100M and a few relief arms added. We will see this unfold in whatever direction the front office meanders.

I'm curious why he has never been used at any level at first base. What is your best guess? Do you think it is possible that no manager or coach ever even thought about trying Wallner at first base in the last decade?

Would Boston trade Ceddane Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer, and Payton Tolle for Ryan and Jeffers? This is a bit of a hybrid MLB/prospect bundle.

We are making educated guesses. I coached for decades. A natural part of coaching is to try players at many positions. Sometimes great outfielders cannot play in the infield because they think everything happens too fast. I believe we saw a quote from Byron Buxton to that effect and he did pitch in high school but didn't really like it. I have known of players who were uncomfortable at first base simply when the ball and a base runner were happening at the same time. There are a ton of variables that eliminate a player from playing a position. It was really hard to convert a player to catching. Most hated it or were fearful. A few found it to be a blast and became very good catchers. We really don't know about Wallner and first base. It is extremely unlikely and would be in very poor taste (something I would never do to a former player) if a former coach gave quotes on Wallner and any attempts on his transitioning to first base. We do not know though.

All things considered, I would expect both of Gabriel Gonzalez and Walker Jenkins to produce more than Wallner. There are others. However, it is the job of the front office to find the players. The last two years the Twins stood pat. In late July the front office sent off a pile of players (was it 10 or 11). What remains is a 100 loss outfit. Some changes should occur. It would be strange if the front office did nothing. There are going to be people who think highly of Matt Wallner. Some people like him because he is from Minnesota. I think he might be useful as strictly and only a DH. Others will disagree. That is the nature of comments and fans. Ultimately we hope the Twins are better .... later .... or eventually somewhere down the road. How the team improves is a natural point of disagreement.

A first baseman must have some reflexes to defend themselves. Big Matt can be pretty quick with a bat in his hands. He seems like he is unsure or doesn't see well in the outfield. His reactions are glacial. Many people have floated this idea. Wallner has never played an inning at first base since he went to college. There is little doubt in my mind that some coach tried him out at 1B in practice on several occasions. Maybe that never happened but that would be very weird if no manager thought, hey maybe Wallner can play first base. While this seems like an idea to try, I'm going to suggest it was already given a trial run.

Exactly. Is there a team that imagines that Wallner is as valuable as many on Twins Daily posters see him? I have no idea what team or why they would trade for him. However, we continue to read how valuable Wallner could be for the Twins. Right? I'm merely wondering if another team feels the same way as many TD posters.

This does change the conversation from already having success in the majors to prospects, but it seems natural as well. Wiggins and Alcantara is a thought that includes adding talent. The idea was more towards adding guys who the Twins might identify as reliable for 2026. I do think the exchange is more likely to be for high end prospects.

Cory, this is a good exercise. It is what the front office should be (and may be) doing on a regular basis. While it would be more likely to target a Top 10 prospect, I totally get the idea to look for players who have already managed to show in MLB. Start with this - the Twins are a 90 loss team that projects to be even worse next year based on their current talent. What can be done? Most of us like both Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez quite a bit. It is completely unclear what teams or value other clubs place on these two pitchers or other Twins for that matter. Earlier this summer in some comments regarding values and trades, I posited a Ryan, Ober, and somebody else (maybe Lewis or Soto or EmRod .... I can't remember) for Nick Kurtz. That was just a crazy idea and would never happen, especially from the Athletics side. However, it seems quite certain that Ryan will be traded. If the Twins stand pat with their current roster after the purge in late July, ..... well that would be very strange. The Cardinals idea that you propose looks good. Would St. Louis trade their shortstop? There are a couple of prospects who may be ready for MLB. Sticking with the Cardinals, I like JJ Wetherholt. Detroit needs a starting pitcher. Would they give up one of their top prospects? It will be difficult to pry away an accomplished bat and perhaps Boston is the club that best matches up with the Twins.

The biggest contribution Wallner can make for future Twins teams is if another MLB club feels his powerful bat is important to their own team's improved offense. Who will offer a decent player for Matt Wallner? I do think Wallner could be a reasonably ok DH for the Twins. Can we guarantee that Baldelli will not put Big Matt in the outfield? Finally, the headline above the video, "Matt Wallner is a building block ....". The Twins will finish 2025 as a 90+ loss team. Without some strategic moves in the offseason, fans should expect several more or worse performances. Winning teams are not built around .204 hitters.

Josh Naylor will cost somebody $80-100M over 4-5 years. The Twins are not going there. There will be some potential for 4-7 trades this offseason. The roster churn will continue. The current roster is a surefire 100 loss outfit. The late July purge will continue rendering most of the guesses from this article and the comments far off. We should take another look in a couple of months. Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying watching the current Twins and finding a little time to follow the last week of regular season games across baseball.

Wow, plenty of comments about a guy hitting .237 with a .680 OPS and just 0.9 WAR for the season. While it would be marvelous if Lewis managed to become a halfway decent baseball player, the Twins need to see if any other MLB clubs have any infatuation with Royce. The Twins don't exactly have a fantastic infield but Lewis is the weak link right now.

Kaelen Culpepper was playing his first full year of professional baseball and was a key cog for Cedar Rapids before his promotion to Wichita. A number of other players had good seasons but Culpepper is a solid choice. Certainly others, Carson McCusker, Kyler Fedko, Kala'i Rosario, would have been decent picks as well. Connor Prielipp is a little bit of surprise but his health was maintained which was a big deal. Jose Olivares might have been deserving among a few others. The Twins will have a different set of criteria than many of us fans. Good to see these awards and looking forward to Twins Daily choices.

I gave you a thumb's up on your reprimand of my hasty comment. I should have replied to the poster who wrote an irritating inaccurate comment or just ignored it. Yes, anyone can comment. It was not fair to make that sweeping statement. I will say though that I am frequently surprised by both positive and negative comments that don't exactly jive with a minor league player's play. Looking merely at statistics doesn't tell much of a story. That said I was set off by one specific comment and I was remiss to not just skip/ ignore it.

No reason not to let Matthews go in the 8th inning. Pitch count is good and it is his last game.

Hot damn. There are still five games to go but Cleveland caught the Tigers after being 15.5 games out and they came back against Tarik Skubel. The Guardians are going to win the World Series. At least I hope so.

Simply a move to keep Manfred in the news. If the technology is accurate, use it all the time. What has happened on occasions (too many times) in the minor leagues is that when a team runs out of challenges the zone gets bigger. MLB thinks these little moves will draw fans to the game. Baseball fans don't care about umpires or Manfred, they want to see good baseball. Something to consider is that often these challenges/ ball and strike calls are determined on pitches a fraction of an inch either way. Losing a challenge by a hair and then having a strike called on a pitch 3-5 inches out of the zone happens. Some will call that strategy. FWIW, I'm fine with the umpires calling strikes and balls. However, that ship has sailed. I would prefer just using the ABS system. Eff the challenge b.s.

Matthews can be a good starting pitcher. He supposedly has good control. four of his first seven pitches were middle, middle. This is not where an MLB pitcher wants to earn money. Some guys can go an entire game without putting the ball middle, middle. He was more in line with all of his pitches to Burger. Matthews is going to be fine but he must get out of the whomping zone to make money.

Ryan surely wants an opportunity to win. He seems to be hyper competitive. It is really hard for a guy like that the get pumped up to pitch for a 90 loss team. The Twins are going to struggle to get back to anything relevant in the next couple of years. If the Twins kept Ryan he is a free agent after the 2027 season. Either sooner or later he is gone and his presence does not mean the Twins will reach a .500 record. In other words ... he gone. Thus, the best result possible is that several teams are super interested in acquiring Joe Ryan this offseason and the Twins maximize the return for him. I would even add a player or two for the best return or package of players. Looking around baseball at the contending teams it is obvious that a starting pitcher like Joe Ryan should be in huge demand. Ryan can answer whatever questions need to be answered with his next club.