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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    It is too early to guess for 2026. The ownership and front office situation could change dramatically. We don't know and the direction is unclear. Nothing would really be too surprising at this point and there could be some chaotic reshuffling this winter of the roster. Would I be surprised if the Twins opened next season with new catchers, three changes in the infield, and two new corner outfielders? Not at all. Would I be surprised to see only one holdover from the rotation that started 2025? Not at all. Would I be surprised if the Twins used a combo of four free agents and four returning players currently in the organization in their bullpen? Not at all. I'm hopeful the team is improved in numerous areas, Who? That is a mystery.
  2. tony&rodney
    Jenkins has been hot. Many of his outs have been rocket line drives. What is going on with Emmanuel Rodriguez? He has been in Florida for weeks now on a rehab assignment. At this point he may not travel north at all. Oh well, he probably prefers the warmer weather. Still hoping he can help the Twins at some point.
  3. tony&rodney
    Well, we are in fact just all wildly guessing. I find it mildly interesting that a number of people feel that a new CBA will alter the finances of the game in a major way. From various sources one can see (from whatever information you dig up) that somewhere from 3-10 teams lost money last year. Among those teams losing money were NYM, TOR, and PHIL, all large market teams. How will the 3-10 owners convince the 20 hauling in money to vote for a lockout. The teams with large media deals are not going to vote for substantial change. In other major North American sports leagues the dynamics are wildly different from seasons to games played to history. In some cases, revenue sharing was easy and necessary to build the leagues. Who is going to deliver the news to the Yankees and Dodgers that they can count their money from revenues but then pass substantially more of it off than they currently do? How can the Dodgers escape their contracts to fit below a cap? There will be some changes in the next CBA. My guess is that small changes will be made in service time and perhaps some increases in CBT penalties. The 1994 strike devastated baseball and did not break the MLBPA. There may be a short lockout that causes the loss of some cold April games, but I cannot foresee any way the owners risk so much as to ruin their investment and the current steady cash flows to their pockets. One can say, perhaps very accurately, that wealthy individuals can make much more money in other businesses. So these people can sell if they choose to do so but we sure haven't seen any signs of owners bailing as owners of MLB teams. Others see big changes, I will believe it when it is in practice just like the sale of the Twins to the Ishbias. Edit to add to original post. - The author seems to have fallen in love with all of the new toys from this summer. There are a number of decent prospects that were signed or drafted prior to this year who may be tops for the Twins in 2027. Jose Olivares and Adrian Bohorquez are just a couple to watch. There are others.
  4. tony&rodney
    Yes, nothing is official or complete which is why it is best to wait to hear the details before assigning actions to new money or any other guesstimates. No money has been moved. Again, it took longer than a month (IIRC) for the Ishbia rumors to get corrected. I'm willing to wait for such time when the Twins hold a press conference if and when any deals are completed.
  5. tony&rodney
    Yes, all speculation which may come to fruition. For now, it is nothing. I never doubted that it was reported, but no announcements of names, etc. Remember also that it was also reported that the names would be released in 10-14 days. That was around a month ago. We can wait for certainty.
  6. tony&rodney
    Where has that been definitively stated? Many people have posited this. I have not watched a press conference or read about one in where the Pohlad family states that the investments from "partners" has eliminated the debt. In fact, I have not read that the limited partners/investors have yet been given the ok by MLB. Surely this would have been announced and published. Has it? As far as I know zero dollars have actually flowed into any coffers related to the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club L.L.C. I feel like the partner/investors deal will actually occur. But I also feel like this is not too far off from the Ishbia news back in February or whenever it was. I sort of feel the Pohlad family will sell the team before the 2026 season begins. The budget is a total guess at this time. Nobody should be surprised by an opening 26 person payroll for the 2026 season to fall well below $75 million. My guess is as crazy as every other wild thought. Since we are throwing out numbers, I will take $85 million. But hey, if the Pohlads want to spend $125-200 million ..... great. Just give me some good, well-played baseball. Maybe the outfielders will even hit the cutoff and throw to the correct base too.
  7. tony&rodney
    Minnesota is not a diehard baseball state. Attendance was above average for the first 10 years (1961-1970), below for the next 16 years (1971-1986), rose above average for 3 years (1987-89), dipped below again for 2 years (1990-91), rose above average for 1 year after the '91 WS in 1992, went back below the average for 16 years (1993-2008, rose above average for 5 years (2009-2013), was below average for 5 years (2014-2018), went back over average for 1 year in 2019, Covid happened (2020), and then has remained below MLB's average in the 5 years thereafter (2021-2025). If my math is correct that is 20 years above MLB average attendance and 44 years below MLB averages with Covid as a draw. The Twins finished in the top 3 in AL attendance 9 of their first 10 years in Minnesota (1961-1970). They have finished in the top 3 in AL attendance 3 times since that run (1988, 2010,2011). When one takes away the first 10 years, baseball has had some rough years in Minnesota. One must acknowledge that there were many years where the attendance was strong and close to the league averages, but the numbers don't scream "State of Baseball". The play, promotion, and public relations of the Minnesota Twins faces stiff challenges in the next few years. Due to market size, corporate strength, potential for success, and a widespread lack of financial clout as well as potential less public support from other smaller metropolitan areas, it is nearly unfathomable to believe the Twins would ever relocate. The Twins are not moving. The Pohlad family will soon come to the decision that waiting could be a real financial kick in their future financial draw from the inheritance. I expect the team to sell before the 2026 season begins. New ownership will bring a new POBO and manager. At that point some healing will begin and perhaps a new approach will recover trust in the community and bring fans back to baseball in Minnesota. I hope so.
  8. tony&rodney
    Both sides of the bargaining table will posture plenty; huff and puff and threaten to blow the house down. There may be a few cold games cancelled in April, at most. Billionaires take losing money way harder than millionaires. Talk of a cancelled year are just b. s.
  9. tony&rodney
    The best athlete in the Twins system, hands down, also has a fair amount of development to accomplish before he is ready for Target Field; Brandon Winokur. Winokur has had challenges but he puts up numbers, he runs, throws, hits bombs, and can play pretty much any position. The kid is gifted. His hit tool has improved but he still has a ways to go. If he can make year by year progression, he is easily the top prospect in 2027.
  10. tony&rodney
    The usual nonsense talk preceding any talks. MLB has a ton of problems, specifically with managing media deals in various small to mid market clubs. A lock out would cause massive financial problems for too many teams. A cap would need to be accompanied by a floor for each team. The clubs who are below $200M would never agree to a $150-200M floor. The Dodgers are already committed to $300M. Where does a cap begin? When MLB bailed out the Dodgers and gave them exemptions from sharing much of their media revenues, the genie escaped the bottle. A salary cap and floor conversation is a waste of time. MLB needs to get its house in order with media money, product promotion, and resolve revenue sharing. There are 2 MLB clubs below 40% in wins. Last season there were 5 teams in the NHL, 7 teams in the NBA, and 11 teams in the NFL that finished with records below a 40% win record. It can be hard to argue competitive disadvantage in MLB when the team with the best record is 23rd in payroll. MLB has problems but a cap and floor seems very unlikely and actually unnecessary. Developing and sharing all media monies seems much more important.
  11. tony&rodney
    We might have a better guess on October 1. At that time the club can take a look at the records for each month, the attendance, media numbers, evaluate the rosters, finalize a basic budget number for 2026, and discuss the next steps. My team would be more interesting at $75-90M. Hope for positive change. It is all we can do.
  12. tony&rodney
    This why I was so opposed to the massive purge. Of course one may say we should wait several years to evaluate the trades, but it easier to build up from a 80 win team than a 60 win team. The chaos within the organization seems headed for 100 losses next year without creative changes and a couple of miracles.
  13. tony&rodney
    Every pitcher is slightly different in how they rebound from pitching. Many guys manage to bounce back (their arms) in a couple of days to make them available as relief pitchers. A few take 4 days of recovery after pitching. A few others have rubber arms and can throw often. Tonkin has made a career for himself, whatever you think of him, because he can provide innings on a regular basis. He also has had injuries. Without any knowledge of how guys like Abel, Bradley, and a host of others recover after throwing an inning or two we can't know if they would reasonably transition to the bullpen. Building a bullpen is possible with identification of arms suitable for the task. Some may be internal but others may arrive from waiver claims or trades. The immediate problem (maybe just for me) is whether there exists an eye or three within the organization to find those gems. An additional issue is the ongoing philosophy of the current front office regime. My personal thought is that the Twins are in trouble until such time as there is a change in leadership. As putrid, careless, and indifferent to baseball as the Pohlad family appears, they have nothing to do with the identification, accumulation, and compilation of the roster. In the meantime, we all seemingly work harder to think of ways to improve the team than those who are responsible for the task. I'm discouraged by the state of the team.
  14. tony&rodney
    Plenty of work for the Twins to do. The pitching staff was once decent but is now a mess. Nobody should have surprised that the White Sox mauled the Twins. The White Sox roster better position players at DH, C, 1B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF and they are going to improve. Without substantial change and good fortune, next year could be a total loss for the Twins. The Pohlads don't care and Falvey has struggled in his job. I'm wondering how the team plans on selling season tickets after the "Total System Failure" of the last two years and the debacle of the ongoing ownership fiasco.
  15. tony&rodney
    The White Sox have a better team and they are hungry to catch the Twins. Time favors the Twins though.
  16. tony&rodney
    Most accurate statement on velocity that I have seen.
  17. tony&rodney
    I would like to wish Kody Clemens all the best in his next career. He seems like a friendly fellow.
  18. tony&rodney
    Looks like the Twins have their new catcher.
  19. tony&rodney
    If you or anyone else has a clue to how the Twins work their players, let us know.
  20. tony&rodney
    Have you watched Jenkins at AAA? I've seen most of his PA. He has hit numerous line drive outs at well over 100 mph. I don't see Walker having any problems hitting anywhere. He just needs to get acclimated. Jenkins and Gonzalez are easily the best players on the Saints roster.
  21. tony&rodney
    Marco Raya was fantastic for 3 innings and 40 pitches. I wondered why he was pulled? Surely Raya could have thrown another inning. This must have been something designed pre-game to get Baker an inning. Morris made one bad pitch. He was good.
  22. tony&rodney
    After watching pretty much all of Walker Jenkins plate appearances since he reached AAA and after watching him at AA a ton, I feel confident saying the Twins have not had a prospect anywhere close to Jenkins since Joe Mauer in terms of overall skills. Walker controls the zone and routinely hits the ball hard. If there is one player the Twins should seek out to sign to an extension, it is Walker Jenkins. Use Chourio as a base, go 8/$80-90M and add two options years at $25-30M each. By the end of next year those numbers will no longer be in play.
  23. tony&rodney
    The Pohlads, led by St. Peter, have been as poor as one could ever possibly be at communicating to the public and building positive vibes for the franchise. They run the team like Trump ran casinos. That said, it is hard to believe that the Pohlads have any say whatsoever in player acquisition. The Pohlads set the budget. Since Falvey came aboard the Twins have spent more money than any of their ALC brethren or Milwaukee, our friendly neighbor. The roster and style of play must then be all Falvey. The team we watch is The Falvey Dream Team. Is that even remotely fair or is it right on? After 9 years of Falvey leadership I have zero idea what he has in his mind. This makes one wonder about Falvey's conceptual ideas. Does he have any real sense of baseball? Is the team we watch the best possible outcome for a Midwestern franchise? Is it even possible to lose money running a casino? Reality suggests that there are people in places of power who are incompetent. Do all failures of the Twins product fall squarely on the shoulders of the players on the roster who should be competing for a ALC title? Is it Baldelli? Is it Falvey? Each person has their own viewpoint. So it goes.
  24. tony&rodney
    Buxton gets a spot, for sure. Wallner is purely a DH. If the Twins use Big Matt in the outfield this is the signal they are shooting for a high draft pick. Wallner can be a beast as a DH in a positive fashion. He gives up more hits and runs than he provides if he has a glove on in the field. Wallner is also a prime candidate to trade. The corners should be some combination of Jenkins, Fedko, Gonzalez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Roden. That is a pile - five guys for two spots. It is also possible that the Twins trade for an accomplished outfielder. We can check back though in February to sort all of this out. Agreed, the outfield positions should be really intriguing.
  25. tony&rodney
    Does anyone else question how the stats for defense are gathered? Do errors count? The idea that there is a way to judge balls in play fairly across so many venues seems ludicrous to me. When I attend a game in person I can note/chart where a defender is playing, note/chart the speed of the ball in play, and note/chart the play of a defender. No matter how this is done, there will still be a fair amount of subjectivity in any judgment. If AI could be applied universally there might be a more objective record but no video exists that is identical between ballparks. The system used for Gold Gloves in the past favored offense to a certain degree, but most of the obvious defensive stars were still GG winners (Ozzie Smith, Mark Belanger). Currently some stats are used (25%) but it is still the votes of managers and coaches (75%) that decide who earns a GG. I'm not sure there will ever be a system capable of measuring the gray areas of fielding. I watch games without the sound on most occasions. When I have the sound on it is common to hear the announcers praise the work of all of our Twins defenders. Buxton is routinely referred to as the Platinum Glove premier centerfielder in baseball. Byron is a good outfielder (at least average) and did win a Platinum Glove in the past. He isn't the best at his position at this time. Most teams can live with one or two average to below average defenders and still keep harmony with their pitching staffs. The past players on the list are the equal or better than a number of currently rostered Twins players. How many poor gloves can be used in any one lineup seems important. I'm waiting for the Twins to find a way to replicate the Orioles and A's of the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
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