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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    I might be too high on Morris but i think he is just a good change-up from being a really good starting pitcher. Focus, sequence, and general experience should help.
  2. tony&rodney
    Twins traded Rooker to San Diego who released him (I think), picked up by Kansas City, released and picked up by Oakland. It's a journey. I believe Wallner may flourish in a strictly DH role though, but it is a stretch to think he does as well as Rooker. I like the White Sox young catchers a ton but they won't trade them. Teel was the main guy for Crochet and he worked out. Teams today know that catchers are valuable and they are difficult to acquire as a result. Neither of the young Pale Hose catchers are options, sad to say. I think a number of teams will be talking with Seattle about Harry Ford. Not sure what to offer because the Mariners are a tough team to figure out. Maybe Emmanuel Rodriguez and Travis Adams for Harry Ford and Jurrangelo Cijntje? Tough to lose EmRod, who has so much potential. Perhaps Jenkins, Martin, Rodon, and possibly a player arriving in a Ryan trade covers him. Catchers will be difficult to come by. Tait is 3 years away and he may be a first baseman by then. Do the Twins resign Christian Vazquez or a similar gov (grizzled old vet)? Pitching is not a need and I have said so in other comments about trading Ryan. However, I think Wallner might be a good pick up for the Pirates and Jared Jones is the type of pitcher worth a gamble. The Pirates are loaded with pitchers. The Twins could add a couple of minor league guys to entice Pittsburgh too ... maybe Fedko or Rosario.
  3. tony&rodney
    That would actually be a good addition to the team. The bat is problematic however. At $2.45M the Rays may let him go as their team will be undergoing some changes. I'm surprised at the number of people so high on Marek Houston after his first go at pro ball. In the games I watched him play for Cedar Rapids toward the end of the year (late August/ early September), Houston looked a little tired. I thought that was understandable. He has this winter to prepare. I hope he takes about 8 weeks off to let his mind and body recover. Going through a long season of college baseball and continuing on into pro ball is always a challenge. I'm hopeful and waiting to see him next season.
  4. tony&rodney
    The arm is a mystery and every pitcher coming back from surgery proclaims full health. I'm not sure, having had surgery, if it is possible to predict how a pitcher comes back. For me, the Pirates need bats. I feel pretty confident that the Twins are not winning anything in 2026 and also feel good about the corner outfield spots between Jenkins, Martin, Rodriguez, and Roden. I also feel that Larnach and Gonzalez can cover DH, as well as others wanting a day off their feet (Buxton, Lewis). In any event it seemed like a chance at a mutually beneficial trade between the two teams. I can see how people might object as well as feeling that Pittsburgh will not entertain offers for Jones. He is a wild card.
  5. tony&rodney
    You are probably correct. I must have watched him pitch 12-15 times last summer. There had to be close to 3 dozen missed outs on plays behind him, maybe more. Morris did a poor job of responding to bad defense and to hard hit base hits, occasionally just grooving the next pitch. Perhaps the biggest issue for Morris is that his changeup is not good enough. When you can hit 99 mph and sit 96-97 mph, it really helps to have a change of pace. Something makes me think he could be used in a trade. Arizona is a team that may have interest. Tampa Bay too. In any event I'm hoping Andrew Morris can make it. He does need to lose the mustache.
  6. tony&rodney
    Exactly. This was my opening, "vastly different" and "do not cross paths". Seems like everyone should recognize market size, even when they might not like it or how MLB views it.
  7. tony&rodney
    Thank you for that information. I would add a guy like Travis Adams or a lower level minor league player myself to acquire Jones. He is a gamble because he is returning from an internal brace surgery and not expected back until May. The Pirates are not counting on him as a pitcher, but would welcome his return. I think Pittsburgh is in a win-win situation with Jared Jones. I'm not down on Matt Wallner. Many times my position on the roster has been put forth, asking for better defense across the board. Players who are DH's should be used primarily at the DH spot. Many disagree that Wallner is a DH. So that is a different view where people agree to disagree. Also, there have been a ton of comments about people hating Wallner. The vast majority of comments on Wallner don't support that idea. Yes, there are people such as myself who want him to DH and others who believe he is worth something more to another team, which I agree with dependent on the return. Only a couple of people have made disparaging comments and want Wallner off the team. I fail to see how an opinion that states Wallner should be a DH is a hateful comment. Wallner hits some majestic home runs and I can see how he has loyal fans.
  8. tony&rodney
    The Toronto and Minneapolis teams play in vastly different markets. There are bound to be financial realities that do not cross paths. Money makes a difference (imo). However, roster construction is very important even on a shoestring budget. The Blue Jays flipped their runs scored and runs allowed from '23 to '24. The major improvement in 2025 was in runs scored. The Toronto team is still a little iffy on giving up runs. The bats came through, led by a major turnaround by George Springer. The Twins saw their runs scored remain relatively stable in 2024 from 2023, but their runs allowed went up a fair amount. In 2025, the bats declined, while their pitching remained about the same. TheTwins offense was led by Jeffers, Kepler, Julien, and Castro in 2023. Others were injured (Polanco, Buxton, Kirilloff, Correa), returning from injuries (Lewis), or otherwise on the wrong slope. The postseason was very exciting but the roster needed athleticism and better bats badly. It was a critical time to gamble. That didn't happen and an increase in payroll wasn't available either. Ironically, the major players identified on Twins Daily to be added were Rhys Hoskins and Jordan Montgomery. No trades of note were made. 2025 was a continuation of expecting a mediocre roster to do more with less from the 2024. The 2026 Twins need some change to their roster. At least there are a few prospects that may emerge and the pile of inexperienced pitchers should begin to develop too. More change needs to occur though and the path back will be via better players versus money. Minnesota had some tough luck. Now it needs to turn things around. The path forward might take a couple of years.
  9. tony&rodney
    Always fun to follow these guys. While I watch a ton of minor league games or parts of games, it is really impossible to see all of these guys enough to have a full account of their season. That is my preamble to ask about Andrew Morris. I have no idea how his stuff will play going forward but in multiple appearances last season (times I saw him pitch) Morris was the unluckiest pitcher I have seen in ages (managing, coaching, playing, etc.). Too much typing to go into a pile of specifics, but I have a question for you (Seth) or anyone else who has actually watched Andrew Morris pitch. How do you view Morris and his future? I'm very aware of all of his stats so I don't need to hear about any of his statistics. Where does Morris fit into the big picture? I'm just curious about other's opinions.
  10. tony&rodney
    There isn't any reason to trade Matt Wallner unless a team makes an offer that makes sense. We have no idea how teams value players. I made a wild guess some time ago that perhaps Pittsburgh, a team in need of ANY offense would make a gamble on Wallner and return Jared Jones to MN. This was wildly panned, with a few people taking it personal. It was just a wild throw. Perhaps someone who has BBTV could assess that thought from that perspective. There have been multiple comparisons to Brent Rooker. Rooker received his shot at 28 with Oakland. He is a DH and only plays about once per week in the field. I have routinely suggested that the Twins use Wallner as a pure DH. Wallner has been used in the field with appearances as a DH about once per week. There were reasons for this in the past, but looking forward, there simply isn't any reason any longer. Wallner is actually one of the easier decisions for the Twins. 1) He is their DH. 2) He gets traded for a good return. Larnach is a pretty good player and his bat plays differently. The two together on one team doesn't work because they are both pure DH's and left handed hitters. Larnach loses out in that competition because he will earn more money if offered arbitration. Larnach stays, maybe, if Wallner is traded. If Wallner stays, there isn't a position on the roster for Larnach. Of course, there are people who are huge fans of Matt Wallner and want his big bat in right field. That is a different opinion and it just represents a different opinion of a player.
  11. tony&rodney
    Sounds like many of you are interested in the Arizona Fall League. You can watch the games if you have an mlb.com account. Then you can see whether that 4-4 was on four broken bat bloops, the 0-4 was on four balls hit above 100 mph, or some combination. It's an option available if one wants to know more. Just an FYI.
  12. tony&rodney
    Pretty soon to know what Houston can or cannot do because he just got his feet wet. Next season will help everyone have a better idea of how Marek Houston handles professional baseball.
  13. tony&rodney
    You silly goose. It's not about being right .... or wrong. I never for even a second believe my opinions are facts. In case I used upsetting or triggering words, I shall try again. Brandon Winokur is an unknown. His talent and potential are off the charts. It is a mistake to judge him now on his messy skills. Maybe an off the cuff example might help (or not). Whereas guys like Paul Skenes or David Winfield to name two fellows have off the charts talents, they also have off the chart skills. Sandy Koufax had off the chart talent but his skills were years in the making. I'll let statheads look up the data but it seems like he toiled for 5-6 years before his emergence as the best pitcher in baseball. Not a clean example and anyone is free to poke holes or scream objections, but merely an attempt to explain that there are people whose talents are raw and the skills are slow to develop.
  14. tony&rodney
    We will almost certainly see Brooks Lee out at Shortstop to begin 2026. Hopefully he can improve and hold the position until a better option pushes him off the spot. Lee might make some physical improvements (strength, flexibility) this winter. Players do improve on swing decisions. Maybe Brooks also adds some more bat speed. Young players can improve. The downside is that Lee is pretty slow and that won't really change too much. I'm hoping for the best.
  15. tony&rodney
    Do you think Noah Cardenas is 6-18 months away? I'm wondering who you are thinking about. There have been conversations about bringing Christian Vazquez back. A few have wondered if the Twins can limp through next season using Gasper or Pereda too. Vazquez might be possible, but it seems unlikely depending on the dollars. The other two don't seem like fits going forward. Who did you have in mind, "young catchers"?
  16. tony&rodney
    Please watch a guy for a couple dozen times before coming to conclusions. These young players make mistakes, make improvements, and are all over the place in terms of their professional development.
  17. tony&rodney
    Excuse me if I am repeating myself, but the question to be answered in the next several years is whether or not Winokur can hit advanced pitching and be an effective bat at the major league level. He needs quite a bit of work on his swing and swing decisions in addition to pitch recognition. He is definitely making progress. Many minor league players face this challenge. A really rough comparison from another sport that involves talent and learning might be Anthony Edwards. Skills take time to learn, but talent is given. The glove, arm, power, and speed are not in question. There is not a sequence of shortstops, centerfielders, etc. Perhaps you have seen Winokur play a hundred times. Forgive me, I don't remember. Having seen him play dozens of times myself, the guy is a unicorn. Can he hit? We should have an answer in 2-4 years. The bat is his only restriction. If he could hit like Jenkins or Culpepper now, Winokur would open 2026 as the Twins shortstop. He is nowhere close to that level yet with his bat. I can wait. I hope others can too.
  18. tony&rodney
    Me too.
  19. tony&rodney
    Great series. My only comment, I wonder why Seattle played the SS to pull on Kiner-Filefa?
  20. tony&rodney
    There has been a fair amount of pressure on the pitchers to be really good for 4-5 innings. I have wondered if a few guys are trying too hard to be perfect on every pitch as opposed to trusting their stuff, which is a delicate differentiation. Fun baseball to watch.
  21. tony&rodney
    Up the middle? The current players? Offensively Jeffers is ok, Keaschall is still an unknown but shown bright at times last season when he played, Lee is below average, and Buxton is great. None of the current backups provide much at all with a bat. Defensively, Jeffers is below average, Lee is below average, Keaschall is coming back from injuries but below average at this time, and Buxton is ok but scored rated below average in 2025. None of the current backups are close to average. The future? We hope for improvement. This is the way it is at this moment in time. It isn't what I want to say but it is the truth. Change can always happen.
  22. tony&rodney
    Willi Castro did a good job for the Twins and it was a good run, but his time playing from the first base dugout at Target Field has come to a close. I'm thankful Castro was a Twin.
  23. tony&rodney
    The 2025 Twins season did not go the way the team or its fans hoped. Neither did the 2024 season. The two together have left a bad taste and resulted in a myriad of ideas to seek an escape from the morass that is now present. The World Series hasn't started yet and we (Twins fans) are searching for answers and guessing at options for the future. At the same time some fans have lost all hope in the leadership of the franchise. While fan can tinker in multiple ways with plans, directions, and suggestions for roster change, it doesn't seem to productive or realistic to expect either a quick ownership or front office change. Wishing is definitely an option, but we don't have any say. We don't have any say on rosters either but it is a normal process for fans to think of various types of lineups and acquisitions. One observation about the players on the 40 person roster is that there is a large number of players whose value has been diminished. The front office must see this trend as well. Will we see some unexpected transactions/trades to stem the decline? I'm hoping the team begins their changes (at least a couple) in November. As such I'm waiting. If 2025 closes without any moves because the Twins front office is "engaged in numerous ongoing conversations/negotiations", I'm going to be very worried. The trend is definitely down. November and December are the time to halt the slide.
  24. tony&rodney
    The Twins have been quite fortunate to get through the past three years with Jeffers and Vazquez. Vazquez is a FA and Jeffers has one more year before he is a FA. A base decision on Jeffers is totally dependent on whether the team adds catchers. There is bound to be a fair amount of interest from clubs in adding Jeffers via trade because he will not be too costly and is sure to be a quality catcher in 2027. What do the Twins do about Ryan Jeffers? Surely he is offered arbitration. Then the Twins need to look far and wide to add a minimum of one catcher to their roster. After adding a body, the Twins can entertain conversations with teams about Jeffers. A decent return is worth considering. A good return is worth acting on. The Twins will not be AL Central leaders next season and thus it makes sense to seek a good offer. Lacking a solid return, Jeffers is the Twins primary catcher next season and he may boost his stock quite a bit if he starts 110-125 games behind the plate and delivers his normal production. I see Ryan Jeffers as a win-win-win situation. Trade him for value, keep him for major playing time, and Jeffers boosts his FA market through his play.
  25. tony&rodney
    We have zero idea if West Sacramento will consider trades but that is a team I thought might have interest. My target would be Tyler Soderstrom. It is very easy to say there is no way but at least a text or phone call or email seems in order. There may be others as well within the A's system. You are correct in that it is impossible to know what goes on in the front office. Maybe they think the team is perfect right now.
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