tony&rodney

What should the Twins do? Something.

The umpire was a little shaky last night but it was pretty equal. The call that hurt was the check swing not called a swing (he went). Smith hit a home run on the next pitch. The ABS challenge system flaws would have definitely been exposed last night. Both teams would have won a number of challenges to the point the umpire was getting embarrassed and a little pissed off. Eventually, one or both teams run out of challenges and now the bad calls are made in the critical late innings with no recourse. Manfred likes the drama of challenges shown on the big screens in the stadium. It is b.s. thinking which is all Manfred is capable of. There are two easy fixes. If the ABS is accurate, use it on every pitch. It is easy, the results are immediate which saves time, and everyone gets the results they desire. If people want the umpires calling balls and strikes, fine tune the monetary rewards for excellence behind the plate while retraining or demoting those umpires who cannot meet a high standard. The umpire last night would be called for retraining and be demoted if his subsequent games had similarly poor results. With high pay and financial rewards umpiring excellence would become really good. I think we already see very good umpire performances on most days. The challenge system is a very, very poor choice. And yet, because it sucks and because Manfred needs people to know his name, I think the worst choice is what MLB will adopt. (As an aside, did you all read about the suggestion for home run derby to decide games after the 10th inning. I am going to suggest a race from home base to home base around the bases or a throwing contest to see who can throw the ball the furthest to decide the games. Of maybe a game of hacky sack to go for the W.)

De Paula can be a middle of the order bat, for sure. He is also a slow-footed DH. The Twins have a serious problem with team speed and defense. Harmon Killebrew was surrounded by fast, sure-handed defenders on those greatest of Twins teams a million years ago. If the Twins didn't have a football size number of those guys already in the organization, De Paula might be interesting. In any event, it is highly unlikely that the Twins will trade Duran or Jax for a player who is still several years away. Falvey will want a player or players who can wear a Twins uniform now (so AAA/AA or MLB currently).

All mention of Rooker needs to acknowledge that the Twins had Nelson Cruz and then Luis Arraez ahead of him. So should the Twins have cut Cruz at the beginning of 2019? Arraez later? Maybe a few people are confused by how many DH's are allowed in the game at one time. This is an ongoing problem FWIW. The Twins have too many DH's on their roster and even in their organization. Great for Rooker that he is making a good salary after three teams gave up on him. With the preponderance of DH players on the roster that same scenario could happen again and maybe even soon. So what? Maybe the larger lesson is that the Twins need to morph away from DH players. Then they won't suffer some fans worst fears when they trade or release one of the many guys fighting for that one position who gets a chance and succeeds elsewhere.

The game last night was interesting in several regards. The Twins seemed to make a concerted effort to run out every ground ball and fly ball, which is not the case in many games. The lack of aggressiveness cost a run (Lewis had a good secondary lead but was held up by the coach on a ground ball single by Wallner). I thought Festa pitched well. He made only about a half dozen mistakes and paid a high price for those mistakes. The Dodgers did not miss. The Dodgers pitchers made about three times as many mistakes, but only one ball made it over the fence. A couple of other balls were hit hard by the Twins though. Whether it is experience, skill, or that the Twins don't have power bats we can see the Twins miss or don't (at least didn't last night) make the opponent's pitchers pay big for their mistakes. Lastly, the Dodgers star relief pitchers looked beatable. One left via injury after ineffectiveness and one was saved by a foot. The price for Duran or Jax to the Dodgers should have gone up by the close of last night's game.

The article is fair. Jamie makes some points and does an excellent job of supporting those thoughts. Last year I wondered why the Twins ever agreed to accept Gonzalez in their trade with Seattle. Gonzalez was so rough in the outfield. He has improved tremendously. However, that rise was from totally unplayable to simply DH in the outfield. Perhaps he can make further improvements but he does possess two handicaps that he shares with current Twins: poor reads in the outfield and he is slow. The lack of power is troublesome. As others have stated, it is possible to change the swing to find some power. Kirby is a non-example because the two don't share any traits. Arraez never hit the ball as hard as Gonzalez does. Wait and see is how this will go. For now Gonzalez is playing well and learning. Wonder if there is a team that would consider Gonzalez as a needed addition in a larger trade? The gaudy AA numbers are great but the Twins are already flush with DH's.

He is fun to watch.

I like some of the suggestions. Rushing is discussed because the Twins lack catching. I'm not sure the Twins have the stomach to trade for A and Rookie ball players. I'll stick to Rushing, Sheehan, and Ryan for Jax. I would also send Vazquez and Bader if the Dodgers require those guys.

Look at the current Twins roster. They are the slowest team in baseball. They are close to the worst defensive team in MLB. They do not hit and they don't run. These are all measurable facts. Running it back is not an option. The opportunity to gain a couple of top talents should be possible. We should be hoping that several teams suffer gut-wrenching losses due to their bullpens and maybe the Dodgers lose late to the Twins. Running it back next year with the same old "core" players would totally guarantee that the Twins do not need Duran or Jax.

I'm not sure if this was talked about enough. The Cubs traded Gleybar Torres to the Yankees for a half season of Aroldis Chapman. Torres was a 65 top ranked prospect. Roman Anthony is the only current player with a ranking that high. The decision is on the shoulders of teams like LAD, Philly, CHC, TOR, BOS, Baltimore(not an expected player), and others. The price should be high. Prospects crash all the time and there are several teams that really need Duran or Jax. The Twins could really boost their talent in the next 10 days. I sure hope so. If I was a fan of several of those teams seeking a closer, I would be a little put off if steps were not taken to acquire one.

I'm old and retired, so I can stay up to watch the games. I'll sleep when i get older.

Watch Winokur play shortstop. Try to ascertain whether Gonzalez looks like he can play in the outfield.

I have tuned in a couple of times, via mlb.com, to watch the Dodgers when Rushing was catching. Previously I saw him a couple of times when he was in the minor leagues. He has improved and looks decent behind the plate now. Not a defensive star but certainly someone the pitchers can trust. The Twins should be asking Milwaukee what is their price for Jeferson Quero, a defense first catcher still in AAA. Brooks Lee?

Hard to know if other teams view Twins players as having the skills necessary to help their roster. I would think that some of the players on expiring contracts are creating a little buzz. Castro, Bader, and Coulombe are all useful/solid players to add for teams looking to make noise in the playoffs. The question is return. There may be some minor league players within the Twins organization that are interesting to other teams. We don't know who may be available to trade though. On the MLB roster, only Ryan and Duran would be sell high players. It isn't clear what the Twins would demand in return. The comments all suggest that Joe Ryan is absolutely not to be traded. The Twins need a big bat. The Athletics desperately need pitching. What if they are open to a huge blockbuster? The Orioles are in the same position. Mostly, I don't see any realistic matches that include Joe Ryan. Conversations, impossible to imagine, that include names like Samuel Basallo or Nick Kurtz would get my attention though.

Fair question. My response is that the current position player roster is deficient to the point where it is going to rely more on luck than skill to finish this season or the next two above .500. It would be sweet to have the luxury of holding both Jax and Duran. I would prefer that, but I'm also greedy enough to want the Twins to field teams that can win 85 plus games in the next couple of years. From the stats guys: Duran has only had 17 save opportunities. Only Atlanta and the White Sox have had fewer save opportunities thus far this season. Among the teams looking for closers are the Phillies and Dodgers who have each had a pile of blown saves. The Twins will need to suffer a few player losses in order to gain some talent now missing. I hope that is a fair answer.

Hell ya. Let the guesstimates flow. I want Dalton Rushing, Emmet Sheehan, and River Ryan and they might all bomb out of baseball. I'm offering Griffin Jax, Christian Vazquez, and Emmanuel Rodriguez. Challenge trade.

Easier for me to watch Wallner strike out than to see him flail at fly balls. Put Keirsey Jr. out in right field. Ryan is hoping to be traded if he has to pitch with Wallner out in the field.

Nettles? Tiant? Etc.? The Athletics did not get Rooker from the Twins. Kansas City didn't get Rooker from the Twins. They DFA'ed him after a brief trial run. San Diego did get Rooker from the Twins in a trade. Falvey coveted Chris Paddack. The Twins had Nelson Cruz first and then Luis Arraez firmly in place as their DH. The Twins did make a decision on the 26 year old DH (Rooker) after his .201 BA and .688 OPS in 2021 because the .900+ OPS of Cruz in 2021 was replaced by an Arraez batting title and OPS of .795. There was no room at the inn, so to speak, for Rooker. Don't look back. It's a saying.

If ..... the Twins were buyers .... Buxton and Correa have "no trade" deals and catchers are rarely moved midseason. So what positions need to be improved? This is really easy. 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, RF, and DH all need to be upgraded if the reason for the transactions are to have a playoff team. The Twins are incompetent if they do not take advantage of teams in need of a utility player and a reserve/4th outfielder who bats right handed. Castro and Bader must be traded. If someone offers a decent player for Clemens he should also be wearing a new uniform. The Twins cannot continue to roll out slow, defensively challenged, weak hitting teams year after year in hopes that their players hottest one week stretches of their careers turns into a six month performance.

I'm open to anything that means a clear increase in talent. On the other hand Coulombe, at $3M per year is a fair contract. Coulombe is the one player with an expiring contract I would pursue. He is effective, which is my main reason, and the Twins could use one wise veteran in the bullpen.

Drafted #1-1, there is no question that the flurry of home runs and bubbly personality made Lewis a total darling to Twins fans. Baseball can be cruel and he can almost, not quite, be compared to his fellow rising stars of 2023 teammate - Edouard Julien. Lewis looks like his stability is compromised: at the plate, running, and in the field. If an athlete doesn't have full cooperation of their legs, performance is going to be difficult. It seems like Royce has been trying to compensate for a lack of stability from his lower half which brought him a host of new challenges. Sure hope he can get well. I don't have an answer except that i think he needs to be 100% healthy to rebuild his baseball skills. I wish him luck.

I think I have watched more minor league baseball this year than MLB games.

Only other teams set the value of a player like EmRod. He has always had OBP above .400, hits the ball very hard, is an excellent base runner, and is an above average defensive centerfielder. He has, indeed, missed too much time but at 22 years old time is still on his side. I'm guessing he still has very high value. How high? Offer EmRod, Jax, Vazquez, and DSL player to the Dodgers for Rushing, Sheehan, and Ryan to find out. If not, bring him up when he heals and put him in the lineup full time to see what he can do.

EmRod back on IL.

Hard sell, for sure. We can say the same for Julien, Miranda, and a few others. Evaluation of players and completing transactions is always tricky. Buy low, sell high is an idea but most people buy high and sell low. Perhaps there are players who have tanked in a somewhat similar fashion with another team. A player I have wondered about was Jordan Lawler. Arizona is holding third base for him but he has only 56 MLB PA with a .080 BA and .259 OPS. He really struggled this year. I doubt the Diamondbacks are down on Lawler totally but his is a thought worth exploring. There might be others too. The counter argument is that Royce Lewis needs to go on the Il for the remainder of the season to get his legs and muscles along with his mechanics squared away once and for all. The dream is he then comes back fully healthy and can play unencumbered by physical issues.