tony&rodney

The transition to playing every day is daunting and tiring for many players in their first full season in professional baseball. Culpepper seems like the rare guy who takes to constant play, finding time to adjust and learn continually. I have watched quite a few Wichita games via milb.com and have been very impressed by how quickly Kaelen has adjusted in all facets of the game. Will the Twins push him to AAA in August?

The pitchers have a tough job to make pitches where the batter cannot hit the ball anywhere near right field. Poor Matt has his funk following him everywhere. I sure hope he breaks out today. DH only though.

You believe that Correa is done and his ceiling is now the production seen thus far in 2025. Maybe. However, assuming a team takes Correa with Ryan the Twins get a negligible return and now play without a shortstop. Difficult decisions, for sure, which is why the front office gets the big bucks. Everyone will see your idea differently but I don't see Correa's contract as an albatross, nor do I believe the money saved by dealing Carlos would be reinvested in good players. The Twins have better options.

Philadelphia only has one player worth discussion, Andrew Painter. That's it. The other solid players are already replicated by similar or better prospects within the Twins organization. So no deal. The Dodgers? Yes. Send Bader, Jax, and Emmanuel Rodriguez to LA for Rushing, River Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan. The Cubs? Send Castro and Paddack to the Windy City for Kevin Alcantara. Then take a nap.

The discussion of Joe Ryan and interest in him from other teams is being repeated in various posts for a good reason. At this time Ryan has strong value and other teams have needs. The idea that Ryan is untouchable has been advanced by some, but I'm sure we can remember the Arraez-Lopez trade where similar comments were written. I'm in the camp that will suggest that no player is untouchable. One must consider the return. It is virtually impossible to guess whether another team feels that Joe Ryan is the answer to making their team competitive and will deliver a player or more worthy of an exchange for the Twins. Make your own guesses or demands. Some folks have maintained that the current front office is incapable of completing a good transaction or of evaluating offers in a successful fashion. This is a different issue, but it is also almost impossible to judge based on the past history. I would suggest that the front office has been very reluctant to make change and have also been stuck on slow heavy hitting types. That isn't actually true either. This argument is complex. Looking over the Twins roster, only one position player has provided consistent production - Byron Buxton. The roster needs better production from some bats, gloves, and legs. The current collection does not possess all of those talents. This means calling up players, shifting around some duties, or completing trades and acquiring upgrades to the position side of the roster. Usually this is best done in the offseason. Best practices demands listening and actively seeking out interest and offers. It is easy to say no to weak or neutral moves. If Baltimore wants to discuss Ryan, start with Basallo. The Athletics are not going to contend this year and they won't be any good in the future without pitching. Nick Kurtz hits and plays good defense. He is also almost certainly untouchable. There is no such thing as too much pitching. Still, the Twins, potentially, have Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Festa, Matthews, and Woods Richardson with Morris and Raya not far behind them. Of course, injuries among pitchers pile up quickly but at this time the Twins are in a far better position with their pitchers than they are with their position players. The Twins need to actively find out where and how they can improve the team. Waiting has been the strategy for too long.

I have only seen one player in person in this year's draft class. My preference is for the Twins to draft position players who are athletic, to include defensive skills (quick footwork, soft hands, and excellent arm strength), at least above average foot speed, and strong hand eye coordination (bat to ball). Players can always grow into power as they master their swing and recognize pitches. Kirby Puckett is the perfect example. Pitching is always about arm strength and ability to locate 2-5 pitches. Bremner and Cervantes fit the profile. The Twins have had success drafting pitchers. Thank you for your work on the draft. I enjoy reading about these guys.

I get your argument about blocked. The Dodgers have tried Rushing in the outfield and will use him there at times but Rushing will have a hard time becoming a valuable piece on a team as an outfielder. I should have framed that better. Rushing is a player the Dodgers are willing to move given their signing of Smith and ability to pick up players as needed. I'm not convinced Rushing is who the Twins need because I was pushing for Jeferson Quero, Kyle Teel, Harry Ford, and Basallo last November. Rushing may be the guy who is most available now, which is total speculation. In any event, I continue to think the Twins absolutely need to upgrade their defense, speed, and hitting. I like the pitching.

Does Pittsburgh have an interest in Wallner? That line drive bomb might have piqued their interest.

Until Manfred changes the rules, each team is allowed only one DH in the batting lineup. That means it is best to choose one guy who is your DH from among Wallner, Larnach, Julien, Miranda, McCusker, and Lewis. Maybe one of those guys plays a position but not two. So choose two and trade the others. Who has the most value to another team? That might be your best bet. The pitching is fine. The position side needs help or an infusion of youth/ athleticism.

Agree totally and I don't think it is a very difficult call at all. Jax is really good but there is a reason the Twins use Duran as their closer.

Both of us. Apparently that separates us from a POTUS, some Supreme Court folk, some of our legislators, and some of our leading business people. What a world. I apologize for my clumsy wording. My point was that Tampa Bay lost some key players and find their way.

Are you talking about Larnach or Wallner? How do you tell the difference?

I think this a fair comparison related to the bat. Gonzalez can run better, but Miranda is Vazquez slow. Gonzalez has a better arm too. Gonzalez was the worst outfielder I have ever seen last year but he clearly worked hard on it because he is now catching fly balls. Gonzalez is really young still and perhaps the bat to ball creates more power and speed than I see currently. He looks so much better this year that it is hard not to be impressed by the change. I don't have any idea how he was evaluated highly before this season. I watched him via milb.com about 25-40 times last season and it was not a pleasant view. Every team can use one (1) DH. The current roster configurations usually don't include a pinch hitter who is also a DH. Therefore, either the Twins need to cull 5-7 DH types from their team or Gonzalez needs to make further massive leaps in his progression as a baseball player before he gets a roster spot in MLB. I will be watching him. This year has been a success and not just his hitting.

Like every other prospect Basallo also has questions too. I would be ok with a Ryan for Basallo plus something deal (maybe Michael Forret). The Orioles are not going anywhere until they get pitching similarly to the Twins needing offense. Dalton Rushing gets mentioned plenty because he is blocked by Will Smith. The Dodgers want top players when they acquire MLB players. I'm not sure whether they are looking for starters or relievers. LAD does have a pile of starters who may be available. I would target Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan along with Rushing. Of course this increases the return from Minnesota. The main issue is the Twins reluctance to move players. At the close of last year when Wallner was going gangbusters I wondered whether Pittsburgh would exchange Bubba Chandler for Wallner. Now I wonder if Wallner could return Jared Jones. Bottom line is to increase speed, defense, and offense.

Will Paddack be a relief pitcher for some team next season or will someone think they can help him find success as a starter? It is going to be very difficult to trade Paddack now. A month ago was the window. I wonder if Paddack might be useful in the bullpen once Matthews and Ober or Lopez return to the rotation?

I'm not sure anyone would suggest Ryan be traded for a pile of Chase Petty guys or similar mid to low top 100 prospect types much less minor leaguers who star at a level like Severino. At least I hope not. I would look more at the return the Rays received for Glasnow and expect even more considering the injury history of Glasnow and the contracts. Severino was a good story for St. Paul but he was never going to make it as more than a DH. If the Twins didn't already have a hockey team full of DH's perhaps Severino might have received a cup of coffee at the highest level. When his K-rate rose and the holes in his swing opened in combination with his chasing pitches, the numbers tanked. Baseball is a tough business. Pitchers are ruthless.

The Twins do not have any true corner outfielders on the MLB roster at the moment. They have DH guys and utility players. Royce Lewis looked more mobile in the Cubs series than he has looked since 2023 or I would suggest the Twins lack corner infielders too. The draft strategy should be BPA. I'm hoping that designation includes qualities like owning a glove and being able to run. The foot speed of a player and defensive agility are critical components of winning teams. It is ok to have 1 DH play in the field if they mash consistently (think Schwarber), but it doesn't work to field a near team of DH athletes. Choose BPA with athleticism in mind. I have nothing against Sabato but he should not have been a first round draft choice. Conversely, the strategy should not focus on pure athleticism lacking baseball skills (Keoni Cavaco). Good luck to the drafting room. One thing we all know is that draft picks in baseball are difficult to project.

Thank you for the great roundup of the minor league games. Kaelen Culpepper is hitting everything hard. I know he is only at AA but I wonder if he can be plugged in to the Twins lineup in a similar fashion to how the LA Angels promoted Neto and Moore. Hopefully, Culpepper does get some time with St. Paul in August. Brandon Winokur is a special athlete. There is no doubt he needs plenty of work on his swing and pitch recognition. He may take next year at AA and then another full year at AAA after that before he is ready for the majors. Still, he is really fun to watch. Thank you for including the highlight of the double play. People who wonder about his speed and athleticism can see it on display there. Winokur comes from deep in the hole, deftly grabs the ball, gets his footwork in sync, and fires a BB to first base. There are questions about his hitting but Winokur can play a high quality CF or SS in the majors right now.

Bobby Bonds (father of Barry Bonds, the player who was tested more times than any MLB player ever and never tested positive) was never associated with steroids. Give a little credit to his son who either beat the system or was innocent. Perhaps Barry found something better. Also, always remember that it was Bud Selig who rewarded and thus ultimately drove the usage of steroids. Also remember that David Ortiz, who failed tests, is in the Hall of Fame. The media can be very powerful.

Great comment. MLB teams cannot operate with fear. I'll add that Tampa Bay also lost a guy who was their best player for no return due to that player's youthful ignorance (Wander Franco). I have been stunned by the Twins total failure to reimagine the roster each of the last two years. I sat 10 feet from Dusty Baker and thought as I watched .... the Twins are 2-3 trades away from being a good team. There weren't any players available in free agency unless you believed that Judge or Soto would sign with the Twins. Now, I'm wondering if the Twins even have any substantial conversations with other front offices regarding potential tranactions. Trevor Richards type deals and Bader/France signings aren't an answer. I'm in need of help in understanding how folks can watch Wallner in the outfield and not see that his defense is the equal or worse than what we saw from Julian at second base. Perhaps I'm being too rough on those two but the defense in general is subpar as is the base running and situational hitting. These flaws can only be solved through roster moves and trading with other teams is needed. The Twins don't have any untouchables.

Jax must be highly sought after by several teams. Listen to the offers and bite only if delicious. Starting? That was clearly an offseason decision .... that ship has sailed. Soon, before August most likely, the Twins will have Matthews back and perhaps Ober. The Twins waited too long to find a buyer for Paddack.

Tampa Bay for 3 games followed by the Cubs for 3 games could have easily been an 0-6 line. The Twins played some of their best baseball of the season. Skenes is no picnic on Friday night, but the Twins have a good opportunity to roll into the All Star Game break with some positive vibes.

The bottom line remains .... How does another team value Joe Ryan in terms of completing a transaction to reel him in? I mentioned Nick Kurtz and Jackson Holliday in other posts. Those will not happen. Someone mentioned a requirement of both Anthony and Mayer from Boston. That will not happen either. I'm intrigued by the Dodgers and what they might offer, but perhaps they are more focused on a relief pitcher or bats. If the Twins can gather talent that will play, they need to assess the situations. The poor outfield play was on display today as was the lack of speed and hitting. This needs to be addressed in some manner. Maybe Keaschall and Culpepper make a difference. Maybe a trade occurs. Right now the Twins have Ryan, Festa, Woods Richardson, and Paddack as starting pitchers with Lopez, Matthews, and Ober returning at some point, perhaps before August 1. We all know that there is no such thing as too much pitching. Nevertheless, at some point, either through rookies promoted or players acquired the Twins will absolutely need to escape their current condition as described so aptly by chpettit19 in the comment above. It isn't going to hurt the Twins to find trading partners for most or all of Paddack, Vazquez, France, Bader, Larnach, and Castro. Obviously, some of the returns will be light. The Twins should listen on every player. While the most optimal time to trade is in November or December, anything that improves the talent should be welcome.

Totally different players but Wallner seems like he has carried his plate appearances into the field very similar to Julien.

We are watching why too many of the players are strictly platoon bats.