tony&rodney

No depth is needed because Alex Kirilloff is soon to fulfill his promise as a star.

No depth is needed because Alex Kirilloff is soon to fulfill his promise as a star.

No depth is needed because Alex Kirilloff is soon to fulfill his promise as a star.

No depth is needed because Alex Kirilloff is soon to fulfill his promise as a star.

Good list and you are probably right.
I'm going with Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien.

Good list and you are probably right.
I'm going with Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien.

Good list and you are probably right.
I'm going with Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien.

Good list and you are probably right.
I'm going with Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien.

The Dodgers are over the first luxury tax threshold. Money isn't an issue for them now or going forward, but they have openly stated a desire to use their younger players. They have the best farm system in baseball, according to multiple sites, and are looking for a bit of a reset in talent. Losing Lux was very unfortunate, but the backup is pretty decent. 

You could be correct, but I'm not seeing the Dodgers in a panic mode where they trade something of worth for a utility player. LAD did just sign Rojas to an extension, indicating some trust in his value going forward. Additionally, the Dodgers have a few guys to slide into the shortstop position from time to time. A lineup with Betts, Freeman, Smith, and Martinez is going to cause a headache for any team and they also have a good pitching staff. Expectations will not look for 100 wins, but the team will almost certainly be in the picture for a division crown or playoff spot. 
Falvey has purposely added players to ensure the Twins have depth this year.  The Twins eagerly await the time when several of their younger players and prospects come into their own, forcing their way into the lineup. Until then, maybe July, I expect the Twins to see how this roster competes.

Not sure what you are comprehending. I clearly disagree with the notion of trading Farmer, although we just don't know if it is a possibility. The Twins are going with more experienced players until the young guys force their way into the lineup. We won't know how that looks until July. 

You could be correct, but I'm not seeing the Dodgers in a panic mode where they trade something of worth for a utility player. LAD did just sign Rojas to an extension, indicating some trust in his value going forward. Additionally, the Dodgers have a few guys to slide into the shortstop position from time to time. A lineup with Betts, Freeman, Smith, and Martinez is going to cause a headache for any team and they also have a good pitching staff. Expectations will not look for 100 wins, but the team will almost certainly be in the picture for a division crown or playoff spot. 
Falvey has purposely added players to ensure the Twins have depth this year.  The Twins eagerly await the time when several of their younger players and prospects come into their own, forcing their way into the lineup. Until then, maybe July, I expect the Twins to see how this roster competes.

It is a good idea for baseball fans to watch Francona manage about 100 complete games to get a better idea of the difference a manager can make within a game. Just watch how Francona talks with the players, press, umpires and how he goes about making decisions. 100 games of watching Cleveland under Francona is very instructive.
I don't have any problem with Baldelli specifically. He just lacks the skills of Francona. Not every team can have Francona either but if you watch at least 100 Cleveland games you should be able to understand the differences, and then you will know that Baldelli is not the perfect modern manager. 

Perhaps the team begins the year with 14 position players and 12 pitchers.

Good for Matt Moore because he deserves that contract. i hope the angels make the playoffs.
But .... I'm a Twins fan and we are fine right now. Falvey and crew will be evaluating everyone in training and into the first couple of months. No worries now.

They didn’t sign one of the better defensive outfielders in the game (Gallo) to play first base.
They certainly didn’t sign him backup Nick Gordon as the starter in left.  He would spit on the floor at that notion and go get a starting gig somewhere else.
Let’s compare some numbers, which is what the FO is going to base their decision on. 
Before getting to NY in 2021, Gallo had an OPS+ of 138 and an OPS of .869 with the Rangers.  Some care about batting average.  I don’t as much.  In 2021 he walked 111 times (led the league) and hit 38 HRs.  He scored 90 runs in 498 ABs.  In a 5 year span from 2017-2021, Gallo OPS+’d 118, 109, 145, 87, and 121
Lets be generous to Nick Gordon and throw out 2021, in which he had a 79 OPS+ (which exactly matches Gallos 2022 and everyone thinks he’s useless, btw, and is by far the worst of his career).  We likely just saw Nick Gordon’s offensive ceiling based on his career output.  He OPS’d .743, which is average.  He OPS+’d 113, which is good.  The .316 OBP is much less than desirable.  His defense is at best serviceable.  At worst, bad.
If you’re one that believes Nick Gordon has another step to take, I applaud your optimism.  But, that’s all it is.  He’s shown little statically in his professional career that would lead anyone to believe he’s going to improve over last year’s numbers.  He was not that good last year, people seem to be missing that.  He was a 1.6 WAR player.  He’s a bench guy.
Gallo has multiple All Star seasons, has won multiple Gold Gloves, has a career OPS .50 points higher than Gordon, and is only 29 years old.  I think some think he’s a washed up old guy past his prime.  Gordon is going to turn 28 this year.  The ceilings here aren’t even close.
Long story short, Gallo starts in left quite a bit.  Period.  People think he’s a right fielder - he’s got more MLB starts in left than right by a fairly wide margin.  He’s played the majority of his MLB games in left.
Gordon gets worked in when Gallo DHs.  It’s fluid, so contain your rage.  It can change if Gallo continues to stink and Gordon continues to play well.  But, you have to look at the numbers here and throw out blind optimism and recency bias.
I’m more inclined to give someone like Farmer ABs at 1st.  Bring up Julien to play there.  Teach Larnach.  Wallner.  Hell, even play Gordon or Kepler there, before taking Joey Gallo and putting him there full time.  It’s like arguing we put Buxton at 1st full time.  That would a be gross mismanagement of assets.  You’re eliminating his best skill, one that’s elite relative to anyone else in the team and the league.  It’s ridiculous.
 

Spring Training is just around the corner. It will be interesting to see Julien take his hacks against the top staff and others in early spring games. While it surely seems that Julien will be across the river in April, I'm waiting until the final roster cuts if Kirilloff is not fully ready to go.

Spring Training is just around the corner. It will be interesting to see Julien take his hacks against the top staff and others in early spring games. While it surely seems that Julien will be across the river in April, I'm waiting until the final roster cuts if Kirilloff is not fully ready to go.

Pitchers focus so much on health that it is their singular goal. If healthy, the pitchers will be good.

Pitchers focus so much on health that it is their singular goal. If healthy, the pitchers will be good.

The Twins may add a pitcher to the bullpen during Spring Training if they determine that staff could use another player. A trade is always possible too if another team finds a need to acquire a corner outfielder. The Twins have corner outfielders available for a price. I doubt the Yankees offer Loaisiga for Kepler, for example, but it is possible
I can't think of any right handed bats to add and believe Royce Lewis will be the addition when he is ready.
The front office has not been free with contracts to extend pitchers. Only Dobnak and Paddack have received extensions. Thus I would not expect any of Gray, Mahle, or Maeda to be extended and don't see these three as values beyond their current price. Each would be worth extending for two years for similar contracts but they will be wanting to explore free agency in hopes of obtaining much more money. Lopez is an outside possibility to extend at the end of the year.
The Twins need to anticipate the possibility of a trade in July if the season proceeds successfully for them and brings disappointment to another franchise, because there may be an opportunity to add a significant player or two at that time.
The emergence of young players and prospects along with a potential trade or two in July seems like the most likely course of action. The team has some talent and depth right now and when the snow melts we will have our answers.

The Twins may add a pitcher to the bullpen during Spring Training if they determine that staff could use another player. A trade is always possible too if another team finds a need to acquire a corner outfielder. The Twins have corner outfielders available for a price. I doubt the Yankees offer Loaisiga for Kepler, for example, but it is possible
I can't think of any right handed bats to add and believe Royce Lewis will be the addition when he is ready.
The front office has not been free with contracts to extend pitchers. Only Dobnak and Paddack have received extensions. Thus I would not expect any of Gray, Mahle, or Maeda to be extended and don't see these three as values beyond their current price. Each would be worth extending for two years for similar contracts but they will be wanting to explore free agency in hopes of obtaining much more money. Lopez is an outside possibility to extend at the end of the year.
The Twins need to anticipate the possibility of a trade in July if the season proceeds successfully for them and brings disappointment to another franchise, because there may be an opportunity to add a significant player or two at that time.
The emergence of young players and prospects along with a potential trade or two in July seems like the most likely course of action. The team has some talent and depth right now and when the snow melts we will have our answers.

Best case for Jorge Polanci is .... Jorge Polanco in odd numbered years.

Can the top three on this list become all stars? Every team looks to its prospects to develop into starting players and then star players. Guys like Julio Rodriguez light up the fan base. Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, and Emmanuel Rodriguez could all arrive very soon. It is going to be fun watching a few minor league games to see these and other developing players.

Dusty Baker understands and uses analytics extensively. He has spoken about this before in several interviews. There is a time to play the odds and there is a time to play the game in front of you. Francona has also talked about this same topic - when to use and when to ignore analytics. While it is more pervuasive in the game today, numbers have always been a part of the game. This is why guys like Baker and Francona are comfortable managing the game still. The post is about Baldelli, who is an emerging manager, one who appears to be very tightly tied to the game plan. Perhaps he doesn't have as free of a hand as a vet like Francona or Baker.