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Finlander

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Everything posted by Finlander

  1. Finlander
    Catcher is the thinnest position in the system. It is also an injury prone position. It would be unsettling to move a catcher (either Jeffers or Vasquez) without having a plan B, C, and maybe even D in the farm somewhere. I'm not sure anyone has a fair handle on what Camargo is yet, but he didn't seem to be trusted with enough plate appearances to assess him during the cup of coffee he got last year.
  2. Finlander
    29 years old doesn't scare me much - there aren't a lot of miles on his arm yet. While I'm an "everyone could be available to discuss" guy, I think Ober's control, slider command, and stature, gives the Twins a pitcher with a unique release as compared to others on the staff. He truly performed as a solid #3. As the farm guys project for now as 4-5 types, I'd be very cautious about shopping either Ober, Lopez, or Ryan if there are any playoff hopes for next season. I'd rather fish for a MLB ready first baseman, second baseman, or catcher with someone like Festa or Raya. But maybe Ober could be made available at the trade deadline if the team appears to be out of the playoff picture and decides to transition into a rebuild effort. I sure like him though - he has a "quiet bulldog" vibe, if that makes any sense. The staff needs more of that.
  3. Finlander
    Alcala. He was very good, minus two of his outings I believe.
  4. Finlander
    If the Twins are seeing players like Teel, Mayo or Painter being dangled in a deal for Duran, I think they would be happy to discuss further. Might be a nice little bidding war. Cole Sands had a solid year, and he could move into more of a setup role if Duran is traded and Jax is closing. I think Sands is a key to making it palpable for MN to move Duran.
  5. Finlander
    I advocated for signing and playing Castro rather than trading him in the off-season. Then at deadline reassess team roster status. My preference actually would be to sign him for two years and keep him - he is a positive in the clubhouse and on the field. His versatility has been a revelation, given the numerous injuries the team seems to suffer. But, I am not the Twins' banker either. I only proposed trading him if there are other players in the system ready to adequately replace his role for less salary. Yes, it would be only for salary relief.
  6. Finlander
    There's something about a contract year that brings out the best in a player. I think he should be tendered for 2025 and then play him. He covered for so many injuries to others, and he's about the only real base stealing threat. If the young guys are ready for prime time at the deadline, I wonder if Castro would fetch even more in a midsummer trade than he would this spring.
  7. Finlander
    We have many infield options. We have many outfield options. We are very thin at catchers in the system, and we can always use more pitching. So, replying to the call for trade ideas for Lewis, the Dodgers idea in the article is at least a start. Other targets - Teel, or Basallo in Baltimore (3 way deal, they probably don't need another infielder), or Ford in Seattle, with an arm included. Maybe we include Larnach. We have other lefty swinging outfielders on the way. Those who say Lewis is untouchable, did you say the same thing about Kirilloff? I don't think anyone is untouchable if the deal is right.
  8. Finlander
    Sorry, my phone flaked out...continuation: That's my sales pitch anyway - Lewis doesn't seem to have a position established. When others are describing his value, it always seems to be in hitting terms. His defensive fit needs to be considered. In the Twins' case, there are better 3rd basemen options. If Lewis doesn't consider moving from there to either 1st or 2nd, he has no fit in the MN future. - As a prospect, his best skill was his plus-plus speed. That is now gone. He has, in fairness, demonstrated more power off the bat than expected. But he no longer appears to project as an elite base runner who also has the speed to cover a lot of ground defensively. That's not to say I believe we need to trade him. But I'd be fine if we did and he fetched better fitting piece(s).
  9. Finlander
    I guess I'm in the minority here, but I'd be open to offers if I were the Twins. A few points: - most of the Twins players suffered hitting slumps for the last few weeks of the season. This was not necessarily a unique issue for Lewis, so it shouldn't be a source of concern for a trade partner. That's the sales pit
  10. Finlander
    (I meant to say "...no Killebrew at the plate...")
  11. Finlander
    I think the fact that Castro was able to stay in the field for a whole season is valuable in itself - it is the reason why he led the team in doubles and triples, along with his expected steals. He slumped at the back end of the season, as did nearly everyone else. Maybe the players' disheartened moods after the inactive trade deadline were contagious and contributed to the slumping. But I have no issue with Castro as team MVP. It's a statement on the condition of the rest of the team. It is very telling that he was the only Twins position player on the All Star roster. Vic Power - that was a fun one to remember! I was a small kid, remembered him for being a vacuum cleaner with the glove taking errant infield throws. He was no Killebrew of course, but he sure did help the infielders.
  12. Finlander
    No brainer to keep a solid leverage (not mop up) reliever at that price. Alcala could provide solid setup protection should the Twins look to either try Jax as a SP or trade away Duran.
  13. Finlander
    Regarding handedness, keep in mind that all of the rotation options are RH. That to me makes it even more imperative that we find some lefty relief to present pitches to hitters that spin on a different axis.
  14. Finlander
    Nice article, and a decent list of names. I'm not sure we can afford to sign a good free agent. My belief is that the Twins would have better shot at an effective LH reliever via trade. The guy we missed out on during the last trade deadline was Puk, as a couple posters have pointed out in the past. He sure didn't seem to cost much in prospect capital. I don't remember the last "scary" lefty pitcher we've had on the team - it's been years though. Puk would likely have been that. I'm looking forward to seeing how Prielipp develops.
  15. Finlander
    Lewis balked at a move to 2B, so I doubt he'd agree to play 1B. As much as I'd love to see MN make a deal with TB for Yandy Diaz (they have talented youngsters coming up), or try a rare in-division change of scenery deal with Chicago for Vaughn (maybe based around Julien/Kirilloff - WSox have been overly righthanded in recent years), it won't happen because of the budget issues. So I'd give Miranda first shot. If he's healthy, he'll hit. His lost 2023 was due to fighting through his injury. He did slump at the end of last year too, but the entire team seemed to slump, maybe not coincidentally after the non-action at the trade deadline, so it's not all on him despite the back issue. Why posters keep mentioning platoon options is beyond me too, as Miranda actually hits righties just fine. Larnach might be a fit there too. He has the bat and the build for it. Might be his best path to more playing time. He's historically had problems with lefties and breaking pitches, but he looked like he improved a bit, at least with hitting the offspeed stuff. It'll be interesting to see how the gloves get shuffled in spring training. Rooker's bat would sure play well there.
  16. Finlander
    Great article btw. I'd love to know if Correa is reading it.
  17. Finlander
    Plus the team received millions from MLB (amount not disclosed of course) to offset a good chunk of the harm caused by the disastrous TV situation. In all likelihood this windfall ended up in Pohlad pockets.
  18. Finlander
    Isn't the fact that Castro had over 150 ABs more than anyone on the team besides Santana an indication of his value? No, he's not a regular, or an All-Star player, or someone to build around, obviously. But he reminds me a bit of Cesar Tovar role-wise, and that brings back good memories. Guess that's why I'd like to see the Twins bring him back for a year or two. Could be a nice deadline trade chip too when the young guys finally show that they're ready.
  19. Finlander
    This shouldn't even be a debate. Besides his defensive versatility and his All Star nod, Castro (despite his ailing back) led the team in triples, stolen bases, and doubles. I imagine he'll improve with a healthy back. Sign the man. Trade Vasquez and eat half of his salary, pay most of Castro's cost with the savings. Having two starter caliber catchers is an unnecessary luxury anyway, given the problems with the pitching staff. Almost seems like lipstick on a pig. We need Castro much more than a zero hitting $10M second catcher.
  20. Finlander
    Weak hitting first baseman Santana managed to lead the team in HRs and RBIs last year. That seems to speak to the need for improvement throughout the whole lineup, does it not?
  21. Finlander
    During 2023, the year of the overly-expensive Twins player payroll, the team value appreciated by 9% to $1.7 billion. Looks like it has been a great investment, even more so with the taxpayer funded stadium. I guess that increase was insufficient though, and required cost cutting measures this year.
  22. Finlander
    I was volunteering once again at the free soup kitchen and, as I was about to ladle a cup of beef barley to a blind person (who I understand is a recently retired MLB umpire), Jim Poor-lad cut in front of him and demanded that he wanted an extra packet of crackers for his soup. We chatted very briefly as I tried to settle him down. But when I asked whatever became of the millions of dollars in relief money that MLB teams adversely impacted by poor TV deals (like the Twins) received, he turned around and stormed away without his crackers.
  23. Finlander
    My post above just illustrates why many fans are frustrated, and it is conceivable that Twins players are also disheartened by the lack of roster improvement this season. I am concerned that this lack of urgency to improve the team will make Minnesota a less desirable option for free agent players in the future. But maybe it's a moot point if we can't even afford them in the first place.
  24. Finlander
    The Twins cried "poor" immediately after the season ended last fall, and they followed through by avoiding signings that were beyond their TV deal damaged budget. They doubled down on their pauper status by shunning any deals at the deadline to improve the team's chances of a playoff push. When it was announced that MLB would be distributing millions of dollars to teams that were adversely affected by difficult TV deals, including the Twins, they still stood pat. Apparently the millions will disappear into ownership pockets. Otherwise someone like recent DFA Taylor Rogers might be added to help the pen. It seems that a similar article of reasons (or excuses) could have been written about the Twins' unwillingness to invest in starting pitching, although the deals for Lopez and Dobnak contradict that somewhat. But look at what KC did this past pring, which MN couldn't, or wouldn't. Wacha and Lugo. That's the main reason why KC is up there challenging Cleveland for the division.
  25. Finlander
    I was able to get a program signed by 3 or 4 Twins at the stadium back in those days - I think Bruno, Kirby and Herbie. What struck me the most was that Brunansky, a right handed thrower and batter, signed the program with his left hand. I was surprised and thought it was such a cool little laterality secret! Does anyone else remember him writing leftie?
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