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Finlander

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Everything posted by Finlander

  1. Finlander
    This! Especially when that community helped build a stadium for the owner.
  2. Finlander
    LHP AJ Puk has been nasty since moving to the pen, and he went for two mid-tier (#15-20ish) prospects. I would have liked to see MN make that move. Norby and Stowers out of Baltimore are both pretty good players to give up for Rogers. I doubt the Twins would have approached that. Puk and Max Meyer would have been a nice get...
  3. Finlander
    1. Teams that cried "poor" after suffering a TV broadcast business mishap are getting up to a $15M subsidy from the MLB luxury tax pool to help balance the roster payroll hit. Will the Twins buy a player with their windfall, or stick it into their pockets? 2. Who are the marketing geniuses and clothing designers? I'd rather see investment into another good starting pitcher rather than several bizarre versions of uniforms that compel me to wear a welding helmet. 3. Jim should legally change his last name to "Griffith". Happy Monday 😊
  4. Finlander
    MLBPA should have only agreed to this if the receiving teams and respective distribution amounts are made public.
  5. Finlander
    Other takes I see: Miranda is proving that last year was simply an injury-related outlier. I like him as a dangerous bat, and he has even flashed on a few corner infield plays. At the very least, he has become a nice trade chip. Castro continues his breakout as his playing time has increased. Wish he'd steal more bags like he did last year though. He's like a Cesar Tovar with a better bat and maybe should be considered for a contract extension. Julien, who most people counted on for a full and productive season this year, really fell off the cliff. Here's hoping he finds his way back. Larnach has shown nice improvement in recognizing pitches (and hitting them) this year. Overall, it's been nice to see the hitters cutting down on strikeouts a bit too. And the pitching...well...we knew. While I was volunteering at the soup kitchen, I ladled another cup of beef barley for a disheveled looking Mr Pohlad as he grumbled about TV deals and how expensive Michael Wacha would be. I gave him some extra crackers.
  6. Finlander
    I think someone at the Athletic ate some recalled chicken by mistake. Kirilloff for Alonso straight up is all I'd do - maybe even make NY take Sanchez to adjust payroll, if MN thinks Camargo can step in at backup C. Farmer and Santana might be the panic button emergency backups! (Sidebar, the Twins are overdue to draft a top catcher or two.) Prospects like Festa and Keaschall only go for someone we really need, like an impact and hopefully controllable SP, not a struggling, expensive, 3-4 month rental first baseman.
  7. Finlander
    $7M for two months of Alonso makes no sense for a team that chose Margot over better OF backup candidates due to financial constraints. Tampa Bay has difficulties this season, and they are constantly operating under very tight budgetary conditions. I'd prefer to see the Twins target someone like Yandy Diaz, who has a great bat and is quickly pricing himself out of reach of TB. The Rays have dropped in the standings with a very difficult path to the playoffs this year. They have IF prospects that they'll need to clear space for (Caminero, Aranda, Mead, Isaac), so they may shop Diaz and/or Paredes. Twins should have TB on speed dial. A deal for a player like Diaz would be more worth parting with a high prospect or two than Alonso.
  8. Finlander
    Wondering if we'd see Camargo before either Raya or Severino. If the Twins look to offload Vasquez somehow to rid themselves of one of the poorest hitters in baseball (whether in season or during off-season), and save themselves some payroll down the road, they'll need to assess Camargo's readiness to step in as a backup to Jeffers. I can see him getting some playing time later this summer.
  9. Finlander
    Unless he falls apart, Jeffers looks like an All Star reserve to me. His defense has improved enough to warrant it, and he's clearly the #2 or 3 AL catcher IMO. If Pablo and Jhoan are All Star pitchers, it would make sense to have Jeffers in there behind the plate for one if not both. He'll get some national visibility then.
  10. Finlander
    Meanwhile, James Rowson has the Yankees hitters rocking. Granted, they have some great hitters and really improved by adding Soto. But I'm paying attention to the improved hitting of Cabrera, Wells, Volpe and others, and continue to wonder what the circumstances were that caused the Twins to let Rowson leave. I hope it wasn't a few thousand dollars.
  11. Finlander
    Something not touched on was that Dean Chance threw 2 no-hitters for the Twins in August 1967 (the first one being a 5 inning perfect game that was rain-shortened). The second one though wasn't even a shutout, as Chance walked 5, including the first two batters of the game, and a Jerry Zimmerman error let in a run early. Chance had a very nice season that year, Jim Kaat was the best pitcher on MLB for the stretch run, and Jim Merritt was also a potentially dominant force too - strong K rate but the epitome of the hard luck pitcher with little run support. I would have loved to see that team compete in the World Series that year - unfortunately, Kaat hurt his overused arm, and Yaz and the Bosox stole the pennant from Minnesota. So, for those 1968 cards that were printed following the season that could have been...HOF or not, I really like that Chance card. Thanks for sharing! It brought back some memories from that era..
  12. Finlander
    I never would have dreamed that Kyle Garlick or Rob Refsnyder would be so tough to replace.
  13. Finlander
    If Miranda is crushing this spring, I could see him as a mostly full time DH for front of season while his throwing shoulder continues to heal, whether with Twins or in AAA. Two of the Twins' main RH bats were barely above the Mendoza line most of last year (Bux, CC). Not sure who Miranda beats out though, unless Kirilloff struggles or Santana is finally toast. For the last bullpen spot, I've been a Staumont fan in the past, even with his walk issues. Near 100 mph arm. But thoracic outlet surgery is a tough comeback, and his WHIP has been 1.4-1.7 his whole career other than his one decent season in 2021. Right now I kinda like Topa, or maybe even Funderburk if we go with a lefty.
  14. Finlander
    Great writeup - very thought provoking! I'm not necessarily sold on Kirilloff as a keeper. He hasn't been healthy, hasn't hit consistently when he's been in the lineup, and he doesn't play a premium defensive position. Given the perpetual search for pitching, I might be inclined to keep another pitcher over Kirilloff, maybe a lefty. Might also make a case for keeping Carmago (catchers are also rare in the system), Martin, or Castro as well, Even Miranda looked good smacking that rbi liner to the RF corner yesterday. If he's healthy, I could see him surpassing Kirilloff. At least Miranda has shown he can hit well in the majors. Unfortunately we've been waiting for quite awhile on players like Kirilloff and Larnach.
  15. Finlander
    Hmm. A hitter who doesn't strike out much, and can hit balls hard in or out of the zone. Until his numbers nosedive, I'm not sure I'd mess with him much yet. This sounds like someone who could drive opposing pitchers nuts. I seem to recall a couple of players with "see the ball, hit the ball" approach, named Oliva and Puckett. They did okay. Having ten SB doesn't scream useless runner at me either. I'll be interested in his fielding routes for balls hit to the OF. He's gonna be fun to watch this year - I hope he's not moved.
  16. Finlander
    For any position player exposures or drops, I think it boils down to how healthy the CF and 1B spots are. Can Buxton be counted on for some CF duties, or will he clog the DH spot again? Who plays CF then? How do Kirilloff and Miranda look? Miranda certainly looks destined for St Paul to start while recovering from his shoulder procedure, but what if he's absolutely mashing in ST and Kirilloff isn't? Some of this has to be sorted out first, I believe. The Twins have players that are multipositional, but how the CF and 1B spots play out, and possibly how they're performing in the field at LF and 2B, will probably determine which of the UT guys stick. I agree with a previous post stating that Gordon and Larnach would likely welcome a trade to an organization that can play them.
  17. Finlander
    If Lopez gets hurt, we're in big trouble. I'd rather see a second reliable playoff caliber starter on the roster now than play pulltab chances with what's left. Twins are defending division champs, not a rebuilding squad like the Royals. DeSclafani, with the faulty flexor, doesn't seem to move the needle.
  18. Finlander
    I've been worn out by the "I don't wanna" routine ever since Tommy Herr's arrival years ago. The ask is only to be an available backup CF, not a permanent move from RF. Wallner is likely taking over RF eventually. If Kepler is shipped to Kansas City or Washington DC for a bullpen arm or a RH 1B, or even a prospect, he may wish he wouldn't have said "I don't wanna".
  19. Finlander
    I laughed so hard I'll need to do laundry now...you got me with the "Thanks mom" haircut. Great fun!
  20. Finlander
    When I had mentioned targeting Castillo, this is what I had in mind - Kepler and Polanco plus a lottery ticket might get it done. Salaries balance out for 2024. Sure, after that we're "stuck" with a top pitcher at $22-25M, whatever he's at. Oh darn. Guess we could always trade him to the Dodgers after we beat them in the 2024 WS!
  21. Finlander
    Seattle will just pick up some FA bats? Easier said than done, more expensive and more competition to sign those bats. And Seattle's pitching-friendly park may not be an appealing destination to a FA bat. Mariners are posturing. They'd love to pick up some good cheap bats in a trade, and they would move a pitcher to do so. Twins have a logjam in the infield and can afford to thin that out a bit. I've seen the idea (not dumb at all) of including Ray in a deal as relief for Seattle and to lower the MN prospect capital loss. Let's go further. Could we afford to target Luis Castillo in a deal? What might that cost?
  22. Finlander
    I like either idea. Luzardo is a legit #2, with three years team control. If MN thinks they can fix Cabrera's BB rate and targets him, I'd love for them to ask for Meyer to be included, and pay accordingly. Minnesota Max would buffer a Cabrera bust, and he actually seems to be a lot like Sonny Gray with the methodical bulldog attitude and the 6' stature. I'm guessing we could get that pair for roughly what Luzardo would cost.
  23. Finlander
    It looks like we have a 1ish and a few 3-4s. Seems to me MN could sacrifice a 3-4 along with a hitter or two to try upgrading a slot to a 1-2. Something like Ober, Polanco and Mercedes to Seattle for Gilbert and a catching prospect? Or see what Miami needs in exchange for Cabrera/Max Meyer tandem?
  24. Finlander
    Given the depth with hitters and the difficulty in getting young, controllable quality pitching, I'd lean more towards Pablo Lopez and maybe Jhoan Duran as off limits. Lopez is what you want to find more of, and Duran is nearly a unicorn. Ryan is borderline untouchable to me. But if trading him brought back E Cabrera and Max Meyer, why not consider. I'm also intrigued enough by Jenkins to want to see more of him, so he's also on the no trade list for now. I think anyone else could be available. It depends on the return. There are contingencies of course. If Lewis is moved, Lee likely has to stay. Even Correa or Buxton could be traded if they waived their NT clause, as has been done in the past by others. Jeffers tempted me only because of the lack of catching depth in the system, and he looks like he could become an impact bat. But if another team wants him badly enough, we have Vasquez and can find a backup.
  25. Finlander
    Thought #4 before I fall asleep: If the Twins knew the TV deal was expiring, and if it was actually the worst TV deal in MLB, then why in the world did they spend all that money last off season?
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